Luo Xiaowei added, "Yes, Uncle, Haifeng Group is about to enter a phase of rapid development. Rather than letting others benefit from this achievement, we should take it ourselves. It won't be a problem for you to be promoted to a provincial position then."
Xu Liming was even more delighted. "Thank you all for your kind words. I will definitely work even harder. Now that Xiao Zhao has spoken up, I feel more confident. Okay, tomorrow I'll talk to the head of the city's Organization Department and tell him my thoughts."
Xu Xiaoya offered her father a bargaining chip: "Dad, just tell the higher-ups that as long as you become the vice mayor in charge of the economy, Donghai City's economic level will definitely double within five years! If nothing unexpected happens, we can achieve a doubling of profits and taxes in the third year!"
Xu Liming said, "Don't lie to your father. Once you make such a boast, it's like signing a military pledge!"
Zhao Qiang encouraged Xu Liming, "Uncle, I swear on my promise! If Xiaoya's target isn't achieved, you can hold me responsible!" Zhao Qiang thought to himself that even if he had to pay to double the amount, he'd do it anyway.
Xu Liming was overjoyed. If the tax revenue really doubled as his daughter predicted, it would be a tremendous achievement for him. It was like a windfall! Raising a daughter was truly wonderful. His own family's situation was a given. And look at Luo Wanfeng—if he didn't also have a beautiful daughter, he'd be begging on the streets by now. How could he be living such a prosperous life?
Xu Liming said confidently to Zhao Qiang, "Xiao Zhao, now that you've said that, I have no reason to back down. We're family, so let's not beat around the bush. As long as I'm firmly in the position of deputy mayor, I'll deal with anyone who dares to harm your business! I, Xu Liming, am no pushover. I've dealt with those people in the development zone, and even if my uncle's son caused trouble for Xiaoya, I'll still teach him a lesson! If my father dares to interfere in your affairs, I'll handle that too!"
Xu Liming was now fully confident. He and his wife had a good idea of how much money their daughter held. With this massive amount of funds, and with Haifeng Group about to enter a phase of rapid development, even if someone tried to sideline him as the vice mayor in charge of the economy, his daughter and Luo Xiaowei would put pressure on Donghai City, ensuring his secure position as mayor!
Xu Xiaoya found her father's words amusing. "Alright, Dad, we know you care about me and Xiaoqiang. You're no longer the annoying guy who only caused trouble for Xiaoqiang. Go ahead and do whatever you want. Xiaoqiang and I will support you from behind."
Luo Xiaowei remained silent. Xu Liming's behavior reminded her of her own father. Xu Liming had changed, but her father's deep-seated attachment to family and relatives remained unchanged. This troubled Luo Xiaowei greatly. She was terrified that one day Zhao Qiang would lose patience with her father's cowardice and stop talking to her; it would feel like the sky had fallen.
Sun Junmei came in carrying groceries and saw Xu Liming gesturing excitedly like a child. She said, "Old Xu, what are you doing? Don't you care about your image as a father in front of the child? Come and help me prepare the vegetables for dinner. I bought pig's trotters and pork belly, which are Xiao Zhao's favorites. I'll make braised pork belly later."
Zhao Qiang glanced at Luo Xiaowei, who dismissed the jumbled thoughts that were rising in her mind, stood up and said, "Auntie, I'll help you."
Sun Junmei said, "How can that be? You're a guest today. Let your uncle come into the kitchen with me so you young people can chat for a while."
Xu Xiaoya sighed inwardly and said to her mother, "Mom, why don't you ask Xiaowei to make braised pork belly? Zhao Qiang loves her cooking the most. I doubt your version will suit his taste."
Sun Junmei looked at the three young people in the living room with a strange gaze and said, "Alright, Xiaoya, you come in and help too. Learn some cooking skills from Mom. A girl who can't cook won't be able to keep her husband's heart."
Xu Xiaoya chuckled and followed her mother into the kitchen, saying, "Mom, don't worry, your daughter has a different way of keeping his heart."
Sun Junmei tapped Xu Xiaoya's forehead: "A good woman not only supports her husband outside the home, but also takes care of the household chores at home."
