Francis, the steward beside Grand Duke Kubo, quickly stepped forward and greeted them with a nearly obsequious attitude: "Mr. Yin, Mrs. Charles Yin. I am the steward of the Holston Marquis Family. Our Marquis heard of your visit and specially asked me to wait for you here. If you need anything, I will serve you wholeheartedly."
"Mr. Yin, Mrs. Charles Yin, I am..."
"Mr. Yin..."
More and more people crowded forward, all wearing ingratiating expressions.
Clearly, everyone had gotten the news that the Yin Family was about to invest in this area, and they all wanted to latch onto the Yin Family's influence.
Charles Yin nodded coldly—neither enthusiastic nor indifferent—carrying his unique air of nobility as he exchanged polite greetings.
Charles Yin surveyed the room. All the local big names had sent people to greet him, except for the King Family.
Ironically, the Yin Family was currently the King Family's biggest business partner.
It seemed the King Family's internal chaos had really reached a point where they didn't even know Charles Yin was coming.
"Sorry, my wife has traveled a long way and is feeling a bit under the weather, so we'll skip the greetings today," Charles Yin said slowly. "The day after tomorrow, you'll all receive invitations from the Yin Family. Please come by our home for a gathering."
"Of course, of course," the crowd chimed in. "Mrs. Charles Yin has really had a hard journey!"
The steward of the Yin Family's local estate had already prepared a car, waiting off to the side.
Charles Yin took Cecilia's hand, got into the car, waved to everyone, and quickly left.
Not long after Charles Yin and Cecilia left, the King Family finally got the news and rushed to the private airport.
But when the King Family arrived, they found Charles Yin and Cecilia were already gone.
The King Family members were instantly dumbfounded.
This time, they'd really managed to offend a major client.
"It's all your fault! Dragging your feet—look what happened?" Mr. King Sr. immediately blamed his younger brother. "We begged and pleaded but couldn't even see them. Now that we finally got them here, all you did was stir up trouble! If the King Family collapses, let's see who can stay out of it!"
Mr. King Jr. certainly wasn't going to take the blame. He snorted, "Was it my fault? I think it's obvious that you didn't want to solve the family's problems and deliberately stalled! All the other families arrived early—why was your news later than everyone else's?"
Mr. King III stood aside with his arms crossed, saying nothing, clearly dissatisfied with both his older brothers.
The King brothers argued noisily, and even the younger generation glared at each other with mutual dislike.
But Charles Yin and Cecilia were already out of earshot of all this.
After driving for over half an hour, they finally arrived at their destination.
Cecilia stepped out of the car and looked up to admire the brand-new estate—spacious, neat, filled with new buildings and blooming flowers everywhere.
Everything looked vibrant and full of life.
"This estate was only built a few years ago," Charles Yin said, taking Cecilia's hand and leading her inside. "So it doesn't have the deep historical feel of older estates."
"You had it built when you decided to enter the local market, didn't you?" Cecilia looked up at Charles Yin.
"Mm, clever." Charles Yin bent down and kissed Cecilia's forehead. "You get a reward for guessing right!"
Cecilia couldn't help but laugh and protest, "Stop it, there are so many people watching!"
Charles Yin deliberately glanced back. "No one's watching!"
The people behind them all sensibly bowed their heads, pretending not to see anything.
When the boss and his wife show affection, everyone knows to play along!
Cecilia rolled her eyes at Charles Yin, helpless, and pulled him along to keep moving forward.
Only then did Charles Yin break into a happy smile.
Finally, no pesky kids as third wheels! He was determined to enjoy some quality time with Cecilia.
"What do you think the King Family will say when they find out we've arrived?" Cecilia, worried Charles Yin might do something else strange in front of everyone, quickly changed the subject. "Will you send the King Family an invitation for the day after tomorrow?"
"Of course I'll send one," Charles Yin replied mischievously. "Since the elders can't behave and keep targeting the younger generation, then everyone should be invited. If we're going to have a spectacle, let's make it a big one! We'll set the stage so we can watch the show properly."
"But I remember your real reason for coming isn't just to watch the show," Cecilia teased, looking at him slyly.
"Watching the drama is just a bonus. I'm handling big business while enjoying the chaos." Charles Yin affectionately squeezed Cecilia's hand. "As long as everyone's attention is on the spectacle, I can quietly get things done. If everyone's watching me, how am I supposed to pull anything off?"
Cecilia laughed, "So that's your plan! I was wondering why you were so eager to help investigate Melo's situation. Turns out you wanted to use it as a cover!"
