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◎“Would you like to try it at my home?”◎

Ning Yuxuan ate her mushroom stew while chatting with Tao You about her engagement party.

The engagement party will be held next Friday, which coincides with the end of filming for "Mom," so Ning Yuxuan can attend.

I wonder if it's because I get more nervous as the auspicious day approaches.

Tao You felt a mix of anticipation and anxiety. She worried about what would happen if she got a pimple on her face that day, and what to do if her dress suddenly got dirty.

Ning Yuxuan smiled and held Tao You's hand reassuringly: "Don't worry, everything will go smoothly. Besides, this is just an engagement banquet, the process isn't that complicated, there won't be any problems."

Tao You became even more nervous: "Yes, it's just an engagement party. What am I going to do about the real wedding?"

Ning Yuxuan: "Maybe when that day comes, you will find that everything will fall into place, and all your worries will be unfounded."

Tao You pursed her lips: "Really?"

Ning Yuxuan nodded: "Yes, and when the time comes, all your closest people will be with you, so it should be the day you feel most confident."

Tao You was finally somewhat convinced and took a deep breath: "Yes, you're right, I have nothing to worry about."

She took a sip of lemon juice and spoke again: "Xuanxuan, there's something I've always wanted to say... but I don't know if you'll be angry if you hear it."

Ning Yuxuan said half-jokingly, "Go ahead and say it, I can't possibly get angry with someone I'm about to get engaged to."

Tao You chuckled: "Actually, it's nothing. It's just that you seem like a completely different person ever since we reconnected."

Ning Yuxuan blinked.

Tao You's feeling was right; she had awakened the plot, which was equivalent to becoming a different person.

Ning Yuxuan: "What has changed?"

Tao You pondered for a moment: "Well, actually your personality hasn't changed much... but it's like you suddenly know what you want, and your goal is very firm, so nothing that happens will affect you."

Ning Yuxuan smiled and said, "Maybe. My biggest goal right now is for my family to be healthy, and secondly, to run my mother's hotel well."

After awakening, her deepest feeling was that nothing is more important than family, more important than her mother.

Tao You nodded: "That's great."

As they were talking, Ning Yuxuan's phone suddenly exploded with notifications, one after another.

Tao You couldn't help but glance sideways: "What's going on? Is the end of the world finally coming? Does that mean I don't have to have an engagement ceremony?"

Ning Yuxuan couldn't help but laugh: "Even if the end of the world really is coming, you've prepared for the engagement party and wedding for so long, are you really willing to not hold them?"

Tao You was convinced by her: "Oh, that's true... then all my preparations were for nothing, and I picked out the dress for nothing."

Ning Yuxuan smiled, picked up her phone, and looked at the messages.

After watching for a while, her expression hardened slightly.

Tao You, watching from the side, became a little nervous: "What's wrong, Xuanxuan? Is it good news or bad news? Can I ask?"

Ning Yuxuan softened her expression and smiled at Tao You, saying, "Good news."

These people all messaged her because of one thing.

The news that Beicheng Tongxing District was planned as a resort area suddenly appeared, and land prices and housing prices in the entire Tongxing District rose sharply.

The hotel industry, which is closely related to tourism, is even more so.

The value of Hua Yuan's four new stores is conservatively estimated to be 30% higher than when she first took over.

Ning Yuxuan already knew this would happen because of the plot, but she only knew the general timeline and was unaware of the specific date the news would be released.

I never expected it to happen today.

Tao You asked curiously, "What good news?"

Ning Yuxuan briefly stated, "Beicheng recently released a news report related to a hotel under my mother's name. In short, Huayuan may have made a lot of money this time."

Tao You's eyes lit up: "Really? That's great!"

Ning Yuxuan's eyes crinkled into a smile: "Well, so this meal is on me, how about it?"

Tao You didn't stand on ceremony with her: "Sure! Let me share in your good fortune!"

...

After lunch, Xie Zhiyan's Rolls-Royce was already parked downstairs in the mall.

The driver first took Tao You home, and then took Ning Yuxuan to her office at the Huayuan headquarters.

Ning Yuxuan had just settled into her office chair when Zhou Lin burst into her office, only knocking twice on the door as a formality.

"Yu Xuan," Zhou Lin said bluntly, "You must have seen the news, right?"

Ning Yuxuan replied calmly, "Yes, I saw the news, that's why I came."

