The Tycoon Inheritance

"I didn't expect this to happen so soon."

"It's a trial thing."

"This is the first time. We should celebrate."

"We don't need to celebrate this normal occurrence."

"Wait. What if this is a chance to bully you!"

"You should consider being an author."

"Hmmm. You need your own guards. How about two special guards? These helpers are normal people. "

"I am not going through that again, brother. Your hovering instincts are awake."

"Should I cancel my weekend plans and chaperone?"

"…… No, brother."

A pout formed on Chen Kai's face as his brother wasn't responding the right way to his teasing monologue. The brat was more focused on his game than him. He wanted to celebrate the kid's accomplishment in gaining a friend on the first day of school. He was inwardly relieved that Xiao Yan was able to fit in.

One less worry.

Xiao Yan on the other hand saw it as no big achievement. The kids who invited him out over the weekend were somewhat nice. The invite was given after they finished their scrutiny of him. He was interested in the normal day at the mall with kids his age. After accepting it, he remembered the plans his brother made.

Knowing how dramatic he can be, Xiao Yan told him the moment he arrived home.

The present situation comes from him not talking about his day with the guy.

"Auntie Lan will be so disappointed. You must send her a good gift of apology," Chen Kai complained as he texted the old lady.

"I wonder if Lian wants to come along. She will probably be tired by the end of the week." Even though he said one thing, his hands were saying another. He quickly messaged Su Lian. Checking the time, she'll probably be relaxing in bed or eating dinner.

Wife: A weekend get-a-way? Sounds good.

Instead of continuing the chat, he called. "Oh? Why are we so restrained? I was expecting a list of plans and teasing." He purposely lowered his voice and spoke unhurriedly, knowing she would be flustered.

Su Lian on the other side of the call, was blushing in embarrassment because of her wayward thoughts. "You think too much."

"I think I know who is thinking too much. Do you want me to say it? I can tell you in detail."

"Ahem! So how was your day?"

The laugh came suddenly from Chen Kai's side and Su Lian blushed even harder knowing the guy figured her out in less than a minute. She covered her face with her hand to hide the silly smile.

Lin Fan who was next to her at the moment, saw this action. She quickly did some maths and gave her friend a disgusted frown. "Go away. It's enough that this drama episode is full of mushy crap, I don't need it next to me."

Su Lian laughed at the comical look on Lin Fa's face and ran to her room to talk more openly with Chen Kai.

"Sorry for teasing you so much. You look and sound so cute when I do."

Hearing those words, she recalled the straightforward teasing Chen Kai would do when they were alone or with her friends. Those were the rare times she was blessed with his genuine smile.

Every time she thinks about him or around him, that warm feeling in her chest spreads through her body, leaving her blissful and lucky because he is the only one who makes her feel this way.

"It's nothing. It lets me know that you're in a good mood."

"I am. Xiao Yan returned to school today and was invited out by his new classmates. I'm so proud of him but the brat will ditch me for them though," Chen Kai complained.

"They won't bully him, right?" she immediately asked. Her silly lovestruck image disappeared after listening to that small report.

"I know right? You think so too but he thinks I'm being too dramatic."

"YOU ARE!"

"Pffftt!! Hahahaha!" Xiao Yan's small admonishing voice was too adorable for Su Lian to keep up her serious façade.

"Sigh. These young ones don't understand the world," Chen Kai lamented.

"Easy there, Grandpa."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chen Yan is back in school. Chen Kai once again acclimated himself into the role of a businessman as he worked to stabilize his presence in the companies he owned.

Xiao Wei was an efficient and helpful assistant- most of his connections were used up and he gained lots more with the different people he came in contact with.

Leading up to the weekend, his schedule was filled with meetings and interviews, moving from one company to the next. A lot of things were in his hands to handle but he wanted to personally see to a few errands that was important in his eyes. Never one to depend on the staff, he issued the errands to his Head Maid with clear details and established connections to make things smoother.

"The Branch Manager at Nanhe Emperor Mall and Dias Boutique will help you. I want everything done according to the details I sent you there should be no substitutions or personal input. You can invite one person to accompany you as most things will be hard to carry alone. Commander Liu will visit the house in ten minutes."

"Yes, Eldest Young Master."

