305: Chapter 35 Useless Effort

"As long as it doesn't harm our interests, I don't think collaborating with Mei Jinning is a bad thing."

Gu Hui frowned.

The tactics Mei Jinning was using now were exactly the same as his.

He was afraid that when the time came, Shen Yan's will would waver, and he would defect to Mei Jinning at the final stage.

But he couldn't directly voice his concerns, so he remained silent for a good while.

As if oblivious to Gu Hui's very sour expression, Shen Yan picked up his chopsticks and started eating the cold dishes on the table, praising how delicious they were as he ate.

Seeing how carefree he was, Gu Hui's brow furrowed and relaxed, then furrowed again.

"Can't you... can't you just give up on collaborating with Mei Jinning?"

Hearing the question, Shen Yan put down his chopsticks and sighed.

"I can get money by collaborating with Mei Jinning. Why on earth shouldn't I work with her?"

"Chairman Gu, you should know that I'm very short on money right now."

As those words fell...

Gu Hui seemed to make a decision and said, "How much is she offering you? I'll give it to you."

Shen Yan: "Five hundred million."

Gu Hui nodded.

"I'll contact someone to transfer the money to you in a bit."

Shen Yan: "..."

He knew Gu Hui was very wealthy, but he hadn't expected him to be this rich.

Not only was he giving him money through gambling bets, but he was also willing to voluntarily gift him five hundred million.

The better Gu Hui treated him, the more he suspected Gu Hui's true motives.

As the saying goes, when a weasel pays a New Year's visit to a chicken, it certainly has no good intentions.

Everything Gu Hui was giving him now would have to be paid back twofold later.

Thinking this, he said to Gu Hui, "That won't do. I'm a businessman, not a beggar."

Hearing this, Gu Hui finally lost his patience and said irritably to Shen Yan, "This won't do, that won't do. What exactly do you want?"

Shen Yan replied, "What I want is very simple. Mei Jinning proposed a collaboration, I think it's a good deal, and I want to work with her."

Gu Hui shook his head.

"What if I say no?"

Shen Yan smiled slightly.

"This is a matter between Mei Jinning and me. What does it have to do with you, Chairman Gu?"

Gu Hui: "You!"

Shen Yan stood up, walked over to Gu Hui, and patted his shoulder.

"Don't get angry. It's not worth getting upset over this."

Gu Hui didn't say anything.

Mei Jinning had suddenly intervened.

Things that were entirely under his control were starting to spiral out of hand.

He had always disliked the feeling of losing control, so he wanted to force the derailed situation back on track.

"So you've already made up your mind to collaborate with Mei Jinning, is that right?"

Shen Yan nodded.

"That's right. As long as Mei Jinning doesn't withdraw the offer, I will collaborate with her."

Hearing this, Gu Hui stopped trying to persuade Shen Yan.

Shen Yan's mind was made up.

Continuing to discuss these matters here...

...would not only fail to change Shen Yan's mind but would also create a rift in their relationship.

Rather than making futile efforts here, it would be better to go and have a proper talk with Mei Jinning.

Thinking this, his expression softened considerably.

"Alright, then let's not talk about this anymore. Let's eat."

Shen Yan smiled and nodded, and they continued their meal.

By the time they finished, it was already past eight o'clock.

Shen Yan had originally thought Gu Hui would take him somewhere else, but to his surprise, after finishing the meal, Gu Hui just went his separate way.

Sitting in the car on the way home, Shen Yan watched the traffic outside while pondering what Mei Jinning's purpose was in telling Gu Hui about their dinner.

Could it really be as Gu Hui said?

Was Mei Jinning's goal to make the already fragile partnership between him and Gu Hui even more brittle?

Shen Yan felt that the matter was not that simple.

As he lost himself in thought...

...the car arrived at his doorstep.

He got out and entered the house.

Shen Yan saw Youyou and Shen Ya sitting on the sofa watching television.

The moment he saw the two of them, he pushed all his work-related matters to the back of his mind.

"Have you had dinner yet?"

Youyou jumped from the sofa to the floor.

"Yes!"

"Has Daddy eaten?"

Hearing Youyou's question, Shen Yan scooped her up and replied, "Daddy has already eaten. What did Youyou have today?"

Youyou held up her fingers and counted them one by one.

"Today I had scrambled eggs with tomatoes, steamed fish, and corn and pork rib soup, and... that's all."

Shen Yan raised an eyebrow.

"The food was so light today?"

Youyou nodded.

"The nanny said my stomach was upset today, so I couldn't eat anything heavy or too much. I had to eat a bit less."

Shen Yan's brow furrowed.

"What's wrong with your stomach?"

Youyou stuck out her tongue and replied, "I ate two ice creams yesterday, and then I had diarrhea all day today. The nanny even took me to see the doctor. The doctor said it's just because I ate something too cold."

Hearing this, Shen Yan couldn't help but tap Youyou's nose with his finger.

"You little rascal!"

"You mustn't be so greedy next time!"

Youyou held up three fingers by her head in a promise.

"I promise I won't be so greedy next time. I didn't think eating two ice creams would make my stomach hurt so much. I definitely won't eat two next time—just one!"

As she finished speaking...

Shen Ya burst out laughing nearby.

"What do you mean 'one or two'? Your stomach was so bad this time that you can't have any ice cream for a while. Not even one!"

Youyou puffed out her cheeks, looking a bit aggrieved.

"But my stomach doesn't hurt anymore. If it doesn't hurt, can't I keep eating them?"

Shen Ya stood up, walked over to Shen Yan, and pinched Youyou's cheek.

"Your stomach doesn't hurt now because you haven't eaten any ice cream. If you keep eating it, your stomach will start hurting again. Do you want a stomachache, or do you want ice cream?"

Facing this ultimate dilemma, Youyou rubbed her stomach and replied, "Then I'll take the stomachache... Ice cream is so tasty, I want to keep eating it."

Neither Shen Yan nor Shen Ya expected that answer.

They were stunned for a moment, then laughed helplessly.

"You little glutton!"

"Not eating ice cream means you can't have any for this period of time. Can't you endure it for just a little while?"

Youyou argued righteously, "But if I can't eat yummy things, I'll be unhappy. This kind of unhappiness is different from the unhappiness of a stomachache. I don't want to miss out on yummy food."

Shen Yan didn't want to argue logic about food with a child.

He put a finger to Youyou's lips and said, "Anyway, you are not allowed to eat ice cream for a while. I'll tell the nanny not to buy any for you."

Youyou became unhappy. She struggled a bit and wiggled out of Shen Yan's arms.

"Hmph! Daddy won't let me eat yummy things. I'm not going to like Daddy anymore!"

Shen Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "So if I never buy you ice cream, does that mean you'll never like me again?"