Chapter 704 - Best Attribute
Meanwhile at a beachside mansion on a sunny afternoon, Li Minghe was seated on the couch closely following the news about Yu Lei’s condition while gloomily listening to a phone call.
“The set-up was perfect, yet you dared to tell me that you weren’t able to get your hands on them. Are they gods? How then are they able to predict your every move?!” Li Minghe gritted his teeth in fury while demanding for an answer.
“I deeply apologize Mr Li. Our team have never met someone like Mr Yang in our whole lives. He seems to control a team of men by his side to nullify anything disadvantageous towards him. However, he has never once initiated a counterattack against our forces. This seems slightly odd given his capabilities.” The man across the line was discontented.
Li Minghe winced his eyes as he continued, “If that’s the case, don’t conduct anything brash at the moment. Backup is on the way.”
“Thank you, Mr Li, for your generosity!”
“Hmph,” he said before ending the call.
He then stood up and looked out the mansion gate. “Yue’er, where do you think you’re going?”
Standing by the gate was Wu Yue, who was close in sneaking out the mansion.
Panicked, Wu Yue stared back at him as she bit her lip. She quickly flung the door open and made a mad dash for the gate.
But before she managed to get to the gate, two heavily armed men immediately sprung up from nowhere to escort her back to the house.
Wu Yue retreated back into the house as she slammed the door shut. Still trembling from the incident, she asked, “Li Minghe, are you trying to imprison me against my will?”
Li Minghe went towards Wu Yue and gently caressed her face. “You are now the mother of my future child. I will make sure to treat you well. Right now the situation outside of where we are is a little unstable. I need you to be by my side, so I can protect you.”
Wu Yue aggressively rebuked, “I’m sick of you giving me appalling excuses. You called for the assassination of Boss Lin and her husband, didn’t you? I won’t let you do that, I’m telling her!”
Li Minghe shook his head as he smiled. “Yue’er, you must really be so naive to think that the two of them had no idea it was me who sent people to murder them. They knew it was me all along, but so what? It doesn’t matter if they die or not. Once the company goes bankrupt, Lin Ruoxi will have to abandon her position as CEO. By hook or by crook, Yu Lei International will fall into my hands.”
“Why would it be you? You’re just an outsider. Even if she resigns, the position is not going to you!”
“Outsider? Haha, it’s about time I revealed my true identity.” Li Minghe pinched Wu Yue by the chin. “Lin Ruoxi is nothing but a child born out of wedlock. She has had her fair share of the limelight, which is already generous given her accidental existence. I will make you see what kind of person she really is. The CEO you respect and love.”
Before Wu Yue could continue, Li Minghe muffled her mouth with his hand.
“Stop it. Anger is bad for the baby.” Li Minghe held her in his arm as he escorted her inside. “Come, I’ll take you upstairs. You should get some rest. I got someone to prepare some food for you. I will do my best in making a healthy meal for this pregnant woman in my arms. All I need you to do is to not worry about things you shouldn’t even be worrying about.”
Wu Yue was distressed but she ultimately couldn’t resist. She eventually did exactly as her man made her do.
After he sent Wu Yue back into her room, Li Minghe went downstairs and heard the main door open.
His soul froze at the instance as he cautiously stared at the uninvited guest, before feeling an inconceivable sense of relief. With a hint of false laughter, he welcomed the guest in.
“May I ask the purpose of your visit, ma’am?” Li Minghe greeted as he walked forward.
In an elegant and graceful attire, Li Minghe was visited by none other than Luo Cuishan.
Luo Cuishan glanced around the interior setting of the mansion. “By staying here I believe you are free from the troubles this has caused you.”
Li Minghe hurriedly followed up. “Thank you for your care, and all the protection that you offered.”
“If you really want to repay my goodwill then make sure there aren’t any loose ends hanging around. I hope that the time I spent nurturing you will not go to waste.” Luo Cuishan side-eyed that man as she strolled around the living room. “I put faith in you because I know you are a more enlightened man than your father was, if you know what I mean.”
Li Minghe saw a change in expression. “I have never once doubted you, ma’am. I’ve always hated Lin Ruoxi. That has been my sole motive since day one. I will not disappoint you.”
Luo Cuishan turned around as she ridiculed, “You know what I respect most about you?”
Li Minghe shook his head.
“Your hypocrisy.” Luo Cuishan sneered, “You really think I’d believe that you don’t hate me? I’m aware if given the opportunity you wouldn’t hesitate to put me six feet under. But do you know what your best attribute is? You have a strong perspective towards superficial achievements, and you would risk everything to obtain those. Your morality means nothing in front of money and power, isn’t that right?”
