While all the guests continued to chat inside the hall room, Chen Xiao Yan and Chen Guo Tao were standing in front of each other in the VIP room.
"I'll marry Song Shi Cheng on one condition," Chen Xiao Yan said in resolution as she stood still.
Chen Guo Tao's face quickly turned stern. He curled his brow while sitting on the sofa, "A condition? You are demanding for a condition from me?"
Knowing how much her father valued his own pride, Chen Xiao Yan quickly bowed and reasserted herself in a more humble tone.
"No, I am only asking you as your daughter," she said softly. As much as she detested Chen Guo Tao, she had no choice but to behave powerlessly in front him.
Without looking at Chen Xiao Yan, Chen Guo Tao lit a cigar with his lighter, "So what do you want?" he asked authoritatively.
Chen Xiao Yan replied, "I want my mother to have a proper title after I marry Song Shi Cheng. Please, don't be so cold to her. After twenty years of following you without being recognized as part of this family, can you finally let her become your official wife?"
Even though she was trying to sound as soft and calm as she could, Chen Xiao Yan's eyes were stating that she won't back down on her only request. On the other hand, it also meant that if Chen Guo Tao accepted her request, Chen Xiao Yan would no longer intend to defy what he had ordered her.
In a somewhat dubious and surprised expression, Chen Guo Tao raised his head and took a quick glance at his daughter's face. He wasn't thinking of giving Chen Xiao Yan a quick answer. Instead, Chen Guo Tao slowly puffed out a smoke from his cigar. From the way his eyes were glaring resolutely without looking at anything, it appeared that he was, indeed, considering Chen Xiao Yan's request.
Chen Xiao Yan continued, "I know that even after she passed away for so long, your heart is still filled with the thought of my elder siblings' mother. I understand that's why you never talked about remarrying in these last twenty year, but I beg you, please, take care of my mother! Now that I will become someone else's wife, I am so worried for her since I was the only one she got…"
Before she finished her sentence, Chen Xiao Yan broke into tears and started sobbing uncontrollably. She wasn't crying for sympathy, though. He heart was in too much despair for that.
It wasn't as though Chen Guo Tao wasn't moved at all. In fact, he was feeling a bit guilty after hearing Chen Xiao Yan begging him like that.
Most people only see Chen Guo Tao as a cold-hearted man who cared for nothing but exploitation and profit, but there is no such thing as an absolutely evil human being. And as for Chen Guo Tao, his soft spot was his deceased wife.
Anyone who knew Chen Guo Tao before he became rich would know about how much he cared for his wife. Even during the harshest times of his life, Chen Guo Tao's wife would always be there to look out for him. This was the reason why Chen Guo Tao was in so much emotional pain when he found out his wife died from child labour.
His wife was also the reason Chen Guo Tao named his twin children Yi Xian and Yi Zhu. In remembrance to his deceased spouse, Chen Guo Tao chose these names in reference to a piece of Tang poetry, in which the poet compares his yearning for his deceased wife to the strings of a Chinese plucked zither; as the poet writes: "Each strings and chords remind me of the days when I was a younger man."
It could even be said that Chen Guo Tao only cared for Yi Zhu and Yi Xian over the las twenty years. Apart these twins his wife passed onto him, Chen Guo Tao felt no emotion for anyone else and thus would commit any acts of cruelty to anyone other than those two.
Now, some readers might find it bizarre that the original antagonist was written to have so much depth in him, but no, the author never intended to create a clichéd villain in the first place. He had more integrity than doing something like that. (translator's comment: I'm sorry, but what about that one-dimensional protagonist in the original story?)
"Fine…" Chen Guo Tao finally spoke after a few seconds of contemplating in silence "I accept your request."
"Please, don't take back your words," Chen Xiao Yan said as she was feeling slightly more comforted.
"I swear to you on my honour as a father. If you marry Song Shi Cheng, I'll let your mother become my official wife. She will no longer need to hide herself once she receives her place in the Chen family, but don't you even think about doing anything outrageous right now! I can't guarantee you what happens if you make anymore mistakes."
"Rest assured, Father. I will do as you tell me to," Chen Xiao Yan replied obediently, but still cringed at the thought of discussing marriage to her father like it was some sort of business negotiation.
But on another thought, she wasn't even supposed to be born in the first place. So what's wrong with negotiating her marriage like her happiness didn't matter in the first place?
