Chapter 296 - Lu Boyan was Attacked? (1)
Chapter 296 Lu Boyan was Attacked? (1)
A few days had passed, yet there was still no news from Huinan Bank.
The media’s attention on Fanting Garden’s collapse incident was gradually decreasing, but the consequences of the incident were still present—Lu Enterprises’ stocks had hit an all-time low.
The media had speculated non-stop that if that were to go on, the stakeholders who were temporarily convinced by Lu Boyan would still end up selling their stocks.
Other than being busier than before, Lu Boyan was no different from before. Su Jianan would ask for updates on the loan situation occasionally, and was no longer worried.
Lu Boyan had a solution to fall back on anyway. She might not understand even if he had explained to her in too much detail.
She might as well be focusing on how to solve the problem of looking for Hong Qing instead.
She had to look for someone whose name was unknown, and could only be investigated inconspiciously. Not yet considering the level of difficulty, how to start was already a big problem.
Jiang Shaokai encouraged a downcast Su Jianan, “Think about it, if Kang Ruicheng thought the same as us, since we could not find Hong Qing, then it would be even more impossible for Kang Ruicheng. We still have hope.”
Su Jianan nodded. She could only think that way.
But a strange uneasiness inside her could just not go away.
She was sure that she was not worrying about the company. She did not have to worry, with Lu Boyan being around.
That sense of uneasiness… was from Han Ruoxi’s threat the other day.
Her gut feeling told her that something was not right.
That feeling of uneasiness had inflated to the point that Su Jianan could no longer calm down. After she got home, she tried calling Luo Xiaoxi, and unexpectedly, the call got through.
Luo Xiaoxi spoke right away, “I was about to call you. Don’t you think we have a telepathic connection?”
“…” Su Jianan smiled forcefully, thinking about how she could convey the uneasiness in her heart.
“What’s the matter?” Luo Xiaoxi sensed something odd from Su Jianan’s silence. “Is Lu Enterprises’ situation as bad as what is being claimed online? I’ve always thought that the media was exaggerating. I’m sure Lu Boyan can handle it, right?”
“It’s not that.” Su Jianan told Luo Xiaoxi about everything Han Ruoxi had threatened her with during the cocktail party.
“Pft…” Luo Xiaoxi burst out into laughter after listening. “Has Han Ruoxi’s brain gone haywire? Is she underestimating Lu Boyan or is she underestimating Lu Boyan’s feelings for you? If Lu Boyan would agree to divorce you just for a loan, then blame me for making a wrong judgement about him. I would dig my eyeballs out and stick them at the back of my head for her to see!”
Su Jianan. “…”
Even though Su Jianan was left speechless, it seemed like the Luo Xiaoxi of the past had returned. That was the only good thing which had happened lately.
“But, Jianan—” Luo Xiaoxi said again, “You’re not worrying about this, right? Are you worrying that Han Ruoxi might be up to something more?”
“Yes, but I’m not too sure,” Su Jianan said, “Han Ruoxi is not a brainless woman. If she did not have absolute certainty, she wouldn’t say such things easily.”
“You think that if Han Ruoxi had dared to say it, then she is very sure that she can make you divorce Lu Boyan?”
Su Jianan nodded. “Yes.” That was also why she had been feeling uneasy.
“But, the only thing she could threaten you with, is just Fang Qize’s grant for the loan, isn’t it? Other than that, she has no advantage.” Luo Xiaoxi paused, then said in a serious way, “Listen to me, you just need to do three things, “Reject Han Ruoxi! Make a fool of Han Ruoxi! Make a fool of Han Ruoxi!”
Su Jianan could not help but break into laughter; she felt like her mood had been lifted significantly. She leaned on the sofa, “When exactly are you coming back?”
Luo Xiaoxi started to skirt around, “I’ll be going back in a while.”
Nobody knew how long her “a while” would take.
After ending the call, Su Jianan surfed the net while waiting for Lu Boyan to return, and saw a news report by chance.
