After the male lead returned, he would contact these businesses that had been suppressed by Lu Beichuan for the past several years. Working together with a common purpose, the male lead and these companies would encircle and then annihilate the Lu's business. In no time at all, the Lu's business and their monopoly on various industries would be destroyed.
Seeing that Lu Beichuan had the same attitude as his novel self, Ye Zhen's heart rose up in alarm. Wasn't this the same as digging a hole for yourself to help your enemies? He couldn't be allowed to continue this behavior of courting disaster!
She couldn't resist saying, "Can't you take in those people that are genuinely capable to be your subordinates?"
Ye Zhen knew that the novel's Lu Beichuan was obstinate. If it wasn't for the male lead's halo in the later stage of the novel, Lu Beichuan, who had the ability to back up his unyielding personality, wouldn't have been defeated under normal circumstances. Without his halo, the male lead wouldn't have been able to destroy Lu Beichuan's company.
Lu Beichuan was silent for a moment before he indifferently said to the other person on the phone, "Let's stop here. I'll call you later."
He put his phone and looked at Ye Zhen. He gently asked, "What's wrong?"
Ye Zhen didn't know anything about the business world, but she knew that the person mentioned in Lu Beichuan's call, Qin Shao, would become one of the biggest threats to the Lu's company.
Qin Shao had started from nothing. In the short period of five years, he had become a multimillionaire. He could be considered a legend. If it wasn't because of the current financial crisis, he wouldn't have fallen to the point of having his company acquired.
"Qin Shao is quite a capable person. It's better to gain an ally than an enemy. There's no deep enmity between the two of you. Unless you can be absolutely sure that you can destroy him, why make him your enemy? Wouldn't it better to cultivate someone that will give you a helping hand when you need it than make an enemy?"
Lu Beichuan's gaze dimmed. "You've heard of him?"
Ye Zhen nodded.
She knew that this Qin Shao was very capable. He was able to survive under Lu Beichuan's repeated pressure. In the end, working together with Lin Zhan, he had given Lu Beichuan a fatal blow.
And, this enemity had all started from what Lu Beichuan had done when he acquired his company.
Qin Shao was such a big threat that Ye Zhen felt she had to warn Lu Beichuan.
"I heard my dad mention him. That's all. I don't have any other intentions. I just think it would be a waste to overlook someone like him. Right now, he's in a difficult spot. If you help him now, it would cost you nothing. Helping others is the same as helping yourself. Having another friend is the same as having another option. Why cut off your own escape path?"
Lu Beichuan looked at Ye Zhen's bright and clear eyes. After a pause, he quietly said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
***
Early next morning, Lu Beichuan went downstairs and saw Mother Lu ordering the servants to tidy up the villa.
"Mom, is there a guest coming today?"
Last night's discussion had left a bad taste in Mother Lu's mouth. She was still feeling upset with her son. "I invited a few friends over to drink tea and exchange some stories about our experiences."
"Experiences?" Lu Beichuan furrowed his brow.
"You don't need to concern yourself with that. Just go to work." Mother Lu didn't have time to bother with him. "Aunty Yue, is Zhenzhen's breakfast done yet?"
Aunty Yue was a servant that had been sent over from the Lu's ancestral home yesterday. She had a lot of experience with taking care of pregnant women.
Aunty Yue poked her head out of the kitchen and said with a smile, "Almost done."
When Ye Zhen came downstairs, Aunty Yue served the breakfast that she had prepared.
Lu Beichuan was probably feeling that his presence was a bit superfluous right now. He kissed Ye Zhen, reminded her to take care of herself, and went to work.
"Zhenzhen ah, eat breakfast first. I invited a few of my friends over to drink tea this afternoon. While they're here, I'll introduce you to them."
"Drink tea?"
"Just a couple of my old friends. You don't need to worry. You can just sit on the side and listen."
"Listen?" Perplexed, Ye Zhen paused.
At 2PM, four elegantly dressed rich madams arrived. They looked a bit familiar. Ye Zhen had seen them at the wedding.
