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Cheng Kaiyun felt a dull ache at his temples. He could not understand how, in just two short days, Cheng Yu's ability to infuriate people had grown to such terrifying heights. How exactly had this brat evolved? Could moderate bipolar disorder actually improve a patient's trash-talking skills?

After launching two rounds of verbal attacks, Cheng Yu felt thoroughly refreshed. With both hands in his pockets, he sat on the sofa and looked up at Zhao Jinchui, who had made a show of leaving but had spent all this time without moving so much as a heel. A triumphant grin of successful mischief was plainly written across his face.

Cheng Yu's laughter made Zhao Jinchui even more embarrassed, yet he lacked the nerve to fly into a rage and storm out. He could only sigh awkwardly, scrunching up his shiny, greasy, fat face as he pleaded pitifully to Cheng Kaiyun. "Fine! I'll tell you the truth. I really am at the end of my rope now. If you don't help me, I'll go back and file for bankruptcy. At worst, I'll spend the rest of my life buried in debt and let my wife and children suffer alongside me."

Hearing that, Cheng Yu suddenly chuckled. "Don't say that too soon. Maybe once you go bankrupt, your wife will remarry and take your son with her!" And she would marry Zhao Jinchui's business rival, who would even change the boy's surname.

"Cheng Yu!" Seeing his son repeatedly disrespect an elder, Cheng Kaiyun, who had always been mild-tempered, could not help but snap, "Watch yourself!"

Cheng Yu shrugged. "I wasn't lying."

Cheng Yu turned to Zhao Jinchui. "What about you? Do you believe what I said?"

Zhao Jinchui's face turned livid. After being lectured and mocked by a junior for so long, even a clay figure would have been provoked into anger. Besides, Zhao Jinchui only looked honest and harmless on the outside.

"Listen, nephew, your Uncle Zhao hasn't offended you anywhere, has he?" Zhao Jinchui stared darkly at Cheng Yu. With Cheng Kaiyun and Chen Lingyun beside them, and because he was asking for help, he could not openly curse at him. Still, his words were harsh. "You're so young—how did you become this calculating? Just because your Uncle Zhao has fallen on hard times, you kick him while he's down?"

"Stop making yourself the star of the show." Cheng Yu leaned back against the sofa, his right leg crossed over his left. His body tilted slightly, one hand supporting his chin while the other tapped idly against the armrest. Though he was seated and looking up at Zhao Jinchui, his presence was so oppressive that Zhao Jinchui could barely breathe. "Business is business. After doing business for so many years, Uncle Zhao, surely you understand that even brothers settle accounts clearly?"

"What do you mean?" Looking at Cheng Yu's faintly smiling face, Zhao Jinchui suddenly lost some of his confidence.

"We're all smart people, so let's not pretend to be confused when we know perfectly well what's going on." Cheng Yu sneered. "At the very least, you should understand that whether Zhao Light Textiles goes bankrupt or not, C&C Jewelry has no obligation to lend you money. Whether your thousand-plus employees lose their jobs, or your wife and children end up living on bran and wild vegetables, it's all the result of your own incompetence. Please don't come to the Cheng Family and throw a tantrum, trying to morally blackmail us. The Cheng Family has no obligation to pay for your incompetence. Do you understand?"

Zhao Jinchui was left stunned by the rebuke, not knowing how to react. He had never imagined Cheng Yu would put it so bluntly. It was as though Cheng Yu had ripped away his final shred of dignity.

Cheng Kaiyun and Chen Lingyun were equally shocked. Cheng Yu's ability to argue had clearly grown by far more than just a little overnight.

Cheng Yu calmly exposed Zhao Jinchui's scheme to use sentiment and friendship to pressure Cheng Kaiyun and Chen Lingyun into lending him money for cash flow. He continued, "So, if we can reach a consensus on the points above, then we can discuss the eighty million you want..."

At that point, Cheng Yu paused slightly. He lifted his chin and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Zhao Jinchui with amusement.

Zhao Jinchui's thoughts were unconsciously drawn along by Cheng Yu. He asked instinctively, "What are you trying to say?"

Zhao Jinchui had already been an opponent Cheng Yu had crushed once, so Cheng Yu could not be bothered to beat around the bush. He went straight to the point. "Zhao Light Textiles may be insolvent, but don't you, Zhao Jinchui, still have a plot of land in Yanjiao under your personal name?"

Zhao Jinchui's expression changed. "You want my land?"

"What else?" Cheng Yu raised a brow. "Were you planning to get something for nothing?"

Zhao Jinchui flew into a rage. "Didn't I say I'd pay ten percent interest? It's only for half a year—"

Before Zhao Jinchui could finish, Cheng Yu smiled again. "But the Cheng Family doesn't need that ten percent interest. We simply want to give C&C Jewelry's shareholders a reasonable explanation."

Stroking his chin, Cheng Yu continued, "Don't feel too wronged, either. You've seen it yourself. The real estate market is in such a slump right now that developments across the country are offering price cuts and promotions. Every single real estate company has seen its stock price plunge by more than seventy to ninety percent. If I buy the land in your hands at market price, I'll still have to bear the risk of being stuck with it. To put it bluntly, isn't this still about helping you get through this crisis?"

"This is clearly taking advantage of a crisis!" Zhao Jinchui was so furious that his face went pale. Turning to Cheng Kaiyun and Chen Lingyun, he demanded, "Is this just him being an ignorant child, or is this what you two husband and wife mean? Ah, so that's why he suddenly came after me the moment I walked in. Your whole family planned this together. You've had your eye on my land all along, haven't you? You even investigated the market so thoroughly!"

"How could that be?" Cheng Kaiyun could hardly defend himself. He had no idea why Cheng Yu, who had always only liked fooling around and acting cool, knew these figures like the back of his hand. But he truly had not intended to take advantage of Zhao Jinchui's misfortune.

"Old Zhao, don't overthink it. We've known each other for decades. Don't you know what kind of person I am?" Cheng Kaiyun tried earnestly to persuade him, but Zhao Jinchui was red-faced and thick-necked with fury as he shouted, "Then what do you mean? Don't tell me Cheng Yu, a seventeen-year-old kid, could understand market conditions in such detail. You're saying all this was his own idea?"

Cheng Kaiyun was utterly unable to explain himself. Chen Lingyun, however, gave Cheng Yu a thoughtful look before speaking. "We really didn't teach him to say those things. But what A-Yu said does make sense. Old Zhao, I truly do want to help you. But you also need to understand our position. The market is so bad right now, and as the chairman of C&C Jewelry, I naturally have to be responsible to the company. You suddenly want me to lend you eighty million. That is not a small sum. I really do need to obtain the board's approval."