My Virtual Girlfriend-Chapter 475: Dowry of Tens of Billions

Chen Yan heard Zhao Xuan’s words and at first, didn’t understand why he was so eager.

But when he saw both his and Zhao Ying’s wet hair, he immediately realized the reason.

So, he quickly explained, "No, we didn’t shower together."

He said, "There are two bathrooms in the room. We showered separately."

"Don’t believe me? You can go see for yourself. There are water traces in both bathrooms!"

Saying this, Chen Yan felt a bit relieved.

After all, he had initially wanted to take a bath with Zhao Ying.

It was his conscience that stopped him, making him think he could play the long game.

Otherwise, who knows if he could have cleared the air.

Zhao Xuan looked deeply at Chen Yan as if trying to see his true thoughts.

Chen Yan straightened his back, trying to make his gaze as sincere as possible.

The two stared at each other for five or six seconds before Zhao Xuan finally nodded, accepting the explanation.

His commanding presence eased up, lacking the oppressive feeling from before, but he didn’t completely let go of his dignity.

He asked, "Then... why was Ying Ying at your place late at night?"

Chen Yan opened his mouth to explain.

He waved his hand and said, "Don’t speak. Let Ying Ying speak."

Clearly, he knew about Chen Yan’s eloquence and was afraid Chen Yan would brush this off with a pile of excuses.

Although Chen Yan was a bit anxious, he felt there was nothing to be ashamed of between him and Zhao Ying.

So, they both turned to look at Zhao Ying.

At this moment, Zhao Ying was still lost in her own world, humming a tune and drying her hair.

When she noticed both men looking at her, she paused, lifted her head, and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Zhao Xuan repeated his question.

Zhao Ying uttered an "Oh," and then nonchalantly said, "I was out of money and hadn’t eaten dinner all night."

"Plus, I hadn’t seen Chen Yan for a long time, and I missed him."

"So I came over to Chen Yan’s place to find him."

Hearing Zhao Ying’s words, Chen Yan felt... a bit troubled, but he could still accept it.

Then... he heard Zhao Ying continue,

"Later, Chen Yan made me some noodles. After I ate,"

"I joined him for some exercise."

"Because we got sweaty and dirty from exercising, we both went to take a shower."

Chen Yan: ??

Zhao Xuan: ?!

Zhao Xuan’s face started to turn a shade of iron blue.

Zhao Ying, still clueless, looked at them with a puzzled expression, "What’s wrong?"

Zhao Xuan slowly turned his head towards Chen Yan, his voice coming out tight as if squeezed through gritted teeth, "Chen... Yan..."

"I asked you to take care of Ying Ying, and this is how you do it...?"

Chen Yan slapped his forehead.

He realized it.

With Zhao Ying, the fool, there was no way he could explain himself clearly.

He said, "Uncle Zhao, let’s talk in the study."

After that, he looked at Zhao Ying, "Brother Ying, you go back to your room and rest."

Zhao Ying glanced at the two men, blinked her lively eyes, and then casually walked away...

............

Meanwhile, at the Twin Towers Hotel,

In Zhao Hengyu’s room.

Several subordinates, armed with professional equipment, had scanned the room and then left.

Afterwards, Zhao Hengyu picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Beep... beep... beep...."

A moment later, the call connected.

Zhao Qingtian’s voice came through, sounding weary, "Hengyu. Any news?"

Zhao Hengyu, touching his bald head, replied, "Yes, that’s why I am calling to talk to you."

Zhao Qingtian seemed to find a place to sit down.

After seating himself, he prompted, "Go ahead."

Zhao Hengyu said, "Chen Yan’s purpose in meeting with me this time seems to be to reconcile with you."

Hearing Zhao Hengyu’s words, Zhao Qingtian scoffed, "Is that what he really said?"

Zhao Hengyu affirmed, "Yes."

"At first, I spoke about my own issues with you and mentioned some things from the past."

"Then I probed him about the purpose of his visit."

"Turns out, he said he wanted to reconcile with you."

Zhao Qingtian asked, "What was his reason?"

Zhao Hengyu explained, "He meant that he is now a respectable person. You’ve waged war against him, and he must respond."

"But he also doesn’t want to keep fighting you, nor does he want to submit."

