Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Chongshan House

Chu Yunxiong sat in the office and watched the TV as he casually drank his tea and relaxed. He had a smile on his face. Anyone that didn’t know him would assume he was just an average middle-aged man. Yet, to those that do, they would know him as an ambitious businessman that stood at the very top the ladder with his unreachable authority and social status.

Another man was watching the TV in his room. The man was well dressed and wore gold-trim glasses; this was the famous lawyer Ge Zhongtian.

The television was currently broadcasting Jiangcheng News.

Aside from biased reports by journalists that held a grudged against the Luo Workshop, thanks to Chen Jianbo., there were also some neutral reporters. These neutral journalists’ reports ended up on the news of the Jiangcheng channel.

Did the Luo Workshop threaten and blackmailed Chen Jianbo to fake evidence, or was there indeed another story behind this?

Chu Yunxiong shook his head and took a sip of tea as he looked at the large headline beneath the screen and said: “Fang Changlei gave Xiao Luo another serious problem to solve.”

Ge Zhongtian nodded: “The head of the legal department of the Luo’s Workshop is no match for Bo Heyu. Even I couldn’t say with confidence that I would be able to win a legal argument with him without having enough time to prepare ahead of time. That the Luo workshop will lose the first trial is expected, but new questions have arisen as a result. These could cast doubts over the counter-charges bought against Luo’s Workshop. It is a question of motives.”

Ge Zhongtian nodded: “The head of the legal department of the Luo’s Workshop is no match for Bo Heyu. Even I couldn’t say with confidence that I would be able to win a legal argument with him, without having enough time to prepare ahead my case. That the Luo workshop will lose the first trial is expected, but new questions have arisen as a result of this trial. These could cast doubts over the counter-charges bought against Luo’s Workshop. It is a question of motives.”

“The first question is regarding the group of reporters. A majority of them were bent on ruining the Luo Workshop’s reputation. This was even if it meant raising unrest in public. In these times where social media plays such an essential role in business and everyday life, the Luo’s Workshop would suffer tremendous losses both in trust deficit and sales if they don’t manage the situation accordingly. The actions of the reporters appear to be instigated. So who put them up to it?

Next, Fang Changlei could not merely sit and watch his business go down. Xiao Luo took away dozens of his old Taste Buds’ customers. It is clear he held a grudge against the young man for this, so there is a motive to get his revenge. That spy he planted in the Luo Workshop will likely be on the move very soon.

Finally, if the Luo Workshop doesn’t provide more tangible evidence and witness accounts during the second trial in five days, they will lose the lawsuit. They will then have to carry the crimes of threatening and blackmailing the media, which will further agitate the higher-ups of the court and stain the Luo Workshop’s reputation to a destructive end. To whose advantage is this?”

“What do you think Xiao Luo will do?” Chu Yunxiaong asked with a grin.

“This is a game he’s doomed to lose. The 50 to 60 reporters gathered up at the Luo Workshop’s entrance is already hard to deal with, without even considering the lawsuit against Chen Jianbo in court. He cannot resort to violence, and the more he explains, the deeper the hole he’ll be digging for himself. And if he makes even the slightest mistake in his witness accounts or demonstrates a falsity in any of these pieces of evidence, it will be magnified by the media. This is something that reporters are good at; it is a known fact that they have a hand in influencing public opinion, so every sentence and every word the Luo Workshop says to them will have to be completely sanitized with no loopholes. Otherwise, the Luo Workshop will be walking into their graves.”

Ge Zhongtian paused for a moment as he pondered over the whole affair. He then fixed the glasses on his face and said, “So I think Xiao Luo will come to ask for your help. This may perhaps be the only option left to him.”

Chu Yunxiong’s grin deepened as he heard this line. He placed his teacup on the table and waved his hand to say: “No, you don’t interact with him a lot, so you don’t know how he’s like at all. Xiao Luo will never come to ask me for help. He has his pride and his ambitions; he refuses to bend down before others, nor is he willing to owe anyone favors. He’s the most unyielding young man I’ve ever seen.”

Ge Zhongtian frowned and asked: “But if he doesn’t ask for your help, how will he walk out of this in one piece?”

