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

The car doors shut out the lingering noise and flashing lights outside the Shanghai courthouse, but a different kind of somber atmosphere filled the interior.

Xu Siqi leaned back in the cold leather seat, as if she had exhausted all her strength, and let out a long, silent sigh.

The air was thick with the frustration and resentment of losing the case, making one's chest feel heavy.

After a brief silence, she spoke, her voice low but carrying a resolute tone: "Appeal."

"Huh?" Du Yuanyuan, the mother sitting in the front passenger seat, didn't react for a moment and subconsciously turned to look at her daughter.

Xu Siqi's gaze wasn't focused on her mother's face, but rather through the tanned car window, watching the street scene rushing past outside. Her voice was clear and calm as she repeated, "I said, let's appeal."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Du Yuanyuan suddenly realized what was happening and quickly replied, "I understand! I'll notify the lawyer right away!" She immediately took out her phone, her fingers trembling slightly from excitement and lingering tension, and began to search through her contacts.

The shadow of defeat seemed to be instantly dispelled by the word "appeal".

Watching her mother's retreating figure as she dialed the phone, a subtle, complex emotion flickered in Xu Siqi's eyes.

After Du Yuanyuan finished her call and put down her phone, the ashen look on her face vanished, replaced by a sense of sudden joy and even a touch of...smugness.
"My dear daughter." She turned around, her face beaming with smiles, and slapped her thigh hard. "Now that you mention it, I suddenly realize that losing this lawsuit was brilliant, absolutely perfect!"

She analyzed with great enthusiasm: "Look, we lost the case and have to appeal, which gives us a perfectly legitimate reason to stay in Shanghai, right? Our newly bought riverside villa has just been renovated, and we were just looking for an excuse to stay there for a while! Now, it's perfect!"

Du Yuanyuan became more and more excited as she spoke, "You don't know, Singapore, although there are many Chinese people and you don't have to speak foreign languages, this was my first time going abroad. I was unfamiliar with the place and even buying groceries was inconvenient! I just felt uncomfortable all over. Now it's all good, I can finally go back to the mainland and live comfortably for a long time! This lawsuit was worth losing!"

Xu Siqi listened to her mother's excited plans, but her face remained expressionless.

She glanced at her mother indifferently, her tone tinged with coldness: "Mom, this has nothing to do with winning or losing the case. Even if I win this case, we can still stay in Shanghai. You don't think that way."

She paused slightly, a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm in her voice, "Given that 'good friend' and 'good sister's' personality, if she loses the case, she'll willingly admit defeat and not appeal, right?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the enthusiasm on Du Yuanyuan's face.

Her smile froze, her eyes flickered, and she looked somewhat embarrassed and awkward.

Yes, given that girl surnamed Yin's vengeful and unyielding nature, neither winning nor losing will change the fact that the two sides will fight to the death.

The daughter pointed out a reality that the two of them tacitly understood but deliberately avoided.

This lawsuit is just one round in a long war.

Du Yuanyuan was speechless, so she turned around sullenly and pretended to stare intently at the road ahead, no longer saying a word. The driver, who was driving, kept his eyes down and didn't dare to breathe, and the atmosphere in the car fell into a subtle stagnation once again.

Xu Siqi silently gazed out the window, her displeasure growing and entwining like vines in her heart.

I've lost twice in a row!
In company management, in public opinion battles, and even in... she subconsciously clenched her fingers.

Is she really inferior to her former inseparable "Sister Mingzhu" in every way?

This sense of defeat and resentment was even harder for her to let go of than the amount of compensation she received in the lawsuit.

"Mom, don't say anything yet," Xu Siqi suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

She took her phone out of her elegant handbag, the screen's light reflecting on her slightly tired but still radiant face.

Although the course of this lawsuit, including "losing" and the subsequent "appeal," was part of her plan, it was a crucial step in order to stay in the mainland legitimately, observe closely, and continue her struggle with Yin Mingzhu.

But plans are plans; without that man's approval, even if she had a hundred times the courage, she wouldn't dare to actually make decisions on her own.

The call was answered quickly.

"Boss, it's me." Xu Siqi's voice was deliberately calm, carrying a hint of businesslike detachment.

Lu Yang's magnetic and familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, with a hint of amusement: "Why are you calling me 'boss' today? Don't you usually call me 'husband' in a coquettish way?"

Xu Siqi's heart skipped a beat, but she remained calm: "Normally, that was when you were in Singapore. Now that we're back in the mainland and discussing business, it's more appropriate to use your job title."

She subtly hinted at the shift in geographical location and the resulting change in "rules".

"Heh." Lu Yang chuckled lightly, his tone revealing little emotion. "Fine, whatever you say. What? Something's up?"

He seemed to readily switch into "business" mode.

