喵绅HCMOIC(网页)

Not only would Yuanyuan perform, but Chen Meilan also wanted to bring Little Wang, Little Lang, Yan Zhao, and the whole family to the order fair. Having spent her previous life as a housewife, she never imagined that after her rebirth, she could come this far and achieve something. She naturally wanted Yan Zhao and the children to see it.

As for Yu Xiaoqiao\'s case, while it was difficult to investigate from a law enforcement perspective, it was much easier from a business perspective. Today, Chen Meilan could easily identify the bureau-level official who was involved with her.

At nine in the morning, the whole family arrived at 271.

Yan Zhao stayed in Chen Meilan\'s office, as this was a field completely unrelated to his work. He was merely there to observe how Chen Meilan and her subordinates worked.

Worried that some distributors might make inappropriate jokes with Meilan, he brought a book - the "Diamond Sutra" that his mother used to read - planning to read it if he got angry, to help himself stay calm and avoid getting violent.

But he didn\'t have time to take out the book because from the start, he was captivated by Hu Xiaohua.

Hu Xiaohua would run in the corridor one moment, then jump around the next, followed by loud shouting, just like a boxer preparing to enter the ring for a match.

When it was twelve o\'clock, he headed towards the guest house.

The distributors were all arranged to stay in the guest house. Led by Hu Xiaohua, cafeteria staff carried lunch boxes, one for each person, with Hu Xiaohua personally delivering them to each room.

Some distributors would ask about the boss, wondering why Chen Meilan wasn\'t there.

Hu Xiaohua\'s response wasn\'t just words - he would kneel on one knee, holding the lunch box above his head, gesturing for the bosses to eat.

After lunch, while the distributors rested, Chen Meilan also took a short break, making the children take a nap with her in the office.

Though this should have been an extremely busy day for her, she didn\'t seem as busy as Yan Zhao had imagined.

When Yuanyuan\'s voice became a bit hoarse, worried she wouldn\'t be able to sing in the afternoon, Chen Meilan had already bought some throat lozenges and other medicines to help soothe her throat before Yan Zhao even noticed.

By afternoon, Little Lang and Little Wang were kept in the office, while Yuanyuan, who needed to perform, was assigned a young man to escort her backstage to wait with the models.

When the order fair officially began, the sky was crystal clear. The factory area was clean and renewed. The veterans still wore their old military uniforms, running back and forth in an orderly manner. There were fireworks and cannons, and the seats had name tags for all attendees. Xue Mingfang led a group of veterans in guiding the guests to their seats.

Until now, she still hadn\'t directly interacted with the distributors, only controlling everything from a distance.

If anything needed to be done or anyone needed instructions, she could simply speak through the walkie-talkie.

The veterans\' high efficiency in executing orders was like adding wings to a tiger for her.

Soon, Xiong Dapao arrived with Yu Xiaoqiao. At this time, Yan Zhao and his two sons were still in Chen Meilan\'s office, watching through the window.

As soon as Xiong Dapao\'s Crown car entered the factory gate, it was surrounded by distributors.

Meanwhile, his girlfriend Yu Xiaoqiao was drawn aside by Chen Meilan.

Yan Zhao stood with his arms crossed, still watching quietly.

She was wearing the same suit as Meilan, with shoulder-length straight hair and light makeup. Last time, Yan Zhao hadn\'t looked carefully, but now, knowing she was the leader of a honey trap gang, he observed her closely. Even he, who had encountered all sorts of criminals, couldn\'t tell she was one.

She was both refined and timid, scanning the venue with an exceptionally gentle smile.

So far, Yan Zhao had only discovered that her household registration was in Baotou, but hadn\'t yet learned about her family background and situation.

Downstairs, Chen Meilan noticed only Yu Xiaoqiao was present, without Xiong Dapao\'s son, and was slightly surprised: "Mr. Xiong, where\'s your child? Didn\'t you say today..."

"Don\'t mention it. My son can\'t get along with Xiaoqiao. When he heard she was coming, he refused to come no matter what," Xiong Dapao explained.

If Yan Zhao hadn\'t told her about Yu Xiaoqiao\'s involvement in honey traps, Chen Meilan would have felt disappointed.

But since she could investigate Yu Xiaoqiao from the honey trap angle, she wasn\'t concerned about Xiong\'s son anymore.

Xiong Dapao had already been pulled away by distributors for conversation.

