Chapter 179: Facing Conflict

"I didn't expect Jiang Hai would dare to ruin our business." After leaving Qi Li's house, Qi Liangcai couldn't help but shake his fist in anger. They had come to provoke Qi Li's family, but unexpectedly, it was they who ended up humiliated.

"Liangcai, don't worry too much about that clown, Jiang Hai. What I'm more concerned about now is whether Qi Li intends to let him rise up," Qi Song said slowly, rubbing his chin.

"Regardless of whose plan this is, we've made enemies. There's no going back, and Uncle Qi will have to deal with the fallout," An Changwu muttered, his eyes narrowing. He had come a long way to get here, only for Jiang Hai to ruin everything. Was he happy about it?

"Of course, it's better for both of us if we deal with Qi Li. When the time comes, Qi will be mine, and Qi Li will be yours. Everyone will be satisfied!" Qi Liangcai said with a smile, patting An Changwu on the shoulder. Though An Changwu smiled back, there was a sharp glint in his eyes. Qi will be theirs? That was just an idea for now.

"Why do you say everything?" As the two families left, Qi Li couldn't help but punch Jiang Hai's arm, glaring at him in reproach. He'd never been this careless before. Why did he have to blurt everything out?

"Well, isn't it enough? Am I not helping you?" Jiang Hai mumbled awkwardly with a forced smile.

"You..." Qi Li flushed, feeling both ashamed and furious.

"Alright, stop making a fuss. The two families have gone, and I'm glad to see the back of them. Now, I'll go check on the kitchen. You should rest for a bit!" Qi Li's mother smiled, watching the playful exchange between them.

Every mother loves her daughter, and Qi Li's mother was no different. Qi Li, being her eldest daughter, held a special place in her heart. Over the years, Qi Li had always been her main concern. But there was one thing that troubled her: Qi Li's marriage. At the time, the Qi family couldn't fall into the hands of Qi Song or anyone from outside, so she had made the decision for Qi Li to marry Jiang Hai.

She knew how much Qi Li must have suffered in that marriage. Jiang Hai had never been a suitable husband in her eyes, and the fact that Qi Li didn't love him only made things harder. Over the years, she had felt a bit guilty looking at her daughter.

But now, it seemed that Qi Li and Jiang Hai were getting along well, and that was what she had hoped for most.

After greeting them, Qi Li's mother went to the kitchen. She also took the beef Jiang Hai had brought. To be honest, Qi Li's mother didn't expect much from the cattle Jiang Hai raised. It was just a gift from him, so she accepted it. But in the future, the beef would surprise her.

After she left, an awkward silence settled between Jiang Hai and Qi Li. They didn't know what to say. It felt as though they had no common ground anymore.

"Ah, this place is much bigger than I thought. Can I watch TV?" Jiang Hai exhaled lightly, looking around at the Qi family's living room, which had been a bit crowded and tense earlier. Now, it was much quieter.

"Here." Qi Li handed him the TV remote control.

"I usually watch 3D projections, so I'm not used to flat-screen TVs. Is there anything good on TV these days?" Jiang Hai asked, switching through the channels.

"Find something yourself. Do you think I have time to watch TV?" Qi Li replied coldly, rolling her eyes at him.

"Tsk..." Jiang Hai couldn't help but curl his lips. Fortunately, he soon found a movie channel playing an old classic, "Flirting Scholar." With nothing else to do, he settled in to watch it.

"By the way, is your manor in Boston? How big is it? How much did it cost?" Seeing Jiang Hai so engrossed in the movie, Qi Li felt a bit uncomfortable just sitting there, so she asked him to pass the time.

"My estate is in the greater Boston area, actually in Winthrop. It spans 11,200 acres, with nearly 10,000 acres for grazing, and about 1,000 acres dedicated to wineries. The rest is covered in trees, a small forest, and the total sea area is 720 square kilometers. I spent nearly all my wealth—280 million dollars—on it... Why are you asking about this?" Jiang Hai answered, still watching TV. He was very proud of his estate. Such a vast land was valuable.

But halfway through his explanation, he remembered that Qi Li had shown interest in his manor, and looked at her warily.

"280 million?! That's in US dollars! That's about 1.84 billion RMB. You spent that much on a manor and only got 10,000 acres? Are you crazy?" Qi Li exclaimed. In her mind, if Jiang Hai wasn't crazy, he had certainly lost his mind. Who would buy such a manor?

