The Divorced Wife of the Richest Man is Reborn

Chapter 126

"Women like Chen Meilan represent the new generation who grew up in a completely new society. They are willing to deal sincerely with capitalists but will never allow themselves to be exploited," Yan Peiheng continued.

On the phone, Gu Xiao remained silent for a long time.

He had reason to suspect that the people at 271 wanted to cut him out, while he wanted to gain controlling shares of 271.

When faced with money, a dragon slayer raising his sword to kill the evil dragon may himself transform into an evil dragon due to greed and desire.

The allure of capital's profits is just that powerful.

As a former [redacted] and an exile who fled to Southeast Asia, Gu Xiao even held a negative attitude toward Hua Country's so-called socialism.

Taking over and controlling the military factory would, in some sense, be the victory of his lifetime.

But he already knew the answer when Liu Xiuying deliberately let him listen in on that phone call.

Chen Meilan was indeed an excellent entrepreneur. Unlike many short-sighted people who become arrogant after making a little money and try to cut out their investors and major shareholders to go solo, she didn't.

If Chen Meilan dared to do that, Gu Xiao would sue her.

In economic lawsuits currently, in order to attract more foreign investment, Hua Country's official stance favored capital and investors. So once sued, Chen Meilan would face imprisonment.

But she didn't do that. Instead, she managed the enterprise conscientiously and kept honest accounts.

Her actions gave Yan Peiheng confidence, allowing him to now face his former romantic rival righteously and calmly. This left Gu Xiao speechless in the face of Yan Peiheng's questioning.

After hearing no response from the other party for a long time, Yan Peiheng continued: "The military factory represents our Hua Country soldiers' spirit and persistence in the new era, facing social development and capital invasion. Please continue to watch its development, and I will watch it with you."

After delivering these words with strong conviction, the old man said goodbye when the other party remained silent and hung up the phone.

But as soon as he hung up, Yan Peiheng completely collapsed.

If he hadn't been sitting on the bed, and if Yan Zhao hadn't quickly grabbed the quilts and pillows to prop behind him, he would have fallen back onto the bed.

After a moment, the phone rang again.

Yan Zhao answered it and listened silently for a long time before saying, "I will relay this to my father and my wife."

After hanging up, he turned to Yan Peiheng and said, "Gu Xiao says not to be angry. His original intention was to prevent Meilan from developing bad habits like tax evasion, fake accounting, and betraying investors' trust in the early stages of running the enterprise. While these practices might make someone rich quickly, to truly build a large enterprise that can be listed on the stock market, one must operate strictly according to national laws and regulations..."

Seeing his father gradually recovering, Yan Zhao continued, "He said he will reward Meilan with 50,000 yuan, which won't go through the company's accounts but will be transferred to her directly. He's giving Meilan this money not out of any personal interest, but hoping that other entrepreneurs he invests in will learn from Meilan and manage their businesses seriously, rather than letting well-running enterprises fail due to short-sightedness."

So ultimately, Gu Xiao's wish was also for the military factory to operate better.

Yan Peiheng nodded but said, "He's still a wolf in sheep's clothing. Capitalism will never cease trying to destroy us."

If Chen Meilan made any misstep in management, Gu Xiao would immediately take over.

The military factory would ultimately end up under capitalist control.

Little Lang had been shooting his toy gun and needed to rest his eyes.

Just then, he wandered to the window and looked up to ask Chen Meilan, "Mom, did you make money again?"

It was an unexpected windfall of 50,000 yuan.

That was cash, and it belonged solely to Chen Meilan.

Recently, Yan Xishan was planning to travel to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Chen Meilan really wanted him to bring back some good cosmetics for her and buy several beautiful outfits. She was also planning to take Yuanyuan, Little Wang, and the others on a trip during the New Year.

She had been wondering where she'd get the extra money.

If Gu Xiao really gave her this reward money, Chen Meilan could use it for these things.