Before Chen Xiao Yan almost left the room, she couldn't help but to ask Chen Guo Tao something.
"Father, can I ask you something that I've always wanted to ask you? And if you do, can you please give me an honest answer?"
"What is it?" Chen Guo Tao raised his head.
"If- and I'm only asking this hypothetically, you knew about my mother's pregnancy twenty something years ago, would you force her to get an abortion?"
Without blinking, Chen Xiao Yan stared at her father in anticipation. She wasn't sure if she could handle the truth, but she wanted to know it regardless.
Yet, even after she had finally mustered the courage to ask the question she had always wanted to ask, it seemed like disappointment was all that fate has left for this poor girl.
"Yeah, I would probably," Chen Guo Tao answered quickly. It was almost as though he took no hesitation in giving that answer.
"Sure. Okay then."
After Chen Xiao Yan wiped her tears, she gave a heartbroken smile towards Chen Guo Tao before she closed the foor and left.
It seemed that there was nothing left between this daughter and her father.
......
After the engagement ceremony had ended in such a strange fashion, the Song family was already getting busy to prepare for the general board assembly two days later.
As the direct heir of Old Song, Song Shi Cheng was able to participate in the assembly along with his mother. He wanted to surprise everyone by demonstrating how sharp he had suddenly became, but immediately refrained himself from doing so.
As his luck points were way too low, Song Shi Cheng naturally wasn't able to make an impressive first impression in front of the other members of the board like most fictional protagonists would.
Song Shi Cheng even considered using one [Wang Ba jelly] so he could help Ji Ling to pass the retirement village project, but decided to keep it inside his pocket after seeing how calculated the board members were in the assembly.
Even as the original creator of this world of fiction, Song Shi Cheng knew nothing more than an amateur about the intricate details of commerce and company management. To put it brashly, the best he could do was to fake his competence while lying about how strong the Song Family was.
When the world he created became much more complicated than he originally made it to be, Song Shi Cheng thought that he should just shut up in front of the other members of the board.
Sometimes, it's better to say nothing at all than to say the wrong thing and embarrass yourself in front of others. Thus, instead of using the opportunity to show off his charisma, Song Shi Cheng decided to treat the general assembly as a lecture, a lecture in which he must take notes while sitting by in silence.
There was, of course, a great price in staying silent. Under the influence of Song Chun Lin and her supporters, it was inevitably decided that the retirement village project was cancelled by the majority of the board.
What's even more devastating was that, the Fenghua group just decided that there would be a general assembly next week about sacking Ji Ling from her position as the chairwoman of management!
It was no surprise, really. As baffling as it was for Ji Ling, she just wasn't the right person to have so much authority over the Fenghua Group. And for this reason, the best Ji Ling could do in the assembly was to look angry the entire time without saying anything in protest.
"Those ungrateful bastards!" Ji Ling grunted as she returned to her house with Ye Wen Sheng and Song Shi Cheng. "Have they all forgotten how much my husband used to take care of them? It hasn't even been a year before he passed away, and now they are trying overthrow us already?"
In an attempt to comfort Ji Ling, Ye Wen Sheng advised, "Please, Madam Song, there's no point in cursing them now! We have to take action and prepare for the upcoming general assembly. If we want to stay on our ground, I propose like we contact the other shareholders immediately and try to get their support."
"You think it's that easy?" Li Jing responded in a angry voice, "Those members from the higher board were all chosen from the shareholders themselves! If they didn't received instruction from those shareholders, how did they dared to defy me like this today?"
Ye Wen Sheng responded,"I can't say the same for the other shareholders, but Jun Shi fund company always takes a neutral position. Madam Song, we have to try to reach them if we want to secure our position!"
Jun Shi fund company. Until having studied everyone in the Fenghua group jus recently, Song Shi Cheng knew nothing of this organization which never appeared in the original story. It was apparently the second largest shareholder within the Fenghua group next to the Song Family.
'So that's what Uncle Ye was thinking of,' Song Shi Cheng thought, 'If we can combine our stocks with Jun Shi fund company, we would definitely have the advantage when we go to the shareholder's meeting!"
If the Song Family can join force with the Fenghua groups' second largest shareholder, Song Shi Cheng and Ji Ling would be virtually unstoppable!