My minimum living allowance is credited to my account every day with 1000 million yuan

Chapter 502 The Guo Family and Xiangjun Compete for Title
The restaurant's exterior is deliberately understated, creating a stark contrast with its avant-garde interior design. Hidden within the historic buildings of Bund 18, the entrance is a matte black steel door without any markings, accessible only with a pre-booked password. A miniature LED screen embedded in the side wall dynamically displays a pattern of ultraviolet light, subtly alluding to the restaurant's name, "Ultraviolet."

The garage uses biometric access control and is only open to guests who have made a reservation on the same day. The walls are covered with sound-absorbing material to ensure no external interference. The interior of Ultraviolet is not a traditional restaurant layout, but a closed space surrounded by 360-degree projection. Every detail serves the concept of "immersive dining".

Liu Pinhua and Xu Jun were waiting outside early in the morning. The weather was already very hot outside, and these two old guys were really going all out.

Chen Xiao brought four women to the banquet. A handsome man with four beautiful women, flanked by two old men, and followed by several burly men, this group attracted attention wherever they went and became the focus of attention.

After taking their seats at the head of the table, Xu Jun asked Liu Pinhua to sit next to Chen Xiao, while he sat to Liu Pinhua's left. Meng Ziyi and the other girls sat on the other side of Chen Xiao.

Listen to Liu Pinhua explain the unique aspects of this store:
No waiters visible: Dishes are delivered via a tabletop lift to avoid human interference;

Temperature-controlled dining chair: Built-in heating function ensures comfortable dining in winter;
Holographic projection: 3D images float above the plate, showing the source of the ingredients or the cooking process.

Chen Xiao listened with great interest and casually said to Zhang Ziqian, "Ziqian, why don't you ask President Gao to come over here and learn from our experience? Perhaps Junxiao Hotel could add some of these kinds of features. The fusion of ultimate privacy with technology and art is quite nice."

Zhang Ruier whispered to Xiao Yuting, "That kind old man across the street is actually the general manager of Hengyuan Plaza! My God, he's a top business tycoon, and we're having dinner with him."

Xiao Yuting quietly slapped her, "Be more sensible. You're with President Chen now. Even big shots will be kind and approachable in front of you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruier realized it was true. No matter how powerful someone was, they were still like an old servant in front of Chen Xiao. However—she whispered in Xiao Yuting's ear, "That's your man, so of course you don't feel anything. I'm the only outsider here."

“What outsider? You’re already inside. You still think you’re an outsider? If you were really an outsider, he wouldn’t have brought you here.”

Chen Xiao chatted with Liu Pinhua and Xu Jun, the two of them whispering to each other. Although Xiao Yuting's words were full of reproach, Zhang Ruier felt sweeter than honey when she heard them.

Liu Pinhua played a crucial role in the acquisition of Hengyuan Plaza. It's said that some shareholders within Hengyuan Real Estate disagreed with selling the project, and some even accused him of betraying his master. However, since Liu Pinhua had decided to follow President Chen, he was determined to see it through. He was now gambling everything; if Junxiao Commercial Management's acquisition of Hengyuan Plaza failed, he might very well lose his position.

However, he still had great confidence in President Chen. Even if he couldn't keep his position, he believed he had a good plan. Moreover, he felt that since President Chen was willing to acquire Hengyuan Plaza, Hengyuan Real Estate's resistance would be futile. Not all shareholders were interested in operating this project; most wanted to cash out as soon as possible, especially since President Chen's offer was quite attractive.

Chen Xiao was willing to offer 900 billion yuan for Huijin Plaza in Shanghai, so he certainly wouldn't be stingy with his offer for Hengyuan Plaza. For him, a little more or less money doesn't matter; what he has in abundance is money, and what he needs most is to turn that money into one high-quality asset after another.

Moreover, the impact of Hengyuan Plaza and the former Huijin Plaza on the overall status of Junxiao Commercial Management is an intangible asset that is immeasurable.

