Hearing Qiaozhengguo's words, Qiaozhengyuan was so excited that he didn't know what to say. Qiaozhengyuan never expected that his cousin, who had always been at odds with him, would actually lend a helping hand when his family was in trouble. With this one hundred million, Qiaozhengyuan could basically pay off the high-interest loans. The remaining tens of millions, he could slowly raise. This would basically help him get through this crisis.
Qiaozhengyuan, overjoyed, didn't know how to express his feelings and said excitedly, "Brother, thank you."
Qiaozhengguo sneered and said, "Don't be too happy yet. My one hundred million comes with conditions."
Hearing this, Qiaozhengyuan immediately became wary and asked cautiously, "Brother, what are your conditions?"
Qiaozhengguo chuckled and said, "It's not a big deal. My request is simple: hand over the family genealogy to me, and I will lend you this one hundred million as an interest-free loan with no repayment deadline."
The family genealogy is the highest symbol of a family. Only the eldest son has the right to hold the family genealogy. If Qiaozhengyuan handed it over to Qiaozhengguo, wouldn't his family be giving up the status of the eldest son to Qiaozhengguo? Wouldn't his family become a branch family? In the future, when the family paid respects to the ancestors, they would no longer come to his home but would kneel at Qiaozhengguo's home to worship the ancestors.
This would be a great humiliation. Qiaozhengguo not only wanted to disgrace him but also wanted to disgrace his ancestors. If he really agreed to this condition, how could he face his ancestors? How could he tell his descendants about the family's legacy? How could he stand in this world? But if he didn't agree to this condition, how could he pay back the money?
Without Qiaozhengguo's one hundred million, Qiaoyu's three hundred million shortfall could not be filled. Part of Qiaoyu's money was borrowed from the bank, and part was borrowed from high-interest lenders. Qiaozhengyuan used his connections to suppress the matter and repay the bank slowly.
However, for the external loans, even as the Party Secretary, Qiaozhengyuan couldn't stop the creditors from demanding repayment. The loan agreements and signatures on paper were real and couldn't be faked. If the creditors sued Qiaoyu in court, even Qiaozhengyuan would be helpless.
Recently, the old mayor of Donghai City retired, and the person Qiaozhengyuan wanted to promote was not promoted. Instead, a new mayor was appointed from outside.
This new mayor was a restless person. Several incidents had given him the upper hand, and he had lured away many leading cadres from Qiaozhengyuan's side. One of the high-ranking cadres who defected to the mayor was the Public Security Bureau Chief, Chen Liangtong, which put Qiaozhengyuan in a very difficult position.
Qiaozhengyuan used his personal connections and tried every possible way to delay the debt collection for two months. But as time passed, Qiaozhengyuan still hadn't found a good solution. Once the deadline arrived, Qiaoyu would definitely be sued by the creditors.
Such a huge debt would not only ruin Qiaoyu's life but could also implicate Qiaozhengyuan. Recently, everything the new mayor had done seemed to be targeting Qiaozhengyuan. Qiaozhengyuan was already on high alert. If the new mayor used Qiaoyu's debt to make trouble, it might really affect his political career, as the new mayor was said to have a very special background.
Qiaozhengyuan thought sadly, "Do I really have to betray my ancestors to save Qiaoyu's future and my political career?"
Seeing Qiaozhengyuan's changing expressions, Qiaozhengguo said arrogantly, "Cousin, don't rush. You can think about it slowly. This is a voluntary matter. I will never force you. Whenever you decide, just come to me. I'm always available." He then made a gesture inviting Qiaozhengyuan to leave.
The Qiao family, as an official family, had all its descendants enter the political arena with the help of their elders. Back then, Qiaozhengyuan's father, as the most outstanding descendant, received full support from the family. Qiaozhengguo's father, who believed he was more capable, was neglected. Later, they had another conflict, and Qiaozhengguo's father was completely defeated. Everyone in the family thought Qiaozhengguo was at fault.
Qiaozhengguo's father realized that he was insignificant in the family. The entire family supported his cousin, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't surpass him. So, Qiaozhengguo's father left the political arena and entered the business world, relying on his own efforts to build his current empire.
Therefore, Qiaozhengguo's father always wanted to take revenge on the family. The best way to do so was to openly buy the genealogy from the eldest son and place it in his own home. In the future, his branch would become the main line of the family, and all the descendants would support his branch.
Qiaozhengguo's father wanted to see the expressions of those who supported Qiaozhengyuan's father when he held the genealogy.
Leaving Qiaozhengguo's office, Qiaozhengyuan was extremely angry. He clearly knew the feud between the two families. Qiaozhengguo's actions were a clear slap in the face, not only to him but also to his father and the elders who supported his father. No matter what, he could not do this, even if it meant the end of his political career.
Qiaozhengyuan had already made the worst-case scenario plan. If he couldn't find the goods from Hailong and couldn't borrow money, he would have to abandon Qiaoyu, despite the scolding from his father, and prepare for the mayor's next wave of attacks. After all, he had been a clean official for so many years, and he could still serve the people of Donghai City and protect his family, even if he couldn't advance further. This would fulfill his duty and not betray the family's expectations.
When he returned home, Qiaozhengyuan told his wife about his thoughts and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Xiaomei. You've suffered so much in the family."
Su Xiaomei, who had been ridiculed by the family for borrowing money from her parents, was not regretful. She held Qiaozhengyuan's hand and said, "Yuan, I'm not suffering. The ridicule from the family is nothing. I feel very content to have married such a great man like you." Qiaozhengyuan's greatest happiness in life was marrying Su Xiaomei. He was not as accomplished or capable as her, but she was willing to follow him. Looking at the other women in her family, none of them had married men who were not better than him.
At that moment, Qiaoyu returned. Seeing Qiaoyu, Qiaozhengyuan felt a surge of anger. All the problems were caused by this unambitious brother. He pulled Qiaoyu into the room and scolded him for over an hour.
After scolding for almost an hour, Qiaozhengyuan's mouth was dry. He sat on the sofa next to Su Xiaomei, took the tea she offered, and drank it in one gulp, angrily slapping his thigh.
Su Xiaomei said, "Yuan, stop scolding. Think about whether there are any other solutions. Otherwise, Qiaoyu's life will be ruined."
Qiaozhengyuan sighed and said, "There's no way. I've borrowed some money from other relatives and friends, but the one hundred million shortfall can't be filled. Do I really have to betray my ancestors and elders to protect my family and my future?"
The thought of handing over the genealogy to Qiaozhengguo made Qiaozhengyuan's face change. As he sighed and tried to think of a solution, his phone suddenly rang.
He looked at the caller ID and saw it was Hailong. A surge of excitement welled up in his heart. He instinctively felt that Hailong might have found something.
He scolded himself for forgetting about Hailong. If he found the goods, all the problems would be solved.
He quickly answered the call and said excitedly, "Brother Hailong, what's up, calling so late?"