A few of them chatted and laughed as they walked into the private dining room, and Yang Tao introduced them to one another one by one. Once everyone was seated, the dishes began to be served. "Everyone, I ordered a few time-consuming dishes earlier—they're the house specialties. Try them in a moment to see if they're to your taste, and then feel free to order anything else you like."
"Don't be so formal. We mainly came today to finally meet the big shot that Taozi has kept so tightly hidden from us all this time."
"Haha, that's my fault. I was busy with renovations before, and every time Taozi invited me, something came up."
"Renovations? Are you getting the bridal home ready?"
"The bridal home is being done at the same time, but what I'm renovating right now is a fitness club. I used to work in finance, but I'm doing something different now. Since I usually enjoy working out, I thought about opening a club."
"A fitness club? That's right up our Weiwei's alley! Do you still need a manager? What do you think of our Weiwei here?"
Lan Weiwei quickly declined, saying, "Oh, stop teasing me. I'm just a yoga instructor; what do I know about management? But if you need someone, I do know a few people in the industry. I know both instructors and management talent."
"That's fantastic. Taozi and I were actually talking about you earlier. You simply have to come and show your support when my club opens, or better yet, just come help me out—the pay definitely won't be lower than what you're making now. To be honest, I'm just full of enthusiasm, but I'm not familiar with the specific operations. With you here, you can help keep an eye on things for me."
"I really can't. If you're short on instructors, I can come help out, but management tasks are definitely not my thing."
"No problem, I'll hire a professional manager for the day-to-day operations. Since you're a veteran who has been in this industry for years, having you there means I'll have someone on the inside I can trust."
"Let me think about it."
"Alright, I'll be waiting for your answer anytime."
With official business out of the way, the group began chatting casually. Guided by He Wenjie, they soon steered the conversation back to Lan Weiwei's mysterious boyfriend. Seeing how secretive and fiercely protective she was about it, He Wenjie couldn't help smiling inwardly.
Even without any alcohol, the meal lasted for over three hours. He Wenjie finally witnessed just how boring women's conversations could get, and what made it even more interesting was that Jiao Yang managed to fit right in and participate seamlessly. He honestly admired the guy.
Early the next morning, Yang Tao dragged He Wenjie to a department store to buy maternal and infant supplies. The two of them picked and chose as they strolled until noon, by which time He Wenjie's hands were already full of shopping bags. Yet Yang Tao still kept pulling him along to browse. As Yang Tao carefully examined the dazzling array of goods, He Wenjie looked around out of sheer boredom. Suddenly, in the distance, he spotted Duan Xifeng strolling with a woman. His first reaction was that his savior had finally arrived—with Su Qing and Yang Tao shopping together, he would finally be able to escape.
He was about to call out to Yang Tao when he suddenly noticed that the woman didn't look like Su Qing; her hair was wrong. Su Qing had short hair, while the woman had long hair. He quickly dialed Duan Xifeng's phone.
Once the call went through, he deliberately dropped a hint: "Hey, brother-in-law, Taozi and I are at the mall buying maternal and infant supplies for my sister. We'll bring them over tomorrow, so you guys don't need to prepare anything yet. If there's anything we missed, you can pick it up yourselves later."
The moment Duan Xifeng heard He Wenjie's words, he realized He Wenjie had spotted him and was with Yang Tao, warning him to get away fast. His expression changed drastically. "Which floor are you on?"
"The two of us are on the fourth floor, just looking around to see if there's anything suitable for Mom."
"Alright, I get it. Wenjie, things aren't what you think they are. We'll talk later."
"Got it, got it. See you later."
After hanging up, Yang Tao asked curiously, "Why did you call brother-in-law?"
"It suddenly crossed my mind that we shouldn't buy duplicates, so I told him we'd already bought everything."
"Oh, right."
The next day, while having a meal at Xue Sumei's place, neither He Wenjie nor Duan Xifeng brought up the incident. After eating, Duan Xifeng asked He Wenjie to help move Su Qing's luggage back. The couple planned to move in with Xue Sumei before Su Qing gave birth.
While the three women chatted inside, He Wenjie and Duan Xifeng went out to get the luggage. On the way, Duan Xifeng spoke up first: "Wenjie, things aren't what you think."
"Then what is the reason? Go ahead and explain."
"What happened with that girl was an accident. I drank too much that day, and as a result, she got pregnant."
"Sister Su Qing is pregnant too. Shouldn't I be congratulating you on a double dose of good fortune?"
"I wanted her to get an abortion, but when she went to the hospital for a checkup, the doctor said if she got rid of this child, it would be very difficult for her to conceive ever again."
"So she has to keep it?"
"What other choice is there?"
"Brother-in-law, did you hear that she would have a hard time conceiving again from her or from a doctor?"
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious? It's plain as day that she's trying to use the child to secure her position."
"Are you saying this is true?"
"True or false, a simple checkup will tell. The crux of the issue isn't whether what she said is true or false, but what you're going to do next. If I'm not mistaken, as the child grows bigger, she'll definitely make increasingly outrageous demands until she tears you and Sister Su Qing apart."
"I will never divorce Su Qing."
"Then your only option is to cut your losses in time. You cannot let her have this baby."
"I'd better think about it some more."
"Fair enough. Whatever the case, it's your personal business, and it's not my place to get involved."
"Wenjie, Su Qing is going through a very delicate time right now. I just beg you not to say anything to her."
"Don't worry, I'll take this secret to my grave. But, brother-in-law, Beijing is as big as it is small. If that woman is deliberately scheming, Sister Su Qing will definitely find out about the two of you sooner or later. I've said all I can—think it over carefully."
He Wenjie had said everything he needed to say; if Duan Xifeng still lacked the resolve to cut off the problem like a warrior severing a poisoned arm, there was nothing more he could do.
The renovation work on the fitness club was finished, and He Wenjie began arranging for the cleaning crew to move in. Meanwhile, through a period of careful baiting by He Wenjie, a superficial friendship had been established with Zhuang Yan. One day, he received a call from Zhuang Yan inviting him out for drinks. This time, Zhuang Yan didn't bring his wife along. The two of them drank a lot, and when they were both feeling quite buzzed, they went to another bar. After tossing back a few shots of liquor, Zhuang Yan intentionally began steering the conversation toward stocks.
He Wenjie had been waiting for him to take the bait. He started off being vague, and when Zhuang Yan nudged him once more, He Wenjie handed over his Hong Kong stock account for him to see. "Old Zhuang, I'm not bragging to you, but making money in the stock market is genuinely easier than picking up money off the street."
Zhuang Yan took the phone and checked it closely. With a principal of ten million, he was averaging a threefold profit every single month over the past few months. Shocked, he blurted out, "Brother, a threefold profit every single month? Your return rate is terrifying!"