Wasn't this like the snipe and the clam fighting while the fisherman benefits?

Chen Meilan sincerely hoped the two old men would keep fighting so she could make more unexpected gains.

Although she wanted to laugh, seeing her father-in-law and husband looking as if they'd lost everything, she didn't dare laugh out loud, and of course, couldn't discuss this with her child.

Patting Little Lang's bottom, she whispered, "Rest a bit and then do your homework. Mom will buy you grilled sausages tonight."

"Wow, wow, grilled sausages!" Little Lang smacked his lips happily and walked away.

Once the child left, Yan Peiheng completely deflated, leaning back against the quilts.

If this was a battle, Gu Xiao, who had spent an entire year plotting and even brought people from America, had lost miserably.

But Yan Peiheng hadn't won either. Gu Xiao had used Liu Xiuying to deliver him a stinging slap in the face.

Yan Zhao had already reported the case to the police, and Xiping police had sent a case investigation cooperation notice to the Civil Aviation Administration. This meant that Liu Xiuying couldn't leave the country before the case was closed, to cooperate with the police investigation.

As for the temple property matter, it would go to court, and if the court determined it was theft, she would have to go to prison.

Liu Xiuying was on the verge of tears. She feared going to prison and worried that if Jim stayed in the country for a while, all the good habits he had developed would be wasted.

At this point, she had to humble herself and plead. She found Jim's half-finished article in Little Wang's room and showed it to Yan Peiheng: "Dad, you can't let Third Brother be so heartless. Do you know how excellent Jim was in America? Look, this is the article he wrote, it's going to be published in a magazine."

Seeing Yan Peiheng's silence, she continued, "The child will be ruined if left to run wild in the country. We spent ten years cultivating him, and now it's all going to waste here."

Yan Peiheng took the letter paper and saw that the English writing was indeed beautiful, both neat and fluent, filling an entire A4 page. He asked Yan Zhao, "Can you understand what this says?"

As a military man, Yan Peiheng appreciated scholars and writing, even in English.

This proved the child was indeed excellent.

Seeing the child's writing, he naturally wanted to know what it said.

Jim, somewhat sobered up after vomiting, raised his head and looked weakly at Yan Peiheng, saying, "God Bless America, which means... God bless America."

Yan Peiheng's hand suddenly tightened: "God bless America?"

"God Bless America" was actually a song title, and Jim could even sing it.

The little fellow started singing and dancing right there.

Yan Peiheng's generation was born in the old society and grew up during wartime. His father had died in the Anti-Japanese War, and he despised capitalism, invaders, and American imperialism more than anything. Yet his grandson was praising and glorifying America in his writing, even asking God to bless America?

"Dad, our child has yellow skin. If he doesn't write this kind of article, it won't get published in the magazine," Liu Xiuying explained with an awkward smile.

But this explanation made Yan Peiheng even more furious, as he realized his eldest son, in whom he had placed the highest hopes, was now making a living in a capitalist country by being subservient, forgetting his roots, and criticizing his own country.

"Dad, what's wrong, Dad?" Liu Xiuying asked another question, seeing the old man's expression was very wrong.

Just then, Yan Wei came home from work.

Seeing his eldest sister-in-law there and Yan Peiheng's poor complexion, he knew there had already been a big scene. He hurried forward and also asked, "Dad, are you feeling unwell?"

Liu Xiuying was even more worried than Yan Wei. She entered the room and reached out to pat Yan Peiheng's back to help him clear his throat.

After all, Yan Peiheng was her father-in-law, and even if they had a falling out, he wouldn't do anything to her out of consideration for his grandson. But Yan Zhao was different - he had always been cold-hearted, without brotherly affection. If Yan Peiheng really died from anger, given Yan Zhao's temperament, he would truly send her to prison.

Taking the opportunity, Yan Zhao said to Chen Meilan, "Go take the children out to play for a while."

