Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

Sweat rolled down his taut jawline, splashing onto the dark blue canvas of the boxing ring, leaving dark spots. The air was filled with the salty, pungent smell of rubber and sweat.

Lu Yang hunched his back slightly, protected his head with his fists, moved nimbly, and stared intently at Gong Ping'an, who was equally focused, with sharp eyes like a hawk.

"Hoo...ha!" With a short exhale, Lu Yang delivered a tricky hook punch through Gong Ping'an's defensive gap, slamming heavily into the opponent's blocking arm with a dull impact.

Gong Ping'an grunted, took a half step back, shook his numb forearm, and said calmly, "You seem to have quite a temper lately. Your strength is almost on par with a professional boxer."

Lu Yang didn't answer, but just shook his soaked hair, sweat flying everywhere.

"Come again!"

After saying that, he rushed forward again.

The two exchanged blows, evenly matched. Lu Yang had the advantage of a physical constitution, as his physique had inexplicably become much stronger after his rebirth, while Gong Ping'an had the advantage of skill.

Besides, the two of them weren't risking their lives.

So much so that even when Lu Yang threw bricks with great force, he was able to barely manage a draw against this king of soldiers.

This is the company's own gym downstairs, which is only open to employees of the entire group headquarters and its branches.

Lu Yang has been back in Pengcheng for some time now.

Recently, nothing major has happened at the company. The overseas wafer fab has been settled, and Wei Shu, the capable female president, has returned to China to take charge of the overall situation. The daily voyage of the giant ship Century Group does not require him to steer at all times.

However, he has been diligently clocking in and out of get off work on time lately, listening to the latest news from the group's subsidiaries, and occasionally working out with a few buddies at the newly opened gym downstairs to stretch their muscles.

Besides
That financial storm, as pointed out by the Singaporean Li family, hung over Asia like the Sword of Damocles.

This was something that was destined to happen.

Lu Yang definitely needs to be careful.

However, whether it has already shown any signs of a future trend still needs to be understood through various channels.

Subtle fluctuations in the Thai baht exchange rate?

Is international speculative capital quietly increasing its position in Southeast Asia?
As he peruses international financial news and analysis reports, beneath the calm surface, he is keenly observing any ripples on the other side of the Pacific Ocean that might foreshadow an approaching storm, utilizing every available channel.

"Buzz...buzz...buzz..."

In the corner of the boxing ring, a cell phone carelessly tossed on a jacket suddenly vibrated violently, its screen stubbornly lighting up in the dim light.

Lu Yang's movements immediately slowed down.

He took two steps back and shook the sweat off his brow.

He took the towel handed to him by the staff, wiped his hands, walked to the corner of the boxing ring, and picked up his phone from his coat.

On the lit screen, the caller ID displayed three words: Xu Changping.

Lu Yang couldn't help but furrow his brows.

I took a deep breath and suppressed the complex emotions that suddenly welled up in my heart.

"Hello, Uncle Xu?"

Lu Yang's voice was slightly panting from exercise, but his tone was more composed and respectful than ever before, even carrying a hint of tension that was barely perceptible.

There was a moment or two of silence on the other end of the phone before Xu Changping's signature, slightly deep yet penetrating, refined middle-aged male voice came through. It didn't reveal much emotion, but it carried an undeniable weight: "Yes, it's me. Do you have time lately?"

No small talk, straight to the point.

"Uncle Xu, just say the word, and I can make arrangements anytime."

Lu Yang responded immediately, instinctively straightening his posture.

This mayor of Hengcheng is not only Xu Siqi's father, but also a crucial benefactor in Lu Yang's life.

If Xu Changping hadn't defied public opinion and pushed him, a small business owner from a township enterprise, onto the grand stage of the Canton Fair, he would never have come into contact with figures like Mu Qizhong and Jiang Wanli at the very beginning, let alone seized the opportunity of the VCD industry's explosive growth, taking the lead to become one of the major shareholders and founders behind Wan Yan Electronics, laying the foundation for the later full acquisition of Wan Yan Electronics and even the rise of the entire Century Group.

Lu Yang has never forgotten this kindness and support.

"Hmm." Xu Changping's voice remained steady, yet clearly conveyed his intention, "Take some time to come to Hengcheng. There are some things we need to discuss in person."

The specifics of the matter were not mentioned, but Lu Yang knew perfectly well what it was.

