"So... you are 'Xiaoping'?"
Adrian Li looked at Ye Chuanping, momentarily lost for words.
She stood before him draped in a sheer, translucent gauze dress that barely concealed the dark lace of her lingerie beneath. Looking at her, Adrian couldn't help but find Executive Vice Mayor Xu Guangxi's peculiar, twisted sense of humor somewhat absurd.
If his recollection served him correctly, Ye Chuanping was roughly the exact same age as the Vice Mayor himself.
Given Xu Guangxi's elevated administrative status, if he genuinely wished to take on a 'goddaughter,' an endless line of young women across the province would gladly throw themselves at his feet. Whether they were wealthy young heiresses or prominent television starlets, dozens would eagerly crawl forward to call him godfather. After all, in a political ecosystem where state power stood supreme, holding a senior official as one's personal patron yielded benefits beyond calculation.
"Xiaoping offers her humble greetings to the Young Master!" Ye Chuanping forced a sweet, ingratiating smile, bending low at the waist in a deep bow.
Smack!
"Lacking in basic decorum!" Xu Guangxi barked, scowling as he watched her merely bow. "Is this the level of manners I instilled in you?"
Admittedly, Xu Guangxi harbored a distinct personal penchant for mature women, but the young man sitting across the table was the sole grandson of his ultimate political benefactor in Beijing. If he failed to show total deference, his future political trajectory in the capital would be instantly extinguished.
'In this world, acquiring obedient goddaughters is effortless so long as one holds office,' Xu Guangxi calculated, 'but a supreme patron only comes once in a lifetime!'
"I am deeply sorry, Godfather... Xiaoping knows her error!"
Ye Chuanping dropped to her knees without a second's hesitation, pressing her forehead flush against the floor to perform a full kowtow before Adrian.
"Alright, alright, Brother Xu. Look at how thoroughly you've terrified our dear goddaughter," Adrian chuckled lazily, waving his hand to dismiss the excessive formality.
Ye Chuanping was already past forty, and her biological son, Gu Yuan, was older than Adrian himself. Watching a middle-aged corporate matriarch kneel on the floor acting like an obedient young daughter was a surreal testament to Xu Guangxi's private dynamics.
Still, Adrian had to acknowledge that Xu Guangxi's aesthetic taste wasn't poor. Although Ye Chuanping was mature, decades of high-society luxury and elite skincare treatments had preserved her figure and face remarkably well. Visually, she barely looked a day over thirty; looking at her delicate, fair features, it was difficult to believe she had mothered a twenty-something son.
"Speaking of women, Young Brother... not to overstep, but you must never make the mistake of treating them like equals!"
Xu Guangxi pulled up a chair at the table, picking up his chopsticks and dipping a slice of marbled beef into the simmering copper hot pot.
Given his high-profile public office, Xu Guangxi was forced to maintain an impeccable, dignified facade wherever he went, only letting his guard down in private company. Of course, his current display of coarse informality was also a calculated performance—anyone capable of clawing their way to a vice-mayoral seat possessed acting abilities that completely eclipsed professional cinema stars.
"Women operate on raw indulgence," Xu Guangxi continued, speaking through a mouthful of food. "Give them a sliver of sunshine and they bloom; grant them a fraction of face and they immediately attempt to climb over your head! Over my decades in the provincial circuit, I have watched far too many veteran colleagues fall from grace purely over domestic indiscretions!"
Chewing his meat, Xu Guangxi glanced down at Ye Chuanping still kneeling silently on the carpet and snapped, "Why are you still frozen down there? Come over here and tend to the broth! Do you assume that carrying a child exempts you from basic discipline?"
"No, Godfather! I am coming right away!" Ye Chuanping scrambled to her feet, hastily taking the serving chopsticks to carefully cook and plate vegetables for Xu Guangxi.
Watching her slender, arched waist, Adrian asked with a hint of genuine curiosity, "What? Is our goddaughter currently expecting, Brother Xu?"
"Indeed. She is roughly two months along," Xu Guangxi patted Ye Chuanping's flat stomach with a relaxed grin. "Following your discreet reminder regarding that useless bastard Gu Yuan, I had his limbs broken and committed him permanently to a high-security psychiatric facility. However, the Ye Group still commands substantial commercial assets, so I decided it was best to have Xiaoping carry a proper successor."
Hearing her crippled son mentioned, Ye Chuanping's eyes welled with red, suppressed tears—though whether from silent agony over her son's fate or terror before the men, she dared not reveal.
"Brother Xu truly possesses magnificent foresight and vitality," Adrian raised his wine glass, offering a smooth toast.
While he cared nothing for the unborn child, acknowledging Xu Guangxi's gesture of total alignment was standard courtesy.
"I must admit, Young Brother... your eye for women is world-class," Xu Guangxi noted after downing a shot of liquor. "That Andy He earlier... her facial aesthetics and proportions are certainly premier tier, but the intellectual, unyielding aura she projects is something I have rarely encountered in all my years. Had she not been your chosen target, even I might have been tempted to move on her!"
Adrian caught the momentary, rigid freeze in Ye Chuanping's expression.
'It seems this goddaughter is entirely aware of her disposable standing,' Adrian mused.
Beyond their lawfully wedded political spouses, powerful men viewed mistresses, kept lovers, and goddaughters as nothing more than transient leisure items and political currency. Despite commanding the multi-billion-yuan Ye Group and carrying Xu Guangxi's child, Ye Chuanping remained a functional instrument.
"My apologies for claiming her first, Brother Xu," Adrian smiled faintly.
"A word of caution between brothers, however," Xu Guangxi leaned in, his tone turning serious. "That woman is no common socialite. You must exercise absolute caution in your maneuvering."
"Oh? Brother Xu is familiar with her lineage as well?"
"Her maternal grandfather, Master He Yunli, was a national grandmaster of classical calligraphy and fine art in his prime," Xu Guangxi explained. "While not quite on the historical tier of ancient legends, he remains an immensely revered cultural figure. More critically, her biological father, Wei Guoqiang, is a senior bureau-level cadre within the State Development apparatus. While his rank sits below my own, the family's institutional roots run deep."
"You need not worry on my account, Brother Xu," Adrian waved his hand smoothly. "I am handling the matter with absolute precision."
Had Andy He lacked such heavyweight systemic protection, Adrian wouldn't have bothered orchestrating complex corporate acquisitions. He could have simply dispatched his enforcers to abduct her off the pavement like Qu Xiaoxiao or Gu Li.
"Then I was merely speaking out of turn!" Xu Guangxi laughed heartily, pouring three consecutive glasses of baijiu. "I shall penalize myself with three full cups!"
"I shall take my leave for the evening, Brother Xu," Adrian said, standing up from the dining table.
"Young Brother, what do you think of my goddaughter?" Xu Guangxi asked casually, his hand coming down firmly on Ye Chuanping's hip. "Care to take her back to your estate for a few days of entertainment?"
"I shall pass, Brother Xu," Adrian shook his head. "She remains your private companion, after all."
"There is zero need for such hesitation," Xu Guangxi waved his hand dismissively, his eyes cold as he looked at the trembling woman. "When a pet fails in her duties, she must endure discipline. Xiaoping failed miserably in raising her son, and she deserves proper correction. You need not give me face—so long as you do not damage the pregnancy, you may deploy her however you please!"