The day the Independent Commission Against Corruption came knocking, Xu Shen had gone out that morning to meet an investor. When he returned to the company and had just walked into the first-floor lobby, he ran straight into Xu Ziren coming out of the elevator area.
ICAC officers surrounded him on all sides, escorting him away for investigation.
Xu Ziren’s face was gloomy. The moment he caught sight of Xu Shen, his face abruptly twisted into something savage as he glared at him viciously.
Xu Shen calmly stepped aside to make way, meeting Xu Ziren’s gaze as he made a thumbs-down gesture, his eyes full of provocation and humiliation.
At that moment, he truly saw hatred in Xu Ziren’s eyes, but he didn’t care.
Behind him, Zhan Shili reminded him with a whisper: “Let’s go.”
Zhan Shili and the secretary followed. As the elevator doors closed, Zhan Shili said, “The ICAC probably won’t detain him for long. His lawyer should be able to get him released on bail soon. Hold back for now and don’t confront him head-on, in case he gets desperate and lashes out.”
Xu Shen instead instructed the secretary: “Notify everyone of a meeting.”
This time, he had made up his mind to remove Xu Ziren from office and would no longer give him any possibility of making a comeback.
Zhan Shili was helpless, but didn’t try to persuade him again.
Xu Ziren had been taken directly from his office, and the news quickly spread throughout the company. The moment Xu Shen called for a meeting, everyone guessed what he intended to do.
Xu Shen didn’t beat around the bush and directly proposed removing Xu Ziren from his positions as CEO and director.
One director raised an objection: “The Second Young Master has only been taken away for investigation. We still don’t know what the truth is. Maybe nothing will come of it…”
Xu Shen asked, “Do you believe that? If the ICAC didn’t have solid evidence, would they make such a show of coming to the company to take him away? The sooner we remove him from his positions, the sooner we can restore the company’s image and minimize the losses.”
The other man was rendered speechless by his response. The rest hesitated without stating their positions, but Xu Shen gave them no time to think it over: “Let’s vote.”
On the board, Xu Shen and Xu Ziren each had roughly the same number of supporters, but Xu Shen’s side now had Cai Lihao as an additional vote and had already gained the upper hand. On top of that, today’s incident was a serious one, and several people who supported Xu Ziren cast abstention votes instead. There was no need to even look at the result.
Xu Shen said, “Very good. I’ll arrange for a shareholders’ meeting to be convened as soon as possible to pass this motion and give the public an explanation.”
He then immediately adjourned the meeting and returned to his office.
Zhan Shili followed him in, closed the door behind them, and asked, “Should we go to the hospital and tell the boss about what happened today?”
“No,” Xu Shen leaned back into his chair and answered without thinking. “He had a sudden heart attack last night and was only just resuscitated. Why tell him?”
Zhan Shili said, “Once the Second Young Master leaves the ICAC, he’ll probably go to the hospital too. The boss has refused to see him all this time, but this time might be different.”
“He still has to be able to get in,” Xu Shen’s expression was indifferent. “Going to beg that father of ours at a time like this is useless. It won’t be useful in the future either.”
Zhan Shili asked curiously, “I heard the Eldest Young Mistress went to the UK. Is she willing to come back and testify in court?”
“She’ll do it whether she wants to or not,” Xu Shen said. “If she refuses to cooperate and finish this little show, I can dig her out even if she hides at the ends of the earth. If she wants to stay over there with her daughter and live in peace, she’ll have to finish this job for me first.”
Zhan Shili looked at him for a while, then suddenly laughed, a rare occurrence: “Young Master Shen, you’ve really become the great demon king of the Xu Family now.”
“Great demon king?” Xu Shen found the term rather novel. “Am I?”
“Aren’t you?” Zhan Shili teased him. “Actually, not everyone in the Xu Family has offended you, have they? At the very least, those sisters-in-law and nieces and nephews of yours haven’t. Don’t you feel guilty doing this to them now?”
“Why should I feel guilty?” Xu Shen retorted. “You make it sound as though you have such a conscience yourself.”
He had never considered himself a good person to begin with. No matter who it was or whether they had ever offended him, as long as they could be used, he would use them. Threats and inducements were nothing more than the same few methods; it simply depended on whether the other person knew what was good for them. That was more or less how it was.
As for Zhan Shili, he was clearly cut from the same cloth as Xu Shen, yet still had the nerve to criticize him.
Zhan Shili said, “Those people in your family probably won’t think well of you.”
Xu Shen said indifferently, “They can think whatever they want.”
Zhan Shili let the smile at the corner of his lips fade and got down to business: “The news of Silicon’s bankruptcy has already broken. Zhaoqi has been affected, and its share price has been falling this entire time. With the Second Young Master’s situation on top of that, things will probably become very troublesome from here. You need to be prepared.”
Xu Shen nodded: “That’s why we need to convene an extraordinary general meeting as soon as possible, remove Xu Ziren, and restore the company’s reputation. I’ll announce a few pieces of good news at the shareholders’ meeting too. Hopefully that’ll stabilize the stock price.”
