229: Chapter 229 A Marriage Contract with Hidden Motives (Part 1)

Zhang Min's hand, which was stirring her coffee, suddenly stiffened, but her face did not reveal the slightest hint of panic.

She calmly set the stirring rod aside, picked up her coffee cup, took an elegant sip, and then set it down to continue, "Second Sister, in terms of strength, I am indeed not as good as you; I admit that. But when it comes to intellect, you are not necessarily better than me. There is a saying you should be clear about: 'When the cunning rabbit is caught, the hound is boiled.' Fourth's today might just be your and my tomorrow. People... always have to leave a way out for themselves! Don't you think?"

After saying this, without waiting for Sister Hong to retort, she pulled a hundred-yuan bill from her bag and placed it on the table. Then, she put on her sunglasses, picked up the several shopping bags placed on the table next to her, and rose elegantly.

When she reached the bar, Zhang Min smiled slightly at the waiter and said, "Waiter, the money is on the table, keep the change."

"Very well, you are welcome to visit again!" The waiter looked pleased, bowed, and respectfully saw Zhang Min leave the coffee shop.

Sister Hong watched Zhang Min leave, a flash of complex emotion crossing her eyes. Seeing the waiter walking towards her side, she had to quickly tuck the triangular military bayonet into her trouser leg.

There were already many guests in the coffee shop, so Zhang Min's departure did not attract Shen Jianan's attention.

Just like that, the cautious Sister Hong waited for another ten minutes before paying the bill and leaving the coffee shop.

Meanwhile, inside the safe house, after Shen Jianan saw Sister Hong leave the coffee shop, she immediately picked up the walkie-talkie nearby and reported to Ye Qingcheng, "Captain Ye, Sister Hong has already left the coffee shop."

At this moment, Ye Qingcheng had already changed into casual clothes. After hearing Shen Jianan's report, she immediately walked out of the room, returned to the surveillance screen, and kept her eyes fixed on Sister Hong's figure.

Watching Sister Hong strolling through various shops in Henglong Plaza, with several shopping bags gradually accumulating in her hands, she looked just like someone genuinely shopping.

"Captain Ye, are we overthinking this? Aside from being cautious, this Sister Hong doesn't seem to have any abnormal behavior," Shen Jianan asked with a puzzled expression.

"I hope I am overthinking it." Ye Qingcheng said, glancing at the time, then patted Shen Jianan's shoulder and instructed, "Jianan, you keep an eye on things here. I'll go and meet Sister Hong first to see what on earth she is up to."

"Mm, I will keep a good eye on her. However, Captain Ye, you must also be careful."

Ye Qingcheng smiled slightly and said confidently, "Don't worry, I will be careful." After saying that, she walked out of the safe house, took the elevator to the abandoned parking lot, drove Shen Jianan's Jeep off-road vehicle, and headed towards Henglong Plaza.

...

At this moment, far away in the Southwest, Zhao Lintai was sitting in the back row of that Wuling Hongguang. After driving on the airport expressway for nearly an hour, they finally exited the highway. He thought they were almost there, but who would have thought that after passing a stretch of flat asphalt road, the Wuling Hongguang would turn into a mountain gully.

Consequently, the road became rugged and uneven. Zhao Lintai had been feeling drowsy, but unexpectedly, he was woken up by the rattling and bumping sounds of the Wuling Hongguang.

Zhao Lintai hurriedly fastened his seatbelt, gripped the safety handle, craned his head, looked through the windshield at the road ahead, and asked, "Say, big brother, where are you taking me?"

"Hehe, Young Master Zhao, you're awake. This is the direction to the Si Family Old Residence. The Elder does not live in the city usually; he is old and likes peace and quiet, so he lives in the old residence on the mountain. The road is a bit uneven, please bear with it... Rest assured, once we cross this mountain, we will be there, it's very quick."

Zhao Lintai looked up at the towering mountain terrain ahead, sat back in his seat helplessly, and complained, "Since this Elder Si likes to live in the old residence, don't his descendants in the Si Family know to pave this mountain road? It's so inconvenient to go up and down."

"Sigh, the master wanted to pave it many years ago, but the Elder stopped him, saying that if the road were paved, it would ruin these green mountains and clear waters."

"Heh," Zhao Lintai chuckled, momentarily speechless, but out of politeness, he still offered a compliment, "I didn't expect the Elder to be an environmentalist."

"Haha, yes, the Elder often admonishes the clan members that green mountains and clear waters are gold and silver mountains, and they are precious treasures bestowed upon humanity by nature..."

