C13 Believe Me?

After Xia Qichao and Xia Hao were brought back by the Xia family members, Chen Zhong made another call to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng nodded with satisfaction; Chen Zhong had lived up to his expectations, managing to completely disgrace Xia Qichao and his son.

While Chen Feng was in high spirits, the atmosphere in the meeting room of the Yunsheng Building was somber, with the Xia family members wearing long faces.

Once Xia Qichao and Xia Hao regained consciousness, they received a few sharp slaps from an enraged Xia Yunsheng.

Xia Yunsheng had never anticipated that sending Xia Qichao and his son would not only fail to secure a partnership with Scussa but also infuriate the company's head.

Now, the prospect of participating in the Jade Hill Resort project was the least of their worries; whether the Xia family could weather this storm was the real question.

The family's only source of income was their handful of engineering teams, but following Lin Zongwei's statement, no company dared to hire the Xia family's teams. With thousands of workers but no jobs, the Xia family was still obligated to pay their wages.

This situation had cornered the Xia family into a desperate position.

"You bunch of failures!" Xia Yunsheng was livid, pounding the meeting room table incessantly. Xia Qichao and Xia Hao didn't dare lift their heads; with Xia Yunsheng fuming, there was no chance for explanations.

"Dad, right now, the priority isn't to blame my older brother but to figure out how to earn Lin Zongwei's forgiveness. I just got a message from my subordinate—another seven companies have cut ties with us," Xia Zilan's father, Xia Zhengyu, said with a furrowed brow.

In a large clan like the Xia family, no one's mistakes were isolated. The entire family had to shoulder the repercussions of Xia Qichao and his son's actions.

"Unbelievable, I can't fathom what got into my uncle and the rest, going into Scussa territory to assault their executive."

"Well, now that the Xia family has been reduced to this, they ought to be pleased," remarked several relatives, voicing their intense dissatisfaction with Xia Qichao and Xia Hao.

Xia Qichao and his son, Xia Hao, felt deeply aggrieved, yet they were powerless to defend themselves. Despite their shortcomings, they would never foolishly stir up trouble on someone else's turf. They were being framed by Lin Zongwei, but their protests fell on deaf ears.

"What makes you, Xia Qichao and Xia Hao, think you're important enough for Lin Zongwei to frame?"

Xia Yunsheng sat in his chair, drained of strength. He longed for Lin Zongwei's forgiveness, but he was at a loss, not even knowing how the Xia family had crossed Lin Zongwei. With no understanding of the grievance, what could he possibly offer in a negotiation?

"Is the Xia family, with over two thousand years of heritage, going to crumble under my watch?" Xia Yunsheng pondered with a heavy heart.

Xia Mengyao was present in the conference room as well. She had no ounce of sympathy for Xia Qichao and Xia Hao. Yet, she couldn't help but feel a connection to the Xia family. Now, as the family faced its most severe crisis to date, her inability to do anything filled her with frustration and despair.

Just then, Xia Mengyao's phone chimed.

"Do you trust me?"

The message was from Chen Feng on WeChat.

Xia Mengyao paused, puzzled. Trust him? What was he implying?

"I trust you."

After a moment's hesitation, Xia Mengyao's nimble fingers swiftly typed out her response. She didn't understand Chen Feng's motives for asking, but she chose to place her trust in him.

"If you trust me, then tell your grandfather that you can involve the Xia family in the Jade Hill Resort project. But on one condition: once the project succeeds, Xia Qichao and Xia Hao must relinquish control of all their construction teams to you."

Reading the lengthy message, Xia Mengyao was left in a daze. Was Chen Feng out of his mind? Why would he suggest such a thing? Didn't he realize that Xia Qichao and Xia Hao had been ousted from the Xia family by Scussa?

Xia Mengyao instinctively dismissed Chen Feng's words as absurd, yet she couldn't shake off the promise he had made the previous night: "I will resolve this issue for you."

