Hearing what his daughter said and seeing her furious expression, Ou Xiaolong was stunned. Why is she defending Yi Anguo so fiercely? She's really treating him like her actual uncle. The problem is, even if he were her real uncle, he shouldn't be more important than her father, right? Ou Xiaolong felt that his 'little padded jacket,' his daughter, seemed to have sprung a leak, no longer as warm as before.

"Xue Jiao! Dad is doing this for your own good. It's because I care about you and worry about you," Ou Xiaolong said hurriedly.

"Dad! I'm a grown-up now. I know what I'm doing, what I can and cannot do. I can also distinguish right from wrong, and I know who treats me well and who doesn't. I'm not a child anymore," Chen Xuejiao said patiently.

He was, after all, her father. What she had just said was purely out of anger. How could she truly wash her hands of him?

"Uncle Yi isn't as bad as you think. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let me come discuss the partnership with you, let alone keep me by his side as his assistant and the Vice President of Hualong Investment Company."

Chen Xuejiao still hoped to resolve her father's misunderstanding of Yi Anguo. More than that, she hoped her father and Yi Anguo could become friends and cooperate sincerely with his company. Only then could her father's company achieve greater growth and overcome its current crisis.

Although Ou Xiaolong felt a bit resentful, he didn't dare to openly defy his daughter or speak ill of Yi Anguo at this moment.

However, the ensuing negotiations infuriated him. It's true what they say, a daughter's loyalties always lie elsewhere! She isn't siding with her own father at all. Instead, she keeps fighting for Anguo Property Company's interests. This is too much!

If Ou Xiaolong weren't absolutely certain that Chen Xuejiao was his biological daughter, he would have started to doubt whether she still considered him her father, or even a member of her own family.

"Xue Jiao, how can you keep siding with Anguo Property? If we negotiate a partnership like this, how much profit will be left for us? We'll be working for them for free!" Ou Xiaolong said, fuming. "Even if we are working for them, they should at least leave us enough to eat and pay us a salary, shouldn't they? Are we supposed to work without eating? Our company has so many people to support. Without profits, without earning any money, how can we provide for everyone?"

"Dad! What do you mean 'no money to eat'? What do you mean 'no salary'? There will still be a profit, won't there? Why wouldn't we be able to support everyone in the company?" Chen Xuejiao countered. "Right now, the main goal for our family's company is to survive, to get through this crisis, and to use this opportunity to grow. We shouldn't be fixated on immediate gains. If Anguo Property decides not to partner with us and works with another company instead, Dad, do you know what the consequences would be?"

Ou Xiaolong frowned. "I know what you're saying is true, but since Yi Anguo put you in charge of negotiating with me, you don't have to be so completely uncompromising! If you concede a little more profit to our family's company, I doubt Yi Anguo would blame you. After all, that's just human nature! If you act too ruthlessly, Yi Anguo might even hold it against you. He might not dare to give you important responsibilities, thinking you're too heartless!"

"Dad! I have already secured more than enough benefit for our family's company. If I concede any more, Uncle Yi might ask me to resign," Chen Xuejiao said helplessly. "And once I'm gone, do you think he'll still partner with our company? Do you think you'll ever have another chance to be on good terms with him, to have a relationship like you used to?"

"But this is too harsh! This way, the company will survive, but with no profit. It's like being a zombie, alive but not truly living," Ou Xiaolong said, dissatisfied.

"This is a case of being reborn from desperation. Only by being hard on ourselves can we show Uncle Yi our sincerity and determination. As long as Uncle Yi recognizes our company's commitment and we maintain a long-term partnership, will you still need to worry about not having opportunities to make money in the future?" Chen Xuejiao said dismissively.

When Yi Anguo reviewed the partnership proposal with Chen Real Estate Investment that Chen Xuejiao had submitted, his estimation of her professional ability rose another notch. According to this proposal, he would undoubtedly be the biggest winner and the primary beneficiary. Ou Xiaolong's Chen Real Estate, on the other hand, was squeezed so tightly it was left with almost no profit, reduced to a mere vassal of Anguo Company, doing just enough to get by.