Chen Meilan guessed that Yan Zhao wanted to let Yan Peiheng call and question Yan Jun about who he had really given the temple property to.

Moreover, for the sake of taking possession of the temple property, they didn't hesitate to destroy their parents' relationship and provoke Su Wen, leading to Su Wen's early death. The father-son relationship between Yan Jun and his father had irreversibly soured. Given Yan Zhao's temperament, he would surely have a heated argument with Yan Jun at this time, scolding him severely. It wouldn't be good for the children to witness this family conflict.

Clapping her hands, Chen Meilan said, "Yuanyuan, everyone come with me. Let's go out for a while."

"Where are we going, Mom?" Yuanyuan asked.

Many people were sitting by the garbage station, obviously curious about Yan Zhao's family affairs, gathering there to catch up on the gossip. The glamorous Liu Xiuying's return from America had stirred everyone's curiosity, making them eager to know what had happened.

Chen Meilan simply pointed outside and said, "Come on, shall we introduce little Jim to the villagers?"

Before the other children could respond, Jim immediately said, "Yes, yes!"

He turned and retrieved his violin from Little Wang's room. Though still feeling dizzy, he saw Little Wang stumbling and pulled him along, saying, "Dad, come on, I'll play something for you all."

"Didn't you say you hated being watched by stupid people?" Little Lang remembered and asked with furrowed brows.

Jim shrugged: "When I'm happy, I don't mind being an animal on display."

Seeing the violin on his shoulder, most villagers didn't even recognize what instrument it was, but many spontaneously started applauding.

Someone offered chairs, and Chen Meilan sat down, holding Yuanyuan in her arms. She also applauded, "Jim, everyone here watched your father grow up. Would you play something for us?"

Jim smiled sweetly, took a deep breath, and began to play.

This should have been Liu Xiuying's moment of pride.

Because Jim possessed a cultured air from years of education. In his little suit and white shirt, though it was stained from getting sick earlier, his violin playing was truly excellent. He played "Carmen Fantasy," which Chen Meilan had heard Yuanyuan play before - a light and cheerful piece. The child's foundation from practicing violin since age three was unmistakably evident at this moment.

There were many people outside today, including Song Huaihua and Liu Xiaohong, the sisters-in-law, and the brothers Yan Yong and Yan Bin.

Being all family, they were curious about both Liu Xiuying's purpose in coming and what exactly had happened between her and Yan Peiheng.

They should have been discussing this, but because of Jim's cheerful violin playing, though they wanted to ask Chen Meilan some questions, they couldn't bring themselves to interrupt.

As the child played with increasing enthusiasm, Yuanyuan and Little Lang used both hands and feet to keep time for him.

Faintly, sounds of Liu Xiuying arguing and cursing could be heard from the courtyard, rising and falling with the urgent music. But suddenly, as the music softened, Liu Xiuying's shouts turned to crying, drawn out with the long notes.

Then the courtyard gate opened, and no one was listening to Jim's violin anymore - all eyes were on Liu Xiuying.

She was already a heavy woman, and now with her hand covering her mouth, she ran forward a few steps, looked back at Jim once, stamped her foot, turned around, and hurried away.

Chen Meilan figured the matter must have been settled and was about to enter the courtyard when she saw Yan Peiheng coming out of the house, supported by Yan Wei.

This old gentleman had weathered many storms.

He knew that all the people sitting by the garbage station were curious about his family affairs. Although his face was sallow and he looked like he might collapse with each step, he still stopped to nod to everyone before slowly getting into Yan Wei's old Passat. He struggled to maneuver his long legs into the car with his elbows, then closed the door.

Because Yan Peiheng was leaving, everyone stood up, but Jim, still playing his violin, thought they were standing to thank him for his performance. He finished with a flourish, stopped playing, and bowed to the crowd with a smile.

Unlike when Meilan came, Song Huaihua and Liu Xiaohong at least knew what had happened then.

