“You can help me?”
Xia Xiaolan looked at Du Zhaohui. If these words had been spoken to Xia Ziyu, she would have been overjoyed.
“Of course I can. While the funds at my disposal aren’t much in Hong Kong, they make me a wealthy man on the mainland. You’ve found a boyfriend with a family background, but can you guarantee you’ll successfully marry him? His family, his social circle – can you truly integrate into them? Of course, being as smart and beautiful as you are, if you lowered yourself to please others, you could probably manage it.”
The problem was, that Xia Xiaolan didn’t seem like someone who would lower herself.
She wasn’t just smart and beautiful. From Du Zhaohui’s observation, she was also proud!
Intelligence and beauty – either quality alone was enough to make someone proud, as either could help them stand out among ordinary people. Xia Xiaolan possessed both, so naturally, she would be proud.
Xia Xiaolan adjusted to a more comfortable position. “Continue.”
“For a beautiful woman like you, if we must find a flaw, it would be your family background. Having someone like Xia Dajun as your biological father is embarrassing. If he keeps appearing and disrupting your normal life, it might affect everything you’ve carefully built up. Think about why Hong Kong tycoons can buy cars and houses for beautiful actresses but turn cold when it comes to marriage… Because these actresses aren’t worth marrying. In the tycoons’ eyes, their family background doesn’t match up. They like the beauty, but rather than marriage, they can always find someone younger and prettier after a while.”
Xia Xiaolan understood Du Zhaohui’s meaning.
Young Master Du was so concerned about her “wealthy marriage dreams,” thinking she was reaching above her station with Zhou Cheng, and since she wouldn’t bow and scrape to please people, she needed to compensate for her shortcomings.
Xia Xiaolan’s shortcoming wasn’t just her past poverty, but all the aftermath it brought – Xia Dajun being just one example.
Besides Xia Dajun, there were other members of the Xia family.
These people would occasionally pop up to cause trouble, disrupting Xia Xiaolan’s peaceful life and, in Du Zhaohui’s opinion, preventing the Zhou family from truly accepting her. He wasn’t entirely wrong, he just mistakenly equated the Zhou family with Hong Kong’s wealth.
The social situations in Hong Kong and the mainland were different; Du Zhaohui’s understanding of the mainland wasn’t deep enough.
Nor was his understanding of Xia Xiaolan.
“So you’ll help me, including keeping the Xia family’s harassment at bay, and even provide some financial support so I won’t be rootless. After all, Young Master Du’s wealth is so vast that even a hair from your head is thicker than an ordinary person’s waist. You can throw away hundreds of thousands to spite Director Wang, so you can certainly throw away hundreds of thousands on me. In 1985’s mainland, with hundreds of thousands in startup capital, anyone who isn’t completely stupid could build something. You’ll provide real financial help, and all I need to do is help you handle Kang Wei’s matter! Young Master Du, I misunderstood you before – I never thought you weren’t a jerk, but a kind-hearted philanthropist!”
Being called a jerk didn’t bother Du Zhaohui at all; he took it as a compliment.
“I said you were a clever girl. This kind of cooperation would be mutually beneficial-“
“I’m sorry, but I disagree.”
Old wine in a new bottle – same medicine in a different soup. Du Zhaohui’s purpose made Xia Xiaolan feel bored.
She’d have to be crazy to accept Du Zhaohui’s so-called mutually beneficial cooperation.
Du Zhaohui wasn’t wrong – Xia Xiaolan did want a good life and wanted to escape her terrible family environment, but she had her capabilities and could completely rely on her abilities to get what she wanted.
Du Zhaohui wasn’t just wrong about her; he was wrong about the Zhou family too.
If she couldn’t marry Zhou Cheng, it definitely wouldn’t be because the Zhou family thought she wasn’t worthy – it would be because of problems between her and Zhou Cheng!
Disagree?
“What I can provide isn’t just financial help, but many resources!”
Xia Xiaolan had already stood up. “I’m not interested. If you want to use Xia Dajun to threaten me, I don’t care. Honestly, I don’t care much whether he lives or dies. Yes, it’s annoying when flies keep appearing, but as you said, I’m smart – I’ll always find ways to deal with these troubles!”
Xia Xiaolan left, leaving Du Zhaohui stunned.
How could Xia Xiaolan refuse?
His judgment couldn’t be wrong – wasn’t Xia Xiaolan ambitious, desperately wanting to climb up?
Surely Xia Xiaolan didn’t think all success was as simple as studying.
Success in college entrance exams, in competitions… hah, she must be deluded by these achievements, thinking she didn’t need help?
Of course, there was another possibility – Xia Xiaolan might think the circle she’d already cultivated, Tang Hongen, the Kang family, and that boyfriend whose background he couldn’t trace, could provide more attractive help than what he’d described!
This latter possibility made Du Zhaohui furious.
These detestable mainland bureaucrats!
Whether Tang Hongen or Kang Lianming, they thought they could determine the fate of the Chengrong Group and him, Du Zhaohui, just because of their authority.
The group’s wealth would keep growing, but these people would eventually retire!
Thinking of how Xia Xiaolan had unhesitatingly chosen sides, Du Zhaohui trashed his hospital room.
…
“What did he say?”
“He thinks you’re playing with my feelings. Dating is fine, but marrying into the Zhou family would be too difficult. And since I’m ambitious, if I want to succeed, I should choose to cooperate with him.”
Zhou Cheng wanted to strangle Du Zhaohui.
His voice was muffled, “I’m not that kind of person.”
“Of course, you’re not. If either of us was playing with feelings at the start, it was me. Zhou Cheng, when we first got together, actually I…”
Zhou Cheng covered Xia Xiaolan’s mouth:
“Shh, I know everything.”
When they first got together, Xia Xiaolan hadn’t been serious at all. Would a grown man like Zhou Cheng care about such things? He had pursued Xiaolan persistently, and now their relationship was getting better and better – why bring up the past? If she had been the kind of beautiful young woman who would follow anyone who beckoned, she wouldn’t have been the wife he wanted!
“This person operates purely on money. His help revolves around money.”
Zhou Cheng accurately pointed out Du Zhaohui’s flaw.
He also found it amusing – if Du Zhaohui hadn’t mentioned money, it might have been better, but mentioning money was sure to get him a face full of Xiaolan’s spit. If Xiaolan wanted to make money freely, why would she need Du Zhaohui’s financial help? This wasn’t Hong Kong.
Guan Huie rushed over, interrupting them:
“What’s going on? I just got back and heard Xiaolan’s father showed up?”
In front of Xia Xiaolan, Guan Huie controlled her words. Her impression of Xia Dajun was terrible – his appearance now couldn’t be good news!