Chapter 64: A Vague Sense of Foreboding

Lin Weiwei’s family also brazenly came over to freeload a meal. As he ate, Zhao Kai gave Chen Yu a thumbs-up and said, "Brother Chen Yu, with culinary skills like yours, it's a complete waste not to open a Michelin-starred restaurant!"

Chen Yu merely smiled and handed a piece of freshly grilled meat to Jiang Zhiyun.

Jiang Zhiyun took the plate, her fingertips accidentally brushing against Chen Yu’s. Her cheeks grew slightly warm, and she hurriedly lowered her head, taking small bites of the food.

All morning, they fished by the stream and flew kites on the grass.

The atmosphere was so wonderful and harmonious.

Except... Zhao Kai, who kept feeling that something was not quite right.

He noticed that his wife, Lin Weiwei, kept casting glances—intentionally or not—toward Chen Yu today.

Deep in Zhao Kai's heart, a faint, ominous premonition began to take root.

...

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in Jinghai City.

In front of the headquarters building of the Lin Group.

Jiang Hao, Jiang Zhiyun's younger brother, looked at the Patek Philippe on his wrist with a look of extreme anxiety.

He had been waiting here for nearly an hour.

In order to secure the "Galaxy Bay" project currently being put out to tender by Lin's Real Estate, he had spared no effort, utilizing all his connections and even secretly selling a portion of his shares in the Jiang Group. He had scraped together a full fifty million in cash and delivered it straight to Wang Defa, the vice president of Lin's Real Estate.

At the time, Wang Defa had pounded his chest and guaranteed him that this project would undoubtedly be his.

Yet, several days had passed, and Wang Defa had only told him to wait for news.

Today, he simply could not wait any longer and stormed straight to the Lin Group, determined to demand a clear explanation in person.

Finally, he got through to Wang Defa on the phone.

"Hello, Vice President Wang. I'm downstairs at your company. Are you available right now? Can we meet?"

There was a barely suppressed urgency in Jiang Hao's tone.

On the other end of the line came Wang Defa’s slightly awkward voice: "Ah, Young Master Jiang... I'm terribly sorry, but right now... I'm really not available."

"Not available? Vice President Wang, what do you mean by that? What on earth is happening with the Galaxy Bay project?"

"Well... Young Master Jiang, I... I’ve already resigned from the Lin Group. I truly can’t help you with your matter anymore. As for that sum of money, I'll return it to you in a couple of days..."

"What?!" Jiang Hao felt as though he had been struck by lightning. "Resigned? When did you resign? What about the project?"

"The project... the project has already been finalized."

"Finalized? Given to whom?" Jiang Hao's heart plummeted to the very bottom.

Wang Defa on the other end fell silent for a few seconds before stammering, "It's... it's President Jiang Zhiyun of the Jiang Group."

"She personally signed the contract with our Chairman Lin half a month ago."

Boom—!

Jiang Hao’s mind went completely blank.

Jiang Zhiyun?

It turned out to be Jiang Zhiyun!

She had already signed the contract half a month ago? Then all these past few days, as he acted like an utter fool throwing money around and begging others, he had simply turned into a colossal joke!

He recalled how, back at home, Jiang Zhiyun had once casually remarked that she was bound to win the Galaxy Bay project.

At the time, he had simply taken it as a joke, assuming his older sister was just blowing hot air.

Yet now, reality had dealt him a resounding, stinging slap across the face!

No! That wasn't right!

Jiang Hao's eyes instantly bloodshot.

This was absolutely not something Jiang Zhiyun had secured through her own ability! It must have been her!

She must have known he was also vying for this project and deliberately tripped him up from behind!

She was terrified! Terrified that he would achieve success, grow capable, and threaten her status as the heir!

This vicious woman! Her scheming was truly this deep!

A fierce wave of anger and humiliation stripped him of his reason.

He hung up the phone and immediately dialed his father Jiang Shicheng's number.

The moment the call connected, Jiang Hao burst into tears, launching into his tearful accusations.

"Dad! Jiang Zhiyun has gone too far!"

"To suppress me, she stopped at nothing! The Galaxy Bay project that I painstakingly spent months following has been snatched away by her stabbing me in the back!"

"She never regarded me as her younger brother at all! In her eyes, I'm just a stumbling block on her path to the succession! She's trying to push me to my death, Dad!"

"This woman is too cruel! For the sake of power, she is capable of anything! We were all deceived by her hypocritical facade of nobility! She is an unforgivable, wicked vixen!"

On the other end of the line, Jiang Shicheng listened to his son's shrill, truth-twisting, tearful accusations as his brows knitted into a tight knot.

Under normal circumstances, hearing that his son had suffered such a massive grievance would have thrown him into a towering rage.

After all, Jiang Hao was his only son.

Yet today, the familiar fury in Jiang Shicheng's heart was strangely slow to ignite.

He irritably loosened his tie, while another scene unbidden began to surface in his mind.

He remembered how Jiang Zhiyun had previously told him that she had already secured the bidding documents for Galaxy Bay.

Yet he hadn't believed her at all and had even scolded her for it.

What if... what if Jiang Zhiyun had been telling the truth back then?

What if she really had been working on this project half a month ago and had successfully won it...

Then Jiang Hao's sending of money and begging others would all become a laughingstock, wouldn't it?

The so-called "backstabbing" that Jiang Hao wailed about simply did not hold water!

Thinking of this, Jiang Shicheng's slight dissatisfaction with Jiang Zhiyun instantly shifted onto his own good-for-nothing son.

Instead of directing his anger toward his daughter, the fire in his chest did a complete about-face, aimed squarely at Jiang Hao on the other end of the line.

If this brat had even half of his sister's brains and capability, he wouldn't be played around with like a fool, only to end up crying and running back to his old man to complain!

How humiliating! It utterly disgraced the Jiang family name!

"Enough!" Jiang Shicheng finally spoke up. "What are you howling for! Over such a trivial matter, crying and whining like that—what kind of behavior is this?!"

On the other end, Jiang Hao's crying cut off abruptly.

He... what did he just hear?

Not only did his father not comfort him, but he was... scolding him?

"Dad... I..." Jiang Hao was completely dumbfounded, temporarily not knowing what to say.

The script wasn't supposed to go like this. Shouldn't his father fly into a towering rage, call up that bitch Jiang Zhiyun to curse her out fiercely, and then promise to snatch the project back for him?

"Alright, I know about this matter."

"I will handle it."

With that, without giving Jiang Hao a single chance to speak again, the call went dead with a sharp click.

Listening to the "beep-beep" busy tone coming from his phone, Jiang Hao stood frozen in place.

Why?

Why did it end up like this?

...

Jiang Shicheng hung up the phone.

The more he thought about it, the more enraged he felt!

He knew all too well just how important the Galaxy Bay project was.

It wasn't just a juicy piece of meat; it was the stepping stone for the Jiang Group to reach the next level in Nan শহরের real estate circles.

The Lin family held an extraordinary status in the capital, and establishing a connection with them possessed immeasurable hidden value.

He had originally hoped that Jiang Hao could use this opportunity to make a name for himself overnight and firmly establish his footing on the board of directors.