88: Chapter 88 The Clash in the Living Room

Lin Xuecen watched them talk, her brows twitching almost imperceptibly.

She gently squeezed her daughter's hand and lowered her voice, "Didn't you say he was a teacher? How did he become someone from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection? Did your dad set this up?"

Jiang Nan decided to stop pretending, "We met in Tongan; it has nothing to do with my dad."

A flash of severity crossed Lin Xuecen's face, "The two of you, you and your father, are never worry-free."

She turned her head to look at Lai Xunmei and Zhao Yang, who were exchanging pleasantries, "Let's go inside first; it's cold out here."

Zhao Yang followed behind, carrying the gifts, while his mind raced with calculations.

Why was Lai Xunmei here? Was her remark just now made offhand, or was it intentional?

The living room was spacious, with a neatly trimmed courtyard visible outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Lin Xuecen took a seat on the main sofa, and Lai Xunmei sat down beside her quite naturally, clearly not just an ordinary client.

"Zhao Yang, sit," Lin Xuecen said, pointing to the single sofa opposite her, her tone flat.

Jiang Nan sat down next to Zhao Yang, her hand quietly resting on the back of his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. It seemed she was trying to give Zhao Yang confidence.

This subtle movement did not escape Lin Xuecen's eyes, and her gaze darkened.

Lai Xunmei was quick-witted and immediately guessed a bit of Lin Xuecen's intentions. She stood up and said to Zhao Yang, "Comrade Zhao Yang, leave your number so we can easily get in touch in the future."

Zhao Yang had intended to just make up a fake number for her. But then he thought, "What the hell am I afraid of?" So, he wrote down the work number assigned to him by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Lai Xunmei took the slip of paper and smiled at Lin Xuecen, "Sister Xuecen, since your daughter has finally come back with her boyfriend, I won't disturb you any longer. We can refine the details of our cooperation project another day."

After saying this, she waved at Jiang Nan and turned to walk toward the main door. Getting Zhao Yang's contact information this time was quite a gain.

Lin Xuecen returned after seeing her off and sat back in her original seat, "Xiao Zhao, when did you go to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection? How many years have you been working?"

Although she was dissatisfied with Zhao Yang's status, she had to restrain herself since this was his first visit.

The smile deliberately worn on her face made Zhao Yang feel that while this Auntie Lin was polite, she was keeping everyone at a distance.

Zhao Yang sat up straight, his tone calm, "After graduating from university, I worked as a reporter at the Tongan Television Station for three years, and this year I was just transferred to the Fourth Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection."

"To be transferred from a city-level Television Station directly to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, you are indeed quite capable. What does your family do?" Lin Xuecen asked, sipping tea as she pressed for more.

But the look she gave Zhao Yang was sharp, as if she wanted to see through everything.

Zhao Yang remained neither humble nor arrogant, "My hometown is in Tongshan County, Huyang City, and my family are farmers. My parents are older now and are currently farming in the mountains with my elder brother."

Since being reborn, he had been busy and hadn't had the chance to go back and visit his parents. Mentioning this, a flash of guilt crossed his mind.

Lin Xuecen, on the other hand, felt a surge of triumph. With such a huge gap between their families, she would certainly have a way to make this kid retreat in the face of difficulty.

She then smiled and said, "The air in the mountains is good; I've even thought about going to the mountains to retire one day."

At this point, Lin Xuecen changed the subject, "But you young people are different. Our Nan Nan has been pampered since she was a child and won't be able to live a life of hardship."

Hearing this, Jiang Nan was immediately unhappy, as if her fur had been ruffled, "What do you mean 'pampered since she was a child'? In the early years, one of you was busy with business and the other busy solving cases; did anyone ever look after me?"

"Jiang Nan!" Lin Xuecen gave her a sharp look, "I am talking to Xiao Zhao; don't interrupt."

Jiang Nan shrugged and stood up, "Fine, you guys talk; I'll go prepare some fruit."

