Han Tao frowned and a look of hesitation crossed his features. Chen Meili, on the other hand, felt her heart drop. Her eyes trailed to the complacent smile on Xu Lifen's face and her lips trempled. Xu Lifen was doing this on purpose? But why?
How had she wronged her sister-in-law? Wasn't it already good enough that she had volunteered to carry the babies for she and brother Tao? Now they wanted to move her so faraway. She adjusted herself in Min Yanyu's arms and faced Han Tao. "Brother Tao~"
Watching those pearly tears roll down Chen Meili's cheeks made Han Tao's heart a little uncomfortable. Xu Lifen's words made sense but if Chen Meili was not happy about it then... that's not okay right? Afterall she was pregnant and the emotional state of a mother was very important during pregnancy.
The atmosphere became tense and the Han Madam finally stepped in. ""It's enough." She looked from Chen Meili to Han Tao and finally to He Yuan.
Although she liked Chen Meili very much, what was most important to her were the babies. Those were the future heirs. What if an accident truly happened as Chen Meili used the stairs?
She cleared her throat. "Meili girl, it would be best if you moved to a room downstairs." Han Rong and her daughters turned to her with wide eyes but she raised a hand to silence them. "It's much safer."
Min Yanyu sighed. She didn't want to wrong Chen Meili but she also knew what was important. She hugged Chen Meili tighter and comforted, "Meili, we would have to wrong you once more. Just bear with it for some time."
Knowing the battle was lost, Chen Meili raised her hand to slowly wipe her tears. If she still insisted on remaining in her family wing, then she might come off as unreasonable. How could she let such a thing happen?
She slowly smiled at the Han Madam. "Grandmother, it's alright. I was just very emotional just now. I would do my best to ensure that brother Tao's babies are delivered sa-"
"No need." Han Tao cut in directly and everyone blinked in confusion. He drummed his fingers on the table and offered Chen Meili a reassuring smile. "Just install an elevator."
Han Jiao clapped happily. "Of course! An elevator would solve everything! Cousin Tao, I can see why you're a highly valued policeman. So smart!"
Chen Meili looked to Han Tao with a blush. Brother Tao was willing to install an elevator in the Han mansion just for her sake? Her heart rate shot through the roof.
The Han Madam smiled. "That is also good." An elevator should have been installed a long time ago. Especially considering her own age. The only reason she'd overlooked it was because she hardly left her room and whenever she did, the excercise of walking up and down the stairs was good for her body.
The elevator was decided on and they all looked to Xu Lifen to see if she had anything else to complain about.
He Yuan merely chuckled inwardly. He'd only been trying his luck. Now he was sure that no matter what happened, Han Tao would conveniently look for a way to solve any issue that Chen Meili was dissatisfied with. He directly stood up to leave.
Seeing that Xu Lifen was about to leave, Han Tao called out, "Wait." Then he cleared his throat. "I'd have the servants move your things back to our bedroom later."
The smile on Chen Meili's expression froze but he did not notice. He was only doing this because he felt a little guilty and he didn't want others to think he was treating Chen Meili better than his own wife.
Fu Lan smiled then. "That is very good. A young married couple shouldn't stay apart for too long."
He Yuan didn't say a word and calmly walked away. That was the last time he was ever going to share a meal with the Hans.
Han Tao was a little dissatisfied that his wife hadn't even bothered to acknowledge his words but he didn't show it. He casually looked to his side and caught Chen Meili staring at him with red eyes.
The woman in question quickly lowered her head but it was too late. Han Tao's heart dropped. He felt so guilty for some reason... but why?
The reason he'd asked Xu Lifen to move back in was because he didn't want others to misunderstand and point fingers at Chen Meili, blaming her for causing a rift between him and his wife. The rift between Xu Lifen and him was of Xu Lifen's own doing.
After hesitating for a while more, Han Tao softly said to Chen Meili, "You had to stop work because of this surrogacy."
Everyone else furrowed their brows whilst Chen Meili raised her head and frowned in confusion. "Yes?" She was an ophthalmologist at a top class private hospital but had decided to take a break when she chose to become brother Tao's surrogate.
She'd refused any sort of payment from brother Tao as she was very contented with the opportunity to carry his children.
