Chapter 368: Chapter 187
When Su Ziceng walked out of Su Qingzhang’s office, the joy of having received a call from Lin Ying earlier had completely vanished.
Su Qingzhang previously had nothing but praise for Pello. Yet, in just a few days, he had changed his tune, calling him a man of unclear origins and too shrewd.
It goes without saying that the change in Su Qingzhang’s attitude must be related to Hang Yishao. But based on Su Ziceng’s understanding of Su Qingzhang, he wouldn’t side with Hang Yishao without reason. Plus, Su Qingzhang had also mentioned her marriage to Hang Yishao, which she had resolutely rejected.
No wonder Pello looked a bit odd just now; Su Ziceng’s face flushed with realization. From Pello’s question earlier, it was clear that she would have given a definite answer. Could it be that Pello didn’t have confidence in her? Lost in thought, Su Ziceng stepped into the elevator. She needed to clarify her thoughts with Pello and get him back to normal.
The elevator stopped at the finance department floor. It was lunchtime, and the office was left with only a handful of people.
Su Ziceng arrived at the door of Pello’s office, knocked, and with no response, she pushed the door open to find the office empty, the previously disheveled documents neatly arranged.
"Maybe he had some urgent matter and left first?" Su Ziceng muttered to herself, dreading having to face countless curious eyes during lunch.
At the entrance to the finance department, the crisp sound of high heels approached. Su Ziceng looked up to see Yan Wuxu. Su Ziceng was puzzled by her sudden appearance – what was a much more restrained Yan Wuxu doing here?
"Qingzhang said to come and learn more about the company when I have time," Yan Wuxu said with a smile, linking arms with Su Ziceng.
No longer trusting Pello, Su Qingzhang, to be safe, decided to start grooming a new candidate for finance manager. He didn’t specify whether Su Ziceng or Yan Wuxu would be the final pick, but he had made arrangements nonetheless.
It never occurred to Su Ziceng that Su Qingzhang would make such an arrangement so soon, a move undoubtedly pressuring Pello to leave the Su Family swiftly. But as she held no real power, it wasn’t appropriate for her to say anything directly and could only watch as events unfolded.
Hang Yishao, who had gone out to eat with Fei Qing, was cutting a pork chop at the moment. However, Fei Qing sitting in front of him looked extraordinarily under the weather.
Both parties had more or less graduated, in charge of their first project – the Seaside Resort project set to officially open this summer. The parents from both sides thought it better for the young to manage this new venture and thus placed the responsibility onto their shoulders.
So recently, in theory, Hang Yishao was supposed to be working closely with Fei Qing every day. But in reality, whether it was the project’s fire inspection or the procurement of large quantities of materials, it was Hang Yishao running around by himself. Besides showing his face at various banquets and meals, Fei Qing had essentially washed his hands of the whole thing.
"Your dad is quite pleased with himself these days; why do you look so haggard?" Hang Yishao asked after a few bites, pulling away from his food. Mr. Fei’s conference center project was at a critical stage.
Fei Qing yawned, sunken-eyed and pale even in broad daylight, looking as if struck by frost, "With Divine Light’s blessing, of course everything is going his way." In truth, ever since acquiring the Yellow Love, Mr. Fei did seem to have an abundance of energy, as if he had aged years younger. In contrast, Fei Qing looked utterly listless and deflated day in and day out.
"You’re not addicted, are you?" Hang Yishao looked at the plate of Fei Qing, who had barely touched his favorite seafood noodles and then at Fei Qing’s complexion, which said everything.
"How was I to know it would be truly addictive? Shang Yin himself smokes and seems fine," Fei Qing huddled his feet in discomfort, his father had discovered his situation. So, during this time, aside from the necessary expenses, every extra penny was being controlled. Soon, Yan Wuxu’s child would turn one, and he had promised to buy "his son" a villa as a gift, but now he didn’t have a dime in sight.
"Find a private doctor for treatment; I heard that electronic cigarettes have been developed abroad. Try them and see if you can quit," Hang Yishao said helplessly to Fei Qing, unable to scold or to advise him, he could only suggest quitting smoking quickly.
Fei Qing had his own unspeakable troubles; he and Yan Wuxu were both addicted to smoking now, and with Mr. Fei controlling his finances, he was really strapped for cash. If this came up with Yan Wuxu, Fei Qing was afraid he would be scolded to death.
"Let’s not talk about this for now. Do you have any spare cash?" Fei Qing knew the situation of Hang Yishao was different from his; the Hang Family had always been generous to their only son, and despite Hang Yishao’s seemingly dissipated lifestyle, he was skilled in managing finances, with his funds growing like a rolling snowball, climbing several steps.
"I do have money, how much do you need?"
"I’ve taken a liking to a newly built villa in the seaside area, it’s about thirty-three million," Fei Qing estimated.
With the completion of the seaside project and the nearing completion of the skyscraper project by the Su Fei families, the Sixth District’s seaside area saw numerous shanty houses being replaced by towering, newly built standalone villas.
"Why do you want to buy a villa there? If you’re really interested, you could ask your dad to pull some strings, and you could probably get it for half the price," Hang Yishao knew that among officials, there were unwritten rules—using real estate as a tangible asset was a good way of realizing value.
"I can’t let my dad know about this," Fei Qing said anxiously as he yawned several times, took a look around, and then pulled out a cigarette.
Hang Yishao frowned, turned away his face, and said, "Don’t tell me you’re going to use that house to keep a mistress?"
He expected Fei Qing to retaliate immediately, but Fei Qing, having his secret guessed, choked on the smoke and burst into a coughing fit with tears and snot streaming down his face, which made his situation even more embarrassing.
"Look at yourself now, if your dad saw this, he would definitely be infuriated to death," Hang Yishao handed him a few tissues, couldn’t help warning: "Don’t be fooled by a woman, spending tens of millions on a house for a woman, have you lost your mind?"
"It’s for buying a house for the wife and kids, to make everyone happy. Besides, if I don’t buy it now, Yan Wuxu will surely drive me crazy," Fei Qing accidentally spilled the beans and immediately put on a pleading expression after speaking.
After hearing this, Hang Yishao was also stunned. Yan Wuxu? Kids? When did all this happen? Did Ziceng know about this? (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian () to cast recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)