Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 605: Hard on Everyone

Zhou Yuwen handed all the real estate contracts that Jiang Liming had mortgaged to him over to Liu Jing. Even when she went downstairs to rest, she clutched the thick stack of documents tightly in her hands. After all, this represented the entirety of the Jiang family's wealth.She had originally thought these assets were secure, but no one could have anticipated that in just a few days, she would come so close to losing everything.

In truth, even if she held onto these contracts with a death grip, what didn't belong to her would never be hers. But none of that mattered anymore.

Jiang Xinyi first took her mother to rest. By the time she had settled her in, the sky had gradually darkened.

Today had certainly been an exhausting day. She had rushed to catch a flight in the morning, hastily sought out Zhou Yuwen, and then arrived at the hotel to clarify everything.

When Jiang Xinyi returned, Zhou Yuwen was on a phone call. He was telling Zheng Yanyan that he had some matters to handle and probably wouldn't be able to join her parents for dinner that night.

"Does your mom have a problem with me?" Zhou Yuwen asked Zheng Yanyan.

Zheng Yanyan simply replied, what could she even do if she did?

"Could she really refuse to acknowledge you as her son-in-law? If she dares to disown you, I'll disown her," she declared.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen could not help but chuckle. He told her she shouldn't say things like that.

"Your mother is just looking out for your best interests," he reasoned.

While Zhou Yuwen was chatting with Zheng Yanyan, Jiang Xinyi walked in.

Seeing her arrive, Zhou Yuwen told Zheng Yanyan that he needed to get back to work.

After hanging up, he stood to greet Jiang Xinyi. "Is Aunt Jing asleep?"

"Yes, she went to bed right after taking a shower. She is truly exhausted," she murmured.

As Jiang Xinyi spoke, her own profound exhaustion was evident.

Liu Jing had not been sleeping well lately, but she herself had also spent countless sleepless nights worrying.

To be honest, Jiang Xinyi's impression of her father had always been rather faint, yet she never imagined he would actually betray the entire family.

Zhou Yuwen walked over and pulled Jiang Xinyi into his embrace. "You should get some proper rest too. Look at you, you even have dark circles under your eyes."

Jiang Xinyi shook her head. "I can't sleep," she whispered.

"There is actually a question I really want to ask you," Jiang Xinyi said, gazing at him with absolute seriousness.

Zhou Yuwen immediately replied, "This matter genuinely has nothing to do with me."

"Once I found out that Su Qing and Lu Wanting were targeting your family's assets, I planned to make them stop. It was your father who came to me, demanding that we cooperate. My thought process was simple: rather than leaving him around as a ticking time bomb to endanger you, it was better to defuse him right away."

In truth, regarding this point, Jiang Xinyi had no reason to blame Zhou Yuwen.

Because Zhou Yuwen had indeed handed over a 3.8 billion contract to Jiang Liming.

He had handed over cold, hard cash.

Jiang Xinyi stared at Zhou Yuwen, trying to discern whether the look in his eyes was sincere or hypocritical.

However, Zhou Yuwen acted as a matter of course in everything he did, so naturally, he did not find himself hypocritical.

Thus, Jiang Xinyi asked, "Did you really give my father 3.8 billion?"

Zhou Yuwen nodded, then clarified that it wasn't actually 3.8 billion in raw funds.

"I put three hundred million into this investment, but its value did indeed soar to 3.8 billion. To be honest, I was planning to sell it off recently. Using it to exchange for your Jiang Family Estate's six billion in assets seemed like a fair trade to me."

Jiang Xinyi nodded. "I have no more questions," she murmured.

"Thank you, Zhou Yuwen."

Jiang Xinyi offered him a very sincere bow. Regardless of the details, Zhou Yuwen had saved the Jiang family, which meant he had saved both her and her mother.

Zhou Yuwen felt that Jiang Xinyi was being entirely too formal. He told her they were practically family and there was no need for such politeness.

Jiang Xinyi shook her head and replied that things were different now.

"I will figure out a way to pay back that 3.8 billion to you," she declared.

He hadn't expected Jiang Xinyi to be so incredibly stubborn.

Zhou Yuwen found her words rather amusing. After all, she was still a young lady from a wealthy family, completely oblivious to the hardships of ordinary people.

Rising to his feet, Zhou Yuwen returned to the sofa and sat down. He asked Jiang Xinyi how exactly she planned to pay it back.

Jiang Xinyi stated that she would work hard to repay him.

Zhou Yuwen said that was fine.

"However, I have a much better method. Do you want to hear it?"

"?" Jiang Xinyi grew curious. "What method?"

Zhou Yuwen suggested she give birth to a child for him. That way, her family's wealth would belong to his child, and she wouldn't owe him a thing.

Jiang Xinyi froze, her eyes widening in sheer shock.

But thinking about it, there seemed to be no flaw in his logic.

Before she could fully process the thought, Zhou Yuwen yanked her right into his arms.

"You don't need to worry about your family's affairs anymore," he murmured. "From now on, you are my woman. Just stay honest and obedient by my side. That is more important than anything else."

With that, Zhou Yuwen leaned in and kissed her directly.