“—Huinan Bank has decided not to grant the loan to Lu Enterprises. Would the business empire of the past be facing its end?”
Su Jianan stared at the headlines of the news, and was spacing out on the sofa. The news had hit her too suddenly, to the point that her mind had gone blank, as if someone had withdrawn her soul.
The handphone sitting on the coffee table rang. It was displaying… Han Ruoxi’s number.
Su Jianan picked up the call; a sense of arrogance permeated Han Ruoxi’s voice as she spoke, “Saw the news? Su Jianan, do you still think this is an empty threat?”
Su Jianan collected her disarray of thoughts quickly, “Huinan Bank did not grant the loan. Boyan still has other ways.”
“He told you that?” Han Ruoxi sneered extremely sarcastically. “Heh—”
Su Jianan was alerted instinctively—Han Ruoxi’s laugh was not so simple. She knew what Lu Boyan’s last resort was, and it was not a foolproof method.
“Han Ruoxi…”
Su Jianan was going to clarify further, but Han Ruoxi had interrupted,
“Su Jianan, if you really love Lu Boyan, then you will regret it.”
The call was hung up by Han Ruoxi.
Su Jianan was in an utter state of confusion. The apprehension in her had grown so heavy on her chest that it felt like it was suffocating her.
She could not ask Lu Boyan. He never thought of telling her from the start. Otherwise, he would not have been so mysterious that day.
Ask Shen Yuechuan? That would not work either. Lu Boyan must have given his orders. Shen Yuechuan would not tell her.
Just when she was at a complete loss, Lu Boyan returned.
Lu Boyan realized something was off about Su Jianan, right at the moment when he entered the house. He approached while asking, “What’s the matter?”
“I…”
Su Jianan stuttered; she rapidly searched for an excuse in her mind. Lu Boyan had already seen the webpage displayed on her tablet, and smiled, closing the browser. He said, “Didn’t I tell you? Even if Huinan wouldn’t grant us the loan, I still have other ways.”
‘Other ways—what is the way?’—Su Jianan was about to say it.
But luckily, she swallowed that at the crucial moment.
She must first clarify what was his so-called “way”, then decide what to do next.
She could not let Lu Boyan take the risk.
“Why are you frowning again?” Lu Boyan soothed her brows with his finger. “Smile.”
Su Jianan forced a smile. Lu Boyan took her into his embrace. “Trust me. It will be ok.”
“OK,” Su Jianan said grimly.
Even if something was bound to happen, she would not allow bad things to happen!
The next day, Lu Boyan had woken up early. Su Jianan had grown sensitive in that period, so she would wake up as long as she sensed some movement from Lu Boyan. Lu Boyan laid a kiss in between her brows. “It’s still early. Sleep for a while longer.”
Su Jianan pulled his sleeves and asked, “Are you going to the company?”
“Huinan Bank did not grant the loan, so I have to think of other ways.” Lu Boyan said, “I want to get to the company soon today.”
Su Jianan let go, then went on to prepare Lu Boyan’s clothes while he was washing up. Before he left, she tiptoed and left a kiss on his lips. “All the best, hubby!”
Lu Boyan brushed her hair, and went downstairs.
Su Jianan ran back to the window in her room, and saw Lu Boyan appear shortly after.
Before getting in the car, Lu Boyan seemed to have sensed something, and suddenly looked back up—Su Jianan came into his view again.
Su Jianan was waving to him; he smiled, then got in the car and left.
Su Jianan watched as Lu Boyan’s car drove away. She was thinking—Lu Boyan noticing her previously at the company could be explained by the short distance. Yet at that moment, it was about a 100 meters from the main entrance to the room, how did Lu Boyan notice her?
Or could it be… Lu Boyan knew her that well?
She suddenly felt a chill down her spine, and decidedly returned to the warm bed.
In the following days, Lu Boyan became increasingly busy. He was out handling business until late nights, and could not even return home on certain days. In order to save time, he stayed in the office or a condominium downtown overnight. Su Jianan would send him breakfast on the following day.
