Chapter 109: The Reason

Chapter 109: The Reason

Kunming City.

In the luxurious top-floor office of the East Sea Bank branch, Huang Chengren was flirting with his newly hired personal secretary. The room was filled with the sound of her coquettish giggles.

Suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted them.

The charming young secretary quickly straightened her posture, smoothed out her slightly disheveled business suit, and immediately composed herself into a professional demeanor.

Huang Chengren also sat up straight and called out in a deep voice, "Come in!"

"Click!"

The door opened, and a young man in a sharp suit walked in. He carried an air of capability, and his features bore a faint resemblance to Huang Chengren. "Uncle, I—"

He stopped mid-sentence upon seeing the secretary sitting stiffly on the couch.

"Xiao Ling, you can go attend to your work now," Huang Chengren said, waving his hand at the secretary.

"Yes, sir."

The secretary stood up quickly. As she passed the young man, she offered a sweet smile as a greeting before hurrying out. Once the door closed behind her, however, she curled her lip in annoyance. Such is reality; wearing a mask in front of others while acting differently behind their backs was the nature of almost every secretary. Of course, sometimes one had to pay a price for that necessity.

"Uncle," the young man said, waiting for the secretary to leave before stepping further into the room.

"Why are you here instead of in your own office? Is something the matter?" Huang Chengren looked at the young man with curiosity. If anyone else had barged in to interrupt his flirtation, he would have been furious. But towards this young man, he felt no anger at all. This was his nephew, whom he treated more like a son. Having grown up relying on his older sister, and with no son of his own, he held his nephew in high regard.

"Uncle, I wanted to ask when you plan to release the loan for Feilu," Zhang Deming asked directly, knowing there were no outsiders present.

"Why do you ask?" Huang Chengren chuckled.

"I think it’s gone on long enough. You’re really being too much of a bully," Zhang Deming said, frowning at his uncle.

"How is this bullying? Have you forgotten how she looked down on you and humiliated you back then?" Huang Chengren countered with a cold sneer.

"Uncle, she didn't really humiliate me back then. She just rejected me. It wasn't as serious as you make it out to be," Zhang Deming said with a bitter smile.

"I don't care. Rejecting you in front of so many people is humiliation. Enough, don't say another word. I remember clearly how depressed you were during that time; it nearly destroyed you. I can't let her off without teaching her a lesson," Huang Chengren said coldly. He had witnessed his nephew’s darkest days in college—the result of being publicly rejected by a girl he was pursuing.

Unlike his nephew's magnanimity, Huang Chengren had lost his parents young and helped raise his sister, a life experience that made his personality somewhat extreme and biased. When he had first seen the photo of the legal representative in the Feilu loan application, it looked familiar. Upon closer inspection, it was the very girl his nephew had kept a picture of on his bedside table for years. Even though she appeared more mature and sexy now, he recognized her instantly. He had called his nephew to confirm that Ximen Lu, the legal representative of Feilu, was indeed the woman who had hurt him. With that, Huang Chengren had ruthlessly found an excuse to suppress the loan.

However, his nephew did not agree with his approach, feeling that so many years had passed and that making things difficult for Ximen Lu now was purely bullying.

Huang Chengren, however, had another motive. He knew his nephew hadn't found a suitable girlfriend in all these years. The obvious excitement Zhang Deming had shown upon hearing about Ximen Lu’s loan application only confirmed that she was still in his heart.

If that was the case, Huang Chengren intended to use the bank to put pressure on Ximen Lu, hoping to spark a relationship between her and his nephew. Not to mention anything else, Ximen Lu owned a company worth over eight million—that was no small sum.

Of course, he wouldn't explain this dark calculation to his upright nephew, as that would only lead to further opposition.

If Ximen Lu knew that the reason her loan was being held up was because she had rejected a boy in college, she would likely cough up blood.

Seeing his uncle unmoved, Zhang Deming knew his words were useless. A thought struck him, and he said, "Uncle, I know you’re trying to stand up for me, but this is an abuse of power. If word gets out, it won't look good for you."

"Abuse of power? It’s only abuse of power if you don't have the capability to back it up. As for my position, I'm not denying the loan forever; I'm just holding it back for a while. Once the audit is confirmed, it will be released. Everything follows the protocol," Huang Chengren said calmly. He was confident he wouldn't leave any holes for others to exploit. The loan audit process took a full month, and it had only been a few days. He had plenty of time, and based on what he knew, Feilu couldn't afford the wait.

Zhang Deming smiled apologetically. "Uncle, why not just let it go? Release the loan. If you keep holding it up, how will I be able to talk to Ximen Lu if we ever meet again?"

"You, you’re just too honest. No wonder you get bullied," Huang Chengren sighed. His nephew was too naive; in this society, who remembers your kindness?

Just as Zhang Deming was about to continue pleading, a knock sounded at the door. He swallowed his words and turned around.

"Come in."

Huang Chengren also looked toward the door. The office door was pushed open, and the young secretary entered once more.

"Is something wrong?" Huang Chengren frowned.

"Mr. Huang, Manager Liu just called on the internal line," the girl explained.

"What for?" Huang Chengren’s expression shifted. Manager Liu was the head of the loan department. Could it be that Ximen Lu had come back, unwilling to give up?