Standing with Chen Meilan, Yu Xiaoqiao looked around and sincerely said, "Boss Chen, you\'ve organized this order fair so well. If I can take over 291 in the future, I\'d like to learn from you to make 291 as good as 271."

"You were a boss before, you should have more experience than me in this area. I\'m actually worried I haven\'t done well enough and might embarrass a big entrepreneur like you," Chen Meilan was obviously being diplomatic and polite.

The truth about Yu Xiaoqiao was that she was one of the masterminds of the honey trap gang. Previously, they had been running honey traps in the south. Her money was all earned through these schemes, but now that she had earned enough, she was planning to leave that life behind, like a prostitute going straight.

When prostitutes go straight, they usually look for an honest man to marry.

They also need to find a place where nobody knows them to whitewash their past and start anew.

For Yu Xiaoqiao\'s retirement, Xiong Dapao was the honest man she had chosen for herself.

Xiping City was far inland, where few people knew her, which was why she chose this place.

If she weren\'t clever, she might have abandoned her former associates and started fresh alone under a new identity. But Yu Xiaoqiao wasn\'t that simple-minded. She knew that in today\'s connected society, her former associates would eventually find her even if she hid. If by then she had built a successful business and family, wouldn\'t those associates be able to blackmail her?

So she simply brought everyone along to go straight together, and made an effort to network with officials to build a foundation for her business in Xiping City.

Although she still occasionally slept with other powerful older men, that was purely for business benefits and connections.

In terms of genuine feelings, she naturally loved pretty boys like Xiong Dapao.

She was serious about building her business, so she was particularly polite to Chen Meilan, wanting to learn as much as possible.

"Aren\'t you the boss? Why aren\'t you entertaining the guests?" Yu Xiaoqiao asked, noticing how relaxed Chen Meilan seemed.

Chen Meilan explained, "I have an excellent sales manager who helps me take care of the guests."

Yu Xiaoqiao pointed at Hu Xiaohua and said, "Him, right? I heard he has a \'knife in his fate\' and most people can\'t handle him."

"That\'s just nonsense. Xiaohua is a good kid, extremely loyal and capable. He just doesn\'t like being managed, so some bosses who couldn\'t handle him spread rumors about him having a \'knife in his fate.\' But actually, if you can win him over and earn his loyalty, he\'s the best salesperson in the world - worth more than eight hundred elite soldiers," Chen Meilan explained.

Yu Xiaoqiao sighed deeply, "Oh, I see."

At this moment, Yuanyuan took the stage to sing "Flowers and Clouds Across the Sky," which had become famous nationwide following the success of "Return to the City." Because Yuanyuan was a child star, the venue briefly fell silent, with almost everyone focusing on the stage.

Hu Xiaohua became even more energetic, running to the front of the stage, leading the singing and clapping rhythm.

Once he started clapping, everyone joined in singing, and gradually the song turned into a grand chorus.

At first, the distributors were still somewhat formal with each other, being unfamiliar, but through singing together, they exchanged smiles and became acquainted. The venue grew increasingly lively.

In short, Hu Xiaohua was excellent at creating atmosphere, and the entire venue could only be described as buzzing with enthusiasm.

Not only did Xiong Dapao, standing among the crowd, realize that Hu Xiaohua\'s abilities were on par with his own.

Even Yan Zhao, watching from the window with crossed arms, couldn\'t help but admire that Hu Xiaohua was truly talented.

Yu Xiaoqiao followed Chen Meilan step by step, feeling utterly impressed by Hu Xiaohua.

Before they knew it, it was already 5:30 PM, time to head to the Guoguang Grand Hotel for dinner.

Chen Meilan spoke into the intercom to Xue Mingfang: "Xiao Xue, notify the shuttle buses to come in. Ask the distributors to leave their seats and get them onto the buses. Tell Hu Xiaohua to come find me after he\'s done - he\'ll ride in my car."

"Yes, chief," was Xue Mingfang\'s brief response.

About five minutes later, several factory shuttle buses arrived. As before, Hu Xiaohua was busy directing everyone, getting the distributors onto the commercial vehicles to take them to the hotel.

The distributors seemed to have completely forgotten there was a factory director named Chen Meilan. They had all become close friends with Hu Xiaohua, and when it was time to leave, each one held onto his hand, reluctant to let go.

Originally, Yan Zhao and the children, along with Hu Xiaohua, were supposed to ride in Chen Meilan\'s car.

