Chapter 492: First in Line to Inherit

Chapter 492: First in Line to Inherit

Wu Yurong had remarkable composure. Even so, Su Ruiwen’s words—”Wu Chen, right?”—gave her a fright.

It wasn’t chiefly that she was terrified of her relationship with Wu Chen being exposed. That certainly worried her, but not nearly enough to explain her reaction.

The real problem was that many of Wu Yurong’s connections depended on her being single.

Not one of her suitors was an ordinary man.

If word got out that she was no longer single, it would have an enormous impact on her career and even on her personal life.

“…Brother Su, you do love to joke,” Wu Yurong said gently after a two-second pause.

“Miss Li told me. About you, and about my Qingying. She told me everything,” Su Ruiwen said without beating around the bush.

Silence returned to the other end of the line.

About three seconds passed.

“Eight tonight. Laopinxuan,” Wu Yurong said, just as directly.

“All right,” Su Ruiwen replied.

—

At the same time, in the North District, Villa No. 9 at Jinzun Manor.

He Shiqin was busy in the kitchen, wearing an apron. She had already finished five dishes, with three more still to prepare. Ordinarily, she and her daughter He Xinxin would never eat so much. Two dishes were enough for the pair of them. Today, however, there was one more person, hence the elaborate meal.

Wu Chen was there.

In the living room, he sat on the sofa watching an American television series.

He had come over in the afternoon. It was the weekend, and Wu Chen was enjoying a rare chance to relax. Attending Lu Guangnian’s wedding had hardly required any effort. Compared with yesterday, when he’d said so much to Su Ruiwen, he’d barely discussed anything important with the man today.

Li Ruobing had handled everything perfectly.

His afternoon visit to He Shiqin’s home was also a chance to relax.

He’d given He Xinxin some pointers on drawing, then assigned her an examination exercise. He had spent virtually the entire afternoon at He Shiqin’s home. Apart from taking a call from An Menglan about Zhou Shenglong trending online and another from Li Ruobing, he’d simply watched television.

Wu Chen seldom did anything without a purpose.

Even though he often approached his new life with the attitude of someone amusing himself in the world, he still wanted that life to be more interesting.

Not simply to lie around.

So while he really had come to He Shiqin’s place to relax, the visit wasn’t without purpose.

“Teacher! Teacher… I finished my drawing!” He Xinxin’s voice suddenly rang out from upstairs, accompanied by the sound of someone running at full speed.

Holding her freshly completed “homework,” He Xinxin hurried down the stairs from the second floor. She was still in a nightdress, dressed for lounging at home, and her hair was a little messy.

“Teacher…” She dashed to the sofa and held out her sketch to Wu Chen. “Teacher, look! Look!”

Wu Chen picked up the remote and paused the American series before taking the sketch and examining it.

This was the test he’d assigned He Xinxin.

She had to draw the view outside the window of her second-floor room. Wu Chen would grade it, and they’d agreed that if she scored above sixty, He Shiqin would buy her a present.

He Shiqin had supported that arrangement.

But if she scored below sixty, He Xinxin wouldn’t be allowed out for the next three days.

Her mother had supported that arrangement too.

As Wu Chen examined the drawing, He Xinxin bounced onto the sofa and curled up beside him. One hand rested casually on his shoulder. She tilted her head, glancing at the drawing, then at his face, and back again.

She was studying his expression, terrified of failing and being grounded. By now, Wu Chen had her completely under control. She wouldn’t dare rebel.

A full minute must have passed.

“Teacher… how is it?” He Xinxin asked cautiously. When Wu Chen glanced at her, she promptly gave him a cheeky grin and made a show of being adorable.

“This drawing…” Wu Chen began, drawing out the words, then delivered his verdict. “It’s terrible.”

“…How is it… I really tried hard… Teacher… Teacher, Teacher…” He Xinxin protested, grabbing his arm and shaking it as she wheedled.

“But considering Xinxin’s age, I’ll give you sixty-five points,” Wu Chen added with a smile.

“Yay!!” He Xinxin sprang up.

She was overjoyed.

Wu Chen handed the drawing back with a flick of his wrist, picked up the remote, and resumed the show.

“Mom! I passed! You’re always telling me… I passed!” Without even putting on slippers, He Xinxin climbed off the sofa with her drawing and ran into the kitchen to show off to her mother.

Lately, He Shiqin had been talking to He Xinxin about her studies almost every day. More precisely, she’d been urging her to work harder and learn properly.

Her mother’s constant nagging had driven He Xinxin nearly mad.

Ring, ring…

A phone rang.

