CHAPTER THREE

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Xiao Bao stumbled down the stairs, yawning widely as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The morning sunlight danced in his eyes, highlighting their beauty as they slowly focused.

"Dad?" he called out, squinting at the figure before him, his vision still blurry.

Meanwhile, Mr. Xiao Ye paced nearby, phone in hand, his voice laced with urgency. "Please, we've invested too much money and energy into this project. You can't just call it off now..." He trailed off as the call dropped, then switched to the other phone, which had been ringing incessantly.

"What is it?!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the room.

"A group of officers has arrived, sir," his PA replied, panic creeping into his voice. "They're ordering us to shut down the refinery and all operations."

"For what?!" he thundered. "Haven't the Japanese partners done enough by closing the other drilling sites there?"

"They claim the land doesn't belong to us, that the documents we have are fabricated," his PA explained.

"I've owned this oil field for decades!" he bellowed, his face reddening. "How dare they show up now, spouting all kinds of trash...!"

His voice rose to a dangerous pitch, and he started coughing violently.

Xiao Bao alarmed, rushed towards his father.

"Father!" he called out, his voice trembling with concern.

"Xiao Bao, did I disturb your rest?"

Xiao Bao rushed to his side, helping him into the chair.

"Please, Father, sit down. What's troubling you? You're frightening me." His eyes welled up with tears, and his lower lip quivered.

"Everything is fin... _hack_... excuse me, son," he wheezed, his chest shaking with another coughing fit. "Khkhkh... forgive me, I'm just a bit... _cough_... under the weather."

"Pa! I'm 19, I'm old enough for you to share your problems," Xiao Bao pouted sadly.

Xiao Fen, his beautiful and intelligent cousin, who was also the CEO of RL Oil operations, rushed in, holding her heels. "Uncle, you won't believe who I just met at the gate!!"

She was three years older than Xiao Bao and had always been like a sister to him.

"Xiao Fen, I made you CEO to oversee the company, not to be my gatekeeper! I have enough staff for that!" Mr. Xiao exclaimed.

"Sister Fen," Xiao Bao called, wiping his eyes while pouting like a kid.

"Uncle, let's put that aside, The person at the gate is..

"Mr. Hei An?" Mr. Xiao's eyes widened in shock as he quickly rose to his feet to bow.

Hei An, the 2nd richest man in the world and a business legend, stood before them.

"How did you get in here, sir?" Mr. Xiao asked, surprised.

Hei An's PA replied, "The door was open, sir."

Hei An ignored formalities and headed to the living room couch. "Have a seat, sir," Fen said as he sat down.

"Not bad," Hei An said, crossing his leg and examining the room at the same time, his eyes scanning the space with interest.

Meanwhile, Xiao Bao tried to recall where he had seen Hei An before. Suddenly, it clicked.

"You're that guy!! You're gay!!" he exclaimed.

Hei An smirked, standing up and walking towards Xiao Bao, who backed away with each step.

"Actually, I'm bisexual," Hei An corrected him, his voice low and smooth. "Which means I'm attracted to both men and women. And speaking of which... I'm here to discuss a proposal with your father. A marriage proposal, to be exact... yours, Xiao Bao."

Xiao Bao's eyes widened in shock as he realized who Hei An was and why he was there. "You mean... you want to marry me?!" he asked, his voice trembling.

"Ehn?!" Mr. Xiao and his son, Xiao Bao, exclaimed in unison, shocked by the sudden proposal.

Xiao Fen's eyes sparkled with interest, "This is getting interesting!"

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