Super Soldier in the City
Chapter 878 - 919: Cao Bin’s Provocation

Chapter 878: Chapter 919: Cao Bin’s Provocation

Ye Yunzhu had a natural childbirth and recovered quickly. She only stayed in the hospital for three days, and since both the baby and she were in good shape, they were discharged and went home.

Ye Yunzhu’s mother stayed behind to take care of her daughter, which spared Li Yifei a lot of worry. Li Yifei really wanted to stay with Ye Yunzhu, but Xu Yingying happened to be away from home at that time, so he needed to take this opportunity to take care of many matters; otherwise, Xu Yingying’s return would bring some unnecessary trouble.

Li Yifei’s idea was a good one, but just that morning, after meeting with Secretary Song Zhentao of the Municipal Committee and presenting the approval document, Song Zhentao immediately expressed strong support.

It seemed like Li Yifei was just trying to get a foothold in Mile City without any substantial benefits. But it also meant that Li Yifei was planning to set down roots there—or at least, Mile City would be a focus area for him—which would be highly beneficial for the economic development of Mile City. Large amounts of capital would pour in, solving many people’s employment issues and definitely helping Song Zhentao’s political achievements.

Song Zhentao even suggested that the government could step in to assist Li Yifei with the demolition, as all these actions required some legal procedures. Additionally, regarding compensation, matters would be much more convenient if handled by the government rather than Li Yifei himself.

Of course, Li Yifei couldn’t ask for more. Handling these issues himself would require a massive amount of time and energy. He wasn’t worried about the money and instructed Song Zhentao that there mustn’t be any conflicts arising from compensation matters.

Song Zhentao smiled at Li Yifei and said, "Bro, when it comes to demolition, there’s often a lot of grievances against the government side, but those are usually generated by developers who cause major conflicts. When the government takes charge of demolitions, they are certainly done through negotiation. Nowadays, any department leader who tries to enforce demolitions is digging his own grave. As soon as they push too hard, it’s easy for them to be taken down."

"Heh, Secretary Song, are you protecting the government’s image here?"

Song Zhentao shook his head and replied, "It’s not just about preserving an image, but some things are not as simple as you imagine. When it comes to demolition, some people will take this as an opportunity to make outrageous demands, asking for prices that are sky-high. For example, the standard rate may stipulate five thousand per square meter, and most will accept that, but imagine someone demanding twenty thousand per square meter, refusing to let you demolish if you don’t comply. How do you deal with that? No one can accept such terms. Demolitions are becoming increasingly difficult."

Li Yifei frowned slightly and said, "It really is troublesome when you encounter this."

"Exactly, depending on the perspective, the view of the problem differs. The toughest part regarding your plot of land would probably be the Steelmaking Plant. Think about it, in Mile City, they were only able to build that one steelmaking plant. If it weren’t for some connections, they wouldn’t have been able to build it at all. It’s only under recent environmental pressures that they’ve halted operations. I’m just worried they’re going to make exorbitant demands."

Li Yifei nodded and responded, "You start the negotiations and carry out an evaluation. I want the most accurate valuation. If their demands are reasonable, I’ll agree to them. But if they are asking for too much, then I’ll deal with it."

"Alright, it’s settled then."

After the conversation with Song Zhentao, just as Li Yifei was about to handle some other matters, his phone rang. To his surprise, it was Xu Yingying.

"Hello, I’ve just landed. Come pick me up at the airport."

"Ah? You’re back?" Li Yifei asked in surprise.

"What, you don’t want me back?"

"No, no, I’m on my way."

Li Yifei hung up the phone and hurried to the airport, but he was a bit puzzled. Xu Yingying had said she would be out doing market research for over a month, so why had she come back so soon?

Soon after, Xu Yingying emerged, accompanied by that fellow Cao Bin. They were walking shoulder to shoulder, chatting and laughing, which made Li Yifei frown slightly. Although Xu Yingying and Cao Bin weren’t displaying any intimate behavior, Li Yifei still felt uncomfortable.

Xu Yingying’s first research stop had been to visit Cao Bin’s operations. She was very satisfied with the market operations and maintained a good impression of Cao Bin due to their alumni relations.

During the past few days, Cao Bin had escorted Xu Yingying throughout her trip, tending to her meticulously and always with respectful manners. Normally, such a man would indeed be attractive to women, but Cao Bin felt that he couldn’t truly reach the depths of Xu Yingying’s heart; no matter what he did, he wasn’t able to secure that particular favor from his junior sister.

