"Secretary Wang." Jiang Yihua dialed his secretary's phone. "Find a reputable headhunter in the industry, and have him investigate Jiang Yifeng's asset portfolio under the guise of checking company qualifications."
"Understood, Mr. Jiang."
After hanging up, Jiang Yihua looked over. "If it really is as you say, then the old man has been secretly funding and grooming him?"
After the birthday banquet, Qiuyun had accompanied the mistress to the main building several times and had gained some understanding of the temperaments of the family's decision-makers.
"The funding is real, but 'grooming' is a stretch." She raised an eyebrow slightly. "Perhaps Mr. Yifeng even often complains to the old master about being broke, about business being tough, and about his own lack of ability."
Jiang Yihua frowned.
Complaining about being broke?
Jiang Yifeng was at least twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with a child already eight years old. Could he really whine to the old man for money? And the old man, such a decisive and formidable person—if he saw such an unambitious son, beating him would be lenient. Would he actually hand over money?
Seeing that the gentleman couldn't grasp it, Qiuyun explained slowly: "What aging rulers fear most is not incompetent children, but successors who are too capable."
A chill ran down Jiang Yihua's spine. "Your meaning is, the old man is now like Kangxi during the Nine Sons' Struggle? Suspicious of every son who could usurp him at any moment!"
Kangxi… that seemed to be an emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Nine Sons' Struggle, judging by the name, should be a tale of nine princes fighting for the throne.
Qiuyun had only passing knowledge of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties after the Song Dynasty. Fortunately, the gentleman was immersed in his own speculation and noticed nothing unusual.
After giving him time to digest, she continued slowly: "Compared to a capable eldest son who could replace him at any moment, a man like the old master—decisive, battle-hardened, a feudal patriarch—would naturally find more paternal affection to lavish on a good-for-nothing youngest son."
She paused, then added: "After all, the businesses Mr. Yifeng runs are all in fields that the Jiang Group doesn't touch. Whether he does well or poorly, it can't threaten the old master's foundation."
"I understand what you mean." Jiang Yihua relaxed, slowly leaning back into his chair.
Now, he still thought of himself as the twenty-something eldest son, sternly demanded by his father to be impeccable in his work.
Back then, the old man was in his prime, under fifty, while he was a brash young man, impatient and restless.
In such a father-son dynamic, naturally the more outstanding his results, the more harmonious the relationship.
Now, twenty years had passed. As time flowed on, he gradually came into his own, and his aging father could not suppress a secret wariness toward his excellently accomplished eldest son.
This kind of shift was hard for him to perceive himself, standing at the center of it.
He truly needed someone like Qiuyun around him, someone who could see the bigger picture clearly.
"This weekend, I'll buy groceries and go to Mingyue Tower."
The old man had never liked how he had stubbornly insisted on marrying Xiang'er back then. Now, after separating into two different buildings for days, with him enduring his own suffering and resolutely setting aside business to chase after his wife, the old man would surely not be suspicious.
Having said that, Jiang Yihua got up, went to the restroom behind the study, and three minutes later came back with a file folder, placing it on the coffee table in front of Qiuyun.
"See if any of these catch your fancy. Pick one for yourself."
???
Jiang Yihua sat down on the single sofa nearby. "These are projects developed by our group, all mid-to-upper-tier residential properties."
Nice.
Very generous.
Giving away a house right off the bat.
Qiuyun didn't stand on ceremony. She thanked him and took it.
Each page in the folder described a property, with details including the community, building, unit number, floor plan, and surrounding amenities.
She flipped through a dozen or so pages without making a decision.
Mainly because she had no knowledge of these neighborhoods, and there were no prices listed, so she couldn't tell which was more expensive or cheaper. She was just about to ask the gentleman if she could take it back to study before choosing.
"Nothing you like?" Jiang Yihua asked.
Qiuyun chose a more tactful phrasing: "Uh, nothing that catches my eye."
Jiang Yihua thought for a moment, then went back to the restroom and came out with another stack of property deeds. "These are my personal properties. See if any of these appeal to you."
"..."
This was the charm of a tycoon, wasn't it? Loved it, absolutely loved it.
Well, to be clear, she loved the houses, not the man.
Qiuyun didn't hold back with the wealthy. She took them and started browsing.
Mm, a courtyard house.
Mm, another courtyard house.
Mm, still a courtyard house.
She couldn't take the deeds home to research, so Qiuyun asked a very straightforward question: "Which one is closest to downtown?"
Jiang Yihua flipped through them, then pulled one out and handed it to her: "This courtyard house is the most expensive and has the most appreciation potential."
"..."
Ahem, well, that was exactly what she meant.
"Thank you, Mr. Jiang." Qiuyun couldn't contain her excitement and reached out to take it.
Jiang Yihua pulled the deed back, dodging her hand. "I'll give you this one, but I also have conditions."
"Don't worry, Mr. Jiang!" Qiuyun guaranteed. "I'll definitely get the mistress all sweetened up!"
Jiang Yihua shot her a glance. "This property is worth over seven hundred million. Do you think my requirement is merely that?"
Another one trying to poach her.
"Mr. Jiang, let me be frank with you. In a family at your level, no matter how well you build your career on the outside, it doesn't compare to a single thought from the old man before he passes. What we should really be strategizing now is the internal front." Qiuyun said. "If you poach me to be your assistant, that's far less valuable than keeping me by the mistress's side, helping her manage the eldest branch's position."
Jiang Yihua narrowed his eyes, as if pondering her words.
"How about this." Qiuyun pulled out a property from the earlier stack that was closer to MR Company. "Give me today's reward first. As for that courtyard house, you can transfer it to me after you secure the final inheritance."
Jiang Yihua crossed his arms. "What can you actually do?"
Qiuyun didn't make any guarantees. "Anything I can think of, in every aspect—like my discovery today, for instance."
"Fine." Jiang Yihua put the deed back. "But miss today, and I might not be able to offer it to you again later. It'll depend on the circumstances."
"..."
Pity, but Qiuyun knew that capitalists—especially old foxes who'd weathered decades of business storms—trying to squeeze benefits out of them meant you had to be careful not to trap yourself.
"How about you leave me a personal number, Mr. Jiang? If there's any hint of movement or anything unusual, I'll report to you right away."
Jiang Yihua gave her the number. "Tell the mistress about this—I mean the house and the fourth brother's matter."
"..."
Don't pretend. Everyone knows you're a perfect husband.
Back at Mingyue Tower.
Qiuyun didn't waste a second. As soon as the mistress came home from work, she immediately told her everything.
At the same time, she omitted the gentleman's plan to temporarily step back and come chase after his wife.
After all, her job was to mediate their reconciliation. If the mistress knew the gentleman was carving out time to spend with his wife and daughter specifically to avoid arousing the old man's wariness and suspicion, it would probably take another two years to fix things.
This act might be a bit deceptive toward the mistress.
But in Qiuyun's view, the gentleman was somewhat clumsy at emotional matters, and it wasn't that the mistress was picky or fussy—it was that the two of them were simply on different wavelengths, each with their own time lag.
Compared to the Duke who had a concubine-born eldest son before his main wedding and a courtyard full of concubines afterwards...
This was acceptable.
Actually, it was pretty good.
