At the banquet with people constantly toasting and drinking, Xu Lize hung up the phone expressionlessly.
"Whose call was that?"
Chen Qichuan, who had just finished chatting with the person beside him, turned his head and saw this, so he casually asked.
"Su Quansheng's." There was a fleeting sneer in Xu Lize's eyes.
Xu Lize never answered personal calls during banquets, unless it was an important person or an important matter.
So this answer made Chen Qichuan stunned for a moment. It took him a few seconds to react. Then he raised his wine glass meaningfully towards Xu Lize and asked, "How does it feel to be married?"
Xu Lize looked around. All he saw were big shots with high social status. He blended in with them naturally and comfortably, without any trace of forced pretense.
He should thank that extra 10% of the shares to some extent for this.
"You gain some and lose some. Not everything can go as you wish. Su Quansheng is no big deal. He's not a tough opponent." Xu Lize raised his glass to return Chen Qichuan's toast.
Chen Qichuan shook his head, noncommittal.
"Su Quansheng is of course no match for you. The Su family's business has been going from bad to worse over the years. They've turned a good company into a middle - man business. Even if you were willing to help, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to save it. What I'm talking about is... the woman you married."
"Su Yang?" Xu Lize glanced at Chen Qichuan, remaining calm.
Chen Qichuan put down his wine glass, picked up a glass of brewed black tea and took a sip, then let out a sigh.
"Since you've got the marriage certificate, it's not a joke. You're a single man and she's a single woman. Are you really going to have a sham marriage?"
"Heh..." Xu Lize finally laughed, with a cold look in his eyes. "She's just a little girl. She just graduated from university. She's not fully grown yet. There's nothing special about her."
The crystal chandelier above shone on his handsome, angular face. The flowing light beams were like painting a delicate plaster sketch, but it was so exquisitely good - looking that it lacked a bit of earthly flavor.
Two big shots beside them were still discussing whether to make a Series A investment in a newly - emerging game company.
Amid their high - spirited discussions, Xu Lize only heard Chen Qichuan say softly, "Aze, you can never tell about matters of the heart. Don't be like me, being too smart for your own good."
Just as Chen Qichuan finished speaking, a message popped up on Xu Lize's phone.
Su Yang told him not to come and pick her up. She said she could go back by herself later.
Meanwhile, in the dining room of the Su family in the east of the city, Su Yang looked at Su Quansheng who had just put down his phone. Her first reaction was to send a message to Xu Lize.
Not long after she sent the message, Xu Lize replied.
It was just five simple words, without even a punctuation mark.
— Wait for me at the Su family.
At the dinner table, Su Quansheng seemed to have already guessed this outcome. He picked up his wine glass and took a big gulp of wine, then took a bite of food and said leisurely, "Xu Lize is a man who values decorum too much. This kind of temperament is good for business, but in social situations, it means being too proud and suffering for it."
Su Yang glanced at Su Quansheng and was in a dilemma with her phone in hand.
Su Quansheng immediately laughed at her. "You're too naive. You're no match for Xu Lize. But it's okay. You're smarter than Qianqian. Qianqian has been spoiled by me and her mother. If she had married Xu Lize, I'd be worried that she'd be too delicate and ruin my plans. But you're different, Yangyang. You'll help Dad, right?"
Su Yang frowned and said firmly, "No."
To her surprise, Su Quansheng burst into loud laughter. "It's okay. As long as you don't hold me back. Anyway, you have the surname Su. You're my Su Quansheng's daughter. As long as you don't divorce Xu Lize, even if he's reluctant, he's still my son - in - law."
After saying that, Su Quansheng stood up, took out a kraft paper bag from the cabinet behind him, and then threw it directly on the table.
"There's 50,000 yuan in here. You can take it. Spend it yourself or give it to your mother. It's up to you. By the way, have you found a job yet?"
Seeing that Su Yang still remained silent, Su Quansheng wasn't angry. He continued to arrange things on his own. "You can come and work in the company first. We'll decide what you'll do when you get here. Even if you don't do any work, the company can afford to support you."
"Dad!" Suddenly, a surprised cry came from outside the dining room. "... What are you doing here?"
Su Yang turned around and saw Su Qian, who was exquisitely dressed, walking in with a lot of bags.
"Qianqian, you're back." Su Quansheng waved to greet Su Qian. Obviously, he wanted to separate the two sisters.
But as soon as Su Qian saw Su Yang, she was like an enraged fighting cock. She threw all the paper bags in her hands on the sofa and then walked towards Su Yang haughtily.
"I'm asking you a question. What are you doing here?"
"Qianqian, talk properly. She's your elder sister!" Su Quansheng felt a headache coming on when he saw this. The veins on his forehead were throbbing.
"Dad, don't say such a ridiculous thing. In our family..." As Su Qian was speaking, her eyes fell on the bulging kraft paper bag on the table.
A thought flashed through her mind. She quickly reached out and grabbed the paper bag. When she opened it, a mocking sneer echoed through the dining room.
"Oh, I knew it. My dear elder sister never comes unless she has something to ask for. What gave you the courage today? You even dared to come to my house openly to ask for money?"
As Su Qian was speaking, she poked Su Yang's shoulder blade with the thick kraft paper bag.
"Didn't you get the marriage certificate with Xu Lize? Why, doesn't he give you money to spend? Or did you not satisfy him in bed..."
Before Su Qian could finish her sentence, Su Yang coldly slapped her hand away.
"Thud." The kraft paper bag in Su Qian's hand was thrown to the ground, and dozens of brand - new hundred - yuan bills slipped out of the unsealed bag.
"You..."
Su Qian's face turned pale with anger. She raised her hand to hit Su Yang, but Su Yang quickly grabbed her wrist.
Thinking of the mess at the Civil Affairs Bureau before, Su Yang suddenly tightened her grip on Su Qian and pulled her towards herself.
"Do you know Zhao Jingxuan?"
Her question was so sudden that Su Qian averted her eyes and stammered.
"You... What are you talking about? How could I know your classmate?"
"I never said she was my classmate!" Su Yang's eyes suddenly turned cold. The answer was obvious.
Su Qian's face turned from white to red. She struggled angrily, trying to break free from Su Yang's grip.
Su Yang simply let her have her way. She pushed her hard and then let go.
Su Qian almost lost her balance and fell to the ground.
"Su Yang, you dare to hit me!" The successive defeats made Su Qian furious. Immediately, she rushed at Su Yang like a wildcat, ready to fight.
Just then, Su Quansheng's roar thundered across the room.
"Su Qian, what are you doing? Touching your elder sister like that. Is this how a younger sister should behave?"
Su Quansheng was really angry. He called Su Qian by her full name with a fierce look on his face.
Su Qian was stunned. She turned to look at Su Quansheng as if she had seen a ghost. Her wide - open eyes instantly turned red.
"Dad! You're yelling at me?" She pointed at Su Yang in disbelief and screamed. "You're doing this for this bitch's daughter..."
"Clang." Su Quansheng smashed the empty wine glass in his hand beside Su Qian's feet.
"Such a disrespectful girl. Try saying one more word?" Su Quansheng's face was ashen, looking extremely disappointed.