The four words "favoring one over the other" in Chapter 28 were like needles chilled to ice, piercing the air fiercely.
Yuan Er felt an inexplicable fire surge from his heart to his head, burning his temples.
He unconsciously tightened his grip on Gao Yinxi's hand. "What does she mean? What else did she say?"
Yuan Er pressed on, his tone hardening.
He had a feeling it wasn't going to be anything nice.
“She said…” Gao Yinxi sighed softly, “She said that I helped Li Chi’an through a difficult time before, and I helped him without hesitation, but when it came to her, to her boyfriend, I made excuses and refused to lend a hand…”
"I never expected Xu Zhuwen to be such a love-struck fool!" Yuan Ergeng's brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly. "How can these be the same? Li Chi'an was helping in an emergency! What was Qian Song? He was filling a hole! A bottomless pit! And Li Chi'an didn't even want the money you offered."
Gao Yinxi did not respond immediately, but leaned softly against the big pink pig, her whole body limp as if she had no strength left.
“She said some really hurtful things today.” Gao Yinxi’s voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. “She said I only care about profit, that I look down on Qian Song’s small company, that I’ve never thought much of Qian Song, so I’m unwilling to help him, and that I only help those who are ‘useful’ to me.”
Yuan Ergeng rolled over and lay on top of her, hugging her tightly and giving her a hard kiss on the lips. "Don't be angry, baby, you still have your husband to love you."
He verbally tried to calm Gao Yinxi down, but he was actually furious himself.
"What was Li Chi'an's situation back then? Chen Li cheated on her, transferred assets, and even tried to take custody of her son. She was in such a terrible state. As a friend, of course you had to help her through this difficult time." Yuan Ergeng's voice was resolute, each word like a stone hitting the floor. "We pooled our money to give her, which was to save her and her son's future. And Qian Song? His lousy company, a bunch of empty promises made through a few PowerPoint presentations to make money, should have gone bankrupt long ago! It's the law of the market! It's survival of the fittest! Has Xu Zhuwen lost her mind? Is she taking you for a fool? Does she want to drag you down with her to fill that never-ending 'leaky sieve'?"
He stopped and turned around, his gaze fixed intently on Gao Yinxi's face on the sofa, his eyes sharp as knives. "Xixi, you were right to refuse! For money that's obviously going to go down the drain, don't even think about lending it, don't even glance at it! Xu Zhuwen is confused, and you're making the same mistake? What right does she have to say 'favoring one over the other'? Are these two things the same? They're completely different!"
Yuan Ergeng's chest heaved as he finished speaking in one breath, leaving only his slightly heavy breathing and the "ding" of the microwave indicating that the chicken soup was ready in the living room.
Under the dim light, Gao Yinxi looked up at him, the thick gloom on her face seemingly dispelled by Yuan Ergeng's rapid and torrential words.
The pent-up frustration in her heart dissipated considerably, and her eyes gained a clearer, more thoughtful look, like a faint glimmer of light shining through the fog. "The chicken soup is ready."
Yuan Ergeng noticed the subtle change in her eyes, and the anger that had been rising in his throat subsided slightly. He obediently turned around, put on thick cotton gloves, and gently placed the scalding hot chicken soup on the low table in front of him.
The sofa next to Gao Yinxi sagged slightly.
As Yuan Ergeng removed his gloves, his tone softened, but it still carried an undeniable certainty: "You did absolutely nothing wrong in this matter. Don't let her twisted logic get you caught up in it. Helping a friend is about knowing what you're helping. You can't help someone in an emergency to support them in poverty, and you certainly can't help someone who's stupid. Qian Song's mess is a bottomless pit; anyone who gets involved will end up with a lot of trouble."
“Yes, I know.” Gao Yinxi shifted her body slightly, propping herself up a bit. “She’s emotional, probably pushed to her limit by Qian Song’s matter. You know, when people are emotional, they inevitably say some harsh things. I did help Li Chi’an…”
“No, even in the heat of the moment, such harsh words are not something a friend should say.” Yuan Ergeng curled his lip. “Besides, how dare she ask for two million? That’s no small sum of money.”
“Perhaps it’s because Qian Song often makes empty promises to her, leading her to some misconceptions and making her think that two million isn’t much.” A complex look flashed in Gao Yinxi’s eyes. “Also, Wenwen is a bit naive; her living and working environment is relatively simple.”
