Shelly Zhou's father came with a plan in mind: to have James Jiang offer some compensation.
He just thought Ethan Yin was still young and didn't need to know about these things.
But what he didn't expect was that, despite showing no signs, Ethan Yin seemed to have already guessed and called him out directly.
This made Shelly Zhou's father realize he couldn't afford to underestimate Ethan Yin.
"James Jiang is here, so he probably knows what's going on," Ethan Yin continued calmly. "Since I'm willing to mediate, both sides will be satisfied. Mr. Zhou, what are you still worried about?"
"Young Master Yin, what do you mean by that?" Shelly Zhou's father probed.
"There's no one else here, so I'll be frank," Ethan Yin said, relaxing into the sofa. "Mr. Zhou, if you're talking about that film company, I have a cousin who's very interested in it. I hope you can give up 5% of the shares. In return, I can convince James Jiang to let you invest in his internet company. The internet is booming right now—even a pig could make money. Surely you won't refuse, right?"
"Which cousin of yours, Young Master Yin?" Shelly Zhou's father asked.
"My uncle's son, Yuzhen Yin," Ethan Yin answered directly. "You know, my cousin is pretty simple-minded. Complicated stuff isn't his thing. Entertainment is straightforward—it's perfect for him to dabble in."
"Well..." Shelly Zhou's father hesitated.
"Mr. Zhou, you probably don't know what kind of person James Jiang is," Ethan Yin said, seeing Mr. Zhou's hesitation but not surprised. "Without my mediation, it would be very hard for you to get shares in James Jiang's internet company."
"Why are you so confident, Young Master Yin?" Shelly Zhou's father asked again.
"Because the conflict between your daughter and Ruby Jiang isn't that serious. Just a bit of girlish squabbling—it's not enough to demand compensation," Ethan Yin replied blandly.
In other words, what happened last night could be seen as a big deal or a small one.
How serious it is—that's for Ethan Yin to decide.
If Ethan Yin says it's serious and has affected Shelly Zhou's mental state, then Ruby Jiang has to make amends. That means James Jiang has to pay up or offer benefits.
If Ethan Yin says it's not serious—just girls bickering—then at most Ruby Jiang should apologize and that's it.
But it's obvious Shelly Zhou's father doesn't want a simple apology; he wants something concrete.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come in person.
If it were really just a minor spat, would he have bothered to show up himself?
Isn't it just because Jiang Zuo is new to this circle, his foundation is shaky, and they're hoping to take a bite out of him before he builds his network?
But Jiang Zuo isn't naive either.
As for apologies, you can say a whole basketful and it doesn't matter. But compensation? That has to be weighed carefully!
This is where Yuzhen Yin's importance comes in.
If Yuzhen Yin steps in, it means Jiang Zuo has caught his attention and is recognized in high society.
If Yuzhen Yin doesn't get involved, Jiang Zuo's status remains as awkward as ever.
Jiang Zuo understands this very well.
He knows he'll have to pay a price to be fully accepted by the upper class.
Maybe it's money, maybe it's some shares.
But compared to securing his status, these costs are nothing.
That's why Jiang Zuo came here in person.
You could say both Zhou Xue'er’s father and Jiang Zuo came with their own agendas, but neither is willing to say it outright.
Only Yuzhen Yin, with his sharp eyes, saw through everything and pointed it out directly.
Sure enough, after a moment, Zhou Xue'er’s father spoke solemnly, "I'll leave it to you, Young Master Yin."
"No problem," Yuzhen Yin replied with a smirk. After all, you always spoil your own brother!
Meanwhile, Mi Xiaoying left the room with Jiang Zuo. As they walked downstairs, she asked, "Mr. Jiang, how do you plan to apologize and make amends?"
Jiang Zuo paused, then turned back with a flawless smile, "Of course, I'll follow Young Master Yin and Assistant Mi's instructions."
Mi Xiaoying smiled. Jiang Zuo truly is clever—Jiang You probably doesn't even have a fraction of his smarts.
Dealing with smart people really is so much easier.
"Young Master Yin could have ignored this whole thing," Mi Xiaoying said. "But he chose to get involved. If the Zhou family makes excessive demands next, Mr. Jiang, you’ll need to keep your cool."
"Of course," Jiang Zuo replied, catching Mi Xiaoying's meaning, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.
Back at Cherry Hill, he hadn’t gotten Yuzhen Yin’s approval.
Unexpectedly, he got it at Sunset Manor.
Thank goodness, he finally succeeded.
His sister might be a little too straightforward, but at least she did something right.
He needs to build a tangled web of relationships with the upper-class elites to secure his status.
"So when it’s time to apologize, Miss Jiang You had better do it properly," Mi Xiaoying said meaningfully.
"Naturally."