The letter that ignited the fierce argument between Xu's parents contained the news of Xu Siqi's safe delivery of her daughter in Singapore, as well as his belated assurances and apologies. Now, the father, who had been kept in the dark for so long and suddenly learned that his daughter had given birth to his child in a foreign land, was finally going to confront the "instigator" face to face.

This phone call wasn't for discussion; it was for notification.

"Understood, Uncle Xu." Lu Yang replied without hesitation, his tone resolute.

"I'll take care of things here, and I'll definitely come to Hengcheng to report to you by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

He dared not refuse, nor could he refuse.

This is not only a responsibility to Xu Siqi, who was a benefactor on his entrepreneurial journey and is now his future father-in-law, but also a way of repaying past kindness and taking responsibility for the future of Xu Siqi and her daughter.

"Okay, come straight to my office when you arrive." Xu Changping succinctly set the location and then hung up the phone.

Lu Yang, on the other hand, was no longer in the mood to continue practicing his boxing.

clean up.

He then left the company with his people.

three days later.

Several black sedans drove out of the airport passage of Xingcheng, the capital of Hunan Province, bypassed the city center, and headed straight for Hengcheng, a prefecture-level city hundreds of miles away.

In the 90s, this capital city of Mount Heng did not yet have a proper civilian airport.

Although it boasts Mount Heng, one of the Five Sacred Mountains, with its unique scenery and charm, making it a future tourist destination, the first airport will have to wait a while due to the current underdeveloped tourism industry. Lu Yang remembered that flights should start operating sometime after 2000, but he didn't have much of an impression of the exact year.

Now, he can only take a plane first, and then transfer to a car.

Fortunately, it's not too far from Xingcheng, the provincial capital, to Hengcheng, a famous city of the Five Sacred Mountains.

The journey of several hundred kilometers can be completed in two or three hours. Outside the window, the familiar outline of a southern city unfolds in the twilight, the lights just coming on, yet carrying a sense of oppressive tension, as if a storm is brewing.

Lu Yang rubbed his temples and stuffed the encrypted briefing about the unusual fluctuations in the Bank of Thailand's foreign exchange reserves and the unusually active activities of international hedge funds in Southeast Asia back into his briefcase.

The shadow of the financial crisis, like the cumulonimbus clouds that rolled beneath the wings of an airplane flying in the blue sky just hours before, drew ever closer, pressing down on our nerves. "Hmm, it seems like it's time to sell Microsoft stock?"

At that moment, Lu Yang had this thought in mind.

But we need to wait a little longer.

He had to first focus all his attention on the raging waves before him.

Meeting the benefactor from back then, now the prospective father-in-law (the lover's father).

The secretary silently pushed open the door to the mayor's office.

Lu Yang took a deep breath and went inside.

The office is spacious and bright, with a grand yet understated furnishing, just like its owner.

Xu Changping did not sit behind the large desk, but stood with his back to the door, hands behind his back, in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city as the lights came on.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast a long shadow of the refined middle-aged man onto the polished floor, conveying a heavy, suffocating sense of oppression.

The air seemed to freeze, with only the second hand of the wall clock ticking away, each tick striking a chord in Lu Yang's tense heart.

“Uncle Xu.” Lu Yang’s voice was deliberately calm as he bowed slightly.

Xu Changping slowly turned around.

His face did not show the expected rage, but only a bottomless weariness and an icy coldness.

Those usually gentle and wise eyes were now sharp as knives, piercing straight at Lu Yang, churning with an extremely suppressed storm within.

That was the fury of a father who had been deceived.

It was the heart-wrenching pain of seeing her daughter and granddaughter adrift in a foreign land, their status still uncertain, and even more so, the intense dissatisfaction with this young man who had acted first and informed her later, turning everything upside down.

"sit."

Xu Changping's voice was not loud, and even a little hoarse, but it was as heavy as a thousand pounds, with an unquestionable commanding tone.

He walked back to his desk and sat down, his fingertips tapping the surface unconsciously, a rhythm that made Lu Yang's heartbeat become disordered.

Without any pleasantries or transitions, Xu Changping cut to the chase, each word like a nail hardened with ice: "Lu Yang, tell me, what are your plans for Siqi? What are your plans for that child?"

