Chapter 701 467: Chen Yuan and Jiang Yuan

Pei Youwen quickly led Zhou Cha to the office. He opened the door for her, then excused himself, leaving the two executives time to talk.

The door clicked shut.

Chen Yuan quickly poured her a cup of tea, his face breaking into a wide, genuine smile. He was sincerely grateful to her from the bottom of his heart.

"Cha, on another business trip? I can't believe you had time to stop by Linzhou. I didn't get a call, so I feel terrible making you come all this way…"

Chen Yuan scratched his head, though he didn't look particularly embarrassed. In fact, he seemed to be feigning modesty after getting his way—now he wouldn't have to make a special trip to Kyoto just to thank her.

Just the day before, he'd been thinking about stopping by to thank Zhou Cha in person when he took the two sisters to meet his family.

It wasn't that he was ungrateful.

To Chen Yuan, Cha was practically an elder. They had known each other for so many years; there was no need for the phony pleasantries he'd use with other executives.

This playful coyness actually made their interactions feel more familiar.

"I figured you were busy. You've been in meetings until now and probably haven't even eaten," Zhou Cha said, a small smile playing on her lips as she sat on the sofa. "You're just like your father. So, not wanting to disturb you, I took the liberty of coming over myself."

"It's fine, I'll eat in a bit. Oh, by the way, Cha, I haven't asked—did your husband have his surgery? Did it go well? How is he doing now?"

Zhou Cha had only mentioned it to him once before; she hadn't expected him to remember.

The sudden question at the start of their conversation took Zhou Cha by surprise for a moment. Then, she looked up and smiled.

"It's done. We got a very well-known specialist from Kyoto. The surgery was a success, and he's resting at home now."

"Then I'll definitely go visit when I have time. I'll bring him some nutritional supplements."

"Oh, don't. Yuan, just the thought is enough to move your husband. You don't need to bring anything. Our relationship doesn't require such formalities. Look at you, you've barely been in the professional world and you're already so smooth. Your dad would be surprised."

"I'm not," Chen Yuan said, a little bashful as he changed the subject. "So, where is this business trip taking you, Cha?"

"I'm heading to Kailin City to oversee a project. There was an accident, and it's been delayed for days. President Jiang wasn't comfortable sending anyone else. I'd just finished dealing with my husband's surgery when he dispatched me."

"That's a lot to handle. It can't be easy working for my dad, Cha."

Zhou Cha waved a dismissive hand. She was long used to such a high-intensity work style.

Coming from a humble background, she had fought hard for many years to make a life in Kyoto, eventually buying her own home and finding a happy marriage. For her, what mattered most was being needed by the company and creating indispensable value. That was the only way she could feel secure.

Being busy wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"But I won't take up any more of your time. I'm actually here for something else."

Zhou Cha smiled at Chen Yuan and picked up the bag she had set aside. She began to rummage through it, speaking in a casual tone as she searched.

"I'm sure you've guessed that I'm here on President Jiang's orders, not just on a simple business trip." She brushed a strand of her short hair from her forehead and said softly, "Congratulations, Yuan. I heard you're getting engaged."

Chen Yuan froze at her words.

"You knew, Cha?"

"Of course. Ah, time flies. I still remember when you transferred to a school in Kyoto. That was the first time we met. In the blink of an eye, years have passed. It feels like no time at all, yet you've gone from a little boy to a grown man, about to start your own family... Life is truly incredible."

"I didn't expect it to be so soon either, but then I met Ningning and Yaoyao…"

Chen Yuan scratched his head.

Then, he watched as Zhou Cha pulled a jewelry box from her bag and set it on the coffee table.

With a CLICK, she opened it.

Instantly, two bracelets of what looked like mutton-fat jade came into view, glowing with a soft luster.

"I don't have much to give you, but I bought this pair of bracelets a few years ago on a business trip to Zhuzhou. I got a good deal on them from a dealer, thanks to being with President Jiang. It's perfect, one for Ningning and one for Yaoyao. Consider it my engagement gift."

"Cha, I absolutely can't accept this—"

Chen Yuan's eyes widened. He immediately tried to refuse, but she just shook her head, cutting him off.

"Hear me out first," Zhou Cha said calmly, pulling out a document. "The gift is secondary. What's truly important is the message your father asked me to deliver. It's something he found difficult to say to you in person."

"What… he has something to tell me?"

"You're about to get engaged. As your biological father, of course he has to think about your future. Yuan, do you remember the last time you were in Kyoto playing ball with him, when you brought up wanting to marry the two Jiang Family girls? Although he seemed very displeased at the time and was critical of your idea, he's actually known about you three all along… for about half a year now, most likely."

