It's About Time

Time flies.

Wang Manni and Liang Zhengxian, after their idle chat, returned with happy faces and dreams of the future.

Perhaps her only regret was that not all rich men were as good in bed as Wang Yan? She didn't dwell on it, feeling she had finally grasped something she had pursued for years, something always out of reach. Rich, handsome, single, and devoted only to her – Liang Zhengxian perfectly embodied her dream of a prince charming.

Zhong Xiaoqin had also had enough of a peaceful, ordinary life and was looking for some excitement. She successfully divorced Chen Yu and shared the good news with her close friends. Her mother didn't even know about the divorce and was still eagerly trying to add her name to the property deed.

Gu Jia habitually handed her child over to Wang Yan, saying she was going to a hot spring with her girlfriends.

The three sisters reunited, comfortably soaking in the hot springs. Wang Manni was surprised to hear the news but didn't offer any words of comfort. Gu Jia and Zhong Xiaoqin, having been friends for years, fell silent upon hearing the news, perhaps lamenting the misfortune of their sister's failed marriage at thirty?

Regardless, Gu Jia and Wang Manni simply said, "We're happy for you," and left it at that. Perhaps this was a special way of comforting someone, a form of indulgence therapy? Whatever the case, they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

This time, Shen Jie heeded Wang Yan's advice, and the factory didn't explode. After Wang Yan's reminder, Shen Jie went to his own fireworks factory the next day for a special safety inspection and implemented rectifications.

Xu Huanshan was busy juggling both sides, continuing his ambiguous relationship with Lin Youyou while also handling company matters.

One day, at Gu Jia's dessert shop, during a gathering of the wives, Mrs. Li mentioned that a tea plantation in Xiangxi was for sale. Gu Jia took note of this and couldn't sleep that night, tossing and turning, getting up in the middle of the night to research the feasibility of acquiring the tea plantation.

The more she researched, the more excited she became, feeling as if money was raining down from the sky, just waiting for her to stoop and pick it up. She called Xu Huanshan late into the night, excitedly telling him about the matter and seeking his opinion.

"Honey, did you know Mrs. Li mentioned a tea plantation for sale today? I checked, and it has all the necessary qualifications and is profitable."

"If we can take it over, it'll bring in at least over a million a year."

Xu Huanshan had always disliked Gu Jia mingling with the wives' circle and didn't think much of them. "Wife, is it confirmed? Don't get scammed."

Gu Jia had a clear understanding of the capabilities of the wives' circle and thought they wouldn't possibly deceive them. "Why would they scam us? Do you know their family's background? Let me tell you..." Gu Jia rambled on, educating Xu Huanshan about Mrs. Li's family's status so he would have some idea.

Xu Huanshan wasn't the one in charge anyway, and he knew he couldn't change Gu Jia's decisions. He was just symbolically informing him. He immediately said, "Wife, since you want to do it, then do it. That tea plantation isn't doing poorly, but it will require a lot of money, right? Do we have enough money at home right now?"

Gu Jia replied, "I'll check tomorrow. We'll find a way, don't worry, honey."

They exchanged sweet nothings and then hung up.

The next day, Gu Jia began to assess her assets.

She had already contacted Mrs. Wang, who was asking for three million. After calculating, she was still short a significant amount of money.

At this point, Gu Jia did not, as in the original plot, consider installment payments. She instinctively thought of Wang Yan, knowing that Wang Yan would definitely help her. For some reason, she just had that feeling.

With their deeper interactions during this period, Gu Jia felt increasingly at ease with Wang Yan, unconsciously developing a sense of reliance on him. She no longer deliberately kept her distance from Wang Yan. Apart from Xu Ziyan, she would basically chat with Wang Yan every day about trivial matters.

If she didn't chat with him for a day, she always felt like something was missing, and the day wouldn't be complete.

The more they interacted, the more she understood. She already knew that what she had inquired about earlier was just the tip of the iceberg of Wang Yan's capabilities. Sometimes, when she was with Wang Yan, she would occasionally overhear him on the phone discussing matters. None of those discussions involved less than a hundred million, and even a hundred million was barely significant.

With such large business dealings, the people he knew could be imagined. Gu Jia sometimes couldn't help but think how laughable it was that she thought he was only slightly better off than her family when they first met.

As for why she let Wang Yan watch the child without feeling embarrassed:

First, it was because of Wang Yan's demonstrated affection for Xu Ziyan.

Second, Gu Jia genuinely felt that there was no problem with it. This was also because Wang Yan was highly capable and hadn't just been flattering her for nothing; he had truly convinced Gu Jia.

To be honest, although Old Wang was a bit older, he wasn't crazy or had any peculiar habits. To think of him showering her with flattery during the day, only to have her spend a pleasant evening with someone else at night. He wasn't the type of person who enjoyed seeing the woman he desired being intimate with others, the more intimate they were, the more excited he became.