She knew her mother had a strong personality and a strong desire for control, and with her own straightforward temper, things might easily devolve into an argument. Since this was Zhao Yang's first visit, she had to save face for both sides.

Seeing Jiang Nan leave, Lin Xuecen looked around the living room. The decor wasn't overly luxurious, but it was refined, with a sense of luxury hidden within the understatement. This made her smile somewhat triumphantly, "Xiao Zhao, it's not that Auntie is snobbish. In the future, whoever wants to marry our Nan Nan cannot have conditions that are too poor."

The meaning she wanted to convey was obvious: at the very least, they couldn't be worse off than her own family.

Zhao Yang smiled and nodded, "Please rest assured, Auntie. As long as Jiang Nan is with me, I will never let her suffer the slightest grievance."

Oh, that's quite a bold claim. Lin Xuecen felt an impulse to ask how much income he made a year and where exactly he got the confidence.

She put down her teacup and said in a condescending tone, "It's good for young people to have such thoughts, but you have to speak with strength."

"Rest assured, Auntie, I will let you see it," Zhao Yang remained calm, with a smile on his face.

He paused, then put away the smile on his face, "Auntie, are you negotiating a cooperation with Qicheng Group?"

Lin Xuecen smiled, "Yes, I'm preparing to jointly develop a real estate project in Tongan City."

With Qicheng Group's connections and influence in Tongan City, it wouldn't be difficult to get a good location at a good price.

That man Old Jiang is like a stone in a latrine—stinky and hard; he has never been willing to help with business matters, and no matter how much one tries to persuade him, it's useless.

As long as the project is located in Tongan, who wouldn't give Old Jiang face? This was precisely Lin Xuecen's purpose in negotiating with Qicheng Group.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yang said, "Auntie Lin, I suggest you stop the cooperation with Qicheng Group. I assume you already know that the relationship between Qicheng Group and the Tongan Die-Casting Machine Factory is somewhat complicated."

Lin Xuecen's beautiful eyes widened slightly. Is my daughter's boyfriend really this blunt?

"The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection's supervision of the restructuring of the Tongan Die-Casting Machine Factory has already stopped." Her tone was airy, as if she didn't care about it at all.

Zhao Yang said, "Stopped doesn't mean it won't restart." Because she was Jiang Nan's mother, Zhao Yang had to warn her. But he was also worried about leaking secrets, so he could only touch upon it briefly.

"How is that possible?" Lin Xuecen asked in a low voice, simply not believing it.

She understood the officialdom very well; if the Commission for Discipline Inspection's intervention was suddenly called off, it naturally meant that leaders from above had intervened. Who would be so blind as to insist on investigating?

Zhao Yang did not refute her, only saying calmly, "Auntie might as well wait a while; there will be an answer very soon."

At this moment, Jiang Nan had already come in carrying a fruit platter and sat down beside Zhao Yang. She picked up a grape and popped it into Zhao Yang's mouth.

The two were being lovey-dovey, which Lin Xuecen found unpleasant, so she said irritably, "Then I'll wait, but you better not be wrong and cause me to miss a business opportunity."

This remark already carried a hint of a threat.

Zhao Yang seemed not to feel any pressure at all and continued, "If Auntie has sufficient funds, you might want to see if there is any land available in Yanjing, Modu, or Shenzhen; buying it is as good as making money."

In these places, the real estate market was just starting to heat up. Fifteen years later, the land price alone would rise seven or eight times. Whereas Tongan's real estate did not have such large room for appreciation.

Lin Xuecen didn't expect this young punk to actually dare to teach her how to do business. She couldn't really refute him, so she just said flatly, "I will consider it."

Zhao Yang was surprised; this tone was just as relaxed as a certain real estate tycoon from later generations when proposing a "small goal" in a television interview. Just what is the identity of this future mother-in-law, Lin Xuecen?