Could it be that Chen Feng was somehow involved in the predicament facing Xia Qichao and Xia Hao?

An incredible idea suddenly sprang to Xia Mengyao's mind, but she quickly dismissed it, shaking her head. It was inconceivable that Chen Feng could wield such influence; she must have been letting her imagination run wild.

"Is there anyone else willing to approach Scussa Company for negotiations? The Xia family is prepared to make any sacrifice if Lin Zongwei agrees to forgive us," Xia Yunsheng said wearily. His words weighed heavily on the hearts of the Xia family members. It was hard to believe that the elder, once so revered, had been reduced to such a state of humility. Clearly, he was still putting the family's interests first.

Xia Mengyao felt a pang of sadness. She harbored some resentment towards Xia Yunsheng for his support of Xia Qichao and Xia Hao the day before. Yet, seeing him like this, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. Xia Yunsheng was, after all, an old man dedicated to his family.

"I'll go," she declared, taking a deep breath and rising to her feet.

Despite finding Chen Feng's claims hard to believe, she chose to trust him this time. This was, after all, the first time in their three years of marriage that he had shown such earnestness. Even suspecting that Chen Feng's words might be mere bluster, she was willing to take a chance for his sake.

The one who stood up was Xia Mengyao? The Xia family members were stunned. Had she lost her mind?

With Xia Qichao and Xia Hao already ousted, where did she find such bravery?

A look of astonishment crossed Xia Yunsheng's face, but it was quickly followed by a sigh. Out of the nearly one hundred members of the Xia family, it was a young woman who stepped forward.

"Mengyao, do you really think you can do this?" Xia Yunsheng asked, somewhat taken aback. He was well aware that the likelihood of success was slim, no matter who made the plea.

"How will we know unless we try?" Xia Mengyao responded calmly.

"How can we just 'try' something like this? What if Mengyao ends up like her great-uncle and the rest, upsetting Director Lin even more? What then?" Xia Zilan grumbled.

"Shut up!" Xia Zhengyu shot Xia Zilan a frigid glare. His daughter was beyond help.

"It's true, though," Xia Zilan muttered, still not quite convinced.

"Well, then you try. I'm not asking much—just find a way to make Director Lin forgive our Xia family," Xia Yunsheng interjected, realizing that now their only hope rested with Xia Mengyao.

"Fine, but I have one condition," Xia Mengyao agreed, nodding.

"What condition?"

"After it's settled, I want control over all the construction teams currently managed by my uncle and Xia Hao," Xia Mengyao declared, pointing to Xia Qichao and his son in the corner.

The Xia family members inhaled sharply. How audacious!

Where did Xia Mengyao get such confidence?

"Impossible, Xia Mengyao, don't even entertain the thought!" Xia Hao burst out, his voice tinged with desperation. He believed the chances of Xia Mengyao successfully negotiating with Lin Zongwei were nil, but what if she succeeded? If he relinquished all the construction teams he and his father controlled, he'd be left powerless.

"Then let someone else go," Xia Mengyao retorted, taking a seat.

"Grandfather agrees to your terms. If you can secure Lin Zongwei's forgiveness for our Xia family, all the construction teams under Qichao and Hao will be yours," Xia Yunsheng declared.

"Grandfather, that's not fair!" protested Xia Hao.

With a swift slap to Xia Hao's face, Xia Yunsheng asked calmly, "Is it fair now?"

"Yes, Grandfather," Xia Hao conceded, swallowing the bitter taste of humiliation. He dared not oppose Xia Yunsheng further, though his resentment towards Xia Mengyao deepened to new depths.

"Mengyao, any other requests?" Xia Yunsheng inquired.

Xia Mengyao shook her head.

"The future of the Xia family is in your hands," Xia Yunsheng said with a heavy sigh.

With that, Xia Mengyao departed from Yunsheng Building, her attire simple and unassuming.