My Manor

"Congratulations, Mr. Qi, you have won this deal." An old man with gray hair looked at the two contracts in front of him, then glanced at the woman sitting opposite him. He sighed helplessly, gritted his teeth as if he had made up his mind, and finally signed his name on the two contracts.

"Congratulations, Yueda Technology is now incorporated into our Qi Group, and it will definitely become the flagship industry of the Qi Group in the future." Looking at the old man's pen strokes, the beautiful woman sitting opposite him couldn't help but chuckle and speak to him.

"I hope so." Sighing, the old man smiled awkwardly, unsure if the decision he made today was right or wrong.

"Mr. Qin, don't worry. You've seen Mr. Liu's methods before, and Yueda will definitely prosper under her leadership." A middle-aged man in his forties, sitting beside him, spoke with a smile.

"Haha, do you need to tell me this? I know Mr. Qi's methods better than you do. Otherwise, I wouldn't have sold Yueda to Qi's. I have to admit, I am getting old. It's the world of young people now! By the way, Yueda's acquisition by Qi's is also a reason to celebrate. I'll hold a banquet at home in the evening. Everyone must come and enjoy it." The old man smiled helplessly but soon calmed down and addressed the group with a smile.

"This is what we should do." Hearing the old man's words, everyone laughed. Although Qi's acquired 60% of Yueda Technology's shares, it was important to note that it wasn't originally a listed company, but a private one. The old Mr. Qin owned 100% of Yueda Technology's shares. Now, he had sold 60%, leaving 40%.

What's more, to transfer the factory and company intact, they couldn't do without the help of old Mr. Qin, so everyone had to attend the banquet.

"Niece Qi," After everyone agreed on a time in the evening, they all left. Qi Li also left the room with her assistant, heading to the underground parking lot, ready to drive away. But before getting into the car, someone stopped her.

Liu Li looked back and smiled, recognizing the person who stopped her as a direct descendant of her side.

"Niece Qi, you're walking fast." The person who approached was none other than the middle-aged man who had spoken earlier in the conference room.

"Uncle Zhao, you're walking too slowly. What is it that you need to tell me?" Qi Li smiled rarely at the middle-aged man before asking formally.

This middle-aged man was named Zhao Jianjun. He knew both Qi Li's and Jiang Hai's families, having lived in the same community. He was ten years older than Qi Li and Jiang Hai's parents. Later, when Qi Li's father quit his job to make money, Zhao Jianjun followed him. He could be considered a direct descendant of the Qi family. Having been injured in his youth and unable to have children, he had always treated Qi Li as his own daughter. When Liu Li faced a major incident, he helped take over the company, which Qi Li acknowledged.

Now, Zhao Jianjun was the vice president of Qi Group, with a status only second to Qi Li.

"It's like this. For the banquet tonight, you need to bring a partner. Do you have anyone in mind?" Zhao Jianjun smiled as he spoke to Qi Li. His words left Qi Li stunned for a moment.

"I'll just bring Yi Jin. Isn't that what we've been doing for years?" Qi Li asked curiously. Hearing her response, the girl with glasses beside her couldn't help but glance at Zhao Jianjun.

"Well, I'm not saying Yi Jin isn't good, but niece, don't blame me for being too talkative. After all, you're married now. It would be fine if Jiang Hai knows about this. If he doesn't, and you always ignore his existence, your reputation outside could be affected. Although I know that the marriage with Jiang Hai was a stopgap measure, it's not good for either of you to keep dragging it out. After all, I watched Jiang Hai grow up. It's not good for either of you. If you think you can get along with Jiang Hai, try it. If you don't feel it's possible, you control the group now, so you can divorce him anytime. If you feel it's difficult to talk to your mother, I can help you with that." Zhao Jianjun said hesitantly, looking at Qi Li.

"What's Jiang Hai's status? How could he be worthy of the CEO?" After Zhao Jianjun finished speaking, Qi Li's eyes flashed with surprise. She hadn't expected him to bring this up. Seeing Qi Li hesitate, the assistant behind her had already spoken.

"Shut up. No matter what Jiang Hai's status is, he's still Qi Li's husband. It's not for you to judge." Zhao Jianjun frowned and said with an annoyed expression.

