Fall in love with your enemy

Continuing from the last time, Chengcheng finally managed to go home, and unexpectedly, he came at a good time and reminded Aunt Wensu to bring Xiangyang to me as well.

But these are just after-dinner gossip. As for the young couple's life, I can only give them suggestions, but I cannot make decisions for them. We all know this. Xiangyang is definitely trying to avoid being idle, and Chengcheng can't really come to see me just for this matter. He wouldn't have contacted me easily unless there was something serious going on in the past few months when he was feeling upset.

Sure enough, after telling the joke for a while, he looked around to see if there were any outsiders around, and whispered mysteriously in my ear: "Sister, did you get the news? Someone sent me a big gift a few days ago, saying that the Wei family intends to return to Linjiang."

"Wei family?" I thought about it, but wasn't surprised.

The Wei family is Nian Nian's maternal family. It was originally one of the five small families in Linjiang. They were forced to leave because of William's oppression a few years ago and stayed in their hometown for a few years. Now that William has been arrested for a while, it is reasonable for them to want to come back. After all, most of the Wei family's foundation is still in Linjiang. It is easy to restore their former power as long as there are families willing to help.

The only thing that is a little strange is that the first family the Wei family came to was my family. Although the next heir of the Wei family, Niannian, is a classmate of Chengcheng and I, our relationship is not bad, but it is not really a good one either. It is just a friendship where we nod to each other when we meet. Xiangyang and Kanhai are her true friends. Even if she goes to find Gao Xinci, I think it is reasonable. Whether we are familiar with each other or not, they are childhood friends who grew up together.

Maybe my family has been a little too powerful in the past two years?

It's not so bad. My family only owns 70% of Linjiang's food, clothing, housing, transportation and entertainment. It can't be said to be a monopoly. Chen Yining and Song Fei cooperated sincerely and I gave them half each. You are jealous of the mere 60% in your hands?

Well, 60% seems a bit too much. Plus, Chengcheng has been a workaholic recently and almost earned back the 10% he threw away.

I thought it was a bit funny, so I grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and cracked them while chatting: "Did the government come to you for a talk again? Do they think our share is too high and want you to spread it out a bit?"

Cheng Cheng pursed her lips and nodded heavily: "Of course, monopoly is not a trivial matter. If there is such a trend, our family must pay attention. I was so busy that I forgot. I said before that I would expand to other cities. I just worked hard in the past few months and almost crossed the red line without paying attention. But now I am not prepared to go out. I haven't even chosen a place! Not to mention greeting the local business community and making arrangements, so I can only find partners first and divide the resources under my hands. Now Song Fei and Sister Yining have already set up their own businesses. It is not appropriate for me to find them again, otherwise it will be difficult to explain to the government. I can only find new people from outside."

"The Wei family is not a small family. They have been wealthy merchants for more than ten generations. Not to mention the newcomers, will it be easy to explain if they bring back this big Buddha?" I handed Cheng Cheng a cup of tea, thinking in my heart and smiling: "What gift did they give you? The more they talk, the more I think it must be a good thing."

Cheng Cheng stuck out her tongue and shrugged her shoulders. "It's not really given to us. We can only do a favor. It's about Wen Ke's career. Wen Xichang has stepped down. The Wei family has connections with the higher-ups. They said that if the cooperation is successful, they will let Wen Ke take Wen Xichang's previous position. This is not a hard job. If he really gets promoted, it will be a real relationship and will benefit us a lot."

I paused, feeling uneasy. Although I couldn't be sure, I couldn't easily conclude anything involving officialdom.

I turned around and pretended to be calm and asked Cheng Cheng: "Wen Xichang is not a small official, and Wen Ke is still so young. How can they guarantee that Wen Ke can really get the position? Besides, she and her father are not on the same path."

"They said they would give it to the deputy first. The person who currently sits in Wen Xichang's position was injured during a mission. He is expected to be disabled. He will need to be transferred to an easier position in the future. When he leaves, the deputy will take over. The deputy is old and will retire in a few years. Wen Ke will follow step by step. By the time she really gets to that position, she will be in her thirties or even forty, which is not too young. In addition, she is already very outstanding and valued by the higher-ups, so she has long been trained as a priority."

"A few years..." I thought about it, and then I started to eat melon seeds with a smile on my face. "So the Wei family is willing to wait for a few years. Then we don't have to rush. Otherwise, the request is too easy to achieve, but the benefits have to wait for a few years. What if they regret it halfway through?"

"I have indeed thought about this. And if I send Wen Ke to a high position, it would be a hidden danger that she would turn against me. That's why I came to discuss it with you. Sister, don't you also think it's inappropriate? But I also think that bringing the Wei family back to Linjiang will not have any impact on us. They are doing the same business as us and can also distract public attention. The little time they delay is enough for me to find a new place to expand my territory." Cheng Cheng nodded and lowered his head thoughtfully.

"I have another question. Why would the Wei family come directly to our house? The other families are all related to us, but the Wei family is the most indifferent. Besides, don't you and Niannian have a hard time getting along? How could she put aside her pride and come to you?" I pinched a piece of dessert and fed it to Chengcheng, asking casually.