This time, judging by Yan Peiheng's expression, there must have been a major confrontation in the house, but no one knew exactly what had happened, which made everyone quite curious.

"Meilan, go home and ask about it. Our uncle and Liu Xiuying must have had a serious argument," said Song Huaihua.

Liu Xiaohong tucked her shoe soles under her arm and picked up her small stool, ready to leave, and said, "Try to mediate. We're all family, connected like broken bones and sinew. We can't afford a grand lady like Milan, but Liu Xiuying is a practical woman - look how well she's raised this child."

Chen Meilan was curious too.

How had things been resolved, and had Liu Xiuying told Yan Peiheng who they had given the temple property to?

Also, where had Liu Xiuying gone, and would she return?

Jim was still in Yanguan Village - surely they wouldn't have a family fight and have an angry Liu Xiuying abandon Jim here for her to raise.

Though full of questions, Chen Meilan didn't actively ask Yan Zhao after entering the house.

Yan Zhao was already busy in the kitchen, with blanched bean sprouts on the cutting board, along with julienned cucumber and beauty heart radish. The dough was kneaded until smooth and shiny - he was making his forever favorite, hot oil noodles.

Having gone to bed late yesterday and woken up early today, Chen Meilan hadn't napped at noon, so she simply went to the bedroom.

As soon as she lay down, Little Lang smoothly slipped in and lay beside her, and soon after, Jim also snuck in, hovering around Chen Meilan's head, asking cheerfully, "Auntie, my performance was really good, wasn't it?"

"Very good," Chen Meilan responded, half-opening her eyes.

Jim leaned on the edge of the bed, supporting his chin with his hand, and smiled sincerely: "But my mom has never really listened to me play. She only likes me to perform for others, and she likes to chat with everyone while I'm performing. What I hate most is when people chat during my performance."

The child was especially happy because these 'stupid,' 'idiotic' rural people from Hua Country were the only ones in his seven years of violin practice who had seriously listened to his performance from beginning to end.

When he first arrived, he didn't like Chen Meilan because she had yelled at him several times, but now he suddenly discovered that Chen Meilan looked particularly beautiful when she smiled, and she smelled nice too.

He was really envious that Little Lang and Yuanyuan were her children.

Just then, Yan Zhao called from the doorway: "Little Lang, come out for dinner."

"Coming, Dad! I love hot oil noodles, I want extra vinegar!" Little Lang jumped up like a carp and ran out.

Jim followed right after, parroting: "I want extra vinegar too!"

Soon after, there was a series of light footsteps outside, and Chen Meilan knew Yan Zhao was feeling guilty.

He had a habit - when he had something on his mind, his footsteps would be particularly light; when he was in a good mood, his steps would be very heavy. Right now, he was carrying a bowl of hot oil noodles with footsteps as light as a thief's, which proved he definitely felt guilty and had something to ask of her.

"I don't have an appetite and don't want to eat. When is Jim leaving?" Chen Meilan got straight to the point.

Yan Zhao was worried the noodles would clump together and had to use chopsticks to separate them. Looking at Chen Meilan, he finally said after a long while: "When Gu Xiao called earlier, besides saying he wanted to privately reward you with fifty thousand yuan, he also told me something - would you like to hear it?"

Chen Meilan immediately said: "No."

Regardless of what Yan Zhao wanted to say, it was obvious that Jim was going to be left in Yanguan Village. Chen Meilan had already seen this outcome and didn't want to hear anything.

"Gu Xiao said that during the ten years Big Brother was abroad, Mike and John's tuition, and Jim's school fees, were all funded by him," Yan Zhao continued.

Seeing that although Chen Meilan still looked annoyed, there was interest in her expression, Yan Zhao began to explain.

It turned out that when Gu Xiao called earlier, he not only said he wanted to privately reward Chen Meilan with fifty thousand yuan but also revealed a cruel truth: after Yan Jun went abroad in 1982, he had contacted Gu Xiao, and all these years, the reason they could afford to send three children to the best schools after staying in America was because Gu Xiao had been supporting them.

