Upon hearing Li Shanshan's shocking proposition, Yi Anguo couldn't help but laugh. "Just like that? You'd give the restaurant away without even asking if your future husband would agree?"

"If he doesn't agree, then I simply won't get married!" Li Shanshan replied defiantly.

"Then won't you end up an old maid? Would your sister be happy about that?" Yi Anguo asked again.

"An old maid, so be it. It's not like I can't support myself. I'll just open restaurants with my sister and expand Chuan Yu Restaurant across the nation and around the world," Li Shanshan declared ambitiously.

"Such ambition is commendable," Yi Anguo said with a nod. "But even though your sister doesn't have children, at least she has me to keep her company. You, on the other hand, would have no children, no husband, and no one to be with. If you can endure that, I'd say you're pretty tough."

"Who says I won't have anyone? I'll have my sister and my brother-in-law for company! Brother-in-law! When you're with my sister, can't you keep me company too?" Li Shanshan pouted, clearly dissatisfied.

"Of course I can, but I was referring to a different kind of companionship—the kind between a husband and wife. That, I'm afraid, I can't provide you," Yi Anguo clarified.

Li Shanshan understood what he meant, and she lowered her head, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She remained silent as Yi Anguo finished his meal, occasionally glancing at him as he ate. She looked as if she wanted to say something but was too shy to speak up.

Only when Yi Anguo was full did Li Shanshan rise to clear the table.

"Brother-in-law! If... I mean, if we had met first, would you have fallen for me?" Li Shanshan finally couldn't resist asking.

"Ah, you... There aren't so many 'what ifs' in life," Yi Anguo said with a smile. "If I hadn't met your older sister first, I never would have met you."

"But what if my sister didn't mind us being together, or even hoped for it? Would you accept me then?" Li Shanshan pressed.

"How could that be possible? Even if your sister wouldn't mind me being with another woman, she would never approve of you and me being together!" Yi Anguo shook his head, still smiling.

"I was just asking a 'what if'! Maybe my sister would be willing!" Li Shanshan insisted stubbornly.

"I already told you, you can't live your life on 'what ifs'," Yi Anguo replied, somewhat exasperated.

Li Shanshan didn't pester him any further. After clearing the dishes, she left.

Of course, Yi Anguo knew that Li Shanshan's feelings for him were not ordinary; they had long surpassed the affection a sister-in-law should have for her brother-in-law. However, he dared not accept her. She was Li Sisi's sister, after all. If he really got together with Li Shanshan, it would be a tremendous blow to Li Sisi. It might even cause her love for him to curdle into hate, an outcome Yi Anguo was unwilling to face.

Housing prices continued to soar, but that had little to do with Yi Anguo at the moment. He had no intention of selling his properties and no plans to buy more. New developments were selling out on the day they launched, with barely any units left over. Yi Anguo also had no intention of raising rents. Now that his mortgages were paid off, he felt no financial pressure. Although he had the right and reason to increase them, he felt it was unnecessary. He considered it a way to give back to his loyal tenants. With rents rising everywhere else, no tenant would be willing to move unless they had absolutely no other choice.

In Qianhai, housing prices were also on the rise. Although they still lagged behind Houhai, their rate of increase had actually surpassed it. This was just the beginning. By October 2007, Qianhai's prices would nearly catch up to Houhai's. After the Qianhai Development Zone was officially established, its housing prices would surpass Houhai's, and Lushan's prices would also overtake those of Futian District, making it the fastest-growing economic area in Shenzhen City.

Following the launch of the Anjing Online Supermarket, the reorganization of Chen's Corporation proceeded smoothly. Yi Anguo decided to establish Huafeng Technology Group with Huafeng Precision Manufacturing Factory as its flagship, focusing on the tech manufacturing industry, with Chen's Corporation serving as the parent company. He also invested two billion US dollars in the neighboring Dongguan City to build the Huafeng Industrial Park. Covering 3,756 mu (about 250 hectares), the park was planned to provide 100,000 jobs upon completion. An investment of this scale, capable of generating an annual GDP of over ten billion yuan, naturally received significant attention from the local government. With their focused support, the project progressed at incredible speed.

Seeing that the reorganization was nearly complete, Chen Jianjun finally deigned to return.

Without a second thought, Yi Anguo went straight to his door and blocked his path, insisting that Chen Jianjun take back control. He was simply too busy and lacked the energy to manage the affairs of Chen's Corporation.

