LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 11
Li Zhen flipped through the thin contract. The terms were simple and clear.
She could hardly believe that this was from Li Yinnan, who had always been stingy towards her.
Li Group operated many five-star hotels, as well as furniture factories, building material factories, home furnishing malls, etc., and had done very well in the southwest region of China.
1.2% of Li's shares would easily yield tens of millions in annual dividends.
Old Master Li nodded eagerly to his granddaughter, afraid that Li Zhen would change her mind and reject it.
Li Zhen gave her grandfather a faint smile to reassure him.
When Li Yanran married into the Yun family, she and her mother had made a big fuss with Li Yinnan many times, wanting 0.3% of Li's shares as a dowry. Li Yinnan had not agreed, and only promised 8 million cash, a villa, and a car for the wedding.
Li Zhen thought about how furious Li Yanran and her mother would be when they found out she had obtained Li's shares, and found this contract particularly interesting.
Seeing that Li Zhen had been silent for a long time, Li Yinnan tapped on the contract, "You should be able to see that this contract has no unnecessary complications. I'm very sincere. Your grandfather is also getting older, and his only wish is for four generations under one roof. Your brother Yufeng is focused on the group's affairs, and still unmarried. Your younger sister Yanran just got engaged, and the wedding date is not set yet. You're the only one who's already married."
Li Yinnan stared at Li Zhen. The more prominent the family, the more they valued their lineage. Now that Li Zhen had ties with the Yu family, the bond would be forever inseparable.
Take Li Zhen for example. Even if she was Li's illegitimate daughter, Old Master Li had raised her with his own hands.
Let alone, Li Zhen was Yu Sheng's legal wife. Once they had children, the in-laws bond between the Yu and Li families would be strengthened.
Feelings are not eternal, but blood ties are.
Li Zhen sneered inwardly. Li Yinnan sounded high-minded, but everything he did was for the sake of the Yu family.
She and Yu Sheng had a secret marriage, and the Yu family had never announced her existence. Li Yinnan was worried, and wanted her to have children soon to tie down the Yu family through motherhood.
Although she and Yu Sheng were divorced, the contract only stated that Li Zhen had to give birth to a child, and did not specify who the father had to be.
How easy!
"Alright, I'll have a child within a year!" Li Zhen waved her hand grandly and signed her name. Then she cautiously said, "Dad, please sign in front of me too. I'll bring back an original copy."
Li Yinnan picked up the pen but hesitated for a moment. "Yu Sheng didn't come today. You two didn't have a falling out, did you?"
Li Zhen's heart skipped a beat, but she remained calm on the surface. "Of course not, he's just busy with work."
When Li Zhen was with Yu Sheng before, Li Yinnan could see how much Yu Sheng cared about her, and their relationship seemed very stable. So to appear simply caring for Li Zhen rather than the Yu family, he did not specify in the contract that the child's father must be Yu Sheng.
But since Yu Sheng was absent today, Li Yinnan felt uncertain. If the couple's relationship soured, Li Zhen could take advantage of this loophole in the contract...
Li Yinnan put down his pen. "Let me revise the contract first before signing..."
"Dad..." Just then, Li Yanran suddenly appeared at the door. Her delicate face had a coy look. "Brother Yu Sheng is here. He's looking for you!"
"He's here?" A rare delight appeared on Li Yinnan's staid face.
At this point, Li Zhen didn't care why Yu Sheng had come. She quickly grabbed the pen and put it in Li Yinnan's hand. "Dad, please sign it. Don't keep Yu Sheng waiting too long downstairs."
Li Yinnan looked at the contract, still hesitant.
Li Yanran was anxious. "Dad, Brother Yu Sheng brought you so many gifts. He's so thoughtful, hurry downstairs."
Li Yinnan's brows relaxed and he signed his name. "Zhen'er, I'm waiting for your good news."
"Okay." Li Zhen picked up a copy, still flustered, and put it in her bag.
That was close!
Li Yinnan almost caught on.
She had secured these 1.2% shares!
She had wanted a child for a long time anyway. With 1.2% of Li's shares, she could be a single mom with money and leisure to accompany her child, live with grandfather and give him the best life in his twilight years, and piss off Li Yanran and her mother.
Her future suddenly looked incredibly bright!
Li Yinnan hurried downstairs with Li Yanran.
Only then did Li Zhen realize something was wrong. She had divorced Yu Sheng and told him not to come anymore. Why did he still show up?