At the Sleeping Dragon Villa, Miss Charlotte, the middle-aged Head Maid ended the call promptly and looked over the shopping list sent to her phone. The names of different stores and items were categorized and instructions were given below each. With a strict list like this, there's no need to be flustered or claim to forget one item.

Taking her boss's advice, she called the staff villa and chose one young lady to accompany her.

The young lady and Commander Liu arrived at the main house at the same time.

"Good day, Miss Charlotte. The car is ready. Two bodyguards will accompany you, please tell the driver your stops in advance." Commander Liu was firm in speaking and invited the ladies outside so they could start their day.

In Miss Charlotte's experience as a housekeeper over the years, the house staff will be treated as average servants. One is treated in reference to their station, so the car she expected was a simple domestic car or a secondhand car. Waiting for them was a grey metallic Mercedes E-Class Sedan that may cost her a year's worth of her current salary, maybe add on a few months.

She looked at Commander Liu for an explanation.

"This car and another are assigned to the staff for errands, emergencies, and commute to the district's entrance. The house manager has more details. Have a good day." Commander Liu left after those sentences leaving the women a bit dumbfounded. The younger one quickly took photos to share in the work chat and her friend circles.

Miss Charlotte shared with the driver their stops for the day and rigidly entered the car.

Isn't this too much for a servant?

~~~~~~~~~~~

The department decided to clock off early to provide the newcomers with a lot of energy for their welcome party. Her new colleagues were excited about this drinking party as three of them had a crush on one of their seniors and it would be a good deal to get closer to the other two. Who knows if it's a genuine crush or looking for leverage?

Su Lian said her refusal which met a lot of fake pleading and yin-yang comments from the three. The senior who proposed the party tried to get Su Lian to give up her plans but he didn't expect to be shut down straightforwardly.

His ego was slightly bruised as no woman who entered the company refused him for long. When everyone was packing up, he made a last attack on her.

"Miss Su, this is a good time to bond more with your co-workers. We can't always meet each other under the guise of work. Besides, the English restaurant we reserved has a lot of exquisite dishes for you ladies to try. The private booth is equally beautiful. Think of it as a 'well done on your first week at the company'."

Women are weak for the taste of expensive food, how can this one resist? he thought to himself.

The three ladies who were silently happy that she wouldn't be attending, carried stiff smiles on their faces and began to flatter the senior, praising him for his kind words. The older workers gave half-hearted persuasions but watched to see if the newbie would fall for the guy's words. This has become routine within the department.

Catch, drop, and forget. Those are the three phases he carries these naïve young women who want to hold on to a pillar in the company.

Su Lian smiled the man's way and gave him a slight bow in thanks. "It has been a week filled with new experiences so thank you and the other seniors for putting up with us. I'm sure this will be the first and never the last de-stress party, maybe the next one."

The man was mildly handsome and nearing his late 30s. Compared to the other males in the company, his trim figure and good looks are advantageous in nabbing a good catch in the sea of women in the company. His eyes caught a few of the newbies but it was Su Lian's beauty and temperament that won her his favor. He assessed her by her clothes, her speech, and her jewelry.

The diamonds on her eyes were real, small, and not gaudy. The gold and diamond bracelet is a Cartier special as he heard from the office gossip and her clothing was between mid to high tier.

In his eyes, Su Lian was a self-sufficient woman who wouldn't press him for an expensive dinner or handbag in exchange for a spot in her bed.

He saves money and gets rewarded in the end.

"I will hold you to it," he pushed further, giving her a smile he deemed amiable.

In Su Lian's view, it was smarmy. "Yes but it is also upon my decision," she countered sweetly. Her phone rang at an opportune moment when the man was about to push further. Everyone noted how brighter her smile became.

"Must be the husband," one of the three women said mockingly.

No matter the environment, where there are many women together, there will always be in-fighting and backstabbing. Su Lian was silently excluded from the group after the day the cake was delivered to her. The receptionist added to the gossip about the details of the delivery.

"Yes. I'm ready. I'll be down in a few." A few words were said and Su Lian gathered her things and bid everyone goodbye.

"Why don't we get moving? Miss Su let me help you with your bags."

"It's no trouble, Senior Zheng."