Seeing that he had her attention again, Han Tao's lips subconsciously arched. "I'll pay you double of your salary until you're able to return to work."
The Hans all blinked in surprise. Chen Meili earned a sizable sum. On the other hand, Chen Meili's eyes widened and she waved her hands. "There's no need brother Tao, I don't lack money. You shouldn't spend so much."
Han Tao raised a brow domineeringly. "You think I can't afford it?"
"Ah?" Chen Meili's expression became an epitome of innocence. "I... Uh..." She lowered her head shyly and completed softly, "Of course brother Tao can afford it."
With Chen Meili's reaction, Han Tao's heart felt infinitely better and all his guilt was washed away by the purity that was the woman before him. He nodded. "It's settled. You'd received twice your salary every month."
Fu Lan frowned at that. The offer was reasonable but for some reason... she eyed her nephew by marriage and Chen Meili... why did she feel something was off here? She shook her head. What could possibly be off with their interaction? Ha. She was getting old.
At that moment, Han Jiao sighed wistfully. "I also want to be pampered like this when I get married."
Chen Meili blushed furiously and eyed Han Tao. When she found that he was looking at her with a somewhat indulgent smile, her blush increased and she turned to glare playfully at Han Jiao. "Don't talk nonsense."
-------------------------
Later that day, Han Tao received an emergency posting to a different jurisdiction for a serious serial killer case and had to leave the state immediately.
With Han Tao gone, He Yuan did not stop the servants from moving Xu Lifen's things back to the master's bedroom.
Things in the Han mansion quietened down a lot with Han Tao's absence and He Yuan's refusal to run into any of the Hans. Chen Meili was moved downstairs temporarily as the preparation for an elevator installation began.
He Yuan's days became relatively peaceful from then. His schedule was; rising at 4 to 5 am to have breakfast before everyone else on the days when he was sick of the hunger relieving pills, spending the day monitoring the stock market with his system accompanying him, looking into the details of opening a flower shop and also looking for a suitable state to move to.
This was most important as he had to take in several factors like a suitable school for the twins, the prices of houses close to these schools and how family friendly they were.
The day was usually ended with himpracticing the martial arts manual and then getting some sleep. Rinse and repeat.
A month and two weeks later, the elevator was successfully installed and Chen Meili was moved back to Han Jinhai's family wing with three servants to cater to her needs. It took another two months for the results of He Yuan first two stock investments to show up.
The day was bright and warm and 888 had his arms crossed with his luxurious silver hair pooling behind him as he watched his host calculate his returns on the bed. "How's it?"
He Yuan poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue before smiling brightly at his system. "Not bad at all. The first company had a big break after going IPO. Their products became a hit within the entertainment industry and all shareholders received a 1000% profit. 1000 percent! That's an amazing stat.
-The second one didn't do as great but was still very good with a 75% profit. Basically, my initial ￥30,000 had risen to a sum total of ￥180,000 minus tax. As for the long term investment of ￥20,000, the income chart is steadily climbing and the company had reached a stable state after a threshold of 500%. We'll see how it goes for the rest of the year."
These numbers were incredibly boring to 888 but his host had such a happy smile that he couldn't help smiling in return.
He Yuan focused on the stock once more. He planned to pool another ￥50,000 to ￥80,000 in investments. Coupled with the one he was expecting at the end of the year, it should be enough to afford a three bedroom two storey house of 100 sqm in a tier 2 city.
As soon as he was done, he eyed the ￥100,000 in Xu Lifen's account in relief. The leaser was no longer dirt broke. The fact that Xu Lifen had been asked to give up her job at the flowers shop after marrying Han Tao but had to depend on the Han family for everything spoke volumes about her relationship with Han Tao.
Two weeks ago, he had realized that Han Tao was paying Chen Meili twice her enormous salary every month and he'd felt the urge to cough blood. Xu Lifen really drew the short end of the stick.
For the next weeks, He Yuan focused on setting up connections for the flower shop. He'd decided to open it in Y city as the city was famous for romance. It was a perfect location for a flower shop to thrive. He got in contact with some local horticulturists and everything was going well.
After spending a total of six months in the jurisdiction he was posted to, Han Tao finally returned to the Han mansion.
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