But in a sudden turn of events, Xiong Dapao came to Chen Meilan with a smile, saying: "Sister-in-law, let Xiaoqiao follow you. She wants to start her own factory and thinks you\'re amazing. She wants to learn from you. She\'s my girlfriend, and I\'m a great benefactor to our Factory 271 - you can\'t refuse to teach her."

Yu Xiaoqiao had become addicted to watching her do business and wanted to learn. She also wanted to observe up close how Chen Meilan managed to tame the monkey-like, hyperactive Hu Xiaohua.

"Alright, then let Yan Zhao and the children ride in your car," Chen Meilan said, inviting Yu Xiaoqiao into her car and departing first.

During the ride, Hu Xiaohua was bursting with energy, unable to sit still in the car. He kept grinning and chattering, his teeth chattering, occasionally rubbing his face and punching himself.

Yu Xiaoqiao, though well-versed in reading people, had never seen anyone like Hu Xiaohua. She asked Chen Meilan in amazement, "Boss Chen, what is he doing?"

Chen Meilan replied tersely: "Warming up, preparing to rake in money."

The phrase "rake in money" drew an exclamation of admiration from Yu Xiaoqiao: "What a clever way to put it - \'rake in money.\'"

She had been running honey traps for years, sometimes extorting tens of thousands at a time - that was also raking in money, but it was illegal. Chen Meilan was different; she ran legitimate businesses, legally raking in money. This both amazed and excited Yu Xiaoqiao.

She was ready to reform, but loving money was human nature, so she was particularly curious about how Chen Meilan raked in money.

The evening banquet was arranged thus: as soon as the feast began, Hu Xiaohua would toast each table.

The distributors had come to place orders and brought money with them. While toasting, they would promise order amounts and pay on the spot. As Hu Xiaohua went from table to table making toasts, Xue Mingfang recorded the orders and collected money. By the end of the evening banquet, the quarter\'s sales would be secured.

After the general meeting concluded, the factory would arrange distribution and deliver goods to the distributors.

This was the standard sales process nowadays.

Chen Meilan was instructing Hu Xiaohua: "Drink less later, cheat if necessary, don\'t let those distributors get you drunk."

Hu Xiaohua grinned widely: "Of course, Chief, don\'t worry. Just watch how I rake in money for our factory."

"If anyone forces you to drink, or if you feel unwell from drinking too much, give me a signal, and I\'ll send someone to replace you," Chen Meilan added.

As they arrived at the hotel, Hu Xiaohua was like a beast unleashed. Before Chen Meilan could even brake, he had already jumped out to greet the distributors, running and gesturing to Chen Meilan with a smile: "Don\'t worry, Chief, I\'ve got everything under control!"

Raking in money was instinctive for him.

To Yu Xiaoqiao, it all seemed like an unreal dream.

Chen Meilan had her own private room, positioned so she could see outside through the open door, but others wouldn\'t easily notice her.

Throughout the event, she seemed detached yet was fully involved, making it look so easy that Yu Xiaoqiao wasn\'t just envious - she wished she could become her right then and there.

Soon after, Yan Zhao and Xiong Dapao arrived with the children, seated at the same table. Even on such a busy day, Chen Meilan remained calm and collected, taking time to encourage her daughter to drink water and chat with her children.

By now, under Hu Xiaohua\'s guidance, all the distributors were seated, and dishes began to arrive.

The liquor was Wuliangye, bottles being opened and glasses filled by servers as the feast officially began.

Normally, Chen Meilan should have given a speech at this point, but instead, it was Hu Xiaohua who took the stage to announce the start of the banquet. Then, dropping the microphone, he raised his cup, drank three cups in succession, and began making rounds to toast each table.

Even Xiong Dapao sincerely admitted, "This kid Hu Xiaohua is better than me."

Little Wang exclaimed in admiration, pointing at Hu Xiaohua darting around the room: "Mom, look! Uncle Hu is like a whirlwind! How can he run so fast? And with all that alcohol, won\'t he get sick?"

Chen Meilan sighed softly; this worried her too.

Doing business in the 90s meant drinking and competing for money - she couldn\'t change this, at least not now. She could only accept it.

With over forty distributors across eight tables, it was like clearing game levels. Hu Xiaohua held his wine cup, toasting table by table, addressing everyone as "Director X" or "Brother X," kneeling on one knee before each person and downing three cups.

He was actually quite clever - he didn\'t drink much, using tricks to dispose of most of the alcohol, but he was smooth with words. One moment he\'d compliment a pot-bellied distributor on his good looks, saying his round belly contained the universe; the next moment, he\'d point to a distributor with a wine-flushed nose and say he was glowing with imminent prosperity.