Xu Xiaoya said, "For example, like you, Mom? You're the finance minister outside, but you still have to cook for Dad at home." Sun Junmei has already resigned from her position as the finance minister of the tire factory and is now wholeheartedly helping her daughter and son-in-law manage finances. Otherwise, how would Xu Liming know how much money Zhao Qiang actually holds? This amount has kept him and Sun Junmei up for several nights, fearing that something might happen to their daughter and son-in-law. But now it seems that the young couple doesn't care about this amount of money at all. With billions coming in every day, no one would believe it if you told them.
The three women entered the kitchen together. Zhao Qiang's mind wandered for a moment. Xu Xiaoya and Luo Xiaowei were both beautiful and charming girls, but their personalities were completely different. Xu Xiaoya didn't pay attention to the details of life and her actions were unpredictable, making her unsuitable as a housewife. Luo Xiaowei, influenced by her parents, was an introverted girl, far superior to Xu Xiaoya in cooking and housework. If he could marry two wives, one introverted and one outgoing, that would be wonderful!
Zhao Qiang became increasingly smug as he thought about it, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. It wasn't until Xu Liming called him twice that he snapped out of his reverie. He sighed inwardly and said to himself, "What am I thinking about? I should just think about the day when Su Xiaosu came to Donghai to find me!"
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Volume 2 [336] The Prodigal Son Returns
After dinner, Luo Xiaowei sat for a while before saying goodbye. As she left, she glanced at Zhao Qiang, who stood up and said, "I'll see Xiaowei out."
Xu Xiaoya didn't say anything. Zhao Qiang accompanied Luo Xiaowei downstairs. Sun Junmei sighed and said, "Xiaowei is a good child too."
Xu Liming said unhappily, "What's wrong with her? Can't you see that she's also interested in Zhao Qiang?"
Sun Junmei said, "There are plenty of girls who are nice to Zhao Qiang, how can you control them all?"
Xu Liming said, "If you ask me, we shouldn't have let her walk with Zhao Qiang!"
Fearing her parents would start fighting, Xu Xiaoya said, "Don't get involved! I'm going back to my room to look at some documents."
Downstairs, Zhao Qiang didn't know what to say to Luo Xiaowei. Luo Xiaowei opened the car door but didn't get in. Suddenly, she said in a somewhat resentful voice, "Two pillows on Xiaoya's bed..."
Zhao Qiang gave an awkward smile and didn't reply. After a long pause, Luo Xiaowei could only ask, "Aren't you going back to the repair shop tonight?"
Zhao Qiang nodded. Luo Xiaowei naturally understood that Zhao Qiang was staying to sleep in the same bed as Xu Xiaoya. She looked somewhat disappointed. "I'm going home."
Zhao Qiang suddenly remembered something, so he called out to Luo Xiaowei, "Wait!"
Luo Xiaowei immediately turned around, her face full of anticipation: "What is it?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I just remembered, could you do something for me tomorrow?"
Luo Xiaowei's expression immediately returned to calm. "What is it?" she asked.
Zhao Qiang said, "We will acquire a technology project from the Polytechnic University in the name of Haifeng Group, related to nuclear waste disposal."
Luo Xiaowei asked in surprise, "Is this the result of your lab?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Yes, give us the highest price, and Xiaoya will cover the cost."
Luo Xiaowei said, "You'll have to buy back your results with your own money?"
Zhao Qiang said helplessly, "There's no other way. This is also a way to cover our tracks. Something unexpected happened a while ago, so we have to be careful."
Luo Xiaowei said, "But as far as I know, nuclear-armed countries won't adopt this method because the current approach is the most time- and labor-saving. If we switch to your method, it will increase the additional economic burden, and the market prospects are very bleak."
Zhao Qiang said, "Who cares? Let's buy it and keep it. We'll use it if we need it, and if we don't, forget about it."
Luo Xiaowei said, "Okay, I'll go to the university tomorrow to talk. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
Zhao Qiang waved to Luo Xiaowei, who got into the car, started the engine, smiled at Zhao Qiang, and drove away.
Soon, Luo Xiaowei returned home. It was rare for her father to have time to stay home today. Thinking of Xu Xiaoya's father's strong trust and support for Zhao Qiang, Luo Xiaowei couldn't hide the disappointment on her face. Naturally, this didn't escape Luo Wanfeng's notice. Seeing Luo Xiaowei about to return to her room, Luo Wanfeng called her back.
