BF Chapter 53

The investigation into Xu Ziren’s case progressed very quickly. Since the facts of the crime were clear and the evidence conclusive, in the short span of a month, from his first court appearance to the final sentencing, everything was settled. He received the maximum sentence of seven years.

Zhan Shili accompanied Xu Shen to sit in on the trial. After the verdict was announced, Xu Ziren’s face turned ashen, while Lin Meina covered her face and cried. Neither of the couple showed any trace of their former arrogance.

Xu Shen stood up indifferently and gestured to Zhan Shili: “Let’s go.”

As they walked out of the courthouse, a large crowd of reporters surged forward. Cameras were trained on Xu Shen and microphones were thrust in front of him, asking what he thought of today’s verdict, whether the entire incident was the result of conflict between the brothers and infighting within the family, whether Xu Shiji was gravely ill, and where Zhaoqi would go from here.

Xu Shen looked completely composed as he answered, “I respect the court’s judgment and believe the law to be fair and impartial. Claims of conflict between brothers and family infighting are entirely groundless. Now that something has happened to my Second Brother, as Zhaoqi’s acting chairman, I’ll shoulder more of the family’s responsibilities. As for my father’s health, I hope everyone will refrain from making unfounded speculation and spreading rumors. My father is currently recuperating, and his condition is not as serious as reports outside have made it sound. As for Zhaoqi’s future, I already gave the public an explanation at the press conference after the last shareholders’ meeting. This incident will not affect Zhaoqi, so everyone can rest assured.”

He said everything he had to say in one go, and no matter what the reporters asked after that, he didn’t speak again.

The driver brought the car over. Zhan Shili shielded Xu Shen as they pushed through the crowd to the car, then opened the door for him.

Once they got in, the car immediately pulled away, leaving the persistent crowd of reporters behind.

In the car, Zhan Shili said, “Even though he was sentenced to seven years this time, the Second Young Master will probably appeal. And even if he goes to prison, he’s still a major Zhaoqi shareholder, so he’ll still have opportunities to make trouble for you.”

“Let him.” Xu Shen said unconcernedly, “He couldn’t beat me even when he was outside. What tricks could he possibly pull once he’s inside?”

Zhan Shili asked him, “What’s your next move? To remove the word ‘acting’ in front of ‘chairman’ from your résumé?”

Xu Shen laughed: “That’s not impossible. Let me think about how to do it.”

“The company is going through a troubled period right now,” Zhan Shili reminded him. “Although the share price stabilized for the time being after the shareholders’ meeting, the Silicon issue still hasn’t been resolved, the European asset-sale plan is still underway, and now this has happened with the Second Young Master. It’s best not to make any major changes at a time like this, or you might provoke a backlash from those people on the board. The slightest disturbance could affect the company’s share price again. Better to wait a while and deal with it later.”

Xu Shen instead asked him, “Nic, what are you so worried about?”

“Worried about you,” Zhan Shili said bluntly. “I don’t want you getting into trouble.”

Xu Shen looked into Zhan Shili’s eyes and saw his own reflection in those deep-black pupils. These eyes were always very deceiving.

“Do you mean that?” he asked.

Zhan Shili said, “You think I don’t?”

Xu Shen raised a hand and straightened the slightly crooked knot of his tie, saying softly, “Who knows.”

Zhan Shili caught his hand and wanted to say something, but with the driver still in the car, it wasn’t the right time.

Xu Shen smiled, then said, “I mentioned last time that I wanted to make you the company’s CEO. Still interested?”

Zhan Shili squeezed his palm and replied, “The others probably won’t agree. There’ll be a lot of resistance.”

“As long as you want it,” Xu Shen said, “I’ll figure something out. I’d only been with the company a little over a year and still managed to become acting chairman. You’ve worked diligently for Zhaoqi for so many years. You’re more than qualified to be CEO.”

Under his gaze, Zhan Shili finally nodded: “All right.”

After they returned to the company, Zhan Shili went to assign work to his subordinates, while Xu Shen returned to his office alone.

He had only just sat down when Cai Lihao called. The first thing he asked was: “I heard that Second Young Master Xu got seven years?”

“Yeah.” Xu Shen lounged back in his chair. “And he still wants to appeal, what wishful thinking.”

Cai Lihao chuckled: “There are plenty of our brothers in the correctional facilities. Don’t worry, I’ll have someone take very good care of him. But how far you want that ‘care’ to go is up to you.”

Xu Shen said coldly, “It’d be best if he never came out.”

Cai Lihao asked, “You sure?”

Xu Shen thought for a moment before saying, “There’s no rush for now. Let him keep that dog life of his a little longer. We’ll talk after this storm passes.”

After hanging up, Xu Shen sat up and turned on his computer.

There was a new email in his inbox from ten minutes ago; it was a complete personal profile document of Zhan Shili’s private information.