"Exactly!" Charles Yin chuckled. "Trying to quietly sideline the old aristocrats here isn't so easy. But I've already spoken with Mr. Mo. The two of us working together..."
Meanwhile, the King Family was in utter chaos.
The current Matriarch King sat off to the side, her face dark as she listened to the arguments, frustrated that her son had disobeyed and secretly returned to China!
How could they have children if he wasn't even here?
Dale sat uneasily nearby, anxious and unsure if she'd be kicked out.
She'd approached Julian King with a mission, but now that he was gone, would the King Family still honor their promises to her?
"Look at our performance this month! And you're all still arguing about who's right or wrong? Big Brother, Second Brother, I'm just saying—having a hundred grandkids means nothing if the family's collapsing! If the skin is gone, where can the hair attach?" Mr. King III slammed the table, roaring in anger.
"Third Brother, what's with that attitude? I'm your elder brother! How dare you yell at me?" Mr. King Sr. shot back at Mr. King III.
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"Third Brother, what business do you have in my argument with Big Brother? Aren't you always pushing your kids to have more children? We're all thinking the same way, so don't point fingers!" Mr. King Jr. yelled back.
"Enough!" The Patriarch King, who hadn't spoken until now, finally slammed the table. "If you keep arguing, get out!"
Everyone in the room fell silent.
Mr. King Sr. was tugged aside by his son and stopped talking.
The rest quickly returned to their own factions, waiting for the old man's instructions.
"The priority right now is to figure out why the Yin Family paused their material purchases from us." The Patriarch King, though mostly retired from business, still carried weight in moments like this. "All this bickering—aren't you ashamed? You're all in your fifties and sixties, and still less mature than children! Where are Julian and Edward? Why aren't they here?"
The Matriarch King answered softly, "Julian went back to China, and Edward went with him."
The Patriarch King sighed—the most capable son and grandson were gone, leaving only a bunch of troublemakers!
"Even if they're not here, you brothers and uncles still need to take responsibility!" the Patriarch King continued. "Mr. Yin is right here—this is the best chance! For the next few days, do whatever it takes to show the Yin Family our sincerity and restore trade! And fix things with the Mo Family, too! The domestic market—Yin and Mo control 80%. No matter what, we can't give up! Cough, cough, cough!"
The Matriarch King quickly helped her husband catch his breath. "Look at you all, you've made the old man this upset!"
"Alright, you can all leave now." The Patriarch King, seeing his sons glaring at each other, felt another wave of frustration.
"We'll head back now," Mr. King Sr. said, leading his group out. The others soon followed.
Only the Patriarch King, Matriarch King, and Dale remained in the room.
Dale stood up. "I'll head out now, too."
"Wait a moment, Dale," the Matriarch King said quickly. "Go wait for me in the courtyard."
"Yes, ma'am." Dale turned and left.
The Patriarch King grumbled, "Julian's not even in the country anymore. Why are you keeping her around?"
"I'm doing it for Julian!" the Matriarch King replied, clearly annoyed. "None of his brothers are any good. Things are fine while you're here, but if you leave, how are we supposed to survive?"
The Matriarch King dabbed at nonexistent tears and said, aggrieved, "Dale is obedient and sensible, and doesn't ask for a title. If Julian had one more child, he wouldn't be so anxious. If Mo Zixuan would just agree to a second child, I wouldn't have to offend anyone!"
The Patriarch King sighed, speechless. "Aren't you worried about offending the Mo Family and Mo Zixuan?"
"Even if we offend them, my grandson is still my grandson," the Matriarch King insisted. "It's not like we've taken advantage of the Mo Family. The eldest daughter acts like royalty. Mo Zixuan left and took my grandson with her! That's like cutting out my heart! Besides, if Dale has a child, it'll be counted under Mo Zixuan's name, right? She gets an extra child without lifting a finger—what's there to complain about?"
The Patriarch King knew his wife was wrong, but couldn't pinpoint exactly why.
Their generation still clung to the mindset of the last century.
"Forget it, let's focus on the problem at hand." The Patriarch King made the final decision. "We need to get through this. I heard the Yin Family will invite us over the day after tomorrow. The kids must behave—no matter what, we can't let the Yin Family dislike us. We have to earn their forgiveness and get our goods moving out of the warehouse—otherwise, how will they explain it to the shareholders?"
The Matriarch King patted his back and said vaguely, "Let Dale come along, too. Maybe she'll catch Mrs. Charles Yin's eye and help persuade Zixuan to agree."