BF Chapter 41

The weekend came afterward. Xu Shen spent two days fooling around at Zhan Shili’s place, and by Sunday evening, the two of them went to the hospital together again.

 

Xu Shiji had just eaten a little something and was leaning wearily against the headboard, unable to muster much interest in anything.

 

Xu Shen sat beside him, making idle conversation for lack of anything better to say, while Zhan Shili stepped outside to take a call.

 

Five minutes later, Zhan Shili returned to the bedside and whispered to Xu Shiji, “Boss, it’s a call from the Philippines. Should you answer it personally or…?”

 

“Put it on speaker,” Xu Shiji said with his eyes closed and brows furrowed, too exhausted to even hold the phone himself.

 

Zhan Shili immediately switched the call to speaker mode.

 

The person on the other end spoke heavily accented Mandarin as he reported to Xu Shiji: “We’ve found a lead on the matter you asked us to investigate. A couple of days ago, we caught one of those kidnappers down in Sulu Province, a man called Brother Scabby. After we beat him up a few times, he confessed that the person who contacted them and arranged the kidnapping was a young woman who called herself Fiona. Medium-length curly hair, big eyes, a mole beneath the left corner of her mouth, very beautiful…”

 

Hearing this, Xu Shen instinctively looked up at Zhan Shili, who was holding the phone, eyebrows twitching slightly.

 

Xu Shiji’s face darkened instantly, gloom settling over his features as the veins stood out prominently on the back of his aged hand—

 

A young woman named Fiona. Beautiful, with a mole near the corner of her mouth. Xu Ziren’s female secretary, the one he was always bringing around with him, fit that description exactly.

 

The man on the phone went on to relay more details the kidnapper had confessed about the abduction. After hanging up, he sent over several videos as evidence of their interrogation.

 

Xu Shiji stared fixedly at the footage for a long time without saying a word, the fury in his eyes almost tangible.

 

Xu Shen and Zhan Shili both chose to remain silent. There was no need for either of them to say anything at a time like this; a carefully placed clue was more than enough.

 

They didn’t linger. After sitting for a while, Xu Shen reminded Xu Shiji to get plenty of rest, then left together with Zhan Shili.

 

Once they were in the car, Xu Shen asked Zhan Shili, “You actually had a plan B all along, didn’t you?”

 

Zhan Shili casually helped him fasten his seatbelt: “Wasn’t all this arranged because you, Young Master Shen, asked me to help?”

 

“Be honest,” Xu Shen said.

 

Zhan Shili leisurely clicked the buckle into place: “Why else would I have gone to so much trouble and risk turning the fake into reality?”

 

Back then, he had deliberately left the cigarette butt at the kidnapping scene so the police would discover the clue and trace the kidnappers to the Philippines. He had known from the beginning that Xu Shiji would never let the matter rest and everything had been calculated for this very day.

 

Xu Shen had asked him to frame Xu Ziren for the kidnapping, but in truth, Zhan Shili had already arranged everything long before that.

 

Xu Shen narrowed his eyes: “Didn’t you say those men never even made it to the Philippines?”

 

“They didn’t,” Zhan Shili said. “The man in the video isn’t one of the real kidnappers. The boss wouldn’t recognize them anyway.”

 

Xu Shen raised a hand and patted Zhan Shili on the chest: “My father really must be going senile, keeping a wolf like you by his side as his confidant.”

 

“For the boss to recognize Young Master Shen and bring you back into the family, I suppose even a wise man can have his moments of foolishness.” Zhan Shili retorted. He calmly leaned away and settled back into his seat, starting the car.

 

Xu Shen couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore. He fished a piece of candy out of the armrest compartment, unwrapped it, and tossed it into his mouth, leaning back in his seat with a thoughtful expression.

 

As for Fiona, had Zhan Shili chosen to make her the scapegoat simply because she was Xu Ziren’s secretary, or was there some other reason?

 

“What are you thinking about?” Zhan Shili asked as he drove.

 

“Nothing much,” Xu Shen answered. “What do you think my father will do next?”

