Chen Zhe didn't expect Hu Ling to react so strongly. He thought it was because she had mentioned her former sweetheart, which made her lose control of her emotions.
"I'm sorry, Sister Hu, I didn't mean to bring it up. I just happened to overhear them talking about it..."
Hu Ling frowned; "What is it?"
Chen Zhe recounted their conversation, then begged for forgiveness, saying, "I really didn't mean to."
"Oh!"
Hu Ling gave a disdainful laugh.
Then, holding a pack of instant noodles, he sat down to the side; "I didn't expect that even after so long, people would still remember this kind of gossip."
"Sister Hu, is it really because of him that you stabbed Guan Yingjie in the back?"
Now that she'd brought it up, Chen Zhe was quite curious. In his impression, Hu Ling wasn't someone who was very devoted to relationships.
Hu Ling glanced at Chen Zhe, then put down the instant noodles in her hand.
What do you think?
She countered with a question.
"I...I'm not sure. Given your current personality, it's unlikely, but everyone changes."
"I'm sorry, I haven't changed. I have absolutely no relationship with that Tang Jun."
"Didn't he confess his feelings to you? And... Tang Jie said you two should go out together."
"He confessed his feelings to me, and we went out together. Does that mean we have to have a relationship? What kind of logic is that? When he confessed to me, I clearly rejected him. This guy is a bit stubborn. After I rejected him, he kept pestering me. He even thought that I didn't like him because he had a wife, so he divorced his wife. But in fact, even if he didn't have a wife, I still wouldn't like him."
"Then why did you agree to go out with him?"
“I’ve said before that I do everything with a purpose. Since they’re talking to you about this kind of gossip, they must have mentioned what happened in our family to you, right?”
"Yes, they said a lot of people in your family died."
"That's right, almost all the men are dead."
When talking about the changes in her family, Hu Ling didn't seem very sad, but rather had the air of an observer.
"There are rumors that it's a curse?"
Chen Zhe quoted Wan Ya's words.
"What curse? Heh, it's just that someone set us up. At the time, many people in our family held high positions, and many of the young men in the family were quite capable. If things had gone smoothly, our family would have held absolute power for the next few decades. But sometimes, such a prosperous family isn't a blessing. There's a saying, 'The bigger the tree, the more the wind blows.' First, my cousin was inexplicably accused of indecent assault and detained. While he was detained, they said he assaulted a public official. Several doctors came and said it was a mental illness, so they forcibly put him in a mental hospital. Then my second uncle arranged for someone to get him out, but that's when things went wrong. When they brought my cousin back, he was completely stunned. A few days later, he committed suicide..."
"Huh? But according to Tang Jie, they all died of illness."
"That's just the surface story. After my cousin committed suicide, my second uncle was also accused of abusing his power and was imprisoned. After he went in, many people in our family had problems and were taken away inexplicably. I don't know exactly what happened to them. I only know that my grandfather came back alone. He looked much more haggard when he came back and forbade us to talk about it anymore. I haven't seen them since then."
Chen Zhe felt a pang of sadness after hearing this.
Is this the result of a power struggle?
"That's about it. The reason I went out with Tang Jun was actually at my grandfather's behest. He wanted me to get in touch with Tang Jun, probably hoping that the Tang family would give us a hand. But he was overthinking it. At that time, such a big thing happened to the Hu family, and many people avoided them like the plague. How could the Tang family let Tang Jun get in touch with me? I saw that, so after I went out with him once, I never accepted his invitations again."
"So, when you married Guan Yingjie, was it also because you hoped the Guan family would give you a hand?"
“This is an exchange of benefits. I am the only direct descendant of the Hu family left, and I am a woman. After they knew that there was no chance with the Tang family, they originally planned to find a son-in-law to live with them. However, Guan Yingjie took the initiative to come to me and said that after I married him, the first son could take the surname Hu. My grandfather was very happy when he heard this, and then he agreed.”
“My parents kidnapped me and took me there. On the night of my wedding, I got some information out of the drunken Guan Yingjie. He said that the Guan family was involved in the changes that had happened to our Hu family. When I heard that, I was furious and without hesitation, I took a fruit knife and stabbed him.”
"Huh??? So that's the truth. Then why didn't you go back and tell your grandfather?"
"What good would it do to tell them? It's all about the winner and the loser. What good would knowing the truth do?"
“Your grandfather will definitely not let you marry him if he finds out.”
"That's because you don't understand my grandfather, that's why you said such things. My grandfather was the kind of person who only cared about interests. At that time, the defeat was inevitable, and our Hu family had no future. Even if he knew the truth, he would only pretend not to know, because pretending not to know was the most advantageous thing for the Hu family at that time."