Zhan Shili asked him, “You’re really putting this much effort into the company?”
“Otherwise?” Xu Shen looked at him and said, “Zhaoqi, mine. The Xu Family, mine, I told you long ago, I want everything.”
Zhan Shili was quiet for a moment. Under that gaze of his, he slowly nodded: “Mn.”
They spent the next two days of the weekend together as usual, all the way until Sunday evening, when Zhan Shili drove Xu Shen back to the estate.
“You don’t need to come in,” Xu Shen gestured for him to stop at the entrance. “Go back.”
Zhan Shili said, “The Second Young Master was released on bail this afternoon. Once you go in, he’ll definitely question you. You don’t want me to help?”
“How can you help?” Xu Shen shook his head. “Forget it. If you go in with me, you’ll only get cursed out along with me. Why bother? I can handle it myself.”
As he spoke, he pushed open the car door, only for Zhan Shili to grab his arm again: “You really don’t need me?”
Xu Shen turned back and said to him, “Really, I don’t. Nic, go back.”
Zhan Shili didn’t let go and just stared at him.
Xu Shen actually didn’t need him.
At that moment, Zhan Shili suddenly had a strange intuition—even without him, Xu Shen could still have made it to where he was today. His existence wasn’t as important as he had made it out to be.
Xu Shen’s displays of weakness and affection in front of him had always only been momentary whims, nothing more.
After a moment of awkward silence, Zhan Shili let go: “Then forget it. Go in.”
Xu Shen said, “See you tomorrow.”
Zhan Shili watched him get out and go inside. Only after his figure disappeared did he start the car and leave.
Xu Shen entered the house and ran into Xu Ziren as soon as he stepped inside.
Xu Ziren immediately confronted him: “Why couldn’t I see Father when I went to the hospital this afternoon? What did you do? Where did you hide him?”
A barrage of accusations were thrown at Xu Shen. He stopped without answering right away, looking over the Xu Ziren before him, unshaven, disheveled, his face twisted and wretched, with contempt and disdain written plainly in his eyes.
Xu Ziren had been detained by the ICAC for forty-eight hours and had barely closed his eyes the entire time. His eyes were bloodshot, his expression anxious and bitter; calling him a stray dog that had lost its way wouldn’t even be an exaggeration.
Xu Shen said coldly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Second Brother. Father is still at the hospital. Two days ago he even had a heart attack and had to be rushed in for emergency treatment. Father already said before that he didn’t want to see you. If you couldn’t see him, you should look for the reason in yourself.”
“Don’t go too far!” Xu Ziren shouted harshly. “Do you really think I don’t know? You were the one who had someone report me to the ICAC, weren’t you? You used this exact method against the Ma Family back then, and now you’re using it against your own family. Father really did bring back such a good son!”
Xu Shen had no interest in arguing with him: “Second Brother, if that’s what you think, then so be it. At this point, instead of wasting time here demanding answers from me, you’d be better off hiring a more capable lawyer to fight your case—after all, every year less you spend locked up is a year gained.”
This was Xu Ziren’s Achille’s heel: the batch of fake antiques had never been destroyed and had remained in Huang Minli’s possession, and now the ICAC had already seized them as evidence. Shao Zhenghong’s brother-in-law, who had handled the transaction, had also turned prosecution witness. The evidence that Xu Ziren had bribed a senior government official in exchange for insider information on bidding was irrefutable; even the gods couldn’t save him now.
Xu Ziren glared at him viciously. Lin Meina beside him could no longer suppress her resentment either: “You’re already the company’s acting chairman. Why do you still have to drive Ziren into a dead end like this? We never wronged you. Ever since you came back, we sincerely accepted you into this family. Is this how you repay us?”
Xu Shen gave a mocking laugh: “Second Sister-in-law, what’s the point of saying any of this now? At the end of the day, Second Brother ended up like this because he fell to another woman. If he hadn’t had such an improper relationship with Eldest Sister-in-law, how would she ever have had the chance to keep leverage on him?”
Having redirected the flames of war and left the married couple to settle accounts with each other, Xu Shen went straight upstairs only to run into Xu Zikang at the turn of the staircase, who had apparently been sitting there listening to them the whole time.
Xu Shen ignored him, but as he passed by, Xu Zikang called after him: “When Father brought you back, was your plan from the very beginning to take everything in this family?”
Xu Shen stopped and cast him a sidelong glance: “You’re not as stupid as I thought.”
“Second Sister-in-law was right about one thing. We never wronged you,” Xu Zikang said, suppressing his anger. “Why do you have to do this?”
Mockery appeared in Xu Shen’s eyes, but at that moment, his gaze turned icy: “Maybe the others didn’t, but Xu Zikang, have you really never wronged me?”
Xu Zikang’s voice abruptly stopped. Meeting that frosty gaze, he vaguely realized something, and guilt surged in him.
