Jiang Pinzhen had always been taught to be kind and gentle. As a result, she had always been rather soft - hearted.
She had always thought that she would never be so cruel to anyone.
However, today she found that when it came down to it, she could actually be quite ruthless.
The person on the other end of the phone seemed a bit stunned. It took a long time before they replied with a "yes".
Later, Jiang Pinzhen asked in detail why He Man had suddenly wanted to escape from the villa and chosen such a drastic way. From the bodyguard, Jiang Pinzhen learned that He Man had grabbed another disheveled bodyguard, and in his panic, the bodyguard had confessed everything.
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Pinzhen rubbed her temples wearily, but the headache wouldn't go away.
Judging from the current situation, He Man and Chu Beize had fallen out. In a normal person's behavior, Chu Beize should go to He Zhenhua, right? After all, He Man wasn't the real daughter of the He family. Chu Beize surely wouldn't just swallow this humiliation.
After thinking for a while, Jiang Pinzhen still tentatively dialed He Zhenhua's number.
The phone rang for a while, but no one answered, so she hung up.
Jiang Pinzhen called again. This time, He Zhenhua answered quickly, but there was a somewhat anxious voice on the other end of the phone. "Is that Pinzhen? I have some urgent matters to deal with here. If you have anything to say, I'll call you back tomorrow."
After saying that, He Zhenhua was about to hang up.
After being husband and wife for so many years, Jiang Pinzhen knew He Zhenhua's character well. She immediately spoke up to stop him.
"I'm not calling to talk about the divorce."
Sure enough, this sentence had an effect. This time, He Zhenhua didn't rush to hang up. He was silent for a while and then asked, "Then, Pinzhen, why did you call?"
"There's something..." Jiang Pinzhen hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I'd like to ask a favor of you."
Immediately, there was a somewhat urgent and delighted voice from He Zhenhua on the phone. "Pinzhen, just say it. No matter what it is, I'll agree to it."
"It's about He Man."
He Zhenhua pondered for a moment and then asked, "Pinzhen, although He Man is not our real daughter, we haven't officially severed ties with her yet..."
"That's not what I'm talking about." Then Jiang Pinzhen told He Zhenhua everything that had happened at the Chu family's villa today. Finally, she said, "I guess... Chu Beize should come to find you."
"So, the reason you called is because of... Xiaoxi?"
"Yes!" Jiang Pinzhen readily admitted. "If you're not willing, I won't force you."
"How can you say that? Xiaoxi is our daughter. I won't stand by and do nothing about her affairs. Don't worry. I know what to do."
Jiang Pinzhen held the phone. It took her a long time to say, "Thank you." Then she simply hung up the phone.
He Zhenhua still wanted to say something, but all he heard was the busy tone. He felt a sense of loss and put down the phone.
After that, He Zhenhua called his assistant and asked her to tell the receptionist that if Chu Beize came, don't stop him and let him go directly to the office.
After hanging up the phone, He Zhenhua had nothing to do at the moment. So he picked up a document and waited for Chu Beize while reading. Later, his assistant reminded him that he needed to attend a meeting, but he postponed it to another time.
After waiting for about ten - plus minutes, the receptionist called and said that Chu Beize was coming up.
Just as the phone call ended, Chu Beize pushed the door open and came in.
He was soaked all over, obviously having been caught in the rain. Looking at his menacing appearance, it seemed that he didn't even wait for the car to drive into the underground garage but got off directly from the first - floor lobby and came in.
Since He Zhenhua had known in advance that he was coming, he wasn't very surprised by his arrival. He simply put down the document in his hand and glanced at him.
"Why are you in such a hurry all of a sudden? If you have something to say, just give me a call."
Chu Beize stared at him menacingly.
"Some things can't be explained clearly on the phone. So I have to come and see you in person, Father - in - law, and ask you clearly face - to - face."
"Oh?" He Zhenhua looked up and said calmly, "So what do you want to ask?"
The sudden feeling of being deceived, the unwillingness and humiliation, made Chu Beize burn with anger. So his tone became sharp. He no longer had his usual gentle and refined demeanor. "Father - in - law, I heard an interesting thing today. I'm sure... you've known about it for a long time. From beginning to end, I've been the only one being played around."