"This...this is a bit..."
"Heh, ruthless, aren't you?"
Hu Ling knew what Chen Zhe wanted to say.
Chen Zhe nodded; "Yes, it doesn't feel like you're family."
“That’s how it is in my family. Our family motto is to put the interests of the family first. My grandfather would do anything that would benefit the development of the family and eliminate anything that would hinder it. Several of my aunts, including my great-aunt, were used as pawns to exchange for interests. I didn’t want to become a sacrifice for the interests of the family like them. So, stabbing Guan Yingjie to death was the best choice for me at that time. It had nothing to do with any bullshit love.”
Chen Zhe's lips twitched.
"Okay, then it seems I misunderstood."
"Looking back now, although I don't completely agree with my grandfather, after experiencing some things, some of his ideas are quite useful. Exchanging benefits can save people from taking detours for decades. Chen Zhe, you now have the opportunity to be tied to the Tang family, you really should think about it seriously."
Chen Zhe thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Sister Hu, I will not compromise on this matter. I think the same way you did back then. I don't want to become a victim of a bargaining game."
Hu Ling chuckled; "It's up to you. I won't force you on this. When you encounter difficulties in the future, and look back on today's decision, you'll find that some things can be adapted."
"Probably, but that's for the future. I don't want to do that right now."
"Then you'll have a very tiring life."
When Hu Ling said this, she looked out the window, as if recalling her own experiences.
"No one is immune to exhaustion in life. Compared to my past, my life is pretty good now, and I'm quite content."
"Human desires are insatiable. Once you reach a certain height, you want to climb to another height. The idea of being content with what you have is a joke to me. If a person could be content with what they have, then they wouldn't be human."
Chen Zhe shrugged, intending to change the subject; "Sister Hu, I heard from them that you were the youngest college student at the time and also the top scorer in the college entrance examination. Many leaders thought highly of you, so why did you refuse their invitations?"
“I can understand their intentions even with my bare hands. The reason they took a liking to me wasn’t entirely because of my talent. Although our Hu family had experienced some changes at the time, we still had a solid foundation. Controlling me would bring them more benefits, so why should I satisfy them?”
"Sister Hu, aren't you overthinking this? They might really be attracted to your talent."
"Hehe, are you naive? There are plenty of people who are smarter and more talented than me. I've seen several people who write better articles and think more quickly than me, but because of their family background, they don't get any good opportunities. Take my top scorer from last year, for example. His parents are both wage earners. When they hire him, he's only asked to do odd jobs. He still hasn't made it big. That's why I'm telling you, the Tang family is an opportunity for you. You'd better not miss it."
Chen Zhe gave an awkward smile and did not answer.
Seeing him like this, Hu Ling shook her head; "You tell them you're my student. If I really had a student like you, I'd be furious."
The two chatted for a while, but their conversation was interrupted by a phone call.
It was a call from someone at the Silin Group.
Chen Zhe accepted it right in front of Hu Ling.
The caller was Song Tiejun.
"Mr. Chen, the relevant procedures for the mall renovation have been completed. I've sent you the renovation quote to your phone. Take a look, and if there are no problems, sign it so I can get the people below to start construction."
Chen Zhe smiled.
"Vice President Song is quite efficient."
"It's all for the company, so I can't neglect Mr. Chen's orders. Especially since you said it yourself, Mr. Chen, this is a major plan for our company's development, so I definitely have to take it to heart."
"Yes, you did a good job. However, I don't plan to trouble the company with the mall renovation project. The company has many other projects to do right now, so I'll find another way to handle this."
"Hmm? Mr. Chen, what do you mean by that? We have many construction teams. Of course, we do our own projects. Why would we hire outsiders?"
"You don't need to worry about this. Just do as I say."
"Mr. Chen, let's have a meeting to discuss this matter..."
Song Tiejun sounded a little anxious.
"No need to discuss it anymore, I've already made up my mind. Oh, and remember to put the relevant paperwork for the mall renovation on my desk, I need to take a look."
"Mr. Chen, where are you now? Shall we meet and talk?"
"I'm out now. I'll contact you when I get back to the company. That's all for now, I have to go."
Chen Zhe hung up the phone after he finished speaking.
"To prevent them from embezzling, you abandoned all the projects?"
Hu Ling asked.
"There's nothing we can do about it. The corruption within the Silin Group is indeed very serious. I don't even need to look at his price list; he's definitely trying to rip me off. If I were to become that sucker, I'd be a real fool."
"Tch, you're not exactly that smart now. Just wait and see, once they fail to trick you, they'll definitely come up with other ways to hinder you."
"It doesn't matter, we'll deal with whatever comes our way."
...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com