"So, seeking reconciliation through me, an important member of the Zhao Family, leaves face for both sides."

Zhao Qingtian thought quietly for a few seconds and then said, "It makes some sense."

Then, he surmised, "But I don’t believe it."

Having said this, he let out a slight sigh.

"Hengyu, I’ve felt a bit unsettled recently."

"I suspect that we are facing some crisis, but I just can’t pinpoint it."

"I’ve reviewed the company’s various channels, and found nothing unusual."

Zhao Qingtian continued, "So, after much thought, I think there are only two potential risks."

"Chen Yan and Zhao Xuan."

Zhao Hengyu voiced, "From my interactions with Chen Yan, he indeed is a very astute person. If he’s found a vulnerability in us, we could easily be put in a passive position."

Zhao Qingtian added, "Right. And then there’s Zhao Xuan."

Zhao Qingtian mused, "During this year of his fake death, he’s been lurking behind the scenes, secretly contacting the family branches, building his strength."

"While the intelligence I’ve got suggests he hasn’t made much headway,"

"still... we must be wary."

"If he turns the tables on us, we’ll look like complete fools."

Zhao Hengyu replied with a chuckle, "Don’t worry."

"We couldn’t find him before because he was in hiding."

"But this time, we’re using an overt plan. He has to come out."

Zhao Qingtian reflected, "Indeed."

"As long as you go to Qin Island to meet Chen Yan,"

"whether or not Chen Yan slips up, that old fox Zhao Xuan won’t be able to sit still."

"As soon as he makes a move, we’ll be able to find him."

Zhao Hengyu nodded, "Exactly."

"After Chen Yan left, Zhao Xuan’s people found him."

"We followed the trail and located Zhao Xuan."

"Tonight, he ran off to Chen Yan’s house, probably to discuss some matter."

"I’ve already sent men to stake out Chen Yan’s house. They should not let him get away."

Zhao Qingtian laughed, "Good. Keep an eye on his every move."

"I’ll review everything again, to ensure we’ve left no stone unturned and have given them no leverage against us."

If Chen Yan were here, he would probably think that Zhao Qingtian had little chance of finding this flaw.

Although a smart man, Zhao Qingtian had been in power for too long. Believing he had it all, controlling the narrative was no issue for him.

How could he possibly find the "problem"?

This... is the arrogance of power.

.........

At this time, at Chen Yan’s house.

After sending Zhao Ying back to her room, Chen Yan thoroughly explained the evening’s events to Zhao Xuan.

Zhao Xuan was initially skeptical of Chen Yan’s words.

However, when Chen Yan produced the wet clothes from nighttime running and showed him the bathroom’s water traces and the kitchen’s utensils, Zhao Xuan gradually came to believe it all.

Finally settling the matter, Chen Yan collapsed wearily into a chair.

He felt the world’s most tragic thing was getting caught by a girl’s father while harboring improper thoughts about her.

However, Zhao Xuan wasn’t ready to let him off so easily.

Zhao Xuan said, "My dear nephew, I believe what you’ve said. But I still want to ask you something."

"I remember, when I came in, you told me ’A night of springtime is worth a thousand gold.’ How do you explain that?"

Saying this, he looked at Chen Yan, silent.

Chen Yan truly wanted to tear his mouth apart, for he had been so thoughtlessly outspoken.

But now that things had come to this, he had to tell the truth.

He said, "Uncle Zhao. I was genuinely worried about this very situation."

"Because as you’ve seen, it’s all too coincidental."

"It’s very complicated to explain."

"So, I thought if I could stop you at the door, I would, to prevent any misunderstanding."

Zhao Xuan looked hard at Chen Yan and then snorted, "Do you swear you don’t have any other intentions towards my daughter Ying Ying?"

Hearing Zhao Xuan’s words, Chen Yan was momentarily lost for words.

To say he hadn’t any intentions would definitely be false.

Especially, after Zhao Xuan had hammered and pressured him since the moment he stepped in, Chen Yan no longer felt the desire to sweet-talk.

So, he could only sink into silence.

Seeing Chen Yan like this, Zhao Xuan coughed once and then softened his tone, "My dear nephew."

"My Ying Ying is a good girl."

"If you really like her, you still need to treat her well. As for those other girls flocking around, you should take care of that."