But when they found Jiang You, her reaction was intense.
"What? You want me to apologize in public? No way!" Jiang You protested stubbornly. "I already apologized to her in private. I’m not going to do it in front of everyone! What about my dignity?"
Mi Xiaoying said, "I’m sure you two siblings have things to discuss. I’ll wait outside."
With that, Mi Xiaoying left the room.
Now only Jiang Zuo and Jiang You were left in the room.
Jiang Zuo lost his patience and slapped her!
Smack! Jiang Zuo glared at Jiang You angrily. "Did I spoil you too much? Do you even understand the consequences of your mess?"
"I..." Jiang You held her face, shocked and incredulous. "You hit me!"
"You can choose: I slap you, or I cut off your credit card!" Jiang Zuo said, frustrated. "Everyone’s watching. If I don’t teach you a lesson, do you think the Zhou family will just let this go? Do you even realize I might have to pay a huge sum or give up shares to compensate them for your mess?"
This chapter isn’t finished yet~.~ Click next page to keep reading the exciting story!
"I..." Jiang You was suddenly speechless.
She recalled what Mi Xiaoying said—had all her words come true?
James Jiang patiently said, "Sister, you're not a child anymore. It's time to grow up!"
Ruby Jiang replied reluctantly, "I know."
"If I don't give you a slap today, the Zhou Family will probably ask for a mountain of benefits," James Jiang said earnestly. "Wouldn't it be better to save that money and buy yourself a handbag?"
"True..." Ruby Jiang's mind was muddled, but she followed James Jiang's reasoning.
Seeing his sister finally convinced, James Jiang let out a sigh of relief. He figured that slap was worth at least 1% of the shares.
He planned to use it as an excuse to swap shares with the Zhou Family, so both sides would hold each other's stock.
That way, no one could call him a rootless upstart anymore.
"Will an apology do?" Ruby Jiang thought of how her actions had dragged the Jiang Family out of high society, and that she might never see Ethan Yin again. The pain was unbearable. If an apology was all it took, then she'd do it! As long as she wasn't expelled from this circle!
So, with Cherry Miller and Ethan Yin's help, the Zhou and Jiang families officially reconciled.
Sure enough, Shelly Zhou's father demanded compensation—a hefty sum that was exactly James Jiang's limit.
Then Ethan Yin mediated again, and they exchanged shares.
With this, the Zhou Family invested in the internet business and caught the wave of opportunity.
The Jiang Family invested in the Zhou Family's traditional industry, becoming their shareholders and earning recognition.
As a token of thanks, Shelly Zhou's father gave Yuzhen Yin shares in his newly invested film company.
All three families were satisfied, each getting what they wanted.
And so, the matter was resolved.
After seeing off Shelly Zhou's father and James Jiang, Cherry Miller asked Ethan Yin, "Did you have your eye on that film company all along?"
Ethan Yin burst out laughing. "You really see through everything, don't you?"
Cherry Miller gave him a look. "You're so cunning, one day someone's going to put you in a sack. You got all these benefits without paying a price, just by saying a few words. If anyone's a schemer, it's you!"
"That's why I've trained since I was a kid, special workouts and everything. I won't give them a chance to catch me," Ethan Yin winked at Cherry Miller, looking both mischievous and dangerous.
Cherry Miller didn't bother with him. "As long as this is settled, I need to get back to work."
Because of the storm, many people left early for home.
As the housekeeper, Cherry Miller had to personally oversee everything.
Some guests had family come to pick them up.
Cherry Miller handled the handover with each family.
Some guests drove themselves home, so Cherry explained the route to them to prevent getting lost.
Every departing guest received a gift.
In short, every guest needed to be reassured and well taken care of, with no mistakes.
Gradually, most of the guests left, and evening arrived.
Now, only about a dozen people remained in the villa, planning to leave the next day.
With fewer people, things felt much quieter.
But Cherry Miller couldn't let the atmosphere get cold.
For dinner, Cherry arranged two long tables so everyone could eat together in the same dining room.
With more people, it felt much more lively.
After dinner, Yvonne Jiao called out to Cherry Miller, "Ms. Miller, can I stay here for a couple more days?"
Cherry Miller was taken aback. "Does your family agree?"
Yvonne Jiao quickly replied, "They do! I've already told them."
Since the guest wanted to stay, Cherry couldn't refuse. She nodded, "If you need anything, just ask."
Yvonne Jiao breathed a sigh of relief. "Great, I will!"
Yvonne Jiao felt that with her two rivals, Ruby Jiang and Shelly Zhou, gone, this was a rare opportunity. No matter what, she didn't want to go home yet. She wanted to use this chance to spend more time with Ethan Yin and grow closer.
Without Ruby Jiang's sarcastic remarks, Yvonne Jiao felt the air was much fresher!