Zhao Dong, of course, did not agree to let Zhao Xi return to Huaguo at this time.
Doing something required seeing it through to the end. Sending his sister Zhao Xi to Sara Zhuo’s side was Zhao Dong’s way of solidifying an alliance with her. If they couldn’t gain enough benefits, why would Zhao Dong go all out to help Sara Zhuo and her three children fight for the family fortune?
He hadn’t expected Zhao Xi to be so useless.
“Like?”
Zhao Dong’s tone dripped with sarcasm, “What’s liking worth? Can liking be exchanged for Huabi or dollars for you to spend? If emotions don’t bring returns, they’re the most worthless thing in the world. When someone wants to extract far more value from another person than they’re worth, they use ‘emotions’ as a cover. I told you to build a connection with Zhuo Chen, not to fall in love with him or make him fall for you. I told you to get used to him and let him get used to you. Habit is far more solid than ‘emotions’!”
Zhao Dong had only just realised that his sister Zhao Xi was naively unlike a Zhao.
If the Zhao family prioritised “emotions,” they’d probably still be stuck in a tiny laundry shop in Chinatown.
“But Xie Qian—”
“Shut up!”
Zhao Dong cut his sister off, “You little girls always fall for good-looking guys. No matter how great Xie Qian is, if he doesn’t like you, he’s no good at all! From today, you’re not allowed to mention Xie Qian again. We’re on completely different paths now. Do you think if he knew about our connection to Sara Zhuo, he’d still accept you?”
Definitely not.
Sara Zhuo had taken a lot of wealth that rightfully belonged to Xie Qian and hurt Xie Qian’s mother.
Zhao Xi was both angry and frustrated, questioning her brother, “Then why aren’t you helping Xie Qian? His claim to the Xie family’s fortune is legitimate!”
Nonsense!
No one needed to remind Zhao Dong that Xie Qian’s inheritance of the Jinhu Group was legitimate.
That was exactly why Xie Qian didn’t need Zhao Dong’s help, or even if he did, he wouldn’t value Zhao Dong much. Helping a crown prince ascend brought little reward, but overthrowing a rightful heir to stage a rebellion—that earned the merit of “aiding the dragon”!
Zhao Dong hadn’t wanted to explain this to Zhao Xi, but on second thought, if she kept being so clueless and doing stupid things like this, he patiently broke it down for her.
Liking Xie Qian?
Xie Qian doesn’t like you!
Zhao Dong harshly attacked his sister’s pride, “Who Xie Qian likes, don’t you already know? He looks down on you, and you should remember that humiliation. When Zhuo Chen secures the Jinhu Group’s inheritance, we’ll be winners too. Standing on the victory podium, you can look down on Xie Qian, mock him for his lack of vision, and ask if he regrets choosing the wrong person. Don’t you look forward to that scene at all?”
Who does Xie Qian like?
The answer had long been buried in Zhao Xi’s heart.
Zhao Xi didn’t know Xie Qian well at all. She simply liked his good looks, and the Xie family’s background made having a boyfriend like him a matter of pride, aligning with the values the Zhao family had instilled in her since childhood.
Xie Qian completely ignored Zhao Xi, choosing to associate with an unremarkable ugly duckling like Wen Ying over accepting her advances.
Zhao Xi couldn’t stand the loss of face. No one had ever treated her like that, so the more Xie Qian rejected her, the more stubborn she became.
Two years later, the ugly duckling seemed to have transformed into a swan. Zhao Xi couldn’t possibly offer her blessings graciously. She only wanted to clip the swan’s wings or splash ink on it to turn it back into an ugly duckling.
Her brother Zhao Dong’s words gave Zhao Xi another perspective: so what if Wen Ying was a bestselling author making some money? With her background, she couldn’t help Xie Qian at all in the fight for the family fortune.
Would Xie Qian regret it?
He definitely would.
When Xie Qian had nothing left, he’d surely regret not choosing her.
Zhao Xi said bitterly, “Brother, you’d better help Zhuo Chen get the Xie family’s money.”
“Have you figured it out?”
Zhao Dong confirmed again, and Zhao Xi swore that if she did something like this again without his permission, he could cut her allowance or even kick her out of the Zhao family.
To show her sincerity, Zhao Xi offered to tell their aunt and father about this. Once those two sided with Zhao Dong, Zhao Xi would have no way out.
Seeing that his sister seemed to truly understand, Zhao Dong’s anger eased slightly.
A lesson in exchange for Zhao Xi’s growth was worth it, but in front of her, Zhao Dong still acted furious, “You talk a good game. Let’s see how long you remember! You do whatever you want, and I have to clean up your mess…”
Zhao Xi’s voice softened, “I did hire someone to target Wen Ying, but it didn’t cause her much harm. How serious could the consequences be? Xie Qian wouldn’t come to the US to beat me up over this, would he?”
How serious, it was hard to say.
Saying Xie Qian liked Wen Ying was meant to make Zhao Xi give up.
But on second thought, it was normal for Xie Qian to like Wen Ying. Men considered practical benefits and family status when choosing partners, but boys didn’t.
If Xie Qian really liked Wen Ying and they were dating, a young man learning his girlfriend was bullied might act impulsively in ways Zhao Dong couldn’t predict.
Silan Biotech had 20% of Zhuo Chen’s shares, and the Xie family was guarding against Sara Zhuo and her children. Zhao Dong couldn’t let the Xie family notice his direct connection to Sara Zhuo. It couldn’t be hidden forever, but delaying exposure was definitely better.
Zhao Xi’s biggest mistake was using her own account to send money to Huaguo. With that record, if Xie Qian investigated, he’d definitely trace it back to her.
Zhao Dong hadn’t been so wary of Xie Qian before, but Xie Jinghu had warned him several times, and the Xie family doted on Xie Qian. Zhao Dong was just about to make big moves with Silan Biotech and didn’t want any complications.
Suddenly, inspiration struck Zhao Dong.
If Xie Qian really liked Wen Ying, why couldn’t he turn the tables and make good use of this?
The best way to stop Xie Qian’s “retaliation” was to shift from passive to active, keeping Xie Qian too busy to act.
“You stay put with Sara Zhuo. I’ll handle this.”
Zhao Dong approached Xie Jinghu, analysing why Xie Qian had suddenly taken on Jiashin Film Company after working on the logistics company, “Young Master Xie has a girl he likes, and young people are always willing to go all out for someone they care about.”
Zhao Dong said this half-jokingly, but Xie Jinghu thought he was out of his mind.
Xie Jinghu’s concern about Xie Qian was that he might take the Jinhu Group’s shares, become impossible to control, and eventually replace him entirely.
This was a battle involving billions in wealth. Why was Zhao Dong suddenly talking about young love? Was he crazy?
Zhao Dong didn’t back down despite the rebuff, working hard to make Xie Jinghu see Wen Ying’s importance to Xie Qian.
At first, Xie Jinghu listened half-heartedly, but as Zhao Dong provided more evidence, he began to take it seriously.
Whether Xie Qian liked some girl didn’t matter to Xie Jinghu at all, but if this girl had a big influence on him, Xie Jinghu had other ideas.
