After the breakup, I was taken in by a group of trendy young women.

Sun Bao was flipping through a building materials purchase contract in the general manager's office of Zhao's Engineering Co., Ltd.

He answered the phone after it vibrated three times on the table. Hou Guifen's voice came through the receiver, urgent: "Bao, come back right away. Zhao Donglai just came to the house."

Sun Bao closed the contract, strode out of the office, greeted his secretary in the corridor and said he wouldn't be back in the afternoon, then entered the elevator and pressed the button for the underground parking garage.

When they returned to the villa, Hou Guifen was sitting on the living room sofa, the hem of her velvet dress wrinkled by her own actions.

She saw Sun Bao push the door open and come in. She stood up from the sofa, took two steps forward and then stopped, her fingers slightly clenched at her side.

"Zhao Donglai came. He brought a copy of the equity change record and said he was going to submit an objection application to the Administration for Industry and Commerce to freeze the approval process for the change of legal representative. He also told me to transfer the money that had been transferred out back to the company's corporate account within three days."

Sun Bao draped his coat over the sofa armrest, sat down next to her, and tilted his head to look at her face, which was slightly pale with anxiety: "What exactly did he say?"

Hou Guifen repeated everything Zhao Donglai had said in the living room from beginning to end.

After listening, Sun Bao leaned back on the sofa and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he turned his head to look at Hou Guifen, and the corner of his mouth curved slightly.

"Don't worry, you are Zhao Tianyun's legal wife. The property is rightfully yours to inherit, and Zhao Donglai has no right to interfere."

Hou Guifen looked up at him, her eyes shining with surprise: "Really?"

"Don't worry, it's definitely true. Zhao Donglai has offended the Shen family, how dare he show his face? He's just asking for death."

Hou Guifen's eyes lit up for a moment. She leaned forward, placed one hand on Sun Bao's knee, and lightly pressed her fingers against the fabric of his trousers: "If we hand Zhao Donglai over to the Shen family, could we take on some of their projects?"

Sun Bao turned his head to look at her, his gaze fixed on her face, which was slightly brightening as if she had thought of something: "This is a good idea. I'll contact Lin Ye immediately. As long as he agrees, the Shen family will definitely agree. It's not difficult to exchange a few projects for one Zhao Donglai."

Hou Guifen tightened her grip on his knee, the slight curve of her lips widened, and her voice, tinged with a sweet certainty and satisfaction, ignited by something within her, said, "Baby, you're amazing."

Sun Bao didn't reply. He took out his phone from his pocket and found Lin Ye's number.

Hou Guifen watched him dial the number, stood up from the sofa, walked to the wine cabinet, took out an unopened bottle of red wine, and bent down to take out two clean crystal glasses from the low cabinet, placing them on the coffee table.

The phone rang a few times before being answered.

"Lin Ye, it's me, Sun Bao."

"Grandson? What is it?"

"Zhao Donglai came to see Hou Guifen today. He brought a copy of the Zhao Group's equity change, saying he wanted to submit an objection application to freeze the approval process for the change of legal representative, and also asked Hou Guifen to return the more than seven million yuan that had been transferred out earlier to the company's account within three days."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Lin Ye's voice: "Zhao Donglai has shown up?"

"He showed up. He's lost a lot of weight, his jacket is baggy, and his chin is covered in stubble. But he speaks more forcefully than before, one sentence at a time, leaving Hou Guifen speechless. He said he'd go to the Industry and Commerce Bureau to file an objection tomorrow, and that he was going to visit Zhao Feng in prison to talk about things at home."

Lin Ye: "We can give Hou Guifen a share of the Shen family's project. But there's one condition: Zhao Donglai can't stay outside."

Sun Bao's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped his phone: "You mean...?"

Sun Bao glanced at Hou Guifen, who was sitting on the edge of the sofa. She was taking small sips of the freshly poured red wine, and the pair of jade earrings on her earlobes swayed slightly under the light.

He turned his gaze back to the phone: "So, what are your plans to say to Shen Tong about the Shen family?"

"I'll talk to Shen Tong."

After hanging up the phone, Sun Bao put his phone on the coffee table and turned to look at Hou Guifen.

She had already drunk half of the glass of red wine, and a thin layer of condensation had formed on the glass. She held the glass by the stem and gently twirled it between her fingers.

"What did Lin Ye say?"

"You'll get a portion of the project. Zhao Donglai can't stay out here any longer."

Hou Guifen placed the wine glass on the coffee table, the bottom of the glass making a crisp sound as it tapped against the marble surface.

She turned her head to look at Sun Bao: "Okay."

Sun Bao watched as Hou Guifen stood up from the sofa, the hem of her velvet dress lightly brushing the edge of the coffee table as she turned to walk towards the study.

She took a couple of steps, then stopped, turned her head to look at him, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment. The smile on her lips deepened even more than before: "Honey, you're staying for dinner tonight. I'll have Auntie make your favorite braised pork."

"OK."

Hou Guifen turned and walked into the study, the door closing behind her.

Sun Bao sat alone in the living room, picked up the half-empty glass of red wine that Hou Guifen had drunk from, poured the remaining half into his mouth, then put down the glass, picked up his phone and glanced at it again.

Lin Ye's message popped up on the screen: "Have Hou Guifen handle Zhao Donglai's matter quickly. I've arranged to meet Shen Tong the day after tomorrow."

Sun Bao typed a single word in reply: "Okay".

He put his phone back in his pocket, leaned back on the sofa, and tilted his head to look at the light shining through the crack in the study door.

Hou Guifen was already inside flipping through the account books. The sound of the bookshelf being pulled open came through the door, followed by the rustling of turning pages.

He closed his eyes, went over the things he needed to do tomorrow in his mind, then opened his eyes, stood up, and walked towards the study.

When he pushed open the door, Hou Guifen was squatting in front of the bookshelf, with a stack of yellowed account books spread out in front of her. Several pages were open and spread on the floor, and the numbers and signatures on them were clearly visible under the light.

She turned her head to look at him when she heard the door open, then waved the account book in her hand at him: "Back then, Zhao Donglai gave Deputy Director Wang Deming a sum of money, and his car dealership was suspected of being involved in car modification and underground gambling."

Sun Bao squatted down beside her, glanced down at the densely packed numbers in the ledger in her hand, and said, "Then you should organize all this into a complete document. I'll take it to Lin Ye tomorrow morning."

Hou Guifen nodded: "When you go tomorrow, make sure to schedule a time with Lin Ye. If Shen Tong is free the day after tomorrow, it would be best to have him meet with you as well. It's better to discuss the project in person than over the phone."

"I'll meet with Lin Ye tomorrow morning, and I'll call you after I confirm."

Hou Guifen: "Bao, what are your plans after Zhao Donglai's matter is settled?"

Sun Bao leaned against the edge of the desk, tilting his head to look at her figure standing at the door of the study.

"Let's secure the project first. With the Shen family's project, the Zhao family can survive until the end of the year."