"Hey! Don't you think you're going a bit too far, you little rascal?" an unhappy Chen Jianjun grumbled.

"I didn't force you to take over Chen's Corporation, did I?" Chen Jianjun shot back. "You should be asking my daughter to take it back! I gave the company to my daughter to manage, and then she gave it to you. On what grounds are you pushing it back onto me? Even if you don't want to manage it, you should return it to my daughter's hands!"

"Your daughter is pregnant. Do you have the heart to let her worry about these things?" Yi Anguo countered.

"So you do know she's pregnant," Chen Jianjun glared at Yi Anguo. "Don't you have any idea whose child she's carrying? My daughter is carrying your child. What's wrong with you helping her manage the company?"

"It's not that I'm unwilling to help, but I'm swamped with my own affairs and can barely keep up," Yi Anguo said helplessly. "You're not seventy or eighty and ready to retire. Can't you manage it for a while?"

"Why should I manage it when I have a daughter? The company will be hers eventually anyway. I just handed it over a bit early. Since I've already passed it on, why should I still be responsible?" Chen Jianjun retorted. "With my free time, wouldn't I rather be enjoying life, traveling, and seeing the world?"

"But your daughter is pregnant! Shouldn't you help out?" Yi Anguo said, his frustration mounting.

"And who got her pregnant? Wasn't it you? Since you're the one who got her pregnant, shouldn't you be the one to take good care of her, help her, and manage the company properly?" Chen Jianjun declared righteously.

"Then I'm begging you to help me. That has to be okay, right?" Yi Anguo said, feeling like he wanted to cry but couldn't.

Seeing that Yi Anguo had finally relented and was asking for help, Chen Jianjun nodded in satisfaction. "Hmm, if you put it that way, I might consider helping you." Then he added, "But why should I help you? What are you to me? Do we even have a relationship?"

"We don't have a relationship?" Yi Anguo asked.

"Do we? Well, what is our relationship? I don't seem to recall," Chen Jianjun said, feigning ignorance.

What relationship? Yi Anguo thought it over and realized they really didn't have one. A father-in-law and son-in-law relationship? He hadn't married Chen Ting; they weren't even engaged! So that was out of the question. Friends? Even less likely. Besides, friendship didn't obligate someone to help manage a company!

"Well... you are my child's grandfather, and I am my child's father. Doesn't that make us family?" Yi Anguo said shamelessly. "So if I ask you for help, that should be reasonable enough, right?"

"You sly kid, taking advantage and still trying to act clever. I can't accept that reason," Chen Jianjun said, his face stern.

Yi Anguo felt he was being quite thick-skinned. He had gotten the man's daughter pregnant, refused to marry her, and now had the audacity to ask her father for help. It really was too much.

Thinking this, Yi Anguo felt too embarrassed to stay any longer and quickly excused himself. Just then, Chen Ting's mother chased after him and called out to stop him.

Facing the mother of the woman he had impregnated but was unwilling to marry, Yi Anguo felt incredibly embarrassed. "Auntie, is there something else?" he asked awkwardly.

"You..." Chen Ting's mother began, shaking her head. "I thought you were a clever young man. How can you be so dense when it matters most? I know it's not convenient for you to marry Chen Ting, but it wouldn't be too much to call us Mom and Dad, would it? Chen Ting's father is a man who cares deeply about his pride. If you address him as 'Dad,' do you really think he'd refuse to help you?"

It was a delayed reaction, but then it dawned on Yi Anguo. Chen Jianjun was angry because he hadn't started calling him Dad yet!

Having understood, Yi Anguo turned to Chen Ting's mother, his face brightening. "Mom! Thank you for the reminder. You're right, I should be calling you Mom and Dad."

"Sigh... As long as you understand," she said. "We have no other requests. We just hope that you will treat Chen Ting well and not betray the deep feelings she has for you."

Her daughter was carrying a man's child, yet that man was unwilling to marry her. As a mother, she was heartbroken. But this was her daughter's choice. They wanted to intervene but couldn't, so they could only let her be.

Yi Anguo turned around and went back inside, leaving Chen Jianjun puzzled by his return.

"Dad!" Yi Anguo said, walking right up to Chen Jianjun.

"What did you call me?" Chen Jianjun asked, wondering if he had heard correctly.

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