His gaze was fixed on Lu Yang, not wanting to miss a single expression on Lu Yang's face, and he said, word by word, "Tell me, do you want them, mother and daughter, to hide in Singapore for the rest of their lives? To be an illegitimate child and a mistress who can't be seen in public? Is this the 'guarantee' you, Boss Lu, are giving them? Ten million US dollars?"

He practically spat out the last four words through gritted teeth, filled with intense sarcasm and disdain. The huge sum of money that had brought his ex-wife, Du Yuanyuan, such elation, was, in his eyes, more like a desecration of family ties and an evasion of responsibility.

How could a mayor like him endure such humiliation?

If he didn't only have this one daughter, and if the deed was already done, he would have had this scoundrel arrested long ago and convicted of bigamy.

Lu Yang felt a tightness in his throat.

Feeling guilty, he avoided eye contact, but since he had already done it, he couldn't appear too guilty. So he tried to explain, "Uncle Xu, you've misunderstood. That company was an asset for Siqi and the child, for them..."

"industry?"

Xu Changping abruptly interrupted him, his voice rising sharply. His suppressed anger finally broke through the ice, pouring down with the force of thunder. He slammed his hand on the desk and roared in a low voice, "Do my daughter and granddaughter need your money to 'protect' them?! My daughter wants recognition! She wants to be treated with dignity! It's the responsibility that you, Lu Yang, should bear as a man and a father!"

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp and intense, pressing down on Lu Yang with immense pressure: "I'm asking you, do you have any intention of giving Siqi a proper status? Do you intend for my granddaughter to have the Lu surname with dignity, to return to the country with dignity, instead of being forced to leave for a foreign land like this, where even her identity is in question! Or are you, Lu Yang, planning to forever keep them, mother and daughter, as shadows of your Lu family, hidden from the light of day?!"

The air seemed to be ignited.

Lu Yang could clearly feel the deep heartache and worry of a father, as well as the great fear of uncertainty about the future, in Xu Changping's words.

This hurt him more than any direct reprimand.

He opened his mouth, the words "My wife and I cannot divorce" almost bursting out, but he knew that saying those words at this moment would be like adding fuel to the fire, immediately igniting the volcano in front of him that was already on the verge of exploding.

The negotiations have reached a suffocating stalemate.

Xu Changping's attitude was unusually firm. He clearly did not accept the monetary compensation offer. What he needed was a clear promise that would guarantee the future status and dignity of his daughter and granddaughter, a promise that Lu Yang could not fully fulfill at the moment.

Lu Yang could even sense that Xu Changping's gaze had become scrutinizing and resolute.

If he cannot provide a satisfactory answer, this father is willing to completely sever ties with him for his daughter's sake.

Just as tensions were running high and negotiations were on the verge of collapse, a thought flashed through Lu Yang's mind like lightning.

He needs a sufficiently significant bargaining chip, one that can instantly shift the focus and force Xu Changping to reconsider.

He thought of that plan that was still in the works and had not yet been revealed to the public.

That's it.

Although I don't know if it will work out, I can't worry about that now.

“Uncle Xu,” Lu Yang’s voice carried a hint of desperate resolve. He met Xu Changping’s gaze, which seemed to pierce through him, and dropped the bombshell that was the only possible way to break the deadlock at that moment.

"I will do everything in my power to protect Siqi and the child's future. I know that any explanation now would seem inadequate. But besides that, I have come here today with an important business plan that I would like to report to you and seek local cooperation."

He paused deliberately, letting the words "important" and "cooperation" resonate in the stagnant air.

Xu Changping sneered: "You think you can bribe me with money?"

Is he the kind of person who would do anything to gain political achievements for himself?

Lu Yang remained noncommittal, then quickly said, "Uncle Xu, let me finish. The eight-inch wafer fab project in Singapore has been launched and is progressing smoothly. But the domestic market is also a top priority in my strategic plan. I plan to invest in and build another eight-inch wafer manufacturing plant of the same specifications in China, with an initial budget of five billion RMB."

The figure of "fifty billion" exploded like a thunderclap in the oppressive mayor's office.

Xu Changping's fingers, which were tapping the table, suddenly stopped in mid-air.

"really?"

The two words just came out.

A sharp, complex glint flashed in the depths of his eyes, which were burning with anger and heartache.

That was the instinctive focus and strong interest of a local official in matters of massive investment, industrial upgrading, GDP growth, and political achievements. (End of Chapter)