Chapter 130: Cao Xiaomin's Suspicions

"Haisheng Supermarket, Tongda Auto Repair, and Qiyuan Hotel are now fully incorporated into Tianrou Investment as wholly-owned subsidiaries!"

"He Tian has also injected an additional two billion RMB in cash!"

"Based on this, the share distribution of Tianrou Investment is reallocated as follows: He Tian, eighty percent; Wang Xinrou, ten percent; Cao Xiaomin, ten percent!"

"Sister Cao, it's just you left now. Please sign!"

In He Tian's office at Tianrou Investment, He Tian, Wang Xinrou, and Cao Xiaomin were holding a meeting. Wang Xinrou had just finished briefing them on all the changes regarding Tianrou Investment. Both He Tian and Wang Xinrou had already signed the agreement; now, only Cao Xiaomin remained.

It had been one week since the great battle against He Jiansheng. During this week, Wang Xinrou had personally overseen the process, finally completing all the necessary paperwork. As of now, Haisheng Supermarket, Tongda Auto Repair, and Qiyuan Hotel were all wholly-owned subsidiaries under Tianrou Investment. Combined with Tianrou Investment's existing thirty percent stake in Mengrou Clothing Group and the new two-billion-RMB cash injection, the total valuation of the company had reached nine billion. With just a few minor adjustments, hitting a market capitalization of over ten billion would be effortless.

"How did I end up getting such a huge bargain for nothing?" Cao Xiaomin murmured.

In reality, however, Cao Xiaomin was not pondering the deal itself. She was thinking about He Tian. She saw too many familiar traits in him—traits that reminded her far too much of the person she thought about every single day. Furthermore, one was named He Tian, and the other He Long. This forced her mind to wander, compelling her to wonder what connection, if any, existed between the two.

He Tian felt a secret, bitter smile forming inside. He was confident in the changes he had made to his appearance, but he had underestimated the terrifying intuition of women, especially those close to him. He keenly sensed Cao Xiaomin's suspicion and began to debate whether he should tell her the truth. What would the consequences be? After all, even though he had been busy lately, he had managed to go on three dates with her.

As time passed, He Tian found himself truly enjoying the tenderness and love Cao Xiaomin showed him. If he told her everything, he couldn't be sure how she would react or what choice she would make. But he was certain of one thing: there was a real risk of losing her. And so, he remained deeply conflicted.

"Manager Cao! At the company's inception, your arrival during our most difficult moments played an immense role in helping us gain a foothold. This share allocation is, in a sense, a reward for you. Of course, this is a non-market action, so it is natural for you to be confused," He Tian said with a smile. "I will be more mindful of this in the future and ensure it doesn't cause you such trouble again."

"Sister Cao, I can't imagine where Tianrou Investment would be right now if you hadn't come to help me," Wang Xinrou added with a smile. "Please sign it. I believe this is the only way to bind a true talent like you to our chariot and allow you to dedicate yourself fully to the future of Tianrou Investment!"

"This is an incredibly generous gift," Cao Xiaomin said with a wry smile. To say she wasn't tempted by the money would be a lie. A nine-billion-market-cap company meant her ten percent share was worth nine hundred million—nearly double the value of her former ten percent stake in Mengrou Clothing Group. Her confusion was natural, yet given her special feelings for He Tian, she harbored a bold suspicion: was He Tian perhaps He Long's brother? If not, he wouldn't be so generous with her. Moreover, she knew He Long had won a significant amount of money, which only deepened her doubts.

"Fine! It seems I have no choice but to sign," Cao Xiaomin said, smiling. "I'll sign it!"

"Haha, Sister Cao, you can't run away now! You'll have to work hard for Tianrou!" Wang Xinrou giggled.

"You little rascal... are you planning to slack off?" Cao Xiaomin asked helplessly. Over time, she had come to understand Wang Xinrou well. She saw her as a promising talent with great potential, though her practical skills were currently lacking. Her business intuition was commendable, but she had much to learn in terms of comprehensive management. Cao Xiaomin had hoped to teach her step by step, but the pressures of the new company left her with no time. She could only provide a basic plan to help Wang Xinrou avoid unnecessary mistakes, which in turn made her own workload even heavier.

"Sister Cao, it’s a case of 'the capable do more'!" Wang Xinrou stuck out her tongue. She knew perfectly well that merging three companies into Tianrou would be a massive undertaking, and life was about to get very, very busy.

"Sigh, it seems I'm destined to be a busy bee," Cao Xiaomin lamented.

"Sister Cao, I’m doing this so I can help you better in the future!" Wang Xinrou promised. She knew that as Tianrou Investment grew, it would become easier to hire high-level talent—something Cao Xiaomin was already doing. This put immense pressure on Wang Xinrou; if she remained mediocre while surrounded by experts, her position as Vice President would become untenable. She felt a sense of urgency to improve her skills. As the saying goes, pressure creates motivation.

"By the way, I’d like to get your opinions on something. I want to take Qiyuan Hotel off the stock market. It’s just a five-star hotel; there’s no need to list it to raise capital, and I don't like our internal finances being public," He Tian said. "We aren't short on cash, and leaving the stock market will actually make us safer."

"A five-star hotel doesn't really need to be listed. That was just something He Jiansheng did for show. However, delisting will cause the overall valuation of the hotel to drop slightly," Wang Xinrou noted.

"Drop in what way? Will the hotel have fewer rooms or will customers stop coming? No. Everything remains the same. How is that a loss?" He Tian smiled slightly. "Without the scrutiny of the stock market, we can control the hotel's development much more easily. I believe a five-star hotel of this scale has great potential, and honestly, Qiyuan Hotel's current market value is inflated."

"Delisting is possible, but we will suffer some losses regardless. In the long run, especially for us at this early stage, the benefits outweigh the costs. It avoids market volatility and allows us to focus on internal integration and long-term planning," Cao Xiaomin said steadily. "I agree to the delisting."

"I agree too!" Wang Xinrou added. "A little loss now is fine; we need to keep our eyes on the long term."

"Then it’s settled. Xinrou, the task of delisting Qiyuan Hotel is yours. Manager Cao, keep an eye on her; it’s a good way for Xinrou to gain experience," He Tian said, looking at Wang Xinrou with a smile.

"No problem," Cao Xiaomin nodded, locking eyes with He Tian.

He Tian and Wang Xinrou left the Sky Building. He Tian almost felt like he was escaping, as he could tell Cao Xiaomin was eager to have a private conversation with him. He was genuinely worried that if they were left alone, he would slip up. How would he explain himself? If Cao Xiaomin got too emotional and stepped down from her role at Tianrou Investment, the whole company would be thrown into chaos. So, he decided to avoid giving her that opportunity for now. He would keep up the charade a little longer.

"Let's go! I'll take you to see Lin Ying," Wang Xinrou said with a smile. "The restaurant has opened! You should go taste their food and do a little inspection—you are the big boss, after all!"

"Hahaha, you haven't told Lin Ying about Tianrou's recent moves, have you?" He Tian laughed. He realized that, before he knew it, he had accumulated quite a few businesses.

"I didn't! It would be too overwhelming for Lin Ying, and I didn't want her to expand blindly," Wang Xinrou said sheepishly. "Actually, Lin Ying told me that after truly managing a restaurant, she realized it wasn't as simple as she thought."

"Having that realization is a sign of progress. I’ve told you before, you are both geniuses, but geniuses need to grow. What you’re showing now is talent, not true strength," He Tian said, patting Wang Xinrou’s head with a smile. "Keep it up, kid. I believe in you!"

"Oh, come on..." Wang Xinrou protested. "Stop touching my hair!"