Chapter 57: Elder Lin Makes a Move
Wu Renqing, Wu Renguang, and Wu Xiulan’s eyes lit up. ’The Elder still knows best!’
This...
It seemed what the Elder said made sense, so Cheng Yuan’s family stopped trying to dissuade him.
The Elder smiled as he looked at his children. "Renqing, Renguang, Xiuli, Xiuhua, and Xiulan, would the five of you be willing to take turns coming to Annex Building Two to look after this old man?"
Wu Renqing, Wu Renguang, and Wu Xiulan trembled with excitement and nodded repeatedly.
"We’re willing! Of course, we’re willing!!"
Cheng Yuan knew the Elder was fulfilling his children’s wishes, giving them a chance to live in Annex Building Two.
Cheng Yuan didn’t spoil the mood. After all, they were only coming to take care of the Elder; the property was still in his name.
For a time, the atmosphere in Villa One became very harmonious, and everyone had a smile on their face.
As the eldest son of the Wu Family, Wu Renqing suggested, "Xiaoyuan, a new house needs a housewarming party. There’s no time like the present, so how about today?"
Cheng Yuan shrugged nonchalantly. "My mom calls the shots in our family. You should ask her, Uncle."
Wu Xiuli nodded. "Since everyone is here, let’s do it today! Hongbing, go buy some groceries."
"Okay."
"Let’s go together, let’s all go buy groceries."
There was a supermarket in the Long Lake District, and soon the relatives returned to Villa One carrying bags of all sizes.
It was now two in the afternoon, not yet dinnertime. The women went to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients while the men chatted in the living room.
They chatted until about four o’clock, then everyone went into the kitchen to get busy.
There were enough burners in the kitchen, and with several going at once, more than a dozen dishes were ready in less than an hour, filling the U-shaped table.
The Elder, as was his due, took the seat of honor.
At everyone’s insistence, Cheng Yuan once again sat beside the Elder, across from Wu Renqing.
At noon, when Cheng Yuan had sat next to the Elder, Wu Renqing and Wu Kun had been very unhappy, feeling that Cheng Yuan had stolen the seat that belonged to them.
But now, Wu Renqing’s and Wu Kun’s faces were covered with ingratiating smiles, afraid of doing anything to displease Cheng Yuan.
At the housewarming banquet, Cheng Yuan became the man of the hour. Everyone, both elders and juniors, vied to give him a toast.
Even the stoic and quiet Cheng Hongbing became a popular figure, becoming the target of everyone’s toasts.
This feeling of being put on a pedestal was a novel experience. Old Cheng had a few too many drinks and was starting to feel it.
Cheng Yuan was also getting a bit tipsy, but supported by his Celestial Witch True Essence, he wasn’t at risk of losing his composure.
"Uncle, I really can’t drink anymore. My dad’s had too much, too; he’s already woozy. I’m going to help him back to rest."
"I’m not drunk! I can still drink another two bottles!"
Cheng Hongbing was already so drunk he was talking nonsense.
Cheng Yuan quickly made his excuses, helped Cheng Hongbing up to the second floor, and entered the bedroom Cheng Hongbing and Wu Xiuli had just chosen.
Once inside the bedroom, Cheng Hongbing quieted down. He clapped Cheng Yuan firmly on the shoulder. "Son, you’ve grown up! This family will depend on you from now on! Dad will only say one thing: you must, absolutely must, treat Ruoxi well!"
"Dad, don’t worry. I’ll dote on Ruoxi just like you dote on Mom."
Cheng Hongbing nodded in satisfaction, then collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
The relatives then took their leave one after another.
Wu Xiuhua’s family moved into Annex Building One. Wu Renqing’s family snagged the first shift to care for the Elder and moved into Annex Building Two with him. For the next month, Wu Renqing’s family would be looking after the Elder.
After seeing the relatives off, Cheng Yuan hailed a taxi and headed straight for Emperor Nine.
