Papa Wang and Wang Hongwen were both present when the agreement was signed. Neither was entirely comfortable with the idea of putting a price on family ties, and both hesitated. But Old Madam Wang was so afraid they might change their minds that she kept urging them to sign, until she finally wore away their last doubts.
In the end, both men signed their names, and Wang De and his wife hastily added theirs. With that agreement in place, even if the elderly couple fell on hard times later, it would have nothing to do with them.
Wang Cheng promptly handed over the two hundred thousand yuan in cash. It was not the same money he had stolen before, though. Worried they might recognize the bills, he had exchanged them.
With the money in hand, Wang De and his wife stopped harassing Wang Hongxin. Wang Hongwei and his family of three were already thinking about how to use the money to get back on their feet.
But ever since they had taken the five hundred thousand yuan Jiang Jiarong gave them and fled, someone had spread the story. Many of their business contacts now knew exactly what Wang Hongwei and his son had done. Their reputation in construction was so thoroughly ruined that no businessman was willing to work with them.
Making a comeback sounded easy enough. Actually doing it was another matter.
Money was a starting point, but without a decent reputation, no amount of investment would persuade anyone to deal with them. Wang Hongwei and his son knew that too, so they planned to try their luck somewhere else. They would have to start over, but at least they had experience. It surely would not be as difficult as when they first started their business.
They had no idea their nightmare was only beginning.
Papa Wang was grateful that the senior clansman Wang Zhiren had made the trip specifically to help him and insisted that he stay for a meal. Wang Zhiren could not turn him down, so he finally agreed. The clouds that had hung over Mama Wang’s face for days cleared at last. She told Wang Cheng to entertain their guest, then went out to buy groceries.
Wang Ning’an returned rather late. He too had been extremely busy lately, and a decision had finally been reached in Yu Hongzhi’s case.
The circumstances were serious. Not only had Yu Hongzhi fled after causing a traffic accident, he had arranged for someone else to take the blame and stubbornly refused to admit wrongdoing afterward. Taking the offenses together, he was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay the injured man more than seven hundred thousand yuan in compensation.
Yu Hongming had initially run himself ragged pleading for his son, but someone was pulling strings behind the scenes and no one dared help him. In the end, he gave up too. Li Xin alone refused to accept the result and went to see Wang Ning’an again, but this time Wang Ning’an would not meet her.
Guan Meifang knew that the woman’s son had harmed Wang Ning’an. The very sight of Li Xin made her angry, and she would not even let her through the door.
But that did not mean the affair was over.
Another scandal soon erupted in the Yu family. A woman appeared at their door with a fifteen-year-old boy, claiming she was Yu Hongming’s mistress. Naturally, the boy was supposedly his son. Mother and son had lived in fearful hiding for more than ten years. Now that Yu Hongzhi was in trouble, the boy was Yu Hongming’s only remaining son. Most remarkably, Yu Hongming did not deny any of it. Instead, he moved the mother and son into the main family residence, infuriating Li Xin.
Li Xin fought bitterly with Yu Hongming afterward. Their son had only just been sent to prison, yet Yu Hongming could hardly wait to bring his mistress and illegitimate son into the house. Clearly he had no regard for his lawful wife and had probably been planning this for a long time.
Yu Hongming had no time to placate her. Instead, he warned her not to lay a finger on the mother and son. Li Xin, who had intended to preserve at least a shred of dignity for him, promptly threw caution to the wind.
The Li family business was not as powerful as Shenghui Pharmaceuticals, but it was an established company with longstanding connections and considerable resources. Li Xin might appear to be a pampered only daughter, but in the past she had dealt with more than a few women trying to come between a husband and his wife. Her methods were far more formidable than those of Yu Hongming’s mistress. She was by no means a woman who knew only how to shop. To retaliate against Yu Hongming, she used the Li family business to create problems for Shenghui Pharmaceuticals.
Yu Hongming’s earlier attempts to shield his son had already damaged his reputation and affected the company’s share price. Someone had taken the opportunity to buy up a substantial number of shares on the open market. With that problem still unresolved, Li Xin’s retaliation made matters even worse. Yu Hongming cursed her furiously, and the couple nearly came to blows.
Wang Ning’an seized the opportunity to acquire still more Shenghui Pharmaceuticals shares.
Yu Hongming had harbored resentment over Wang Cheng’s actions against his son and no longer regarded Wang Ning’an as favorably as before. But the latest crisis made him realize he could not manage without him. He went in person to ask Wang Ning’an to return to work.
Wang Ning’an agreed. Yu Hongming was still wondering why he had accepted so readily when Wang Ning’an returned to the company, quickly stabilized the situation and demonstrated impressive leadership. Yu Hongming’s confidence in him was restored.