And now, Yan Peiheng wanted to know who Yan Jun had actually given the temple property to.

Only this way would the evidence be complete, and Yan Zhao could go to court to sue Liu Xiuying, working towards getting the court to sentence both Liu Xiuying and Yan Jun.

In fact, this matter had been investigated by Gu Xiao a year ago when he first came and discovered the temple property, questioning Yan Jun about it.

And Yan Jun had already told Gu Xiao who exactly had taken over the temple property.

According to Gu Xiao, that person was a division-level officer in the military and was also Yan Jun's former comrade-in-arms.

Yan Jun was in a hurry to leave the country and couldn't get money, so he mortgaged the temple property to his comrade for three thousand yuan.

Everyone in the military knew Yan Jun was planning to go abroad. Right after he mortgaged the property, Wang Gebi bought it from that comrade for four thousand yuan.

As for what that person's name was and which military district he worked in, it wasn't that Yan Jun refused to say, but rather that Gu Xiao wouldn't allow him to reveal it.

Gu Xiao planned to return to the country with Yan Jun in six months, after Mike got into West Point Military Academy. At that time, he would personally tell Yan Peiheng who that person was.

Hearing this, Chen Meilan understood.

Who received the temple property was related to the chain of evidence and whether Yan Jun and his wife could be convicted.

But this wasn't particularly important to Yan Peiheng.

What was important was that Gu Xiao had been continuously supporting the Mike brothers all these years, and now Mike was applying to West Point.

This meant that Yan Jun not only acknowledged another man as father but also recognized Gu Xiao as a father figure.

And in six months, when Mike gets into West Point and Yan Jun and his wife obtain their green cards because of their son, Gu Xiao will return to China. He won't need to say anything - just standing in front of Yan Peiheng will be a victor's pose.

And this victor would personally tell Yan Peiheng the truth he was so eager to know.

One could imagine how painful this would be for Yan Peiheng.

Although Yan Peiheng had wronged Su Wen, clearly, he wasn't living comfortably. The mess he'd made of his life continued to torment him.

"Can Mike really get into West Point?" Chen Meilan asked Yan Zhao.

"Not sure, we'll have to wait six months and see. For now, we can only wait," Yan Zhao said.

Gu Xiao, Yan Peiheng, and Yan Jun's couple were all waiting to see if Mike could get into West Point.

If he could get in, Yan Jun's ten years of painstaking effort would pay off, and he wouldn't regret betraying his mother.

And Gu Xiao would be able to turn the tables on Yan Peiheng.

But if he couldn't get in, everything would be uncertain.

"What about Jim then? What's his story?" Chen Meilan still wanted to know.

Yan Zhao quickly explained: "Sister-in-law can't leave the country right now and can only return to her family. Her two brothers - one tells fortunes at Tianqiao, the other sells adult films. Dad doesn't want sister-in-law to take Jim into that environment. He said if we're willing to take Jim for six months, after his death, all his inheritance will go to Yuanyuan."

So the old man was using his inheritance as bait to keep Jim in Yanguan Village for six months?

The old man had two properties in the capital's first-class family compound, with full ownership rights that family members could inherit. One of them was even a three-story Western-style house - quite a tempting offer indeed.

But Chen Meilan wasn't interested. Yuanyuan owned the Xishan Company and half of Shaanxi Province's coal resources - why would she care about a few houses?

Seeing Chen Meilan's smile slowly fade, Yan Zhao quickly said, "I haven't agreed. Let Jim stay for a few days first to get familiar with the domestic environment, then let Yan Wei take him away."

He continued, "The children are actually quite well-behaved. I'll do my best to cooperate with you. Let Jim stay with Little Wang and the others for a few more days. In our family, except for Yuanyuan being a bit spoiled, Little Wang and Little Lang are very sensible children, don't you think?"

