Volume One, Chapter 15: Concern
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When they finally arrived at Bicheng Fortune Financial Center, Lin Xia began to regret coming.
Just as Ding Changqing had said, the Lin family was merely a minor clan that had to rely on the Tan family for whatever scraps of profit it could obtain. As for the Lin Group, what qualifications did it have to attend this exchange?
Xu Qing said coldly, “Whether we qualify is none of your concern.”
“Who knows? Perhaps you’re planning to sneak in.”
Ding Changqing turned to Lin Xia and continued, “Miss Lin, I think this man has deceived you with his honeyed words. He’s nothing but a powerless kept man. What ability could he possibly have to get you inside?”
Seeing Xu Qing move on to Tan Qiutong’s best friend immediately after divorcing Tan Qiutong had left Ding Changqing deeply displeased.
Tan Qiutong was certainly beautiful, but she was Xu Qing’s discarded woman now. Lin Xia, on the other hand, was still pure. Unfortunately, her judgment was no better—she had actually taken a liking to Xu Qing as well.
What exactly did this man have going for him? How could every beautiful, capable woman be drawn to him?
“That has nothing to do with you. I trust Xu Qing,” Lin Xia said unhappily.
Ding Changqing was baffled. “Miss Lin, your family’s capital may only be barely adequate, but it should still be no problem for you to marry into a family above the Lins. So why involve yourself with a kept man?”
“I like Xu Qing. Whether he has money or not is none of your business, is it?”
Lin Xia’s mood worsened. If she had not been mindful of Ding Changqing’s identity, she would already have lost her temper.
Ding Changqing gave a cold snort. “Miss Lin, don’t blame me for failing to warn you. If even President Tan didn’t want him, what good could he possibly be? If he sweet-talks you into giving up both your money and your virtue, it’ll be too late for regret!”
Tan Qiutong remained silent nearby, but she still remembered the five million Xu Qing had produced before. Although Xu Qing had claimed the money was not his, she recognized that bank card perfectly well.
As for regret, she did feel some. Yet whenever she thought of the price of the Deepwater Bay project, she could only force herself to stop dwelling on it.
“…I won’t regret it!”
Lin Xia’s face flushed slightly as she gritted her teeth and spoke.
Tan Qiutong’s expression darkened further. Although Lin Xia had helped her out of kindness the previous day, Tan Qiutong no longer felt particularly grateful.
“All right. We came here today for serious business. There’s no need to waste any more time on meaningless matters,” Tan Qiutong said in an indifferent tone.
Ding Changqing said no more. With another cold snort, he followed Tan Qiutong into Bicheng Fortune Financial Center.
After finding her seat, Tan Qiutong turned to the secretary beside her and asked, “Secretary Liu, who is in charge of today’s exchange?”
The Bai family’s exchange was not necessarily hosted by Chairman Bai personally. They had to know who was presiding before they could find a way to establish ties.
Secretary Liu nodded and took out her phone to make a call.
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A while later, she said, “President Tan, today’s exchange is being organized personally by President Bai.”
“President Bai…”
Tan Qiutong’s gaze grew solemn. For some reason, she thought of the young woman who had appeared outside her home on the day she divorced Xu Qing.
A refined heiress of that caliber was rarely seen in Bicheng. Among the city’s prominent families, only a few could claim such standing.
Even so, Tan Qiutong could not understand how Xu Qing had become involved with the eldest daughter of a family like that.
Speaking of President Bai, she was quite renowned in Bicheng. Though she was a woman, she was also one of the city’s few female CEOs—someone Tan Qiutong could not help but admire.
However, Tan Qiutong had never met the Bai family’s President Bai, Bai Yulan, in person.
After pondering for a moment, Tan Qiutong said to her secretary, “Secretary Liu, can you arrange a private meeting with President Bai?”
She would be able to see Bai Yulan at the exchange, but there would be many attendees. If she wanted to forge a closer relationship with the Bai family, she had to seize this opportunity.
“I can try, but I can’t guarantee it will work,” Secretary Liu replied.
Tan Qiutong nodded. “Good. If you succeed, you’ll be handsomely rewarded.”
Until everything was settled, Tan Qiutong still felt uneasy. She had the vague sense that the Deepwater Bay project might not necessarily fall into their hands.
After all, something had inexplicably gone wrong with the Wen family’s project before.
At the same time, suppliers that had originally cooperated with the Tan family had actually refused to provide them with materials.
Taken together, the two incidents made her suspect that someone was pulling strings behind the scenes. Yet the only person she could think of—her former husband—could not possibly possess the power to do such things.
If this complication had not arisen, she would never have changed her mind so abruptly after refusing to continue working with Lin Xia.
In that moment, she had truly felt humiliated. She even felt somewhat embarrassed whenever she saw Lin Xia.
Now, all she hoped for was the chance to meet President Bai in advance and leave a favorable impression. Nothing mattered more than that.
…
As time passed, more and more people gathered at Bicheng Fortune Financial Center. Although the exchange had yet to begin, Bai Yulan was already overwhelmed with work.
When she heard that Xu Qing had arrived, she was delighted. She immediately set aside everything in her hands, hurried around through the back entrance, and went outside to welcome him.
However, when she saw the woman beside Xu Qing, a trace of disappointment surfaced in her heart.
“Big Brother Xu!”
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Bai Yulan showed no reaction on her face. She merely smiled faintly and asked, “And who is this lady beside you?”
“This is Lin Xia, my fiancée.”
Xu Qing introduced Lin Xia to Bai Yulan with complete candor.
Lin Xia blushed slightly and scolded him coyly, “Who’s your fiancée? We haven’t even taken the first step toward marriage!”
“The old man said that once the Lin family’s affairs are settled, he’ll choose an auspicious day for the two of us to marry. It’s practically decided already. How are you not my fiancée?” Xu Qing said with a laugh.
Having been force-fed a display of affection, Bai Yulan felt a complicated turmoil within her. She had thought that Xu Qing’s divorce would give her a chance.
She had never imagined that Xu Qing simply did not like her—that no amount of persistence on her part could move him.
Although Bai Yulan was deeply disappointed, it felt as though a thorn had pierced her heart, leaving her bitterly uncomfortable.
Still, she kept a smile on her face. “So you’re my sister-in-law. It’s nice to meet you, Sister-in-law. My name is Bai Yulan. I should be a little older than you, so just call me Yulan.
“I was wondering why Big Brother Xu suddenly came to the exchange. I assumed it was for your sake. Then…”
Before Bai Yulan could finish, Xu Qing signaled with his eyes for her to stop.
Bai Yulan was perceptive enough to understand immediately. She smoothly changed the subject. “Let’s go inside and chat.”
Lin Xia stared at the two of them in astonishment. How could she not have heard of Bai Yulan?
This exchange had been organized by the Bai family itself.
She had originally thought she would come all this way for nothing, but Xu Qing had actually found a way to get inside.
Xu Qing even knew President Bai of Frostsnow Group. How could he possibly fail to enter an exchange hosted by her?
Still, Lin Xia was extremely curious about how Xu Qing and Bai Yulan had met. From Bai Yulan’s tone alone, it was obvious that the two of them were quite close.
But this was not the time to ask about it. She merely nodded at Bai Yulan and followed them inside.
After bringing them in, Bai Yulan returned to her work.
Having fallen in love and been rejected once again, she wanted only to numb herself with work.
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