 

Zhan Shili didn’t have any particular thoughts on this: “We’ll see. No matter what he decides, the Second Young Master won’t be getting what he wants now.”

 

Xu Shen agreed, a smile finally appearing on his face.

 

The car stopped at a red light. Zhan Shili turned to ask him, “Still coming back to my place?”

 

Xu Shen reached over and hooked a finger around his tie, winding it once around his finger: “Better not. I haven’t been home for two nights already, and I have work tomorrow. Take me home.”

 

Zhan Shili caught his hand and gave his fingertips a light squeeze: “Suit yourself.”

 

Half an hour later, the car arrived back at the Xu Family estate. Zhan Shili stopped outside the gates instead of driving in.

 

Xu Shen got out. The window rolled down, and as he always did, Xu Shen bent at the waist to look inside, smiling as he tapped a finger against his lips: “Nic, see you. Good night.”

 

Zhan Shili nodded: “Good night.”

 

Xu Shen watched him drive away. He had just turned around when another car pulled up beside him from behind. The rear window lowered, revealing Xu Zikang’s face: “Ah Shen, you didn’t drive? Where are you coming back from? I thought I just saw Nic’s car?”

 

As he spoke, Xu Zikang glanced ahead again, but Zhan Shili’s car was already far down the road.

 

Xu Shen simply opened the door and got into Xu Zikang’s car, telling the driver to head inside.

 

“I went to the hospital to see Dad and happened to run into Mr. Zhan, so I troubled him to be my driver and give me a ride back,” he said in a natural manner.

 

Xu Zikang caught sight of the marks along the side of his neck and hesitantly asked, “You haven’t been home these past two days. Were you at your girlfriend’s place?”

 

“Mn.” Xu Shen nodded casually.

 

After a moment of silence, Xu Zikang suddenly asked again, “Your girlfriend’s name is Nicky?”

 

Xu Shen turned his gaze toward him: “Third Brother, didn’t you already know that?”

 

“…” Xu Zikang looked away and said softly, “It’s nothing. I was just asking.”

 

Xu Shen had no interest in saying anything more; Xu Zikang could think whatever he liked.

 

Two days later, Xu Shen went to the hospital to visit Xu Shiji again.

 

Besides Zhan Shili, there was also a lawyer in the hospital room. After Xu Shen entered, Xu Shiji told Zhan Shili and the lawyer to step outside, leaving Xu Shen alone with him.

 

“Sit,” Xu Shiji gestured.

 

Xu Shen took a seat beside the bed. Xu Shiji wasted no time beating around the bush and asked him directly, “If I make you acting chairman of the company, can you do the job well?”

 

Xu Shen showed a flicker of surprise before answering, “I’m confident I can. I’m only afraid there won’t be many people in the company willing to accept me.”

 

Xu Shiji genuinely appreciated this aspect of Xu Shen’s personality—confident, but not arrogant. Of all his sons, Xu Shen was the one who resembled him the most. Unfortunately, he had been born from the wrong woman. Otherwise, Xu Shiji would never have needed to hesitate this much.

 

“If you do your job well and make money for the company, people will naturally accept you,” Xu Shiji said. “I’m giving you this opportunity. Do you want to give it a try?”

 

Xu Shen thought for a moment, then quickly made up his mind: “I do.”

 

Xu Shiji nodded: “Think it through carefully. Your Second Brother definitely won’t accept this lying down. He’ll try every possible way to deal with you. How you handle him is for you to figure out yourself. I won’t interfere. Let me see what you’re capable of.”

 

“I will do my best,” Xu Shen said.

 

“Good,” Xu Shiji was finally satisfied.

 

Afterwards, Zhan Shili and the lawyer came back inside. With Zhan Shili serving as witness, Xu Shiji signed a letter of authorization prepared by the lawyer, granting Xu Shen the authority to exercise the voting rights attached to his shares and appointing Xu Shen as acting chairman of Zhaoqi’s board of directors.

 

As Zhaoqi’s largest shareholder and chairman of its board, Xu Shiji had the authority to directly appoint an acting chairman without putting the matter to a board vote.