Zhao Lintai felt very disdainful in his heart, but on the surface, he still flattered Elder Si about his foresight and so on.

Just like that, after bumping along the rugged mountain road for a while, the Wuling Hongguang suddenly stopped.

Zhao Lintai looked out through the car window but did not see any signs of a residence, so he asked, "Why did you stop? Is the car broken?"

"The car isn't broken, but there is no road ahead. The car can't drive any further, we have to walk for a bit more..."

After hearing this, Zhao Lintai gritted his back teeth and shook his head helplessly as he got out of the car.

The driver also hurriedly got out of the car, opened the trunk, took down Zhao Lintai's luggage, and placed it at Zhao Lintai's feet.

Seeing this, Zhao Lintai frowned and looked at him, asking, "What do you mean? You aren't going up with me?"

The driver smiled, shook his head, and said, "The Elder didn't tell me to go up, and I wouldn't dare to go to the old residence without permission."

"No, if you don't go up, where am I supposed to go?"

"Young Master Zhao, look, you just need to follow this small path all the way up. Once you reach the mountainside, you will be able to see the residence. There is only one courtyard on this mountain, the Si Family Old Residence, so you definitely won't get lost." The driver pointed to a winding path ahead and explained to Zhao Lintai.

Zhao Lintai looked up along the path, and sure enough, at the mountainside, he saw a wisp of curling white smoke. Presumably, that was the location of the Si Family of the Southwest's old residence.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the displeasure in his heart, picked up his suitcase, and walked towards the path.

"Young Master Zhao, watch your step. It's inevitable that there are snakes, insects, rats, and ants in the mountains, so be very careful!" Seeing that Zhao Lintai ignored him, the driver's mouth curled into a sly arc, and he turned around, got into the car, made a U-turn on the spot, and drove down the mountain.

As Zhao Lintai walked, he cursed inwardly, "Damn it, are you playing with me? If it weren't for the fact that your Si Family has a big business and large assets, I wouldn't have bothered coming all the way here!"

...

Meanwhile, at the Bund Center, in the conference room on the 13th floor of the T3 Office Building, Qin Yi finally finalized the renovation plan for the entertainment media company.

The construction period is 15 days in total, using the most environmentally friendly Materials, ensuring there is not a single trace of formaldehyde residue. Of course, such a plan also means the price is outrageously high. The 14th floor has a total of over 2000 square meters. With hard and soft furnishings combined, the renovation cost reached 10 million. Thus, calculating it out, it's nearly 5,000 per square meter. This standard is definitely considered the high-end of high-end in terms of office building renovation unit prices.

Of course, the high price is also related to the short construction period requested by Qin Yi.

However, the three people from the renovation company were overjoyed. 15 days, 10 million; this deal was simply too profitable. Moreover, this wealthy Boss Qin also said that for every day the construction is completed ahead of schedule, he would give an extra 500,000.

The project director sent by the renovation company, Li Yi, after hearing Qin Yi's promise, immediately patted his chest and swore to Qin Yi, "Mr. Qin, don't worry. I will report this to the company immediately. Even if we have to stop all other projects of the company, we will get your job done first!"

Qin Yi heard this, smiled faintly, and then looked at Li Yi's brow, revealing a bit of sharpness. He said in a deep voice, "However, I must remind you. Although the construction period is short, the quality must absolutely not be sloppy. If I find out that you are using inferior products to pass as quality ones, I will not pay. Furthermore, I will hold you legally responsible!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yi hurriedly nodded in agreement, his expression becoming serious, and he continued to assure, "Rest assured! Before we came, our boss had already instructed us that the renovation for you must absolutely guarantee quality and quantity; there will absolutely be no problems! Moreover, with your relationship with the chairman of the Hongtian Group, even if we were given twelve times the courage, we wouldn't dare to mess around."

Qin Yi laughed after listening, stood up, and extended his hand to Li Yi, "Good, then it's settled. Arrange for the workers to enter the site as soon as possible. I will transfer 5 million as an advance payment first, and the rest will be settled after the project is completed. Any problems?"

"No problem!" Li Yi hurriedly shook hands with Qin Yi respectfully, his face full of smiles as he continued, "Mr. Qin, I am really sorry. When I came over today, I didn't expect to sign the contract so quickly. I wasn't prepared in advance; it's my dereliction of duty. I will go back and prepare the contract now, and by the way, I will arrange for the workers and Materials to enter the site early tomorrow morning."

"Mm, good. Then I will trouble you." Qin Yi smiled and said politely.

"It's no trouble, no trouble at all. It is our honor to serve Mr. Qin. Well, Mr. Qin, we will be leaving now."

