Xu Mengyao's words eased Xu Zhenhua's expression considerably, but Feng Xiangjun, who wasn't mentioned, turned cold.
Wang Yalin held Feng Xiangjun's hand with concern. Feng Xiangjun smiled at her, thinking to herself that her own daughter was indeed the most considerate.
Xu Zhenhua looked at Xu Zifan with admiration and said with satisfaction, "You did very well this time, you deserve credit." Then he said to Secretary Zhang, "Take these to the study first."
"Wait a minute!" Xu Zifan's eyes widened in disbelief. "Dad, have you forgotten that before I went to Myanmar, you repeatedly told me to use my own allowance to buy this? This is all my private property. What kind of nonsense is it to give you the study? If you want to buy it from me, you'll have to see if I'm willing to sell it or not!"
Xu Zhenhua's expression froze. "You didn't buy it for the company? Didn't you tell everyone that this was a test for me?"
Xu Zifan waved his hand casually, "Dad, don't you know whether you tested me or not? Wasn't I just promoting the company? This is free advertising, and I didn't even ask you for advertising fees. Anyway, this is my private property. After I finish making the jewelry and ornaments I want, I can transfer the rest to the company, but I have to pay you, at most a 30% discount."
"You! You brat!" Xu Zhenhua pointed at him, annoyed, but then thought his smug look was quite energetic. Anyway, the jade he bought at a 30% discount would double in price after processing, much cheaper than buying it elsewhere, so he was still making a profit, and he didn't want to let his son suffer a loss.
Qi Xiangheng, who had been silent until now, showed a disapproving expression. "Zifan, don't make Uncle Xu angry. Isn't what you own the company's? I heard that you spent less than 15 million. I think it's already very good that you're accepting 50 million from the company as a token gesture. You'll earn some pocket money, make Uncle Xu look good, and give the shareholders a good impression of you."
Xu Zifan glanced at him with a half-smile, showing no interest in arguing with him. "You don't need to worry about these things. My son and I will discuss it."
Qi Xiangheng was taken aback and felt slightly embarrassed. Wasn't this accusing him of meddling in other people's business?
Wang Yalin gave Qi Xiangheng a comforting look, then smiled somewhat reservedly at Xu Zifan and said, "Brother, Xiangheng is doing this for your own good."
Xu Zifan glanced at the two of them and laughed, "So that's why Xiang Heng always likes to come home. It turns out he likes Ya Lin. You two have known each other since you were little, so you could be considered childhood sweethearts. If the Qi family is interested, I can help bring the Wang family over so your parents can meet and discuss it."
Upon hearing this, almost everyone's expression changed. Xu Zhenhua and Li Xiulan were surprised, having failed to notice Qi Xiangheng's feelings. Feng Xiangjun was furious that Xu Zifan had dragged the Wang family into this again. Wang Yalin and Qi Xiangheng were embarrassed, since one had only considered the other a backup plan, and the other had been exposed before even confessing to his sweetheart. As for Secretary Zhang and the other servants, they realized once again that Wang Yalin was no longer a member of the Xu family; Xu Zifan's attitude was too obvious.
Wang Yalin's face turned slightly pale, and she lowered her head. Feng Xiangjun couldn't bear to see her daughter upset, so she said, "You just got off the plane, go back to your room and rest. We'll call you for dinner."
Xu Zifan wasn't interested in talking to them anymore. He stretched and stood up. "Then Yao Yao and I will rest for a while. Secretary Zhang, please send all the jade materials to my room."
Xu Mengyao also stood up and said with a smile, "Grandma, my brother has taken me to several places these past two days. I'll tell you more about them at dinner."
"Alright, alright, you two go and rest now." Li Xiulan's favorite child is her grandson. Seeing how well her granddaughter and grandson get along, she naturally extends her affection to them as well, especially since her granddaughter has become so endearing.
Wang Yalin had prepared a plan for how to respond, but she never expected Xu Zifan to completely ignore her, seemingly not taking her seriously at all. What's worse than disgust? Nothing more than being ignored!
She glanced at Qi Xiangheng, who had no influence over Xu Zifan, and was puzzled. However, she thought that if Xu Zifan could change so drastically over her, his once beloved younger sister, what feelings could he possibly have for his brothers? He was just a cold-blooded and ruthless bastard. The way he was teaching Xu Mengyao now was probably because he wanted to use her for a marriage alliance!
Wang Yalin cursed Xu Zifan in her heart, but she also clearly realized that her strategy needed to be changed. The previous approach was no longer useful, and she had to make a new plan based on the current situation.
Xiao Qing picked up Xu Mengyao's jade and followed her upstairs. As she turned around, she glanced at Wang Yalin and Qi Xiangheng without leaving a trace. A dark glint flashed in her eyes, but she quickly returned to normal.
After returning from Myanmar, Xu Mengyao resumed her regular schooling, and Xu Zifan hired a driver to take her around. The driver was a retired special forces soldier, and the car was expensive and comfortable, far superior to Wang Yalin's in every aspect.
When he was just getting ready, Feng Xiangjun scolded him, but he retorted by saying that this was the only way he could be worthy of the status of the eldest daughter of the Xu family.
This time, Wang Yalin didn't feign pitifulness. Instead, she smiled brightly and generously, saying it was okay and even comforting Feng Xiangjun not to be angry, as she was already very happy. It was as if her period of sadness was over. Of course, Feng Xiangjun saw this as her being the most sensible person and felt even more sorry for her.