Wu Chen took out his phone, glanced at the screen, and answered with a smile. “Sister Rong.”

“Li Ruobing told Su Ruiwen everything! He’s invited me to dinner tonight to talk!” Wu Yurong spoke with unusual speed, almost as if she were complaining to Wu Chen.

Wu Yurong simply wasn’t one to use harsh language. She could do ruthless things, but she never said anything particularly nasty. Even when complaining, her voice remained soft and gentle.

“I know. I told her to,” Wu Chen said with a smile.

“Huh?” Wu Yurong was taken aback. Then she asked, “Why?” She was thoroughly confused.

After hanging up with Su Ruiwen, she’d wondered whether Wu Chen was planning something, but she couldn’t think what.

They could easily have kept everything from Su Ruiwen. Given the state of his health, he would be gone in six months to a year at most. There was no need to consider telling him at all.

It would only create far too many complications.

So Wu Yurong had come to one conclusion: Li Ruobing had gone crazy!

“Qingying wants a child. Probably soon… They won’t be able to keep it a secret,” Wu Chen explained briefly and quietly.

“Ah…” Wu Yurong drew out the sound. After a pause, she spoke more quickly. “Then what do we do now? I can’t possibly refuse to see Su Ruiwen. I’ve already agreed to dinner… What am I supposed to say?”

“Just tell him the truth,” Wu Chen said with a smile.

“The truth? But he… Su Ruiwen, he…” Wu Yurong was genuinely at a loss. Compared with Li Ruobing’s composure, her own position was awkward in far too many ways.

She was the other woman.

Her daughter was already twenty years old.

And she was very close to Su Ruiwen personally, while Wu Chen had that kind of relationship with Su Qingying. From her perspective, if Su Ruiwen asked where she stood, it would be very difficult to answer.

Yet those were secondary concerns. Most important of all, Su Ruiwen was Donghai’s richest man, an elder-brother figure she deeply respected.

Wu Yurong was someone who cared enormously about her personal relationships.

Li Ruobing was at the opposite extreme. She lived far more freely than Wu Yurong.

“Didn’t we already agree to meet tonight?” Wu Chen asked with a smile.

“We did. And I was ready for that. But Su Ruiwen suddenly… Do you mean you’ll come tonight too?!” Wu Yurong realized halfway through her sentence.

She was completely stunned!

At Lu Guangnian’s wedding, when Wu Chen and Wu Yurong had been chatting in the pavilion, they had agreed to meet that evening. And now…

“You… you knew Su Ruiwen would invite me to dinner tonight?” Wu Yurong asked in quick succession. “Were you planning all along for the three of us to eat together?”

“Just a guess.” Wu Chen smiled.

“Well… all right! I changed the time and place. Eight tonight, at Laopinxuan.”

“Sounds good,” Wu Chen said.

“…Was it really just a guess?” Wu Yurong asked again. She suspected Wu Chen could foresee the future.

“Really,” Wu Chen said, laughing. He wasn’t lying. By his reckoning, once Li Ruobing had spoken with Su Ruiwen, it was highly likely that Su Ruiwen would invite Wu Yurong to a private dinner, given their friendship.

But it wasn’t certain. Su Ruiwen might suddenly be delayed by something else and decide not to see Wu Yurong until tomorrow.

As far as Wu Chen was concerned, however, it didn’t matter which day Su Ruiwen chose to speak with her.

It wouldn’t affect his plans to spend the night at Wu Yurong’s place.

Wu Chen exchanged a few more words with Wu Yurong, then hung up.

He went back to watching television.

A few minutes later.

After visiting the kitchen, going upstairs to put away her drawing, and washing her hands, He Xinxin returned to the living room. She’d brought some snacks.

“Teacher, want some?” She sat beside Wu Chen and offered him the bag of potato chips she was holding.

“We’ll be eating soon,” Wu Chen said, glancing at her with a smile.

“Hmph. Suit yourself.” He Xinxin snorted softly. As she ate her chips, she turned her attention to the television.

“Hiss…” Before long, He Xinxin sucked in a sharp breath. The American series Wu Chen was watching was a little bloody.

“Teacher, do you usually like watching this kind of stuff?” she asked.

“Just watching whatever’s on,” he replied with a smile.

Since Wu Chen was watching, He Xinxin didn’t dare change the channel. She was only waiting for dinner, so she watched along with him. Before long, she was engrossed. The series was a little old, more than ten years old, but it really was excellent!

They watched in silence for a while.

Wu Chen glanced at He Xinxin. She was eating her potato chips almost without noticing, her eyes fixed on the screen. Something subtle passed through his gaze.

