Tian Dong Provincial Capital.
As night fell, the brightly lit building outlines truly embodied the idiom of a bustling city.
In the presidential office of the Zhizhi Club.
Li Qianfan sat in his large executive chair, reviewing the financial report of the provincial branch of Qianfan Group on his computer.
The Guanyin Group of Si Jiu was the largest in scale.
Especially after the Guanyin Group's main product, Qianfan No. 1, went overseas, the daily profits generated could be described as "making a fortune every day."
The scale of the Qingyun Qianfan Group was considerably smaller than that of the Guanyin Group.
This was related to Old Man Su's cautious approach to business, not expanding recklessly.
However, Chu Yazhi, who was in charge of the provincial branch, was quick to expand whenever opportunities arose.
As a result, the branch's scale had almost caught up to the Qingyun headquarters in just half a year.
Of course.
Although both the branch and headquarters belonged to Qianfan Group, their personnel and finances were independently accounted for.
Old Man Su, the general manager of the headquarters, was currently enjoying a very comfortable life.
This was mainly because he was assisted by Wei Wan, Xie Wenxiu, An Ran, and others (An Ran and the others were growing rapidly).
And most importantly, Old Man Su, unlike Su Nanyin, did not overly focus on power and understood the importance of delegation.
This was also the reason for the rapid growth of An Ran and the others.
On the other hand, Chu Yazhi—
Apart from Kang Ning, she didn't have many people under her whom she could fully trust and entrust with important responsibilities.
She wanted to delegate, but no one was available to take over.
As a result, Chu Yazhi had been very tired lately.
Especially with her pregnancy, her energy was even lower.
But even so.
As Li Qianfan reviewed the financial statements, Chu Yazhi, despite his dissuasion, insisted on hiding under the desk.
Wasn't the floor cold?
Li Qianfan reached out and stroked her hair, then picked up his buzzing mobile phone.
A woman's voice came through, "Uncle-in-law, I can arrive in Tian Dong Provincial Capital tomorrow evening at 8 PM. You need to pick me up. I'm coming alone; Aunt will go to Si Jiu."
Hearing "Uncle-in-law," Chu Yazhi, who was hiding under the desk, knew who was calling.
Ma Rongna.
The virtuous wife, who had been frolicking abroad with Luo Huayin for the past few months, had also adjusted herself to her best state.
Or rather, she had completely emerged from the shadow of her baby's departure.
"Pursue a good life for yourself."
"The best way to forget a premature baby is to have another one."
"Assisting Chu Yazhi in Tian Dong Provincial Capital and managing the Qianfan Group branch is the beginning of your pursuit of a better life."
These words were earnestly told to Ma Rongna by Zhuang Wujian.
That old monster now felt great pity for Ma Rongna. He also felt that it was a shameful waste of resources for the capable virtuous wife to be fooling around with his mentally ill daughter all day.
It was also a waste of her youth!
And so.
Just as Luo Huayin finally ceased her frivolousness and returned to China, preparing to work with Du Yaoyao, Ma Rongna was also coming to Tian Dong.
Both Chu Yazhi and Li Qianfan welcomed Ma Rongna's arrival with open arms.
"Okay."
Li Qianfan nodded. "I'll pick you up at 8 PM tomorrow."
"Uncle-in-law, stay with me at the hotel tonight. That's all, goodbye."
Before Li Qianfan could say anything, the call ended.
Stay at a hotel?
What a waste.
Chu Yazhi had already arranged everything for her at the club.
What a spendthrift woman—
As Li Qianfan shook his head in confusion, his phone buzzed with a message.
It was from Jessica, who was thousands of miles away.
A picture.
A piece of text.
The picture was of a newborn baby boy.
The text read: "Seven catties and six taels. Black hair and black eyes. Except for his slightly sunken eye sockets and straight nose, he doesn't resemble me anywhere else."
Looking at the photo of the baby boy, Li Qianfan remained silent for a long time.
Although he didn't have much affection for Jessica.
And whenever he had the chance, he would take a piece of the cake from her, and even during their intimacy, he wouldn't treat her like a human.
Yet, looking at the innocent little face of the baby boy—
Li Qianfan finally realized that his relationship with Jessica might not have been just a transaction of sex and money, as they had imagined.
Finally.
As Chu Yazhi stood up from under the desk and turned towards the restroom, Li Qianfan typed: "Will Jin Luode notice that this child seems to have no relation to him?"
Jessica did not respond.
Just as Li Qianfan thought she wouldn't answer, she replied: "He won't live long."
He—
Who was he?
Was it the child or Jin Luode?
Li Qianfan didn't ask further and slowly put down his phone.
In a way, Li was considered to have both a son and a daughter at the tender age of twenty-two.
When Su Xiaoxiao was seven days old, Empress Dowager Xiao had felt her pulse, and it was a boy.
Tang Xiaoni, who would give birth in a few more months, was also a boy.
What about President Jiao San, who was currently in Dongyang?
And Chu Yazhi?
"I need to work hard in the future. This big family still relies on me to earn money."
Li sighed, forwarded Jessica's photo and text to Sister Wujiang.
