Chapter 46
Translator: Aafkee
Proofreader: Tata
A week later.
After the suspension of trading, Bo Da Materials issued a public statement about the major internal board reshuffle.
A number of board members left the company. Xia Yuanbo officially resigned as the company's CEO, leaving the position vacant. And, all major decisions and responsibilities temporarily fell on the shoulders of the vice chairman.
At the same time, Xia Hao ceased to be General Manager of the group and was transferred to a subsidiary, Fibre Optic Coating Branch Office, as an Administrative Manager, while Xia Xuanrou assumed the position of General Manager.
It had been a month or so since the major stakeholders had been arrested for violating the law, but the news remained the talk of the town.
Many have speculated that the reason why Xia Yuanbo was able to admit his crimes so quickly, was that he was sacrificing himself to save the company's reputation while ensuring that his son would not be negatively affected by the scandal, so that he could continue to sit on the company's board in the future.
No one thought that Xia Hao would be demoted from the position of department manager and transferred to a small branch without warning. Instead, the eldest daughter of the Xia family, who had been married for years and had never been active in the business as a member of the Xia family, was given the position of CEO.
The general public had no idea that Xia Yuanbo was having a secret discussion with his wife and daughter in their home when the news of their scandal broke. It was a decision made then.
Before Xia Hao could recover from the shock of knowing that his father was going to jail and his family would be in massive debt, he received his transfer letter from the company through Chief Liu's hands.
Xia Hao read the letter several times. It felt as if the neat rows of words on it were ruining his eyes.
Xia Hao couldn't believe his father, who had always been doting on him, would suddenly make such a decision. His heart fell to the rock bottom—trembling in anger, he said, "Why do I need to transfer?! Why is it my sister?! My sister has no experience in management, at all! She is just a housewife! What kind of joke is this?! Are you saying everything I've contributed to the company is all for nought?!"
"Young Master Xia, given the current situation, I will not beat around the bush. You have not made any significant contributions to the company as a higher-up. None of us are stupid. We can see the results, so there is no need for you to sound so pompous," Chief Liu replied sternly. "This is a decision made by CEO Xia and the board members before he resigned. Everything is clearly written in black and white. Each board member and Miss Xia have signed the agreement. Miss Xia has an exceptional educational background and has already met the board yesterday. She has even gone through a preliminary discussion and planning with the board members, and there is no aspect in which she has done worse than you, Young Master Xia. There will be an assistant to help you pack up your office later on, and a person in charge from the branch office will come here to show you the ropes. CEO Xia wants you to improve yourself at the branch office and work hard earnestly. You'll naturally have your place here in the future."
Xia Hao's face was flushed red with anger. He couldn't control himself and shouted, "I don't believe my dad would agree to have me transferred! What benefits did my sister promise you guys?! Look, a lot of you are turning your backs on us the moment our family is in trouble. I bet you guys are bootlicking my sister because of her husband, am I right?!"
Chief Liu was exhausted both mentally and physically because of the scandal. He was not in the mood nor had the patience to be on the receiving end of Xia Hao's temper. He waved his hand and said, "There's no need for more words, Young Master Xia. We can't have our company without a leader. We'll have to overcome this hurdle no matter what. I hope you can see the whole picture here, just this once."
Xia Hao's glare was filled with fury as Chief Liu left. He aggressively tore the notice in his hands and swept everything off his desk. He stood amid the mess and spaced out for a while before a cold expression flashed across his face.
He grabbed his car key and jacket before leaving the office hurriedly.
It was a Sunday, but Xiao Zhan had an appointment with a few of his business partners at his company. Since Lu Chuiqing had nothing to do at home, he decided to tag along with Xiao Zhan, feeling excited.
Lu Chuiqing was in an excellent mood in the past couple of days. With Bo Da Materials' scandal past them, Xiao Zhan earned quite a lot of money. Unlike many other companies, Zhong Ming Funding was also lucky enough to avoid the crisis, thanks to the good relationship between Xiao Zhan and Fang Jiaming.
It was Lu Chuiqing's first time going to Xiao Zhan's office. It had been more than half a year since they started going out. Lu Chuiqing was no longer overcautious over every little thing. Thinking that only Xiao Zhan's secretary and Manager Yuan knew him in Xiao Zhan's company, there was no reason for him to hide.
