Old Master Yu nodded and looked at Huo Mian. “Mianmian, your father used to be one of my most capable aides. He helped me back then, and I’ve always remembered it.”
“But if, because of that debt of gratitude, I insist on arranging a marriage between you and Zhining, forcing two people who don’t love each other to be together, then that wouldn’t be repaying a favor. It would be harming you.”
“Mianmian, if your father were still alive, he wouldn’t want you to be with someone you don’t love, either.”
Huo Mian’s lips trembled faintly. “No…”
Grandpa said firmly, “Mianmian, the Yu family can help you start a business again. We can provide funding and resources, and help you gather your father’s former subordinates. We’ll also continue supporting your mother. But as for marriage, I still hope that one day you’ll find someone who loves you and whom you love in return… As for any other requests, we’ll do whatever we’re capable of doing to help you.”
Huo Mian felt anything but grateful!
How had things gone from killing a dog when she was little to losing her marriage when she grew up?
She and Yu Zhining had known each other since they were students. They had even been classmates and childhood sweethearts. She truly wanted to be with him!
All Huo Mian could hear was a buzzing in her ears.
I don’t want your condescending help! It’s nothing more than charity!
I want you to choose me! To favor me!
But when she raised her head, her face still showed nothing but pallor and hurt. She obediently said, “I understand. Thank you, Old Master Yu.”
Then she looked at Yu Zhining. “Since you don’t love me, I’m willing to give you your freedom…”
Yu Zhining, who absolutely could not be manipulated through emotional blackmail, really wanted to say, My freedom already belongs to me. Why do I need you to give it back?
But he knew that his grandfather felt indebted to her father, so after thinking it over, he held his tongue.
Huo Mian continued, “I only ask to stay at the rehabilitation and elder-care center you’re in charge of for a few days. I want to see whether my mother’s condition is suitable for discharge. If she can leave, I’ll take her home. After all these years, I want to reconcile with my mother.”
Yu Zhining nodded. “All right.”
His eldest aunt looked at the young girl, who was drenched from head to toe, and couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. “Go take a hot shower.”
“All right. Thank you, Auntie.”
Huo Mian rose and left.
Once Huo Mian was gone, only the Yu family members remained.
Old Master Yu swept his cold gaze over his descendants.
At last, his eyes settled on Yu Zhining. “You didn’t want to get married. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Yu Zhining was silent for a moment before saying, “I planned to handle it myself.”
Grandpa said sternly, “You handled it yourself until today. If Xingxing hadn’t spoken up, would this engagement still have been dragged out?”
Yu Zhining didn’t argue.
Old Master Yu looked at the others. “What about all of you? Do you also think I’ve grown senile and can’t stand hearing a single opinion?”
His eldest son immediately said, “Dad, don’t say that. We just thought that if you made this decision, you must have had your reasons.”
Grandpa said, “You think I can never be wrong? That I can never take a wrong turn? If I had been right my entire life, why did I end up in prison when I was young?”
Everyone fell silent.
Grandpa glanced at Yu Xiaxing. “In the end, it was Xingxing, my youngest granddaughter, who had more courage than all of you old-timers! Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves?”
Yu Xiaxing scratched her cheek, feeling a little awkward.
Actually, I only dared to be so reckless because I’m planning to leave eventually!
Grandpa looked at his children and grandchildren before him and remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he let out a low snort. “A whole family of good-for-nothings. Every one of you treats me like an emperor. None of you even dares to offer a suggestion. You’ve truly broken His Majesty’s heart.”
With that, Grandpa turned and left.
The butler immediately followed him out.
After they had left the eldest branch’s residence, the butler remarked, “Master, to be fair, you can’t blame them entirely. The inheritance competition you set up is especially ruthless.”
“You even said that whoever lost would have to take ten million yuan and get out of the Yu family, never again relying on the Yu family’s resources…”
“So they all think you don’t value family affection. How could they dare to act like grandchildren spoiled by their grandfather and tell you what they really think?”
Yu Zhengrong frowned. “When I established that rule, I hoped that those who lost wouldn’t become discouraged.”
“They would receive ten million yuan and leave the Yu family. Then they could use that money to restart their careers.”
“Someone with enough backbone might one day achieve even more than the Yu family. They might also establish a foothold for the Yu family in another industry.”
“During the war, my ancestors were also part of a powerful family in the capital. My father made a mistake, so the family gave him a sum of money and drove him out, ordering him never to return.”
“My father made something of himself. He went alone to Pushi and rebuilt the family business. Later, when the capital fell, he was still able to pull strings and return to save the entire family.”
“Can’t my children do even better after leaving home?”
“You call that heartless? If I really were heartless, I wouldn’t give them a single cent! If they lost, they could go out and beg for food!”
After hearing that, the butler felt that Master did have a point.
Suddenly, the butler’s phone rang.
He picked it up, glanced at the screen, and reported, “Master, the Evaluation Committee says that unless you have any further instructions, they’ll be issuing the third-stage task immediately.”
Yu Zhengrong said, “Send it out. I can’t wait to see what they do next.”
—
Yu Xiaxing hurried back to take a shower.
By the time she came out after drying her hair, it was already past midnight.
Yu Zheng was sitting on the small sofa in her room, holding Diandian in his arms.
After being blow-dried, Diandian was once again fluffy and soft, like a breathing ball of cotton candy. It lay across Yu Zheng’s knees, its little paws resting on his sleeve.
With one hand supporting the dog and the other holding a blow-dryer brush, Yu Zheng carefully smoothed its fur.
Seeing that he was doing a pretty good job, Yu Xiaxing asked, “When did you learn how to take care of dogs?”
Yu Zheng replied lazily, “I picked up the experience from taking care of you.”
Yu Xiaxing immediately raised her foot and kicked him.
They were just about to start fighting when both their phones rang at the same time.
The two exchanged a glance. Sensing that Task Three had been issued, they immediately grabbed their phones to check.
[Third-Stage Task: The Renewal Campaign
Task duration: 10 days
Task background: Following an analysis and investigation by the Evaluation Committee, every project has recently encountered a group of highly valuable clients or partners with extremely low willingness to renew their contracts.
Whether they stay or leave will directly affect project stability, revenue flow, and long-term development.
The Special Committee requires each contestant to resolve the crisis and complete the renewals.
Target clients: The Special Committee will provide each contestant with a list of several “renewal targets.” The lists will be sent to the contestants individually later.
Success criteria:
Basic success: The target signs a renewal agreement or clearly commits to renewing within the task period.
High-quality success: A longer renewal term, more favorable conditions—such as higher rates or an expanded scope of cooperation—and additional commitments, such as referrals to new clients.
Rewards and penalties:
First place: Six million yuan in operating funds.
Second place: Four million yuan in operating funds.
Last place: A yellow-card warning and zero points in the “Crisis Management” category of the monthly rankings.]
[Special note: Deliberately slacking off or treating the task perfunctorily is prohibited. Anyone who violates these rules will be eliminated and will also forfeit the ten-million-yuan severance payment!]
Yu Xiaxing stared at the special note for a long time…
Who was this warning aimed at?
Although she participated every time with the intention of losing, she always made a huge spectacle of it. It probably didn’t count as deliberately slacking off, did it?
Suddenly, Grandpa sent another message in the group chat: “You’re exactly what they mean by slacking off!”
