"It seems you have a good impression of him," the Yue family patriarch said with a chuckle after hearing Xia Qingtian's assessment.
"Well... it's okay," Xia Qingtian couldn't deny Gu Yaoyang's excellence. "But does this have anything to do with the mine?"
"The Gu family is an old and established family in the capital. The current Gu family head is an arrogant and self-willed person, and the Gu family matriarch is not easy to get along with. Currently, the Gu family is considering Gu Yaoqing and Gu Yaoyang for the position of the next Gu family head. Gu Yaoqing is two years older than Gu Yaoyang, but he's a useless piece of trash. Gu Yaoyang, on the other hand, is capable."
The Yue family patriarch pushed the teacup towards Xia Qingtian and spoke slowly, "To be able to break away from the Gu family and establish his own entertainment empire in such a short period is a testament to his capabilities."
"Although much of his experience involves luck, for people like us in business, luck is also a part of strength."
"Since you signed with Gu Shi Entertainment, I've paid attention to all your works, including 'The Best Intern'."
"Oh..." Xia Qingtian blinked and gave a dry laugh. "No, Grandpa. You might have misunderstood after watching the edited footage. Mr. Gu and I... we aren't like that."
"Whether that's important or not is irrelevant," the Yue family patriarch said. "What's important is that you deserve the best. I'm not trying to rush you into marriage, but I want you to have more leverage to control your own destiny, at least so that people can't point fingers at your identity and say you are 'unworthy.' Our Yue family's little princess only gets to choose men; she will never be in a position of being chosen."
The Yue family patriarch tapped Xia Qingtian with his index finger. "Your mother was like this, and so are you. I will support whatever choices you make, as long as you don't regret them yourself. Do you understand?"
Xia Qingtian looked at the Yue family patriarch, her heart warming. She nodded solemnly, "I understand."
"This is my personal intention in giving you the mine. Now, let's talk about the public aspect of this move." The Yue family patriarch adjusted his posture and continued, "I mentioned that organization to you this morning. Over the years, our Yue Corporation has suffered a great deal because of this mine. Giving away the mine was a reluctant action and a decision for self-preservation. Initially, this mine was an asset I purchased privately. Because I was partly helping a friend and partly misjudged, I didn't publicize it. It wasn't until the national new energy project succeeded and Gu Shi secured the cooperation project that I coincidentally learned that the raw materials extracted from this mine could be turned into valuable assets through this project. Later, there was the incident with Dr. Li and his wife, which you know about. That incident was a wake-up call for me and resolved my long-standing doubts. Therefore, I decided to divest this mine. I also knew that this mine would be a trouble, so today I publicly revealed its value, which is also a way to protect you. From now on, you can openly cooperate with Gu Shi to mine and invest in research and development. And you will no longer be an employee of Gu Yaoyang; you will be a true partner in this project. The decision to gift you the mine might seem sudden, but it was made after careful consideration. I believe this move is good for you, for the Yue Corporation, for the new energy project, and even for Gu Yaoyang."
After finishing these words, the Yue family patriarch took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, giving Xia Qingtian time to react.
Xia Qingtian finally understood. She looked at the Yue family patriarch and said, "Grandpa, I will work hard not to disappoint you."
"There's no need for disappointment or not. Just go ahead and do it. Even if the project fails, Grandpa will leave you enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life," the Yue family patriarch said with a chuckle. "The lawyer should be here soon. You should go to the hall and join the excitement. Young people have their own topics. I'll rest alone for a while."
"Okay, Grandpa." Xia Qingtian responded and then got up to leave the Yue family patriarch's lounge. Before closing the door, she glanced back at the Yue family patriarch one last time before walking out.
Meanwhile, Yu Zixuan, who was still shaken by the "suicide of the perpetrator" and Yue Chengfeng, who had been by her side taking care of her, also heard about the mine's transfer. Yue Chengfeng accepted the news after a brief moment of surprise. However, a side branch member of the Yue family, who came to deliver the news, appeared resentful. "What was the family head thinking? Seeing as you are about to get married, wouldn't it be better to give this mine as a wedding gift? Why give it to Xia Qingtian?"
"Exactly, Chengfeng. It's not that we want to speak ill of the family head, but this matter is quite strange."
"Could it be that Xia Qingtian threatened the family head?"
"I think it's possible!"
"Indeed. Xia Qingtian has barely appeared at the Yue family's events in recent years. This visit for the birthday celebration is only for a day or two. How did she manage to bewitch the family head?"
"Yes, Chengfeng, you should also try to persuade the family head. The lawyer hasn't come to finalize it yet, so there's still time. We absolutely cannot let an outsider benefit from this!" Yue Lan was the most anxious among them. In her opinion, as long as the mine still belonged to the Yue family, her status in the Yu family would be more secure. If she could get her father to make some connections later, perhaps they could also benefit from the mine, and her son's future would be secured. But if the mine's ownership changed to Xia, it would truly be like water spilled from a married daughter, and the Yue family would gain nothing.
"Outsider?" Yue Chengfeng had not spoken until now, not wanting to bring bad luck on his father's birthday banquet. But hearing Yue Lan's words, Yue Chengfeng couldn't help himself. "Qingtian is the biological daughter of my elder sister and my father's biological granddaughter. She is an outsider to you, but not to the main Yue family."
"A married daughter is like spilled water. Besides, Xia Qingtian is just Yue Qiyan's daughter. Shouldn't the interests of the Yue family come first!" Yue Lan said anxiously.
"A married daughter is like spilled water. Aunt Second, what is your surname now, Yue or Yu?" Yu Zixuan, who was sitting behind Yue Chengfeng, suddenly asked. "If your surname is Yue, does that mean you have never considered yourself a member of the Yu family? If your surname is Yu, then what does the Yue family's business have to do with you?"
"That's not how you should say it!" Yue Lan felt a headache whenever she heard Yu Zixuan's voice. This true daughter, whom the Yu family had painstakingly found, was a troublemaker, yet everyone in the Yu family doted on her like a precious pearl. Perhaps only Yue Lan knew Yu Zixuan's true nature, but now, in front of the Yue family, she could say nothing. She couldn't let the Yue family laugh at the Yu family; that would be bad for her.
"This matter ends here," Yue Chengfeng said coldly. "If you have any opinions, go tell my father. Qingtian is my elder sister's daughter, and whatever my father wants to give her is what she deserves. If I find out anyone dares to plot against Qingtian behind her back, they will bear the consequences." Yue Chengfeng finished speaking and glared at Yue Lan warningly, making Yue Lan's stomach churn with anger. These Yue family members were just as partial as the previous Yue family patriarch! If her father were the family head, there would surely be no such troublesome matters! Damn it!
Seeing Yue Chengfeng's attitude, the others knew that any further words would be futile and left the room with forced pleasantries. Before leaving, Yue Lan gave Yu Zixuan a fierce glare. Just wait, she thought, she would definitely tell the Yu family how this little bitch was favoring outsiders! Humph! Sooner or later, she would completely rip off Yu Zixuan's disguise!