She had originally taken the week off, planning to return to work next Monday after the variety show had completely ended.

Zhou Lin's expression couldn't hide her excitement, and her voice even trembled slightly: "Then you should already know that our four new stores haven't even opened yet, but the valuation has already increased by at least thirty percentage points, and it may continue to rise in the next few days."

Ning Yuxuan: "Mm."

Zhou Lin stared intently at Ning Yuxuan and asked the question she had been wanting to ask ever since she saw the news: "Yuxuan, did you already know what was going to happen?"

Upon seeing the news, Zhou Lin's first reaction was ecstatic, which immediately reminded her of the bet Ning Yuxuan had made with her two weeks prior—

"We are betting that the value of these four new stores will double within the next year compared to when we took them over."

At first, Zhou Lin thought it was just a boastful statement made by a young person who didn't understand the reality, and didn't take it to heart at all. But now, she couldn't help but recall those words again and again.

The whole thing was so unbelievable that Zhou Lin couldn't help but wonder if Ning Yuxuan had anticipated it all along.

Upon hearing this, Ning Yuxuan smiled at Zhou Lin: "Aunt Zhou, so many powerful figures in the Beicheng business world couldn't get the news in advance, how could I possibly be more informed than them?"

Zhou Lin: "..."

That's true, and she initially thought it was impossible too.

But the facts are right in front of us: the hotel was poorly managed and more than a dozen of its stores were up for sale, scattered throughout the northern part of the city.

However, Ning Yuxuan only chose to take over the four stores located in Tongxing District, and did not consider the others.

Before today's news was announced, neither the outside world nor Huayuan internally could quite understand Ning Yuxuan's decision.

After all, apart from the relatively lower prices, these four stores in Tongxing District have no advantages in terms of location or surrounding facilities.

Zhou Lin initially strongly opposed this decision for this very reason: she believed that even if a new store were to be opened, it should be located in a more prosperous area, even if the price was higher, because at least there would be more room for development.

Now that this news has come out, Zhou Lin realizes how wrong she was.

Zhou Lin looked at Ning Yuxuan thoughtfully: "So back then... you really knew absolutely nothing about the resort?"

Ning Yuxuan smiled and said, "I really don't have that much ability to get the senior management involved in the project to specifically notify me."

Zhou Lin: "...That's true."

If the Ning family truly had such powerful connections at the highest levels, Huayuan wouldn't have only grown to its current size over the years.

But this matter is truly unbelievable.

Seeing Zhou Lin's puzzled expression, Ning Yuxuan smiled and said, "Aunt Zhou, maybe I just had a lucky break, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse?"

Zhou Lin came to her senses and laughed, "Even if you were lucky, you're not a blind cat. You're a smart and bold cat."

...

The other members of the elite social circle in Beicheng were no less shocked than Zhou Lin.

Even Wang Ya Hui heard the news.

Gu Yunhao was called to Wang Yahui's room.

"Yunhao." Wang Ya Hui looked at her usually disappointing son and asked with unusual patience, "I called you here to ask about your recent situation. I heard that after you received the money from your father, you've been preparing to open a hotel?"

Wang Ya Hui knows her son all too well.

He has average talent, obvious personality flaws, and most importantly, a lack of business acumen.

Therefore, she never expected her son to achieve anything that would help her and her husband gain an advantage in the power struggle within the Gu family.

Rather than relying on this son, it's better to rely on yourself.

Once she and her husband have established themselves and taken control of all the assets under the Gu family name, they can then let their son get a share.

Therefore, in recent years, the couple did not allow Gu Yunhao to be involved in the core business of the family business, but only gave him some money to dabble in small-scale operations.

Recently, Gu Yunhao's husband gave him a sum of money to invest in industries that he was interested in.

The amount of money wasn't much, and Wang Ya Hui basically didn't concern herself with it.

However, today's news reminded Wang Ya Hui of something.

Her assistant reported to her that her son had recently been working on hotel-related matters, and it seemed that he happened to be in Tongxing District, where the resort area was located.

Wang Ya Hui then remembered to call her son over and ask him about the details.

Upon hearing his mother's question, Gu Yunhao looked embarrassed: "Yes... I did invest in a hotel."

Wang Ya Hui rarely showed a kind expression to her son, and said gently, "Oh? Where exactly? I heard it's in Tongxing District?"