Yan Zhao saw Jim's carefree demeanor - quite different from his usually pathologically strict upbringing - and truly didn't want to send him away so soon.

But when Chen Meilan heard Yan Zhao's words, she suddenly became unhappy: "Yan Zhao, do you think your two sons are exceptionally outstanding and well-behaved, while my daughter is just spoiled?"

"They're doing alright, better than most children. It's normal for Yuanyuan to be a bit spoiled, after all, she's a girl," Yan Zhao said, looking out the window.

At that moment, the children were sitting in the courtyard having dinner.

Little Wang and Jim had been drunk and thrown up earlier, so their stomachs were empty and their appetites were huge.

In bowls bigger than their heads, they were wolfing down oil-splashed noodles wider than belts, eating like little piglets.

Yuanyuan was wiping their mouths, constantly advising them: "Brothers, eat slower, you're getting oil all over your chests."

"It's fine, I can wash it myself," Little Wang said carelessly.

Yuanyuan pointed at Jim's chest, his white shirt covered in oil spots: "His too."

"He's my buddy, I'll help him wash it," Little Wang said, putting his arm around Jim.

"Buddy," Jim hooked arms with Little Wang, insisting on this shoulder-to-shoulder companionship even while eating.

Yuanyuan slapped the table saying: "But you've made the clothes and table all dirty, that's not right."

From inside the house, Yan Zhao scolded: "Little Wang, keep yourself clean, don't make your sister angry."

"She just likes to meddle," Little Wang replied to his father. And surprisingly, Yan Zhao responded to his son: "Then don't make your sister unhappy, wipe your mouth clean."

Chen Meilan had married two men in her previous life and had loved them both. Even if she didn't love them at first, she would try hard to love them, after all, they were her husbands.

Yan Zhao was different from Yan Xishan and Lu Jingyu - he was willing to do housework and treat her sincerely. By all accounts, Chen Meilan should have loved Yan Zhao.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to love Yan Zhao, and she always felt there was something deep between them, something she couldn't understand. Suddenly, just now, she realized what it was.

It was because of Yuanyuan.

Yan Zhao did care for and love Yuanyuan, but that was because of Yan Xing. Everything he did was out of guilt towards Yan Xing and wanting to make amends. Beyond that, he had never truly treated Yuanyuan as his own daughter.

Yuanyuan was Chen Meilan's only flesh and blood, and her only spiritual support in this life.

When they watched the children together as husband and wife, Chen Meilan could see the lovable aspects of the two boys, what they did, their progress, their excellence.

But Yan Zhao only saw Yuanyuan's spoiled nature and the boys' affection for her. He never saw what Yuanyuan did for the two boys. The couple couldn't find common ground when it came to Yuanyuan, so no matter what Yan Zhao did, Chen Meilan's heart would never flutter with romantic feelings.

Of course, if this were the Chen Meilan of her previous life, she wouldn't have spoken up about these things or tried to discuss them with a man.

Because she was just an ordinary housewife, and after Lu Jingyu's long-term abuse, she subconsciously felt that she and Yuanyuan didn't deserve to be loved, didn't deserve love.

But now things were different.

Not only could she help her father-in-law turn the tables on his romantic rival in business management.

When Hu Xiaohua was being difficult and didn't want to work, she immediately found a sales expert ten times better than Hu Xiaohua.

So when she felt uncomfortable or unhappy, she would speak up immediately.

Therefore, Chen Meilan suddenly said: "Deputy Director Yan, do you think married couples need love?"

"Of course they do. How can people live without love? Aren't we doing well like this?" Yan Zhao asked in return.

"But what if I just can't love you?" Chen Meilan said in a rather flat tone.

Yan Zhao was still picking at his bowl of oil-splashed noodles that had almost congealed. His chopsticks froze in mid-air, his brows furrowed, and his voice suddenly became gruff: "What did you say?"