He glanced at his nephew, Zhang Deming, who was also looking at him, clearly thinking the same thing.

"It's about the loan for Feilu Advertising. However..." the secretary paused before continuing, "Manager Liu said it’s Manager Jiang from Mingyue Palace KTV who is intervening."

"Who is Manager Jiang? I don't know her," Huang Chengren scoffed. He knew Mingyue Palace—it was a large KTV and nightclub in Kunming that he had visited more than once, and he was quite familiar with the top hostesses there.

"Should I tell Manager Liu to turn her away?" the secretary asked uncertainly.

"Wait."

Huang Chengren waved his hand and turned to his nephew, asking, "What exactly did the other party say?"

"Manager Liu’s message was simple: she wants to invite you to dinner and hopes you will give her the honor of your presence," the secretary relayed.

"Fine. Tell Manager Liu to let them know I accept the invitation," Huang Chengren said with a grand wave of his hand.

"Yes!"

The secretary left quickly.

Huang Chengren then looked at Zhang Deming. "Ming, since you’re pleading for her, I won't make things difficult for her anymore. This matter is settled."

"Thank you, Uncle." Zhang Deming breathed a sigh of relief and quickly expressed his gratitude.

"Don't thank me. If you want to thank someone, Ximen Lu should be thanking you. If it weren't for your sake, I would have kept this loan suppressed for another ten days or so, hmph!" Huang Chengren snorted.

"Yes, yes," Zhang Deming agreed.

Huang Chengren’s face suddenly grew stern. "However, I've given her this opportunity, but whether the loan is successfully approved still depends on whether Ximen Lu knows how to play the game."

"What do you mean?" Zhang Deming was startled again.

Huang Chengren didn't elaborate, instead shifting the subject. "You're coming with me to this dinner tonight."

"What? I'm going too?" Zhang Deming’s face changed.

"Stop pretending. Don't you want to see your old classmate again?" Huang Chengren looked at his nephew with a sense of frustration. He felt his nephew was nothing like him—aside from having a sharp intellect, he was too honest in all other respects, which, in his eyes, made him a fool.

"I, I—" Zhang Deming stuttered, unable to speak. Of course he wanted to see Ximen Lu, but... the thought of meeting her again made him so nervous he didn't know what to do, as if he were back in college.

"It's settled. You're coming with me. Don't you still have feelings for her? When the time comes, perform well. I heard she’s not married yet, so you still have a chance. You must seize this opportunity," Huang Chengren said with a sigh. He told himself this was all he could do to help. Originally, he had intended to make things difficult for Ximen Lu for a few more days to increase the pressure, but his nephew’s remark had reminded him that if he went too far, it would only make things awkward between them later. That was why he had changed his mind.

As for the "opportunity," he believed that as long as Ximen Lu wasn't a fool, she would understand what to do. He didn't expect her to immediately agree to be his nephew's girlfriend, but as long as a bridge was built, he believed that with his secret assistance, his nephew would eventually win her heart. Naturally, he would also gain control of a company worth millions.

***

The Jinding Hotel was one of the top-tier hotels in Kunming, offering a complete range of dining, entertainment, and accommodation services; it was easily among the top three in the city.

Ximen Lu had been called there by Chu Fei.

She had spent the morning trying to pull strings to get to Huang Chengren without any success, only to receive a phone call from Chu Fei.

He said he had successfully arranged a meeting with Huang Chengren and told her to hurry to the VIP building of the Jinding Hotel.

Ximen Lu found it hard to believe, but she arrived at the Jinding Hotel immediately. At the entrance, she met up with Chu Fei, who had been waiting for a long time, and a girl in a pink qipao standing beside him.

"Chu Fei, if you’re playing a trick on me this time, I swear I’ll castrate you and send you to Thailand for 'further studies'," Ximen Lu whispered through gritted teeth, in a tone only the two of them could hear.

This brutal warning left Chu Fei speechless, but he didn't get angry. He knew Ximen Lu was going crazy over the loan; if anyone were to joke about this now, she might actually kill them.

After threatening Chu Fei, Ximen Lu immediately turned to the girl in the qipao—it was Jiang Xue, whom she had met at the KTV. She realized then that Chu Fei had sought help from her. Having seen this woman's dominance at the KTV, she no longer doubted that she could get an audience with Huang Chengren. Ximen Lu, a shrewd person herself, immediately put on a brilliant smile. "Miss Jiang, I'm truly sorry for the trouble."

"Sister Lu, you’re too kind," Jiang Xue said with a sweet smile, appearing as pure and innocent as a neighbor's daughter, with no trace of her ruthless image at the KTV.

"Miss Jiang, rest assured, if this loan is successfully approved, I definitely won't forget your share of the benefits," Ximen Lu said directly. She had promised many benefits while searching for help, though none had succeeded.

"I don't need any benefits. Just don't bully Brother Chu in the future, Sister Lu," Jiang Xue said with a smile, pursing her lips as she looked at the two of them.

"Hehe!"

Ximen Lu cast a meaningful glance at Chu Fei... wondering exactly what kind of relationship this girl had with him.

Just then, a Mercedes-Benz S-Class pulled up to the steps. The door opened, and a refined-looking middle-aged man stepped out...

It was Huang Chengren!