Gu Yunhao's gaze became even more unfocused: "No..."

Wang Ya Hui frowned: "No? I remember my assistant mentioning a few days ago that you were planning to acquire a chain hotel in Tongxing District."

Seeing his mother's displeased expression, Gu Yunhao's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously avoided his mother's gaze.

Fearing he might displease his mother, Gu Yunhao answered somewhat haltingly: "Yes...yes. That was originally the plan. But later...later, for various reasons, I felt it might not be appropriate..."

When she saw her son speaking haltingly and the content of his speech disappointed her, Wang Ya Hui lost her last bit of patience.

Wang Yahui: "Does that mean the deal didn't go through and you didn't invest in a hotel in Tongxing District?"

Gu Yunhao lowered his head, not daring to meet his mother's gaze: "...Yes."

Wang Ya Hui: "..."

I wasn't particularly disappointed, but I did have a feeling of "I knew it."

I thought my son had finally figured things out, but it turns out he's like a cooked duck that can fly away.

She knew that her son was not capable of anything great, and even if he were lucky enough to encounter a good opportunity, he wouldn't be able to seize it given his limited vision and courage.

Just like before, they are more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything.

"Alright." Wang Ya Hui waved her hand. "Since that's the case, then forget it. I have a cocktail party to attend later, so I'd like to rest for a while. You can go back now."

Gu Yunhao sensed the disappointment in his mother's tone and lowered his head in silence.

He was just a hair's breadth away from winning his mother's favor.

If it weren't for the fact that Ning Yuxuan beat him to it, the store he originally wanted to buy...

Gu Yunhao clenched his fists, his hatred for Ning Yuxuan growing even stronger.

Why does that woman always manage to ruin her plans?

Seeing that her son hadn't moved, Wang Ya Hui frowned: "What, didn't you hear me? You can leave now, I need to rest."

Gu Yunhao gritted his teeth: "Mother, believe me. Although I was unlucky and missed this opportunity, I already have a major collaboration in negotiation, and I promise I won't let you and Father down once it's done."

Wang Ya Hui rubbed her temples: "I understand. Then tell me after you succeed. Go out now."

Gu Yunhao could tell that his mother didn't care about what he said, but he didn't dare to say anything more, so he could only agree and silently leave the room.

Back in his room, Gu Yunhao called his assistant.

"Did you manage to contact Chairman Lin this morning?"

Having just been mistreated by his mother, Gu Yunhao's face was gloomy, and his tone was also very unpleasant.

The assistant answered nervously, "Mr. Gu, we've made contact. Chairman Lin's secretary said that Chairman Lin has a meeting this morning, but he can speak with you this afternoon."

Gu Yunhao: "Then call me now."

Assistant: "Yes!"

Two minutes later, the call was successfully transferred to Lin Yuanfeng.

Gu Yunhao waved for his assistant to leave, then put on a smiling face and said, "Chairman Lin, it's me, Yunhao."

Lin Yuanfeng's tone on the other end of the phone was as amiable as ever: "Oh, Yunhao, what's up?"

"It's like this," Gu Yunhao said respectfully, "I'm calling today to confirm the cooperation with you again, the contract we discussed before..."

"Hehe." Lin Yuanfeng laughed. "I know. Didn't I have my secretary reply to you a few days ago? The board of directors is still discussing it. There are too many things to do lately, so it will take some time."

The same excuse as before.

Having received a similar response before, Gu Yunhao dared not urge the other party again, for fear of angering Lin Yuanfeng.

But now that things have dragged on, Gu Yunhao simply doesn't have the patience to wait any longer.

With funds dwindling daily and the project nearing its planned deadline, the contract with the Lin family remained undecided.

If everything goes as usual, he might be able to wait another week.

But today's news about the resort, coupled with his mother's attitude, really provoked Gu Yunhao.

He wanted to restore his mother's faith in him, and even more so, he wanted to make that ungrateful woman regret her actions!

Gu Yunhao gritted his teeth and took a deep breath: "Chairman Lin, it's like this. It's not that I want to rush you, it's just that I'm really in a bit of a hurry. If... if the contract can't be finalized within this week, then I might have to..."

Gu Yunhao didn't dare to say anything more.

He has reached his limit by speaking to this extent.

Gu Yunhao held his breath, waiting for a response from the other side.

