Even as he walked back to the banquet hall in the Central Courtyard, Xu Zhiyuan kept pondering Chen Yang's words.
Chen Yang had just whispered in his ear:
"Mayor Xu, the actual controller of Feiyuan Real Estate is Qiguang Group, which has always been remotely controlled by Yu Xingguo."
This simple sentence struck Xu Zhiyuan like a bolt from the blue. Qiguang Group was the Fan family's business, helmed by Fan Zhenqi, the third son of the Fan family patriarch, while Yu Xingguo of the Yu family was the deputy general manager of Qiguang Group.
The Xu family also had its own business group, the Xu Group, whose operations were managed by Xu Zhiyuan's younger sister, Xu Qingya's aunt, Xu Peiru. Feiyuan Real Estate was a very important recent partner for the Xu Group; the two companies were jointly developing a commercial plot of land in the heart of Beijing.
This project was enormous, with most of the Xu family's cash flow invested. Further investment would require considerable funds, and the company was already facing financial difficulties. Therefore, the Xu family has been seeking the Fan family's support, hoping to integrate some overlapping areas between the two families to obtain cash to continue the project.
This is also a major reason why Xu Zhiyuan has been so eager to push for a marriage alliance between the two families.
However, if Chen Yang's words are true, then the problem is serious!
Firstly, this project could be a trap. The Fan family, using its vast financial resources, is playing this game to try and bankrupt the Xu Group, while simultaneously acquiring all the competing industries between the two families with minimal effort. Given the Fan family's usual modus operandi, the Xu family will ultimately gain nothing from the cooperative project with Feiyuan Real Estate.
The final result will be a complete loss!
Feiyuan Real Estate has a remarkably clean background. Although their victory over numerous strong competitors in securing this massive project within Beijing's Second Ring Road was somewhat unexpected, and the fact that Feiyuan Real Estate proactively approached the Xu Group raises suspicions in retrospect.
However, Xu Peiru had been in the business world for decades, and the Xu family's business had flourished under her management. After Feiyuan Real Estate sought cooperation, Xu Peiru conducted a thorough investigation and found no problems, let alone any connection with other families.
Therefore, Xu Zhiyuan remained skeptical of Chen Yang's words. Chen Yang was just an ordinary college graduate from a small county in southeastern China. Even if he was a close disciple of Master Baiyan, he couldn't possibly have access to such deep secrets! Even the Xu family's comprehensive investigation hadn't found any connection between Feiyuan Real Estate and the Fan family!
However, Xu Zhiyuan also dared not be careless. After all, this project was too important; its success or failure could determine the Xu family's survival in the business world. Success would inevitably lead to a surge in the Xu Group's strength, but falling into someone else's trap could potentially cause the Xu Group to decline for a long time to come.
Moreover, if Chen Yang's words are true, it means the Fan family had no sincerity in cooperating with the Xu family. Whether it was the marriage alliance or project integration, it was all just a pretext; the ultimate goal was to swallow up the Xu family's business empire and severely damage their strength.
If this is indeed the case, then the tragedy of Zhuang Jiang that Chen Yang mentioned earlier would have come true. Xu Zhiyuan has essentially pushed his own daughter into a fire pit. Leaving aside Fan Zihong's despicable character, once the Xu family turns against the Fan family, Xu Qingya's situation within the Fan family is unimaginable!
As Xu Zhiyuan walked into the banquet hall in the central courtyard, he felt a chill run down his spine. This news was truly astonishing. While politely nodding to the guests who kept greeting him, he found his sister, Xu Peiru, pulled her aside, and said urgently:
"Peiru, go and investigate Feiyuan Real Estate's background again immediately!"
Xu Peiru was taken aback, not understanding why Xu Zhiyuan was so anxious to bring this up suddenly, and couldn't help but ask:
"Brother, what's wrong? Didn't we already investigate a while ago?"
Xu Zhiyuan said with a grave expression:
"I've received information that Feiyuan Real Estate might be a secret business of the Fan family! Peiru, you need to investigate this matter immediately. If necessary, use our influence in the military. You must..." "Find out the truth about Feiyuan Real Estate!"
Xu Peiru quickly analyzed the situation and understood the implications. Her expression changed drastically, and she anxiously asked, "Brother, where did you get this information? Is it reliable?"
Xu Zhiyuan said somewhat irritably,
"If it were reliable, I wouldn't need to ask you to investigate! You don't need to worry about the source! I can't confirm the accuracy of the information either, so you must act quickly. Once this information is true, we must come up with a solution as soon as possible, otherwise we'll be too passive!"
"Okay! I'll get on it right away!" Xu Peiru agreed and hurriedly left the banquet.
Actually, Chen Yang wasn't very confident when he said this.
However, what he wasn't confident about was whether the Xu family still had this cooperation with Feiyuan Real Estate in this life, and he couldn't even be sure if Feiyuan Real Estate still existed as a company. Because all of this happened in his previous life, and although most things were the same after Chen Yang's rebirth, some things had changed.
