"Boss Qi, it's Uncle and Third Uncle coming over," Du Ning's voice echoed through the office as Qi Li spoke. Jiang Hai and Qi Li both froze—what were they doing here?
"Let them in!" Qi Li said after a moment of thought. She winked at Jiang Hai, signaling him to keep an eye on things for a while, then returned to her seat, pretending to review documents. Shortly after, the office door opened, and five people entered.
Jiang Hai recognized all five immediately. The leader was Qi Song, known as Qi Li's uncle—not by blood, but a close relative. Behind him was Qi Yuanlong, Qi Li's Third Uncle, a lazy and gluttonous man. Following them were their sons, Qi Liangcai and Qi Zhengtao, and finally Qi Zhengtao's wife, Lü Si, arguably the only one in Qi Yuanlong's family with a sense for business.
Jiang Hai had seen them before during Chinese New Year, when Qi Song's family had sided with the An family. Now, he wondered what they were doing here. Relaxing his grip on the food he had been holding, he sat on the sofa, observing the group as they approached.
"Hmph, the older they get, the less discipline they have," Qi Li muttered quietly, unbothered by their presence. Qi Song's face darkened—he liked to leverage his seniority to demand respect, but Qi Li didn't flinch.
"Xiao Li, your uncle is here, and you don't even say hello?" Qi Yuanlong said with a smile, attempting to smooth things over. Qi Li's lips curled into a faint sneer, her disdain barely masked.
"Uncle, Third Uncle, you're here for no reason. If you have something to say, just say it. Your niece is very busy," Qi Li replied calmly, resting her chin on her hand.
"Fine, let's get to business. I came to see Jiang Hai—it's been a while—and also to ask why Liangcai's proposal was withheld," Qi Song said, suppressing his irritation at Qi Li's dismissive tone. She chuckled quietly at his effort.
"Thank you for your concern, uncle," Jiang Hai said with a nod and a smile. He knew the inner workings of the Qi family. If Qi Li's father were alive, certain formalities might be expected. Now, he merely observed.
"Now that Jiang Hai is here, I'll answer your second question. Why is Brother Liangcai's proposal being withheld? Simply because we don't have the ability to implement it," Qi Li said seriously, addressing Qi Song.
"Why can't it be implemented? I've already cleared it with customs. It's possible to import it. So why not?" Qi Liangcai demanded angrily, convinced Qi Li was deliberately targeting him.
"Because you can't get that cow," Qi Li replied softly, glancing at Jiang Hai. The mention of the cow immediately piqued Jiang Hai's attention.
"You can't get it? You can get it. This is our Qi family's business—you have to contribute too," Qi Liangcai insisted, glaring at Qi Li.
"Sorry, this isn't the place to yell, and I don't quite understand what you're saying," Jiang Hai interjected, rising from his seat and walking behind Qi Li. He cared deeply about his reputation and would not allow anyone to yell at Qi Li in front of him. Qi Li's hand instinctively grasped his.
"What does this have to do with you? Why are you interfering?" Qi Zhengtao scoffed, seeing Jiang Hai step in. He assumed the man was just there to watch.
"This matter does concern him—the cow you're arguing over belongs to him," Qi Li said with a smile, patting the back of Jiang Hai's hand. The room fell silent. Qi Zhengtao looked embarrassed, Qi Liangcai's eyes darted nervously, Qi Song's face darkened, and Qi Yuanlong appeared speechless. Lü Si kept her head down, hiding her expression.
"Oh, you mean my cow?" Jiang Hai asked, momentarily stunned. He had been discussing the cow without realizing the full context.
"Brother Liangcai and Brother Zhengtao saw that our restaurant's beef was selling extremely well, so they wanted to get involved. However, we own 100% of the shares, have no plans to go public, and aren't facing financial issues. They suggested importing your cattle to raise in China, but it wouldn't meet our restaurant's quality standards. So we need your input," Qi Li explained, smiling at Jiang Hai.
Jiang Hai laughed. He had been wondering why Qi Li hadn't left for the United States after returning. Now it seemed the matter of the cattle had kept her here.
"Since these cattle belong to my brother-in-law, everything is simple. Brother-in-law, I've already handled customs. Your cattle can be shipped directly. We're family—if you eat the meat, we should at least have some soup, right? I don't think my brother-in-law will refuse!" Qi Liangcai said seriously, showing that he no longer considered Jiang Hai an outsider.
"Three words!" Jiang Hai chuckled, holding up three fingers.
"No problem?" Qi Liangcai asked excitedly.
"I can't do it…" Jiang Hai's answer immediately deflated the room's excitement.