"Brother-in-law, I want to go too."
As soon as the phone call ended, Xia Xueqing pouted and whined.
"The new company has just been established, and the location is rather remote. What would you want to go there for?"
Song Qiao waved his hand, intending to refuse.
"No, I just want to see. Maybe I can help you with something."
Xia Xueqing said, gently shaking Song Qiao's arm.
"Alright, but I can't guarantee I'll have time to take you back."
Song Qiao, left with no choice by her persistence, finally agreed.
Seeing her brother-in-law agree, Xia Xueqing immediately nodded her head vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice.
...
Upon arriving at the new company, Ye Zhiwei's assistant, Zhou Zhou, had already been waiting at the entrance for a long time.
"President Song, you're here."
From a distance, as soon as Zhou Zhou spotted Song Qiao, he rushed forward to greet him enthusiastically.
Song Qiao nodded slightly and smiled at Zhou Zhou, "I'll have to trouble you to give me an introduction to our company's situation."
"Heh, no rush, President Song. Let's go inside and take a look first."
Zhou Zhou smiled politely and led Song Qiao into the company building, introducing the new company's situation as they walked.
The employees in the building had clearly been informed in advance. As soon as Song Qiao entered, they all greeted him respectfully.
"Brother-in-law, I can't believe you're so popular in the new company."
"I don't think you have this kind of presence even in your own company."
Xia Xueqing gently linked her arm with Song Qiao's, unable to resist a teasing remark.
Song Qiao shook his head helplessly and gave an embarrassed smile, not responding.
He rarely got involved with Tianhong's affairs, and many of the lower-level employees didn't know him, so they wouldn't greet him proactively.
Moreover, Song Qiao had never cared much about such things, so he hadn't made any particular demands.
The new company had just been established, and there was a clear shortage of cleaning staff. The office, though cleaned, still appeared somewhat cluttered.
Seeing this, Xia Xueqing told her brother-in-law to go ahead with his business, while she stayed behind to tidy up Song Qiao's office.
When Song Qiao returned, the entire office was refreshed, with everything neatly arranged.
"How was it? Didn't I tell you I could help?"
As Song Qiao entered, Xia Xueqing puffed out her chest and said with a hint of pride.
Song Qiao was a little surprised. He hadn't expected his wife's usually fiery sister to be so diligent in her work.
He immediately said gratefully, "Thank you, Xueqing. Otherwise, with my habits, this office would probably turn into a pigsty in a couple of days."
Xia Xueqing was amused by Song Qiao's remark and let out a chuckle. A sly glint flashed in her eyes as she unconsciously moved closer to Song Qiao and hugged his neck.
She asked in a coy tone, "Then how are you going to thank me, brother-in-law? It can't just be with words. You need to take some real action."
Being teased by Xia Xueqing like this, Song Qiao's face instantly turned red.
He coughed awkwardly, subtly removed Xia Xueqing's arms, and said in a low voice, "Xueqing, don't mess around. This is an office."
Xia Xueqing immediately pouted, "How am I messing around? I just..."
Before she could finish, there was a rapid knocking on the door from outside.
"President Song, something big has happened! Someone is causing trouble at the company entrance."
Zhou Zhou reported anxiously.
"Hmm?"
"Who are they?"
Song Qiao's brows furrowed. He lightly adjusted his clothes and asked with some confusion.
"It's Mr. Chen from Hefeng Real Estate."
"When we were bidding for this piece of land for our new company, we had some conflict with him. I didn't expect him to come here today."
Zhou Zhou's voice trembled slightly due to panic.
"It can't be that serious. Come on, let's go out and see."
Song Qiao shook his head helplessly and turned to go downstairs.
"President Song, the other party is known for being a bunch of ruffians. Most of their employees are thugs from society."
"If things get physical, we might not be able to handle them."
Zhou Zhou, fearing Song Qiao might act impulsively, quickly followed to persuade him.
"It's fine. Let me see if they can really cause trouble under broad daylight."
Song Qiao snorted coldly and walked to the lobby without a hint of nervousness.
"Hurry up and tell your boss to get out here and see me."
Before Song Qiao got close, he heard a familiar, raspy voice.
Upon closer inspection, it was Chen Haibo, whom he had disciplined at the chamber of commerce not long ago.
Behind him were five or six young thugs with visible tattoos, all looking like trouble.
"Yo, who do I see? It's Mr. Chen. Have you forgotten about the twenty slaps you gave yourself a while back?"
Song Qiao sneered, his voice laced with sarcasm as he taunted Chen Haibo.
"It's you? Song Qiao!"
Chen Haibo was stunned to see Song Qiao, then exclaimed in disbelief.
He remembered clearly that day at the chamber of commerce when Song Qiao forced him to slap himself twenty times. Ever since then, he had become a laughingstock among everyone.
"Hahaha, Song, I never expected the boss here to be you. It seems the wheel of karma is indeed turning."
Chen Haibo, having recovered from his shock, burst into laughter. He had hated Song Qiao to the core, and now that he had an opportunity for revenge, he was ecstatic.
"That's right, I am the boss of this company. What do you want by bringing people here to cause trouble?"
Song Qiao, unbothered by the other's arrogant demeanor, got straight to the point.
"Of course, I'm here to congratulate you. And I'm also here to buy the land you're standing on."
Chen Haibo stated nonchalantly.
"This piece of land you're on has caught our eye at Hefeng Real Estate. We'll give you one hundred thousand yuan, and you have to move out today."
Chen Haibo said it as if it were a foregone conclusion, as if anything he desired was rightfully his.
Xia Xueqing and Zhou Zhou listened beside them, their hearts sinking.
This wasn't buying land; it was outright robbery. Although the new company was located in the suburbs, it occupied nearly a hundred acres. Chen Haibo wanted to acquire it for a mere one hundred thousand yuan.
"You, aren't you just being unreasonable?"
Xia Xueqing, unable to contain her anger, directly cursed out loud.
"What do you mean unreasonable, little girl? We at Hefeng are conducting legitimate business. Be careful, or I'll sue you for defamation."
Chen Haibo shamelessly retorted to Xia Xueqing.
As he spoke, he waved his hand. One of his subordinates immediately understood and, from somewhere, produced a cardboard box filled with stacks of one hundred thousand yuan.
"So, Song, what do you say? I'll give you one minute to consider."
"If you don't agree, I believe you know the consequences."
He casually kicked the cardboard box and said with a smile to Song Qiao.
"No need to consider. You should save this money to burn for your mother."
Song Qiao gave a contemptuous smile and kicked the cardboard box back at Chen Haibo, his voice tinged with anger.