Finally meeting a female distributor, a plain-looking middle-aged woman in her forties, he acted as if blind to her appearance, continuously praising her as the most beautiful woman he\'d ever seen. He asked if she was married, and upon hearing her son was about to get married, he immediately began beating his chest in mock despair: "Sister, I regret being born twenty years too late! If I were twenty years older, I would have chased away all your suitors and married you myself!"

With just that line, the female distributor pulled twenty thousand yuan from her bag and slapped it right on Hu Xiaohua\'s head.

She then drank three cups, drawing cheers from the entire room.

Not only was Little Wang impressed and Xiong Dapao amazed, but even Yan Zhao quietly sighed and nodded in approval.

Hu Xiaohua wasn\'t just a sales genius - he was a walking harvester, a human money-printing machine. Every table he visited, he emptied the businessmen\'s wallets.

After one round, the transaction records had already reached 700,000 yuan, far exceeding the planned target.

Xue Mingfang had never carried so much money before. His hands were heavy with the money bags, his face sweating, his heart pounding.

But Hu Xiaohua wasn\'t satisfied, saying he could still drink and wanted to make another round.

Chen Meilan, worried about his health, had to leave her seat and personally instruct Wang Meng to bring several men to escort him into the private room.

The wrap-up work was left to Xue Mingfang and his team.

This perfect ordering conference exceeded Chen Meilan\'s expectations by a full 200,000 yuan - they would be profitable this quarter!

Hu Xiaohua was drunk, jumping around like a monkey: "Let me out, I can still drink!"

Chen Meilan had strong tea ready, along with a spoon. She closed the private room door and tried to pry open Hu Xiaohua\'s mouth to pour it in: "You\'re already drunk, and the mission is successfully completed. Now drink this tea and throw up the alcohol!"

"I won\'t throw up! Those are all my brothers out there - why should I throw up the drinks they gave me?" Hu Xiaohua howled twice, then looked up to see Chen Meilan and started smiling again: "Sister-in-law, you\'re a good person. If it weren\'t for you, I would have starved to death long ago. I want to drink and make money for you, no matter how much I have to drink."

"Throw up!" Chen Meilan said, trying to force the spoon into his mouth.

Hu Xiaohua was about to have a drunken fit: "I won\'t throw up! I want to drink more, I can make another round!"

Suddenly, he broke free from Wang Meng\'s grip on his arms and tried to rush outside. Fortunately, Yan Zhao quickly stood up and delivered an elbow to Hu Xiaohua\'s forehead, causing him to roll his eyes and collapse into Yan Zhao\'s arms.

Not only did this startle Chen Meilan and draw a cry of surprise from Yu Xiaoqiao, but the children were also frightened: "Dad, why did you hit him?"

"It\'s fine, I only tapped him lightly. He\'ll wake up soon," Yan Zhao explained.

The next moment, he instructed Wang Meng, "Take Hu Xiaohua to the hospital for induced vomiting and intravenous fluids. Keep an eye on him these days and don\'t let him drink anymore."

In the blink of an eye, Hu Xiaohua was carried away by Wang Meng.

Xiong Dapao felt a mix of sympathy and empathy. He turned to Yan Zhao and said, "Boss, the business world is like a battlefield, and the drinking table is where we stab each other. Now you understand why I also want to find a backer and some connections, don\'t you? Business is tough."

Yan Zhao patted Xiong Dapao on the shoulder.

Once, they defended the country by stabbing each other, but merely stabbing wouldn\'t make everyone rich.

Now, drinking is what makes everyone rich. Stabbing is tough, and so is drinking, but that\'s life, and that\'s reality.

The two men fell silent, and Chen Meilan also let out a soft sigh. The children, especially Little Wang, were witnessing the harshness of the business world. She reached out to Little Lang, stroked his little head, and whispered, "You don\'t have to think about doing business in the future. It\'s too hard. Let your brother do it. You... just let me take care of you."

Little Lang and Yuanyuan said in unison, "Brother, take care of Mom too. We won\'t let her do business anymore."

Doing business is too hard.

Little Wang nodded vigorously, "Okay."

He couldn\'t wait to grow up. He wanted to go into business like Hu Xiaohua and make money to support his mother.

At this moment, the dealers in the hall had been persuaded to leave. It was nine-thirty in the evening, and half of the hall\'s lights were turned off. The waiters were cleaning the tables and clearing the trash, leaving a strong smell of alcohol in the air.