He had long sensed something was off with the assistant. She seemed too hostile toward Jiang Hai. Was there a psychological issue?

"Uncle Zhao is right. I told you Jiang Hai is my husband. It's not your place to judge him… Well, Uncle Zhao, I understand, and I'll think about it," Qi Li scolded the assistant, then turned to Zhao Jianjun and spoke.

Zhao Jianjun looked at Qi Li, uncertain if she had truly listened, but as her uncle, he had said what he needed to. Whether it would work out depended on the two involved.

"Take care of yourself!" With a sigh, Zhao Jianjun said no more. He nodded to Qi Li and turned to leave.

After watching him go, Qi Li and the others got into the Maybach parked nearby. The driver had been waiting for a long time.

Once inside the car, the engine started, and they drove to the company in the city center.

"Has Jiang Hai contacted me recently?" If Zhao Jianjun hadn't mentioned it today, Qi Li might have almost forgotten her nominal husband. But hearing his words, she realized it was time to reconsider her attitude.

Indeed, when they married, the person Qi Li loved was not Jiang Hai. As Zhao Jianjun had said, it was merely a stopgap. Of course, the person she truly loved wasn't who she once thought it was.

After all, that person had killed her father and almost destroyed their family.

This hatred had erased any past admiration. Husband and wife are birds of a feather, but they fly away when disaster strikes. Moreover, they hadn't been truly married from the start, so she had been emotionally detached for more than a year.

She'd been afraid of thinking about her father and her wrong decisions, so she worked hard to forget about her love affair. But today, Zhao Jianjun's words had made her reconsider.

Of course, she still didn't have any positive feelings for Jiang Hai, but she wasn't ready to divorce him immediately. She planned to give him a subsidiary and let him prove his worth. If Jiang Hai truly met her standards, she could continue their relationship. If not, she'd at least separate the subsidiary and compensate him. After all, they were childhood sweethearts, and it would be somewhat unkind of her to treat him poorly.

"No, there's been no news since his phone call over two months ago." Despite some distaste, the assistant answered confidently.

"This guy… He hasn't called in almost three months? What has he been doing? Seriously, call me." Qi Li frowned when she heard the assistant's response. Women can be like that sometimes. If you're too enthusiastic, they'll push you away; if you keep your distance, they start feeling uncomfortable.

Taking the phone from the assistant, Qi Li looked at the familiar yet somewhat distant number. After hesitating, she called it. The phone rang about ten times before being picked up, but the voice on the other end was dull.

"Hello..." The weak voice made Qi Li frown even deeper. It seemed like a hopeless situation.

"Hello, this is Qi Li. It's one in the afternoon. Are you still sleeping?" Qi Li said firmly.

"Qi Li... I'm dizzy, why did you think of calling me?" Jiang Hai's slightly unfamiliar voice came through. He rubbed his head, climbed out of bed, and gestured to the two dogs lying by the door to keep sleeping. Turning on the bedside lamp, he realized there was a thirteen-hour time difference between Eastern Time and Imperial Time. While it was one in the afternoon there, it was still midnight on his side.

"Don't worry about that. Send me your ID number, I'll book the earliest flight for you. I just negotiated a business deal, and the other party has a family dinner this evening. I need you to accompany me," Qi Li quickly instructed, still hearing Jiang Hai's groggy voice.

Hearing her words, Jiang Hai didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"It seems like you haven't gone home to see her, but forget it… I'll be clear with you. I don't think it's good for us to keep relying on each other like this. I'm grateful you lent me 400,000 yuan when my family needed money. I've earned it back recently and kept it at home. There's also a divorce agreement I've signed. If you have time, you can sign it, and it will take effect then." Jiang Hai said, smiling wryly. He wasn't sure what Qi Li thought of him, but it was time to make things clear.

What was a little odd to him was that if Qi Li didn't sign, wouldn't they still be married? But when applying for a U.S. green card, he clearly listed himself as divorced. What kind of routine was this?

He had underestimated the U.S. immigration system. As long as you had money, you could hide your marriage… You could get through anything.