Xu Jie's plan was ruined, and he blamed Lucy.

"If you knew anything, I would have profited from the factory demolition. You're all talk and no action, just petty tantrums."

Lucy was furious and confronted him fiercely.

“If you hadn’t brought that wild woman home, would I be like this? Let me tell you, in this house, it’s either me or her. If she dares to mess with me, I’ll beat her every time I see her.”

Without her parents' help, Lucy wasn't confident she could beat Xue Mei on her own, and with Xu Jie helping her, she could only vent her anger by hurling insults at her.

Xue Mei seemed more like the mistress of the house, casually lounging on the sofa with her feet stretched out on the armrests. No one dared to change the channel if she wanted to watch something.

There must be fruit in the house. She likes to eat apples, and there are always a few apples on the coffee table for her to eat.

At first, Xu's mother would argue with her, but each time she was rendered speechless by her words and had no choice but to retreat to her room.

Xu's father, who was paralyzed in bed, had been tormented by illness for many years, but he had endured it all. Now, hearing Xue Mei arguing with her family, he felt so angry that his chest felt tight.

Xue Mei didn't care about any of that; life was too good for her.

This was a moment of triumph for them.

Since escaping from Xu Jie's house last time, she has been going to her uncle's house.

Her uncle treated her very well, but her aunt and cousin would always make sarcastic and extremely rude remarks when her uncle wasn't around.

At that time, she was penniless and had no choice but to live under someone else's roof.

Over the past few years, she has helped her aunt with chores while also having to go out to find work and being looked down upon. It's a long story.

Not long ago, while she was looking for a job, she met a girl who said that she had also returned from Beijing and that Xu Jie had bought a house with the money.

Xue Mei's heart skipped a beat. Where did Xu Jie get the money? He must have cheated her out of it!

The thought of Xu Jie using her money to buy a house and living happily with his wife made her grit her teeth in hatred.

Why should I?

She earned 20,000 yuan in just a few months in Beijing; she has a natural talent for business.

As long as she has the initial capital, she can turn her life around.

So she stole her aunt's gold necklace, sold it, and used the money to buy a train ticket to the capital.

She first went to Jixiang Community to find Xu Jie's former residence, only to discover that he had already moved and that Jixiang Community had been bought by a Hong Kong businessman.

When she inquired about Xu Jie's current residence, she also learned a shocking fact: Jiang Ning acquired the old houses in this community and received eight million yuan in demolition compensation during the demolition!

Seeing others make money is worse than killing her!

At that time, she decided to find Xu Jie, get her principal back, and become a wealthy woman through business.

Unfortunately, after buying the house, Xu Jie didn't have much money left, and he still had a large family to support.

She could only settle down first and then slowly think about how to make money.

During dinner that day, Xue Mei spoke up again:

"Xu Jie, give me all the money you have at home, I want to start a business!"

Before Xu Jie could say anything, his mother flew into a rage, slamming her chopsticks down on the table.

"Screw your money-making! Let me tell you, I'm in charge of this household now, and you're not getting a single penny!"

Xue Mei chuckled, picked up a lighter, lit it, and moved closer to the curtains.

"Are you trying to make me burn money again? Let me tell you, I'm broke right now. I'm not afraid of anyone with nothing to lose. I advise you to hand over your money obediently, or I'll make you pay with your lives."

Xu Jie was terrified and quickly asked his mother to get the money.

"Mom, just take it out. After we bought the house, we still have three thousand yuan left. We still need to spend a little money to live on, so let's be careful with it. You can give two thousand to Xiaomei."

Upon hearing this, Xu's mother collapsed to the ground, weeping and wailing.

"What sins have I committed to deserve such a miserable life!"

Just then, Lin Tao suddenly knocked on the door.

He came to give Xu Jie money.

Last time, he splashed water on Gao Baoliang's bid documents. Although he didn't succeed in the end, his courage in disregarding everything was commendable.

This time, he instigated the old lady to cause trouble at the factory, which added to Jiang Ning's troubles.

"Xu Jie, as long as you follow me from now on, I can guarantee you'll earn a thousand yuan every month. Here's two thousand yuan, an advance payment. Think it over carefully." Lin Tao took out the money and coaxed him gently.

Xu Jie took the money without thinking.

"Brother Tao, from now on, whatever you say goes, and I'll run errands for you."

Xu's mother felt that someone like Lin Tao would never give others so many benefits; there must be some conspiracy behind it all, so she didn't want her son to go.

But Xu Jie insisted that with a monthly salary of one thousand yuan, who could resist such a temptation?

As Lin Tao left, he patted him on the shoulder with great appreciation.

"Okay, wait for my message about assigning you a task."

As soon as he left, Xue Mei reached out her hand.

Xu Jie, being perceptive, gave her the money.

"Consider this as capital and use it to start a business."

He seemed quite happy being a passing-by benefactor.

Lucy was furious when she saw this.

How can this be? A husband has money, but instead of giving it to his wife, he spends it on some vixen outside.

She was unwilling to give up and stepped forward to snatch it.

Xue Mei slapped her across the face, making her take a step back, her face burning with pain.

She was furious and demanded that Xu's mother seek justice for her.

When Xu's mother stepped forward to say something, Xue Mei told her to get lost.

"If you dare say another word, I'll kick you all out!"

These words were like a bolt from the blue to Xu's father.

With a scream, Xu's father suddenly widened his eyes and opened his mouth wide, and finally died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

When Xu's mother ran into the room, he was already dead.

Xu's mother lay on the headboard, crying her heart out, blaming Xue Mei for being a scourge and Xu Jie for aiding and abetting evil.

Xue Mei remained unmoved and took the money to start a business.

With a heavy heart, Xu Jie prepared for his father's funeral.

Soon, the news that Xu's father had died of anger spread throughout the neighborhood.

For a time, the Xu family became the talk of the town, and every time they saw Xu Jie, they would point and whisper behind his back.

Meanwhile, the demolition work on plot 009 is progressing smoothly.

The remaining workers at the factory all agreed on compensation terms and moved out smoothly.

Once the factory was empty, the government demolished it.

When the land was handed over to Fuqiang Group, it was a piece of land without any buildings.

After acquiring the land, Luo Guangming quickly dispatched a project team to move in.

While designing the hotel, the project team also sent people to fence off the site with red bricks.

Soon, temporary sheds built with corrugated steel sheets also sprang up.

Once the design drawings are unanimously approved by the board of directors, construction can begin.

Because the hotel is a 50-story modern building, the construction period is relatively long, and it was scheduled for 18 months.

Including the renovation time, the hotel will not be open for at least two years.