Stepping out the door, the two families were about to say their goodbyes.

But just then, Yu Xiaoqiao suddenly said, "Sister-in-law, there\'s something I\'m really curious about. Why is Hu Xiaohua so loyal to you? He just mentioned that you saved his life. What happened?"

This was a business secret, and Xiong Dapao felt that Yu Xiaoqiao\'s question was inappropriate.

Because Hu Xiaohua was indeed a talent. On the battlefield, he could hold off ten thousand enemies with one man.

And Yu Xiaoqiao\'s hidden meaning was that she wanted to poach him.

"Xiaoqiao, you shouldn\'t ask that... Sister-in-law, Xiaoqiao was just joking with you," Xiong Dapao said to both sides.

Chen Meilan, however, seemed to be in a daze as she smiled and said, "Yan Zhao once arrested Hu Xiaohua and took him to the bureau. It was me who saved him. Since I saved him, he\'s naturally loyal to me."

Yu Xiaoqiao opened her mouth wide and sighed, "So that\'s how it was. You saved his life. That\'s wonderful."

Xiong Dapao felt that Yu Xiaoqiao\'s words were a bit off. After getting into the car, he sincerely said, "Xiaoqiao, I\'m about as capable as Hu Xiaohua. I\'m fine with entertaining clients. If you go into business, I\'ll handle the entertaining for you."

Yu Xiaoqiao sat in the passenger seat, pinched Xiong Dapao\'s face, and looked at him with a gaze that was almost doting, saying softly, "But you\'re going to run a paint factory and sell clothes. I still want someone like Hu Xiaohua, someone who is exclusively mine. I can see that with him, I can save half the effort."

Xiong Dapao had only vaguely guessed before, but now he realized, "You want to poach Hu Xiaohua from my sister-in-law? Xiaoqiao, that\'s not right, is it?"

"No, I was just joking. Why would you think that?" Yu Xiaoqiao said with a smile, seeing that Xiong Dapao was a bit angry.

Xiong Dapao said, "Although poaching people in the business world is common, Yan Zhao and I are brothers who have been through life and death. We can\'t poach people from my sister-in-law, okay?"

"Okay," Yu Xiaoqiao obediently replied.

A woman who has left her past behind must find a reliable man.

Xiong Dapao had initially seemed quite reliable, but now, Yu Xiaoqiao was slowly realizing that he wasn\'t so naive. He was quite smart, just having spent too long in the army, which made him straightforward in nature.

A man being too smart wasn\'t necessarily a good thing for a woman like her.

Yu Xiaoqiao let out a soft sigh and said, "Take me home."

They hadn\'t moved in together yet, and Xiong Dapao hadn\'t even kissed Yu Xiaoqiao.

A gentleman sits unmoved, and with a turn of the steering wheel, Xiong Dapao took Yu Xiaoqiao back to her own home.

Leaving them aside, on the other side, Yan Zhao was driving, with Chen Meilan in the passenger seat. The three children had never come home so late before and were already asleep in the back seat.

As he drove, Yan Zhao suddenly said, "That Yu Xiaoqiao is quite a clever woman."

"What do you mean?" Chen Meilan asked.

Although they had been seated at the same table, Yu Xiaoqiao and Yan Zhao hadn\'t sat together, and Chen Meilan hadn\'t seen them talk. Could it be that when she left the room, they had talked about something?

Yan Zhao extended one hand and said, "She said that this hand of mine should have been burned by a misfiring gun, that it was injured, and that it hurts when it touches cold water. She also mentioned knowing an old Chinese medicine doctor with a very good remedy for rheumatism, which, when used as a hand cream for a period of time, could cure this problem."

Seeing that Chen Meilan didn\'t speak, Yan Zhao added, "I do have that problem."

This man was always a workhorse at home, enduring hardships and never complaining. If you looked closely at his right hand, the skin was indeed somewhat mottled, a burn from a misfiring gun. Although it had healed, it still bothered him on rainy days, causing a dull pain that even affected his shooting accuracy on such days.

That\'s why Yu Xiaoqiao, who seemed gentle and definitely not the type to throw herself at men, could still manage to sleep with leaders.

Chen Meilan treated Yan Zhao like a working machine, never caring about his health.

In her eyes, Yan Zhao was made of steel and bronze.

But Yu Xiaoqiao, after just one meeting, would care about Yan Zhao\'s health.

That kind of subtle care, which man wouldn\'t be moved by it?

