“Mr. Liang, isn’t four billion a bit high?” Gu Wan’er adjusted her mindset and said with a gentle smile.
“Miss Gu, four billion is my final price. I can give you a week to think it over.” Liang Xing didn’t budge an inch—this was already his bottom line.
Yu Xiaoduo smiled and said, “Alright, we’ll think about it. Thank you very much, Brother Liang.”
“Haha, I, Liang Xing, enjoy making friends. Let’s hang out more often in the future.”
“No problem.”
Just then, Liang Xing received a phone call. He smiled apologetically and said, “Everyone, something came up at home, so I’m afraid I can’t stay for more tea.”
After Liang Xing left, Lu Zhengzhi pulled out a pack of China cigarettes and offered one to Yu Xiaoduo. Fu Quan, sitting nearby, didn’t smoke.
“Brother Yu, here’s a light.”
“Oh my, Brother Lu, you’re too kind,” Yu Xiaoduo laughed. He’s even lighting it for me.
Gu Wan’er furrowed her delicate brows and fanned the air with her small hand, unable to resist saying, “You should smoke less.”
“What’s wrong with me having a cigarette?” Yu Xiaoduo said, clearly displeased. She has to control this too?
What Gu Wan’er really meant was that if he kept smoking, the smell would linger on him tomorrow. Ugh.
Lu Zhengzhi took one last deep drag, then stubbed out his cigarette. “Brother Yu, you really don’t know how lucky you are. She’s just concerned about your health.”
Yu Xiaoduo shot a glance at Gu Wan’er. Are you really that considerate?
Ah, forget it. I won’t argue with you.
Gu Wan’er felt helpless. Now he’s calling me ‘sister-in-law’? But on second thought, it wasn’t so bad—at least it would keep other people from bothering her.
“Sister Gu, is this price reasonable?” Gu Wan’er suddenly asked, turning to Fu Quan.
Yu Xiaoduo thought to herself, You’ve finally come to your senses, calling him by his proper name. He’s a few years older than you—it doesn’t hurt to call him ‘brother.’
Fu Quan was pleased to hear that. “Gu Wan’er, the price is fair. This port will eventually become the largest in Longhai City. Today’s four billion could easily multiply many times over in the future.”
“Gu Wan’er, don’t worry. This is a heavily government-supported project. You could practically lie down and still make money,” Lu Zhengzhi chimed in.
Gu Wan’er bit her red lips. She was truly tempted. If she secured this project, her status would rise significantly, and she could finally shut up all those who looked down on her.
Fu Quan said seriously, “Gu Wan’er, landing this project is like holding an unsheathed sword in your hand. It may not be able to wound anyone yet, but it can certainly intimidate them. No matter how arrogant Gu Xiao is, he’ll come back to try and stop you. At the very least, it’ll force him to take you seriously.”
Yu Xiaoduo also felt Fu Quan was right. Gu Wan’er was part of the main family line, yet she was being completely ignored by two branch family members. That was frankly embarrassing. But a contract this big required thorough evaluation. If four billion went down the drain, Gu Wan’er would have no choice but to go home obediently and wait for an arranged marriage.
“Gu Wan’er, here are some photocopies for your reference. If you need to know anything specific, just call me. And if you’re free tomorrow, I’ll take you to see the site,” Lu Zhengzhi said with great enthusiasm—though half of that enthusiasm was really directed at Yu Xiaoduo.
Gu Wan’er nodded. “Alright. Let’s go take a look tomorrow.”
In the eyes of Fu Quan and Lu Zhengzhi, Yu Xiaoduo seemed completely unfazed, as if four billion were just forty bucks. Truly worthy of being Brother Yu. No wonder he dares to get involved with a woman like Gu Wan’er. You’d need some serious guts to pull that off.
Yu Xiaoduo thought to herself, I really don’t care. It’s not my business. At most, I’ll give the boss some advice.
Gu Wan’er felt very grateful to Lu Zhengzhi and Fu Quan. Even though she hadn’t known them long, they were incredibly warm and welcoming. For the first time, this unfamiliar city felt a little less cold.
But then she caught sight of Yu Xiaoduo’s mischievous grin, and that brief warmth was instantly buried under a layer of ice. He’s definitely thinking about something dirty—with a smirk like that.
Just then, Yu Xiaoduo remembered something and asked curiously, “Brother Lu, you mentioned three companies earlier. Who’s the third one?”
“The Ye Corporation. They’re actually leading the project,” Lu Zhengzhi said with a smile.
Gu Wan’er murmured, “I heard Ye Shishi is back?”
“Your news travels fast. Word is going around the circle, but Ye Shishi herself hasn’t appeared or responded. Who knows,” Fu Quan said with a long sigh. Ye Shishi’s return might not be a good thing.
“I’ll spread the word. No matter where Gu Xiao is, he’ll come to see you.”
Gu Wan’er said with concern, “If Gu Xiao finds out, he might try to compete with me for it. Then I’d be paving the way for someone else.”
“Don’t worry. Old Liang has principles when it comes to business. Unless you back out, he won’t go looking for anyone else.”
Fu Quan’s words reassured Gu Wan’er, but time was still tight. Today was already Monday, and she had to give an answer by next Monday.
After discussing a few more specifics, Yu Xiaoduo drove Gu Wan’er home.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Gu Wan’er asked flatly. He’s being too quiet. It’s unusual.
Yu Xiaoduo, who was driving, shrugged and said, “You were discussing such a huge deal. I didn’t really get a chance to jump in.”
“Ugh. Where am I supposed to get four billion?” Gu Wan’er rubbed her temples and muttered, looking very troubled.
Just then, Yu Xiaoduo’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, glanced at the message, and said, “Sister Bai said we can go for forty.”
“Let me see.” Gu Wan’er snatched the phone right out of Yu Xiaoduo’s hand. Sure enough, it was a reply from Sister Bai.
“Gu Wan’er, this is my phone, you know. You can’t just grab it like that.”
“I need to know what Sister Bai says too. What if you’re not around? I have to be able to handle things.”
Yu Xiaoduo pursed his lips, then suddenly remembered something. “I think you just want my phone to do something shady.”
“Who’s doing anything shady? Here, take it back. You’re so stingy.”
“Oh my. Doesn’t someone know there’s this little feature called ‘watch history’? Looks like we’re kindred spirits. How about we discuss the plot sometime?”
Gu Wan’er nearly choked. Her face turned bright red in an instant, and she wanted to crawl into a hole.
“Yu Xiaoduo, you’re such a pervert!”
“Your watch history says you watched for two whole hours. I couldn’t last that long even if I tried.”
Gu Wan’er: “…”
Gu Wan’er couldn’t take Yu Xiaoduo’s teasing anymore. Breathing heavily, she lunged at him without a second thought.
“Whoa! You bite too? Are you a dog?”
“Let go! Please, I’m begging you. I’m really scared of you.”
On the way home, the two of them went at each other like crazy inside the car. Finally, Yu Xiaoduo managed to drop Gu Wan’er off outside her villa.
Gu Wan’er slammed the car door open, then slammed it shut again. But she didn’t hear Yu Xiaoduo’s usual outburst—wasn’t this guy supposed to treat his car like his precious little wife?
Yu Xiaoduo rolled down the passenger window and called out, “Wan’er.”
“What?”
“Did you get your rabies shot?” With that, Yu Xiaoduo floored the accelerator and sped off.
Gu Wan’er just stood there, watching him disappear into the distance. After a long moment, she finally shouted, “Yu Xiaoduo! You son of a—!”