"Grandpa, I'll come keep you company again later. I'm going downstairs to take a look first."
"Go on, don't worry about me." Old Master Li looked spirited, but his legs were no longer agile and he rarely went out or downstairs.
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Yu Sheng had already passed through the lively front yard and entered the first floor of the villa. Seeing the three of them come down, he smiled and said, "Dad, I got held up at work and came late."
Calling Li Yinnan "Dad" put Li Zhen's heart at ease.
This meant Yu Sheng would not tell Li Yinnan about their divorce for now.
"Not late at all, the banquet hasn't officially started yet." Li Yinnan patted Yu Sheng warmly on the shoulder.
"Brother Yu Sheng." Li Yanran sidled up, her tone coy as if she could squeeze out water.
"Mm." Yu Sheng responded with little expression, then handed the gifts in his hands to Li Zhen. "Help Dad take these and put them away."
Yu Sheng glanced at her, neither cold nor warm.
Near the end of work, Yu Sheng had messaged Li Zhen to wait for him in the basement garage at the company. He waited for a long time without seeing anyone, called her phone which went unanswered, and finally called Zhang Xiya to find out she had already left.
In Yu Sheng's mind, no matter how serious the quarrel between husband and wife, they could not show it in front of elders.
She always acted without due consideration.
His anger dissipated a little.
Li Yanran watched Yu Sheng and Li Zhen's intimacy with murderous hatred in her heart, but could only force a smile on the surface.
Li Zhen went to put away the gifts. Li Yinnan took Yu Sheng to greet the guests.
Yu Sheng was well-dressed and cultured, with the refinement subtly nurtured only in prestigious families. He was at ease and composed.
Although it was a birthday banquet, most of the guests Li Yinnan had invited today were his business partners.
A couple came to toast Li Yinnan and looked at Yu Sheng curiously. "Mr. Li, who is this...?"
"This is my daughter's good friend, Yu Sheng. He's a junior marketing director at Honghai Group." Li Yinnan picked up a wine glass and handed it to Yu Sheng. "Little Yu, this is Mr. and Mrs. Wang. Here, have a drink with these elders."
Li Yinnan was a businessman who knew how to gauge situations. He would not reveal anything about Yu Sheng and Li Zhen's marriage before the Yu family announced it, otherwise it would only displease the Yu family and affect future relations between their families.
The Yu family was a century-old prominent clan who always kept a low profile, so almost no one recognized Yu Sheng.
Therefore, Li Yinnan would not tell outsiders of Yu Sheng's identity as the Yu family's eldest son, nor spread news of their marriage.
Yu Sheng raised his glass respectfully to the couple. Unlike his sharp aura at work, he had the humble manners of a junior. "Mr. Wang, Mrs. Wang, I saw your interview in last month's Jincheng Economic Monthly and greatly admire you. Meeting you both today is an honor for me."
Perceptive people could instantly understand that being introduced as the daughter's good friend and accompanying Li Yinnan at the birthday banquet, he was most likely the future Li family son-in-law.
Plus, Yu Sheng's words stroked Mr. Wang's ego perfectly. He immediately raised his glass in return. "Director Yu is talented and promising."
After some polite conversation, the couple left. Then a steady middle-aged male voice sounded, "Little Yu?"
Li Yinnan turned around. The speaker was Song Fu.
Song Fu was in real estate. He had recently started developing a very large complex for luxury furnished apartments, and many companies supplying construction materials and home furnishings were bidding on it.
Li Group was one of them.
Li Yinnan instantly became more cordial. "Mr. Song, please relax today. Sorry I haven't attended to you well enough. Please bear with me."
"You're too kind, Mr. Li." Song Fu's attention was completely on Yu Sheng as he asked warmly, "You're Yu Sheng, little Yu?"
Li Yinnan looked at them in surprise, not expecting someone to recognize Yu Sheng.
Yu Sheng sized him up but had no recollection at all. "You are...?"
"Is it really you?" Song Fu was delighted and said with a smile: "I came to the Yu family for your high school graduation and college entrance celebration banquet. There were so many people that day, you must not remember me. According to our seniority, you should call me uncle."
Song Fu was a distant relative of the Yu family.
At Yu Sheng's college entrance celebration banquet, which was also his coming-of-age ceremony, the Yu family held a grand banquet and reception where Song Fu finally had a chance to visit the Yu family for the first time in years.
At first glance, he didn't recognize the Yu family's heir who was here with Li Yinnan to receive the guests.