"So this is your daughter-in-law. I wasn't able to get a clear look at the wedding. Seeing her now, I can see that she’s a little beauty. Now, all you have to do is wait until you can enjoy a grandmother's happy life."
Mrs. Lu smiled. "Of course."
After the group of women had been chatting for a bit, one of the madams seemed to suddenly remember something. She asked, "Mrs. Chen, I remember your grandson is at the age where he can start kindergarten. How is he?”
"He's in kindergarten now. I can finally relax a bit. That little devil child, he's so troublesome. I still have to go pick him up from kindergarten later today. I don't have any free time." Although she said these words, there wasn't the slightest trace of unhappiness on her face.
"All grandsons are naughty. My grandson acts like he wants to destroy our home. He's always causing trouble. Look, some of my hair has turned white because of him."
Ye Zhen looked at that madam. She was glowing with health and had shiny black hair. There wasn't a single stand of white hair on her head.
"Grandsons, they just like causing trouble. My family's little monkey is the same way. He can never sit still. Mrs. Zhou, is your granddaughter still practising piano?"
"Yeah, she likes it, so I let her continue. She recently said she wants dance lessons, so I hired a dance teacher for her."
"When I went to Mrs. Zhou's home last time, I heard her granddaughter play the piano. She's very gifted. I really envy you for having such a talented granddaughter that knows how to play the piano and how to dance. She's not like my grandson, who doesn't know how to do anything." She sighed. "He's been pestering us to send him to a summer camp recently, but he's only a five year old child. How could I be okay with sending him off?"
"Yeah, you definitely can't. He's too young. What if something happens to him when there's no family member around?"
"My son is disagreeing with me about that and wants to send my grandson to a summer camp. I don't know what my son is thinking. He's just a little kid. What if my grandson gets hurt? My son finally eased up on the idea after I scolded him."
After listening for a bit, Ye Zhen figured out the purpose of their gathering. The conversation never drifted away from their grandchildren. They were just showing off.
"Mrs. Lu, you still have free time now. Once your daughter-in-law is pregnant, you'll be so busy."
"Ah, I'm doomed to a life of worrying. I just finished worrying about my son's wedding. And now, I'll have to start worrying about my grandchild." Mother Lu held Ye Zhen's hand. "My family’s Zhenzhen is pregnant!"
Everyone else was extremely surprised and stunned.
"She got pregnant that quickly?"
Mother Lu beamed. "We discovered it when she went to the hospital for a checkup."
"Congratulations, you're going to become a grandmother. How long has she been pregnant?"
Mother Lu silently cursed her son again. She vaguely answered, "Not long."
"It's especially important for pregnant women to eat nourishing foods during the first trimester." The madam looked over Ye Zhen. "Your daughter-in-law is so thin. She should eat more food and more supplements."
"I know. Older Master Lu sent over three women who have experience with taking care of pregnant women. I feel less worried with them managing Zhenzhen's diet." Mrs. Lu was grinning from ear to ear. "I was so stunned when I found out that Zhenzhen was pregnant from her checkup yesterday. I listen to you talk about your grandchildren so much, but now that it's my turn to be a grandmother, I don't know what to do."
"You can start preparing your grandchild's clothes and toys now. Otherwise, you'll be too busy when the baby comes. It'll be inconvenient if you're lacking anything when the time comes."
"I've already started preparing! And I set aside a room for the nursery. And I invited a designer for the nursery. Once the designer is done with the design in a few days, I'll hire coworkers to remodel the room according to the design. I can't depend on Beichuan. Besides, I'll feel better if I oversee it myself."
Ye Zhen couldn't resist interjecting, "Mom, we don't know if the baby will be a boy or girl."
With a prideful expression, Mrs. Lu said, "That's why I'm preparing two sets of everything."
Ye Zhen's mood was extremely complicated.
She had already been worried that Lu Beichuan would spoil their son, and now there was this grandmother that would also be spoiling her grandson.
Spoiling your children was the root of all evil. Ye Zhen couldn't stop herself from worrying. Would she be able to raise this baby into a good person?