Chen Xuejiao actually proposed such harsh terms, and Ou Xiaolong actually signed off on them. I considered many different outcomes, but honestly, I never expected this one. It might have been more appropriate for me to propose such conditions, but even I might not have been so ruthless. Or perhaps I would have been even more merciless, like with Ren Xingsheng—that was probably the most ruthless I've ever been. But I wouldn't have gone that far with Ou Xiaolong. Even with Ren Xingsheng, I didn't act personally; I used Zhuo Weidong's hand.

"Your father was willing to sign a partnership under these terms? How did you convince him?" Yi Anguo asked.

"Given Chen Real Estate's current situation, survival is paramount. The fact that Anguo Property is willing to partner with them is a stroke of luck. To angle for more profit at a time like this would be tantamount to self-destruction," Chen Xuejiao replied.

"Be that as it may, he is your father, and Chen Real Estate is your family's company. By squeezing them like this until they have almost no profit, isn't that a bit unnatural?" Yi Anguo said with a nod.

"It is a bit unnatural. My father was unwilling at first. It was only through my relentless efforts that I managed to persuade him," Chen Xuejiao answered honestly.

"Why? I don't think I would have objected if you had let a little more profit go to your family's company," Yi Anguo countered. "After all, that would just be human nature."

"I know. But I cannot betray the trust you've placed in me, Boss. When I represent you and Anguo Property Company to negotiate a partnership with my father, I must take the side of Anguo Property and you. My duty is to secure the greatest possible benefit for Anguo Property and for you, not for my father or my family's company," Chen Xuejiao said calmly. "If I had done that, I would no longer be qualified to remain by your side as your assistant."

"Well said! You are truly an intelligent person. You haven't disappointed me," Yi Anguo said with great satisfaction. As he spoke, he picked up a stack of documents he had prepared and handed it to Chen Xuejiao.

"I want you to thoroughly investigate the companies on this list. Your next task is to represent Hualong Investment Company and approach them about potential investments," Yi Anguo instructed. "I've noted a rough valuation cap for each company. Your investment valuations generally cannot exceed the caps I've set; they can only be lower. Also, within that valuation range, you are to acquire as many shares as possible.

"Some of these companies are already well-known, and some have even gone public, like Penguin, Net One, and BYD. Others, like Tao Bao, haven't gone public yet. And some are internet startups, like the Qiang Dong company.

"There are some priority investment targets, such as the Qiang Dong company and the Number One Online Supermarket.

"Some are domestic companies, while others are based in the United States, so you'll probably need to recruit an investment team to travel between China and the U.S.

"Furthermore, with the ongoing international financial crisis, the U.S. market is in a slump. A large number of companies are going bankrupt, and many tech talents are unemployed. You should take this opportunity to persuade some of them to return to China to advance their careers.

"Review the materials, analyze the situation, and decide how to proceed. I'll leave the execution up to you. I don't usually concern myself with the process; I only care about the final results.

"As for the partnership with your father, I'll speak with him personally. You don't need to involve yourself anymore. This will save you from being caught in the middle, pleasing no one, and prevent any conflict from souring the relationship between you and your father."

"Thank you, Boss! I will work hard to complete the tasks you've given me. I won't let you down," Chen Xuejiao said joyfully, looking down at the files in her hands.

"Good. If you need any support, just ask Assistant Zhou," Yi Anguo said with a nod.

After leaving, Chen Xuejiao glanced at Zhou Mengdie in the assistant's office, a flicker of envy in her eyes. I know that even though I'm also technically his assistant, not all assistants are created equal. My current status is far below Zhou Mengdie's. Still, I believe that as long as I perform well enough, prove my excellence, and show my loyalty, I'll eventually earn his complete trust. One day, my status will be on par with hers. To do that, I must flawlessly complete the task he has given me. Successfully handling these investments is the first thing I must accomplish, and quickly.

However, after she finished reading through the materials, she immediately realized that this task would be no simple feat. The list involved hundreds of domestic and foreign companies. If she managed to negotiate deals with all of them, the total investment would amount to at least several billion US dollars. The key issue was that conducting due diligence on so many companies was not a job she could handle alone. She needed to recruit an investment team immediately and delegate the work.

As the Vice President of Hualong Investment Company, my authority should be considerable, right? I have a massive number of investment projects to complete and a huge workload that requires help. I should be able to recruit people from the company to assist me.

With that thought, Chen Xuejiao went to find Zhou Mengdie.

It was rather ironic. As the Vice President of Hualong Investment Company, Chen Xuejiao still had no idea where the company's actual office was located.

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