Zheng still insists on taking her weekend bag, even grabbing it from her with a triumphant smile on his face. She didn't protest but silently waited for him to be insulted in a way that might slip past his head.

The team entered the elevator boisterously talking about what they would eat and where they would head after, leaving Su Lian out of the conversation. The three women were whispering to each other, smirking and mocking her lonesome self.

Zheng tried to hold a conversation with Su Lian but her straightforward replies deterred him. She was drawing a line and his ego was bruised further. His patience was waning but he didn't want to give up on such a beauty.

The elevator reached the lobby and Su Lian turned into a different person. She snatched her bag from Zheng and hurriedly bid them goodbye.

Wanting to see this 'husband', the entire team followed the joyful Su Lian towards the front lobby.

"Madam Su, are we going to be that type of couple?"

An infectious laugh. A magnetic voice. Is it him?

They got closer to witness a young man standing proudly in the encirclement of bodyguards with a doting smile. Su Lian smoothly handed her bags to one of the guards who stepped forward. The two sent the image of the perfect couple in their matching denim jeans and oversized cardigan.

"Good evening, Young Miss," they loudly greeted paired with a respectful bow.

"Good evening everyone. Sir Chen, did you call my friends? This look is too coincidental."

The prim Su Lian they got to know was no longer present. She was now emulating the title the dangerous-looking bodyguards called her.

The young man had his arm around her waist and boldly kissed her in the presence of so many people. Everyone in the team had a different reaction when this display of affection was seen. The most affected was Zheng.

His ego was now heavily damaged.

The 'husband' was many times better than him, it's now clear how easily Su Lian can reject suitors.

Young. Handsome. Rich. That's from his perspective and in his thoughts; those are the reasons why Su Lian was with this kid.

"Pardon me for that behavior; you must be my Lian's colleague. Hello," Chen Kai commented and politely greeted them.

The young ladies who were mocking Su Lian were now envious of her. Seeing the husband she talks about placing their ideals to shame.

Wasn't the one they excluded living the ideal life of many young ladies? Where did she find such a handsome lover? They couldn't help but stay trapped in his dark eyes. Though it's a racial feature for their people, this man's black eyes were like obsidian at a glance and an abyss when caught; combined his eyes were mesmerizing.

One of the ladies compared him to a dark angel. His eyes were one peculiar type of black but his hair was dark as raven feathers. Those shapely eyebrows on that well-defined and aesthetically pleasing face placed him as one of the most gorgeous men she had ever seen. How can a man's skin be so fair and blemish-free?

They were trying to single out Su Lian to lessen the competition for Senior Zheng when she already won a different one.

Senior Zheng was a layman compared to this guy.

"Thank you for taking care of Lian…. " Chen Kai continued as he held her hand.

"It's okay. We're a bit saddened by her refusal to the little get-together," Senior Zheng interrupted.

The words said were his own doing as the others weren't bothered by Su Lian's refusal. They planned to spend an hour at most. This was all Zheng's routine. Now that his main target is gone, he became sour.

"Is that so? I'm sure she apologized. It's not good to keep waving something like that over one's head. We shall leave y'all to your evening." Chen Kai was very perceptive. It's not pride but he knew his woman's allure would attract flies around her.

Exhibit A – The one called Senior Zheng.

The fact that this guy keeps bringing up a silly get-together reveals his plot. Drinking parties evolves into many things such as regrets and shame. Men like Zheng prey on women at these parties, plowing them with drinks and then playing the role of 'gentlemen'.

Some call it a rite of passage in society but it disgusts him.

Chen Kai will never allow that to happen to his woman.

His insult to Zheng was slightly hidden and was understood by a few surrounding the man. The secondhand embarrassment was heavy on their faces.

Zheng was about to retort but the young man already led Su Lian and his team away. The nosy colleagues hurried after them to see what car this rich husband was driving.

The guards dispersed and boarded the Mercedes G-Wagon that was parked at the curb but it was the car that sat in the middle that caught everyone's attention. Su Lian was led into a Mercedes-Maybach that ignited envy from the group.

One or two were able to catch a glimpse of the interior - their thoughts and perception of the rich were greatly limited.

Senior Zheng was one of the few who saw the luxurious finishings of the interior and the prepared wine waiting for the couple.

He looked at his BMW in the carpark on the other side.

His ego was heavily damaged.

Author: Well, that's enough of being passive.