Volume 1 Chapter 20: Is Fu Juechuan Injured on a Mission?

"Ye Qiaoqiao!" Zhou Cong couldn't believe his ears. He looked at her, stunned. "Are you going to target me just because I chose Jiang Yao over you?"

"Is it really just such a trivial matter?"

"You're going to sabotage my business? You had your uncle snatch away the factory I’d spent months preparing to acquire? You took the production line I had my heart set on? Do you have any idea how much money I’ve lost this time?"

"Whatever money you've lost is due to your own incompetence. Why are you here questioning me?" Ye Qiaoqiao smiled, delivering a biting remark.

In her past life, hadn’t Zhou Cong believed that everything he achieved was solely due to his own merit, without relying on his father's power or connections?

Very well. In this life, she would use her father’s power to dismantle him, to show him that without the support of the Ye family, he, Zhou Cong, was nothing but a worm.

"So, you are determined to go against me, is that it?" Zhou Cong finally understood. His eyes turned pitch black, harboring a simmering rage.

Ye Qiaoqiao narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "No, it’s because you are too cold-hearted. You know best what kind of schemes you’ve plotted against me."

Zhou Cong stared at her in silence for a moment, then flicked his sleeves and turned to leave. "Ye Qiaoqiao, don't you regret this."

Having dropped those words, he strode away.

Ye Qiaoqiao immediately turned back into the nursing home, used the guard room phone, and called her uncle, Gu Jin.

"Uncle, Zhou Cong came to see me. He’s extremely dissatisfied that you’ve been disrupting his business, and he might try something underhanded against you. Follow the points I wrote in the notebook to guard against him."

"Don't worry, your uncle isn't a fool," Gu Jin replied with a melodic laugh.

"Where are you?" Gu Jin asked casually.

Ye Qiaoqiao hesitated for a moment before saying, "At the nursing home, visiting my grandmother."

Gu Jin went silent for a beat. "Did your grandmother say anything?"

"No," Ye Qiaoqiao said softly with a smile. "Grandmother supports us."

"...That’s good." The tension left Gu Jin’s body.

He suddenly laughed. "Actually, I only just started moving against Zhou Cong, and he’s already panicking. It shows the Zhou family’s foundation is quite mediocre."

Ye Qiaoqiao thought to herself: That’s only because the Zhou family is just beginning to develop. Besides, Zhou Cong is capable of more than just this.

"Still, the fact that he dared to come looking for you shows he hasn't realized his mistakes at all," Gu Jin noted with dissatisfaction.

The fact that Zhou Cong could hurt Qiaoqiao and feel no remorse at all... it was fortunate that she hadn't married him.

"I will continue to target his business," Gu Jin said.

"Thank you, Uncle. But, once you're done, please go to the hospital for a check-up."

Ye Qiaoqiao reminded him again, feeling uneasy.

Gu Jin had heard her say this several times already, and he was beginning to wonder. Why was Qiaoqiao so concerned about his health? Could it be that she was worried he would be too tired to help her take down Zhou Cong?

Although he thought this, he didn't voice it. He had noticed Qiaoqiao’s strange, deep-seated hatred for Zhou Cong; in fact, based on the documents she had given him, he already harbored some suspicions and questions.

However, since Qiaoqiao wasn't saying anything, he wouldn't ask.

Gu Jin hung up the phone and continued to recruit staff, personally conducting interviews to filter out any potential spies sent by Zhou Cong.

At the refrigerator store on North Street in Hua City:

As soon as Zhou Cong returned, Xu Zhengqing hurried up to him. "Brother Zhou, how did it go? What did Ye Qiaoqiao say? Could she put in a word with Gu Jin?"

"If Gu Jin’s refrigerator factory could supply us, our business would definitely be booming."

Zhou Cong’s face darkened at these words. "She didn't agree. Moreover, she insists on getting her revenge."

"What?" Xu Zhengqing said instinctively. "Is she still holding a grudge because you chose Jiang Yao instead of her?"