 

Xu Shen accepted the letter of authorization and stared at Xu Shiji’s signature for a moment before lowering his eyes, concealing the ridicule within them.

 

What Xu Shiji had given him was merely the nominal position of acting chairman and the authority to exercise his shareholder rights, not the actual chairmanship of Zhaoqi, nor the shares themselves. These were things Xu Shiji could take back whenever he pleased. Xu Shen was nothing more than a chess piece he was using to maintain control over the company.

 

Still, it was better than nothing.

 

Once everything had been confirmed, Xu Shiji kept the lawyer behind to consult him about another matter. Zhan Shili and Xu Shen left the hospital room together and headed to the terrace at the end of the corridor.

 

“Disappointed?” Zhan Shili asked.

 

Xu Shen’s reaction was mild: “It’s only normal. How could he possibly not keep some backup to guard against me? Anyway, with this authorization in hand, I can at least keep Xu Ziren in check. That’s enough.”

 

“Mn,” Zhan Shili said. “The boss kept the lawyer behind. He’s probably planning to ask about making a will.”

 

Xu Shen asked, “Has he never made one before?”

 

“No,” Zhan Shili explained. “The boss has always been strong-willed and keeps thinking he’ll recover and return to the company. He doesn’t want to make a will this soon because he doesn’t want to admit that he’s old and sick. He’s probably merely asking about it this time too, about how it should be drawn up and whatnot. I imagine he’ll still spend a long time mulling over it.”

 

Xu Shen pointed at his temple: “The more he thinks, the faster his brain will deteriorate. Let him be.”

 

“You really don’t care?” Zhan Shili reminded him. “Once a will is made, changing it won’t be so easy. The boss’s thoughts are difficult to predict. You’re still a long way from having secured victory. There are so many people in the Xu Family, and you’re the only one who doesn’t own any Zhaoqi shares that truly belong to you. Even if the boss leaves you a little more in his will, you still won’t have as much as the others.”

 

Xu Shen suddenly smiled, like a cat that had just stolen some fish: “Haven’t you noticed that fewer and fewer people are coming to visit my dad now? From now on, I decide who gets to see him and who doesn’t. I decide when he dies, or whether he has to keep clinging to life. It doesn’t matter what he writes in his will, if it puts me at a disadvantage, I’ll just turn it into a worthless piece of paper. If I get less than the others, then I’ll just make the people fighting me for it disappear. Xu Zijie is the perfect cautionary tale.”

 

Anyone else might have thought the Xu Shen before them was a madman, but Zhan Shili was cut from the same cloth; all he thought was that the Xu Shen before him was devilishly charming.

 

He said nothing more about it, only telling him, “I’ll bring the lawyer to the company tomorrow. We can read the letter of authorization at the board meeting.”

 

“Wow. A palace coup,” Xu Shen laughed. “I can already imagine the look on my Second Brother’s face.”

 

⋆⋆⋆⋆

 

Xu Ziren came prepared to the board meeting the next day. He had already persuaded several directors to support him, and he was determined to put the motion to elect a new chairman on the table today.

 

The meeting had barely begun, and someone had only just raised the subject when Zhan Shili interrupted: “Everyone knows that the boss has been in poor health and recuperating for more than a year. The position of chairman of the board is of vital importance. The boss feels that his health no longer allows him to carry out all his duties, and he doesn’t want the company to be affected because of it, and has therefore signed a letter of authorization. As for its specific contents, I’ll ask Lawyer Zheng to read it to everyone.”

 

With that, he stood and opened the conference room door, letting the lawyer inside.

 

Xu Ziren’s brows drew together, sensing something was wrong. Nevertheless, he barely managed to force himself to remain composed.

 

The lawyer took out the letter of authorization. After first explaining the document’s legal validity, he quickly read through its contents. Xu Shiji had granted Xu Shen the authority to exercise all rights attached to his 25% shareholding in Zhaoqi and appointed Xu Shen as acting chairman of Zhaoqi’s board of directors for a term of one year.

 

As for what would happen after that year, Xu Shiji was confident that he would have recovered enough to return to the company by then. Even if he hadn’t, a year was more than enough time for him to decide how he would continue keeping Zhaoqi firmly in the palm of his hand.

