Soft-centered strawberry cake

Chapter 17 There is a wolf before and a tiger behind
The most vibrant and lively places in the city are undoubtedly the barbecue stalls under the streetlights, where skewers of meat sprinkled with cumin and chili powder sizzle and drip oil over charcoal, making you want to take a bite right away.

Beer and barbecue make for a wonderful evening, but if the person enjoying it is in a bad mood, the meal will lose its original flavor.

"When did that new CEO Pei marry Chairman Ming's daughter? I never knew Chairman Ming had this up his sleeve!"

The speaker was Li Anwen, Ming Weiyi's immediate superior and the head of the Planning Department at the Ming Group headquarters.

"Who knows? If Chairman Ming hadn't fallen ill, I wouldn't have even known he had a son-in-law!"

Thinking about this, Fu Baiqing was furious. He was, after all, a relative of the Ming family, wasn't he? That old man Ming Hui would rather let a complete stranger take charge than consider him!
He believed that the Ming family was still very wary of him.

"Ming Dong is a prominent figure in Jiangcheng, and the Pei family also holds a significant position in City C. Logically, their marriage should be announced to the world..."

After saying that, Li Anwen picked up the beer next to him and drank it all in one gulp, leaving the rest for Fu Baiqing to guess.

“You mean…” Fu Baiqing understood Li Anwen’s meaning, and a hint of cunning appeared in his eyes, “The marriage between the Pei family and the Ming family is very likely a temporary measure. Whether this marriage has any substantial relationship is still uncertain.”

"Yes, that President Pei might actually be someone Chairman Ming brought in temporarily. I heard that the Pei family and the Ming family have a good relationship."

As Li Anwen spoke, he gave Fu Baiqing a knowing look.

"Even though she was brought in temporarily, she's already married to the Ming family girl. The legal department said that themselves today." Fu Baiqing then poured himself a glass of wine, pretending to be nonchalant.

"Legal affairs? Heh..." Li Anwen smiled maliciously, "Who doesn't know that our company's legal head and Chairman Ming have been friends for over twenty years? Whether they're legally married or not is entirely up to him. He can talk nonsense without breaking the law."

"What are you trying to say?" Fu Baiqing knew exactly what Li Anwen was thinking, but he still pretended not to care.

"Don't you know what I mean, Mr. Fu? Everyone in the company is saying that you should be the CEO. You've worked so hard and made great contributions over the years..."

Fu Baiqing had seen Li Anwen's sycophantic behavior many times before, so he immediately adopted a righteous and stern demeanor: "Alright, alright! Don't say things you shouldn't say. You'd better only say these things to me, or you'll be fired tomorrow!"

"Alright, alright! I won't say anything more. I'll punish myself with three drinks." Li Anwen didn't say anything more, but he had already achieved his goal of being a sycophant and stirring up trouble. He hadn't eaten this meal for nothing.

Both being seasoned foxes, Fu Baiqing was well aware of the maneuvering behind Pei Ming's ascension to power. However, Pei Ming's ascension was indeed legal and legitimate in name, leaving him with no grounds for criticism.

Under the yellow glass lamp, the warm yellow light made the atmosphere between the two families even more cozy and harmonious.

When it was time to part, Ming Chengze behaved exceptionally well and politely, saying, "Uncle Pei, Aunt Lan, let me drive you back to your hotel. I know Jiangcheng best."

Ming Chengze drove Pei Jianhua and Wen Lan back to the hotel with a purpose: he wanted to privately confirm whether Pei Jianhua was indeed behind the large investment from City C.

"You're delivering it?" Pei Ming gave Ming Chengze a look that seemed to ask, "Are you sure?"

As planned, Pei Ming took his parents back to the hotel, and Ming Chengze took his mother and sister home, which made sense.

"It's my duty as a junior to escort Uncle Pei and Aunt Lan back to rest. Besides, time is of the essence. You need to curry favor with my mother and sister right now, don't you think, brother-in-law?"

Ming Chengze deliberately emphasized the words "brother-in-law," showing extra respect to Pei Ming out of consideration for the relationship between the two families.

The way he called him "brother-in-law" gave Pei Ming and Ming Weiyi goosebumps. They really weren't used to Ming Chengze's affected and ridiculous behavior. "Haha...then I'll have to trouble you, Chengze."

In Pei Jianhua and Wen Lan's eyes, Ming Chengze was so sensible; he was truly a good son raised by Ming Hui and Yan Jie.

Inside the black sedan, Mingwei and Yan Jie sat side by side in the back seat, while Pei Ming sat obediently in the driver's seat.

The atmosphere in the car was unusually quiet. Yan Jie was well aware that Pei Ming was also interested in Ming Wei, but Ming Wei was not very familiar with Pei Ming.

"Weiwei, don't you think Chengze seems to have...grown up a bit lately?" Yan Jie started a conversation to break the awkward atmosphere in the car.

Ming Wei thought about it carefully. Ming Chengze had been working very hard for the Ming family recently, and even had the idea of ​​returning to the company. Moreover, at the dinner between the Ming and Pei families today, Ming Chengze was clearly unhappy with this marriage alliance, but he still gave both families face with laughter and cheerfulness throughout the meal.

Thinking of this, Ming Wei nodded, "After the recent turmoil, he has finally matured a bit and become more sensible."

"Now that he's going abroad to study, I feel much more at ease." Yan Jie's words were filled with relief.

While chatting about Ming Chengze, Ming Weiyi suddenly had a more important thought flash through her mind. "Oh right, Pei Ming, I was in such a rush to meet your parents today that I forgot to ask you the most important thing."

"You want to ask how today's board meeting went, right?" Pei Ming didn't expect that Ming Wei would bring up himself while talking about her younger brother.

"Correct."

"There's nothing really going on. Everyone present confirmed that I am the newly appointed CEO." Pei Ming's tone was calm, as if the whole story was as simple as he described.

"Old Cai told me everything. Today's board meeting was fraught with difficulties, but you managed to overcome all opposition and get through it." Yan Jie said, looking at Pei Ming who was driving ahead with admiration.

"I knew today's board meeting would be a den of dragons and tigers, but thankfully you held your nerve." Ming Wei looked at Pei Ming in the rearview mirror, her eyes filled with admiration.

"I'll send you the surveillance video of today's board meeting later. Study it carefully, because you'll have to go there to make your way in the world sooner or later."

"Aunt Yan, there's no need for that, it's too embarrassing." Being watched in a meeting by someone you like is an incredibly awkward thing!
Before they knew it, the car had slowly entered the underground parking lot of the Ming family mansion. After parking, Pei Ming got out of the car and opened the door for Yan Jie.

"Pei Ming, you can rest here tonight. Weiwei is going home today too, so you can take her to the company tomorrow morning."

When Yan Jie asked him to stay at the Ming family's house that night, Pei Ming was stunned and flattered!

"This...this isn't quite right...Aunt Yan." Pei Ming said, but he was actually looking forward to it.

"Mom! I also think this is not a good idea..." Ming Wei was even more confused. She never expected Yan Jie to be so enthusiastic towards Pei Ming.

"At today's board meeting, everyone questioned your identity. Even if you're putting on an act, you need to make it believable. How can the son-in-law of the Ming family stay in a hotel? What would others think if they found out?"

After Pei Ming finished speaking, Yan Jie left without looking back. Her meaning was clear: she would not allow Pei Ming and Ming Wei to refuse her words.

(End of this chapter)