Qi Li's business instincts kicked in, and she immediately started calculating. "Let me do the math for you. Your 720 square kilometers of fishery is worth at most 100 million dollars. If we subtract that, you still have 180 million dollars. For 11,200 acres, that means the average price per acre is about 16,071 dollars. Do you know the price of land in the U.S.? In Mexico, it's only about 300 to 400 dollars per acre. Even the most expensive land in California can't reach more than 3,000 to 4,000 dollars per acre. With this 180 million, you could buy a 100,000-acre farm, no problem."

"Well, it's Boston... it's a metropolitan area!" Jiang Hai half-heartedly defended himself. He had checked the land prices before buying. He knew the central and western parts of the U.S. were cheap, but the East, especially Boston, had higher prices due to its proximity to the city.

That's why he had bought it, though it wasn't until later that he realized manors were valued differently. After calculating, he realized his ocean alone was worth at least 120 million dollars, while the land was only worth 60-80 million, meaning the manor itself was only worth 200 million dollars. Still, he had paid 80 million extra, which was a bit of a rip-off. But since he'd already signed the contract, there was no turning back.

"What's wrong with the metropolitan area? Aren't there other places with metropolitan areas?" Qi Li argued. "If you'd bought a city in New York for 280 million, I'd get it, but you bought a city in Boston. Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Houston, and Dallas are all more prosperous than Boston..."

Jiang Hai fell silent, rubbing his head in embarrassment.

After Qi Li finished her rant, she looked at Jiang Hai's reaction and was tempted to bite him in frustration.

This guy was so annoying! And it didn't help that he had dumped her. She was even more irritated now!

The atmosphere between the two grew icy again. Jiang Hai returned to watching TV, while Qi Li flipped through some magazines. Thankfully, Qi Li's mother returned soon, and they all enjoyed a nice lunch together.

Afterward, the three of them watched TV in the living room. In reality, it was mostly Qi Li talking with her mother.

The evening passed, and after dinner, the two families said their goodbyes. Jiang Hai and Qi Li weren't truly husband and wife yet. Even when they were, they never slept together. Now, neither of them was ready to break the silence. If they lived together, it would be uncomfortable for both of them.

Jiang Hai made an excuse, saying he had things to do tomorrow, and after dinner, he left to return home.

"I'll take you there!" Qi Li's car pulled up in front of Jiang Hai just as he reached the gate of the villa. Since Jiang Hai had helped her a lot today, he didn't refuse.

"Your performance today wasn't bad..." she said once they were in the car, but once again, silence fell between them.

"Ah, if you did well, then remember to sign the agreement," Jiang Hai said, looking out the window without thinking.

"Do you really want me to sign?" Qi Li's voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

"What?" Jiang Hai asked, not sure if he heard her correctly.

"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you I won't sign the agreement," Qi Li said, her voice turning cold as she shook her head, dismissing any thoughts of signing.

"Why not? Didn't you say that if I helped you today, you'd sign it?" Jiang Hai's face darkened. He didn't understand women's hearts and didn't care to. He only knew she seemed to be playing tricks on him.

"I said I'd consider it, but I never promised to sign. Don't worry, I have no interest in your manor, but we can't divorce just yet." Qi Li looked at him with steady eyes, revealing how serious she was.

Jiang Hai couldn't believe it. He had hoped they'd settle things today, but Qi Li was making it more complicated.

"Your company's internal issues are still a mess. I need you to sign it to stabilize things. I can't do this without your name," Qi Li said seriously.

Her words were enough to deceive Jiang Hai, who didn't understand business or politics.

"I don't care about your company. I'm done with this manor! Take half of it if you want!" Jiang Hai was getting frustrated and slammed his hand on the door.

Qi Li didn't respond. She just hit the brakes and let him get out of the car.

The cold northern wind blew around him as he walked away, and Jiang Hai couldn't stand being around her anymore. Could she even be trusted?

He stomped through the snow, slowly heading toward the road. Meanwhile, Qi Li sat in the car, watching his retreating figure, her thoughts tangled.

She didn't know why she had said what she did. She had known for a while that signing the agreement was best for both of them. But she couldn't bring herself to do it, not because she didn't want to, but because something inside her resisted. After today, after seeing Jiang Hai and Feng Yunchen this morning, she realized there was something more complicated between them than she thought.

Qi Li leaned against the steering wheel, her thoughts clouded as she watched Jiang Hai fade into the distance.

It wasn't until her mother called that she snapped out of her daze. She opened the window, let the cold air hit her face, and turned the steering wheel, heading home.

(To be continued.)