Chapter 466: What Is It, Hubby?

Chapter 466: What Is It, Hubby?

“Mr. Wu?” Wu Dahai looked at Chen Jinye. “‘Mr. Wu of Donghai,’ no less?”

“It’s like ‘Young Master Li of Donghai,’” Chen Jinye explained. “Anyway,
he’s supposed to be very formidable. Word is he can settle things, and
everyone in Donghai gives him face… Seems he’s even younger than Li
Ruotai.”

“What are you getting at?” Wu Dahai asked slowly, turning it over. Then
he added, “You mean… my son?”

“At first I did wonder whether it might be Xiaochen. But then I thought
about it some more… from what I heard, this Mr. Wu has a really powerful
background, so…” Chen Jinye couldn’t quite explain it himself.

He had no access to Donghai’s upper circles. Whatever went on in
Donghai’s underworld had little to do with a man who ran a factory in a
small county.

Mainly, he didn’t have enough money or status. There was no way he could
hear anything accurate about “Mr. Wu” firsthand.

If the rumors hadn’t spread so widely through Donghai’s upper circles,
they would never have filtered down.

And a county-level businessman like him would certainly never have heard
them.

Li Ruotai, for instance, had been in Donghai a long time. Strictly
speaking, he had only formally put down roots and started building his
interests there after graduating from university a little over four
years ago.

But in fact, six years ago, while still a student, he had already come
to scout Donghai. Through family connections he had secured land and
begun building Crown Entertainment.

The legends of Young Master Li had surfaced in Donghai very early.

Even so, after all these years, Chen Jinye’s knowledge of Li Ruotai
amounted to little more than hearsay: powerful, formidable, a man whose
word was law. Anything more specific, such as what his background
actually was or what his family did, Chen Jinye didn’t really know.

That was after years.

The name “Mr. Wu” had only risen in Donghai a little over half a month
ago.

Everything Chen Jinye had heard about him had passed through several
mouths and grown distorted along the way.

“I also heard this Mr. Wu knows Young Master Li, and the two of them are
close…” Chen Jinye added hesitantly.

“He has a background?” Wu Dahai asked.

“Yeah! Everyone says his background is huge. Says he’s connected… up
there.” Chen Jinye even pointed at the sky.

“Then how could that be our Xiaochen? You know what our family’s like.
What kind of background could we have?” Wu Dahai said with a grin.

“That’s what I figured too. Probably just someone with the same surname.
Both Wus,” Chen Jinye said.

The two old friends were only talking for the fun of it, idle chatter.

At the same time.

Over at the dining table in the living room.

Zhang Xiujuan, Wu Jiao, and Chen Xue sat around the table prepping
vegetables. Chen Jinye had brought his daughter along today, along with
a good load of groceries.

“Mom, why aren’t you saying anything about Bro and Sister-in-law
sleeping in? Look what time it is,” Wu Jiao grumbled.

“Tsk…” Zhang Xiujuan glared at her.

“Miss Li is a guest. Who drags a guest out of bed to do chores?” Chen
Xue said beside her.

“See? Even Xiaoxue has more sense than you,” Zhang Xiujuan scolded.

“Hmph!” Wu Jiao gave a little snort as she picked over the celery, then
muttered, “I heard people talking in Bro’s room after eight. They’ve
been awake for ages and they still haven’t come out… Who knows what
they’re up to… Bro’s probably bullying Sister-in—”

Smack!

Zhang Xiujuan slapped the back of her hand.

“You’re a young lady. Don’t talk nonsense.” She shot her daughter a look
and, without meaning to, lowered her voice.

“But it’s true,” Wu Jiao muttered. “They’re definitely up to no good.”

Chen Xue’s face went red. She knew exactly what Wu Jiao meant.

And it wasn’t only the hint she understood. The two girls had stayed at
Li Ruobing’s villa once, and that night they’d heard certain sounds.

“Are you trying to make me die of anger? What are you saying?” Zhang
Xiujuan was livid. She didn’t dare really hit her anymore. Wu Jiao was a
grown girl now. So she only glared, eyes wide, and hissed, “When your
brother comes out, say it to him. See whether he smacks you.”