"Didn't Fu Juechuan already give her a massive dowry to help her save face? Why is she still hounding us? She’s being far too petty."

Zhou Cong didn't understand it either.

But that didn't stop his dissatisfaction with Ye Qiaoqiao from growing.

Originally, when he chose Jiang Yao, he felt a twinge of guilt toward Ye Qiaoqiao. Now, it seemed, there was no need for that guilt at all.

"It’s clearly a dead end with Gu Jin. We’ll go buy stock from other factories. With the storefront sitting empty, it’s a waste of rent," Zhou Cong said.

Xu Zhengqing nodded. "Alright, let’s go directly to the old Zheng-Le Refrigerator Factory. We’ve worked well with them before, and we can get a lower price. Besides, these days, any type of refrigerator sells, even if the older models aren't quite as easy to move."

"Hmm."

Zhou Cong and Xu Zhengqing went to visit the manager of the Zheng-Le Refrigerator Factory.

When the manager heard the name Zhou Cong, his expression shifted. "I’m sorry, Mr. Zhou, but our factory is out of stock. If you want to place an order, it will have to be six months from now."

Zhou Cong didn't believe a word of it.

He had checked the supply situation at the Zheng-Le plant before coming; how could they possibly be out of stock? Was Manager Li trying to hike the price?

"Manager Li, you were always able to find stock for me before. Why can’t you now? With the recent release of the Gu family's Dongqiao refrigerators, your factory’s older models might not be selling well. I have plenty of customers; this is a win-win for both of us, as you’ve experienced before."

Zhou Cong tried to pressure him first, then followed up with an incentive. "I know how helpful you’ve been in the past, and this time, I’m willing to offer you a five percent margin."

Manager Li felt a brief moment of temptation, but he shook his head gently. "Mr. Zhou, our factory is truly out of stock. You should try looking at other factories."

Zhou Cong tried to negotiate repeatedly, but the other man remained unmoved. Having his own pride, he didn't believe he couldn't convince other managers, so he turned and left.

But afterward, he visited another refrigerator factory in Hua City and was met with the same refusal.

Zhou Cong began to sense that something was wrong.

He tapped his fingers on the table and said, "Let’s go check the television factory and the radio factory."

His shop sold electrical appliances, and the business was usually quite good.

Hua City was already a major hub for electrical appliances.

However, there were only two refrigerator factories in the city, excluding the Gu family's plant.

Xu Zhengqing went out to run these errands.

It wasn't until around six in the evening that Xu Zhengqing returned.

Zhou Cong was already home, having dinner with Jiang Yao.

Xu Zhengqing came straight in. When he saw Jiang Yao, his brows furrowed slightly, but he said nothing, focusing his attention on Zhou Cong.

"Just say it. What’s the situation?"

"Brother Zhou, all the factories have refused to supply us. Only Manager Wu from the last radio factory was kind enough to tell us that someone in the military has ordered everyone not to supply you."

"It’s not just the appliance factories; even the other goods factories have been notified. We can't get stock anywhere in Hua City."

"General Ye? Ye Qiaoqiao?" Zhou Cong realized it all at once, his face turning ashen with rage.

"It’s highly likely." Xu Zhengqing nodded. He was also furious, but there was nothing to be done. General Ye had simply asked everyone to do him a favor, and since granting that favor didn't harm the factories' interests—there were so many individual vendors fighting for stock—they had complied.

Even if Xu Zhengqing knew the source, there was nothing he could do about General Ye.

Zhou Cong smashed his bowl in anger.

Jiang Yao frowned, stepping forward to stroke his chest while she pondered a way to strike back.

-

Early the next morning, Ye Qiaoqiao went with Xie Lin to accompany Gu Jin to the hospital for his check-up.

Seeing that there were many tests to be done and wanting to give Xie Lin and her uncle some time alone, she deliberately stepped out of the ward.

Unexpectedly, just then, a military truck pulled up outside the hospital.

Ye Qiaoqiao cast a casual glance and saw a familiar figure.

Fu Juechuan?