Zhou Cha sighed and continued, "He talks tough, but in reality, he's willing to respect your wishes. Whether it's handling the engagement on your behalf or thinking about your future, he's considered everything carefully. Right now, he's come up with two viable options. Listen to them. Either one could solve your current problem once and for all."

"The problem with the marriage?"

"Exactly. While the law here doesn't permit it, there are complete and feasible procedures to make it work. Your father has already had people make arrangements." Zhou Cha produced a document, her eyes fixed on Chen Yuan's. "Huaxia is, after all, a place with traditional values. With our family's influence, your life wouldn't be affected no matter how many wives you take, but the nagging feeling in your own heart is the real issue. So, one option is for you to be assigned overseas to Qatar for one to three years. They permit a man to have multiple wives there. Furthermore, our Mrs. Jiang has very close partnerships with that country; we source a lot of our energy from them. This move would also align with the broader development strategy of our corporate headquarters. As you know, our focus has been on expanding abroad these past few years. The world is a wide-open place for a young man to make his mark. You could say it's a perfect solution that takes care of both your career and your family."

Seeing the shock and deep thought in Chen Yuan's eyes,

Zhou Cha continued, "But going abroad isn't the only option. You're his only son, so I advised him to prepare a backup plan. It can be dangerous overseas; the safety and security can't compare to Huaxia. So, the second option is…"

She took out two more documents and placed them in front of Chen Yuan.

"This one I'm holding is your personal household registration and birth certificate. Date of birth: dawn, on the twentieth day of the first lunar month in the year 2000. Birth hospital, local registration—everything is perfect. The only difference is the name on it: Jiang Yuan."

"Isn't this the household registration my dad produced when I went to school in Kyoto?"

"Correct. And this one on the table is the Qishui County registration your adoptive parents arranged for you after they took you in. Otherwise, you would have been unregistered and unable to attend school there. It also has a detailed birth date and hospital, all without any issues. Normally, this registration should have been canceled at the bureau after he found you. But your father thought it through and decided to keep it active to protect your identity. Now, it's proving to be quite useful."

Chen Yuan was stunned for a moment, then it all clicked. He instantly understood what Zhou Cha was saying—and the true purpose of her visit.

"With these two registrations, you can stay right here in Huaxia and marry both of the Jiang Family sisters under different names and legal identities. Both marriages would be completely legal and above board. Most importantly, in the eyes of the public and the law, both marriages would be legally binding and protected. You wouldn't have to go off to Qatar, a place where you're a complete stranger."

The sudden news left Chen Yuan reeling for a long time.

He'd never imagined.

The very problem he had been agonizing over, the one he couldn't solve, his biological father had already thought through completely and, with his resources, had delivered a perfect solution.

No matter which option he chose, it would solve his main worry: that his marriage wouldn't be factually and legally recognized.

Before this moment,

Yet Jiang Zhengfeng had never mentioned a word of it. He had simply let him struggle on his own, without interfering.

In truth, no one had been treating him like an immature child. For every decision he made and every idea he considered, both Mr. Chen and Jiang Zhengfeng had been thinking things through for him, paving the way. They were waiting until he was truly certain of his own heart, no longer lost in confusion and indecision.

In other words, he had always been enveloped by his family's profound love and acceptance.

After his mind finally caught up and processed all the information, sorting everything into place, Chen Yuan came back to his senses.

"I thought they always considered my idea to be unrealistic…"

"There are many unrealistic ideas in the world. The key is to find what you truly want," Zhou Cha said, smiling gently at him. "Yuan, whatever you decide, all that matters is that you don't regret it in the future. Don't blame yourself for making the wrong choice."

"Is that my dad's advice, or yours, Cha?"

"You already know the answer, so you don't need to ask me."

With that, she gathered the two important household registration documents. She also collected a company headquarters report titled "Proposal and Career Outlook for the Overseas Assignment of Jiang Yuan, Director of the Northern Region, to Qatar." She placed everything into a file folder.

Zhou Cha stood up and picked up her handbag.

She extended a hand, her smile sweet.

"Your engagement is just around the corner. Let me be the first to wish you congratulations."

"Thanks, Cha. I'll walk you out."

Zhou Cha shook her head, looking at Chen Yuan. His eyes were glassy, and it was clear he still hadn't fully processed everything.

"Don't bother. Just stay here and think carefully about what you should do. For your career and your future family, going abroad is the most logical decision. That's all I'll say on the matter."

A moment later.

The CLICK-CLACK of high heels echoed in the hallway.

The elegant and capable figure of Secretary Zhou rounded a corner and vanished from the office building.

The office door remained open.

Chen Yuan leaned against his desk, staring blankly at the file folder on its surface.