Lynn Chen bowed her head, feeling quietly defeated inside.
Evan Lin nodded. "Let's go."
She stood up, and the two of them walked along the street for a short while, arriving at the Easy Breeze Restaurant.
Easy Breeze Restaurant was a famous specialty spot in Capitalview City, decorated in Huizhou style and known for its distinctive dishes.
Easy Breeze Restaurant, Bamboo Room.
Inside the room, at the table, Charles Chen and Lucy Lu sat together, both dressed in suits.
Across from them sat a woman, along with three others.
One of them was Quentin Yu, president of the Capitalview City Chamber of Commerce; another was Eric Yu, and beside him sat his mother, Helen Qi.
"Haha, Charles, I really didn't expect it! Miss Guan asked me to reserve a spot for an honored guest today, and I had no idea that honored guest would be you!" Quentin Yu raised his glass, smiling at Charles Chen across the table.
Ever since Evan Lin embarrassed Quentin Yu and Eric Yu last time, the two families had been distant. Yet Quentin Yu kept reminding Eric to find opportunities at school to get closer to Lynn Chen.
"You're too kind, President Yu. I'm hardly an honored guest," Charles Chen said with a wry smile, raising his glass and finishing it in one go.
"How are you not an honored guest, Charles? I heard your Wansheng Properties (Capitalview) is about to win the bid for the southern shantytown redevelopment project. Once you get that, you'll be the city's new business rising star, raking in billions in profit each year!" Helen Qi laughed behind her hand.
She had gone out of her way with her makeup today, dressing up for the occasion.
As Helen Qi spoke, her gaze kept drifting toward Miss Guan sitting across the room, sizing her up.
"It's still far from certain. We haven't signed anything yet—the bidding just finished," Charles Chen replied with a polite smile.
Lucy Lu chimed in, "Yes, but when it comes to this project, we really have to thank President Yu for his support."
"Not at all. Wansheng Properties (Capitalview) has real strength—I just added a little extra support," Quentin Yu replied, clearly pleased. In reality, he hadn't done much at all for this round of bidding.
The table buzzed with lively conversation, but Charles Chen, Quentin Yu, and the others kept stealing glances at the woman sitting quietly to the side.
The woman looked about thirty, dressed in a white shirt and black blazer, with average features but an unmistakable air of authority.
Ever since Charles Chen and Lucy Lu entered, she had simply greeted them and then stayed silent.
Finally, after exchanging glances with Charles Chen, Lucy Lu smiled and asked, "Miss Guan, surely Ms. Ling didn't send you here just for a simple dinner, right?"
If it were just Quentin Yu inviting her, Lucy Lu wouldn't have bothered to come out. But today was different—Miss Guan claimed to be here on Ms. Ling's behalf.
Ms. Ling was Fang Qiuji's wife. The Fang and Chen families had always gotten along, though not inseparably, but still reasonably well.
But after Ms. Ling left for Oceanport City with Fang Qiuji, the families gradually lost touch.
For years, Lucy Lu and Charles Chen had treated Fang You almost like their own daughter. But ever since Ms. Ling took her to Oceanport City, she hadn't visited in ages.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Linda Guan," she said, nodding slightly to Lucy Lu. "Ms. Ling sent me here, and yes, there are other matters to discuss."
As she spoke, Linda Guan turned to Charles Chen. "Mr. Chen, may I ask—when you first came to Capitalview, did you help Evan Lin with his transfer paperwork?"
"Yes, but what does that have to do with Evan Lin?" Charles Chen nodded, puzzled.
Lucy Lu frowned, sensing trouble. "Did Evan do something to upset Ms. Ling?"
Lucy Lu didn't know the real issue, but her intuition told her it likely had to do with Ms. Ling's last trip to Minghai, when she took Fang You away—something must've happened between her and Evan Lin.
Otherwise, Ms. Ling and Evan Lin were from completely different worlds and would never have crossed paths.
Earlier, Linda Guan had asked Lucy Lu to call Evan Lin, but Lucy stayed silent. Charles Chen, left with no choice, asked Lynn Chen to find Evan, giving her an excuse to leave the table and avoid Eric Yu.
Eric Yu was quietly annoyed, but didn't dare say anything.
"There's a connection, but let's talk about it later. First, let me show you something," Linda Guan said calmly, pulling a stack of papers from her bag and handing them to Charles Chen.
Charles Chen looked puzzled as he took the papers and skimmed them. Instantly, his expression froze.
Lucy Lu took the papers, scanned them, and her expression changed. She looked up at Linda Guan. "What does Ms. Ling mean by this?"
"It's simple. Ms. Ling is willing to offer Wansheng Properties a one-hundred-million-yuan interest-free loan. You can treat it as your personal capital injection into the company, take shares, or even withdraw the money directly from the bank—it's all up to you," Linda Guan explained with a slight smile.
Linda Guan smiled faintly.
Quentin Yu and Helen Qi exchanged glances, both clearly shocked and envious.
This was clearly free money.
One hundred million yuan!
To Charles Chen, this was an astronomical sum; even for Quentin Yu, it was no small amount.
"This... this doesn't seem right," Charles Chen said, hesitating.
Lucy Lu frowned, handing the contract back to Linda Guan. "Miss Guan, I don't quite understand Ms. Ling's intention."
"Don't worry. Ms. Ling knows you're not the type to accept something for nothing. Besides, this one hundred million comes with a condition," Linda Guan replied with a faint smile.
A condition? What kind of condition?
Charles Chen and Lucy Lu were both stunned.
"The condition is simple," Linda Guan said, picking up her glass of water and taking a sip before looking at Charles Chen and Lucy Lu. "Evan Lin must transfer back to Minghai, and after graduating high school, he and his mother must never set foot in Oceanport City again."