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Tang Lei’s biological parents came to visit him again.
It had been some time since their last visit. Recently, Tang Lei had become famous and gained another girlfriend, which seemed to excite his parents, prompting their visit.
Tang Lei took them for a stroll around Tsinghua University.
Also accompanying Tang Lei were his several half-siblings from both sides, all wearing kind and gentle expressions.
Last time, his biological mother had asked Tang Lei to introduce his sons and daughters who worked in the company, but Tang Lei refused. His biological mother was somewhat upset and hadn’t contacted him for some time. Now, she seemed to have thought things over and slowly resumed contact.
Overall, Tang Lei was now very wealthy, worth tens of billions, with plenty of cars and houses. His career and studies were both on the rise.
His parents seemed to realize that Tang Lei was the key to their fortune, so they had been very ingratiating lately, even wanting to move the whole family to Beijing.
On the surface, Tang Lei remained friendly and harmonious with them. He actually longed for family affection and had no issues as long as it didn’t involve money.
Tang Lei was willing to interact with them.
As for financial matters… Tang Lei would immediately change his attitude. Supporting his biological mother or father’s entire family was unlikely.
Of course, his biological mother and father didn’t seem to be in a hurry anymore. Under the guidance of a wise person, they were merely trying to connect with him as much as possible, hoping to awaken Tang Lei’s familial love.
So, Tang Lei had been doing quite well lately, even taking two days off to accompany them on some outings.
Meanwhile, Xu Mo found some free time after successfully securing funding.
This round of financing amounted to 10 billion, involving six domestic capital firms. Xu Mo had already initiated the listing process for Xu Manni, seeking an IPO, which kept him quite busy during this period.
Additionally, Gu Huanxi’s birthday had arrived.
Gu Huanxi had been very busy lately. At the company, she was in charge of administration and operations. Due to the company’s growth and expansion, her workload was immense, causing her to work overtime almost every day with no time to rest.
Gu Huanxi had always been very dedicated.
Having endured hardships since childhood, she understood the value of money and always approached her tasks meticulously, striving to do her best.
The stability within the company was largely due to Gu Huanxi’s administrative and operational management.
She had always been one of the core members of Xu Mo’s team.
Seeing that her 20th birthday was approaching, Xu Mo consulted with Li Banzhuang and decided to throw a big birthday celebration for her.
“A 20th birthday is rare! It only happens once in a lifetime, so let’s make it unforgettable! Huanxi likes gold jewelry, not diamonds, because she believes gold retains its value! Let’s buy some!”
“She also doesn’t like cars and is afraid to drive. She loves dresses, so let’s buy some of those too!”
“And dolls, a whole bunch of dolls!”
Li Banzhuang counted on her fingers, enthusiastically suggesting ideas.
“By the way, does Huanxi have a boyfriend?” Xu Mo asked.
“A boyfriend? No, why do you ask?” Li Banzhuang responded in surprise, turning to look at him.
“She looks quite attractive, and at school, I saw many people chasing after her. Hasn’t she found someone she likes?” Xu Mo inquired.
Hearing this, Li Banzhuang couldn’t help but hold her right cheek as if she had a toothache and muttered, “We’re always busy with work, day and night. Where would we find the time for that? We’re not like Tang Lei, with more energy than we know what to do with!”
“True!” Xu Mo couldn’t help but smile.
“Besides, you don’t have one either! Huanxi said that as long as you don’t date, she won’t either!” Li Banzhuang said. The two girls often shared secrets and were closer to each other than they were to Xu Mo and the others.
“That’s because I have other matters to deal with, so I don’t have the time for it. But you two shouldn’t follow my example!” Xu Mo quickly responded.
“Anyway, that’s what Huanxi said! She hasn’t shown any interest!” Li Banzhuang pouted, looking a bit aggrieved.
“Alright, alright! I won’t ask you about this anymore!” Xu Mo said helplessly. “Let’s start preparing for her grand birthday celebration. She’s turning twenty, another year older, and hopefully becoming even more mature!”
“Alright!”
Li Banzhuang nodded.
It must be said, these two flowers were becoming more and more beautiful.
First, there was Gu Huanxi, with her fair skin like milk, flowing long hair, long legs, and curvaceous figure. She often wore a ponytail, radiating energy and drawing a lot of attention.
At school, she had long been a renowned goddess, with suitors lining up around Beijing.
However, Gu Huanxi had a somewhat aloof personality. She was quite cold to outsiders, usually appearing indifferent. Only those who knew her well could see her gentle side.
This was related to her upbringing; she never exposed her inner world to strangers and was reluctant to easily trust others’ sincerity.
Then there was Li Banzhuang, who had a petite figure, a round face, and delicate, youthful features that always made her seem like she was still a teenager.
With money, she also learned how to dress up, her skin becoming even fairer, and she grew more elegant, which made Xu Mo and the others dote on her even more.
Li Banzhuang quietly enjoyed their affection.
She, too, seemed… to show no signs of romantic interest. Xu Mo had brought the three of them together, hoping they would live well and avoid any trouble.
Seeing that Xu Mo wasn’t continuing his inquiry, Li Banzhuang’s big eyes flashed with a hint of grievance. She had said so much, yet he still didn’t understand Huanxi’s feelings. She couldn’t help but feel speechless.
Gu Huanxi was the same; she didn’t dare to express her feelings openly. It seemed she just wanted to stay quietly by his side.
In this world, there are too many bad things happening, and each day is unpredictable. If they could have one good day, they should cherish that one good day as much as possible.
For people like them, there weren’t many things they could pursue or dare to pursue. They could only hold tightly onto what they had to prevent it from slipping away.
Li Banzhuang quickly hid her grievance in her heart and then began to enthusiastically prepare for Gu Huanxi’s birthday party. Her own birthday was also coming up next month.
Xu Mo had already told her that she would have a celebration too next month!
She was happy!
…
“Snap!”
A fierce slap landed on Xu Pandi’s face.
It was even harder and more direct than the slap Xu Mo had given her last time.
Xu Pandi didn’t dare resist, kneeling on the ground with a face full of fear. Tears welled up in her eyes, streaming down her pretty face.
“Slap! Slap! Slap!”
The slaps continued to rain down. Xu Pandi didn’t dare to dodge, only able to endure the blows. Xu Manni and Xu Xuehui watched from the side, not saying a word or attempting to intervene.
The one slapping Xu Pandi was Xie Bingyan. She sat in a chair, her eyes blazing with fury, teeth clenched in anger.
Xie Bingyan couldn’t believe that a distinguished lady of the Xu family, the fourth young miss of the Xu family, could be so debased, involving herself with a married man and even supporting him.
Xie Bingyan had always been intolerant of any wrongdoing. Already trembling with anger over the situation with Lu Xiangru and Xu Mo, she couldn’t hold back any longer. Her slaps rained down on Xu Pandi’s face like a storm.
“Mom, I’m wrong! I’m wrong! Waaa! I know I was wrong!” Xu Pandi cried out, pleading for mercy, her face covered in tears and her whole body trembling with fear.
However, despite her pleas, Xie Bingyan’s anger did not subside. She grabbed a stick from nearby and struck Xu Pandi with it.
Xu Pandi screamed in pain, almost jumping up, tears streaming down her face.
“Ahhh! I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong, Mom, please don’t hit me! I won’t dare do it again! Waaa, I won’t dare do it again!”
She was almost kowtowing in her desperate apologies.