"Dad, you're so boring. What do you do all day besides go to work and do some housework? You're so uninteresting, that's why Mom doesn't like you."

"All you do is force me to study and do homework. I don't like going to math Olympiad classes, and I don't want to learn English. You don't consider my feelings at all. In your eyes, I'm just a robot. Uncle Gu feels sorry for me, buys me toys, and helps me collect cigarette cards. He told me that everyone needs a complete childhood."

"If Uncle Gu were my dad, everyone in my class would be so envious of me."

"I don't want you to attend the parent-teacher conference. I want Mom and Uncle Gu."

In his previous life, Zhuang Yan thought the child was just too young to understand and would realize his good intentions when he grew up.

He devised a comprehensive study plan for his adopted son, hired renowned teachers, and arranged for a professional nutritionist to take care of his health. After growing up, his son graduated from a prestigious university and became the president of a company. He stopped saying those hurtful things, and to outsiders, he was a filial and sensible son.

Only Zhuang Yan knew that his son was not close to him. He had also watched with envy a father and son playing basketball in the park, and would linger when he saw a video of a family of three traveling online.

His adopted son was distant from him. He moved out on his own when he was 20. He would call Xia Wan to express his condolences during holidays, but he didn't care about him at all.

Even though he had a wife and son, Zhuang Yan in his previous life was like a lonely man.

He was confused. Was his education really wrong?

Now he finally understands that the problem wasn't with his parenting, but rather with the child's very nature.

Now he understood everything that had puzzled him. No wonder his adopted son was so close to Gu Qian, no wonder he could never get to know him properly, and no wonder he pulled out his oxygen tube to make him let Xia Wan and his Uncle Gu be together.

In his past life, he was like a bull, and these people were like gadflies clinging to him, sucking his blood. Perhaps even the heavens couldn't bear to see him suffer any longer, which is why he was reborn.

He didn't know how these people fared after he died in his previous life, but in this life, he was determined to make sure none of them fared well, and that none of them could escape.

Since Zhuang Zixin likes being with his biological father so much, we should grant his wish.

Zhuang Yan sold off his properties one by one, turning 50 million into 300 million from real estate speculation. The recent rapid rise in housing prices has attracted a lot of attention, and many people have seized the opportunity to make a fortune.

In this industry, many people become rich overnight, and many also go bankrupt overnight.

The risks are too high, but all the risks are high if you want to make big money, and very few people want to win steadily.

The landlord went bankrupt, and he couldn't handle the big project in Xicheng by himself. His cash flow dried up, so he had to resort to digging from one hole to fill another.

If he makes money in real estate, then he won't need to find partners to share the profits.

Seeing how profitable the real estate business was, Xia Qingshan kept holding onto his properties. He not only held onto some, but he also bought quite a few more. However, when he bought them, the price was already 31,000 yuan per square meter. To make a profit, he would need to buy at least 41,000 yuan per square meter.

Judging from the market situation, he is confident that he can clear out his inventory when housing prices are driven up to 50,000 or 60,000.

He was so confident, yet he never imagined that Zhuang Yan was the mastermind behind it all.

When the Zhuang family's scandal broke, Xia Qingshan's real estate holdings were also affected.

After housing prices were driven up to 60,000, they began to fall all the way down, to the point that Xia Qingshan was unable to react. At this time, a group of experts inexplicably appeared online, saying that housing prices would fall further in the future and that people should not rush to buy, but wait for instructions from higher authorities.

The authorities quickly released new policies, imposing restrictions on home purchases and requiring two years of social security contributions. This limited the eligibility of many people to buy homes, meaning that even wealthy individuals with a lot of money could no longer buy multiple homes at once.

Xia Qingshan had originally planned to sell the properties for at least 30,000 yuan per square meter, but now, due to government purchase restrictions, his properties are being inspected for quality issues.

With housing prices stabilizing, citizens have more choices and can carefully select their options. After all, houses are not like cars, which can be repaired if they break down. If a house collapses due to quality issues, it will be too late to cry.

Despite repeated statements from the Xia Group claiming that the houses were of good quality and posed no risk, no one was buying them.

Xia Qingshan had invested over a billion yuan in real estate, but only a fraction of that amount had been sold. Upon seeing the accounts, Xia Qingshan vomited blood and fainted.

Fortunately, his assistant and secretary were on site and promptly took him to the hospital.

Xia Qingshan had a premonition that the losses would be severe, but he didn't expect them to be this severe. He had previously watched the Zhuang family go bankrupt with indifference, but he never expected it would be his turn so soon.

How can such a huge hole be plugged? If it can't be plugged, then the only option is to sell that piece of land in the west of the city. But if he really has to sell it, he can't bear to part with it.

The only solution now is to seek financing from partners. Who has the resources to help him overcome this crisis? After thinking it over, Xia Qingshan came up with the Yi'an Group.

If he's willing to give up 10% of his profits, would the other party be willing to invest in helping him?

Xia Qingshan was unsure, after all, Yi'an Group had been helping Zhuang Yan deal with cyberbullying, and the two sides might be in cahoots.

Thinking of this, the blood pressure he had just suppressed surged up again, and Xia Qingshan felt dizzy. He quickly closed his eyes, leaned against the pillow, and breathed heavily through his mouth.

"Mr. Xia, are you alright...?" His assistant looked at him worriedly. "Should we call Miss and ask her to come over?"

It was better not to mention Xia Wan; the moment he was brought up, his mood worsened.

"I'm fine!" Xia Qingshan said firmly. "Don't call her back unless she divorces Gu Qian..."

It's clear that although he said he didn't want to see Xia Wan, he actually still wanted to see her. However, he was unwilling to back down. He knew that once he compromised this time, it would never end. He wanted to wait patiently. In time, Xia Wan would realize the importance of money and understand that Gu Qian wasn't worth a billion.

The assistant secretly sent Xia Wan a text message, asking her to come back and check on Xia Qingshan.

Xia Wan's first reaction was that her assistant was lying to her, and she wanted to coax her back.

After all, Xia Qingshan was perfectly healthy the day he left home, and he even had the energy to hit people.

So Xia Wan tentatively said, "If he agrees to let me bring Gu Qian back to see him, then I will go back."

The assistant stood at the door, looking at Xia Qingshan, who was still receiving an IV drip. His face was pale, and his hair was gray. Stripped of his identity as the chairman of the Xia Group, he was just an ordinary father.

He hopes his daughter can understand him, mature early, and be able to share his responsibilities.

Xia Qingshan was thinking about Yi'an Group when Lu Yu called.

"Brother-in-law, I've got the contact information for the boss of Yi'an Group."