"When the time comes, uncle will still be willing to support you."

Hearing Zhao Xuan talk about this topic, Chen Yan also gradually came back to his senses, and he said, "Uncle Zhao, let’s not mention this for now."

"I asked you to come today to talk about serious matters."

In fact... as soon as he walked in and saw Zhao Ying, Zhao Xuan felt a bit panicky.

But after taking just a quick look, he knew that there was nothing wrong with his daughter.

She hadn’t developed more than friendship with Chen Yan, nor had she been tricked by him for money or seduction.

By that time, he had already put his mind at ease.

But... although he had seen through everything, he could not show it.

Because, he knew. His daughter was a bit of a simpleton, and for her to come to Chen Yan’s house late at night itself indicated that she had Chen Yan on her mind.

Moreover, during the year of his "death," he had also been observing how Chen Yan treated his daughter and what he had planned for those billions.

He gradually felt that Chen Yan was actually a very suitable son-in-law candidate.

However, the only issue was... Chen Yan’s attention was too scattered.

So, as the future father-in-law, he naturally had to knock him into shape now that he had caught his weak spot.

After all, if Ying Ying couldn’t hold sway, and if he, as a father, also couldn’t, then who else could hold Chen Yan down?

Wouldn’t Chen Yan go looking for a Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, or Xiao Qi?

But now, having shown his attitude, Chen Yan would at least think twice if he had any wandering thoughts after marriage.

Of course, he also knew when to seize the opportunity and let go.

So, after seeing that Chen Yan didn’t want to continue this topic, he also shut his mouth and didn’t pursue it further.

After that, Chen Yan shared his plan against Zhao Qingtian with Zhao Xuan, and then asked for his opinion.

He had never suspected that Zhao Xuan might also be an "undercover."

But... if even Zhao Xuan was an undercover, then what was the point in targeting Zhao Qingtian?

Wasn’t his biggest issue with Zhao Qingtian about the fifteen billion owned by Zhao Xuan?

And after hearing Chen Yan’s plan, Zhao Xuan’s brows tightened.

He felt a bit restless, stood up, and began pacing around the room.

Chen Yan didn’t interrupt him.

Because Chen Yan understood that, as an insider, Zhao Xuan would have more to consider than himself.

Like whether this move would provoke a backlash.

Like the impact this might have on the Zhao Family.

Like whether this move would really affect Zhao Qingtian as much as hoped?

And so on.

However, he thought that, no matter how he considered it, the benefits outweighed the losses.

And indeed, after pondering it over for a few minutes, Zhao Xuan nodded in affirmation of the plan.

He said, "This matter is a bit risky, and it could deal some significant damage to the Zhao Family."

"But..."

"It can be done."

Chen Yan asked, "Uncle Zhao, I now have two candidates."

"One is a media outlet that can work with us to trigger the situation."

"The other is someone within the Zhao Family with enough clout to divide their power and who can oust Zhao Qingtian from the family."

"I was originally inclined towards Zhao Hengyu."

"But after encountering Zhao Hengyu today, I felt he was not the right choice."

Saying this, he looked at Zhao Xuan and asked, "So, what do you think..."

Zhao Xuan grasped what Chen Yan meant, "Leave this to me."

He brushed off his clothes and said, "It’s indeed time for me to step in."

Chen Yan corrected, "Not to step in. To come back to life."

Zhao Xuan replied, "Right. To come back to life."

He then said sentimentally, "During this year of my feigned death, I’ve discovered a lot and made many contacts."

"It’s indeed time to go from behind the scenes to the forefront."

Saying this, he chuckled and said, "Zhao Qingtian and Zhao Hengyu, those two old bastards, have never been well-intentioned."

"This time, they probably intended to reveal my whereabouts so they could find me."

"But unexpectedly, I have stopped hiding."

"Ha ha ha. Let those two old bastards be blind to that."

Chen Yan: ...

’I don’t know what you’re so proud of. These strategies were all my ideas, for goodness’ sake!’

Although he was internally complaining, he still had his eye on Zhao Xuan’s daughter, so Chen Yan could only grudgingly give him some praise.

Zhao Xuan, delighted with the flattery, made a promise, "My dear nephew. If this really goes through and I become the Family Head, I’ll take charge and give our branch to you as a dowry."

