In the Orchid Club.
Only a handful of people knew that the Orchid Club was an underground business ran by the Ouyang family in Flower City.
Even though it seemed like a normal club at first glance, it was actually the stronghold of the Ouyang family in the city.
The luxurious club brought its fair share of customers, who spread around secret information about the city.
Through acquiring this information, the Ouyang family could have a good grasp of what was happening every day in the city.
That was why even though most of the Ouyang familyâs businesses werenât here, they could understand the workings of the city through the Orchid Club.
The Orchid Club was just like an intelligence hub, yet it also functioned like a command center.
Ouyang Duo always had a dream about this city, but he never told anyone about it.
Meanwhile, Ouyang Qing was still waiting for her parentâs good news from the Nan family even though it was late.
The Orchid Club was a place where they held meetings. After their discussions, they would go back to their own businesses.
That was why it seemed like they didnât have a common motive for coming to the Flower City since they looked like they were minding their own businesses.
âDad, how was it?â Ouyang Qing asked anxiously.
âWhat did you do today?â Ouyang Duo pointed at Ouyang Qing.
âI didnât do anything. What happened, Dad?â
âWhy did you get into a fight? Youâre from the esteemed Ouyang family, so youâre not of the same status as those people. How could you beat someone up?â Ouyang Duo bellowed angrily.
Ouyang Qing was dumbfounded because she never thought that her usually loving father would be so furious at her.
âDad, that was a misunderstanding. I didnâtâ¦â
âAre you sure about that? Youâre so damn humiliating! Youâre a dignified lady, yet you got into an argument with one of the common folk! Absolutely ridiculous!â
âDad, how did you find out?â Ouyang Qing sensed that something was amiss.
âWalls have ears. Do you think that your actions would go unnoticed?â
âI really did lose my temper, and it wasnât a smart move, butâ¦â
âBut what? Are you trying to find excuses now?â
Feng Jialing saw that her daughter couldnât handle the onslaught, so she decided to help her out.
âOuyang Duo, what are you so angry for? Everyone makes mistakes sometimes! Your daughter was bullied, and you didnât even help her out. Instead, youâre putting the blame on her?â
âGo on. Iâd like to see you keep defending her. Donât you think sheâs such an embarrassment?â Ouyang Duo yelled.
âNo! You got the short end of the stick in the Nan family, and now, youâre blaming your daughter for it. I think youâre the embarrassment here! Donât you have some dirt on the Nan family? I donât think the Nan family would just give up on such an important project and suffer billions in losses! Actually, losing money is just the tip of the iceberg. If that project fails, Nan Chenâs standing in his company would be affected. Hordes of people dreamed of coveting Nan Chenâs position in the company, so donât you think that Nan Chen and that old geezer would be afraid that someone might overthrow Nan Chen?â
Hearing her, Ouyang Duo started to calm down as well. âLogically speaking, the old man and Nan Chen should be afraid, because after all, the project is led by Nan Chen. How could he ever watch it go down in flames? Why wouldnât he be willing to sacrifice a small profit for it? This is absolutely unreasonable and illogical!â
âThe Nan family is just trying to scare us! Theyâre just acting like they donât care so that you will compromise! Fat chance!â Feng Jialing hissed.
âDad, did the whole Nan family call off the deal, or did Nan Chen and the Old Master do that instead?â
Ouyang Qing started to panic.
If their families collaborated, Nan Chen would view Ouyang Qing differently.
Besides that, the Ouyang family would be deemed as saviors with Ouyang Qing as their representative. If so, it was entirely possible that Ouyang Qing would be of equal status with Nan Chen.
At the very least, Ouyang Qing would gain more influence from this.
That was why Ouyang Qing was very invested in this deal because it signified the future of her and Nan Chenâs relationship dynamic.
âThey didnât exactly call off the deal; they just made the conditions much more stringent! Itâs ridiculous.
They are the ones in trouble, and weâre the ones offering help, but now it seems like theyâre acting all high and mighty!â
Ouyang Duo was boiling in rage and frustration.
âDid something go wrong?â Feng Jialing asked.
âOf course not. The Nan family canât possibly get out of that situation.â Ouyang Duo shook his head.
âTrue. With Mr. Huang holding his ground, nothing unexpected will ever happen. The Nan family is stuck in a deadlock,â Feng Jialing chimed in.
âThe Nan family canât keep up their act forever! Nan Chen will definitely regret his actions and beg me for help! When that happens, both of you would have to go and see him and let him know that I have no time for people like him,â said Ouyang Duo.
âDad, you canât do this to Chen. Heâs working under the instructions of the Old Master anyway! Why are you making things hard for him?â said Ouyang Qing disdainfully.
âAre you siding with him? Donât you remember how he treated you? No matter how much you like him, you still have to be firm with him. Otherwise, do you think you will have it easy when he marries you?â
chided Ouyang Duo.
Ouyang Qing lowered her head. She surely wanted to elevate her position in Nan Chenâs heart, but she was afraid that she might anger him if the methods she employed were too drastic.
Nan Chen was not a kind soul, so angering him would be no different than courting the wrath of the devil.
If that happened, not only would she not be Nan Chenâs wife, talking to him might even be a difficult task.
Right now, Nan Chen respected her not because of her good looks or because she was the lady of the Ouyang family.
Rather because she helped Bai Hua out before, so Nan Chen owed her a favor.
On top of that, both families were considered to have a long-standing relationship, which was why Nan Chen still had some degree of respect for her.
If Ouyang Duo continued to corner Nan Chen to a dead end, Ouyang Qing was afraid that she might turn out to be Nan Chenâs enemy instead of his wife.
Feng Jialing saw how upset her daughter was, so she began to rebuke Ouyang Duo,â Why canât you talk to your daughter nicely? Why are you so afraid now that the Nan family is under your control? I will get them to kneel down and bow before me!â
âMe? Afraid of them? Come on! That would never happenâ¦â However, before he could finish, the phone began to ring.
It was a call from Vietnam.
âWhy? How could this be⦠when did it happen? I thought you said you could fix it? Damn it, this is badâ¦â He slammed the phone when he was halfway through the conversation.
Feng Jialing exchanged blank looks with Ouyang Duo as they wondered who was on the other end of the line that could incense Ouyang Duo to such an extent.
âWhat happened? Whoâs that?â
âIt was Mr. Huang. He said that Nanshi Corporationâs project in Vietnam was resumed! No wonder Nan Chen and his senile father were acting so haughty! Their problems had been taken care of! Damn it.
How dare they trick me!â
Feng Jialing was anxious, âThey actually solved it? How did they do that? How is that possible?â
âThe vice president enquired about this project, and all the problems were resolved in the shortest of time. The project was officially resumed. I was too hasty, and I really underestimated Nan Chen.â
Ouyang Duo slouched on the sofa.
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