The Divorced Wife of the Richest Man is Reborn

Chapter 125

Chen Meilan certainly wouldn't disappoint Yan Peiheng's expectations.

Because she managed the business honestly and paid taxes dutifully, never falsifying a single penny in the accounts.

It was already noon, and Liu Xiuying, who had wanted to slip away but couldn't, was still checking accounts with Qi Songlu. Hu Xiaohua volunteered to deliver lunch to Liu Xiuying, so Chen Meilan let him do it.

Meanwhile, she was having lunch in the cafeteria with Xue Mingfang and other middle managers.

Outside the factory, the young men all wore suits and leather shoes, but inside, everyone definitely wore old military uniforms.

Chen Meilan wore a red shirt today, standing out like a red dot among the sea of green, surrounded by handsome young men treating her as their commander.

Regarding the account inspection and the possibility of having a financial officer stationed if the accounts were found unclear, everyone was quite indignant. When Hu Xiaohua returned after delivering lunch, he entered the cafeteria cursing: "Damn it, what's Gu Xiao so arrogant about? He's just a lousy capitalist. He only invested 800,000. If we work hard, we can pay back his money in one quarter. Let's just do our own thing."

Xue Mingfang also said: "That's right, Commander. Factory 271 was one thing - we had no money then and had to take money from capitalists. But for Factory 291, we don't need his money. How about this: we all borrow money, raise funds, and settle Factory 291's accounts ourselves. We won't share profits with Gu Xiao anymore, okay?"

Today's lunch included chicken legs, and the cafeteria lady, for some reason, perhaps thinking Chen Meilan had a huge appetite, gave her three large chicken legs.

Chen Meilan gave one chicken leg to a skinny young soldier, another to Hu Xiaohua, and the third to Xue Mingfang, saying: "No, Gu Xiao's vision is valuable. What's his is his. We can't violate business rules."

Hu Xiaohua was particularly angry. He probably had such thoughts before but didn't dare express them. Today, he boldly said: "Sister-in-law, I think you're just timid and afraid to confront Gu Xiao. Honestly, I really admire your work, but you're too clingy with Gu Xiao. You lack the spirit of our republic's soldiers. If you continue being so timid, just give the general manager position to me, I'll do it."

As a walking money-printing machine, Hu Xiaohua was now highly regarded in the factory, with all the soldiers supporting him.

And Gu Xiao represented capital, a national contradiction.

When he said this, sure enough, many impulsive soldiers agreed: "Commander, you must toughen up, otherwise, we'll follow Manager Hu's lead."

"What, refusing to follow orders now?" Chen Meilan asked Hu Xiaohua with a smile.

This guy was capable, having broken sales records for several consecutive quarters. Lately, he had been restless, wanting to replace Chen Meilan and become the boss himself.

"Yes, I won't follow your orders, so what?" He stepped closer, saying with a smirk.

"Then get out. Tomorrow, I'll immediately find a sales manager ten times better than you," Chen Meilan said.

Hu Xiaohua slammed the table: "Fine, I'll leave. Not just in Xiping City, but in all of Hua Country, if you can find a sales manager better than me, I'll eat shit in front of you."

At this point, Xue Mingfang sensed something was wrong and frowned: "Hu Xiaohua, sit your ass down and eat properly."

Hu Xiaohua spread his hands, still smirking: "I'm serious. If you can really find a sales manager better than me, I'll perform a public shit-eating show for everyone."

Chen Meilan continued smiling: "Alright, I'll take that bet, but if you don't eat shit when the time comes, I'll have Xue Mingfang force-feed it to you."

All the veterans hoped there would be someone stronger than Hu Xiaohua in sales, someone who could curb his arrogance, but no one believed there could be anyone more capable than him.

So for a moment, the scene fell silent.

Chen Meilan suddenly felt someone behind her. Turning around, she saw Liu Xiuying holding a large mobile phone, about to leave.

"Sister-in-law, finished eating? Something up? Isn't that my mobile phone? Someone called?" Chen Meilan asked.

Liu Xiuying had to hand over the mobile phone: "Gu Xiao wants to talk to you."

Chen Meilan took the mobile phone and said hello twice, but hearing no response on the other end, she looked again and saw the call had ended.