He hadn’t seen Lin Ruoxi all day and was starting to miss her.
...
「Back to noon on the same day.」
「Provincial City, the Lin Family’s ancestral home.」
The chairman of Huanyu Group and current Patriarch of the Lin Family, Lin Jianan, sat quietly in the main seat.
Lin Jianan’s assistant, Mu Qingfeng, stood respectfully before him.
"Chairman, we just received news. Miss Ruoxi has registered a company in Luocheng."
Lin Jianan narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing within them. "A jewelry company?"
"An auction company."
Lin Jianan’s expression relaxed slightly. ’At least Ruoxi has some sense. She isn’t poaching from Huanyu Group or directly competing with the Lin Family.’
"Under normal circumstances, if Ruoxi wanted to leave the Lin Family and strike out on her own, I could turn a blind eye, as long as she didn’t harm the family’s interests. However, Huanyu Group’s capital chain is in danger of breaking. We need her to marry into the Gu Family to resolve this crisis. We absolutely cannot allow her to act so foolishly."
"Understood! I’ll put the word out immediately: anyone who cooperates with Miss Ruoxi is disrespecting the Lin Family!"
"That alone isn’t enough. Immediately establish an auction house in Luocheng—preferably right next door to Ruoxi’s auction house. You will handle this personally!"
"Yes! I will ensure that Miss Ruoxi’s auction house’s inaugural auction is a complete failure!"
"Do what you must. We have to bring Ruoxi home!"
...
「Yuanxi Auction Company.」
「General Manager’s Office.」
Lin Xinghe, Hua Yao, and Lin Ruoxi’s faces were etched with worry.
After a full day’s work, they had finished setting up the auction hall.
Yesterday, Lin Ruoxi had already blanketed newspapers, websites, and television stations with advertisements, spending over a million yuan in total.
It had to be said, money talked.
In just one day, hundreds of applicants had shown up, and the basic framework of Yuanxi was already in place.
They even had two highly skilled antique appraisers apply, one of whom had even been on an appraisal-themed TV show.
At first, the negotiations had gone very smoothly. But for some reason, after business hours, both of them suddenly backed out, calling Lin Ruoxi to say they had changed their minds.
No matter how Lin Ruoxi tried to persuade them, even offering a higher salary, she couldn’t change their minds.
It wasn’t just the two antique appraisers. Many Treasure Holders also suddenly went back on their word, telling Lin Ruoxi they would no longer be consigning their collections to Yuanxi Auction House.
This put Lin Ruoxi in a very difficult position. She couldn’t understand why these people were suddenly changing their tune.
Lin Xinghe had extensive connections and quickly got to the bottom of it.
"Ruoxi, Grandfather is targeting us! He’s made his move! Right on the sixteenth floor, just below us, his assistant Mu Qingfeng has opened a Huanya Auction House! Our antique appraisers and Treasure Holders have all been poached by them! With Grandfather’s reputation and the might of Huanyu Group, they’ll definitely be able to attract many wealthy merchants to bid!"
"This..."
Lin Ruoxi felt powerless. ’Grandfather is moving too fast! He’s not even going to give me a chance to hold my first auction!’
Just as the three of them were wallowing in despair, Mu Qingfeng appeared on the 17th floor, right in front of them.
"Greetings, Second Master, Second Madam, and Miss Ruoxi."
Lin Xinghe’s expression was grim as he immediately berated him, "Mu Qingfeng! What do you think you’re doing? You knew we opened an auction house, so why did you open another one right below us? This is pointless infighting!"
Mu Qingfeng wasn’t annoyed in the slightest. "Second Master, you should know the Chairman’s intentions. As long as Miss Ruoxi returns and marries Young Master Gu, the Chairman will restore your entire family’s stock dividends. He will even promote Miss Ruoxi to General Manager of Huanyu Group, putting her in charge of all the group’s affairs."