"Xiaowei, go back to your room later. Dad wants to talk to you for a bit."
Luo Xiaowei sat quietly on the sofa. Luo Wanfeng asked, "What's going on today?"
Luo Xiaowei said, "No, everything is normal at the company. You were there during the day, so you should know."
Luo Wanfeng asked, "Where did you go just now?"
Luo Xiaowei said, "I had dinner at Sister Xiaoya's house."
Luo Wanfeng asked, "Is Zhao Qiang here too?"
Luo Xiaowei nodded: "Dad, Uncle Xu is going to be the vice mayor."
Luo Wanfeng said, "Oh, he's promoted so quickly. I'll have to congratulate him another day."
Luo Xiaowei said, "I can see that Uncle Xu has unconditional trust and support for Zhao Qiang."
Luo Wanfeng remained silent for a long while, then said, "Xiaowei, I know you've been blaming your father."
This time, Luo Xiaowei remained silent. Luo Wanfeng said, "Dad is sorry to Zhao Qiang; I have betrayed his trust several times."
After finishing clearing the dishes from the kitchen, Chen Lin, the mother, sat down next to Luo Xiaowei, dried her hands, and stroked Luo Xiaowei's hair. "Xiaowei, you're all grown up now, and you can understand many things. Your father had no choice. When your grandmother passed away, he asked your father to take good care of your grandfather. Your father can't stand unfilial people in his life, so he always went along with your grandfather and was even willing to be your grandfather's pawn and be manipulated by him. Now that your grandfather has passed away, no one in the Luo family can shake your father's will anymore. Can't you give him a chance?"
Luo Xiaowei understood that her father had finally let go of his burdens. His grandfather's passing had completely freed him from the shackles of the family, and he believed that nothing and no one could make him betray Zhao Qiang's trust again. Luo Wanjiang's power was waning; even if he tried to play the family card with her father, she would have the upper hand. If she couldn't even handle him, then she, as the chairman, would be far too weak.
Thinking of this, Luo Xiaowei said to her mother, "Mom, Zhao Qiang has helped us so much, we should at least give back to him."
Luo Wanfeng said, "This time, we owe it all to Zhao Qiang. Otherwise, Haifeng Group would have collapsed. How could I face my mother after I die! I don't know how to repay his kindness in saving us time and time again. Zhao Qiang also selflessly bought back nearly a third of Haifeng Group's shares for you. Xiaowei, Dad knows all this. Dad can only repay him with this old life, by making Haifeng Group successful and being a pioneer for his cause."
Luo Xiaowei said, "Dad, Zhao Qiang is actually very easy to get along with. He doesn't need you to repay him at all. As long as you communicate with him more and don't always shut yourself off, you will find that he is actually just a big boy. He also has joys, sorrows, and emotions. Given his current situation, he doesn't need money at all. What he needs is the trust and friendship of true friends!"
Luo Wanfeng was stunned for a moment: "Xiaowei, Dad doesn't understand the thoughts of you young people. So what do you think Dad should do?"
Luo Xiaowei blushed: "You should at least invite him to a meal. I promised him this half a year ago, but I kept putting it off because of my grandfather. I feel so embarrassed standing in front of him."
Luo Wanfeng slapped his thigh: "Alright, tomorrow night then!"
Luo Xiaowei said, "You can't be in such a hurry. We don't even know if he has the time."
Chen Lin said, "We'll follow Zhao Qiang's schedule. He'll let us know when you've made the appointment."
Luo Xiaowei nodded: "Yes, I'll prepare the food. You don't know what he likes to eat."
Chen Lin glanced at Luo Wanfeng, and the couple were both somewhat surprised. Luo Xiaowei quickly explained, "Sometimes we cook lunch ourselves, and Xiaoya is there too. He...he likes my cooking."
Luo Xiaowei couldn't sit still any longer. Blushing, she ran back to the bedroom. Luo Wanfeng looked at his wife in confusion. Chen Lin said, "Xiaowei has fallen for Zhao Qiang, hasn't she?"
Luo Wanfeng said, "But she knows that Zhao Qiang and Xu Xiaoya are dating! How is that possible?"
Chen Lin said, "But if Zhao Qiang has no feelings for Xiao Wei, why is Xiao Wei's name on all 20% of the shares? Why is it that after several rounds of capital injections diluted the shares held by your second brother and the others, this 20% of shares remains unchanged?"