If it weren't for the mission, he would have caused trouble for Xu Huanshan and gotten him a life sentence as soon as he arrived. Besides, a man's possessiveness was a given. Not to mention Wang Yan, who had been a domineering gang leader, ruthless and capable of killing without batting an eye.

Third, as mentioned before, Wang Yan was too idle. He rarely socialized, so he seldom went out for entertainment. His days were like those of an elderly person: drinking tea, reading, studying, and taking walks. Coupled with the unconscious reliance Gu Jia felt, it made her think that letting Xu Ziyan accompany Wang Yan and play with him would add color to Wang Yan's life, making her believe she was helping him.

This was also the effect Wang Yan desired. Now, Gu Jia and her son were essentially pacified by him.

That day, when Gu Jia went upstairs to pick up Xu Ziyan, she took the opportunity to mention the matter to Wang Yan.

"Wang Yan, I want to borrow some money from you. Would it be convenient?" Gu Jia was very direct, getting straight to the point.

Even with close friends, it's good to be clear about finances. Gu Jia added, "Oh, don't worry, I'll return it to you soon. I need two million, with an interest rate of one percent."

Wang Yan thought for a moment, knowing the reason, but still asked, "May I ask what you need these two million for?"

Then Gu Jia babbled about what she had learned in the past two days.

After listening, Wang Yan said, "The money is no problem. Forget two million; I'll give you three million directly. Don't worry about interest, and there's no rush to repay it. Just give it back whenever you can."

Hearing Wang Yan's straightforward answer, Gu Jia felt a little sweetness, despite having anticipated it. She couldn't help but get excited, "Thank you, Wang Yan, you've been a great help. Don't worry, I'll definitely repay you as soon as possible."

"Hey, why are we being so polite?"

Even though it would have been more beneficial for him if Gu Jia had been deceived, he still said what he should have: "I need to remind you, doing business is not a child's play. You should consider it carefully and investigate thoroughly."

Gu Jia was already obsessed and couldn't listen to such advice. "Oh, Wang Yan, I've investigated everything thoroughly. Nothing will go wrong, so don't worry too much."

Seeing her like this, Wang Yan didn't say anything more. Good advice is hard to give when someone is determined. "Whatever."

"Bye, Daddy, see you tomorrow." Gu Jia, fully satisfied, left with Xu Ziyan.

Back home, Gu Jia contacted Mrs. Li, wanting to discuss the tea plantation matter with her.

Mrs. Li didn't say much. If you have the money, buy it. She would scam anyone, especially someone like Gu Jia, who had no power to resist and could only accept her fate.

They communicated, and Mrs. Li proposed using Gu Jia's dessert shop for a charity auction. Gu Jia agreed without a second thought. They immediately signed a contract, and the remaining procedures would take a few days.

With the major issue settled, Gu Jia was filled with ambition and couldn't wait for the handover to be completed so she could showcase her skills. She was determined to achieve something great, elevate her family's status, achieve rapid development, and thus leap in class.

That evening, Gu Jia told Xu Huanshan the news.

Xu Huanshan didn't say anything when he heard that she had borrowed three million from Wang Yan. He had already had more than a few drinks. Moreover, although Gu Jia didn't talk much about Wang Yan at home, whenever he mentioned Wang Yan, Gu Jia would always agree and reveal quite a bit. He had a certain understanding of Wang Yan's capabilities.

In his opinion, the two families had such good relations that helping each other was no big deal. However, regarding the child's matters, <Xu Huanshan> did offer some advice: "Wife, you're already quite busy with the dessert shop. Now you've started a tea factory, what about Ziyan from now on?"

"Although Old Wang takes good care of him, we can't always trouble him. If both of us are so busy, when will we have time to care for Ziyan?"

"I already lack fatherly love, and if you get even busier, how can we do right by Ziyan?"

<Gu Jia> was dismissive of <Xu Huanshan>'s worries: "It's fine, <Wang Yan> doesn't have much to do, he wanders around all day. It's good for Ziyan to spend time with him."

Towards <Wang Yan>, <Gu Jia> unconsciously felt no aversion, no politeness.

"During this period, <Wang Yan> has been taking Ziyan to practice boxing, calligraphy, painting, and even driving him around the neighborhood when he has time."

"Before, he used to get sick now and then, but look at him now, he's full of energy all day. The other day when I was bathing him, Ziyan's body felt a bit firm. He's so healthy now."

"Not only that, Ziyan doesn't throw tantrums anymore, he's especially sensible."

"Your son is skilled in both academics and martial arts, don't you feel he's made great progress?"

<Gu Jia> said as a matter of course: "I was originally planning to find a childcare specialist, but seeing how well Ziyan is being taken care of, I might as well let him continue to help out."

