Xie Qian genuinely couldn’t figure it out.
He always knew Wen Ying’s IQ wasn’t top-tier, but he never doubted her emotional intelligence.
Whether at school or beyond, among those who dealt with Wen Ying, more people liked her than disliked her.
Xie Qian wasn’t saying everything was Wen Ying’s fault, her parents clearly didn’t understand their daughter enough, and there was a generational gap, but Wen Ying was obviously acting out of defiance against her family.
Big principles shouldn’t be compromised, but trivial matters? Who cares.
Xie Qian shared Wen Dongrong’s view that this was a good opportunity to de-escalate.
“Is it possible your mum is sending a signal to reconcile? She’s unsure of your preferences now, so you could actively share them instead of bluntly rejecting her.”
“Hmm…”
A long string of ellipses in her message perfectly captured Wen Ying’s mood. After that one reply, she went silent.
Xie Qian didn’t have time to dwell on it, he was busy with Gong Sheng and the newly hired manager, Ma Wufeng, surveying near Hongqiao Airport.
Where there’s an airport, there’s logistics, and Hongqiao was no exception.
Xie Qian’s logistics company had a late start, with the regional market already carved up by competitors, but its advantage was glaring: the land was so close to the airport!
In terms of distance and time, this was a boon for cargo turnover.
Ma Wufeng, the manager Gong Sheng introduced, was thrilled, “I can’t find a better spot than this!”
The company wasn’t even set up yet, and Ma Wufeng was already brimming with ambition.
The old building materials factory could be repurposed with minimal work, its roads and gates wide enough for heavy vehicles, no need to touch the entrance.
Startups need to spend on many fronts, so saving where possible was a win.
As for trucks and staff, Xie Qian didn’t need to worry, Ma Wufeng and Gong Sheng would handle it.
Watching Ma Wufeng shout slogans about making the company a Long Triangle logistics leader, Xie Qian could only think Ma was even bolder than him.
It was a prime location, no doubt.
But this prime spot wouldn’t stay in Xie Qian’s hands forever.
He hoped Ma Wufeng and Gong Sheng would plan early, the company could leverage the location initially, but long-term growth couldn’t rely solely on it.
“Young Master Xie, you’re selling the land?” Ma Wufeng asked anxiously.
Gong Sheng, however, had a spark of realisation: the land was great for a logistics company, but who starts one by spending nearly 200 million on a plot? With that money, you could build a regional logistics network. Spending so much on land was odd.
Earlier, Xie Qian had planned to lease the land and factory, but only for two or three years.
Holding it for just a few years, had he got some insider tip about big changes coming to the area?
As a broker, Gong Sheng prided himself on being well-informed, but this time, he was in the dark.
If Xie Qian knew something Gong Sheng didn’t, didn’t that make him seem almost omniscient?
Young Master Xie was truly connected!
Ma Wufeng was anxious, Gong Sheng was excited, and Xie Qian was exasperated: Brother Gong loved to overthink!
Having spun an entire narrative in his head, Gong Sheng cut Ma Wufeng off, “Young Master Xie hired us to manage the company, not to play land deity. This plot is great, but without it, would the company collapse?”
Not quite.
Ma Wufeng realised he’d got too worked up.
In startups, better initial conditions boost success odds.
But the truly big, enduring companies don’t rely solely on starting advantages!
Seeing Ma Wufeng calm down, Xie Qian knew he’d taken the point.
Xie Qian had no plans to develop the land himself, he couldn’t afford it, and getting money from his dad was getting harder after this fiasco.
From the start, Xie Qian’s plan was to wait for demolition.
He believed the Shanghai government’s rumour about building another train station at Hongqiao wasn’t just talk. He’d studied Shanghai’s transport hubs and thought a station there was a necessary plan, it was just a matter of when construction would start.
If demolition happened, he’d profit from the land purchase.
Turning the factory into a logistics company with active operations would raise the compensation standard.
Now it was about when demolition would be proposed and whether, as he judged, it would happen within two years!
Amid logistics company talks, Xie Qian still found time to discuss trivialities like wall colours with Wen Ying. If Gong Sheng and Ma Wufeng knew, they might question if they’d backed the right boss.
After Xie Qian’s lecture, Wen Ying began reflecting.
Three minutes later, she knocked on Chen Ru’s door, “Mum, can I see the new house before deciding? How are you and Dad planning the design? Would pink walls match the overall style?”
It was the first time Wen Ying asked about the new house’s renovation.
Since their last fight, Chen Ru stopped meddling in Wen Ying’s affairs, and Wen Ying didn’t interfere with Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong’s decisions.
That afternoon, Wen Ying had firmly rejected pink walls, but now she was talking about matching the overall style, had she changed her mind?
Chen Ru wasn’t sure how to respond, but Wen Dongrong shouted from the living room, “You should check out your room. The style’s like your aunt’s place, same construction team, just finished theirs, so it’s easy to coordinate.”
Same style, but not the same budget.
Their place was smaller than Chen Li’s, and their budget was tighter.
Chen Li and Deng Shangwei were in business, Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong were salaried workers. The former made more but with risks, the latter had social status and stable jobs but earned less.
The worst thing is wanting everything, that’s a recipe for misery. Luckily, Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong, despite their flaws, didn’t envy Chen Li and Deng Shangwei’s money.
With a smaller budget, the renovation would be less lavish.
Besides, Old Li wouldn’t visit their Rongcheng home, so what was there to compare?
Hearing no reply from the room, Wen Dongrong grew anxious, “Why not go see it now?”
No time like the present, the family of three was free this afternoon.
When Wen Ying stood in the house with plumbing and wiring done, she felt a bit dazed.
So much had changed.
In her last life, her family had one flat in this neighbourhood, now they had two.
Different unit, different floor, so her room was different too.
The sunlight was lovely today, streaming through the windows, brightening the room.
Her mum, while in a cold war with her, had given her the best room in the new house.
Wen Ying’s feelings now were akin to when she learned Wu Chunqin was Chen Ru’s old classmate, her throat tightened, “…Let’s go with pink walls, they’d match nicely.”