At school, Wang Yalin always had a bright smile. Even though she hated Xu Mengyao to death in her heart, she tried her best to be nice to her in public, acting as if she was immature before and hoped to become good friends in the future.
Some people felt that Wang Yalin hadn't done anything wrong, and there might have been a misunderstanding between them. However, Xu Mengyao never targeted Wang Yalin or embarrassed her. When Wang Yalin apologized, Xu Mengyao generously said it was okay, only saying that she was busy learning various things and didn't have time to make friends, asking Wang Yalin to forgive her.
This demeanor earned the admiration of all her classmates; Wang Yalin had enjoyed seventeen years of luxury and privilege.
As for wealth and status, Xu Mengyao's magnanimity after being mistreated for seventeen years already surpasses that of Wang Yalin.
Wang Yalin suffered repeated setbacks and couldn't get along with anyone at school or at home. She was very agitated, but she pretended to be well-behaved, sensible, and cheerful. Nothing more happened at home, and Xu Zhenhua and Li Xiulan's attitudes towards her improved considerably.
Xu Zifan entered the company by taking advantage of his growing reputation, becoming the chairman's assistant. Xu Zhenhua wanted him to learn more about company affairs from Secretary Zhang and Special Assistant Zhou, which Xu Zifan readily accepted. Being involved in all the chairman's tasks would allow Xu Zhenhua to better understand his abilities.
The other shareholders saw no problem with Xu Zifan's position and had no objections. Xu Zifan thus bid farewell to the playboy circle of Yanjing and stepped into the ranks of elite rich second-generation individuals.
His favorite thing used to be starting a company and making money. In the first few worlds he traveled to, he made his company one of the best in the world. So, handling the project documents of the Xu family was naturally a piece of cake.
Secretary Zhang and Assistant Zhou, who had expected to be even busier, were dumbfounded. Who said Young Master Xu was incompetent? If he was incompetent, wouldn't they be useless?
Xu Zhenhua was even more surprised than them. A week later, he couldn't help but talk to Xu Zifan, "You've been doing well at work these past few days. When did you learn it?"
Xu Zifan crossed his legs casually and said, "My grandfather taught me, and I taught myself when I got a little older."
"Self-taught?" Xu Zhenhua looked him over with disbelief. "You can learn to this level through self-study? Then how come you've never gotten a good grade?"
Xu Zifan shrugged. "Maybe I'm a genius in this area, but a complete idiot in others. But didn't I already say? School grades are useless to me, and I have no interest in getting high scores. Dad, what exactly do you want to ask? You never cared about what I could do before, so isn't it normal that you don't understand these things? I've just been playing around for a few years."
Xu Zhenhua agreed, but it only made him feel more suffocated. His son, whom he had lived under the same roof for over twenty years, had no idea how outstanding he was! How could this be?
As he pondered, he recalled what Xu Zifan had said earlier and couldn't help but wonder what Feng Xiangjun meant by always saying her son was useless in front of him. Was this mother being too outrageous? Had she neglected her son for so many years, just like him?
Then think about how the old lady had praised Xu Zifan from beginning to end. He used to think she was unreasonable and spoiled her grandson too much. Now he realizes she was telling the truth. He blames himself for trusting Feng Xiangjun too much and not taking the old lady's words seriously. Feng Xiangjun also said Wang Yalin was well-behaved and sensible, but that doesn't match reality either.
Xu Zhenhua didn't say anything, but he felt even more dissatisfied with Feng Xiangjun's behavior. He praised Xu Zifan highly, telling him to keep up the good work. Xu Zifan took the opportunity to ask for a private office, and a large one at that.
Xu Zhenhua frowned. "What kind of special privileges are you getting? What kind of assistant sits in a big office?"
"Dad, everyone knows I can't be an assistant forever. This is just a transition period. Once I achieve something, I can get promoted, right? It doesn't have to be a high-level position, just general manager level, at least with a sofa and a lounge."
"I think you can't shake your habit of indulging in pleasures!" Xu Zhenhua said, somewhat displeased.
Xu Zifan looked at him innocently, "How could that be? I just wanted to borrow the office in advance so that Yaoyao could do her homework in my office after school. I want to teach her something. I'm at work and she's at school, how can I teach her? Of course, I'll use my spare time, right? Besides, I can tutor her. When she gets first place in her grade, Dad, you'll be proud and can show off at the banquet."
Xu Zhenhua glared at him irritably. "Do you think getting first place in the grade is so easy? Alright, alright, I'll have Secretary Zhang arrange it for you tomorrow. Just tell him what you want."
"Hey! Thanks, Dad. Don't worry, I'll definitely do a great job and get promoted soon, so you won't be embarrassed in front of the shareholders. When people praise you for 'raising a good son' or 'like father, like son,' how happy will you be?"
Xu Zhenhua chuckled and scolded him, sending him out to play by himself. Although Xu Zifan now often argued with him and almost never listened to him, he felt that their father-son relationship was much more harmonious than before. He was even more certain that the falling out between Feng Xiangjun and the child was her own problem. He couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment, secretly sighing that Feng Xiangjun was clueless.
Qi Xiangheng had been trying to meet Xu Zifan all week, and even went to Xu's house to look for him, but Xu Zifan always declined, citing busy work.
By Friday night, Qi Xiangheng finally lost his temper and asked seriously on the phone, "Zifan, is our brotherhood of so many years over? Even if it is, you should at least let me know why."
Xu Zifan pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, let's meet at our usual bar in an hour."