After Marrying the Officer Chapter 1185 - 1184: What Are You Really After?
Previously on After Marrying the Officer...
Upon stepping through the threshold, Xia Chuyi fixed a frosty gaze on Xia Lianlian. "Whether I choose to bestow something upon another person is entirely my own prerogative to decide," she declared coldly.
"Chuyi!"
"Chuyi!"
Uncle and Aunt Xia cried out in unison the moment their eyes fell upon her.
"However did you manage to return so quickly?" Aunt Xia beamed, her delight evident as she reached out to clasp her niece’s hand.
Bathed in the warmth of her aunt’s excitement, Xia Chuyi returned the smile. "I flew into the Provincial City and took a connecting flight from there."
Aunt Xia sighed at the revelation, "Even so, you must have been traveling through the night to arrive this soon, haven't you?"
Gazing at her with tender concern, she added, "Why don't you head off to get some well-deserved sleep?"
"Yes, Chuyi, listen to her and go rest," Uncle Xia interjected. "I give you my word that I will resolve this entire matter for you."
The mere presence of Xia Chuyi seemed to lend a newfound determination to Uncle Xia’s countenance.
Moved by the evident care of her aunt and uncle, Xia Chuyi felt a glow of appreciation in her chest. "It is quite alright, there is no need for me to rest."
"The issue concerning 'Youwei' is ultimately my own burden to bear, and I would prefer to manage it myself," Xia Chuyi stated with steady composure.
"You..." Aunt Xia began, clearly wanting to protest.
But upon witnessing the unyielding resolve in Xia Chuyi’s eyes, she finally conceded, "Very well, have it your way."
With the discussion with her uncle and aunt concluded, Xia Chuyi turned her attention toward Xia Lianlian.
At that moment, Xia Lianlian was biting her lip, staring back with unabashed hostility.
Ignoring her overt moodiness, Xia Chuyi spoke plainly. "Is it the 'Youwei' branch in Ling County that you are coveting?"
"And why is that?" Xia Chuyi questioned, her voice remaining calm.
"Why? What do you mean why?" retorted Xia Lianlian. "That establishment is an asset of our second branch; is it not only natural that I seek to reclaim what is rightfully ours?"
"An asset of the second branch?" Xia Chuyi let out a dry, mirthless laugh. "You have barely set foot in Ling County for a few days, yet you have certainly been busy gathering quite the portfolio of information."
"However, if you have truly researched so thoroughly, should you not also be aware that this shop has no formal ties to the second branch? It was built from the ground up entirely by my own efforts," Xia Chuyi remarked with biting sarcasm.
"Hmph, and what does it matter if you built it alone?" Xia Lianlian snapped, visibly frustrated by Xia Chuyi's retort. "If you had not secured the initial capital from our second branch and from Uncle, would you have even been in the position to open such a shop?"
"If you were not a member of the second branch, do you honestly think Uncle would have handed you that money?"
"So, to put the matter plainly, the funding for your shop was provided by the second branch and relied entirely upon its influence."
"At the end of the day, this shop belongs to the second branch!" Xia Lianlian insisted with fierce entitlement. "There is nothing improper in my reclaiming it!"
Hearing this, Xia Chuyi was left nearly speechless, amused by the sheer audacity.
"Xia Lianlian, let us be honest—the financial value of a single shop in Ling County surely isn't enough to catch your eye, is it?" Xia Chuyi countered. "Should you not instead clarify whether it is the shop itself you want, or are you actually after 'Youwei'?"
During her journey back to Ling County, Xia Chuyi had already pieced the puzzle together.
Xia Lianlian’s initial return to the county was clearly intended to pressure Uncle Xia into securing an affiliate position for a relative of the Wang family under Xia Chuyi’s name.
Yet, once she arrived, her focus had shifted entirely toward seizing control of the 'Youwei' physical store.
One had to wonder—for someone like Xia Lianlian, who resided in the Capital City, what possible utility could a humble food shop in Ling County hold?