The Hengyuan Plaza project was almost finalized a month ago, but then several mining companies from South Africa got involved, and a few major shareholders switched sides at the last minute due to conflicting interests, almost causing the acquisition to fail. In a way, this was also a problem that Chen Xiao caused for Xu Jun's work, so the project is still not settled, but Chen Xiao has never blamed him.

He listened patiently to Xu Jun and Liu Pinhua's reports, and finally smiled.

He waved his hand and said, "If it's a matter of interests, we can promise some benefits. If that doesn't work, we can acquire those who are willing to give up their shares first, and then we can slowly win over the rest."

Xu Jun and Liu Pinhua exchanged a glance. They really didn't dare say anything about the promised benefits until their boss spoke up. Who would receive those profits? It would be difficult to explain later, and if President Chen or President Xu suspected anything, even eight mouths wouldn't be able to clear their names. But now that Chen Xiao had spoken, Xu Jun said, "There's still one key shareholder. Pinhua and I discussed it, and that shareholder owns a six-star hotel he invested in. Perhaps we could ask President Gao to acquire it for him at a premium."

Directly giving money is definitely not feasible; acquiring other projects at a premium is the easiest way to proceed.

"Just go directly to General Manager Gao and tell her I agree. I'll also let her know later."

With Chen Xiao's promise, the last hurdle is about to be overcome, and the acquisition should be fine.

"We need to act quickly to avoid any unforeseen complications. Once the agreement is reached, you can preside over the signing ceremony. I won't wait for you in Shanghai."

As the chairman of Junxiao Commercial Management, acquiring a project doesn't require his personal involvement. The previous acquisition of Shanghai Huijin Plaza was a first-time event, setting an example for Xu Jun. After that, Junxiao Commercial Management became renowned in the Chinese business world, and Xu Jun's status was no longer what it used to be. It was sufficient for him to handle it, especially since Junxiao Commercial Management now controls assets worth hundreds of billions, including Hengyuan Plaza.

Liu Pinhua glanced at Xu Jun, recalling the first time he met him. Back then, Xu Jun only owned a dozen or so Junxiao Plazas, managing assets worth a few hundred billion yuan. In just a few months, his assets had skyrocketed to hundreds of billions—an increase of several orders of magnitude. At that time, Xu Jun looked up to Liu Pinhua, but now, he could look down upon the entire Chinese business world.

This was also why he was determined to align himself with General Manager Chen. He remembered that after their first meeting, General Manager Chen went to the Huijin Plaza in Shanghai. The general manager there was arrogant and disrespectful to General Manager Chen. After Huijin Plaza was acquired, he was ousted. He thought that even if he couldn't be the general manager of such a top-tier global business district, the Guo family would at least arrange for him to work at another Huijin Plaza. Although the status would be far lower, he would still be managing a high-end venue, and making a living wouldn't be a problem.

Who knew that he would eventually be kicked out of the Guo family? That was truly tragic. Liu Pinhua had heard that he was specifically asked to leave by the eldest daughter of the Guo family. This unlucky kid was still too young.

At the beginning of the dinner, Chen Xiao set the tone, telling Meng Ziyi and the others to relax while he talked with Liu Pinhua and Xu Jun. They talked for several hours. Xu Jun noticed that Liu Pinhua was very excited, which was understandable, since few people have the opportunity to talk with President Chen for several hours these days.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom's taillights drew two crimson streaks in the night before disappearing into the distance. Liu Pinhua and Xu Jun remained standing, their arms dangling in mid-air, like two forgotten sculptures.

The colorful lights from the neon signs on the street splashed onto the two of them, lengthening and shortening their shadows. Liu Pinhua finally lowered his arm and dusted off non-existent dust: "Let's go."

Xu Jun took Liu Pinhua to his Rolls-Royce Phantom, instructing the driver to take him to his residence first, and then return to the Junxiao Hotel on the Bund. With President Chen's permission, he needed to finalize the acquisition of Hengyuan Plaza with Liu Pinhua within a few days. This negotiation had dragged on for too long and it was time to wrap it up. There were still too many things at Junxiao Commercial Management that required his coordination, and he couldn't afford to waste any more time here.

