Chapter 80: I Have No Desire to Argue With You (I kindly ask you to add this book to your bookshelf, so it won’t get lost.)

Wei Xueying and her formidable entourage of bodyguards finally departed from the Taige Villa Hotel.

Inside the Jaguar.

"Where to?" Hua Tianyu asked.

"The hospital," she replied.

"Alright," Hua Tianyu responded.

"...Actually, just take me home," Wei Xueying reconsidered after a moment.

"You’re not blaming me for today, are you?" Hua Tianyu glanced at her in the rearview mirror.

"No, I’m not. Whether the negotiation succeeded or not had nothing to do with you. Lu Siyuan never intended to genuinely cooperate. With or without you, today’s talks were doomed," Wei Xueying spoke with clarity.

The failure of today’s negotiations rested entirely on Lu Siyuan. Yet her father had just undergone surgery; if she went to the hospital, he’d surely ask about today’s meeting. Some matters were hard to explain to him, and if he got angry, it would be unnecessary trouble. Best to let him rest, wait a few days for things to settle, and then tell him.

But all these people coming to negotiate, seeking cooperation, none of them had pure intentions. What path should Swan Group take next?

Wei Xueying fell into deep thought...

"Xueying, we’re family, aren’t we? With me here, twenty billion is nothing!" Hua Tianyu thumped his chest.

"Hua Tianyu, who’s family with you?" Wei Xueying rolled her eyes at his back.

"Not family? Didn’t you forgive me for what happened this morning? Isn’t that family?" Hua Tianyu grinned.

This morning? Wei Xueying was momentarily startled, then realized what he meant—he was talking about barging into her bedroom and seeing her unclothed.

Clenching her teeth, Wei Xueying snapped, "You dare bring up this morning? When did I ever forgive you?"

This scoundrel always brings up the worst possible thing! How could she forgive him for what happened this morning? She’d never forgive him, not in a lifetime!

"Just now I asked, ‘Xueying, you’re not blaming me for today, right?’ And you said, ‘No, I’m not.’ Isn’t that forgiveness? You’re the president of Swan Group, your words carry weight."

"You... Just drive!" Wei Xueying was so furious her chest heaved with indignation.

The scoundrel—what she said had nothing to do with what he meant. He really could spin anything!

Hua Tianyu chuckled softly, admiring Wei Xueying’s agitation in the rearview mirror.

Yes, this look was far more attractive than her earlier troubled expression...

Tonight’s banquet at Taige Villa had not only given Cui Quan bragging rights at home, but the entire security, cleaning, and engineering departments of Swan Group returned home as if invigorated.

Husbands and wives were the first group of listeners, relatives and neighbors the second, but the real battleground was the city’s dance squares!

Tonight, the legend of River City belonged to the lawns of Taige Villa!

Ninghai District open space.

"I’m telling you, the grass at Taige Villa was ridiculous! It reached over my shoes, and during the dance, it made my calves itch!"

"Isn’t ours much better?"

"Way better. Guess what I did next?"

"What?"

"I stomped it flat with my feet! After that, the turf was nice and firm. Dancing was comfortable!"

Wuchuan Road greenbelt.

"From now on, if we have wine at home, it’s got to be Great Wall. Really, the wine at Taige Villa tonight, you had to tilt your ear to drink it, and it tasted awful, all fishy!"

"Nonsense, wine needs to breathe. Did you let it breathe?"

"Breathe? I breathed it ages ago!"

"Burp..." The security guard burped at his companion. "Smell it, has it breathed?"

"Get lost!"

Tian Plaza open space.

"What? Gu Yuan Yuan can twist her hips around that pipe for you? You’re lying!"

"Don’t believe me? Let’s go back to Taige Villa right now, the pipe’s still standing on the lawn."

"Damn, is that girl’s dancing any good?"

(Is this phrase standard Sichuanese? Any friends from Sichuan care to judge?)

"Awesome! Standing on the pipe, her legs looked amazing. Guess what they looked like?"

"...Sister-in-law, you’re here?"

"Sausage? What’s sausage? Who’s twisting my ear?"

"Old devil, you bastard, sneaking around behind my back with other women?"

"Let go! Let go, it’s company benefits! Benefits, I swear! I wouldn’t dare mess around outside!"

...

"Is this the company’s Mid-Autumn Festival benefit?" Cui Quan’s wife, Yin Rong, struggled to unwrap the gift prepared by Lu Siyuan.

"What do you know? If it’s from Tian Ge, it’s got to be good stuff."

"All you ever talk about is Tian Ge. Look, it’s just a tiny bag—too small even for grocery shopping!"

From the big box, she pulled out a small package, feeling thoroughly dissatisfied.

"Eh? There’s a scarf inside. Old Cui, your company is really funny!"

"Wait, is there something else in the scarf? A watch?"

"Who gives out watches these days? So tacky! They should’ve given a smartphone!"

"Oh my, it’s a mechanical watch! Not even a quartz one!"

Yin Rong kept grumbling, but Cui Quan was used to it and pretended not to hear.

Today’s meal at Taige Villa came with three little souvenirs—what’s not to love about Swan Group? If your company’s so great, you try giving out a little bag!

But that was for him to mutter internally; if he said it aloud, no dinner tomorrow, and a month on the sofa with only his hand for company!

"Wait, Yin Rong, wait!" In the room, besides the couple, Yin Rong’s close friend Ding Fang was present. Her eyes caught the big H logo on the scarf.

Her husband had bought her a high-quality imitation Hermes bag at the textile market last week for two hundred, so she recognized the brand.

"Let me see the scarf, it seems like a big brand."

"What? Big brand?"

"Yes, look, same brand as my bag!" Ding Fang boasted, patting her bag.

"How much was your bag?" Yin Rong asked.

"My husband bought it, two thousand. Impressive, right?" Ding Fang proudly puffed her not-so-full chest.

"Good man!" Yin Rong gave a thumbs-up. "Unlike mine—spending two hundred is like cutting off his balls!"

"Can you tell how much this scarf might be worth?" Yin Rong asked again.

"...At least a hundred, surely?" Ding Fang reasoned simply: her imitation bag was two hundred, the genuine article must be more than two thousand. The scarf was a company benefit from Swan Group, and surely they wouldn’t give out fakes? The real scarf must be at least a hundred.

"So expensive?" Yin Rong took the Hermes scarf, which she had casually draped around her neck, and carefully folded it.

"I told you, Tian Ge’s not the sort to give me junk." Hearing the scarf was worth at least a hundred, Cui Quan straightened his back a little.

"You rascal, look at how proud you are! Come eat!" Yin Rong patted her husband’s belly, but this time she didn’t grumble any further.