Xu Siqi took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound like she was simply reporting an objective fact rather than seeking comfort: "I lost the case." She paused, seemingly waiting for the other person's reaction.

Lu Yang's reaction on the other end of the phone was unusually calm, even nonchalant: "If you lose, you lose." As if it were just a trivial matter.

“But…” Xu Siqi subconsciously wanted to explain something, such as the other party being well-prepared, the sharpness of the new evidence, or her mother’s confidence being miscalculated again… but these words were on the tip of her tongue, but she forcibly suppressed them.

What she really wanted to say was the burning resentment in her heart.

However, Lu Yang seemed to have seen through her unfinished words and interrupted her directly: "You mean you're going to appeal next, right?" His voice was as calm as if he were stating a fact.

Xu Siqi's heart tightened suddenly.

He knew it all along!
She gripped the phone tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white.

Now that she'd been exposed, she decided to stop hiding it. The stubbornness and resentment that had been suppressed for so long finally surfaced in her voice: "Yes! I'm not reconciled! Why am I inferior to her in every way? It was before, and it's still now! Even... even with your help, it seems I still can't beat her!"

Her voice rose slightly, carrying a hint of barely perceptible grievance and stubbornness, "This time, I want to win against her with my own strength! Just once!"

She herself felt a little uneasy saying "by her own strength," but it was also filled with a desperate determination.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

This brief silence made Xu Siqi's heart leap into her throat, and even Du Yuanyuan, who was eavesdropping in the front row, nervously held her breath.

Then, Lu Yang's voice came clearly, containing only one word:

"it is good."

It was straightforward and efficient, without any strings attached, and without even asking her about her specific plans.

Xu Siqi was stunned. She had anticipated all sorts of reactions—questioning, dissuasion, or a controlling arrangement for her to book a flight back to Singapore—but she hadn't expected such a straightforward "okay."

"..." She opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

"Is there anything else?" Lu Yang's voice came again, returning to its normal tone, as if the important call had ended.

"No...nothing more," Xu Siqi replied somewhat absentmindedly.

"Okay," Lu Yang replied, then hung up the phone.

Hearing the busy tone from her phone, Xu Siqi slowly lowered her arm, her eyes unfocused as she stared ahead.

"How did it go? Did he agree?" Du Yuanyuan turned around impatiently and asked anxiously.

Xu Siqi nodded, her voice slightly unsteady: "I agree." She looked at her mother's instantly relieved smile, but a strange unease and fear welled up in her heart.

Lu Yang's use of the word "good" was too straightforward.

The decisiveness made her uneasy.

This was completely different from what she had imagined.

She had expected him to ask more questions, offer guidance, and show signs of control, even if it was just a hint of dissatisfaction.

But this extremely simple "good" is like a stone thrown into a deep pool, leaving no echo and no ripples.

It was as if her plans, her unwillingness to accept defeat, and her determination to "win on her own" were all irrelevant in his eyes and not worth a second thought.

He seemed to... acquiesce.

But is this tacit approval a sign of trust and letting go? Or... a deeper, unemotional, and indifferent observation?

If my insistence on appealing and staying in Shanghai displeases him, what will I gain even if I force myself to stay?

Immersed in her joy, Du Yuanyuan had no time to consider her daughter's complex thoughts. Clapping her hands, she began to excitedly mutter to herself, "Great! Now I can relax! We'll go to the best furniture store later! That villa is still missing a few decent pieces of furniture. Mom has to pick some out carefully. The sofa needs to be replaced with genuine leather, and the curtains need to be replaced with thicker imported fabric..."

She is already envisioning her new life in Shanghai.

Shenzhen, top floor of Century Tower.

Lu Yang placed his phone on the large mahogany desk, making a soft sound. His face remained largely expressionless, as if he had just answered a regular work call.

He looked up and smiled apologetically at the woman sitting on the opposite sofa: "It's just a family matter, please excuse me, Sister Wei Shu."

Sitting opposite him was Wei Shu, the president of the Lu Group.

She wore a well-tailored smoky gray suit skirt, exuding a capable and composed demeanor.

The office door was closed, and the two were clearly having an important internal meeting.

Before being interrupted, they were having an in-depth discussion about the future plans for the two prime plots of land the group had acquired in Hong Kong. Should they respond to the Hong Kong government's call to build "Cyberport" and attract technology companies? Or should they follow the example of local Hong Kong tycoons like the Li Ka-shing family and take advantage of "Cyberport" to engage in substantial real estate development? Or should they simply take advantage of the soaring land prices to cash out and leave?
Wei Shu picked up the bone china coffee cup in front of her, took an elegant sip, raised an eyebrow and smiled, with the familiarity and teasing of old friends: "A man who isn't romantic in his youth is wasting his life! Boss, you're still young, in the prime of your life. Unlike me, I'm already approaching forty."