"Don’t think it’s not enough. After all, even if I become the Family Head, the Zhao Family isn’t mine alone. It’s already not easy for me to offer so many resources."

"Our branch’s assets total up to several hundred billion at least."

Chen Yan: ...

"I wouldn’t complain about it being less, but... can it be free?"

Zhao Xuan glared at Chen Yan, "If you don’t treat Ying Ying well, you won’t get a single cent."

Chen Yan: ...

Chen Yan felt like Zhao Xuan was metaphorically slaughtering the miller’s donkey.

But, he was originally just looking for a partner to take down Zhao Qingtian.

Now that he’d received a promise, it was an unexpected boon.

As for whether Zhao Xuan would go back on his word after everything was settled,

Chen Yan had no doubts.

After all... His daughter was in his, Chen Yan’s, hands!

Zhao Xuan was in a great mood having gained a means of fighting back.

However, he also warned Chen Yan not to be impulsive.

This matter needed to be handled gradually, with careful planning, to avoid alerting the enemy.

Chen Yan was even more aware of the dangers involved and repeatedly agreed.

This happened to coincide with the completion of the second batch of projects from the "Sunrise Plan."

Chen Yan hadn’t forgotten about the Xu brothers who had continually tried to trip him up.

Now that Zhao Qingtian’s end was approaching, Chen Yan was also keen to systematically eliminate the surrounding forces, absorb them, and expand his own power.

When Zhao Xuan left, he took Zhao Ying with him.

Obviously, even though he was starting to accept Chen Yan as a son-in-law, Zhao Xuan was still very good at protecting his daughter.

Or maybe... it’s the same for parents everywhere.

If they don’t know, it doesn’t matter. But once they do, they would never leave their daughter overnight at the man’s house.

What would that look like!

When Zhao Ying was being led away, she didn’t seem to care at all. She naively waved to Chen Yan and said, "The noodles you made were delicious. Keep making them for me."

Chen Yan: ...

Chen Yan suppressed a lot and only managed to utter one word, "Okay...."

The pleasant night became fragmented by Zhao Xuan’s sudden intrusion.

Lying in bed, Chen Yan reflected on the night’s events...

As he thought about it, he couldn’t help but swear, "What the hell is all this! Annoying!!"

...

A quiet night passed.

The next day, Chen Yan, who was worn out from the night, went to the company looking listless.

The employees, who had not seen Chen Yan like this for a long time, were all quite curious.

Some in the entertainment company who loved gossip whispered behind the back,

"Why does Chen Yan look so exhausted?"

"Hehe. Did he have an ’active’ night?"

"Stop it. How could you talk about Director Chen like that?"

"Oh, come on, we’re all adults here, what’s wrong with saying it?"

Arriving at the office, Chen Yan poured himself a cup of tea and sat behind his desk, spacing out.

He began to miss Yu Qiao Qiao a little.

He felt that, among the few girls, only Yu Qiao Qiao made him the most comfortable and would never cause surprises.

He wondered if she had returned from the orphanage yet.

Otherwise, maybe meet up tonight, have dinner?

Just as Chen Yan was planning this, suddenly, the telephone on his desk rang, "Ring, ring, ring."

The ringing phone interrupted Chen Yan’s thoughts.

He came to his senses, picked up the handset.

Yang Rou’s voice came through from the other end, "Chen Yan. Are you free now? There is something I would like to report to you."

Hearing Yang Rou’s words, Chen Yan immediately responded, "I’m free. Come up."

After hanging up, Chen Yan couldn’t help but be curious.

Ever since the previous two times when Chen Yan had "confessed" to Yang Rou, and after Yang Nuannuan had shown her liking for Chen Yan, Yang Rou had become very strange.

She seemed a bit evasive of Chen Yan.

And she was very resistant to Chen Yan’s kindness.

So, with no good immediate solution, Chen Yan – apart from seeking advice from the skilled womanizer Qin Ming – could only temporarily put the matter on hold.

He thought that if he didn’t look for Yang Rou, she wouldn’t seek him out either.

So everyone could cool off.

But unexpectedly, Yang Rou took the initiative to approach him?

Chen Yan thought... could it be something very important?

Or... was there a turning point in their relationship?

With these thoughts, he couldn’t help but look forward to it.