Truth be told, Jiang Liming was genuinely capable. Setting aside his sweeping victories in the futures market over the past few years, his utter ruthlessness was something the average person could never match. Liu Jing might have had a knack for business, but she had too much arrogance; ultimately, she was just a wealthy madame who lost her nerve at the first sign of a major setback.

As for Jiang Xinyi, she had been sheltered entirely too well.

In short, the best thing for them was simply to follow Zhou Yuwen. Without waiting for Jiang Xinyi to react, he pinned her down on the sofa and kissed her fiercely, his hands moving to unfasten the buttons of her clothes as their lips met.

To be completely honest, Jiang Xinyi used to be quite disobedient in bed.

But things were different now. Zhou Yuwen was now the savior of both her and her mother, putting her in a naturally submissive position this time around. She just went along with whatever he wanted.

Zhou Yuwen actually quite enjoyed this version of Jiang Xinyi, acting just like an innocent little white rabbit.

They took it all the way from the sofa into the bedroom.

Zhou Yuwen had a very thoroughly enjoyable time.

Jiang Xinyi was drenched in fragrant sweat. Her previous gloomy demeanor was entirely washed away by the intense physical exertion.

Nestled in Zhou Yuwen's arms, panting heavily, she still had one lingering thought weighing on her mind.

Namely, the 3.8 billion that Zhou Yuwen had handed over to Jiang Liming.

Didn't that 3.8 billion just give her father a massive, unearned advantage?

Zhou Yuwen told her it was fine; in reality, it was only a three-hundred-million-yuan investment.

Jiang Xinyi argued that wasn't how it worked. It might have been three hundred million when he bought it, but its value had appreciated drastically.

Zhou Yuwen calmly replied that it had been steadily rising in the past, but the future would be a different story.

"Honestly, I am not optimistic about this particular asset. If your father cashes out in time, he might actually walk away with 3.8 billion. But if he gets greedy, he might end up with absolutely nothing. It all depends on whether his greed gets the better of him."

Zhou Yuwen murmured, holding Jiang Xinyi tightly.

Jiang Xinyi understood his underlying meaning. "So, this was a trap you set up in advance, wasn't it?" she asked.

Zhou Yuwen insisted it wasn't.

"Like I said, it all depends on your father's greed."

Since Jiang Xinyi and Liu Jing rarely visited Jingcheng, Zhou Yuwen suggested they stay and enjoy the city for a few days to clear their minds.

Meanwhile, his own primary focus remained on Zheng Yanyan's family.

Zheng Yanyan's mother was highly displeased that Zhou Yuwen had abandoned her and Zheng Yanyan at the shopping mall for a pair of unfamiliar women. During their next interaction, she threw a slight tantrum at him.

She pressed Zhou Yuwen, "Judging from what was said the other day, that girl is your ex-girlfriend?" "That's correct, Auntie. Is there a problem?" Zhou Yuwen replied.

Zheng's mother was severely irritated by Zhou Yuwen's attitude. She bluntly stated that since she was an ex-girlfriend, he needed to maintain a proper distance.

"Although our family isn't incredibly wealthy, we lack neither food nor clothing. I absolutely do not want Yanyan to be bullied in the future."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen replied straightforwardly, "Xinyi is currently the person in charge of her family's real estate company, and we have a business partnership. However, Auntie, I understand what you're implying. Honestly speaking, both Xinyi and Yanyan hold an equal place in my heart; there is no such thing as someone being bullied. My work is based here, and I cannot simply sever contact with Xinyi over personal sentiments. It won't just be Xinyi, either. In the future, I will inevitably have to interact with a wide variety of women for my business. Auntie, if you believe this constitutes bullying Yanyan, then I have no objections to breaking up with her. I don't want to hold Yanyan back from finding someone better."

Zhou Yuwen stated this right at the dinner table, right in front of Zheng Yanyan and her father.

The atmosphere at the table instantly turned terribly awkward.

Zhou Yuwen was genuinely fed up with having to feign compliance. His net worth was now over a hundred billion; he couldn't possibly lie to the parents of every single girl he was involved with. They were bound to find out sooner or later, so it was much better to lay his cards on the table early on.

Furthermore, Zheng Yanyan's mother had just claimed that although their family wasn't filthy rich, they desired peace and stability.

The reality, however, was far from what they imagined.

The chances of any woman who had been with Zhou Yuwen ever leaving him to return to her previous ordinary life were practically zero.

Zhou Yuwen's speech left zero face for Zheng Yanyan's mother.

Her face drained of color in an instant, and she stared at him, utterly speechless.

Fortunately, Zhou Yuwen's phone rang at that exact moment.

"Excuse me, I need to take this call," he announced.

As soon as Zhou Yuwen stepped out onto the balcony, Zheng Yanyan couldn't help but complain to her mother. She had repeatedly warned her to speak less, yet she couldn't control her mouth. Now look what happened! She got herself brutally retorted.

Hearing her daughter's reprimand, Zheng's mother felt even more exasperated. How on earth was this her fault?

"Well, who told you to talk so much?!" Zheng Yanyan glared at her mother in frustration.