The next morning, Chen Xiao withdrew from Meng Ziyi.

Today, she and Xiao Yuting went to Yinuo Group to film a promotional video, and Chen Xiao was preparing to take Zhang Ziqian back to Jiangzhou. Just as they were about to leave, they received unexpected news.

Guo Sheng, the current head of the Guo family, asked to meet him.

Regardless of the fact that he is Guo Fu's father, Chen Xiao would still give him some face just because of his status as the head of the Guo family. Huijin Plaza was sold to Junxiao Commercial Management, but the office building complex is still owned by the Guo family, and the Guo family's headquarters in China is also located here.

Chen Xiao, accompanied by Zhang Ziqian and guided by Guo Sheng's assistant, arrived at the chairman's office. Guo Sheng's office was much more luxurious than the general manager's office in Huijin Plaza, but it paled in comparison to Chen Xiao's office on the 58th floor of the Huanhu CBD Center.

"Mr. Chen, how is my office?"

Guo Sheng looked arrogant, clearly very satisfied with his office and wanting to show off in front of Chen Xiao. Last time, Chen Xiao's dismissive remark, "It's just a few hundred billion," had broken his guard, and he hadn't been able to maintain his composure as the head of the Guo family. Today, he was determined to show Chen Xiao his strength; he couldn't let his daughter suffer any loss.

"It's okay."

Holy crap, Guo Sheng's eyelids twitched. He remembered Guo Fu telling him about how luxurious Chen Xiao's office in Jiangzhou was, and he thought his daughter was deliberately praising Chen Xiao. Now that he saw that Chen Xiao really looked down on his office, it was simply outrageous.

After gesturing for Chen Xiao to sit down, he glanced at Zhang Ziqian and said, "President Chen, we didn't invite you here today to discuss work-related matters."

Chen Xiao's heart skipped a beat. What private matter could she possibly have to discuss with him? The only one left was Guo Fu. Did he know about her relationship with Guo Fu? Yes, Guo Fu had partnered with Junxiao Group on a smart city project. Such a significant matter would surely be known to the head of the Guo family, including why Guo Fu trusted him so much and always put him first.

"Ziqian, go outside and learn something. I want to have a chat with President Guo."

Zhang Ziqian was incredibly clever. She had been preparing to leave as soon as Guo Sheng said those words, but since Chen Xiao had to give the order, she responded and left.

After Zhang Ziqian left, Guo Sheng took a sip of his teacup but didn't put it down. Instead, he kept rubbing the sides of the cup with his hand. Chen Xiao knew he was considering how to start the conversation, so he remained silent, drinking his tea and waiting for Guo Sheng to make his move—it couldn't be that he was going to cause trouble for him, could it? Saying that he had slept with his daughter? That wouldn't be so serious, would it?
"Um, Mr. Chen, it's been a while since you last saw Guo Fu, hasn't it?"

As expected, he knew about his relationship with Guo Fu, otherwise he wouldn't have asked such a question. Chen Xiao pretended to be an honest person and replied with an "Mm".

Guo Sheng glanced at him, and that was it? What did that "hmm" mean? This young man, so young, how could he be so cunning? Like an eel, slippery and hard to handle. He cleared his throat and asked again, "Does President Chen know anything about our Guo family?"

"Know something."

"Oh, tell me about it?" Guo Sheng wanted to hear Chen Xiao's opinion on the Guo family.

Chen Xiao had actually reviewed the Guo family's information in detail when negotiating the acquisition of Huijin Plaza, but he hadn't paid attention to it since. His understanding of the Guo family at the time mainly revolved around the Huijin Plaza project. Now that Huijin Plaza was in his possession, what else did he know about the Guo family? After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Very impressive."

This answer confused Guo Sheng. Was he just giving him a perfunctory answer, or did he look down on him? This young man was so clueless. If it were an ordinary young man, he would probably have scolded him directly. But considering this man's status, Junxiao Group was a behemoth of a company. He was the boss and had absolute control.