Chu Beize stared at He Zhenhua resentfully. Back then, in order to marry the daughter of the He family, he had even abandoned Ye Yanxi. If it hadn't been for the Chu Group, he wouldn't have done this. Who would have thought... the one he married was actually an imposter. How could he tolerate this?
"What thing?" He Zhenhua's face darkened. "Is this how you talk to me?"
"Father - in - law, don't play dumb with me. You should know what I'm talking about. Oh, no... now you're not my father - in - law at all. What kind of elder are you? The one you married me off to is simply an imposter." Disdain appeared in Chu Beize's eyes.
After he finished speaking, He Zhenhua slapped the table hard. The document was blown to the ground by the wind. His eyes instantly became as sharp as the wind.
"Are you sure you want to talk to me like this? Chu Beize, I'm only allowing you to stand in front of me because you're my son - in - law. Don't forget, without this relationship, you're nothing. What right do you have to boss me around?"
"Then, Mr. He, would you dare to swear to heaven that the one I married is your biological daughter? If not, then Mr. He will die a terrible death!" Chu Beize was also furious. He stared at He Zhenhua menacingly, his face contorted.
He Zhenhua fell silent. Without He Zhenhua's answer, Chu Beize was even more certain that the one at home was definitely a fake.
"Sure enough. Then where is Mr. He's biological daughter? Please swap her for me."
"Who do you think you are?" He Zhenhua's eyes suddenly turned cold. Every word was sharp and full of authority. "The daughters of the He family are not something you can swap as you please."
"He Man is not your daughter at all. She doesn't belong to the He family."
"She's been in the He family for sixteen years. Everyone in the outside world knows that she's my He Zhenhua's daughter. It's clearly written in the household register. Whether she's my biological daughter or not, in name, she's a member of the He family."
Chu Beize sneered. "So, Mr. He means you're not willing to swap?"
"When did the people of the He family ever allow you to decide who to swap?" He Zhenhua also had a cold face.
"In that case..." Chu Beize curled his lips. His eyes were filled with cruelty. "It seems there's only one way left: divorce."
Once divorced, he could go and find Ye Yanxi openly. Maybe he could even win Ye Yanxi back. This was undoubtedly a good opportunity.
"Divorce?"
Hearing this, He Zhenhua's face turned black. His voice was also cold as he reminded him, "You'd better think about the consequences of divorce. The project between the Chu family and the He family is based on the marriage alliance of the two families."
Chu Beize didn't comment. He just snorted. "If you want to terminate the contract, it won't just be the Chu family that suffers losses."
"Although the He family will also suffer losses if the cooperation is cancelled, in the end, it's just about money. Losing money is a small matter. But... for the Chu family, it's not just about money."
"What do you mean?" Chu Beize looked at He Zhenhua warily. The latter's face was unfathomable.
"The Chu Group has invested a large amount of capital in this cooperation with us. They've even mortgaged some of their hotels and taken out a large - scale loan from the bank." He Zhenhua calmly stated a fact.
Chu Beize was shocked. "What did you say?"
"You've been running around at the project site every day. You probably don't know about these things." He Zhenhua reminded him, "You can't divorce He Man. This is your only remaining value."
After hearing this, Chu Beize felt as if he'd been punched hard.
If he divorced, the Chu Group would be finished. Then what would he have left?
He never thought that in the end, he couldn't divorce He Man.
Chu Beize curled his lips mockingly. "In order to marry off your daughter, you're even willing to bet half of the He Consortium's assets?"
"Also..." He Zhenhua ignored his words and added, "At least for now, He Man is still my daughter. If you say or do anything outside, then please think clearly about the consequences you'll have to bear. You'd better take care of yourself. I'm still busy. If there's nothing else, you can leave."
Chu Beize had entered He Zhenhua's office full of anger, but finally left dejectedly.
He stood at the door for a while. Suddenly, a cruel smile appeared on Chu Beize's face.
He Zhenhua only said that he couldn't divorce He Man. As for what happened to He Man, he couldn't be blamed.
Around four o'clock in the afternoon, the heavy rain finally stopped. The customers who had rested in the hotel for a while were ready to return to the company.
Ye Yanxi had rested for the whole noon and felt refreshed. So she took on the task of getting the documents on her own.
She walked out of the hotel happily with the documents in her arms, heading towards the car waiting outside. But just as she stepped out of the hotel's main entrance.
Suddenly, her vision went black, and her head felt dizzy. Finally, she involuntarily fell backward.