She put down her cup and deliberately sighed, "And recently your brother Ping An went on a business trip to Luzhou again. He was only transferred back from the Singapore headquarters a few months ago. My husband and I are always separated. If this continues, I really don't want to be the president anymore." She complained half-jokingly, cleverly defusing the awkwardness of Lu Yang's family matters interrupting official business, and also showing her tact as a veteran and friend.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yang quickly stood up, picked up the coffee pot beside him, and refilled Wei Shu's cup, adopting a very humble posture: "It's my fault, my fault! Sister Wei Shu has made great contributions, I promise this is the last time I interrupt the meeting because of personal matters."

He earnestly promised, "When Brother Ping An returns from his business trip to Luzhou, I'll definitely keep him at the company headquarters, guarding you, my 'Empress Dowager,' every day, and won't let him go anywhere! He'll make sure he makes it up to you properly!" His tone was unusually relaxed and intimate.

"Haha, that's more like it!" Wei Shu laughed heartily, patting the sofa armrest with a flourish. He then quickly composed himself and said seriously, "Alright, let's get back to the main topic. We've been holding onto those two plots of land in Hong Kong for almost half a year now, and the market hype has pretty much died down. We need to come up with a plan for the next step today."

She analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of several options in a clear and logical manner:
"If we respond to the Hong Kong government's call to build Cyberport, then we need to figure out which of our group's subsidiaries have a strategic need to relocate there? Or set up new factories in Hong Kong? Wafer fabs? Or some of Little Genius's businesses? Attracting investment is not too difficult. As long as we raise the banner of Century Group, the supporting upstream and downstream factories such as electronic components and software services will naturally flock to us."

She paused, looking sharply at Lu Yang, "But the premise is that our group itself does have the necessity and feasibility assessment for relocation or new construction."

"Conversely, if we abandon the Cyberport concept and choose to develop real estate with the Li family,"

Wei Shu frowned slightly. "Making money is certain, and the short-term profits will be considerable. But you know those media outlets in Hong Kong; they'll write anything. If they accuse us of 'selling dog meat under the guise of mutton' or 'using technology as a pretext for real estate development,' it will be a significant blow to the group's overall reputation and standing."

"Finally, the simplest and most worry-free option," Wei Shu shrugged, "is to take advantage of the current favorable land price increase and cash out directly. Holding onto these assets for the past six months has already resulted in a paper profit of several 'small goals,' so taking profits now is a prudent choice."

Lu Yang leaned back in his large executive chair, his slender fingers rhythmically tapping lightly on the smooth tabletop, producing soft, tapping sounds.

The only sound in the office was the rhythmic tapping; he was deep in thought.

After a moment, the knocking stopped.

Lu Yang raised his head, his gaze calm and decisive: "Sell one piece, the one that's not in the most central location, and cash out when the time is right."

"What about the other one? The prime piece of land near the port?" Wei Shu pressed.

“Keep it.” Lu Yang said firmly. “We’ll use that land ourselves. We’ll move the entire headquarters and core R&D department of Little Genius Electronics there.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Shu's eyes flashed with understanding, but then a clear concern appeared: "Boss, wouldn't this arrangement... have some negative implications?"

She carefully chose her words, "Little Genius is now the undisputed leading enterprise in Baoqing City, a major taxpayer, and a top employer. Its two large factories in Zhaoyang County and the city support thousands of workers and their families. If we just move our headquarters and R&D center away without even a word..."

She didn't elaborate, but her meaning was clear: this was tantamount to removing the backbone of Baoqing City, which would definitely cause a huge uproar. She might even be criticized by her hometown folks for being ungrateful and a heartless ingrate.

Lu Yang chuckled and quickly waved his hand, "Sister Wei Shu, what are you thinking? Even if I, Lu Yang, am confused, I wouldn't do something so foolish as to cut myself off from my hometown folks."

His eyes gleamed with shrewdness. "I'm talking about relocating the R&D department and registering the headquarters. Not a single factory will move! The assembly lines and the jobs for thousands of workers will remain firmly in Baoqing. Labor costs are so high in Hong Kong. Why should we solve the employment problem for the Hong Kong government? Let them worry about it themselves."

Wei Shu paused for a moment, then suddenly realized, a knowing smile spreading across his face, even tinged with admiration: "I understand! Brilliant! A brilliant move! By placing the core business and the physical storefront in the port city, leveraging its international perspective and talent pool to develop R&D; and keeping the manufacturing plant and jobs firmly in our hometown of Baoqing, we've preserved our foundation and reputation while simultaneously solving the bottleneck in R&D upgrades! Boss, you're really quick-witted!"

Lu Yang smiled but didn't reply.

He picked up his coffee cup, gazing out the window at the bustling skyline of Shenzhen, lost in thought. (End of Chapter)