He became skinnier quickly. Even though he was still as charismatic as before, the lethargy on his face had grown increasingly apparent.
There were people who started speculating whether Lu Boyan would give up on his years of hard work and sell the company’s stocks in parts, in order to shirk liability.
Only Su Jianan knew: he would not.
Lu Boyan had put in more blood, sweat and tears than anyone could imagine, for Lu Enterprises to turn from a small company to a business empire. He would definitely never give up—especially in a battle with Kang Ruicheng.
Furthermore, he still had to reinstate justice to the Chief Financial Officer and the few finance executives.
A month later, a bit more than 20 days had passed in a flash. Lu Enterprises’ situation did not seem to have improved one bit. Apart from the CEO’s office, the rest of the departments in the office were emanating with an air of anxiety.
Lu Boyan personally drafted an email, promising that he would not be retrenching or docking salaries, and he would lead everyone through that crisis.
With every employee receiving that email, it had firmly reassured everyone. Lu Enterprises gradually regained the vitality of its former days.
But very quickly, the last straw that would break Lu Enterprises would abruptly come out of nowhere.
After a series of police investigations, Lu Enterprises was declared as the responsible party in the Fanting Garden collapse incident, and had to take full responsibility including the casualties.
The tainted reputation of an unscrupulous developer had been confirmed. It would be even harder for the apartments to be sold. Lu Enterprises was once again facing financial difficulties.
Lu Boyan had been so busy he had not gone home in three days. Su Jianan could only go visit him after working hours, and accompany him for a meal. Then he would have to return to dealing with his mountain of problems.
The media journalists had been incited once again. They kept surrounding Lu Enterprises’ office building, intending to interview Lu Boyan, forcing him to explain in person.
Lu Boyan insisted on his initial promise, that he would be holding a press conference after the police investigations were completed.
Su Jianan took a half day leave, rushing from the police station to the company. Lu Boyan was just done changing, about to attend the press conference. Su Jianan held his hand and said, “I’ll go with you.”
Lu Boyan nodded. “But…”
“I know,” Su Jianan smiled as she nodded. “I will let you answer all the questions from the media. I will simply be accompanying you.”
Lu Boyan revealed a faint smile. He brought Su Jianan to the company’s conference hall on the third floor.
The media journalists were already prepared, with their cameras and recording equipment. A few bodyguards and security personnel were already on standby. Once Lu Boyan and Su Jianan appeared together with their hands locked together, the cameras started flashing non-stop.
Lu Boyan released Su Jianan’s hand and walked to the podium, where the journalists bombarded him with questions.
“Mr. Lu, it has been proven that Lu Enterprises is entirely responsible for the collapse. What do you have to say?”
“Mr. Lu, there has been a growing number of requests for refund of the apartments. What do you intend to do?”
“Mr. Lu, you…”
Lu Boyan attended to each question one by one in a succinct manner. He promised that Lu Enterprises would bear all responsibilities, but the investigation on the collapse would not stop.
“Why?” The journalist asked, “Mr. Lu, are you suspecting that the police has not done their investigation thoroughly enough? Are you implying that the police is incompetent?”
Lu Boyan simply said, “The police has yet to find out the true cause of the collapse.”
It meant that the collapse could have an unknown side of the truth.
That triggered a wave of commotion; the media had instantly gone wild, all asking for Lu Boyan to elaborate further.
“Excuses!” An agitated voice suddenly interrupted the journalist’s question. A middle-aged woman stood up rapidly, and looked at Lu Boyan on the stage with seething rage. “All excuses! It is clearly because of your shoddy construction standards that people have died!”
Su Jianan recognized that person immediately. It was the family member of the deceased in the collapse, who had hurt her once.
She was about to remind Lu Boyan before she saw that the family member suddenly snatched a recorder from a journalist, and just like how she had hit on Su Jianan’s forehead that day, she charged forcefully towards Lu Boyan and was hitting him—