So he held back and began to introduce himself:
"Our Guo Group is centered around Huijin Real Estate. We have developed many landmark buildings in China and are also involved in telecommunications, transportation, new energy, urban renewal and other projects. Our family assets exceed one trillion yuan."

After saying this, he observed Chen Xiao's expression and found that he didn't react at all, as if "trillion" was just a number to him. "Damn," Guo Sheng really didn't feel any sense of accomplishment.

Just as Guo Sheng was about to continue, Chen Xiao suddenly blurted out, "How much debt do you have?"

Holy crap—Guo Sheng was about to curse, why bring this up? But since Chen Xiao asked, he knew the answer: "Around 3000 billion in debt."

"Oh, not bad. A debt ratio of around 30% is quite normal. What business doesn't involve borrowing money from banks?"

That was still human language. Guo Sheng's smile returned, and he said, "Yes, this debt ratio is absolutely healthy. If you don't borrow money to do business, what kind of business can you do?"

Chen Xiao sighed, "It seems we're still not up to par. We've reached a scale of trillions, but we haven't borrowed a single penny from the banks. We have no debt. Our operations aren't healthy enough."

"Holy crap, this is Versailles!" Upon hearing Chen Xiao's sarcasm, Guo Sheng's eyebrows shot up sharply, his mustache almost reaching his temples, and his eyes widened, looking like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His nostrils flared, his breathing was so heavy that even those around him could hear it, and his cheeks were taut, as if he were about to slam his fist on the table at any moment.

The teacup in his hand creaked as he gripped it, nearly spilling the tea, his knuckles turning white from the force. He realized that the young man was doing it on purpose, repeatedly mocking him to prevent him from gaining the upper hand in the negotiations.

He gritted his teeth and continued, "President Chen, my Guo family's assets are close to one trillion yuan, and our family wealth ranks among the top in the world. I hold 13% of the shares, and Guo Fu holds 12%. She is my only daughter, and she will inherit my shares sooner or later. At the same time, she is also one of the three generations of successors that my Guo family is cultivating."

When Guo Fu was mentioned, Chen Xiao's expression softened, and he smiled and said, "Guo Fu is very outstanding. The fact that you are grooming her as your successor shows that the people in power in the Guo family have a discerning eye."

Guo Sheng discovered that when praising Guo Fu, the two could still find common ground. They praised each other for more than 10 minutes. The two people who were wary of each other as soon as they sat down finally found common ground when praising Guo Fu.

Guo Sheng paused, took a tactical sip of water, and then suddenly said to Chen Xiao, "President Chen, Guo Fu is already over 30 years old, and it's time for her to find a partner."

Hmm? We're finally getting to the point. Chen Xiao stared at him silently, waiting for him to bring up today's topic further.

“My daughter has always been very picky and looks down on many young talents. I never expected that she would be destined to meet Mr. Chen. It must be fate. My grandfather and I both approve of this. A few days ago, my grandfather kept urging me to ask when we could drink ‘Daughter’s Red’ wine.”

Chen Xiao's expression turned serious, unusually calm, as he stared at Guo Sheng and asked, "Mr. Guo, did Guo Fu tell you that I have a 'fiancée'?"

He said "fiancée" meant Zhao Xiangjun. All his women knew that she was the "official girlfriend," and even Xu Wu didn't try to compete for her. Everyone else tacitly accepted that Xiangjun was the rightful one.

Now that the conversation had reached this point, Guo Sheng decided to speak frankly.

"Mr. Chen, I know you have a girlfriend you get along very well with, and I also know that she comes from a poor background; her parents have been farmers for generations. Since you started dating, you've provided a lot of help to her family, but she hasn't been able to offer you any support in your career. I don't think she's right for you—"

Bang! Chen Xiao suddenly stood up, knocking the teacup to the floor and startling Guo Sheng.

"Mr. Guo, I respect you as an elder, and I will only say this once today. My choice of wife, Chen Xiao, will always be only Zhao Xiangjun. I also want to warn you that you should not investigate any further information about Xiangjun, otherwise I will be unhappy, and if I am unhappy, the consequences will be severe."