There was a moment of silence on the phone, then Lin Yuanfeng's voice came through: "Oh? Why are you in such a hurry all of a sudden? Tell me about it."

Judging from the tone of their voice, they didn't seem angry.

Gu Yunhao first breathed a sigh of relief, then his face lit up with joy: the other party finally asked him for his reasons. Could it be that his words had worked and Chairman Lin had finally given in?

“It’s like this, Chairman Lin.” Gu Yunhao tried to make his tone sound calm. “My competitors have already made their moves. I have to open my business before them to effectively strike at them. If I delay any longer, it will be too late.”

Lin Yuanfeng's voice was unreadable: "Really? What competitor is making you so nervous, Yun Hao?"

Gu Yunhao was so excited that he blurted out without thinking, "Hua Yuan!"

A moment of silence.

Gu Yunhao assumed Lin Yuanfeng hadn't heard of the name, so he explained, "Chairman Lin, you might not know, but Huayuan is a chain hotel in Beicheng. It's not very big, but... the owner's daughter and I have some disagreements, and she's been targeting me."

"Targeting you?"

Normally, Gu Yunhao might have thought more about why Chairman Lin specifically asked about such details.

But with success within reach, he was desperate to close the deal.

Gu Yunhao didn't care about anything else and blurted it all out: "Ning Yuxuan, she... oh, she's the daughter of the Huayuan boss I mentioned. She's been holding a grudge ever since we broke up, and because I bribed her family's supplier before, so..."

At this point, he finally realized that something was wrong.

He said too much.

"Ahem..." Gu Yunhao cleared his throat. "Chairman Lin, I apologize for my outburst. In short, I really hope to finalize our cooperation as soon as possible; it's extremely important to me!"

Lin Yuanfeng responded with an "Oh".

Gu Yunhao was unsure of the other party's meaning and nervously gripped his phone tightly.

On the other end of the phone, Lin Yuanfeng spoke casually, "Yun Hao, what makes you think I would help you deal with my own daughter?"

...

Lin Yuanfeng's tone was so casual that it took Gu Yunhao several seconds to finally understand the meaning of those two words.

His hand trembled, and the cigarette butt slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground.

Gu Yunhao stared blankly at the intricately patterned antique wall in front of him, knowing full well that Lin Yuanfeng hadn't hung up the phone yet, but he couldn't utter a single word.

daughter?

How is that possible?

Is Ning Yuxuan Lin Yuanfeng's daughter?

After the initial shock, a chill slowly crept into Gu Yunhao's heart.

Because he discovered that all of this was not entirely without clues.

Grandpa and Lin Yuanfeng are close friends despite their age difference, and Grandpa takes good care of Ning Yuxuan, even intending for her to become the Gu family's granddaughter-in-law.

Given the Ning family's wealth, if it weren't for Ning Yuxuan's father's special status, how could Grandpa have allowed a woman of Ning Yuxuan's background to enter the Gu family?

But at that time, he only wanted to be with Cen Meng and thought that his grandfather was just old and had been made happy by Ning Yuxuan, so he decided to let him be with Yuxuan.

In an instant, countless emotions surged up at the same time.

A sudden realization, regret, fear...

Gu Yunhao suddenly realized that if Ning Yuxuan was Lin Yuanfeng's daughter, then... what had he said on the phone just now?

"Chairman Lin, I—" he finally realized what was happening and began, "It's all a misunderstanding!"

However, all he got in response was the busy tone of the phone being disconnected.

Gu Yunhao froze again, his face gradually turning ashen.

Lin Yuanfeng's attitude was also explained: from the very beginning, the other party had no intention of cooperating with him.

His long-cherished dream of gaining respect from everyone in the elite circle and regaining his parents' approval turned out to be nothing from the very beginning.

He clearly had the opportunity to avoid all of this. If he hadn't been so confident in negotiating the deal alone, if he had told his mother beforehand, if...

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs".

He had invested all his money in the hotel, but the goods the Lin family had promised to supply him were now impossible to deliver.

His father and mother were already disappointed in him, and it was impossible for them to give him any more money.

In other words, all his investment went down the drain, and he ended up just being a laughing stock.

Gu Yunhao slumped into the chair in despair.

It's over, everything is over...

...

Ning Yuxuan was walking along the street when her cell phone rang in her pocket.

She glanced at the caller ID and said to the man beside her, "I'll take this call."