Xu Shen said, “Do you really think I forgot what happened when we were children, or that I didn’t hear what you said to those kidnappers back then?”
Xu Zikang’s expression changed drastically.
After saying that, Xu Shen completely ignored him and continued upstairs.
Of course Xu Ziren still wanted to return to the company, but he couldn’t. He was currently under investigation, and even if the board hadn’t removed him, he would still have been required to suspend his duties. Meanwhile, Xu Shen had already acted swiftly and decisively, dismantling the CEO’s office and firing all of Xu Ziren’s trusted people.
As soon as work began on Monday, the dismissal letters arrived right on time.
Fiona packed up her things and went downstairs. In the parking lot, she ran into Zhan Shili returning from outside and called out to him: “Can we talk for a few minutes?”
Zhan Shili looked at her coldly. After a moment, he gestured: “Get in.”
Xu Shen had gone to the hospital that morning and had just returned to the company. As his car entered the parking lot, Zhan Shili’s car left from another direction, the two narrowly missing each other.
The secretary in the front seat spotted it from a distance and remarked, “There seemed to be someone in Assistant Zhan’s car. Why did he just come back just to go out again?”
Xu Shen glanced over and instructed the driver: “Stop.”
He and the secretary got out, then told the driver to follow Zhan Shili’s car: “See where he goes and who’s in the car. Be careful, don’t let him notice.”
Zhan Shili didn’t drive far. After leaving the company, he pulled into a roadside parking space one street ahead and shut off the engine: “Go ahead. What do you want to talk about?”
Fiona turned to question him, “People have been constantly making trouble for me lately, even trying to kill me. I later found out that you told Xu Shiji that Xu Ziren had instructed me to bribe the kidnappers when he was kidnapped? Why are you trying to hurt me?”
Zhan Shili instead asked her, “Don’t you know what you’ve done to warrant this?”
Fiona forced herself to remain calm: “What have I done?”
Zhan Shili had no interest in playing games with her and said directly, “How did Xu Ziren find out about Silicon? He even knew my movements in London down to the very last detail. Who else could’ve told him besides you?”
The woman said angrily, “You were the one who treated me unjustly first, so I only returned the favor. You forced me into it…”
“I was only acting according to the big boss’s instructions.” Zhan Shili interrupted. “The big boss thinks your ambitions have gotten too large and that you no longer know your place. You and I are both nothing more than pieces he planted inside Zhaoqi. Do you really think that because you climbed into the big boss’s bed, he would treat you any differently?”
“I don’t believe it! He wouldn’t treat me like this!” Fiona exclaimed.
Zhan Shili shook his head slightly, unwilling to waste any more words. He took out a check and handed it over, reminding her coolly: “You told Xu Ziren about Silicon ahead of time and nearly ruined the big boss’s plan. The big boss is letting it go and giving you a way out. Be smart, take the money, go abroad, and don’t come back. Otherwise, if you really end up a fugitive one day, there won’t even be anyone to collect your body. Go.”
Fiona didn’t take it, only stared at him. Zhan Shili remained unmoved and set the cheque on the armrest compartment, leaving her to decide for herself.
Half a minute later, the woman picked up the check. Before opening the door, she gave one last sneer: “I’m the one he’s throwing away today, but when the day comes that you no longer have any value to him, you’ll end up the same way. And when it comes to ambition, do you really think yours is any less than mine?”
Zhan Shili said, “Then we’ll see.”
Xu Shen returned to his office, where Cai Lihao was already there, sitting and drinking coffee.
Unless something important was happening, Cai Lihao generally wouldn’t come to Zhaoqi. He had made a special trip over today because he was worried someone might cause trouble and had come to help keep an eye on things.
“Brother Paul, you’re overthinking it. I only fired a few. Those office workers are all soft as dough; what kind of trouble could they possibly make?” Xu Shen leaned back in his chair, glancing at his phone from time to time, somewhat distracted.
Cai Lihao asked, “Then what’s got you so distracted?”
Xu Shen was reluctant to say: “Nothing.”
Cai Lihao said, “Who’d believe that?”
Xu Shen ignored him and sent Zhan Shili a message: [You still haven’t come back to the company?]
The driver’s message came in first, along with a photo taken near the company; it was Fiona getting out of Zhan Shili’s car.
Xu Shen stared at the photo for a while. Zhan Shili’s reply came right after: [Soon.]
Across the desk, Cai Lihao saw Xu Shen frozen in place and called out to him: “Hey!”
Xu Shen snapped out of his daze and turned off the phone.
“What are you looking at so intensely?” Cai Lihao asked.
Xu Shen didn’t explain and only said, “Help me with something.”
Cai Lihao raised an eyebrow: “What?”
“I don’t care what methods you use,” Xu Shen said. “Dig into Nic’s background again, thoroughly this time. I want to know every single one of his social connections. The more detailed, the better.”
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t/n: Advance chapters up to ch 68 are up on kofi shop~ ^^
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