Luo Wanfeng said, "Yes, after investing over two billion yuan, Xiaowei is still the largest shareholder of the company. It seems Xu Xiaoya has no objections either. She listens to Zhao Qiang completely. Yesterday, I overheard her and Xiaowei discussing merging Qimingdeng Electronics into Haifeng Group, making it a subsidiary. Why do you think Zhao Qiang trusts Xiaowei so much? Isn't he afraid that Xiaowei will suddenly take control of the company? If that happens, all his hard work will be for nothing."
Arlene said, "My daughter said that what Zhao Qiang needs is genuine trust and companionship between friends. Do you think Xiaowei, with her current trust in Zhao Qiang, would betray him? She wouldn't even have such a thought! I'm afraid even we couldn't persuade her to betray Zhao Qiang."
Luo Wanfeng said, "Yes, Zhao Qiang is now earning over a billion yuan a day. Even at its peak, Haifeng Group couldn't have imagined such a figure. If he wanted a large conglomerate, rebuilding it would have been much easier. But he's willing to help Haifeng for a generation, all because of Xiaowei, right?"
Chen Lin said, "Wan Feng, I think we're in trouble."
Luo Wanfeng asked, puzzled, "What do you mean? What's the trouble?"
Chen Lin said, "Given Xiao Wei's feelings for Zhao Qiang, do you think she might fall for other boys in the future?"
Luo Wanfeng thought for a moment and said, "I think it's impossible. Xiao Wei's net worth is in the billions now. Not to mention Donghai City, there isn't a single boy in S Province who would dare to pursue her."
Chen Lin said, "If Zhao Qiang and Xu Xiaoya get married, Xiao Wei will suffer for the rest of her life and may never marry!"
Luo Wanfeng broke out in a cold sweat: "Yes, Xiao Wei is capable of anything! What... what are we going to do?"
Chen Lin said, "What else can we do? You should learn from Xu Liming. He turned over a new leaf. He used to treat Zhao Qiang worse than we did, but now he obeys Zhao Qiang's every command. We must win Zhao Qiang's heart for our daughter. As long as Zhao Qiang and Xu Xiaoya don't get married, Xiaowei still has a chance! As her parents, we must firmly support her!"
Luo Wanfeng said, "Oh, isn't this inappropriate? Xiaoya has helped us a lot. How can we do this to her?"
Chen Lin said, "What's this about being 'right' or 'sorry'? Just relax and be firm in carrying out Zhao Qiang's orders from now on. Don't let him down again for any reason! As long as you do that, you've supported Xiao Wei."
Luo Wanfeng immediately raised his hand and declared, "I swear to the light that there's absolutely no problem!" Luo Wanfeng was now free of worries; with the old man gone, there was nothing left in the Luo family for him to cherish.
In Luo Xiaowei's bedroom, she hesitated for a long time before finally unable to resist going online to find Zhao Qiang, "Are you there?"
Zhao Qiang quickly replied: "Yes, are you home yet?"
Luo Xiaowei replied: "Yes, my parents said they feel so guilty towards you that they want to invite you to their house for a proper meal."
Zhao Qiang sent a smiley face, "Is it that serious? If you're the one cooking, then I'll go eat."
Luo Xiaowei covered her mouth and chuckled. To win a man's heart, you really have to win his stomach first. "Of course, are you free tomorrow night?"
Zhao Qiang replied: "Yes."
Luo Xiaowei said, "Okay, then tomorrow night."
Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, Xiaoya and I will go together."
Luo Xiaowei was taken aback, then snorted and casually sent a message, "I won't disturb you two's evening anymore, goodnight."
In Xu Xiaoya's bedroom, a half-naked girl giggled, "Xiaoqiang, Xiaowei is jealous."
Zhao Qiang retorted, "How could that be? You should be the one who's jealous."
Xu Xiaoya grabbed Zhao Qiang's hand and bit his finger. "Yes, I'm jealous, but Xiaowei and I are best friends. I'm heartbroken. Luckily, you didn't do anything to betray me, Xiaoqiang. I'll treat you even better, so please don't change your mind. Now I'm going to let you experience the greatest pleasure of being a man. You have to hold on and not give up prematurely..."
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