Chapter 207: I did it all for this family.

After settling the bill, Lu Shanshan hurried to say goodbye and rushed to the entrance of Qianhe Group, waiting there like a hunter lying in wait.

She was determined to wait for Zheng Qian!

As it turned out, when the workday ended, she actually managed to catch him!

Zheng Qian had just hung up a phone call when he stepped out of the executive elevator.

"Zheng Qian!"

Before Zheng Qian could see who it was, he felt a soft body collide with his chest, followed by a wave of warmth and the faint floral scent of long, flowing hair.

This scene was enough to startle everyone nearby.

This building was leased by Qianhe Group, and everyone coming in and out were employees of the company. Who here didn't know Zheng Qian?

Seeing such a stunning woman rush directly into their Chairman's arms and cling to him, refusing to let go, they couldn't help but feel envious.

"Their Chairman is truly young, accomplished, and dashing!"

"If only we had such good fortune!"

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?"

More than a dozen burly men swarmed out from another elevator, attempting to separate Lu Shanshan from Zheng Qian.

"No need, I'll handle this. You all go wait by the entrance," Zheng Qian said, having already identified the woman clinging to him.

"Lu Shanshan, if you have something to say, just say it. Let go of me first; it looks bad."

Zheng Qian glanced around and noticed many people deliberately slowing their pace, casting curious looks in his and Lu Shanshan's direction.

"If I let you go, you aren't allowed to run away!"

"Why would I run? Just let me go first..." Zheng Qian said, feeling somewhat helpless.

The employees passing by couldn't help but whisper and sigh.

Wow. So it was the Chairman's romantic entanglement!

It's better to leave quickly; the less one knows about such things, the better.

Lu Shanshan released Zheng Qian, and the two walked over to an empty corner.

"Why have you been avoiding me for the past few days?" Lu Shanshan's eyes were red, as if she had just finished crying.

"I haven't been avoiding you. I've just been busy with other matters."

"Besides, what is there left for us to discuss? I've already decided not to pursue your breach of contract; what more do you want?"

"That was my mother's decision, not mine!" Lu Shanshan said, tears streaming down her face in grievance.

Zheng Qian sighed helplessly. The winery issue had been weighing on him lately; he hadn't realized there were things in this world that even money couldn't solve. He certainly didn't have the spare time to deal with Lu Shanshan.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't stand here crying at me," Zheng Qian said coldly.

At this time, Lu Shanshan's Favorability towards him dropped to 35 points.

"I'm already crying; can't you show a little leniency?"

Zheng Qian: ???

It's not like I'm the one who made you cry.

He had already agreed to the financing earlier; it was Zhao Ying who was adamantly against it. How else was he supposed to yield?

He couldn't just throw away his dignity as a man, could he?

Even if Zhao Ying was unwilling, was he supposed to force the money on them?

That would just be pathetic.

Zheng Qian couldn't bring himself to do something like that.

"If there's nothing else, I'm leaving. I'm very tired today," Zheng Qian said, turning to walk away.

Seeing that Zheng Qian wasn't falling for her tactics, Lu Shanshan hurriedly grabbed his arm.

He felt that soft sensation again.

"Zheng Qian, as long as you don't withdraw your capital, I can do you a favor!"

Zheng Qian was speechless. She could barely take care of herself; how could she possibly help him?

"I know you've been wanting to open a winery lately, but you probably don't have the operating license yet, right?"

"My father happens to have a winery project in his hands right now. I can act as a bridge for you."

Zheng Qian: ???

How did Lu Shanshan know he had been worrying about the winery lately?

How could he have forgotten about this?

Lu Shanshan's father was, after all, someone in the Yezhou government office.

"Tell me more," Zheng Qian said, stopping in his tracks.

Lu Shanshan explained that her father had several consolidation projects out for tender, and the winery was among them.

"I can arrange for you to have dinner with my father. You can discuss this matter over the meal. How about that?"

"I won't let my mother come this time. I'll apologize to you on her behalf. I'm sorry, Zheng Qian."

Sorry. It was always sorry.

Zheng Qian had already heard her apologize three times now.

He had originally hoped that Lu Shanshan could use her father's connections to get it done directly, but it seemed she was only offering to act as an intermediary.

"Fine, let's talk then."

"If the discussion goes well, I might just give you some credit."

"And the capital withdrawal?" Lu Shanshan asked, her tears stopping as a glimmer of hope reignited in her eyes.

"I will reconsider."

That night at Beiye Huafu, Lu Shanshan and Zhao Ying sat in the living room until midnight before Leader Lu Xinghe finally arrived.

"Shanshan, Yingzi, why are you still up so late?"

Leader Lu Xinghe placed his briefcase on the table, took off his suit jacket, leaned back into the sofa, and lit a cigarette, as if shedding the day's exhaustion.

"Dad, there's something I want to talk to you about." Lu Shanshan told Leader Lu Xinghe the whole story from beginning to end.

Leader Lu Xinghe listened, his brow furrowing tightly.

"Dad, please just do us this favor. Approve this project for him. Helping him is helping our family!"

"Absolutely not!" Leader Lu Xinghe refused, his tone stern and righteous.

"If he meets the bidding criteria, I would approve it for him without you even asking."

"But if he doesn't meet the criteria, no matter how much you beg me, I will not give him these projects."

"Do you want me to abuse my power for personal gain and engage in corruption?"

"I'll say this once and for all: it's not going to happen!"

This was Leader Lu Xinghe's principle.

He had reached his current position entirely by holding onto his bottom line and adhering to his principles.

Over the years, Leader Lu Xinghe had lost count of how many bribes he had rejected, how many gifts of alcohol and tobacco he had returned, and how many bank cards he had snapped in half after they were secretly slipped to him.

Seeing her father use such heavy moral principles to pressure her, Lu Shanshan couldn't find the words to argue back.

She knew, deep down, that this did border on abusing her father's position.

It was just that her father lacked any sense of human warmth...

Suddenly, Lu Shanshan's Favorability towards Tang Xingyu dropped even lower. She didn't want her husband to become someone like her father in the future.

Although he wasn't wrong, still...

"Leader Lu Xinghe!"

"What are you talking about!"

"Ever since we got married, have you ever cared about us, mother and daughter?"

"Have I ever asked you for a favor before? We asked just this once, and you use your precious 'principles of justice' to suppress your own daughter? Do you even have a heart?"

"All you ever think about is keeping your official position!"

"Aside from that, you're useless!"

Leader Lu Xinghe slammed his cigarette onto the floor.

"Nonsense!"

"Everything I do is for the sake of this family!"

"I'm not going to argue with you. I'm going to sleep at the office tonight. Tomorrow night, at the Four Nations Hotel—if we can talk, we talk. If not, then forget it."

Leader Lu Xinghe put his jacket back on and stormed out of the house.

"Mom, don't be so angry. You know what Dad is like. Let's just talk about this properly."

"Talk properly, my foot! What has he ever done for this family? I'm the one who has to worry about everything, big or small!"

"His suits, leather shoes, watches, glasses—aren't those all luxury items I bought for him?"

"I ask him for just this one favor, and look at him—he's already pulling that long face again!"

"He really doesn't know what's good for him!"

Zhao Ying crossed her arms, her expression looking incredibly grim. Her anger was every bit as intense as Leader Lu Xinghe's.