Young Wang watched as Xia Xiaolan both criticized and guided Chen Xiliang, yet Chen Xiliang remained incredibly grateful to her.
If they were equal partners before, now it had become an unequal relationship between a devoted fan and an idol.
A good idea needs to be presented at the right moment.
Having just gone through a divorce and nearly lost his investment, Chen Xiliang would firmly grasp this opportunity. If Xia Xiaolan had suggested the Spring Festival Gala promotion right at the start of their meeting, it wouldn’t have had such a strong impact.
Young Wang looked at Xia Xiaolan as if she were some supernatural being.
He’d known she was clever, but did she have to be this clever?
Though he was a few years older than Xia Xiaolan, he felt those years might as well have been lived by a dog!
Li Dongliang felt this deeply – this was why he was willing to stay with Xia Xiaolan and Liu Yong. He could certainly start his own business now, gather a few people, and form a small renovation team. While it might not be as profitable as ‘Yuan Hui’, he’d be his boss – but that would be it. There was still so much to learn, and Li Dongliang couldn’t bear to leave.
His personality wasn’t as diplomatic as Liu Yong’s. Without Liu Yong at the helm, while he could be intimidating to outsiders, he couldn’t handle interpersonal relationships well.
Li Dongliang was also learning – for instance, Xia Xiaolan’s actions today had taught him a lesson.
As for Xia Xiaolan, she too was learning and improving, but her teachers were Tang Hong’en, Zhou Guobing, and Guan Hui’e – people she originally couldn’t have accessed. With a different perspective, her thoughts and business style were changing.
Honesty was a virtue, one needed in business.
But if she remained completely honest throughout, Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t be far from being destroyed by others!
How Chen Xiliang would handle Lin Meijuan and her brother wasn’t Xia Xiaolan’s concern. She’d informed Chen Xiliang, and if he couldn’t control the Lin family and they crossed Xia Xiaolan, she wouldn’t show mercy for anyone’s sake.
After staying an extra day in Yang, Xia Xiaolan immediately went to the hospital upon returning to Peng. She surprisingly encountered Du Zhaohui at Kang Wei’s hospital room door, sincerely apologizing to Kang Wei:
“It was indeed my fault that day. The car was going too fast, and when the driver spotted your car, it was too late to avoid it. Comrade Kang, I’ll fully compensate for your car, cover all your hospitalization expenses, plus compensation for mental distress and lost wages… I’ve recognized my mistake and offer my deepest apologies to Comrade Kang.”
If not for Du Zhaohui’s heavy Hong Kong accent in his Mandarin, Xia Xiaolan might have mistaken him for some steady old cadre standing in Kang Wei’s hospital room.
She’d only been away from Peng for two days – what had happened?
Xia Xiaolan couldn’t understand what game Du Zhaohui was playing.
If this was an apology, it came several days too late. Du Zhaohui had been “recovering” before and hadn’t offered such a formal apology.
“Xiaolan’s back.”
Xie Yun pulled Xia Xiaolan into the room. Xia Xiaolan noticed Kang Wei’s closed eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly – was he pretending to sleep?
Kang Lianming nodded at Du Zhaohui with authority:
“Mr. Du, I can see your sincerity. Please leave now, my nephew needs rest.”
Du Zhaohui didn’t persist, appearing genuinely sincere, and accepting whatever the Kang family said.
After Du Zhaohui left, Kang Lianming’s lips twitched into a smile: “Wonder who gave Du Zhaohui such messy advice.”
Xia Xiaolan was also puzzled. “Uncle Kang, I see Kang Wei’s condition has stabilized. Rather than recovering in Peng, why not transfer him back to Jing? It would be more convenient for you and Aunt Xie to look after him.”
If Du Zhaohui could follow them to Jing to cause trouble, she’d be impressed.
Kang Lianming had been planning this anyway.
“We’ve already arranged for tonight’s flight. What about you? With New Year approaching, are you staying in Peng?”
Xie Yun had grown quite fond of Xia Xiaolan. Kang Wei had told her that the house where mother and son now lived was designed by Xia Xiaolan – they’d had a connection even before meeting.
The house was thoughtfully decorated, and Xie Yun liked it.
Xie Yun also appreciated Xia Xiaolan’s recent efforts.
Xie Yun didn’t have any complicated thoughts. Xia Xiaolan was Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend, but she could still have a deep friendship with Kang Wei!
Relationships between men and women weren’t limited to romance – there could be classmate relationships, friendships, and colleague relationships. Why are things so complicated?
With Peng being chaotic, Xie Yun worried about Xia Xiaolan staying alone, especially with a reckless young Hong Kong businessman around. What if something unexpected happened?
“Aunt Xie, I plan to return to Shang on the 17th. My uncle is coming to Peng tomorrow morning, so I’ll wait for him here one day and return with him.”
Liu Yong was coming from Jing.
With how much ‘Yuan Hui’ had earned this year, Liu Yong needed to come to balance the books, settle workers’ wages, and clarify company accounts – after working all year, they couldn’t let workers go without money for New Year!
Xia Xiaolan wasn’t an ordinary university student; she was also doing business.
And not just business with Kang Wei. When Xie Yun heard about Xia Xiaolan’s uncle coming, she didn’t press further.
“Then stay at the government guesthouse tonight.”
No one would cause trouble there; Xia Xiaolan could sleep peacefully.
The suggestion to stay at the city government guesthouse was good – Liu Yong had done the renovation there, and Xia Xiaolan had designed it with Gong Yang. She liked the decoration style.
At eight in the evening, Kang Wei was transferred back to Jing, still mischievously waving to Xia Xiaolan from his hospital bed.
Xia Xiaolan couldn’t help smiling. When the cars collided, they thought they might die, but both had survived. Her facial injuries had almost healed, and Kang Wei was recovering.
Li Dongliang stayed with her as usual, and Young Wang continued as a temporary driver.
But on the way to the city government guesthouse, Xia Xiaolan’s car was stopped.
It was Du Zhaohui.
“Young Master Du, not sleeping this late at night – planning to be a highway robber?”
Perhaps afraid of triggering Xia Xiaolan’s emotions, Du Zhaohui hadn’t brought the Bentley from the accident, instead switching to a relatively low-key Mercedes. At least it counted as low-key for Young Master Du. Xia Xiaolan remained noncommittal.
Du Zhaohui leaned against his car door, looking gloomy.
“Comrade Xia Xiaolan, how have you considered my previous proposal? Nobody dislikes having more money, right? If you can resolve this matter, besides receiving payment, I’ll give you a grand gift.”
Du Zhaohui sincerely invited Xia Xiaolan to preview the gift. They were very close to the guesthouse, and could even see its main gate. With Li Dongliang accompanying her, Xia Xiaolan was curious about Du Zhaohui’s scheme.
Looking in, she saw a person tied up in the trunk.
Their mouth was gagged, making muffled sounds, and under the streetlight, Xia Xiaolan saw it was Xia Ziyu!
Xia Xiaolan only looked for a moment before closing the trunk:
“Young Master Du, what do you mean by this?”
Du Zhaohui shrugged, “Exactly what you’re thinking. Isn’t this woman your enemy? Besides the reward, you can deal with her however you want!”