He had already had Zhan Shili investigated before returning to the Xu Family, but the file in front of him was clearly far more detailed.

Zhan Shili entered an orphanage at seven. At seventeen, with straight As on his secondary school examinations, he received a scholarship from an international charitable foundation to study in the UK. He returned to Hong Kong at twenty-two after completing his master’s degree, then joined Zhaoqi and stayed for eight years, working his way up from an ordinary department employee to special assistant for the chairman of the board.

All of this was already on his résumé, but there were certain things even Xu Shiji had overlooked and never investigated carefully, or rather, simply could not find.

For example, the international charitable foundation that had sponsored Zhan Shili’s studies abroad actually had traces of Zhuosheng among the shareholders behind it.

For example, before Zhan Shili entered the orphanage, both of his parents had died after falling from a building. At the time, Zhuosheng was still only a small company and didn’t even have its current name, but Zhan Shili’s father had been one of its first partners.

The email also included several secretly taken photos of Zhan Shili meeting and talking with someone at the docks. Xu Shen had seen the man before: he was a secretary who was often seen accompanying Zhuosheng’s He Mingzheng.

A message Cai Lihao had just sent came through on his phone: [This stuff wasn’t easy to dig up. I paid a lot of money and had people use some very unconventional methods to get it. Your father definitely didn’t know any of this before.]

Of course Xu Shiji hadn’t known. If Xu Shiji had known Zhan Shili had this kind of connection to Zhuosheng, there was no way he would have kept him by his side as a trusted confidant.

Xu Shen was silent for a moment then moved the mouse to the upper-right corner of the email, paused, clicking it closed.

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Saturday night was a joyous occasion in the He Family, with a grand banquet and yet another high-profile, extravagant wedding that drew everyone’s attention.

He Mingzheng’s only son, He Wenhui, was getting married. As usual, the entire household had been invited, but Xu Shen was the only one representing the Xu Family at the wedding.

He asked Zhan Shili to accompany him and prepared a generous red envelope. Xu Shiji didn’t get along with He Mingzheng, but Xu Shen still gave the other man plenty of face.

On the way there, Xu Shen casually chatted with Zhan Shili about how He Mingzheng had built his fortune: “I heard He Mingzheng has a very sharp eye for investments. He’s bold too, good at using a small investment to win it big. Several large real estate companies that were once as famous as Zhaoqi were gradually swallowed up by him later on. Zhuosheng was only founded a little over twenty years ago, but now it’s already starting to look like it might surpass Zhaoqi. Especially these past few years, they’ve been competing with Zhaoqi everywhere for resources, territory, and projects, and they win more often than they lose. Tell me, do you think He Mingzheng had some expert advising him?”

Meeting Xu Shen’s smiling gaze, Zhan Shili replied in an ordinary tone: “You believe in that sort of thing?”

Xu Shen said, “Don’t all people of my father’s generation all believe in it? Before doing anything, they have to calculate the feng shui and consult the Eight Trigrams. I heard one of the reasons he was willing to acknowledge me was because he had someone read my birth chart and was told I’d bring him good fortune. Pretty funny.”

Zhan Shili said, “I told you before, you’re lucky.”

“Am I? Then what about you, Nic? Are you lucky?” There seemed to be some implication in Xu Shen’s words. “Actually, someone like He Mingzheng is the one who’s truly lucky, isn’t he? He got his start late, but everything went smoothly for him all the way, and whatever he wanted to do worked out. I heard that back when Zhuosheng still wasn’t called Zhuosheng, several partners started from nothing with him. Later, some went overseas and some died, until he was the only one left to grow Zhuosheng to the scale it has today. Should that be called luck and ability reinforcing each other?”

Something seemed to flicker in Zhan Shili’s eyes, difficult to make out in the darkness. He said, “Perhaps.”

Xu Shen smiled and didn’t pursue the subject.

They arrived at the wedding banquet venue before eight o’clock.

He Mingzheng was beaming with delight and personally led people in welcoming the arriving guests outside the venue.

Beside him, the groom He Wenhui was elegant and handsome, very much the image of an accomplished young elite. And by an unfortunate coincidence, Xu Shen and he had both been shortlisted for this year’s selection of Hong Kong’s Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons, so naturally the outside world made plenty of comparisons between them.

Xu Shen brought Zhan Shili forward and shook hands with the father and son.

He Mingzheng smiled and asked about Xu Shiji’s health: “I was saying I should go to the hospital and visit Brother Ji, but unfortunately your Xu Family keeps things far too secret. You won’t even let old friends like us pay him a visit.”

Xu Shen said, “Sorry, Uncle He. My dad isn’t well and needs peace and quiet to recuperate, so it isn’t convenient for outsiders to visit. Once he’s feeling a little better, we’ll invite you and the others for tea.”

