Chapter 79 Guidance

Facing Wang Xiuyuan's question, Annie Hurst was at a loss for words; the situation she and Mars faced was indeed different, and she truly could not choose to give up.

Seeing that Annie Hurst remained silent, Wang Xiuyuan pressed his advantage: "Your silence has already answered the question."

"So here is the problem: is a dispute involving your internal family interests something an outsider like me can get involved in? What reason do I have to interfere in these matters?"

"I would certainly become a target for retaliation from your Stepmother's side."

"But why should I put myself in the center of the storm?"

"The family assets I help you win would all belong to you, yet I would be the one bearing the risk of retaliation from your Stepmother's side both during and after the struggle."

"What do I stand to gain?"

"And don't give me any of that nonsense about gaining the most sincere friendship of the future Family Head of the Hearst Family; as long as you haven't been confirmed as the sole heir of the Hearst Family for even a moment..."

"...then you have no right to say those words. Any time you do, you're just trying to deceive people."

"And don't say it's for the sake of our friendship either; that would be very inappropriate."

"We only met this afternoon and just became friends. With our current relationship, you can't talk me into taking such a big risk for a friendship that hasn't undergone any accumulation or testing."

Wang Xiuyuan's words were very blunt, stripping the essence of the matter bare and laying it out plainly for Annie Hurst to hear.

Actually, Wang Xiuyuan didn't want to be this way, but after he first rejected Annie Hurst, her attempt to continue persuading him made him feel a bit of resistance.

This made Wang Xiuyuan feel that Annie Hurst was being too hasty in this matter and hadn't grasped the proper boundaries, so he felt it was necessary to give her a small blow to make her understand how to correctly seek cooperation.

Everyone is essentially a bit of a glutton for punishment; you can't be at their beck and call, or else big problems will eventually arise.

Even if Wang Xiuyuan had originally intended to provide Annie Hurst with some harmless support, he couldn't just agree so easily, or else she might even think it was something he was supposed to do.

Therefore, before agreeing to give Annie Hurst some support, Wang Xiuyuan would certainly make her face some setbacks; only resources that are hard to come by are valued more, and only then would Annie Hurst be more grateful for his help.

It was like training a dog; you only give it extra rewards when it performs well.

But if the dog is disobedient, you must give it a good beating; otherwise, if you keep spoiling it, over time the dog will mistakenly think it's the master and might even snarl or bite its owner.

Whether it's a dog or a person, they simply shouldn't be spoiled.

The prerequisite for giving food and resources is to make them understand that it is a gift from the master, and they must keep the master's kindness in their heart.

If resources are given out but the dog or person doesn't remember your kindness, then why give the resources in the first place? And why continue giving them in the future?

This was Wang Xiuyuan's attitude toward Annie Hurst. Even if he had some thoughts about her, he still wanted to become allies with her even if they didn't end up together.

But he wouldn't provide Annie Hurst with massive support right from the start, nor would he spoil her unconditionally.

It was like a man and a woman dating; the relationship shouldn't be too intense at the very beginning.

One side shouldn't unconditionally spoil the other; unconditional pampering very easily raises the other person's psychological threshold.

Over time, the pampered party will soon no longer be satisfied with current levels of affection and will seek a higher level of happiness; when their psychological threshold can no longer be met, that is the beginning of the end for their love.

Wang Xiuyuan naturally wouldn't make such a foolish mistake, which was why he ruthlessly rejected Annie Hurst's request right away and even gave her quite a blow.

But if Annie Hurst could realize where she went wrong, then Wang Xiuyuan could appropriately provide some support.

Because at that point, Annie Hurst would know the help came from Wang Xiuyuan and how rare it was, so she would cherish it more and be more grateful to him.

If Annie Hurst couldn't realize her mistake, then there would be no need for Wang Xiuyuan to help her.

One could even say that Annie Hurst wouldn't be qualified to be Wang Xiuyuan's ally.

But Annie Hurst was smarter than Wang Xiuyuan had imagined, and her temper and character were much better than he had expected; she quickly realized where she was wrong and apologized to him.

Annie Hurst said with a face full of apology, "I'm very sorry, Wang Xiuyuan. What happened just now was my fault."

"My situation has been very bad lately, so I treated you like a lifesaver. I was too hasty."

"I only thought about how to solve my immediate problems but didn't consider the risks you would have to face."

"Just pretend I never said what I did."

Wang Xiuyuan looked at Annie Hurst and nodded with satisfaction; he could tell she was sincerely apologizing and not just being perfunctory.

"Annie, you are indeed a bit too anxious right now."

"I completely understand your current situation, but you must remain calm at all times. An impatient heart will only lead you to make constant mistakes, which won't benefit you or your sisters in the competition."

"The struggle for the family inheritance is a long and slow process; it's not like a sprint that is decided in just a few seconds."

"The competition time is calculated in units of years—at least eight or ten years, and it could take more than a decade or even twenty years to finally determine the winner."

"What you need to do is maintain a balanced mindset and do your own work well. In a marathon competition lasting over a decade, being behind for a moment is nothing; you have plenty of time to catch up slowly."

"In such an ultra-long competition, before a winner is decided..."

"...the true competition among you contestants isn't about whose performance is more outstanding, but about who makes fewer mistakes."

"You only need to show your family elders that you are a qualified successor, and that will be enough."

"To eliminate you as early as possible, your sisters will constantly make various attempts and breakthroughs; they will eventually be the cause of their own downfall because of their constant mistakes."

"For a large family with a century of heritage, the future Head of the Clan doesn't necessarily have to be the most outstanding person."

"Provided their abilities are sufficient, the family will always prioritize the person who is the most steady, mature, and reliable."

"A successor who is exceptionally capable but too aggressive in their actions can very easily cause the family to suffer a major blow or even be wiped out overnight due to a single failure."

"If the head of a large family isn't steady enough, the stronger their personal ability, the greater the destructive power they have over the family."

"Ensuring the family wealth continues to be passed down in a stable and orderly manner is far more important than expanding it while taking huge risks."}],