Cao Bin knew Xu Yingying was married, but he hadn’t given up on her. Even sensing that Li Yifei was no ordinary man, he still wanted to win over Xu Yingying for his own benefits. Over the past few days, he had been carefully watching her reactions, trying to find an angle to approach her.

And indeed, through several days of observation, Cao Bin had noticed something. Then, through indirect probing and sharing heart-to-heart talks in the capacity of her senior, he tried to close the gap between them.

Xu Yingying, after her amnesia, always found her relationship with Li Yifei complicated. Although she could talk to He Fangqing about it, since He Fangqing was also connected to Li Yifei, some things weren’t convenient to discuss. Under Cao Bin’s concerned gaze, she shared her inner turmoil with him, hoping for a man’s perspective.

Cao Bin didn’t expect Xu Yingying to have actually forgotten her husband, Li Yifei. He was overjoyed inside, but showed no sign of it. Instead, he put on a surprised expression and said, "You even forgot your own husband?"

Xu Yingying, also frustrated, said, "Yes, it’s so strange. I understand forgetting things, but why can’t I remember him specifically?"

Clearing his throat, Cao Bin suggested, "Yingying, if we’re talking from a psychological standpoint, it might be that you’ve deliberately forgotten him."

"Deliberately? Why? He’s my husband. Why would I want to forget him?"

"The reasons behind it could be complex, but the most likely one is... you don’t acknowledge him as your husband. I know this might sound like I’m driving a wedge between you two, but there’s a good chance that’s the case."

Xu Yingying furrowed her brow and asked, "Really?"

Cao Bin hesitated, then added, "Yingying, I’m not trying to sow discord, but after you woke up, did you truly try to understand this husband of yours?"

Without hesitation, Xu Yingying replied, "I’ve tried to. Everyone around me has mentioned him, saying he treats me very well. My parents really approve of him, and from the time we’ve recently spent together, I feel he’s quite nice, treats me well, and is very capable."

Cao Bin opened his mouth to speak, then shook his head, seeming as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

"Brother Cao, do you know something?" Xu Yingying’s eyebrows knitted together.

"Yingying, I really don’t want to say it... It’s better if you find out for yourself, or else you’ll end up blaming me."

"What do you mean? If there’s something you can’t say, and if I find out from someone else, then I’ll really blame you."

"Alright then, I’ll speak... Actually, your husband is quite nice, but he is... quite a playboy."

Xu Yingying frowned but replied calmly, "I’m aware of that too, but those are things from his past. I’ve accepted his daughter, and we’ve already talked openly about his relationship with Michelle; he hasn’t tried to hide it from me."

"I think it’s not just those two. As far as I know, his relationships with several other women are unclear, such as with Su Yiyi, Chu Xiaoyao, and even the Deputy County Head, Ye Yunzhu. I’ve heard that the child in Mayor Ye’s belly is his."

"What? How do you know all of this?" Xu Yingying’s eyes widened with surprise.

Cao Bin was startled by how much he had revealed, sensing something might be off, but then sighed deeply, "Yingying, don’t be mad at me, but I’ve always liked you. I was heartbroken when I saw you married. I meant to just be your friend, but that time on the cruise, I saw you two with those girls, all of them acting intimately with him. It looked off to me. You might be blinded by being so involved, so I couldn’t help but investigate secretly, and that’s how I found out about their relationships. Please don’t hold it against me."

There were flaws in Cao Bin’s performance; the usually keen Xu Yingying might have caught them, but she was utterly shocked by his words. Thinking back on her awakening, living on the penthouse floor, everyone taking care of her, and Ye Yunzhu with her pregnant belly living there too—if these women had no relation to Li Yifei, why would they all be there?

"Ah!" Xu Yingying suddenly covered her forehead, a look of distress on her face.

Cao Bin quickly asked with concern, "Yingying, Yingying, what’s wrong?"

Waving her hand, Xu Yingying replied, "It’s... it’s nothing. Brother Cao, I need some time to think. Please, leave me alone."

After showing concern for a moment longer, Cao Bin finally left. Xu Yingying lay on the bed, immobile for a long time, her expression cycling through anger, rapture, excitement, and silent tears.

The next day, Xu Yingying was back to normal but had decided to return to Mile City. Cao Bin was secretly pleased, thinking that his plan was nearing fruition. With Xu Yingying going back, it seemed likely she might divorce Li Yifei, giving Cao Bin a chance to win her over and smoothly carry out his plans.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.