The bidding company had been instructed by the higher-ups that the policy would be changed. The seemingly ordinary project would become an extraordinary one only after the new policy has been announced. Due to this special circumstance, the bidding company had contacted the bidders to open the bid, then evaluate and announce the bid on the spot on the same day in order to ensure fairness and equity. The letter of the winner and loser of the bid would also be issued that afternoon. The successful bidder shall sign the project’s contract within three days.

A total of six companies were participating in the bidding. Chu Xiang sat beside Xiao Han as she listened to him explaining some unforeseen events that might happen in the bidding. Chu Xiang had learned a lot since the first time Xiao Han explained the topic to her.

The two of them discussed the matter in whispers as they sat close to each other. Watching them from behind, Ye Chen could only feel that they were particularly close. His heart felt miserable, like it was being bitten by thousands of ants.

The bidding company had registered the related departments for the bidding in advance. The process of the audit, bid announcement, and bid opening had been completed swiftly. After all the parties had given their confirmation, the bidding evaluation committee started the evaluation. Meanwhile, all the companies’ members went to a nearby restaurant to have lunch.

Ye Zhenhong felt that something was amiss. Not only was the bid opened earlier, but it also seemed that the opposing party was unusually cautious about the bid. This shouldn’t be the case, considering the importance of this project.

He tried to get in a few questions to the bidding company, but who would have thought that they wouldn’t breathe a word to him. They only told him to patiently wait for the bidding’s result. He gave them his shareholder’s number, urging the company to find out whatever was strange with the project at any cost.

It took quite a while before someone heard a vague rumor that something was changed with the project that would result in profits doubling.

Ye Zhenhong immediately understood why Xiao Han wanted to step in and assisted Chu Family to snatch the bid. Not only had he helped Chu Xiang vent her anger, he had also privately told the news that this project had great potential beforehand to his internal acquaintances.

He felt incessantly dejected upon coming into that realization, calling the bidding company a few more times before leaving to look for the company’s personnel.

Ye Zhenhong and Ye Group’s shareholders had made efforts together in an attempt to deal with this problem but to no avail, since there was only so much they could do. He could only watch helplessly as the bidding company handed over the letter of acceptance to Chu Xiang on the spot.

All the persons in charge of the company came over to shake hands and congratulate Chu Xiang. They had never thought that she would be able to succeed. They wouldn’t have had much regret even if she lost, though.

Ye Zhenhong was the only one who was bleeding inside after hearing the inside story! He kept his smile and congratulated Chu Xiang and Xiao Han but left shortly after, then slapped Ye Chen hard the moment they got in the car!

“You’ve made Ye Group miss the chance to get more than a billion yuan of profit when you harmed Chu Xiang so that she was hospitalized back then. This time, you’ve made her snatch away our project. We’ve lost the meat we could have easily gotten and it’s for others to consume now. Ye Group has become a big joke thanks to you!”

(T/N: The “meat” part is used figuratively. The literal meaning is “fat/fatty meat”. It means “ready profit; easy gains; benefits; cash cow; gold mine” etc.)

Ye Chen had never predicted that things would turn this bad. He covered his face with his hand, still not convinced that they had lost. “Is it that terrible for Ye Group? We can’t turn things around at all anymore?”

“Turn things around? Haven’t you seen how severe things were today? I tried to prevent anyone from pulling the strings in secret, but things turned out like this anyway. You could have been a good son, if not for you harassing Chu Xiang. Do you think she would still look at the Ye Family? The Ye Family has already lost three businesses to the Chu Family. You’d be satisfied only when the Ye Family has gone bankrupt thanks to you, wouldn’t you?”

Ye Chen muttered, “I don’t know… Has she really taken away our businesses?”

“What do you even know? All you do each day is eat, drink, and be merry? Do you think she’s playing house with you like children? Even if we have broken off the engagement with the Chu Family, we still have to keep our image; you must become enemies with the Chu Family. Yet you kept staring at her at the meeting today as if you haven’t let go of her. What are you still trying to pull? You must stay away from Chu Xiang afterwards and just attend classes properly.” Ye Zhenhong was raging in anger, yet had nowhere to vent it. Ye Chen was an absolute eyesore to look at with his mood right now.

(T/N: “Eat, drink, and be merry” is an idiom meaning “idle away one’s time in pleasure”, “abandon oneself to a life of pleasure”.)

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