Li Minghe’s facial expression went stiff as he forced an atrociously ingenuine smile. “You are absolutely right.”
“Haha,” Luo Cuishan sinisterly chuckled. “So how’s the situation over at Yu Lei at the moment?”
Li Minghe quickly organized his emotions as he solemnly answered, “Lin Ruoxi appears to be confident in Yu Lei’s abilities to pull through. There were a few land auctions that were held over at Zhangzhou, and Yu Lei participated as usual. With their plans exposed to the world, even the media know that they are only digging a bigger hole for themselves. Not only will they lose the biddings on all the land bids, but it would also be the final straw of confidence among the shareholders. When the stock market opens tonight it will conclusively be the collapse of Yu Lei International.”
“And how did the planned assassination go?”
Li Minghe unwillingly replied, “Yang Chen was a much more complicated opponent than expected. All attempts have failed so far.”
Luo Cuishan was visibly displeased. “Even though we couldn’t conclude on Yang Chen’s detailed background, based on what we know, that fellow is extremely well off. Otherwise, the old crack over at the Yang clan would never have to treasure him the way he does right now. It was however rather unfortunate that we never managed to encrypt information from the Li clan. I am genuinely intrigued as to where this rascal popped up from.”
“If we continue this streak we…” Li Minghe was seemingly worried as he stared at Luo Cuishan.
Luo Cuishan unwaveringly taunted, “What is the matter? Once Yu Lei falls, her faithful associates would abandon her in a heartbeat. You, with my support and the government’s participation, would ensure her continuous demise. With your qualifications, you are more than capable of taking her place. With some slight adjustments to the company’s structure, Yu Lei would return to its former glory in no more than two years.”
Li Minghe excitedly replied, “I will give my all.”
“Just a little treat got you this excited. What a pathetic excuse of a human being.” Luo Cuishan disdainfully glanced at him before turning away. “Stripping her off her prized possession Yu Lei is just the first step. Xue Zijing’s daughter… there’s still more to come.”
Li Minghe sneakily lifted his head to Luo Cuishan’s back, terrified by her ominous words.
That evening, as the New York Stock Exchange opened, Yu Lei’s share price unsurprisingly experienced an uncompromising drop.
Over at Yu Lei’s headquarters in Zhonghai, the employees witnessed the huge amounts of company stocks thrown out at despicable prices on the monitors. This made them even more terrified than they already were.
In the conference room, other than Yang Chen who was seemingly invisible as he napped on a row of chairs, Mo Qianni, Liu Mingyu, and the other executives were on edge as they were worried for the future of the company given the recent price drops.
If that were to go on, even if the financial reserves within the company could sustain the corporation for a short duration, any collaborating company would evade Yu Lei at all costs. They will be detached from all stages of manufacturing, from materials to development, in which point the company would be disconnected from all sectors of production.
“Boss Lin, our major shareholders are making their moves now. Our current stock value has plummeted to only forty percent of its original price,” the executive of the accounting department dispiritedly proclaimed.
“It was all because of those bastard executives from the major banks who made a vow to provide financial aid canceled at the eleventh hour. They cited moronic reasons like a shortage of money. They were clearly just adding fuel to the fire!”
Lin Ruoxi that was at her commanding seat had yet to utter a single word since, as she ignored the heated discussions and went straight to her mobile phone on the table to dial a certain number.
“Start now…”
Lin Ruoxi stoically dropped those words like none of that mattered.
The executives in the conference room glanced at one another, trying to figure out the exact meaning or her words.
The young leader that had headed the company all this while was like the snow caps, cold, heartless, stoic. Whether it was the personal space she held dearly or her quiet and reserved personality, it prompted most to even avoid staring her directly in the eye.
But at desperate times involving the fate of the company, the executives were unable to withhold their emotions.
“Boss Lin, you cannot hesitate any longer. No matter the outcome, we have to fight until the end. Only then can we declare bankruptcy. If we remain still we might be able to sustain our stocks but we will stand no chance against the joint bombardment of our competitors!”
“Now it’s obvious that nobody is buying our stocks, there’s no way we can save the situation!”
“Or we can abandon some of our less-profitable assets and focus on pushing our main sectors to catch up on lost time. Only then can we start looking at other viable options at sustaining the business.”
Right at that moment, Mo Qianni who was silent all this while pointed at the monitor screen, “All of you stop. Look at this.”
The restless executives stared towards the stock market display board, only to witness an event of extraordinary circumstances.