This was her mobile phone, originally left on her desk. Why did Liu Xiuying answer it when it rang instead of Qi Songlu?

Though she thought this, Chen Meilan didn't say anything, only saying: "Sister-in-law, go back to eat first, we can continue checking accounts after lunch. I need to finish my meal quickly."

"Ah, alright," Liu Xiuying said.

Liu Xiuying was born in the years just after liberation. Her generation had never experienced good times. Although she was born in the capital, hunger had been the biggest concern in their lives since childhood. This made her particularly fond of eating. She wasn't afraid of getting fat, but she was afraid of being hungry, never missing a meal.

Especially lunch, the communal meals - even if she praised America as much as she wanted, her love for Chinese food and various vegetables couldn't be hidden. Factory 271 had its own land where they grew lettuce, water spinach, and Chinese cabbage. Liu Xiuying loved these stir-fried vegetables the most, but today she couldn't eat.

The account checking wasn't finished, but the result was predictable - Chen Meilan hadn't falsified any accounts.

Whether it was because she was too honest or because she truly had strategic vision and was already planning the company's future listing.

In any case, there were no problems with her accounts.

Liu Xiuying was extremely disappointed but had no other options.

Earlier, when Qi Songlu went to the bathroom, she was alone in the office. She had been planning to pack up her things, pick up her son from Yanguan Village, then catch a flight back to the capital before returning to America.

If she had left then, she could have gotten away smoothly. Since the fifty thousand dollars was no longer attainable, she could have just chalked this trip up as a loss and considered herself unlucky.

But just as she was about to leave, she happened to hear Hu Xiaohua complaining, saying he didn't want to share profits with Gu Xiao anymore.

When an investor invests in a business, their strategic vision and insight are their greatest assets. That's how real business works - investors with keen eyes deserve the lion's share, that's what they're entitled to.

Liu Xiuying suspected Chen Meilan would also be petty and wouldn't want to share profits with Gu Xiao.

And Gu Xiao, the reason he sent her to check the accounts was because he wanted to control Factory 271.

What would he think if he heard Chen Meilan wanted to cut him out?

In that moment, instead of sneaking away, she took the mobile phone from the desk and dialed, wanting Gu Xiao to hear how the people at Factory 271 were planning to cut him out and operate independently.

This way, she thought she might still have a chance at getting the fifty thousand dollars.

But she never expected that despite her subordinates' complaints, Chen Meilan would remain so calm.

Her attitude was exactly what a true leader of a major enterprise should have.

Gu Xiao had already hung up the phone.

Now Liu Xiuying couldn't leave as planned - what should she do?

"Meilan, I stayed up all night, and my heart doesn't feel well. How about this: we can continue checking the accounts tomorrow, I'll go back to the hotel to rest first," Liu Xiuying said.

She had heard that Yan Peiheng had returned to Yanguan Village, which wasn't good. Since she couldn't get the money anyway, she needed to quickly leave with her son. If the old man got angry and kept her son, that would be disastrous.

When Chen Meilan heard about her heart problem, she immediately said: "Why go to the hotel? Our father also has heart problems, we have medicine at home. Let's go home."

"Meilan, I won't go home. Please help me bring Jim later. I want to return to America quickly," Liu Xiuying said.

Chen Meilan could see that Liu Xiuying was panicking and preparing to run away.

She even wanted Chen Meilan to bring Jim to the hotel - why not just ask her to take them both to the airport and send them straight back to America?

Chen Meilan didn't even bother being polite to Liu Xiuying anymore, saying: "Pick up your child yourself, I don't have time to deliver him."

Just then, the mobile phone in Chen Meilan's hand rang.

Not recognizing the number, Chen Meilan answered: "Hello?"

It was actually Village Chief Yan Xiong calling: "Meilan, our Little Wang is quite impressive. He had a drinking contest with the little American kid, and while the American passed out, he wasn't affected at all."

So he was calling to praise Little Wang.

"Uncle Yan Xiong, those two kids are so young, why didn't you stop them from having a drinking contest? What if it harms them?" Now Chen Meilan was truly shocked.

Most people nowadays lack awareness about protection and don't realize that forcing children to drink alcohol can lead to alcohol poisoning.

This made Chen Meilan rush home as well.

Liu Xiuying was standing not far away and immediately knew something was wrong. In her mind, it must have been Little Wang who had forced Jim to drink.