“This is also what I’m looking forward to seeing.”

Chu Yunxiong shifted his gaze back onto the television and said, “Xiao Luo is someone that can create miracles. That is why I’m personally such fond of the young man and would give my attention to him.”

Recounting the time Fang Changlei came to visit him recently to test the waters, Chu Yunxiong immediately caught onto Xiao Luo’s plan of action. The Fuke Group’s orders and the few dozen orders from former customers of Taste Buds were all in Xiao Luo’s hands now. This was evidence of what a formidable and fearsome young man Xiao Luo was. He had skillset others could only dream of possessing. Even were Chu Yunxiong to be in Xiao Luo’s position, there was no way he would have been able to achieve such a feat.

He smiled and mumbled to himself. “The golden koi fishes are already in your pond; it will only take a small gust of wind for them to turn into dragons. What kind of surprise will you be bringing me this time?”

Ge Zhongtian stared at him speechlessly. He didn’t think that Chu Yunxiong would have such high regard for Xiao Luo.

Taste Buds

“That Xiao bastard, I’d like to see what you can do this time. You sure don’t cherish your life now that you made the foolish decision to fight me, hahaha.”

Fang Changlei laughed jas he watched the news and released all the frustration that had been building up inside him of late. This time, he wanted the Luo’s Workshop to be hit badly with no chances of getting back up on its feet.

The office door opened suddenly, and Fang Shulan walked in still in her school uniform. She glanced at him quizzically and said: “What’s so funny dad, I can hear you laughing down the hallway.”

“A great thing, of course!” Fang Chenglei’s eyes were filled with affection as he saw his daughter walk in.

“‘ Luo Workshop top brass threaten and blackmail reporters and fake evidence to rebuild their reputations through lies.’ Dad, this is another one of your plots again, right?” Fang Shulan immediately guessed this news had something to do with her father.

Fang Chenglei only smiled at her and didn’t say a word, implying that he didn’t need to explain.

“That’s so amazing, dad. The Luo Workshop won’t be a match for you, they’ll go bankrupt real soon, and our Taste Buds will monopolize the market.” Fang Shulan gave him a thumbs-up, beaming.

Fang Chenglei lifted his head and said cockily: “That Xiao kid from the Luo Workshop is still too young to be my opponent. It only takes one little trick up my sleeve, and his arms are already tied up.”

That Xiao kid?

Fang Shulan stared blankly for a moment as a name flashed across her mind—Xiao Luo.

She recalled the attack on Chu Yue at the Wild Boar Ridge. It took her a long time to get over it completely. If those mercenaries left such a strong impression in her mind, then her memory of Xiao Luo was no less traumatic.

So when she heard her father said “that Xiao kid,” she immediately associated it with the man that had once controlled her through fear. She would never forget the time when Xiao Luo caught her by her neck. That experience was as if the god of death had walked right by her. It still sent chills down her spine, every she recalled the scene.

She shook her head as she desperately tried to remove those thoughts from her head and whined to Fang Changlei: “Dad, I’m out of money.”

She finally spoke her mind.

“Didn’t I just give you 100,000 half a month ago?” Fang Changlei’s expression hardened.

“I won’t explain where the money went, but I just don’t have money anymore. Deal with it, Dad!” Fang Shulan turned her head away.

Fang Changlei shook his head and once again submitted to his daughter’s demands: “Okay, okay, since dad’s in a good mood today, I’ll send another 100,000 over, but…”

“Yay”

Fang Shulan immediately hugged him around his neck and gave him a big kiss on his cheeks and laughed joyfully: “Dad, you’re the best in the world!”

Fang Changlei’s heart melted immediately. There was a saying that daughters were all lovers of the father in their past lives, and under the spell of Fang Shulan’s affectionate, he had no more heart to worry about money and could only warn her out of habit, saying, “Don’t spend it all in one day!”

“I’m not afraid since dad has all the money in the world. Even if my brother and I tried, we wouldn’t be able to use it all up in our lifetime. Dad, I’ll head out now, don’t forget to send the money to my account, I’ll need it tonight.”

“You little money monger!”

Fang Changlei shook his head in resignation but still kept an affectionate smile on his face.