Cheng Cheng didn't take it seriously, it was just that the bean paste cake was too sticky. He chewed it for a long time and drank water. He was even more annoyed when he mentioned Nian Nian: "It's not her, she will never bow to me in her life. Ever since William schemed against the Wei family, it's not her branch that is in charge. It was her uncle who came forward."

"Ah?" I was surprised for a moment, and the two babies in my belly kicked me. I straightened my back and sat up straight: "When will Niannian have an uncle? Even if she does, hasn't the Wei family always been managed by women? If Niannian is not managing the family properly, her cousin should take over. How come an uncle suddenly appeared?"

Cheng Cheng shrugged, "Of course he's not my biological uncle. Didn't the old lady of the Wei family bring a divorced man into the family? That man had a child, so he was Wei Sinian's uncle in terms of seniority. After the old man passed away, the old lady couldn't kick the child out. He was so young, and he was afraid he would starve to death on the street. So she softened her heart and raised him as her own son. But after all, there was no blood relationship, so she rarely took him out to meet guests. That's why we don't know each other, but the Wei family still recognized him as their son, and he was pushed out at this time."

The more I listened, the more ridiculous it seemed to me. There was no prior information at all, and the fight between big families could not have been quiet. Even the Internet should have leaked some information, but strong-willed people like Niannian and her mother quietly stepped back and let this so-called "uncle" take over. Regardless of whether the old lady was old and confused, he was destined to be a pawn.

The Wei family is a wealthy family, how could they hand over their future to an outsider who has no blood relationship with them? Everyone understands, but this person is unreasonable, and he really made a fuss. This is why he didn't look for the Zhao family and the Gao family. They all have a good relationship with Niannian. In addition, this uncle is just a young man who has just made his way. Life is boring, and making a few insults to him is also a pastime. I guess they have already given him a cold shoulder in private, so he thought of looking for my family, which is not so close to Niannian. Coincidentally, my family Chengcheng belongs to the group that really dislikes Niannian.

Nian Nian is a talkative and informal person. To put it nicely, she is generous, but to put it bluntly, she is talkative. She likes to chat about other people's family affairs without avoiding others. Her close friends know that she means no harm, but it's rare for someone as unsociable as Cheng Cheng to be liked. She has been bullied many times, so it's no wonder that people don't like her.

Unfortunately, no matter how much we hate business or personal relationships, there is a bottom line and we know the limits. Chengcheng is not stupid. If she really gives the Wei family a way out, it will only benefit my family and not harm it. When our family is stable in the future, she will kick her uncle out and take the position of decision maker every year, and she will remember our favor.

I thought for a while and leaned back on the cushion to avoid the idleness: "How about this, you tell him to reconsider it. Cooperation is not a trivial matter. As for official affairs, we should not interfere. They are an iron family. We are naturally not as familiar with officialdom as them. Don't get involved easily. If the Wei family doesn't have anything good to give us, it must be a career in the government, and it can't be a literary career."

"Why not Wen Ke? Isn't she the closest to us?" Cheng Cheng turned around with some confusion.

"Because she's already too full from the benefits our family has given her. If she eats any more, she'll vomit. If she gets a beer belly, she'll be able to turn into the next Wen Xichang." I pinched Cheng Cheng's palms. "Those who can get along well in the government are geniuses who can't be more brilliant. With such people, we just need to exchange benefits respectfully. She always needs us, so we are close friends. If she suddenly becomes successful, we will become profiteers who hold her back. Why bother trying to curry favor with someone who will be despised? Think about it, Wen Xichang was raised by our family since he was a child, isn't he still an ungrateful person?"

"That's true." Cheng Cheng nodded, and came closer with a smile: "What if he asks us about when we should consider what to do? I... hide? Anyway, he won't run away. No one in Linjiang except our family will be so peace-loving and care about him."

"No need to hide from him. It's as if we are afraid of him. You can learn this from Shen Qilin. He is the best representative of those who can still look down on others. Just let him handle it. As for the official inquiries, let's take care of some small families first. If they can develop, they will be our helpers and it will be a good thing to have marriage alliances. Then you can consider developing outside. Yingjing and Yudu are all good places. If you think it's hard to deal with a big city for the first time, small places like Pingcheng are also fine. I think that Yingjing has my uncle who can help you. If you don't want to communicate with him, you can change places."

"Uncle? He doesn't even bother to pay attention to me." Cheng Cheng pouted and said in disgust: "I don't know why he dislikes me so much. I can't stay with him for more than ten minutes."

"Then let's not talk about this, or my Chengcheng will be wronged." I rubbed his face with a funny look, "Let's talk about business, have you ever considered those small families? Do you have any useless people around you?"

"I'm only familiar with Sister Yining and Song Fei. As for the others... we only do business and don't have any personal relationships. Shen Qilin and Uncle Shao help me deal with them." Cheng Cheng shook her head, looking a little embarrassed: "Sister, you should choose for this kind of thing. I'll talk to them if you think they're suitable."