And added the caption: "You handle it, don't bother me."
A moment later.
Sister Wujiang sent back a bloody knife.
What did it mean?
Was she not going to deal with this matter?
Even if she had three more guts, she wouldn't dare!
Li Qianfan sneered and blacklisted Sister Wujiang again for the umpteenth time.
The night grew deeper.
Just as Chu Yazhi was about to succumb to exhaustion, her phone finally rang.
Upon seeing the caller ID, Chu Yazhi's spirits immediately lifted.
She got off the floor next to Li Qianfan and quickly walked out of the bedroom.
When she returned, she was followed by a girl in a long black dress, a black baseball cap, and a large mask.
"Since you're here, come in."
Chu Yazhi saw the girl standing at the door, glaring fiercely at Li Qianfan, and not moving for a long time. She casually shrugged. "Of course, you can leave anytime. I've made it clear, whether you stay or leave after a while, no one is forcing you."
The girl still didn't speak.
The now increasingly thick-skinned Li also said nothing, instead leaning against the headboard and scrolling through videos on his phone.
Chu Yazhi waited patiently.
The girl finally spoke, "Li Qianfan, find a way to disconnect me from this b*tch!"
Only then did Li Qianfan look at her.
"I don't want to feel the same way as her morning sickness when my stomach is empty."
The girl continued, "This inexplicable dry heaving is driving me crazy. If you can disconnect us, I'm willing to pay the most painful price!"
Did Li Qianfan have a way to "mentally disconnect" Bai Ziyan and Chu Yazhi?
No!
Because he genuinely couldn't understand why Chu Yazhi's private life was connected to Bai Ziyan, who had no relation to it.
"Sorry."
After careful consideration, Li Qianfan could only say these two words from the bottom of his heart.
Chu Yazhi didn't care about that.
She simply let Bai Ziyan see the "hanging ghost in colorful clothes" that she had imprisoned on her back.
Bai Ziyan's gaze was immediately drawn to the colorful hanging ghost.
And quickly immersed herself in a world that was both very real and very illusory.
Completely losing herself.
At most, she vaguely sensed that with Chu Yazhi's help, she was slowly sitting down.
The sky dawned again.
Feeling like she had been floating at sea, Bai Ziyan finally opened her eyes.
She was still in Chu Yazhi's bedroom.
It was herself.
Outside the bedroom door, she could faintly hear Li Qianfan talking to someone (he was discussing work with Kang Ning).
Bai Ziyan stared blankly at the ceiling, and everything she had experienced before waking up replayed in her mind like a movie.
During these experiences, she had little consciousness, like a puppet, allowing Chu Yazhi to manipulate her.
But now—
The movie footage was crystal clear!
In her mind, she had witnessed how unrestrained and how crazy she had been.
Especially her cooperation with Chu Yazhi, which was seamless.
"Is it possible that the 'me' who was wantonly manipulated by Chu Yazhi is the real me?"
Bai Ziyan pondered this question for a whole day.
Without eating or drinking.
The sky gradually darkened.
At 9:30 PM, Chu Yazhi finally entered.
"How is it, have you decided?"
Chu Yazhi sat beside her and said frankly, "If you and I join forces, plus Ma Rongna who has arrived in the provincial capital tonight. I believe that if the three of us can cooperate sincerely! The future achievements of the Qianfan Group branch will definitely be able to catch up to the Guanyin Group controlled by the Su family."
Bai Ziyan, whose bones still felt like they were falling apart, rolled her eyes. She looked at this ambitious woman, her eyes filled with ambition, and remained silent.
The woman continued to enlighten her, "I know you are very capable, ambitious, and ruthless. But no matter how capable you are, it's extremely difficult to achieve good results solely on your own in today's increasingly harsh economic recession environment."
Bai Ziyan still didn't speak.
Chu Yazhi continued, "Our goal is Southeast Asia! That is our star and sea! What you are currently pursuing is only within China, which is like swimming in a swimming pool. My master often says that earning foreign money and spending it in the East is true skill."
"You say—"
Bai Ziyan finally spoke, but asked a strange question, "Will I get pregnant?"
Chu Yazhi was stunned for a moment and casually asked, "Was last night a fertile period?"
Bai Ziyan nodded silently.
Chu Yazhi smiled, stood up, and extended her right hand. "Bai Ziyan, welcome home."
Welcome home?
What did this sentence mean?
Bai Ziyan understood very well.
With Chu Yazhi's support, Bai Ziyan washed up, dressed, ate something, and then asked, "Where is he?"
Who is "he"?
Chu Yazhi glanced at her phone and replied, "He is currently entertaining our second deputy general manager, Ma Rongna, at a hotel."
In a hotel suite.
Ma Rongna, the second deputy general manager of the Qianfan Group branch, tiptoed out of the bathroom.
Looking at Li Qianfan—
She said softly, "Back in Modu, I answered my aunt a question."
Li Qianfan, sitting on the sofa, asked, "What question?"
"She is suitable for hugging. As for me."
At this point, the second deputy general manager of Qianfan Group knelt down, biting her lip.