Just as they drove into the company's car park, Lu Chuiqing spotted a very eye-catching blue sports car at the corner. It was a car that Lu Chuiqing was highly familiar with.
Lu Chuiqing's good mood disappeared into thin air the instant he saw the car. He pursed his lips unhappily and mumbled with gritted teeth, "...Why is he here again?!"
Lu Chuiqing tried his best to look fierce while glaring at the car, but his appearance made it extremely hard to look intimidating. Lu Chuiqing's expression merely made him look like a poor thing in Xiao Zhan's eyes.
Lu Chuiqing could already see Su Weiyu standing near the front desk before they entered the building, seemingly conversing with the front desk staff.
When Xiao Zhan stepped into the building, it almost seemed like the staff's eyes sparkled, as if she had just found her life saviour. She stood up quickly and said, "My apologies, CEO Xiao. Mr. Su insists on wanting to meet you..."
Su Weiyu turned around and was greeted by the sight of Xiao Zhan and an angry-looking Lu Chuiqing standing beside him with arms crossed in front of his chest. Su Weiyu raised his delicate eyebrow and said unhurriedly, "Mr. Lu, we meet again."
"I don't want to meet you again." Lu Chuiqing didn't want to make a big fuss as they were at Xiao Zhan's company. He walked up towards Su Weiyu and spoke in a low voice, "Su Weiyu, you've been looking for Xiao Zhan over and over again. Just what are you..."
Su Weiyu laughed indifferently, "Don't worry, I'm over Xiao Zhan. I guess, I need to thank you for the Xia family's and my dad's current circumstances."
Lu Chuiqing was stunned momentarily. He glanced at Xiao Zhan before turning back to face Su Weiyu. Lu Chuiqing frowned, "Then, what are you here for?"
"Must we have this discussion while standing in the middle of the lobby?" Su Weiyu glanced at Xiao Zhan. "Why don't we go to Xiao Zhan's office? Although Xiao Zhan forbade me from entering the company, it'll be fine with you here, right? What do you say, Mr Lu?"
Lu Chuiqing hesitated. It did seem like Su Weiyu wouldn't leave unless he got what he wanted. Given how many staff were walking through the lobby, it was not the best place for discussion. He agreed reluctantly, "Fine, 10 minutes."
Xiao Zhan intended for Lu Chuiqing to decide and settle the matter. He would go along with it as long as Lu Chuiqing agreed.
The three arrived at Xiao Zhan's office, tea already prepared by his assistant. Su Weiyu sat on the sofa, put one leg over the other, and began sipping his tea, "The reason why I'm looking for Xiao Zhan this time is to borrow money."
Lu Chuiqing was surprised, "Borrow money? Why?"
The expression on Xiao Zhan, who was sitting next to Lu Chuiqing, remained unchanged. "You shouldn't be lacking money," he stated calmly.
"That was before." Su Weiyu caressed his wristwatch, which was not from an expensive brand, and responded grudgingly. "It isn't like I was earning a lot from that small company of mine. I've also spent quite a lot of money trying to expand my network these past couple of years, and my company hasn't been working on any projects. It has been like this for a while now. I need to spend money to look for new projects and build up my network. If this continues, I'll probably have to take out a loan with my car and house."
Lu Chuiqing couldn't help but think it would be best if Su Weiyu used his car as an asset for a loan. He was furious every single time he saw Su Weiyu's car.
Su Weiyu was lost in thought, "I couldn't think of anyone else I could ask other than you, Xiao Zhan."
Xiao Zhan picked up his cup of tea from the table, his eyes downcast. "Ask Xiao-Qing then. He makes all the decisions related to money."
Lu Chuiqing turned his head instantly, shocked that Xiao Zhan would repeat things like this. Previously, Xiao Zhan insinuated that Lu Chuiqing had swayed him through pillow talk. This time, Xiao Zhan was implying that he had complete control of his finances. Lu Chuiqing felt he was given an image of being a vixen.
Su Weiyu supported his head with his hand as he turned towards Lu Chuiqing with a broad smile on his face as he asked, "I see. I didn't expect Mr Lu to be the richest one in this room. Then, Mr Lu, are you willing to give me a hand?"
Lu Chuiqing was speechless. He definitely did not have money. All of his savings were probably not even enough to buy the engine of Su Weiyu's car!
