Chapter 124: Malicious Intent

Because Ye Chen encouraged Xiao Churan to start her own business, she spent the entire night lost in thought, and by the next morning, her face was still full of fatigue.

After getting up, Xiao Churan hurriedly began to wash up. Ye Chen, seeing her, asked with concern, “Wife, why don’t you sleep a little longer? Why are you in such a rush to get up?”

Xiao Churan replied, “I need to go to Qiancheng Company; I definitely can’t be late.”

Ye Chen asked, “Qiancheng Company? Are you going for another interview?”

“No,” Xiao Churan shook her head and hesitated before saying, “I’m going to try to pull in some projects.”

“Great!” Ye Chen smiled and said, “If you start a construction company, I’ll work for you.”

“Starting a construction company isn’t something you can just do; funding and connections are both issues,” Xiao Churan said. “I plan to set up an office and start with a studio, helping construction companies with design drawings. Once I have some connections and accumulate some funds, then I’ll register the company.”

Ye Chen laughed and said, “Money and connections are not a problem. If you really want to start a company, I can help you.”

“No need,” Xiao Churan immediately rejected his good intentions without thinking, saying seriously, “I want to try it myself first. Besides, where would you get the resources? You can’t just start a construction company.”

Ye Chen said, “I have the money to start a company, and as for the connections you need, I have those too.”

With the investments from the Dihao Group, he had nearly covered seventy percent of the industries in Jinling City, making it easy to obtain some design contracts in the construction industry.

However, Xiao Churan thought he was joking and waved her hand dismissively. “You don’t understand the construction industry. I’ll handle the investment myself; you don’t need to worry about it.”

To register a construction company, at least ten million in startup capital is needed, along with working capital. Where would Ye Chen get that money?

Even if he had that money, he certainly wouldn’t have the connections in the construction industry.

Ye Chen was speechless; his wife was ignoring the resources he had and insisted on starting from scratch. He really didn’t know what to say.

Just as Xiao Churan left, her mother-in-law, Ma Lan, returned. She was counting on her pension from the Xiao Group, so she often visited the company these days.

Although Xiao Churan’s family had severed ties with the Xiao family, Ma Lan still hoped for reconciliation.

“Where did Churan go?”

“It seems she went to find someone for a project.”

“What project! Do you really want to sever ties with the Xiao family?” Ma Lan said angrily. “It’s just a small misunderstanding; why make such a big deal out of it and insist on cutting off relations with the Xiao family? What will people think if this gets out?”

Xiao Changkun was taken aback, looking Ma Lan up and down.

“Wife, did you go to the Xiao family and let Old Lady Xiao confuse you?”

“Confuse me? I’m not confused at all,” Ma Lan said angrily as she sat down on the sofa. “You’re going to the Xiao family with me tomorrow to apologize to the old lady. She’s your mother, and Chang Qian is your older brother. How can you just cut off blood relations like that?”

Xiao Changkun’s expression darkened, and he said angrily, “They want to sell my house and take Ye Chen’s villa. They’ve never treated me as a member of the Xiao family! If anyone should apologize, it’s you. I will never set foot in the Xiao family again.”

Seeing that Xiao Changkun, who was usually honest, was now so firm, Ma Lan was furious and turned to Ye Chen.

“Ye Chen, your dad is being stubborn. You come and judge! A mother and son, and biological brothers, how can there be overnight grudges? To just say they’re cutting off relations is too childish! Besides, I’m counting on my pension from the Xiao Group!”

“She’s confused? Trying to take my family’s assets, robbing Ye Chen’s villa, and even saying she wants Churan to divorce and remarry—how is that confused?”

Xiao Changkun suddenly got angry and stood up, saying, “You go to the Xiao family once, and they’ll fill your head with nonsense, and you’ll believe it!”

Seeing his father-in-law and mother-in-law arguing and both pulling him to judge, Ye Chen felt overwhelmed.

He quickly found an excuse: “Churan asked me to pick her up; I’ll head out first.”

After saying that, Ye Chen hurriedly walked out the door, with the sounds of their argument still ringing in his ears.

It’s best not to get involved in family matters.

Ye Chen randomly found a small restaurant, ordered a few dishes, and planned to wait until evening to go home.

This was a famous food street in Jinling City, and it was very crowded.

While Ye Chen was eating, his eyes suddenly caught sight of two figures across the street, and he was taken aback.

Wasn’t that his wife, Xiao Churan?

Across the street was a high-end restaurant, and through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor, Ye Chen saw Xiao Churan sitting by the window, with a middle-aged man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses sitting across from her.

Xiao Churan was holding some documents and was continuously talking to the man, seemingly introducing her studio and trying to get him to invest.

However, the middle-aged man seemed distracted, his eyes wandering to her neck, collar, and chest.

He even tried to use the excuse of looking at the documents to touch Xiao Churan’s hand.

Fortunately, Xiao Churan was quick and dodged away.

Ye Chen felt a surge of anger!

How dare this scoundrel have designs on his wife!

Just then, a waiter came over with a bowl of wonton noodles, but before he could set it down, Ye Chen stood up abruptly, slapped a red bill on the table, and said, “No need for change.”

…

In a private room on the second floor of Yunlai Restaurant.

Xiao Churan was suppressing her disgust, forcing herself to smile as she said to the man across the table, “Mr. Mei, I’ve outlined the company’s future plans in the documents. There will definitely be development in the future. If you’re willing to cooperate with me, I will provide you with the best project planning.”

“Miss Xiao, I know your capabilities,” the middle-aged man said with a troubled expression. “But the company currently has several projects investing at the same time, and funds are quite tight.”

Xiao Churan felt a bit disappointed; she had talked to him for a long time, but he still seemed noncommittal, leaving her unsure of where she stood.

Seeing Xiao Churan’s expression, the middle-aged man deliberately rubbed his hands together and said, “Actually, it’s not impossible. I can discuss it with the higher-ups at the company. To be honest, I have high hopes for your company. How about we talk again tonight at eight? I’d like to understand more.”

“Mr. Mei, that might not be appropriate…”

Xiao Churan hesitated.

Eight o’clock in the evening was already quite late. If they continued discussing, it might stretch into the night, and as a married woman, it wouldn’t sound good if this got out.

The middle-aged man smiled and said, “It’s not too late. Investment is a big deal. If we don’t get to know each other better, how can we build trust? Tonight, I’ll treat you to a late-night snack and we can discuss the plans further. Come on, Miss Xiao, let’s shake hands for our future cooperation.”

After saying that, the middle-aged man reached out his hand toward Xiao Churan’s small hand, a glint of malice flashing in his eyes.

This middle-aged man was named Mei Ping, and he had long coveted the “most beautiful woman in Jinling,” Xiao Churan.

However, due to a lack of opportunities, he had never had a chance to make a move on this beauty.

Now that Xiao Churan had personally approached him, saying she had severed ties with the Xiao family and wanted to persuade him to invest in her new studio, it made him ecstatic. He planned to take Xiao Churan down tonight and have some fun with her!