266: Chapter 266 Familiar with the Way

The news of Hengtian Group's financial crisis completely swept through the trending news over the past few days, thoroughly confirming the previous rumors. Hengtian's stock price instantly plummeted to 20% of its pre-crisis value.

Meanwhile, Xing Jiaxing was rapidly and secretly purging those who were wavering.

The Hao Family home.

"Uncle Hao, this is a bottle of vintage wine I bought from a collector. Try it and see if it has enough character."

Hao Aiguo only unsealed it to take a sniff before quickly resealing it. "Fragrant! One whiff and you know it's good wine!"

"I'm glad you like it."

"Xiao Shuai, the wine is good, but I've been pestered to death by an old friend lately, so I'm not in the mood to drink. You've heard about what's happening with Hengtian, right?"

"Of course I have. These past few days, as soon as I open my phone, it's all Hengtian news."

"Then, about that promise we agreed on before..."

"Uncle Hao, I have one piece of bad news and one piece of good news to tell you."

"Then, let's hear the bad news first."

"The bad news is, I can't fulfill that ten-billion-yuan promise from last time."

Hao Aiguo's heart skipped a beat, but he felt that Zhao Xiaoshuai didn't seem like someone who would break his word. Furthermore, his current expression didn't look like he was there to apologize. So, without showing it on his face, he continued to ask:

"And the good news?"

Zhao Xiaoshuai checked his watch. "It should be about time. Why don't you turn on the TV to the local news? Or check any major online platform; they should all be broadcasting it live. You'll understand once you see it, Uncle Hao."

Hao Aiguo looked at this junior who was playing coy and felt a surge of annoyance, but he still immediately turned on the TV to the local satellite station. Mother Hao and Hao Zhigang also gathered around to see what the fuss was about.

"Hengtian Group is holding an emergency press conference..."

"The group has encountered some difficulties recently, leading to a break in the capital chain. We are facing nearly three billion in debt defaults and twenty billion in project delays. However, just a short while ago, the group resolved the crisis!"

"Hengtian has received a total cash injection of 7 billion yuan from Mr. Zhao Xiaoshuai. While paying off all debts, all projects will also proceed smoothly. Hengtian will persist in its former..."

The press conference was short but concise. Hengtian Group disclosed the book balance of the company's accounts, instantly dispelling all voices of doubt!

Hao Aiguo breathed a sigh of relief and pointed a finger at Zhao Xiaoshuai. "You little rascal!"

"The good news you mentioned—is it that you didn't need 10 billion, and 7 billion solved the problem?"

Zhao Xiaoshuai smiled. "Uncle Hao is indeed perceptive!"

Hao Aiguo was immensely relieved. With the Hengtian issue resolved, the homes of thousands upon thousands of ordinary people were saved. Zhao Xiaoshuai's actions were a great service to the entire city of Chuncheng!

Zhao Xiaoshuai was also quite happy. Although this injection into Hengtian cost him exactly 10 Gold Cards, leaving him with only 5 in stock, he had also earned a massive sum of 2.945 billion yuan in one go. His current savings exceeded three billion!

Moreover, he had many other tangible assets under his name that weren't included, such as his gulfstream g550.

After the group chatted and laughed for a while, Hao Aiguo suddenly spoke up and asked, "Xiao Shuai, have you had any news of Jinghan lately?"

His daughter had suddenly developed symptoms like morning sickness in the army, and upon examination, she was actually pregnant.

His daughter had submitted a report to her superiors and pleaded for confidentiality, but those superiors were basically all former soldiers under Hao Aiguo's command. How could they possibly keep it from him?

Hao Aiguo was initially furious, but after thinking it over, his daughter wasn't a loose person. Who could it be that had quietly gotten his daughter pregnant?

He thought back and forth; it seemed the only time his daughter had come into contact with a stranger was when she returned to visit family not long ago.

Combining this with some clues, the shrewd Hao Aiguo decided to test Zhao Xiaoshuai.

"Uncle Hao, I was just about to tell you about this. Hanhan's child is mine."

A crashing sound came from the kitchen, and Mother Hao immediately walked out.

The incident was sudden, and Hao Aiguo hadn't yet told his wife about their daughter's situation.

"What did you say?"

"Auntie, please don't be upset. Hanhan and I are mutually in love. When she went back to the army before, she didn't know she was pregnant."

Zhao Xiaoshuai then recounted the process of how they met and fell in love, picking the parts he could tell and beautifying them.

"Then where is Jinghan now?"

"She's living in a house I bought for her. There's an entire team taking care of her daily life, so please rest assured."

"No, I want to see my daughter. Take me to see her right now!"

Hearing that her daughter was suddenly pregnant, Mother Hao was still very anxious. She wouldn't just take Zhao Xiaoshuai's word for it; she had to see her daughter in person.

"It's like this: Hanhan is a bit afraid to face Uncle Hao. She might have been scared of being hit when she was little, so she asked me to come and explain to you first."

Mother Hao first shot a glare at her husband. "It's all your fault! You've raised our daughter like a son since she was a child. Can a daughter be beaten so casually? Now look, our daughter doesn't even dare to come home when something happens!"

Hao Aiguo could only take it silently, not daring to argue. To be honest, he had always regretted how he treated his daughter as he got older, believing he bore a large part of the responsibility for her being unable to find a partner.

"If you two can promise not to scold her, I'll drive you to see her right now."

"Don't worry. If it won't work, her father won't go; Zhigang can just accompany me."

"Don't be like that. I promise not to lose my temper. Besides, the young people are in love; they just didn't take proper precautions. Why would I be angry?"

After the agreement was reached, Zhao Xiaoshuai took them to the luxury villa where Hao Jinghan was staying.

"Dad, Mom, you're here."

The normally fearless Hao Jinghan was still a bit intimidated upon seeing her father, instinctively hiding behind Zhao Xiaoshuai.

Fortunately, after the family talked for a while, they confirmed to each other that things were indeed as Zhao Xiaoshuai had said: the two of them were genuinely in love.

"Then let's get the wedding done quickly. Don't wait until your belly gets big; it won't look good."

"Uncle, Auntie, I have to say I'm sorry about this. I cannot marry Hanhan."

Hao Aiguo's brows furrowed, radiating authority without even being angry. "What did you say!?" However, Hao Aiguo was mostly just standing up for his daughter; he wasn't actually that angry.

"Dad, don't overreact. It's normal for young people not to marry nowadays. Getting married is a huge hassle. Our family isn't after his property, so why must we get married?"

Hao Jinghan already knew Zhao Xiaoshuai had many women and definitely couldn't marry normally. Plus, she was worried Zhao Xiaoshuai would misunderstand and think she kept the child privately to covet his wealth, so she actively defended her lover at this moment.

After testing Zhao Xiaoshuai's attitude last time, Mother Hao had actually anticipated this situation, but when it actually happened, her traditional values still made it difficult to accept so easily.

"If you don't marry, how can you guarantee Jinghan's happiness?"

"Uncle and Auntie, if I may speak frankly, marriage does not guarantee happiness."

Then, following a familiar path, Zhao Xiaoshuai began with material guarantees and gradually persuaded the two elders of the Hao Family.

Fortunately, with Hao Jinghan assisting from the side, although it was difficult, they eventually got the two Hao elders to tacitly accept their current situation.