“Even the most naive person shouldn’t be brainless, and friends should be clear about money.” Yuan Ergeng said firmly, “A true friend won’t put you in a difficult position or use moral blackmail to blackmail you. If she really considers you a friend, she should understand your difficulties instead of blaming you.”
Gao Yinxi was silent for a while. In fact, she understood everything Yuan Ergeng said.
I was just feeling down because of what happened this afternoon, so I wanted to talk to someone about it.
She paused for a moment, then turned to the man in front of her who was feeling indignant on her behalf, and asked, "What would you do if your friend came to borrow money?"
“Over the years I’ve been in business, countless ‘friends’ have asked me for loans to ‘start a business.’ My principle is simple: help in emergencies, not in chronic poverty, and loans must be secured. True friends understand that this is to protect the relationship.” Yuan Er laughed, leaning against Gao Yinxi and burying his head in her shoulder. “Do you know why I admire Li Chi’an more in this matter? It’s not because she can repay the money, but because she has a sense of responsibility. When you offered to lend her money if she was having financial difficulties, she didn’t grit her teeth and refuse your help. Instead, she said she would ask you for help when needed, and she even offered to prepare a loan agreement. She treated this as a legitimate business loan from beginning to end, not a ‘helping hand’ between friends. But in this matter, she was grateful to you and knew that you were doing it for her own good.”
Gao Yinxi's expression finally softened a little. "I didn't expect Wenwen to be like this."
“When people encounter a financial crisis, they often reveal their truest selves.” Yuan Er gently patted her back. “Don’t overthink it. You did the right thing.”
Gao Yinxi didn't say anything, but gently pushed him away, picked up the bowl of chicken soup on the coffee table, and unconsciously stirred it with a small spoon.
The air in the living room seemed to relax as well.
Yuan Er also knew that Gao Yinxi's taut string had temporarily loosened.
He needed to give her some space to digest, so he took the soup bowl from her hand and fed her spoonful by spoonful.
Gao Yinxi drank a few sips of soup, then suddenly remembered something, "By the way, why are you so late today?"
Yuan Ergeng's eyes lit up. "I was just about to tell you that I've recently come into contact with an interesting project."
He took out his phone and opened a design drawing. "Yu Shi, the young master of the Yu family, remember him? He's the one who designed shopping malls and art spaces."
“Yu Shi?” Gao Yinxi sat up straight. “I know him. He’s very tall and incredibly handsome. His smile has captivating eyes, and his voice is also very pleasant.”
Yuan Ergeng was surprised that Gao Yinxi knew Yu Shi. However, as a boyfriend, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous when his girlfriend praised his looks. "Yu Shi is... alright, but not as handsome as you say."
Gao Yinxi glanced at him sideways and exclaimed dramatically, "Wow, this is so sour! How come I'm only smelling the vinegar now?"
Yuan Ergeng, who is always thick-skinned, simply stated his position directly when Gao Yinxi teased him, "I admit that Yu Shichang is as tall as me, but you can't praise him for being handsome, you know? If you want to praise someone, you can only praise me."
Gao Yinxi reached out and pinched the soft flesh on Yuan Ergeng's stomach. "With all that fat on you, how dare you compare yourself to Young Master Yu, who has at least eight-pack abs?"
Yuan Er broke down completely, "Baby, have you fallen for another dog? Do you not love me anymore because I've been working myself to the bone and gotten ugly lately? That's too much! Have you forgotten that I won you over with my eight-pack abs?"
Seeing the dog in front of her rambling on and on, Gao Yinxi pinched her ears and tugged at his clothes. "Okay, that's enough. My ears hurt."
Yuan Er immediately backed down. He cleared his throat and decided to change the subject to completely pull the atmosphere out of the quagmire.
"Yu Shi's mother is the chairman of 'Youhehui,' right?"
“Yes, it’s him!” Yuan Ergeng instantly became serious. He leaned forward slightly, getting closer to Gao Yinxi, his tone deliberately carrying a hint of work-related ease and barely perceptible excitement. “He recently acquired a plot of land in the east of the city and plans to build a complex that integrates catering, art, and retail. He wants to introduce several distinctive restaurants, and I plan to have ‘Hatsune’ move into his project, which is called ‘Cloud Lane’.”
Yuan Ergeng smiled and pulled out a few more design drawings from his phone. "His new 'Yun Jian Li' project is positioned as a top-tier luxury lifestyle art space, with high-end dining as the main focus. Their investment promotion team approached us proactively. They were very interested in our 'Hatsune' brand concept and operational data, especially our creative approach that incorporates local flavors, which they felt matched their goal of creating a 'local cultural experience'."
