Chapter 82

Chen Family.

"Dad, where's my sister?" Chen Xiaofeng asked urgently. He had been trying to contact his sister all day yesterday, but for some reason, he couldn't reach her. Concerned, he rushed back home to check on her.

"Do you think she's like you? Your sister is very busy. Don't bother her unless you have a good reason," Father Chen replied, frowning at his son. He didn't know what his son was up to, but his gut told him it wasn't anything good.

"Oh, what's my sister busy with?" Chen Xiaofeng opened a cake box and prepared to dig in.

"What are you doing, trying to eat my cake?" Father Chen scolded, swatting his son's hand away from the cake.

"Dad, it's just a cake. Why are you so serious? I just want to know how my sister's doing," Chen Xiaofeng retorted, reaching for the cake again.

"Hmph, there's not much cake to begin with, and now you're trying to take it?" Father Chen glared at his son. Did his son think he didn't know what was going on with him? He knew the situation too well.

Then, pointing his finger at Chen Xiaofeng, he continued, "Your sister is busy with her own company. Don't disturb her."

"...My sister is always busy with the company. Maybe I should just take over for her," Chen Xiaofeng said, somewhat carelessly.

"I doubt your sister would be happy with that," Father Chen said, chuckling at the thought of his daughter's disdainful expression. His daughter had built her company using his money, and he had even helped her establish it, but she still looked down on him?

No matter how impressive Tianchen Group was with its global mining operations and cutting-edge technology, the group he had worked hard to build wasn't without merit. Maintaining relationships was also a form of "art"! Yet his daughter wanted nothing to do with it, dismissing it outright. In Father Chen's mind, her taking over the company would have been the best choice.

"Am I just picking up the things my sister doesn't want?" Chen Xiaofeng suddenly felt a bit insulted. Wasn't it as though he was being left with the leftovers?

"...If you don't want it, I'll donate it," Father Chen replied, looking at his son with an expressionless face.

"Dad, come on! I'm just doing this for the sake of the family name," Chen Xiaofeng said, realizing that without Tianchen Group, his luxurious lifestyle wouldn't be possible.

"Hmph," Father Chen grunted. He knew his son too well and could control him easily.

However, looking at the diminishing cake, Father Chen shouted, "If you're not staying long, go back home. You're becoming an eyesore."

Normally, Father Chen would be glad to see his son, but if his son stayed much longer, there wouldn't be any cake left.

"Hmph, I'll go check on my sister's company then," Chen Xiaofeng muttered as he stood up to leave.

"Don't bother. Your sister is in the middle of an experiment and really doesn't have time," Father Chen said, reluctantly revealing his daughter's current situation.

"Sister is so focused on her career, she'll never get married," Chen Xiaofeng grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Take care of yourself first!" Father Chen shot back, starting to doubt his son's intentions. His son had never shown much concern for his sister before.

"Fine, I'll leave," Chen Xiaofeng said, giving up for now, but still suspicious. Had his sister blocked him?

...

By the end of the month, Jia Ji Cake had been open for exactly one month.

In the bedroom.

"Brother Hai, are you raising assassins?" Zhen Linqi asked, handing her laptop to Jia Fuhai.

"Huh? Since when did I start raising assassins?" Jia Fuhai asked, confused, as he took the laptop from her.

"Look at the salary figures," Zhen Linqi said, pointing at the screen.

"Oh, it's just payroll. Why do I need to see this? Just pay them," Jia Fuhai said, dismissing the numbers without much thought.

"Look at how much you're paying them!" Zhen Linqi said, her voice rising.

"Hundreds of thousands? They're doing a good job, so I don't see a problem. How much did we make this month?" Jia Fuhai asked, still not fully grasping the significance.

"The Jia Ji Cake Factory made nearly 100 million in profits at the end of the month. That's faster than I can make money!" Zhen Linqi said in disbelief.

"We made that much?" Jia Fuhai was stunned. All this from a side business to fund his snacks and hobbies?

"Oh my god, we should pay the employees more," Jia Fuhai said. To him, if the factory was performing well, it was only fair that the employees benefit too. They had agreed early on to distribute bonuses based on efficiency and star ratings, so they would follow through.

To Jia Fuhai, the factory employees were like family, and he wanted them to live well. Besides, if he hoarded all the profits, how would the money circulate? People needed money to spend.

So, he planned to give out another big bonus at the end of the year.

"You're already paying them plenty. Be careful that other people don't get jealous. Tell your employees not to spread this information around," Zhen Linqi advised.

"You handle that, Qiqi," Jia Fuhai said casually.

Zhen Linqi glared at him. "You really don't want to handle anything, do you? By the way, Director Gao found a location for the expansion. You'll need to help set up the machines."

"Ugh, such a hassle."

"..."

Zhen Linqi sighed, clenching her fists in frustration. Brother Hai was always like this, but she tolerated it. Someone had to manage things, so it might as well be her.

"Brother Hai! Brother Hai!" Zhen Linna burst into the room, shouting excitedly.

"I'm right here! Why are you yelling?" Jia Fuhai nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Ta-da! Brother Hai, this is for you," Zhen Linna said, handing him a box.

"What is it?" Jia Fuhai opened the box curiously.

Inside, there was a thick gold necklace.

"You actually bought this?" Jia Fuhai asked, speechless.

"Put it on! It's so cool!" Zhen Linna picked up the necklace and started putting it around Jia Fuhai's neck.

Jia Fuhai glanced at Qiqi, who was laughing beside him, and reluctantly let her put it on.

Afterwards, he struck a pose on the bed, placing his hand with the watch on his chest, and looked down at the gold necklace around his neck.

"You look like a gangster!" Zhen Linna burst into laughter.

"..." Zhen Linqi, on the other hand, was silent for a moment before saying, "Actually, it's not bad. Nana also bought three rings."

"Oh, right! Here's more." Zhen Linna quickly handed another box containing three silver-white rings.

Jia Fuhai opened the box and saw three beautifully engraved rings inside, each inscribed with the words "Qi," "Na," and "Fei."

Under the expectant gazes of the two women, Jia Fuhai quickly put them all on his left hand.

"Not bad. It looks good," Zhen Linqi said with a smile.

Jia Fuhai, seeing it was a gift from his wife, decided he might as well wear them. But the necklace felt heavy—how much had Nana spent on this?

He looked at the three rings on his fingers, representing the three women in his life.

...

Meanwhile.

"Sister, I thought you went missing," Chen Xiaofeng finally managed to contact his sister.

"If you have something to say, say it quickly. I'm busy," Chen Mengya replied, clearly uninterested in wasting time.

"I met two child prodigies. Want to meet them?" Chen Xiaofeng suggested. Surely, his sister would be impressed by them.

"Are you serious? I don't have time for this. Play by yourself," Chen Mengya replied, brushing him off. She knew her brother too well and had no time for his distractions. Her experiment was at a crucial stage.

Feeling dismissed yet again, Chen Xiaofeng muttered to himself, "Humph. Same as always."