But she wasn\'t just gentle and caring towards Yan Zhao; she treated any man with money and power the same way. Casting a wide net, she would always catch a big fish who would take her as a confidante.

This was another way of doing business, and it was precisely why she would become so successful in the future.

Yan Zhao still extended that hand, making it clear that he had openly told Chen Meilan about this matter, and it was indeed a problem for him. He wanted Chen Meilan to ask Yu Xiaoqiao for some medicine on his behalf.

If Chen Meilan from her previous life were here, facing a man like Lv Jingyu or Yan Xishan, she would have been angry by now. Men were all the same in her eyes; there were no men who would never cheat. Those who hadn\'t cheated were just not good enough to encounter temptation.

Of course, back then, she had no career, no job, no love for her children, and had to rely on men even if she didn\'t want to.

Now it was different. She had a career, a job, and loved her children. She was completely indifferent to men, so instead of being angry, she even smiled and asked Yan Zhao, "How did I do at work today?"

Yan Zhao, who had been extending his hand, slowly raised his thumb.

He had never expected that not only could Chen Meilan handle clients, but just staying behind the scenes, she could achieve sales of 700,000 yuan. Hu Xiaohua was just an assistant. The retired soldiers were obedient, but Chen Meilan\'s efficient coordination was the key to her managing the entire enterprise as smoothly as silk.

"In a few days, you\'ll be able to find out who that bureau-level official is, right?" Chen Meilan asked again.

Yan Zhao nodded again and withdrew his hand. This time, he didn\'t speak.

This is how it was.

Today, Yu Xiaoqiao, because of Hu Xiaohua\'s strong interpersonal skills, took a liking to him and wanted to poach him.

But it was clear that Hu Xiaohua was extremely loyal to Chen Meilan, so she wanted to know the reason.

Chen Meilan honestly told her that it was because she had saved Hu Xiaohua from the bureau that he was loyal to her.

Yu Xiaoqiao had a bureau-level official as her lover, with whom she had a single-line contact. No one else knew about their relationship. Nowadays, with two pagers and public phones everywhere, such a secret physical relationship was very difficult to uncover.

But as long as Yu Xiaoqiao wanted to use Hu Xiaohua, she would definitely ask that leader to have Hu Xiaohua arrested and then use her own connections to get him out of the bureau.

In and out, it would be another favor.

Hu Xiaohua was currently in a military factory, watched over by a group of retired soldiers, like a mosquito surrounded by machine guns. He wouldn\'t dare to commit crimes again. There was no reason to arrest him.

But he had a long history of crimes. They could use his past to make a case against him.

All of Hu Xiaohua\'s prior criminal records and case files were kept at the Jindong Branch Bureau.

After Yu Xiaoqiao met with that official, if he wanted to deal with Hu Xiaohua, he would definitely need to call Yan Zhao to access Hu Xiaohua\'s records.

So from now on, Yan Zhao could simply wait and see who would take the bait.

Whichever official called him asking for Hu Xiaohua\'s records would undoubtedly be Yu Xiaoqiao\'s lover.

From Zhang Chao to Deputy Director Zheng, Yan Zhao mentally went through the list of bureau leaders, wondering who it could be.

Aliali: 6744813cc4f3f33ac44271f6

This person not only engaged in a money-for-power deal with Yu Xiaoqiao to help her acquire Plot 291, but had also been blocking Yan Zhao\'s promotion all along, keeping him trapped at the Jindong Branch Bureau with no chance of advancement.

...

After returning home, Yan Zhao carried each of the children one by one back to the heated brick bed, and only after settling them did he return to his bedroom to sleep.

Chen Meilan had been working non-stop recently and was particularly busy. She had also just finished her period. Although she was quite eager to be intimate, Yan Zhao could tell she was exhausted, so he gently pushed her away and got himself a separate blanket.

But suddenly, he heard Chen Meilan say: "That time when Yan Xishan fell for the honey trap, it only lasted ten minutes at most."

As an old married couple, Chen Meilan was no longer the shy young bride who would blush at any mention of intimacy. She said this very naturally, without any trace of embarrassment.

But the muscles in Yan Zhao\'s chest suddenly tensed up. He lifted the covers and moved closer, breathing heavily.

He stared at Chen Meilan coldly.

"Do men become less capable when they get older? I\'ve noticed lately you\'ve also..."

Before Chen Meilan could finish her sentence, Yan Zhao, breathing heavily, silenced her with a kiss.