"Hatsune" is a catering brand newly established by Yuan Erxin.
Gao Yinxi looked at the investment promotion plan on his phone and listened attentively as Yuan Ergeng talked about his project. She was so engrossed that she forgot to drink her soup.
His voice carried a confident air of expansion, "If my 'Hatsune Miku' can be featured in 'Yun Jian Li,' it will be a qualitative leap for us. It's not just about the location and customer traffic, but more importantly, it's about being able to deeply connect with their high-end art resources and customer base, instantly elevating our brand image. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
As Yuan Ergeng spoke, he became more and more engrossed, his fingers lightly tapping on the armrest of the sofa, as if he could already see his own restaurant located in that dazzling art space.
A blueprint for one's career is always the best way to dispel the gloom of trivial matters in life.
“Yun Jianli?!” She repeated the name, her voice rising at the end, with a strange, sudden, joyful excitement. “The project Yu Shi is currently working on?”
Her gaze quickly shifted from Yuan Ergeng's face to a point in the void, her eyes darting around, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily curved upwards into a sly and slightly smug smile. "This is a good thing! The Yu family's commercial real estate has a very good reputation in the industry."
Seeing Gao Yinxi's interested expression, Yuan Ergeng was also very happy.
“Yes, I was discussing the details with his team today.” Yuan Ergeng scrolled through his phone, showing more of the investment proposal. “Their project is positioned as high-end, and their target customer group is the same group that ‘Hatsune’ restaurant targets: urban elites with spending power who pursue a high quality of life.”
The Yu family's business empire enjoys a stellar reputation in Xianghai City and is renowned for its success.
Upon hearing that Yuan Ergeng and Yu Shi were collaborating on a new project, Gao Yinxi felt that fate was truly wondrous. It seemed that the people around her were getting closer and closer to the young master of the Yu family, and she was happy about it.
After listening carefully to Yuan Ergeng's explanation of their cooperation plan, they felt that the project was indeed good and worth cooperating on.
After further discussions between the two regarding the collaboration between "Cloud Space" and "Hatsune Miku," Yuan Er felt that some of the suggestions from Gao Yinxi were very helpful and supplementary, which he had not considered before. He was very happy.
Gao Yinxi knew how much Yuan Ergeng had recently put in to boost the popularity of the "Hatsune" restaurant brand, and that Yu Shi was second to none in Xianghai City in terms of commercial operations, so she was happy to see them cooperate.
This good news quickly overshadowed the previous displeasure caused by Xu Zhuwen.
After discussing their collaborative project, Gao Yinxi suddenly laughed, "You know that Yu Shi and Li Chi'an know each other, right?"
Yuan Ergeng turned his head and saw his girlfriend looking at him with bright, sparkling eyes, the light almost overflowing. Her face had a mysterious and excited look, like when sharing a secret. Her voice was lowered, but she couldn't hide her joy. He immediately understood that there was something interesting going on.
He immediately raised an eyebrow. "How so? How did they meet?"
Gao Yinxi excitedly poked Yuan Ergeng's arm with her finger and began to gossip about Li Chi'an and Yu Shi. She first talked about how the two met, and then emphasized, "I felt that the way Yu Shi looked at An'an was very different! He was so focused! That day An'an was trying on clothes, and when I went in, I found that his eyes hardly left her. His face was full of amazement and admiration!"
Gao Yinxi became more and more excited as she spoke, a faint blush rising on her face from this little tidbit of gossip. "I think Yu Shi is interested in our An'an."
Yuan Ergeng was also stunned. This was a twist of fate he never expected. "There's such a thing?"
He was quite surprised, anyway. "Maybe they just know each other, and you're overthinking it."
It wasn't that he doubted his girlfriend's best friend's looks, but rather that her... personal life had indeed become somewhat complicated lately.
No matter how hard he racked his brains, he never expected to get to know Li Chi'an's gossip right now, especially with Young Master Yu.
"Believe me, this is what my sixth sense tells me." Gao Yinxi understood Yuan Ergeng's suspicion, and a sly glint flashed in her eyes. "You would never guess that Yu Shi even taught An An how to run a homestay project."
ah?
Is this true? Really?
Yuan Er opened his mouth in even greater surprise.
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