For example, Xu Qingya's marriage. But after Chen Yang finished speaking, a glance at Xu Zhiyuan's expression confirmed his suspicions.
He had made the right bet!
In his previous life, the Xu family had also fallen into the Fan family's trap, but back then the Fan family's ambitions weren't this grand. They merely hoped to use this project to tie the Xu family's hands, preventing them from having the energy to challenge the Fan family in other competitive areas.
However, in his previous life, the Xu family was allied with the Fang family through marriage. With Chen Yang's mediation, the Fang family wholeheartedly supported the Xu family. In the end, the Fan family's attempt to steal backfired, while the Xu family made a fortune on that real estate project.
"Young Chen Yang! Go to the front! You young people love excitement! I'll keep Old Master Xu company!" Master Baiyan said to Chen Yang with a smile after finishing the calligraphy. "Yes, teacher!" Chen Yang replied, then bowed slightly to Old Master Xu and said, "Old Master Xu, I'll take my leave now!"
Old Master Xu looked at Chen Yang with warm eyes and nodded, saying,
"Good! Go ahead!"
Chen Yang arrived at the banquet hall and glanced around. He noticed that Xu Peiru was no longer present, knowing that Xu Zhiyuan had taken his warning to heart, or at least hadn't dismissed it dismissively.
Although Old Master Xu had said that Xu Qingya's marriage would be postponed, Chen Yang knew that Xu Zhiyuan was still unwilling to give up. After all, the Han family was about to retreat completely, and a golden opportunity for expansion was presented to Xu Zhiyuan. Given his personality, he wouldn't easily give it up.
Therefore, Chen Yang added fuel to the fire, aiming to completely kill the marriage proposal for Xu Qingya before it even began. Of course, by doing this, Chen Yang also inadvertently helped the Xu family. Otherwise, the Xu family would definitely suffer a great loss, and they would also see the true colors of the Fan family. But by then, Xu Qingya would already be in Fan Zihong's hands, something Chen Yang absolutely did not want to see.
Chen Yang glanced at Xu Zhiyuan, who was chatting and exchanging pleasantries with people in the room, his face completely expressionless, and secretly admired his composure.
As soon as Chen Yang appeared, many scions of prominent families turned their attention to him. Today, Chen Yang had truly stolen the show; when giving gifts, he became the object of everyone's envy and jealousy.
Unexpectedly, this was just the prelude. An even bigger bombshell exploded with the sudden appearance of Master Baiyan—this unassuming young man had actually invited a titan of the Chinese art world to the event to celebrate Xu Qingya's birthday! Moreover, he had even gone to the backyard to chat with Old Master Xu; it should be noted that some of the Xu family's collateral descendants didn't even have the opportunity to enter the backyard!
"Chen Yang! I didn't expect you to be such a good actor!" Liu Zhengyi came over and affectionately punched Chen Yang on the shoulder, laughing as he said, "You didn't give a hint beforehand, and you managed to invite Master Baiyan here without a word! You're really something!"
Chen Yang smiled bitterly to himself—he hadn't expected his teacher to come in person. Perhaps it was because he had been reminded of Xu Qingya at his teacher's house yesterday, and his teacher had noticed something amiss.
It was also thanks to Master Baiyan's presence; otherwise, the marriage arrangement with Xu Qingya would have been a dead end for Chen Yang. Without the groundwork laid by the Zhuang Jiang story, without Old Master Xu's intervention, and without his status as Master Baiyan's disciple, if he had rashly gone to Xu Zhiyuan to discuss Feiyuan Real Estate, he would have been considered crazy and kicked out!
"Chen Yang, don't rush back to the Southeast after the banquet. I'll invite you to enjoy a few days in Beijing, and I'll introduce you to some friends!" Liu Zhengyi said warmly, putting his arm around Chen Yang's shoulder.
Chen Yang was still on summer vacation and had nothing else to do back home, so he readily agreed with a smile.
Fan Zihong watched Chen Yang from a short distance away, his resentment rising. Today, Chen Yang had completely stolen his thunder, a humiliating disgrace for a spoiled brat like him! Seeing Xu Qingya's attitude towards Chen Yang only fueled his hatred.
However, the thought of Xu Zhiyuan announcing his marriage to Xu Qingya later made Fan Zihong feel a little better. He sneered at Chen Yang, thinking: So what if you're causing trouble? Xu Qingya will still obediently marry me, won't she? I'll see what kind of colorful expression you have when you hear the news of our marriage!
At that moment, Xu Zhiyuan straightened his clothes and walked steadily to the microphone at the front of the hall. Fan Zihong was overjoyed; he had been waiting for this moment for a long time, his heart filled with anticipation.
Seeing this, Xu Qingya's face turned pale instantly. She thought to herself, "What was bound to happen has finally happened. There's no escaping it..."
Chen Yang's smile remained unchanged as he looked at the still-unaware Fan Zihong, his heart filled with irony.