Evening, at the Yao family's residence.
Yao Zheng and his wife were discussing how to secure the United Hospital project in the study, while Yao Manning sat beside them, listening intently.
Madam Yao originally wanted her to go back to sleep early and didn't want her to know too much.
Several years ago, she became wary of Yao Manning and tried to keep her away from Yao's core business.
Yao Zheng didn't think too much about it. Although he wasn't his biological son, he had raised him to adulthood, so it was impossible for him to have no feelings for him at all.
Moreover, Yao Manning can indeed be a helper to him in his career.
“I don’t know where this rumor came from,” Yao Zheng said in a low voice, “it says that among the four major families, Yin Ruohong favors the Yao family the most and wants to cooperate with them.”
Madam Yao frowned.
At first, she thought it was just nonsense, but recently it has become more and more popular, and it seems like the truth.
However, Yin Ruohong did not have any substantial contact with the Yao family.
"Dad, is there really such a rumor?" Yao Manning's face showed undisguised smugness.
"Yes." Yao Zheng looked at her with a complicated expression. "What do you know?"
“No, that’s not it.” Yao Manning chuckled. “It’s just that the Huo family is in charge of this project in the western suburbs. I’ve been following up on it recently and have also done a lot of planning for joint hospitals.”
"The Huo family's idea is that since the land is already theirs, they can make some concessions on the hospital project, since it will all be built on that land anyway."
"Dad, this is the result of several talks I had with the Huo family representatives. It wasn't easy!"
Yao Zheng nodded, indicating that the Huo family might not actually be involved.
We can't occupy both the land and the project!
The Huo family has always touted that everyone should make money together, hasn't they?
"If the Huo family doesn't fight for it, then this rumor might be true."
"What do you think this is?" Madam Yao sneered. "Did the Huo family explicitly state that they wouldn't compete for this project?"
"Mom, although it wasn't explicitly stated, I can discuss it with Zhixing..."
"Forget it!" Madam Yao sneered. "Does Huo Zhixing even know who you are? Haven't you had enough of the humiliation from last time?"
Yao Manning's expression changed, and she bit her lip.
"I think this rumor is a trap!" Madam Yao's eyes were deep. "I don't know where it came from, but it's definitely aimed at our Yao family!"
Yao Zheng's brow twitched slightly. "What do you mean?"
"The Yao family is facing a financial crisis. We're even having trouble getting financing. How can we possibly have spare money to build a hospital?"
"Besides, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down! The rumors are getting more and more outrageous. The Yao family stands out by one side. Who have they offended? The other three major families!"
Yao Zheng's heart skipped a beat.
He was so focused on taking over the United Hospital that he forgot about the stakes involved in interpersonal relationships.
“The land in the western suburbs belongs to the Huo family. This kind of thing should be led by the Huo family. How could Yin Ruohong possibly be interested in us?”
Yao Zheng's brow furrowed into a knot.
He had to admit that in some ways his wife was more thoughtful than he was.
But he really wanted to take over United Hospital, at any cost...
"Old Yao, I think we should withdraw," Madam Yao said earnestly. "Huo Zhixing's attitude couldn't be clearer; he has no intention of forming a marriage alliance with our Yao family. He dares to openly defy Huo Wenyuan; do you think he can take us seriously?"
"The Yao family is not what it used to be... We are in financial difficulty, so we can only grit our teeth, keep a low profile, and perhaps we can get by safely!"
Yao Zheng fell into deep thought, and the room became so quiet it was as if a vacuum had been created.
After a long pause, Yao Zheng stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and said firmly, word by word, "No matter what, we must win this project... Yin Ruohong made a special trip to Yangcheng just to join forces with the hospital, which shows how much he values it!"
"Old Yao, you..."
"With Yin Ruohong here, he might be able to cure Wanyin!"
Madam Yao stared at him blankly, her eyes suddenly reddening.
Yao Manning took a deep breath, her lips twitching slightly.
A fierce glint flashed in her eyes. She adjusted her breathing and chuckled, "Dad, my sister is already like this. We've spent countless sums of money over the years, but there's still no improvement. Do you think Chairman Yin can bring her back to life with his magic touch?"
“Mom and Dad, we’re doing the joint hospital project to make more money, to get the Yao family out of their predicament, and to get closer to the Huo family! It’s not about putting all our eggs in one basket…”
"Shut up!" Madam Yao roared, slapping her across the face!
Yao Manning was startled. When she came to her senses, half of her face was burning with pain, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth.
Madam Yao glared at her hatefully, her gaze seeming to burn a hole through her.
She had long suspected that something was wrong with her daughter.
It's unclear when it started, but Wan Yin became unwilling to see or speak to anyone, even refusing to let her parents in, and she spent increasingly more time lying in bed.
Mrs. Yao could only get some information from the doctor.
Little did she know that the doctors and nurses had all been bribed by Yao Manning, and they only reported good news to her, not bad.
In addition, Yao Zheng was busy with work, and the Yao family had been in crisis for several years. Madam Yao was busy helping her husband and managing the household, and she was often too busy to take care of Yao Wanyin.
Yao Manning, on the other hand, was always a submissive and obedient girl in front of the two of them.
She didn't think any worse.
But today...
Madam Yao was panting heavily, her eyes filled with resentment. Yao Zheng gave her a wink, signaling her not to go too far.
"Manning, go back to your room first," Yao Zheng said.
Yao Manning covered her face, her body trembling. Just as she was about to turn around, a maid knocked and came in. "Master, Madam, Young Master Bai has arrived."
Yao Zheng was taken aback. "What's he doing here?"
Madam Yao was also a little surprised, but after thinking about it, she realized that she usually had a lot of contact with the Bai family, so it was not unreasonable for Bai Jingyuan to come and visit.
The group went downstairs to the reception room.
Bai Jingyuan immediately stood up to greet them, but his smile faded considerably when he saw Yao Manning behind them.
"My dear nephew, you've arrived?" Yao Zheng asked with a smile. "What important matter brings you here at this hour?"
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