Zheng's mother turned to her husband and snapped, "Old Zheng, are you just going to sit there and watch your wife get bullied?"

"Ahem!"

Zheng Yanyan's father, however, saw the situation with crystal clarity. He ran a small business in Jingcheng and actually lived quite comfortably, but the caliber of people he dealt with was entirely different. His livelihood depended heavily on others.

Now that his daughter had found such an exceptional man, he had suddenly shot up to the top of his social pyramid, with countless people clamoring to curry favor with him.

On top of that, over the past few days, Zhou Yuwen had purchased both a house and cars, even upgrading his vehicle to a brand-new Land Rover.

These were dazzling, tangible benefits.

Old Zheng might have lacked a backbone, but there was nothing to be done about it; Zhou Yuwen simply offered too much.

Thus, facing his wife's accusations, Old Zheng could only retort, "When it's an incompetent man, you despise him for having no backbone. Now a truly capable man shows up, and what? Do you expect him to have no temper either?"

That single sentence left Zheng's mother completely dumbstruck.

Zhou Yuwen finished his call and returned, mentioning that it was from the property sales office.

The contract for the villa he had purchased in the East Third Ring Road area was ready.

"Yanyan, just take your parents over to sign the paperwork this afternoon. I've already contacted a moving company to help you transition into the new place. Auntie, Uncle, here is one million for you to buy new furniture. Pick a day to go shopping whenever it's convenient."

As he spoke, Zhou Yuwen produced a bank card and set it on the table.

Old Zheng chuckled heartily. "Just give it to your Auntie. She handles all the finances in our house."

Zhou Yuwen turned his gaze to Zheng Yanyan's mother.

At this point, no matter how immense her fury was, she had no choice but to swallow it whole.

She even found herself internally rationalizing that Old Zheng was right. So what if an exceptionally capable man had a bit of an ego?

Yanyan staying with Yuwen was vastly superior to ending up with some useless nobody.

With that thought cementing in her mind, Zheng's mother forced a stiff smile and said, "Yuwen, you've really worked so hard for our family."

Zhou Yuwen replied mildly, "It's nothing. Just doing what I should."

"Auntie, I cannot make any absolute guarantees for Yanyan's future, but I can promise that as long as she is with me, she will never be bullied. I will forever pamper her like a princess."

Since Zhou Yuwen had laid his cards on the table so clearly, it would be utterly unreasonable for Zheng's mother to harbor any further complaints.

And so, the matter was settled.

Over the next few days, Zhou Yuwen took Zheng Yanyan, along with Jiang Xinyi and her mother, on several tours around Jingcheng.

Afterward, Zhou Yuwen returned to Jinling with Zheng Yanyan first.

The ordeal involving the Jiang family was neither massive nor entirely trivial.

However, Su Qing and Lu Wanting going behind his back to pull this stunt definitely warranted a stern lesson.

When it came to Su Qing, Zhou Yuwen found his hands tied.

He had tried to address the issue with her previously, but Su Qing shot back: "She literally pointed her finger at my mom's nose and cursed at her!"

"Are you just supposed to stand there and watch?"

Fair enough. Liu Jing pointing a finger at Pan Min's face and berating her would have upset Zhou Yuwen as well.

So he merely gave her a verbal reprimand, and the issue was eventually swept under the rug.

As for Lu Wanting, she needed to be thoroughly and rigorously disciplined.

By the time Zhou Yuwen arrived back in Jinling, it was already March—the season of lush grass and fluttering birds. The university semester had been underway for a while.

Junior year was truly flying by in a blur.

Before anyone could even process it, the second semester was already in full swing.

All of creation was reviving, and the spring waters were beginning to rise.

The cherry blossoms at Jiming Temple were in full bloom.

Girls wearing short skirts and flashing their long legs could be seen everywhere.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yuwen's company was a true flocking of beautiful women, with a ceaseless stream of all sorts of gorgeous girls coming and going.

There were those in delicate white small skirts showing off a pair of beautiful legs.

And there were those donning tiny leather skirts, clad in sheer black stockings paired with long boots.

Whenever these beauties laid eyes on Zhou Yuwen, their eyes would inevitably light up, and they would greet him with a sweet, lively chorus of "Boss."

Zhou Yuwen merely responded with an indifferent nod.

News of his arrival rippled through the office air, instantly reaching everyone's ears.

Consequently, whether it was Tao Tian out in the main work area or Li Shiqi in the CEO's office, everyone immediately rushed toward Zhou Yuwen's location.

By the time Zhou Yuwen stepped into his private office, quite a few girls were already gazing longingly at his door.

But Zhou Yuwen coldly instructed, "Tell Lu Wanting to report to my office. The rest of you, disperse."

Uh-oh!

Even without deciphering the exact tone of his voice, they all had a distinct premonition that Sister Wanting was doomed this time.

"Huh, hasn't Wanting and the others gone back to the United States yet?" Tao Tian quietly asked Lu Lin beside her.

Lu Lin shook her head, clarifying that they hadn't.

"They've been working here in the company temporarily. I reckon they'll be leaving right after Boss Zhou finishes 'educating' them this time," the long boot-wearing Lu Lin declared.