Zhou Yan paused, his carefree smile vanishing instantly, replaced by a cold indifference.
He turned his head to look at the rest area at the end of the corridor.
Sure enough, Cha Meiling was sitting there, elegantly flipping through a magazine.
Cha Meiling seemed to sense something, closed the magazine, and stood up to look into the corridor.
Upon seeing Zhou Yan, she smiled gently from afar: "Yan, are you done talking?"
Zhou Yan walked straight up to her with a cold face, his tall figure almost looming over her, and asked in a detached tone, "Is there anything else?"
Cha Meiling seemed to freeze for a moment from his tone, but quickly regained her composure: "I... I didn't mean to cause you any trouble. It's nothing else, it's just that in the middle of next month, my godfather Chen Jingsong will be hosting a shareholder appreciation dinner with Miss Ning."
She paused, her voice becoming even softer: "I hope... you can attend with me. So, I'd like to come and set a time with you a month in advance."
The most beautiful woman in Hong Kong, her alluring glances could melt even the hardest steel.
Zhou Yan, with his hands in his pockets, bluntly uttered two words: "Not going."
It was decisive and efficient, leaving no room for negotiation.
Cha Meiling froze for a moment, but still maintained her gentle smile: "Big brother Ning Bingyu and little sister Ning Yuan should also be coming then."
Upon hearing the name "Ning Yuan," Zhou Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't say anything, but just stared at her with his head down.
Cha Meiling felt extremely uncomfortable being stared at like that.
She looked away somewhat awkwardly, forcing herself to remain calm as she asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhou Yan's lips curled into a faint smile, as if mocking or amused: "Nothing, I just think you... are quite clever."
Cha Meiling's expression changed slightly; she could certainly hear the sarcasm in Zhou Yan's words.
Cha Meiling suppressed her anger and explained softly, "I just... knew you were investigating a case and wanted to help you."
She paused, then asked again, "So... Ah Yan, are you going or not?"
Zhou Yan frowned impatiently and said dismissively, "Just send over the invitation."
After saying that, he turned and left without looking at Cha Meiling again, as if she were just an insignificant passerby.
Cha Meiling couldn't help but quickly step forward and stop him: "Wait a minute!"
Her voice held a hint of suppressed grievance: "Let's... go down together. Last time you were having dinner with your brothers, I picked you up, and that already... revealed our identities. The Organized Crime and Triad brothers all know about our relationship. We're engaged, aren't we?"
Zhou Yan stopped, his gaze cold and contemptuous: "Did I ask you to pick me up? Or do you want to announce your identity to others?"
Cha Meiling's face flushed red and then turned pale: "I was just... worried about you."
Zhou Yan said impatiently, "Shut up. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Besides, is this the first day you've met me? Making demands of me?"
He paused, then scoffed, "Annie, don't expect too much from scum, and don't have any expectations of scum. It won't do you any good! Don't let me see you in my office again, understand?"
After Zhou Yan finished speaking, he strode away, his tall figure quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Cha Meiling was left standing there alone, her expression shifting unpredictably, like a spilled palette, displaying a dazzling array of colors.
Looking at his tall and straight back, Cha Meiling felt a mixture of hatred and resentment, yet also a vague and inexplicable infatuation.
She used to have a crush on Brother Yu, but now she doesn't know why her attention is on him, even though they are completely different people.
Brother Yu was a gentleman to her, but he was a vicious scoundrel!
Her nails dug fiercely into her palm.
Sofina, who was not far away, couldn't help but shake her head in sympathy.
Mr. Chow is indeed only suitable for admiring from afar, not for touching. Getting too close would probably leave you covered in thorns.
Days pass by, time slips through our fingers like sand.
Ning Yuan traveled back and forth between Shenzhen and Hong Kong several times, like a tireless little bee.
That day, she arranged to meet Ning Bingyu at his apartment in Central.
Ning Yuan got straight to the point, handing over the project proposal: "Brother, I've discussed this plan with you before. I'm here today to talk to you about building a factory in mainland China."
She sat down at Ning Bingyu's desk: "This is a detailed plan I made. Take a look."
Ning Bingyu took the plan and began to read it.
Ning Yuan explained clearly: "The conditions offered by the mainland are very attractive. A ten-year lease term, with three years of rent waived, which adds up to 1.2 million! There are also various business tax incentives, which I have listed for you."
She then handed Ning Bingyu a detailed investment policy document, which was densely filled with various data and clauses.
Ning Bingyu didn't say anything and spent half an hour flipping through the documents.
After he finished reading, he looked up, his eyes behind his glasses unreadable: "The terms are very favorable, but do you know how much investment is required?"
Ning Yuan's tone was sincere and earnest: "I know, so I need to borrow six million from you for an interest-free loan, and I'll give you 10% of the shares as dividends."
He only gave her one point for the Harbour City project!
However, compared to interest, dividends can wait until we make money later; not having to pay interest is the real priority.
Ning Bingyu slowly tapped the document lightly with his pen.
After a long while, he asked casually, "Little sister, you should know that I've been having a power struggle with my eldest sister, Ning Man'an, lately, right?"
Ning Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Of course, so what's the situation now? Is it you, the East Wind, prevailing over the West Wind, or is it my older sister, the West Wind, prevailing over the East Wind?"
She was in the study that day too. She's not deaf or blind, so of course she knew the atmosphere wasn't quite right.
Ning Bingyu interlaced his fingers, leaned back in his chair, and said in a tone that revealed neither joy nor anger: "I don't know what method my eldest sister used, but she persuaded my uncle and most of the board members to stand on her side."
He paused for a moment, then said, "So, the Tsim Sha Tsui project... will be suspended, and all funds will be diverted to support the Whampoa Garden project."
Ning Yuan was stunned, almost dropping her coffee cup: "So, you lost the battle of wits? But... has Uncle gone mad? Is he really planning to support my eldest sister at the expense of the group's interests?"
The project in Tsim Sha Tsui is clearly the Ning family's key project in the past two years, with huge initial investments and more than half of the construction completed!
Stopping work now would result in significant losses!
Ning Bingyu picked up his coffee cup and took a sip: "This is his punishment for his disobedient heir."
He paused, a cold, self-deprecating smile curving his lips: "Who told my nephew to be so disobedient? Well, then let's find someone more obedient. Anyway, his own daughter is quite outstanding, isn't she? As long as she can bring benefits to the family, does it matter who it is?"
Ning Yuan felt a sharp pain in her head, as if she had been tapped twice with a small hammer.
She also received a share of the profits from that project in Tsim Sha Tsui!
She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples: "So... the old man just lets it go like that? Doesn't he do anything about it?"
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