It is just as I thought. At this position, he no longer has to interact with many people he does not want to interact with. He does not like crowded places in the first place. He works so hard just so that he can do things according to his mood.

"Here I am..." I paused. The mention of my uncle and Xiang Yang gave me some ideas. Two people came to my mind: "Do you still remember Meng Qinyuan and Xiang Lingchen?"

"High school classmates?" Cheng Cheng was stunned for a moment. It seemed that she had no objection, but she still said, "Of course, they can. They are both capable, but the Meng family and the Xiang family are now in internal strife. The situation is not very good. Is it because of Meng Qinyuan and Xiang Lingchen? But we don't seem to know each other very well."

"We are more than just classmates. We have another level of relationship."

"what?"

"My dear relatives, have you forgotten? Aren't the husbands of my two younger sisters, Zening and Zexin, from these two families? Even though they are not the two of them, my younger brother is also from the same family. Family members should recognize each other as family members, and it is necessary to have such a situation to make them inseparable from us. Meng Qinyuan is fighting with his father who abandoned his wife and children. As for the Xiang family, although the new daughter-in-law is married in a formal way, Xiang Lingchen still has a very tense relationship with his father and brother. It is easy to add icing on the cake, but it is difficult to send charcoal in the snow. If we help, they will remember it. It can help solve the urgent problem and make more friends."

"Then don't we want our brother-in-law anymore?" Cheng Cheng raised her hand weakly.

I was confused: "Yes, why not?"

"But Qin Yuan and Ling Chen have a terrible relationship with my brother. If we cooperate with them, can we still marry my sister to their brothers in the future? We are from completely opposing families, so we can only give benefits to one side, right?" Cheng Cheng shrugged.

I waved my hand: "Do you like Yangyang?"

Cheng Cheng shook his head without disguising: "I don't like it."

"Then it's over. The relationship between Meng Qinyuan and Meng Hangsheng is similar to that between you and Yangyang. In fact, they don't hate each other. It's just that the improper behavior of the elders implicates the relationship between the brothers. In fact, Meng Qinyuan will not do anything to his younger brother, so he doesn't take Meng Hangsheng seriously. We know more about our rebirth and the things in the previous life. We know that Mr. Meng will not live long. In the future, it will not be Meng Qinyuan who will be the head of the family. For the sake of reputation, he can't make his younger brother's future too bad. Let's extend an olive branch and let his younger brother become our son-in-law. It's considered marrying up, and it will also consolidate family relationships and make an alliance. There's nothing wrong with that. The Xiang family is not that serious. Lingchen is hard-mouthed but soft-hearted. He and his father just have a hurdle in their hearts, and neither of them is willing to bow their heads. Xiang Beiyin still wants to have a good relationship with his brother, but Lingchen doesn't give him a chance."

"That's true."

I felt relieved when Chengcheng agreed to my request, but I still had some doubts about certain things, which affected the way I discussed things with others. I rubbed my stomach and thought that there would be no problem these days, so it should be fine to go out. I took a deep breath.

"Oh, by the way, aren't you familiar with Qin Yuan and the others? If you think cooperation is feasible, just push the meeting to me. I haven't met Xiang Lingchen's wife yet, so it's a good opportunity to meet her. I heard that Qin Yuan and Xiao Xiao are also preparing for pregnancy, so I can chat with Xiao Xiao about this and get closer to her."

Cheng Cheng almost vomited out a mouthful of bean cake, staring straight at my belly that was as big as two watermelons: "Your belly is so big, if I cause trouble for you again, I will pick up a knife and chop me, right?"

"Don't worry, it's not your turn. When you were thinking about pushing Zening and Zexin to fall in love early, your uncle's sniper rifle was already aiming at your little heart." I said in a very "serious" voice.

“Ah——” Cheng Cheng put on a bitter face, but soon couldn’t hold it back anymore and burst out laughing: “Okay, I’m tough, never mind this, no kidding, Sister Ang, why don’t you just take good care of your baby, if it doesn’t work I’ll call you in front of them and put you on speakerphone.”

I was petrified and speechless for a moment. I patted him on the shoulder with one hand and said, "Brother, at first I thought you had really grown up and were saving me trouble."

"I can't do that, sister. I can talk about work, but if I try to get close to you by talking about life, I'll offend you. You know me well." Cheng Cheng leaned in close to look me in the eye, very "sincerely". After a while, she smiled again: "Okay, actually, if I bring Shen Qilin with me, he can still stop me from talking nonsense. I'm coming, you have a good rest."

"Come on, if you're drunk, ten Shen Qilin can't stop you from demolishing the house. Let me do it. At worst, I can find a reason to invite them to Jinhai. I don't have to move far, so nothing will happen." I curled my lips.

"Really? An An and his little friend are quite well behaved in your belly? Don't you think they are too heavy?" Cheng Cheng narrowed her eyes and asked three times.

I straightened my waist and patted my belly: "You are kidding, your sister is a pregnant woman."