Yu Hongming and Li Xin had married for business reasons and felt little affection for each other. The mistress, on the other hand, had been Yu Hongming’s first love, and he favored the child she had borne him. With Yu Hongzhi in prison, bringing his first love and their son home seemed a natural step to him. He no longer felt quite as much dislike toward Wang Ning’an, either.
Only once his position at the company was secure again did Wang Ning’an come to Guanjia Village.
Papa and Mama Wang had heard he would be returning and had been waiting for him. When they saw him, they hurried him inside and fussed over him, asking after his health and well-being. They knew nothing of what had happened in the capital. Wang Cheng finally managed to get away from his parents long enough to tell his older brother how the dispute with the Wang family had ended.
After listening, Wang Ning’an said, “Tell me the truth. Was that two hundred thousand yuan actually yours?”
Once again, Wang Cheng marveled at his big brother’s sharp intuition. There was no hiding anything from someone who knew him that well. “Heh-heh. You guessed right. It wasn’t mine.”
Wang Ning’an did not ask where the money had come from. He simply said Wang Cheng had done well. Then he asked, “By the way, where’s Chu Yifeng? Didn’t he come here with you?”
“Him? Don’t get me started. Zhou Group is cooperating with Aimer now, remember? He had to head back this afternoon because of the partnership.” Otherwise Wang Cheng would not have been so bored.
“You really have decided to spend your whole life with him? You know, you could still turn back.” Wang Ning’an would not interfere in their relationship, but that did not mean he was unconcerned. He simply was not accustomed to expressing such things aloud.
Wang Cheng shrugged. “It’s too late to turn back. Besides, I’ve never regretted it. I’ve already told my birth mother about us.”
“She didn’t object?” Wang Ning’an sounded a little surprised.
“She’d guessed there was something going on between Chu Yifeng and me, just like our mom did. She even arranged a blind date for me in her own roundabout way, so I went and told her everything. Eventually she said all she wanted was for me to be happy.”
Wang Ning’an smiled. “Looks like your birth mother spoils you even more than our mom does, if she can agree to something like that.”
Wang Cheng chuckled.
Then Wang Ning’an asked, “You aren’t planning to let the eldest branch of the Wang family off that easily, are you?”
Wang Cheng smiled meaningfully. “Of course not. Just wait for the show, Big Brother. It should happen within the next few days.”
“I have to return to the capital by the day after tomorrow at the latest, so I probably won’t see it. Tell me about Dad’s origins instead. Didn’t you say over the phone that our grandmother left him a jade pendant? Where is it?”
“Wait here. I’ll get it.” Wang Cheng went to his parents’ room and brought back the pendant.
The jade was a particularly pure, deep green. Under sunlight it had a rich, weighty lake-green color, though at first glance it almost appeared lake blue. Even someone who knew nothing about jade could tell it was worth a fortune.
When Wang Ning’an took it, however, his expression grew grave. “If I’m not mistaken, the material used for this pendant is the finest grade of jadeite. That regal green luster should be what people call imperial green. It’s practically priceless, and even today it’s extremely rare. Any family that could use jadeite of this quality for a hereditary pendant cannot be ordinary. Dad’s origins must be remarkable.”
“Seriously?” Wang Cheng exclaimed.
“Only one thing bothers me. If Grandmother came from such a distinguished family, why did she end up in Wangjia Village? And why has no one come looking for her in all these years?” A thought suddenly flashed through Wang Ning’an’s mind, but it vanished too quickly for him to grasp.
“Should we investigate? If the pendant is that unusual, it might be a treasured heirloom from some great family. Surely there would be some record of it,” Wang Cheng suggested.
“We could look into it, but I probably won’t have much time for a while.” Wang Ning’an had only just returned to Shenghui. There were many matters he needed to handle personally, and this was a critical period. He could not afford distractions.
“What’s the problem? Leave it to me. You focus on work, and I’ll let you know as soon as I learn anything.” Wang Cheng patted his chest.
Wang Ning’an nodded. That was their only option. “But we can’t leave the pendant at home anymore. It’s too valuable. If someone sets their sights on it, Mom and Dad could be dragged into trouble. For now, it’s better not to tell them how much it’s worth. The trouble with Eldest Uncle’s family has already worn Dad out.”
Wang Cheng put the pendant back in its little box. “I’ll keep it with me for now.”
Neither brother imagined that something would happen at home the very next day. Papa Wang was going to North Mountain, and Wang Ning’an accompanied him. Mama Wang went to the jam factory. The workers who had skipped work using various excuses had since returned with their tails between their legs. She had some complaints about their behavior, but she did not want to stir up further trouble and let the matter go.
Wang Cheng was left at home, though he went out for a while. When he returned, he discovered someone had broken in.