Hearing her say this, <Xu Huanshan> thought about his son's changes during this period, and indeed, it was true. Furthermore, <Gu Jia> even mentioned looking for a childcare specialist? Compared to that, he leaned more towards <Wang Yan>.

It just felt a bit strange that <Gu Jia> trusted <Wang Yan> so much, but he didn't overthink it: "Alright, let's leave it at that. When I get back, I'll have a good drink with Old Wang. He lent us money and took care of the child, I really need to thank him for helping us so much."

After a few more words, the two ended their call.

Two days later, early in the morning, <Gu Jia> sent <Wang Yan> a message.

Yesterday, <Xu Ziyan> came back saying there was a cultural performance and wanted his parents to attend. However, <Gu Jia> had to be busy organizing <Mrs. Li>'s charity gala and had no time to attend, so she could only tell <Xu Ziyan> to ask his father to go. <Xu Ziyan> and <Wang Yan> had a very good relationship, and they were more than happy to have <Wang Yan> attend. In his eyes, his godfather was much better than his biological parents.

Moreover, under <Wang Yan>'s guidance, <Xu Ziyan> had become much more sensible. He knew that his parents were working hard to give him a better life, so he agreed without making a fuss.

<Gu Jia>'s message was precisely to ask <Wang Yan> to take her to this cultural performance, and <Xu Huanshan> was returning today, so she invited <Wang Yan> to dinner with them that evening.

<Wang Yan> naturally wouldn't refuse and readily agreed.

Now that <Xu Huanshan> and <Lin Youyou> were together, and <Gu Jia> was busy with the tea factory, he had licked enough. It was time for him to start. Being able to look but not eat all day was frustrating.

Most of the people attending the event were mothers, and men had to provide for their families, so they didn't have much free time.

<Wang Yan> spent a long time chatting with a group of old ladies at the kindergarten, which was quite tiresome for him.

Over this period, <Wang Yan> sometimes picked up <Xu Ziyan> from school, and he had met some of the other parents. For this godfather who came to pick up the child often, it was impossible for others not to gossip.

<Gu Jia> and the others didn't care about such things. They knew what was going on, and who didn't like a bit of gossip?

<Xu Ziyan> was even less troubled, as children didn't understand much. If other parents' gossip was overheard by the children and then repeated to <Xu Ziyan>, it was a normal situation. <Xu Ziyan>, having been brought up by <Wang Yan>, was quite resilient and not a delicate flower.

He simply told the other children the truth about how <Wang Yan> played with him. The other children might come from good families and have seen a lot, but they had definitely not experienced as much as <Xu Ziyan> had recently. After all, in elite families with elite education, children were often not relaxed. They were extremely envious of what <Xu Ziyan> talked about and wished they could have such a good godfather. This made <Xu Ziyan> very popular among the children; he was practically the leader of the kindergarten.

Not to mention <Wang Yan>, he had no good intentions from the start and didn't care about the gossiping old ladies.

<Gu Jia> also successfully completed the charity gala, and after the ladies had shown off their wealth, they happily dispersed.

In the evening, <Wang Yan> had dinner with <Gu Jia> and her family.

<Xu Huanshan> had been utterly smitten by <Lin Youyou> during this period, exuding an air of vitality. Perhaps he considered this the most relaxed and happiest time of his life?

He laughed heartily upon seeing <Wang Yan>, giving him a hug: "Haha, Old Wang, you've really troubled you during this time, thank you so much."

<Wang Yan> waved his hand, feigning displeasure: "Sigh, don't say that again. What's our relationship? Why are you still being polite with me? You have to punish yourself with a drink. If there's even a drop missing, I'll pick on you."

<Gu Jia> watched with a smile, repeatedly urging them to sit down and eat.

During the meal, she also told <Wang Yan> that since both of them would be busy, they were relieved to have <Wang Yan> look after <Xu Ziyan>, and asked him to take more care in the future.

<Wang Yan> agreed and mentioned that he had met some new friends in the past couple of days who had businesses like shopping malls and amusement parks, and he would introduce them.

After receiving another round of thanks, <Xu Huanshan> was naturally willing to accompany Old Wang to the death.

<Wang Yan> looked at <Xu Huanshan>'s spirited demeanor and thought to himself, "If I say, 'Rest assured and go, I will care for your wife,' would <Xu Huanshan> die of anger?"

He shook his head, stopped thinking, and continued to ply him with drinks.

Thanks to brothers (What's going on <Zhang Wei>) (<Qian Zhiming>) for the monthly tickets.

Thanks again to all the brothers who voted for recommendation tickets.

And to the brothers who commented whenever they felt like it.

And to the brothers who have been silently watching without saying much, I don't know how many of you there are, for your strong support.

At this moment, at this time, here, your younger brother offers his sincere thanks and heartfelt blessings to all the good brothers.

Bows several times.

The end.