He Mingzheng smiled: “That works too. Of all Brother Ji’s sons, you’re the best at saying pleasant things. No wonder he let you sit in the acting chairman’s seat at Zhaoqi. Everywhere I go now, people are mentioning your name. Those older brothers of yours are far inferior to you, the younger generation really is formidable.”

Xu Shen pretended not to understand the edges hidden in his words and only said, “As his son, it’s only right that I share my father’s burdens. I’m simply doing what I should.”

After they entered the venue and sat down, Xu Shen suddenly asked Zhan Shili beside him, “What do you think of that He Wenhui?”

Zhan Shili didn’t understand what he meant: “What do I think of him?”

“Haven’t those gossipy reporters been comparing me with him all the time lately?” Xu Shen said. “For that Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons selection, who do you think will get picked, me or him?”

Zhan Shili asked, “You care that much about this?”

Xu Shen said, “I don’t like the feeling of losing, no matter who I lose to.”

Most of the nominees for this selection were athletes, scientists, doctors, and the like. There were also business elites, but among those around the same age and evenly matched in every respect, only Xu Shen and He Wenhui stood out. By convention, only one of the two would probably end up being selected. The title of Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons itself wasn’t anything special, but Xu Shen truly hated losing.

Zhan Shili said, “You have your advantages.”

“What advantages?” Xu Shen asked. “I’m better-looking?”

Zhan Shili’s gaze fell on his vivid, radiant face and lingered for a moment before he said, “That counts too, though this kind of selection doesn’t judge those things.”

Xu Shen laughed: “I knew it.”

Zhan Shili said, “You’re Zhaoqi’s acting chairman, while he’s still only CEO at Zhuosheng. You already have the advantage there. And at the end of the day, Zhaoqi still carries more weight than Zhuosheng, no need to worry.”

“That still doesn’t guarantee anything,” Xu Shen said. “Ideally, I’d just make him lose the right to compete with me.”

Zhan Shili paused, then asked, “What are you planning to do?”

“Nic, help me.” Xu Shen blinked lightly, and a wicked thought popped into his head. “He only just got married. If some kind of sex scandal broke out now, his reputation would be ruined along with it. Find a few pretty girls to seduce him.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhan Shili caught sight of Cai Lihao just entering the venue and said, “Your godbrother came to the wedding too. Haven’t you always left this kind of thing to him before?”

Xu Shen said, “He Mingzheng isn’t someone to mess with. My godbrother still has business dealings with him. If he used something like this against his son and He Mingzheng found out my godbrother was behind it, that wouldn’t be very good, would it? Nic, don’t you know plenty of people outside too? Think of something.”

“Anyway, you’re my person. Even if he finds out, it’ll only mean one more score for him to settle with the Xu Family. I don’t care.”

Whether this was an open scheme or a test, it all depended on whether Zhan Shili chose to take the bait.

Zhan Shili looked at him but said nothing. There was no need for either of them to spell out what the other meant; they already understood perfectly well.

The venue was bustling with noise. The subtle silence between them lasted only a short while before dissipating. Xu Shen looked away and said, “Forget it, I was just joking.”

Cai Lihao came over to their table and greeted Xu Shen. He was now also a Zhaoqi shareholder, so there was no need for them to avoid appearing too close in public. After exchanging a few words, Cai Lihao’s gaze swept toward Zhan Shili. Grinning, he lifted his chin slightly, which counted as greeting him too.

As for the rest, Cai Lihao had no intention of getting involved.

Xu Shen’s attention was diverted when he saw Mr. Lin and his wife arrive with Lin Si’er. He got up and went over to exchange a few pleasantries with them.

Zhan Shili didn’t follow. Cai Lihao sat down beside him directly, glanced toward Xu Shen, who was chatting and laughing easily with the others, and said, “That’s Mr. Lin? This kid Xu Shen knows them too?”

Zhan Shili stared at Xu Shen’s handsome, refined profile as he talked with the others. After a long while, he said flatly, “Mr. Lin and his wife are friends of the boss. The boss introduced them and Miss Lin to Young Master Shen before.”

Cai Lihao caught the implication and laughed: “Is that so? Speaking of which, if Xu Shen could really become the Lin Family’s son-in-law, even those most stubborn old fogeys on Zhaoqi’s board would probably be willing to listen to him afterward. That actually wouldn’t be too bad…”

Zhan Shili withdrew his gaze and stared blankly for a moment at the wineglass on the table in front of him.

The wine had been brought over by a waiter when they first sat down. Beneath the lights, its color appeared deeper, like some kind of facade—one was about to crumble.

This day would’ve come sooner or later; he should have anticipated it long ago.

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t/n: Advance chapters up to ch 68 are up on kofi shop~ ^^ 

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Continue Reading Ch. 54-68: click me <3