He’d only started watching this show today, a little over an hour earlier. He was now on the second episode.

It was an American crime drama. Its central storyline was… a daughter seeking revenge against her biological father!

Wu Chen had seen the series long ago. He knew how it ended: the heroine succeeded in taking revenge!

Ordinarily, he had no interest in watching a television series twice. His memory was simply too good.

But today he had chosen this show deliberately. Even though he understood English, he had selected a version with Chinese subtitles… because he was actually preparing it for He Xinxin!

If she enjoyed it, she would search for it online later and watch the entire series, even without him.

It would help prepare her psychologically!

Wu Chen’s plan for He Xinxin had changed!

Originally, he’d had no particularly elaborate plan involving her. He Shiqin was the key to setting everything in motion. But ever since Ding Ruilong had left Donghai with a crippled hand, Wu Chen had developed a new idea.

During the years Ding Ruilong had been competing with Li Ruobing, he’d made a fortune worth two or three billion yuan. And even before that, he’d been making investments with the help of his family’s resources. His assets, held openly or secretly, directly or indirectly, were worth tens of billions.

Compared with the Ding family’s total assets, valued in the hundreds of billions, Ding Ruilong’s personal holdings were substantial, but still represented only a very small fraction of the family fortune.

However… because Ding Ruilong’s right hand was crippled, Old Master Ding, who doted on him, intended to transfer more of the family’s assets to him ahead of schedule.

Wu Chen had confirmed this at noon today, while chatting with Li Ruotai at Lu Guangnian’s wedding.

Word had already begun circulating within the Ding family.

The assets being transferred to Ding Ruilong included stakes in certain giant corporations. The percentages were extremely small, in some cases less than one percent, just a few tenths of a percent. But the truly giant corporations were valued in the trillions. Even a one-percent stake could be worth more than ten billion yuan.

Old Master Ding also understood his grandson’s extreme temperament, so… he was preparing a trust fund for Ding Ruilong as well. An enormous one!

Wu Chen knew why Old Master Ding favored Ding Ruilong.

He could also predict that Ding Ruilong’s holdings would continue to grow for some time.

And therefore… if Ding Ruilong died, there would be the question of inheriting his estate.

An enormous amount of wealth would be involved!

Even if the various families joined forces to carve up the Ding family’s assets, they could never strip it completely bare. Some money simply couldn’t be seized. Small, passive shareholdings in giant corporations, left untouched as investments, were particularly difficult to take through financial maneuvering.

He Xinxin was Ding Ruilong’s only daughter. Or, to put it another way, his only descendant.

Under the law, a child born outside marriage had the same inheritance rights as a child born within marriage. He Xinxin would be a first-order heir to Ding Ruilong’s estate.

Ding Ruilong was unmarried, and his mother was dead.

In other words, the other first-order heir was Ding Ruilong’s father. And if things were arranged properly, so that Ding Ruilong’s father died before Ding Ruilong did, He Xinxin would be the sole first-order heir to his estate!

Because He Xinxin was still young and underage…

After Ding Ruilong’s death, if everything went smoothly, the person who would ultimately control the inherited assets would be He Xinxin’s legal guardian—He Shiqin!

Originally, Wu Chen hadn’t considered Ding Ruilong’s estate at all, so there would have been no need for He Xinxin to learn about any of that messy business. Now that he was considering it, however, one consequence was inevitable: after Ding Ruilong died, He Xinxin would find out who her father was. She couldn’t be left out of the inheritance process.

And so He Xinxin needed some psychological preparation.

“Wow, the heroine is so cool!”

“Her dad is awful… He’s a psycho!”

“Ugh… How can she miss from there? What a crappy gun… That screenwriter can go to—”

Wu Chen glanced at He Xinxin, who kept exclaiming as she watched, and said, “Don’t swear.”

He Xinxin immediately toned it down, gave Wu Chen a mischievous grin, and turned back to the screen.

A little over twenty minutes later.

Dinner was ready.

While they ate, He Xinxin even carried her bowl into the living room and restarted the series from episode one so she could watch it from the beginning.

He Shiqin didn’t stop her.

With He Xinxin eating and watching television in the living room, it was also easier for He Shiqin and Wu Chen to speak quietly in the dining room about things they couldn’t let the girl overhear.

Around seven thirty that evening.

Wu Chen finished eating and left!

He was off to his next engagement… It was supposed to be another dinner, but in reality, they were meeting to discuss matters. There was no need for him to eat, and they wouldn’t even drink much, since Su Ruiwen’s health wouldn’t allow him to drink heavily.

It was time to have a serious talk with Su Ruiwen!