Chapter 33
Gu Xi nodded slightly, her thoughts racing. Given the ruthlessness of the Gu family in Beijing, if her father Gu Changan and Uncle Wei Fangzheng failed this time, her cousin Wei Jinsong would become nothing more than a discarded pawn. But this life was different. She had been reborn. Gu Changan hadn't fallen into their trap, and Uncle Wei was now the favored candidate to take charge in Yunzhou.
Things were no longer going in Gu Wantong's favor. So the Gu family made their next move.
But how had they managed to gain control over her cousin? And more importantly, how was Ji Feiyang involved in all of this? With the Ji family's influence, even if Ji Feiyang had some means to manipulate Wei Jinsong, that didn't mean he could successfully use the incident to coerce Wei Fangzheng into submission. After all, in her previous life, Ji Feiyang had still been a student studying abroad. His family hadn't given him much power at that time.
So what had changed in Beijing?
Gu Xi felt uneasy. Her rebirth had not illuminated the full situation in Beijing. All she could do now was gather clues and piece things together. But one thing was becoming clear—once she met with her uncle, she would need to go to Beijing herself.
She turned toward her father, gripping the warm teacup between her hands. "Dad, I have an idea," she said slowly, "but I'm not sure if I should say it."
"What do you mean?" Gu Changan frowned. "You can tell your father anything."
Gu Xi looked him in the eyes. "I think you should give up the land at Shuangguanqiao."
"What?!" Gu Changan's eyes widened in disbelief. "Did I hear you right?"
"Yes," Gu Xi said again, calm but firm. "I think you should give up the land at Shuangguanqiao."
"My daughter, that land is the whole reason we're even in this mess! The Gu family in Beijing wanted it for themselves, but I refused to hand it over. That land is gold—it's worth a fortune! Why should we just give it up and let them benefit?"
"Dad, please don't get worked up. Just hear me out." Gu Xi sat beside him, her tone gentle but persuasive. "I'm not saying you should hand it over to the Gu family. I'm saying we should sell it—but at a premium."
She leaned forward, voice low and measured. "Shuangguanqiao is in the city center. Its value has only gone up. Just from the demolition payout alone, we should be getting double what we paid. I've run some rough numbers—we acquired that land for around 200 million. If we sell, we need to sell it for no less than 400 million."
Gu Changan froze, looking at her in surprise. Then slowly, admiration replaced the shock in his eyes.
My daughter's getting ruthless. He almost smiled.
"But," he said after a pause, "we could make far more if we developed it ourselves. Reselling it now wouldn't bring in as much."
Gu Xi nodded. "True. Developing real estate would yield more profit. But the capital turnover would take too long. Right now, Fuhua is breathing down our necks, watching every move. That land is a magnet for trouble. Whoever tries to touch it will get burned. Instead of letting it drag us down, why not cash out and focus all our funds on developing the real estate around Haixin?"
She looked at him, her eyes clear. "We'll have control, fewer eyes on us, and faster returns. It's a clean break."
Gu Changan stared at her for a long moment, then finally gave a slow nod. "You've thought this through?"
"I have," Gu Xi replied. "Completely."