 

An uproar ensued.

 

The crowd exchanged looks and began whispering among themselves.

 

Xu Ziren’s expression changed drastically as he blurted out, “That’s impossible!”

 

He demanded angrily of Xu Shen, “What exactly did you do to force Father into signing this authorization? How could Father possibly give you the authority to exercise his shareholder rights and make you acting chairman of the company? Has he lost his mind?!”

 

Zhan Shili answered on Xu Shen’s behalf, “Second Young Master, I was present as a witness when the boss signed the letter of authorization. He was completely lucid at the time. If you insist on not believing it, you can go to the hospital yourself and ask the boss whether this was his own decision.”

 

“Spare me that high-sounding nonsense!” Xu Ziren immediately turned his fire on Zhan Shili. “You and this brat are birds of a feather. Who knows how the two of you deceived Father into this? Father hasn’t been right in the head ever since his stroke. I refuse to recognize this authorization!”

 

The lawyer chimed in as well, “Mr. Xu was indeed completely lucid when he signed the letter of authorization. There is a medical assessment from the attending physician to verify this. There are no issues whatsoever regarding the legal validity of this authorization.”

 

One of the directors asked, “This really is Brother Ji’s decision? He wants Young Master Shen to serve as acting chairman?”

 

Zhan Shili explained, “The boss believes that Young Master Shen has both the temperament and ability required to serve as acting chairman. If there are truly matters he cannot decide on his own, the boss will also provide Young Master Shen with guidance. He believes that over the coming year, Young Master Shen will be able to lead Zhaoqi through a smooth and stable transition without disappointing any of you.”

 

Xu Ziren demanded coldly, “And what guarantee do you have of that? How long has he even been with the company? He doesn’t know how most of the business operates. How is he supposed to lead Zhaoqi?”

 

This time, Xu Shen answered for himself, “If there’s something I don’t understand, I’ll learn. I’ll also humbly seek everyone’s advice. The board doesn’t belong to the chairman alone, much less a one-man show. Only by relying on the efforts of every director can we keep Zhaoqi’s ship firmly on course.”

 

Those words struck a chord with quite a few people; who among them didn’t want more of a say in the company? A half-baked acting chairman certainly could give everyone else more opportunities.

 

“Since this is Brother Ji’s decision, then I think we should respect his wishes…”

 

Once the first director voiced his support, a second and then a third followed. The directors who had previously agreed to back Xu Ziren saw which way the wind was blowing and, after some hesitation, all chose to remain silent.

 

Xu Ziren’s expression darkened completely.

 

The matter was settled.

 

Someone suggested, “Since Young Master Shen is the acting chairman now, shouldn’t Young Master Shen be the one chairing this meeting?”

 

The others immediately voiced their agreement.

 

Zhan Shili said as well, “Young Master Shen, please chair the meeting.”

 

Xu Shen glanced at him, and Zhan Shili gave him a slight nod.

 

Xu Shen didn’t decline. He rose and walked toward the chairman’s seat, looking down at Xu Ziren, who was sitting still: “I’ll have to trouble Second Brother to move.”

 

A chill radiated from Xu Ziren’s entire body. After several seconds of stalemate, he threw out, “I’m taking leave,” then got up, stormed out, and slammed the door behind him.

 

Xu Shen paid him no mind. He calmly took his seat at the head of the table, opened the documents in front of him, and gestured to the others: “Let’s begin.”

 

Everyone regained their focus and began discussing serious matters.

 

No one noticed that Xu Zikang’s head was lowered, and that his hand clutching his documents was trembling faintly.

 

The way Xu Shen had looked at Zhan Shili just now seemed particularly different, and even more different was the way Zhan Shili had looked back at him—

 

It was something Xu Zikang had never seen before, his eyes smiling, full of doting affection and quiet indulgence.

 

And at that moment, the person reflected in Zhan Shili’s eyes had been Xu Shen.

 

Only Xu Shen.

 

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t/n: Can’t help it, “your” Zhan Shili just loves our Shen Shen that much.

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