Chapter 858: Bargaining Chip

It was not until the two of them had left that Yun Xi and Zhao Yumo came out of hiding. Appearing from behind the potted plants, Yun Xi rubbed her neck and heaved a sigh.

“Yun Xi, why are you sighing? With Liang Xinyi’s current status, it’s unlikely she’ll be able to use the ball to change her fortunes. It’s practically impossible! Speaking of which, I didn’t think she’d be willing to be Han Zhongteng’s woman in return for this opportunity. Using her body as a bargaining chip at such a young age, jeez…that’s terrifying.”

“She has always been very proud. Moreover, her mother dotes on her so much that she really thinks she is number one. Not only that, but she has also become vain, selfish, narrowminded, and even unscrupulous in order to get to where she wants to be. Back at home, when we lived in the countryside, she played dirty little tricks to get at me. However, now that she’s in Jingdu, a place that is nothing like the countryside, she has to change her way of doing things. The people in Jingdu are complicated and competitive, and this, coupled with the fact that she has neither power nor backing, she has to do whatever it takes and at all costs.”

“But acting so shamelessly at this age…, who knows what kind of disaster she’ll turn out to be in the future?”

“What does it matter if she turns out to be a disaster? It seems as if both parties are willing: one is willing to give a beating, and the other is willing to take the beating. A fair exchange is no robbery. Besides, if she wants something, she’ll have to work for it. Moreover, she agreed willingly, and she seems to suit Han Zhongteng’s taste. This is a fair deal.”

“That’s true! We choose our own path in life, and we shouldn’t blame others regardless of how things turn out.”

“Well, that’s not always the case… I’m positive Liang Xinyi hates me to death right now. She must think I’m responsible for causing the mess she’s in and blames me for it.”

“If that’s true, you ought to be careful. She’s already so cruel to herself; I doubt she’ll go easy on you.”

For someone who treated themselves as harshly as she did, letting oneself be used as a bargaining chip, it could only mean one thing: she had no boundaries, and this would hold true in her treatment of others as well.

“Don’t worry, I have my ways. I know how to deal with her. It’s good that she’s planning to attend Jingdu University. The school will be a very good platform for her to cultivate her ambitions and vanity. I’m happy to see her go down this path. There will be no turning back once she goes down this rabbit hole.”

With that, Yun Xi ‘s bitter look turned into a smile as she changed the subject and said, “Come on, let’s head over to your place now so that I can check in on your grandfather.”

“Okay!”

…

Without any delay, the result of Yun Yuanfeng’s election was released. It turned out that the position of Director of the Infrastructure Bureau had fallen into his hands with ease.

Now that Yun Yuanfeng had won the election, he could finally put his mind, and heart, at ease after what seemed to be more than six months of worrying.

Among all the support and help he’d received for this election, Yun Yuanfeng felt that Mu Feichi’s assistance had played a critical role in his victory. This led him to acknowledge and accept that having authority was advantageous, especially at a time like an election. He concluded that the benefits associated with power were tremendous, and, when applied at the right time, it could give him an upper hand.

As this realization began to take root, it became the source feeding Yun Yuanfeng’s greed for power and wealth.

The more one exposed oneself to an environment of success, the easier it was for someone to grow ambitious and, as a result, turn to scheming in the process.

Yun Xi leaned back on the sofa, casually taking sips of warm water every now and then, not seeming to care or to show any enthusiasm that her dad had won the election. Wearing an indifferent expression, she observed the faces of her family members. Upon hearing the good news, she noticed that every one of them had a subtly different expression on their faces.

She perceived that the happiest person was Liang Xiuqin. With her husband’s victory, she was no longer the wife of a deputy director. She had now been promoted to be the wife of a director. In her opinion, director, without the word deputy, had a much nicer ring to it. So much so that Liang Xiuqin now sensed a stronger feeling of superiority and complacency just from the title itself.

To use the word ecstatic to describe her emotions was an understatement. Judging by her expression when she sensed the envy and jealousy in Chen Lixue’s eyes, it was impossible not to notice her feelings of pride. One could say that she felt as proud as a peacock.

With his promotion to director, Yun Yuanfeng now had a different identity: one with a higher social status, and now the perks and benefits he would receive would change accordingly.

Despite the exceptional pride and joy she was feeling, Liang Xiuqin did not let her feelings get the better of her and managed to quickly regain her intelligence and composure, just like she had when she was the wife of a deputy director. With a calm and confident tone that suppressed all her emotions, she started discussions with Yun Yuanfeng on the best approach they should take to thank those who had supported her husband and contributed to his victory. They were deciding whether to treat those supporters to a meal or to brainstorm other alternatives that would seem a better gesture of appreciation.

This question might seem familiar to Liang Xiuqin, who’d been the wife of a deputy director for many years, as she had had to regularly tend to and manage matters similar in nature. However, to Chen Lixue, all the things they were discussing seemed foreign and confusing.

Chen Lixue had absolutely no clue regarding business dealings, let alone managing them. She barely even had an idea where to start.

Back in the countryside, practices such as a token of appreciation that Liang Xiuqin was discussing with Yun Yuanfeng were never employed. As the wife of a village chief, there was no need for all this stuff. Chen Lixue would sit back and do nothing as people came up to their family, flattering and giving them gifts and benefits.

However, this was not the case in Jingdu. Listening to Liang Xiuqin mentioning the dos and don’ts expected of a director’s wife, Chen Lixue realized that she had no idea what was expected of a lady of that status and what was needed and what one should do. With the realization of her ignorance, her face flushed with shame and embarrassment. At that moment, she detested Liang Xiuqin’s unscrupulous attitude, back in the past, when she had been willing to do whatever it took to get what she wanted.

Back then, if she had been the one to marry Yun Yuanfeng, she would have been the one planning and managing these matters now. With time and practice, she would have honed the necessary skills required too, wouldn’t she?

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