She thought about how innocent Jim was, rarely having the chance to go out since he was young - what would he know about drinking?

In the past, Liu Xiuying would have started scolding people by now, but she didn't dare to at this moment. She held back.

"Let's go then, back to your house. I need to pick up my son," Liu Xiuying said.

Her brilliant son had actually been made drunk by Little Wang.

At this moment, Liu Xiuying didn't even care if Yan Peiheng would flay her alive.

Her child was so pure and innocent, only knowing about studying, learning, and making something of himself.

Yet he had been made drunk by Yan Peiheng's grandson who grew up in Hua Country.

If Yan Peiheng dared to scold her when they met, she would dare to argue right back.

Of course, this was just her wishful thinking.

Chen Meilan drove into the village and parked outside her house, just in time to see the shop owner Yan Xi, who had switched shifts with his wife and was cooling off by the garbage station with a large fan.

Seeing Chen Meilan, he had to report the situation: "Meilan, that kid from America is quite wild. He pressured Little Wang to drink, and the foreign kid got drunk while your Little Wang didn't."

"Brother, how could you sell alcohol to children? What if it harms their health?" Chen Meilan said.

Yan Xi looked unconcerned, and all the villagers were laughing: "The kids were just having some fun, why are you getting angry?"

Liu Xiuying felt something was wrong and said, "Hey, it was clearly Little Wang who made my son drink. What do you mean my child pressured Little Wang to drink?"

Yan Xi stood up, stared for a while before recognizing Liu Xiuying: "Sister-in-law, we can't lie about this. It was really your kid who wanted to drink, and Little Wang only bought it because of that. I'm the one who sold the alcohol, I can testify! I heard Little Wang showed him videos all night yesterday, and today they played ball for half a day. Our Little Wang is hospitable, representing the glorious traditions and virtues of Hua Country."

Liu Xiuying's temples throbbed. Just one night - watching videos, playing ball, and drinking?

Her heart was practically bleeding.

The child she had raised so well had been corrupted by Little Wang in just one night.

With a bang, she pushed open the door.

And as she pushed open the door, what she saw was even more eye-opening. Jim had not only acknowledged a father, but in his drunken state, he was happily chasing Yuanyuan around the courtyard calling her "mother."

"Father, Mother!" he called with a smile.

He pounced on Yuanyuan, trying to give her a kiss.

Liu Xiuying was so angry her eyes were bloodshot. She saw that the window to Meilan's bedroom was open, with Yan Peiheng sitting on the bed, and she stormed over furiously.

A layer of white fat had settled on the bowl of lamb soup with bread in front of Yan Peiheng.

At 12 o'clock, Yan Zhao had called Gu Xiao, wanting to talk to him, but the person on the other end said Gu Xiao was unwell and currently receiving treatment. When Gu Xiao felt better, he would call back.

After hanging up, Yan Peiheng hadn't touched his chopsticks, just kept waiting for Gu Xiao to call him back.

Liu Xiuying rushed up to Yan Peiheng, originally intending to argue, but suddenly seeing the old man's fierce gaze, she swallowed hard and immediately became submissive, saying softly, "Dad, I'm your eldest daughter-in-law Xiuying, I'm back."

...

"I came to do accounting for Gu Xiao, but look, Meilan's factory is so big, and it's all thanks to Gu Xiao's support that it can make money. I'm just helping Gu Xiao with the accounts to earn a little money, you shouldn't be angry about that." As she spoke, Liu Xiuying beckoned her son to come forward.

Jim had completely embarrassed her this time, but Liu Xiuying had no choice but to force a smile and continue: "Jim was so excellent in America. Not to mention anything else, those white kids couldn't compare to him in studies at all."

Jim still tried to cling to Yuanyuan, but Little Lang couldn't take it anymore and forcefully pushed him away, shoving him into Liu Xiuying's arms.

The child had never drunk before, and Little Lang's push was too hard. With a "wa," he vomited sour plum soup all over his mother.

There was nothing excellent about this sight.

So Liu Xiuying said again: "Jim really is an excellent child, it's just that environment has too much influence on children. As our old saying goes, it takes three years to learn good habits but only three days to learn bad ones. His poor behavior today is all because of the environment."

She almost blurted out: It's all Little Wang's fault!

