Everyone returned to the banquet hall, and Old Madam Xiao took Xiao Churan by the hand and led her onto the stage.
Putting on an affectionate air, she said, "I'm truly sorry about what happened earlier. I'm an old fool who got things wrong. We really have Churan to thank this time. She's the outstanding younger member of the Xiao Family, and she played a major part in securing our cooperation with Emgrand."
Wang Dongxue stood beside her and shot her a disdainful glance. With a wave of her hand, she stopped her from continuing and cut in. "Let me correct you. Miss Xiao Churan didn't just play a major part in this cooperation. She brought it about entirely on her own. It had nothing to do with anyone else."
Her words were extremely blunt, but everyone was used to it. Given Emgrand's standing, even if Wang Dongxue slapped Old Madam Xiao twice in public, she wouldn't dare say a word.
Old Madam Xiao hurriedly nodded. "Vice Chairwoman Wang is right. Churan deserves all the credit. From this day forward, Churan will be the Xiao Family's director! She'll be fully responsible for the Xiao Family's cooperation with the Dihao Group!"
Only then did a faint smile appear on Wang Dongxue's face. She shook Xiao Churan's hand and said, "I hope we'll work well together from now on."
Xiao Churan was still a little dazed and could only nod.
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience, and everyone looked at Xiao Churan with burning gazes.
Just who had this woman latched onto? The Dihao Group actually held her in such high regard!
Xiao Churan herself was completely bewildered. She turned to look at Ye Chen. What was happening matched exactly what he had just said: Old Madam Xiao had returned the director's position that should have been hers.
Even after the banquet ended and they returned home, Xiao Churan still looked utterly dazed.
Recalling what Ye Chen had said earlier, she couldn't help feeling puzzled. Over the past few days, he seemed to have become somewhat different.
There seemed to be many things about him that she didn't understand, as though he were shrouded in layers of mist.
That night, Xiao Churan's name spread throughout Jinling!
Everyone knew that the Xiao Family had produced an outstanding younger member who had actually secured the Dihao Group's wholehearted support!
With her around, it seemed the Xiao Family's revival was just around the corner.
Early the next morning, Xiao Churan woke up and headed to the company feeling refreshed.
It was her first day as director, and she hoped to give it her all and do the job well.
After getting up, Ye Chen began doing the housework as usual.
When Ye Chen had finished the chores and was about to go to the market to buy vegetables for lunch, he suddenly received a call from his mother-in-law, Ma Lan.
As soon as he answered, her frantic voice came through. "Ye Chen, you have ten minutes to get to Ping'an Road. Otherwise, I won't let you off when I get home!"
With that, she hung up.
Ye Chen was baffled. His mother-in-law had been nowhere to be seen that morning, and now she had suddenly called. Something urgent seemed to have happened.
Although Ye Chen disliked his mother-in-law, he didn't dare delay. He hurriedly got ready, went out and took a taxi to Ping'an Road.
As soon as he got out, he saw a group of elderly men and women gathered aggressively outside an insurance company's tightly shut doors.
His mother-in-law was standing at the very front, holding a banner and shouting angrily, "Trash Huaxin, scam platform! We demand our rights! Give us back our hard-earned money!"
Ye Chen hurried over and asked, "Mom, what did you call me here for?"
Even as he spoke, the chants of protest rang out again. The elderly men and women were shouting themselves hoarse, their voices making his eardrums ring.
Ma Lan pulled Ye Chen over to take her place and ordered, "Here, shout this slogan for me. I've been shouting all morning, and my voice has gone hoarse."
Ye Chen had no idea what was going on, but he could only join the elderly protesters. As he chanted, he questioned an elderly man beside him from time to time and finally learned what had happened.
As it turned out, Huaxin Insurance Co., Ltd. dealt in insurance products that promised extremely high returns.
Attracted by those returns, the elderly men and women had each bought many of the company's insurance products and become its customers.
Normally, it would have been time for dividends, but when the elderly customers came to withdraw their money, they found the company's doors tightly shut. Only a few employees remained outside, fobbing everyone off with flimsy excuses.
Only then did the elderly men and women realize that someone had tricked them into handing over their money without giving anything in return.
No wonder his mother-in-law had urgently called him over to help her demand their rights.
At the thought, Ye Chen felt a headache coming on. He couldn't help asking his mother-in-law, "Mom, how much insurance did you buy?"
Burning with anxiety, Ma Lan said, "They said you could buy insurance and collect dividends, making a huge profit from a small investment. I got carried away and spent all our family savings on their products..."
Ye Chen was shocked. "What? You spent all the family's money on investment insurance?"
When Ma Lan heard that, embarrassment turned to anger, and she launched into a tirade. "Are you the only one with a mouth? Do you have to say it so loudly? Haven't you embarrassed me enough?!"
She continued berating Ye Chen. "If you amounted to anything, would I have had to buy that company's insurance products? If I can't count on insurance to provide for my old age, am I supposed to count on a good-for-nothing like you?"
It was bad enough that this guy couldn't support the family, and now he even dared to treat the trouble as a spectacle, never mind how big it got?!
Then she said to Ye Chen, "Listen, keep shouting slogans for me here. Don't stop for a second!"
With no other choice, Ye Chen nodded. "All right, Mom."
Just then, several elderly women came over. After looking Ye Chen up and down, they asked Ma Lan, "Sister Lan, this is your son-in-law, isn't it?"
One of them glanced over Ye Chen's clothes, then shook her head and mocked him. "Why does he look so shabby and poor? He's not even as good as my son-in-law."
"Exactly! Those clothes are far too cheap! They're not even as good as what an old woman like me wears!"
They chimed in one after another, their mockery especially grating.
Ye Chen didn't mind at all. They were a bunch of old women with one foot in the grave, and they had just lost a lifetime's savings. There was no need for him to stoop to their level.
Ma Lan was also furious, and the more she looked at Ye Chen, the more displeased she became. She blurted out, "Just you wait. In a few days, I'll have my daughter divorce him! I'll find her a worthy son-in-law!"
Ye Chen sneered inwardly. A worthy son-in-law? Even if you put all the rich second-generation heirs in Jinling together, they wouldn't be worth one of my fingers.
Ma Lan was sick with worry. Ye Chen was a good-for-nothing who could do little more than help her shout slogans.
If she wanted her investment back, she needed someone truly capable to help resolve the matter.
Unfortunately, Zhang Wenhao, who had been pursuing her daughter all along, came from a family that had gone bankrupt. Otherwise, she could have asked him for help!
That's right!
Ma Lan suddenly remembered Wang Yunkai, the older brother of Wang Yunfei, whom she had met at the family banquet yesterday.
Judging by how attentive he had been to her daughter, he was probably interested in her.
Although the Wang Family couldn't compare to the Zhang Family before its bankruptcy, it was still a prominent family. If she called him over, he should have a solution.
As it happened, Wang Yunkai had given her his business card yesterday, so she immediately took out her phone and dialed his number.