Chapter 177: The Target Appears
Jiang Chuchu almost failed to keep her composure. The corner of her mouth twitched. “I’m quite satisfied with my current height.”
Xia He shrugged.
“Then why are you attending the Wei family’s gathering?” Jiang Chuchu asked.
“The old man told me to go out and have some fun—don’t piss that thing off to death. It’s almost New Year, not auspicious,” Xia He said calmly. “I heard Wei Yan will be showcasing some things he picked up overseas, so I came to take a look.”
Jiang Chuchu fell silent. That thing… surely he meant his uncle Xia Nanzhi? Don’t say things like that in front of her!
Yu Xin, listening nearby, only half understood and instinctively felt this wasn’t a good topic, so she quickly changed the subject. “Is this gathering some kind of exhibition?”
Xia He shifted his gaze to her, didn’t answer immediately, and instead remarked, “You look much healthier than at the start of the semester.”
Yu Xin was startled, then smiled. “Thank you. I’m doing much better at home now.”
At least materially, the Yu family was far better than her previous “home.”
Xia He nodded in satisfaction, then replied, “Today’s gathering is mainly for the Wei family to build connections with families interested in development. Naturally, they need to showcase their strength.”
“Wei Yan’s background is mostly overseas. While that gives him advantages in international trade, he’s relatively weaker domestically. So he needs to quickly build his own network.”
“Crude as it is, money is the easiest way to pave the road. But talking about money directly is too blunt, so they package it as an exhibition—letting everyone see what the Wei family has.”
Although the families present all had assets worth hundreds of millions, their cash flow wasn’t necessarily abundant. If the Wei family could inject capital, it would give them more room to expand.
Of course, Xia He’s Xia family didn’t need Wei family money—he was just here for fun.
The Jiang family was similar. In recent years, they had focused on steady growth and weren’t looking to expand into new fields. Their internal funds were sufficient.
Yu Xin more or less understood. In any case, she wasn’t in charge of the Yu family yet—she just needed to observe.
With Jiang Chuchu already drawing attention, Xia He’s presence attracted even more eyes.
He frowned, about to move elsewhere, when a young man in a dark gray suit approached.
The suit was clearly custom-tailored, fitting perfectly and making him look tall and refined.
“Are you the representative of the Xia family?” the young man asked politely.
Xia He turned to face him, expression indifferent. “Yes. I’m Xia He.”
Over 1.8 meters tall… damn it.
“Hello, Xia He. I’m Wei Xiao.” Wei Xiao had intended to shake hands, but seeing Xia He’s cold expression—and his hands still in his pockets—he wisely stopped.
Jiang Chuchu and Yu Xin exchanged a subtle glance:
Target spotted.
Objectively speaking, Wei Xiao was handsome—the kind who, in a drama, would clearly be the male lead upon appearance.
But standing together with Xia He and Qin Yue, each with their own distinct presence, Wei Xiao didn’t stand out as much.
Especially Xia He—having grown up fleeing danger and now battling in the business world—his aura alone easily overshadowed Wei Xiao.
Xia He nodded casually. “I’ve heard Mr. Wei has a treasured son. Now that I’ve seen you, I understand why.”
Xia He had already obtained full information on the Wei family the moment they returned to the country. His own mother had once been envied for her strength and excellence—so he naturally despised people who looked down on women.
If Wei Xiao had truly outperformed his half-sister given equal resources, Xia He might have accepted it as a businessman prioritizing results.
But valuing him simply because he was a son? Shallow and ridiculous.
Wei Xiao felt something off about those words but couldn’t pinpoint it, so he took them as praise. “You flatter me. My father is tied up at the moment, so he couldn’t personally receive you. The Xia family’s seating is inside—please, follow me.”
Xia He waved at Jiang Chuchu and the others. “I’ll head over first.”
Without waiting for their response, he left with Wei Xiao.
With the two gone, the attention on them lessened.
Jiang Chuchu relaxed, while Qin Yue muttered, “Fifteen million euros… I could never spend that much in my lifetime.”
Jiang Chuchu glanced at him. “Even if you had it, you wouldn’t have the means to spend it.”
For Xia He, the money wasn’t the point—the point was finding the place, and having the other party willing to accept it.
Qin Yue thought about that and gained some understanding. Yu Xin, listening nearby, also seemed thoughtful.
As the gathering was about to begin, Yu Xin said goodbye to Jiang Chuchu and returned to the Yu family’s area. Jiang Chuchu and Qin Yue also went back to their seats.
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Chuchu sent a message to Gu Qinghuan:
[I just saw Xia He.]
Gu Qinghuan: [Huh?]
Jiang Chuchu suddenly realized she had only told Yu Xin about the Wei gathering, not Gu Qinghuan.
Originally, she had planned to gather information on Wei Xiao first, then tell Gu Qinghuan—showing off her investigative skills.
But seeing Xia He had shocked her so much that she immediately shared the news.
Jiang Chuchu: [Well… actually, I came with my brother to the Wei family gathering, and Xia He is here too.]
Gu Qinghuan: [Wei family gathering? Did you see Wei Xiao?]
Gu Qinghuan: [Xia He is there too? His family really isn’t simple.]
Two messages, sent quickly, focusing on completely different things.
Jiang Chuchu didn’t dare elaborate on Xia He’s family and glossed over it.
[Yes, we saw Wei Xiao. He seems fine for now—I’ll keep observing.]
[But what I really wanted to tell you is—Xia He has grown much taller.]
Gu Qinghuan: [I know.]
Jiang Chuchu froze. A huge question mark popped into her mind.
[You know?]
Gu Qinghuan: [Yeah, he’s about 1.7 meters now. Ugh, taller than me.]
Jiang Chuchu: [Why didn’t you tell me?!]
Gu Qinghuan: [I figured you’d see for yourself next time. Though come to think of it, I’ve only seen him once at school.]
Gu Qinghuan: [It was Christmas—we went to the cafeteria with Xinbao and got interviewed by Le Yi. I saw him after school.]
Gu Qinghuan: [He said it was his birthday, so I gave him the leftover log cake.]
Gu Qinghuan: [Then I got busy with the program and forgot. Sorry.]
Jiang Chuchu was completely stunned, but still replied immediately:
[No, no need to apologize. It’s not a big deal.]
Now, Xia He growing taller wasn’t the main point anymore.
The main point was—
Gu Qinghuan gave Xia He leftover cake as a birthday cake… and he accepted it?
In Jiang Chuchu’s mind, Xia He used to be the kind of ruthless person who could shove someone’s head into a toilet.
But now, hearing this—
How did he turn into some pitiful guy happily holding a quarter of a leftover cake on Christmas?!