Yan Peiheng still hadn't received Gu Xiao's call. His hand trembled as he reached for his chest pocket, where his secretary had prepared medicine for him to take when his heart was uncomfortable.

Back then, Liu Xiuying was a daughter-in-law that Yan Peiheng had helped choose for his son.

As the saying goes, a wise wife means fewer troubles for the husband. As the eldest daughter-in-law, Yan Peiheng had spent a long time choosing carefully.

The Liu Xiuying of the past came from three generations of absolute poverty, was red to the core, and when it came to revolution, she would disown all relatives. She could whip her own father with a leather whip, spoke eloquently, and every third sentence was a revolutionary slogan.

She had even shouted about wanting to crush American imperialism and liberate the four billion people enslaved by capitalism worldwide.

At that time, Yan Peiheng truly liked this daughter-in-law.

Even after she went abroad, when she repeatedly refused to return despite his urging, when rumors spread throughout the first-class family compound, Yan Peiheng still defended her and Yan Jun, saying they were probably being detained by the Americans and couldn't return.

But look at her now, not only telling lies but looking at Little Wang and Little Lang with disdain.

Seeing him not respond, Liu Xiuying added: "Dad, we'll leave now. When you retire, I'll personally come back to Hua Country to take you to America for your retirement."

Just like that, she was trying to slip away?

Yan Peiheng seemed to make up his mind and gave Yan Zhao a look.

Yan Zhao then said: "Sister-in-law, you can't go anywhere right now. You must cooperate with our investigation of a case."

"Case? What case?" Liu Xiuying was stunned.

Yan Zhao said: "My mother had land certificates for three temples, which were her private property. Before she passed away, she left an oral will stating that all her property belonged to her grandson Yan Wangqi. Although this will was only verbal, Yan Yong and Yan Bin were witnesses and can testify for me, so I can prove its authenticity. And you, as a relative with no inheritance rights, took the land certificates without permission, which constitutes theft. I'm sorry, but I've already reported it to the police, and you'll have to go to the police station for investigation."

Liu Xiuying raised her voice: "Third Brother, have you gone mad? Have you no shame, fighting for mother's inheritance? Those things were given to me and your eldest brother by mother."

"Do you have any witnesses? Do you have a will?" Yan Zhao pressed relentlessly.

Liu Xiuying had once been a woman soldier in the revolutionary forces, the reddest and most devoted young Red Guard during the revolution, and had even lived in America for ten years. Normally, ordinary people couldn't win an argument against her.

But faced with someone like Yan Zhao, who spoke with logic and evidence and showed no regard for personal relationships, she found herself unable to argue back.

After struggling for a while, she said: "Mother really did give these things to us. If I'm lying, may heaven strike me down."

Yan Zhao then said: "The abbots, monks, and religious affairs bureau officials have given me the annual revenue figures for each temple. Roughly calculated, each temple generates about 200,000 yuan in annual income, making each temple worth about one million yuan. Three temples would be worth three million yuan. Sister-in-law, without evidence, you'll be charged with theft of three million yuan, and the sentence..." Under current Hua Country law, theft of three million yuan carried a life sentence.

The children were still playing noisily in the courtyard.

Yan Peiheng sat with his legs spread apart. In just half a day, his hair had rapidly turned white, but his eyes were still bright.

Yan Zhao stood behind his father, tall and slender, with a dark complexion and eyes like deep pools, unfathomable.

Liu Xiuying had little interaction with Yan Zhao and didn't understand him, so she hadn't realized the gravity of the situation yet.

The temples were property, but did they generate any income? No.

In Liu Xiuying's eyes, Yan Peiheng and his wife were the most unsuccessful parents. They hadn't left their children any valuable inheritance, and Su Wen had even exchanged all their money for several temples. How ridiculous - her inheritance was actually just a few temples.

"Third Brother, go ahead and arrest me. I'll be waiting!" Liu Xiuying said, grabbing Jim and turning to leave.

"Sister-in-law, you can leave, but the Xiping police have already notified the Civil Aviation Administration. They won't sell you airline tickets and will inform the U.S. Embassy not to stamp your visa. This is a criminal case, and you must resolve it before leaving," Yan Zhao warned.