"Mm, then see you tomorrow!"

"Mr. Qin, see you tomorrow." After saying this, he took the other two people from the renovation company and left the conference room.

After the people from the renovation company left, Qin Xiaoyue looked at Qin Yi and couldn't help but click her tongue in exclamation, "Brother, that's 10 million, and you just spent it like that?"

Beside her, Xu Qian had an expression of being unfazed; she had long since experienced Qin Yi's ability to spend money. A mere 10 million, for Qin Yi, is it a lot? Not a lot, not a lot at all.

And Liu Yan was completely stunned. Her gaze towards Qin Yi was full of heat. If it weren't for considering that Xu Qian was present, she probably would have already been unable to resist throwing herself into Qin Yi's arms.

Although Qin Yi noticed Liu Yan's gaze, he was completely uninterested in Liu Yan. He didn't even bother to use the Eye of Truth to check this woman's attributes. In his view, this woman and Dong Zhixuan from the car dealership should belong to the same kind of trash.

Only hearing Qin Yi say very calmly, "It's just 10 million. As long as it can make the company operate sooner, let alone 10 million, even if it costs more money, it's worth it."

After listening, Qin Xiaoyue shrugged and said helplessly, "Fine, anyway, I can't understand you. Do whatever you want to do. However, there is one thing you have to make a decision on. What about the next fifteen days? How to arrange the newly recruited employees? How to arrange the subsequent interviews?" She said, looking at Qin Yi curiously, waiting for his answer.

"Alright, Xiao Yue has already started considering the company's operations, worthy of praise!" Qin Yi teased.

"Tch~ stop with the official tone." Qin Xiaoyue rolled her eyes at Qin Yi and complained.

Qin Yi smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "Isn't this easy to handle? During the company renovation period, let them work from home first, and pay their salaries as usual. There is no need to check attendance during this period; everything will be discussed after the company is operating normally!"

"Yay! Big brother is mighty! You are definitely the good boss who moves the Dragon Country, the savior of the working class!" Qin Xiaoyue jumped up excitedly.

Qin Yi smiled and waved his hand, "Alright, alright, stop flattering me. Besides, recruitment must continue! Sister Qianqian and I have already discussed this matter. You two discuss it again later, organize the positions that need to be recruited and the number of people into a table, and send it to me."

Xu Qian nodded in agreement, "Mm, I will organize it tonight when I go back."

"Mm," Qin Yi nodded, his gaze looking at Qin Xiaoyue once again, and he instructed, "I will emphasize it again. The total number of employees in the entertainment media company must not be less than 100. This is the bottom line, not the upper limit! In addition, the total number of fans of all the company's streamers must not be lower than 100 million! Qin Xiaoyue, this is the second time I've told you; don't mess it up for me!"

"Rest assured, brother. Last night it was done on recruitment websites and forums, and the effect was too slow. I have already thought about it. Tonight, I will make a big move and go directly to the Moyin Platform to visit each live stream room one by one! I don't believe that a company with 1 billion in paid-in registered capital can't poach some big streamers at the 10-million-fan level?"

Hearing Qin Xiaoyue's plan, a sense of crisis suddenly welled up in Liu Yan's heart. She hurriedly said, "Xiao Yue, if you do this, you will offend those MCN guilds... What if those guilds unite to stand against us? Then our Yiqian Media will become the enemy of the entire industry before we have even officially opened..."

"Hiss..." Qin Xiaoyue was also startled by Liu Yan's words, but a moment later, her brain turned, and she smiled indifferently, "What's there to be afraid of? I can talk to them privately. It's just that," she said, looking at Qin Yi, raising her eyebrows, and continuing, "It's just that I need brother to give some 'ammunition'..."

"What ghost idea have you thought of again?" Qin Yi asked, looking at Qin Xiaoyue with a smile.

"I want to bypass the platform and get the contact information of those big streamers. Don't you have to send some gifts and be the number one big brother or something? Otherwise, who would give you their contact information..."

"Hey, fine. It's fortunate that you can come up with such a ghost idea. Alright, you guys go out first; Sister Qianqian and I still have things to discuss."

"Then the 'ammunition'?"

"Rest assured, I will transfer it to you later, go ahead."

"YES!" Qin Xiaoyue shouted excitedly, then walked towards the direction of the conference room door, and Liu Yan followed her, feeling anxious.

Just before the two of them left the door, Qin Yi ordered again, "By the way, if the people outside don't have anything to do, let them get off work. Arrange a dinner for them in the evening, consider it a team-building event. I will reimburse the expenses for you!"

"Got it!"