Chapter 8: Is There Still Time to Claim the Prize?

After three seconds of silence, Gu Xia pressed the reject call button and then, with a deep breath, dialed another number.

"Hello, I would like to speak to Assistant Meng."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, just tell him that I am Gu Xia."

At eight o'clock that evening, Gu Xia was once again sitting in the meeting room on the 101st floor of the Empire Building.

"Assistant Meng, am I still in time to collect my prize?" asked Gu Xia, tilting her head and looking earnestly at Meng Fan.

Meng Fan took out the contract they discussed earlier and placed it in front of Gu Xia.

Then, with a smiling expression, he said, "Miss Gu, please take another look, and if there are no issues, go ahead and sign it."

Meng Fan still wondered to himself if the president had the ability to predict the future; how did he know that Miss Gu would come back?

Gu Xia's feelings were complicated. She knew how disadvantageous this contract was; not only was she selling herself, but she also wouldn't benefit from it.

But... as Meng Fan had also mentioned earlier, her family's land was going to be forcefully requisitioned. So... maybe she would have to cling to the coattails of VO Corporation?

With that thought in mind, Gu Xia cleared her throat and said, "Assistant Meng, I can sign the contract, but I have one more condition."

"Please go ahead, Miss Gu."

"Whatever methods you use, first, the Du Family must be kicked out, and second, regardless of which developer takes over the East Suburb Transformation District, they must offer a fair price to our fellow neighbors. We aren't the kind of nail households that refuse to move; we just want fair compensation for relocation."

"A reasonable price is not a problem, but... kicking the Du Family out... that's a bit difficult... Do you insist on doing this? Isn't it sufficient if the Du Family offers you a nearly fair price?"

Meng Fan only knew that Gu Xia was extremely dissatisfied with the land acquisition but had no idea about her grudge against the Du Family.

"It's not enough; the Du Family must be kicked out," Gu Xia said, clenching her fists and adopting a firm tone.

Any time she thought of her father lying in the hospital and their home ripped apart, along with the Du Family's arrogant attitude and malevolent hearts, Gu Xia couldn't bear it any longer. Being driven to a dead end, she might as well take a gamble; at this moment, she was determined to exact revenge on the Du Family.

"Well... I'll have to ask our president," said Meng Fan.

Then, Meng Fan stood up to make a phone call. His voice was low and the distance too far for Gu Xia to hear what he said.

All she saw was Meng Fan returning with a smile, "It's settled; President Yu said he can help you, no problem."

"Really? He... he won't go back on his word, will he?" Gu Xia was somewhat incredulous.

"Miss Gu, please be assured, our president's promise is golden, and you should know about VO International's financial capabilities."

Hearing Meng Fan's words, Gu Xia gritted her teeth, picked up a pen... and after only three seconds of hesitation, flamboyantly signed her name.

And she even stamped it with a red fingerprint...

Although she wasn't sure whether she was incredibly lucky or what other reason there was to be chosen for a contractual marriage,

Gu Xia still couldn't shake the feeling that she had signed away her freedom... and it was far from pleasant.

However, when she thought about the Du Family soon suffering the consequences, she felt slightly vindicated.

So this night, Gu Xia was torn between feelings of satisfaction and discontent...

Inside the elevator, Gu Xia looked at the oversized envelope in her hand.

It was handed to her by Meng Fan, containing her newly arranged passport and the visa to fly to Lacity.

Yes, that's right, she would be flying there first thing tomorrow morning to marry a man she didn't know.

The thought was thrilling, and it was a good thing Lu You, that guy, was not home as he was away on business; otherwise, if he knew of such an incredulous decision she made, wouldn't he blow up at her? With that thought, Gu Xia quickly turned off her phone, in case Lu You tried to call or send her a message.

Half Mountain Half Water Private Villa

Yu Xiuli casually picked up the phone, with Meng Fan reporting back on Gu Xia's return to sign the contract.

The young girl didn't disappoint and had returned to sign as expected, but she had included an additional condition, which was within Yu Xiuli's expectations.