Liu Xiuying immediately let out a sharp scream: "Third Brother, those land certificates were truly handed over to your elder brother by mother herself. At that time, your brother knelt before her crying, and she took out the land certificates and gave them to us. She gave them to your brother willingly, heaven be my witness."

Yan Zhao's voice wasn't as loud as hers, but his tone was far more severe: "That was in '82, when our mother's mental state was already poor. After you and my elder brother came, you knelt before her crying, didn't you? Not only did you cry, but you also criticized and complained about our father in front of her, saying many things about how badly our father treated you two. Those words aggravated her condition, and she passed away just a year after you left. Sister-in-law, you and elder brother were responsible for mother's death!"

Liu Xiuying's face turned pale as she slowly backed away, clearly indicating that this was indeed what had happened.

The couple had obtained the temple property certificates by badmouthing Yan Peiheng in front of Su Wen.

One can imagine how heartbroken Su Wen must have been at that time, seeing her weather-beaten son and mistakenly believing that her husband was so cruel as to disregard even his own son's happiness.

Yan Peiheng closed his eyes, not wanting to look anymore.

Clearly, he had given his eldest son such good opportunities, chances to endure hardship, to train himself, to build up credentials for promotion. If he had been willing to settle down and work diligently, he should have been a division-level cadre by now.

But his son only saw immediate benefits, only cared about who returned to the city first, who went abroad early, who made more money.

Yan Peiheng didn't know how many such people existed in this world.

If it weren't for Yan Zhao, if it weren't for seeing Little Lang quietly finishing his meal in such chaos, then picking up his air rifle alone and practicing his shooting stance.

The old man truly couldn't bear it and might have died of shock on the spot.

But Little Lang was his hope. That child's mere presence was Yan Peiheng's pillar of strength.

That was Su Wen's educational legacy.

With him there, the old man could face his life's failures and find the resolve to sue Yan Jun and his wife.

And he believed his wife would be happy with his decision.

Since they had failed in educating their children, it was time to acknowledge the mistake and face the failure.

Thinking back, whenever Yan Peiheng returned home to visit, walking thirty li, resting and being accompanied for portions of the journey, his wife, though reluctant to part, would always urge him: "Go back to work quickly, your work is more important than anything."

Missing his wife, he would often say, "Why don't I make up an excuse and take two more days off to stay with you?"

"Do you want our children to learn from you, becoming someone who lies casually and is irresponsible and unprofessional at work?" his wife would ask, half-angry, half-teasing.

So Yan Peiheng had no choice but to leave his wife and head to the capital.

Back then, his wife was willing to send their two older children to the capital because she firmly believed in his character and his ability to raise them well.

But he had ultimately failed to educate the children properly.

Therefore, making the children correct their mistakes became particularly necessary.

Otherwise, after his death, he feared his wife wouldn't forgive him even when they met in the afterlife.

...

Liu Xiuying was thinking about how to persuade Yan Zhao to cancel the wanted notice.

The drunk Jim was becoming completely uncontrollable, alternating between impersonating Bruce Lee and God of Gamblers Ko Chun, making noise and running around the courtyard.

Just then, the home phone rang.

Before it could ring again, Yan Peiheng answered with a strong voice: "This is Yan Peiheng."

"This is Gu Xiao." The other party's tone sounded gentle and weak, nowhere near as robust as Yan Peiheng's.

"Thank you for giving my eldest daughter-in-law the job, and thank you for your contributions to Hua Country's military. I trust there are no issues with the accounts," Yan Peiheng's tone was exceptionally calm.

"I haven't received feedback from the accountant yet," Gu Xiao said.

"I believe there won't be any problems. Because I chose the general manager of 271, she is my daughter-in-law, and like her mother Su Wen, she possesses a certain character trait common to most women in Hua Country. That is, even if their business partner is a wolf, even if the other party intends to plunder everything from them, they will still deal with them sincerely and never resort to deception."

Yan Peiheng paused for a moment, then continued: "In our country's elementary school textbooks, there's a story called 'The Wolf and the Lamb.' I'm sure you've read it. Capital is the wolf - this is an eternal truth. Women of Su Wen's generation were lambs when facing wolves, only able to submit to slaughter. But Chen Meilan's generation is different. They possess qualities that Su Wen's generation didn't have - courage and perseverance, and the ability to stand up to capital."