"...How much do you want to borrow?"
Su Weiyu signalled with two fingers and waved, "At least 20 million. That amount is nothing to Xiao Zhan, isn't it?"
"That's not the point. The point is whether you can return it," Lu Chuiqing said. "You want to borrow money? Sure. What are you going to do with this sum of money? When are you going to return it? How are you returning it? How is the interest calculated? Are you borrowing this sum of money as a person or as a business? Do you have a guarantor, and who? We must have a legal contract in place."
Just as Su Weiyu was about to answer, a series of anxious knocks sounded on Xiao Zhan's office door.
Xiao Zhan's secretary opened the door and said anxiously, "CEO Xiao! Someone is making a ruckus downstairs! It's Xia Hao! He insists on meeting you and even tries to force his way in! The security has been alerted to stop him. Shall we call the police?!"
Lu Chuiqing stood up in shock.
Su Weiyu also seemed to be stunned by the sudden news. He lifted his head and looked at Xiao Zhan. Xian Zhan's gaze turned cold as he spoke, "There's no need to stop him. Let him up."
The secretary hesitated for a moment but followed Xiao Zhan's instructions anyway. He quickly called the front desk via his phone.
Lu Chuiqing grabbed Xiao Zhan's arm anxiously and said nervously, "Maybe we should call the police, Xiao Zhan. I suspect he has nothing else to lose. What if he..."
Xiao Zhan caressed Lu Chuiqing's back and said, "It'll be fine. Don't worry."
Before long, a series of angry footsteps can be heard from outside the door. Xia Hao pushed the slightly opened door open and walked into the office with big steps—his face filled with evident fury. Xia Hao rushed and reached towards Xiao Zhan, wanting to grab his collar.
The two security guards stayed behind Xia Hao, ready to take action in case he did anything funny. Realising what Xia Hao was about to do, the security guards quickly rushed to stop him. Xiao Zhan stood on the spot without even flinching, his expression indifferent and cold, as if he was merely watching a clown.
Xia Hao broke free from the security guards. His face was distorted with anger, "Xiao Zhan! You planned this whole thing, didn't you?!"
Xiao Zhang chuckled, but there was no hint of warmth in his voice. "You've been through quite a bit, Xia Hao. Have you not learnt how to restrain yourself?"
Xia Hao reacted as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, "Restrain myself?" He covered his face and let out a laugh, "With the disrespect you're showing me, you're asking me to restrain myself?! Xiao Zhan, this is all your doing, isn't it?! You've been targeting my family's company for a long time. You must be planning to take revenge on me! I'll find evidence, you..."
Xia Hao's voice stopped abruptly. It was because he had just realised Su Weiyu was sitting on the sofa.
Xia Hao stared blankly at Su Weiyu for a while before he spoke with a broken voice, "Su Weiyu, why are you here...?"
Xia Hao's expression changed all of a sudden before he continued to mumble to himself, "I got it... I understand now... Su Weiyu... Su Weiyu! I see how it is now... It was you all along! You cunning bitch! So, the reason why you broke off from me entirely in September was because of this! Your dad is the higher management of Zheng Shuo, and you must have collaborated with Xiao Zhan to take revenge on me. Not only can you destroy my family, but you can even help Xiao Zhan earn this black money! You shameless bitch! You fucking slut!"
Su Weiyu watched Xia Hao coldly and stood up in the end unhurriedly. He walked and stopped in front of Xia Hao, completely unaffected by his words. He sighed regrettably, "Xia Hao, it seems like you're not entirely brainless. It was a pity that your family ended up like this, but your dad deserved this."
Xia Hao rushed forward in anger but was immediately restrained by the security guards. He roared uncontrollably at Su Weiyu, "I'll kill you! You bastard!"
Su Weiyu let out a condescending laugh and paid no more mind to Xia Hao. Su Weiyu turned back to face Xiao Zhan and Lu Chuiqing and said, "Contact me if you agree to help with whatever we've discussed just now. I feel disgusted just by breathing in the same air as Xia Hao, so I'll head out first. See you next time."
Xia Hao tried to grab Su Weiyu. Just as he was struggling against the security guards, his handphone fell out of his pocket and dropped onto the floor. Coincidentally, the handphone lit up as someone was calling him.
Xia Hao looked down and froze. It was a call from his sister.
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