Ning Yuxuan worked all afternoon. The news about the resort area had some impact on Huayuan's existing arrangements.

She took Chen Jun, Zhou Lin, and others to several meetings with the management team to discuss future plans.

I worked overtime until after 7 p.m. before it finally ended.

Xie Zhiyan sent her a message asking if she wanted to have dinner together.

Ning Yuxuan agreed.

So Xie Zhiyan personally drove her to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

After dinner, the two did not get into the car immediately, but took a walk around the neighborhood.

Ning Yuxuan put on her headphones and answered the phone: "Dad, what's up?"

Lin Yuanfeng's voice came through the earpiece: "Xuanxuan, can't Daddy call you if there's nothing wrong?"

Ning Yuxuan responded with silence.

Under Ning Fei's guidance, Ning Yuxuan did not hate her father.

But she couldn't do what a normal daughter in a family does—talk and laugh with her father, and care for each other.

Lin Yuanfeng seemed to realize the inappropriateness of his words and coughed twice: "Hehe, Xuanxuan, are you busy?"

Ning Yuxuan: No, I just finished dinner and was taking a walk.

Lin Yuanfeng's tone sounded somewhat cautious: "Dad called to ask you, I heard... you got engaged?"

Given Lin Yuanfeng's age and how busy he is, he basically doesn't pay attention to trending topics online.

The news that Ning Yuxuan might be engaged was told to him by his current wife after she saw it.

When Yan Qinrui told him, her tone was unmistakably sarcastic: "You're such a father, you have to ask me, your stepmother, to tell you about your own daughter's engagement."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuanfeng's first reaction was to call his ex-wife Ning Fei to confirm.

But after much hesitation, I decided to call my daughter.

"Xuanxuan," Lin Yuanfeng asked, "Is it true?"

Ning Yuxuan subconsciously raised her hand and glanced at the ring on her middle finger: "I... am not engaged."

She paused for a moment, then added, "But the relationship thing is true, I might be getting married soon."

Lin Yuanfeng is, after all, her biological father.

Once her marriage is made public, it will be impossible to completely hide it from him.

Lin Yuanfeng remained silent for a long time on the phone.

Ning Yuxuan almost thought the signal was bad and the call automatically ended.

Finally, Lin Yuanfeng spoke, his tone complex: "Daughter, congratulations."

Ning Yuxuan smiled faintly: "Thank you."

The two were so polite to each other that they didn't seem like father and daughter.

After a few seconds of silence, Lin Yuanfeng spoke again: "Your name is Xie Zhiyan, right? I've heard of you. I met you once two years ago. You seem like a nice person."

Ning Yuxuan hummed in agreement.

Lin Yuanfeng: "...Is he good to you?"

Ning Yuxuan was somewhat stunned.

Turning her head, she met Xie Zhiyan's deep gaze.

Ning Yuxuan: "It's fine."

The father and daughter fell silent once again.

When he spoke again, Lin Yuanfeng's voice was choked with emotion: "Then Dad can rest assured."

After a few seconds of pause, he added, "On your actual wedding day, Dad has a gift he wants to give you."

Ning Yuxuan did not refuse this time: "Okay."

Lin Yuanfeng: "Then Dad won't bother you anymore, you can continue your walk."

...

After hanging up the phone, Ning Yuxuan remained silent for a while.

Although I have a distant relationship with my father, it's impossible not to be moved when I hear his almost choked voice on the phone.

Suddenly, her hand felt warm; Xie Zhiyan had taken her hand.

Ning Yuxuan looked at the man beside her.

Xie Zhiyan didn't speak, but gently placed a kiss on her forehead.

Ning Yuxuan closed her eyes, feeling the man's tenderness.

Holding hands with Xie Zhiyan, they walked side by side for a while, and finally their mood calmed down completely.

Ning Yuxuan turned her head to look at the person next to her, just about to ask him what he planned to do next and whether he should go back to rest early.

Tomorrow is still a workday, after all.

Xie Zhiyan spoke first: "The swing you mentioned wanting to buy yesterday, I've had it installed."

Ning Yuxuan asked in surprise, "So fast?"

Xie Zhiyan smiled faintly: "One night plus a whole day is enough."

"How about it?" Xie Zhiyan asked again, "Would you like to try it at my house?"

[Author's Note]

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:40:00 on July 21, 2024 and 23:50:00 on July 22, 2024!

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