“Hmph…” Wu Jiao snorted again, but she shut up.

A sound came from Wu Chen’s bedroom.

A moment later the door opened.

Wu Chen and Li Ruobing came out one after the other, fully dressed.

“Bingbing, you’re up? Why not sleep a bit longer? I was going to wake
you before lunch.” Zhang Xiujuan looked up and smiled at Li Ruobing, her
voice soft and gentle.

She didn’t even speak to her son first. She spoke to Li Ruobing.

“I’ve had plenty of sleep, Auntie,” Li Ruobing replied with a smile.

“Bro! I was up at eight this morning!” Wu Jiao called to Wu Chen, her
look and tone both loaded with meaning.

“So you’re itching for a beating.” Wu Chen laughed, came over to the
table, caught the back of his sister’s neck from behind, and pushed her
head down.

“Sorry, sorry, I was wrong, Bro… Mom, look! Bro’s bullying me again…” Wu
Jiao apologized and tattled in the same breath.

“Xiaochen.” Zhang Xiujuan glanced at her son, then, without thinking, at
Li Ruobing.

Ordinarily there was nothing unusual about the two of them roughhousing
at home.

But Li Ruobing was here.

Zhang Xiujuan worried it would make her son look immature in front of
his girlfriend.

What she couldn’t have imagined was what Li Ruobing actually thought of
Wu Chen by now. In fact… Li Ruobing rather liked seeing these ordinary
family moments of his.

They felt real.

Only at home did Wu Chen stop seeming so unfathomable, so impossibly
hard to read.

“Auntie, let me help…”

“No, no, no need. Bingbing, go rest…”

“It’s fine, Auntie. It’s not hard work. I cook at home sometimes too.”

Li Ruobing joined in with the vegetables.

After “bullying” his sister a few more times, Wu Chen headed farther
into the living room.

Chen Jinye and Wu Dahai, finished with their cigarettes, came in from
the balcony.

“Uncle Chen, you’re here.”

“Hahaha, Xiaochen, you’re up.”

Chen Jinye exchanged greetings with Wu Chen, then glanced toward the
dining table. When Li Ruobing looked his way, he hurried to smile, nod,
and greet her: “Boss Li.”

The men sat down on the sofa.

More idle chat.

“Dad, Ruobing and I are heading out after lunch. Her company’s busy… she
has to go in this afternoon,” Wu Chen told his father.

Wu Dahai nodded. He didn’t press them to stay a few more days.

It wasn’t far, and the kids were young. This was the age to be out
building their careers.

“Oh, right, Xiaochen. Your Uncle Chen and I talked about the thirty
million you gave us. He suggests buying property…” Wu Dahai brought up
what to do with the thirty million.

Wu Chen’s eyebrows rose slightly.

Not because he saw any problem with the suggestion. Chen Jinye’s choice
had made him see the man in a new light.

He knew his father and Chen Jinye were as close as brothers, but people
changed, and human nature seldom stood up well to temptation.

Where that thirty million was concerned, the choice most profitable for
Chen Jinye would have been to invite Wu Dahai to invest in his company.

His business would then become the Wu family’s business too, and with Li
Ruobing’s weight behind it, how could it not take off?

But Chen Jinye hadn’t gone that way.

He had offered a very down-to-earth suggestion instead.

You could say he had passed the test. He was still thinking about what
was best for his “old brother.”

A good man! That was what a real brother looked like!

Wu Chen was glad his father had a friend like that, and it put his mind
at ease. With Chen Jinye looking out for him, his father was less likely
to go astray now that he had money.

They chatted a while longer.

Wu Chen studied Chen Jinye a few times and gave the matter careful
thought.

“Uncle Chen, I heard your factory used to work with Ruobing’s company a
couple of years back. Why did that stop…?” Wu Chen raised it himself. In
fact, he knew the whole story. He was asking anyway.

“Well… ah…” Chen Jinye opened his mouth, then stopped. He even glanced
toward Li Ruobing.

Some things were hard for him to say.

“Ruobing.” Wu Chen turned to look at her.

“What is it, hubby?” Li Ruobing looked up from the vegetables.

“Come here.” Wu Chen beckoned.