Chen Yinuo was completely stunned.

What on earth?

I wanted to make 400 million, and he's only letting me make 20 million?

Is he drunk and babbling nonsense?

Or is his habit of lying surfacing again?

But knowing Ye Chen, even if he were lying, he'd draft the lie in his head first. He wouldn't spout such wild, baseless statements.

So for a moment, Chen Yinuo was utterly at a loss.

She hesitated and asked, "Have you been drinking?"

"Do I smell like alcohol?" Ye Chen chuckled.

"Then how could you talk such nonsense without drinking? Saying you'll make 400 million—do you even know how many zeros are in that?" she retorted, rolling her eyes.

Ye Chen sighed inwardly with a bitter smile.

Sure enough, sometimes the truth is harder to believe than a lie.

"Long story short, the deal didn't go through, and I lost patience. Instead of wasting time there, I figured it'd be better to come home and spend it with you and Yoyo," Ye Chen said.

"How long were you even there? You're already out of patience? Is that how business is done?" Chen Yinuo frowned.

"Yinuo, patience depends on the dynamics of the relationship. Right now, they need me more than I need them. So why waste time on a half-hearted deal?"

With that, Ye Chen turned to his little girl. "Yoyo, how about Dad takes you and Mom out for a drive to enjoy the scenery?"

"Yes! Yes!" Yoyo exclaimed excitedly. She quickly turned off the TV and leapt into Ye Chen's arms.

"Yinuo, let's go for a stroll. We can stop by the night market and try some of your favorite street food," Ye Chen said with a grin.

"Like car fuel is free or something!" she quipped.

Though she pretended to scold him, Chen Yinuo couldn't suppress the happiness bubbling inside her and stood up.

Before their relationship soured, she had often wished Ye Chen would accompany her to the night market. But back then, all she got was his cold indifference and angry outbursts fueled by his gambling addiction. Over time, she stopped asking.

Now, with Ye Chen turning over a new leaf and suggesting it himself, how could she not feel secretly overjoyed?

"We bought a G-Class SUV, so why worry about fuel costs?" Ye Chen chuckled.

"Are you showing off now?" she shot him a glare.

"No, no, I wouldn't dare—not in front of you!"

Seeing her glare, Ye Chen quickly grabbed Yoyo's hand. "Yoyo, let's get going!"

At the Zhang Family Residence Under the Night Sky

Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the atmosphere was tranquil.

In the living room, on the TV, the patriarch Zhang Weimin was watching his usual program, Strait New Frontline.

For him, the ultimate dream was to witness national rejuvenation in his lifetime.

Though he knew this program didn't have much real influence on major policies, he never missed an episode. He simply wanted to see and hear updates.

"Grandpa, do you really need to watch this every week? It's just a TV show. If something significant happens, they wouldn't just blab about it on TV!" Zhang Jingshan said, clearly bored, as the program ended.

"You don't understand, and I can't explain it to you," Zhang Weimin replied, not wanting to argue.

Instead, he asked, "How much did you make shorting the Sihai Group? Have you exited the position?"

"Uh, how much did I make...?" Zhang Jingshan's heart skipped a beat.

Earlier, he had claimed he wasn't following Ye Chen's crazy scheme.

Zhang Weimin looked at him silently, a faint smile on his face.

Feeling unnerved, Zhang Jingshan finally stammered, "Grandpa, why are you staring at me like that?"

"What do you think? Do you really think I've lived over 80 years for nothing? Or held office for decades without learning a thing?" Zhang Weimin said pointedly.

"Uh, I've exited already... I made a little over 10 million," Zhang Jingshan confessed, scratching his head and avoiding eye contact.

"Ten million? Looks like you trust that kid quite a bit," Zhang Weimin remarked with a meaningful smile.

Seeing this, Jingshan dared not say another word.

Zhang Weimin continued, "By the way, what's he up to now? He mentioned to me that he wanted to produce a scar removal cream and asked if I could help smooth things over with the relevant authorities. But he hasn't followed up since. Why's that?"

"Huh? A scar removal cream? I have no idea! He never told me anything about that!" Jingshan exclaimed, bewildered.

"You don't know?" Zhang Weimin was taken aback.

"No, he's never mentioned it to me!" Jingshan replied.

After a pause, Zhang Weimin asked, "Then do you know what he's working on now?"

Jingshan couldn't help but feel puzzled by his grandfather's unusual interest in Ye Chen. After all, the old man had never shown such concern for outsiders before. In fact, he hadn't even been this attentive to his own family!

But despite his curiosity, Jingshan answered truthfully. "Grandpa, you won't believe this. It sounds crazy!"

"Oh? Tell me," Zhang Weimin said, intrigued.

"He made over 20 million shorting Sihai Group, then took all the profits, along with his initial capital, and invested nearly everything into Jinzhong Village. You know, that barren place with just 66 households. He bought 46 houses there, land included, at a million each. Then he gave the remaining 20 houses to me and Changfeng, saying we'd share both the risks and rewards with him!"

"What!" Zhang Weimin's expression changed drastically, his disbelief evident.

"Jinzhong Village? That's... That's where the city government might extend Metro Line 10!"

Recently, the city's top leader, one of Zhang Weimin's former protégés, had confided in him about Jiangzhou's future development plans. After discussing urban renewal projects, they had shifted focus to the outskirts, which had strategic advantages as the crossroads of several cities.

To ease urban congestion and expand Jiangzhou's footprint, the government was considering extending Metro Line 10 to Jinzhong Village. But this was just a preliminary plan, not yet publicly disclosed, to avoid unnecessary complications.

And yet, Ye Chen had poured his entire fortune into Jinzhong Village.

This could only mean two things: either he was a reckless gambler, or he was absolutely confident in the government's next move.

But was Ye Chen the kind of man to gamble recklessly?

Zhang Weimin didn't think so.

Could he, like before with Jinlin Mansion, have deduced that the outskirts would become a goldmine?

Such foresight, almost as if he were a prophet controlling the city government, was astonishing.

Zhang Weimin was truly amazed. In his 80+ years, having dealt with countless business geniuses and titans, he had never seen anyone like Ye Chen.

Even Xu Jia, the chairman of Henda Group whom Zhang had greatly admired 20 years ago, seemed to pale in comparison.

"Grandpa, what's wrong?" Seeing his grandfather's rare shock, Zhang Jingshan was utterly confused.