Also, does Guo Fu know about what you talked to me about today?

Guo Sheng was also infuriated by Chen Xiao. In his eyes, what did Zhao Xiangjun have besides her unparalleled beauty? A man should prioritize his career. Guo Fu was not much less attractive than Zhao Xiangjun, and in terms of ability, she was capable of leading a company worth hundreds of billions. Marrying Guo Fu would not only give Chen Xiao a boost in his career, but the marriage between the Chen and Guo families would also greatly benefit both sides. Why wouldn't he choose Guo Fu?

Furthermore, if he chooses Zhao Xiangjun, does that mean Guo Fu will just follow him without any official status? Wouldn't that be a blatant disregard for the Guo family?

"Of course she knows, and the opinions of three generations of the Guo family are unanimous: if you want to be with Guo Fu, you must give her this title, and her child with you will be the rightful heir to the Chen family. But I won't let you suffer a loss; all my shares will go to Guo Fu, and the old man will also gift her an additional 5% of the shares."

"Hahaha," Chen Xiao laughed loudly, making Guo Sheng's skin crawl. He could tell that Chen Xiao was really angry.

After a long pause, Chen Xiao said coldly to him, "Would the heir of my Chen family care about your Guo family's small shareholding? Let's end it here today. Remember my words, never do anything to inquire about Xiang Jun again, or someone will die. You can tell Guo Fu everything I said today without missing a single word."

Zhao Xiangjun was the most innocent of his women, unassuming and with the weakest defenses. Therefore, Chen Xiao was extremely sensitive to any investigation into her; it was his Achilles' heel, and anyone who touched it would be doomed. Not even Guo Fu. Chen Xiao had Guo Sheng relay his message to Guo Fu, making his stance clear and letting her make her own choice. If she harbored any intention of competing with Zhao Xiangjun, then she shouldn't come looking for him again. If she didn't compete, aside from not giving her a formal title, he would certainly treat her well in other ways. The Guo family's hundreds of billions in assets were nothing to Chen Xiao.

On the way back to Jiangzhou, Zhang Ziqian noticed that President Chen seemed to have something on his mind, and he frowned the whole way. It all started after his meeting with Guo Sheng. What exactly did the head of the Guo family talk to President Chen about that made him so unhappy?

Chen Xiao wasn't angry. He had anticipated this, which was why he had been focusing all his efforts on cultivating Zhao Hui. Furthermore, with a strong woman like Xu Wu among his women, he felt that anyone else who wanted to compete would have to consider how they compared to Xu Wu. If even Xu Wu didn't compete, who else would dare to?

The Guo family truly has the power to back it up. At least in Guo Sheng's eyes, how could his eldest daughter be involved with someone else without a proper title? But he doesn't understand Chen Xiao's personality. If she doesn't fight for it, Chen Xiao will feel she's mistreating Guo Fu and will give her more in other ways. If she does fight for it, then she'll truly have nothing left.

At the same time, he also had to consider his women. Although they did not have such a prominent family background as Guo Fu, they would also encounter the same problem: how to face their parents, how to explain that they would follow a man for the rest of their lives without a name or status, and how their parents would feel at ease.

"Ziqian, I heard you got your driver's license?"

Just as I was wondering what was going on with him, I was suddenly asked this question, which startled me. I wondered what was wrong with this person's thought process, why did he ask about this?

"Yeah, I got it."

"You received special treatment when you were learning to drive, but not when you took the driving test, right?"

"No," she replied sullenly. Who is this person? If they give special treatment when I take the driving test, doesn't that mean I got my license through connections and they're questioning my driving skills?
"Okay, let's go out and shop tomorrow, and I'll buy you a car as a reward."

"Ah—, why am I getting a reward?"

“You’ve bought so many cars lately, all for other people. I can’t treat my little assistant badly. You can think about whether you like sports cars or something else.”

"Oh," he replied. There was no need to be polite with him; he had no concept of money anymore.

(End of this chapter)