Because Lu Yaohua had a cerebral hemorrhage, he was sent to the emergency room.
Lu Ze could not have imagined that his casual words would almost destroy his family.
He sat on the chair with mixed feelings. Even though his father had said many unpleasant things to him, his previous doting was not fake.
He tugged at his mother's sleeve and said, "Could it really be that… I was wrong?"
"It's alright, don't blame yourself too much. It's a fact that your dad is not well."
Tang Wenyi looked at the doctor who walked out and asked, "How's my husband? You must save him!"
"His condition is already stabilized. The medical fees are 50 thousand yuan. In addition, there are some miscellaneous medicines which amount to 100 thousand yuan. You can settle the payment with the nurse. She'll give you the medicine. Oh right, for the next few days, the patient needs to eat light food, and he can't be agitated anymore."
100 thousand yuan?
How would I have so much money? she thought.
But if we don't pay, Yaohua won't have any medicine.
I'm the third daughter of the Tang family. When have I fallen to such a sorry state?
She seemed to have thought of something and said to Lu Ze, "I have to go back to Beijing. Can you take care of your dad here? If not, I'll hire a nurse."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "Forget it, let's hire a nurse. When your dad wakes up, we can chat with him and tell him not to worry about the company. I'll think of a way to resolve this."
Lu Yaohua was right. She doted on her child so much that even getting him to take care of someone now was asking too much of him.
"But Mom, we have no money left."
Lu Ze was puzzled.
"There should be some left in the company. I will get help to save the Lu Corporation as soon as possible."
She knew that things would not end well this time.
…
The Tang family held an influential position in Beijing. They were so rich that even the tiles in the courtyard were carved out of jade. If a thief came in, a few pieces of those would be enough to last him for the rest of his life.
However, the question was whether he could come in.
After all, this place was guarded by professional bodyguards. Any stranger who appeared would be given special attention.
Apart from the sprawling area that was almost 10,000 square meters, the entire courtyard-style house was built according to the standards of the homes of ancient officials. The treasures were housed in the deeper recesses of the house where enhanced security was in place.
From afar, this place looked like a palace.
Those who did not know better would think that it was some famous historical site.
It was obvious how rich the Tang family was.
The moment Tang Wenyi returned, she knelt on the ground respectfully. "Butler He, please let me meet Old Master."
"Third Miss, why bother? We didn't approve of your marriage back then because we expected this day to come. Do you regret it?"
Butler He said helplessly.
It would be a lie to say that she did not regret it, but there was no other way now.
She pursed her lips tightly. "No matter what, we have to save the Lu Corporation."
"Hey! Look who's here? It's No. 3!"
Tang Wanxi walked in cynically. As soon as she heard that her third sister was back, she couldn't wait to drop whatever she was doing to 'welcome' her. "The Lu Corporation is just a shell in our eyes now, right?"
Tang Nishang followed her through the door and said sarcastically, "Weren't you bragging about how capable your son was a while ago? He must have earned a lot of money, right? Why do you have to beg Old Master? If it weren't for the fact that No. 4 and No. 5 are busy, I would have liked them to see your pathetic state.
The Lu Corporation is useless now. Old Master will never do anything. I advise you to give up. You might as well get a divorce quickly! This way, you won't have to endure these torments. We also have one less competitor. What do you think? No. 3? Hahahaha!"
Tang Wenyi stood rooted to the ground with a pale face. If I had not chosen Lu Yaohua back then and married an elite from Beijing, would everything have been different?
At least I won't have to beg Old Master every time.
She begged, "Butler He, please let me see Old Master!"
Butler He sighed softly and looked up at the second floor. "Old Master."
In reality, they had also seen the news this morning. Initially, they guessed that the land price would go up to a few billion yuan. They did not expect the increase to be so much. Lu Yaohua had miscalculated.
It was precisely because of this that No. 3's family was valued even less by the old master.
But…
As long as Tang Wenyi was still a member of the Tang family, Old Master Tang would not sit back and do nothing.
"Do you know what the consequences will be if you beg me? No. 3, I, Tang Boyan, have never made losses in business. The Lu Corporation is like a plate of loose sand now. It's gone with the wind. It doesn't even have the right to be there."
Old Master Tang walked down the stairs slowly with his walking stick and stood in front of her. He said condescendingly, "No. 3, do you understand what I mean? Save, sure, but the company won't be yours from now on."
If not for the fact that he really did not want outsiders to laugh at him, he would not have picked up an empty shell.
"If the Lu Corporation wants to come back from the dead, I have to invest 2 billion yuan in it. No matter what, the Tang family can afford 2 billion yuan. Just take it that we're doing charity. But let me tell you! There's no free lunch in this world. You've begged me time and time again on behalf of that stupid company. I can understand it as…
Lu Yaohua is just useless! Useless! He only knows how to sweet-talk! Although I didn't expect you guys to do well, you guys can't even maintain the status quo of your company! You're really disappointing! No. 3, I'll give you the right to choose. If you leave now, I'll pretend that I don't have a daughter like you!"
Either leave and become an ordinary person.
Or accept help and the company will no longer be yours."
Tang Wanxi muttered, "It's embarrassing to have such a sister."
"If not for the fact that we're both from the Tang family, I would have distanced myself from her as far as I could. I don't know what she has been doing these years. Even my husband heard about the low price of the land that Third Sister sold. Those who don't know might think that our Tang family is stupid!"
Tang Nishang said harshly.
When Tang Wenyi heard these words, she quietly clenched her fists and kowtowed to the old master immediately. She said in a low voice, "… I know Old Master's way of doing things. You have never embarked on a losing venture, so I've decided to voluntarily give up all our rights to the Lu Corporation. I hope to preserve the Lu Corporation."
This was Lu Yaohua's hard work, so she made her choice.
It was the only way out.
"Old Master, please save the Lu Corporation!"Lu Yaohua slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the white ceiling. He turned around and saw Lu Ze playing games. He could not be bothered to scold him anymore. He asked, "Where's your mom?"
His words almost gave Lu Ze a shock. He quickly grabbed the new phone that he had just bought and said, "She just came back from Beijing and is resting now. You've already fainted for four days. We're all very worried about you."
Worried?
He could not tell at all.
If he's really worried, why is he still playing games? he thought.
Lu Yaohua was deep in thought.
Lu Ze seemed to have thought of something and said excitedly, "Dad, you don't have to worry about the company in the future. Old Master has forked out money to revive the Lu Corporation—almost 2 billion yuan! Even the debts from before have been cleared! We can relax now."
Lu Yaohua sat up excitedly. "Are you serious?! Did Old Master really do it?"
"It's real!"
Lu Yaohua would have opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate if his body had allowed it.
He knew it. No matter what, the old master would not stand by and do nothing. The reason why he was willing to help this time might be because he had changed his mind and reignited his hope in the Lu family!
I have to perform well and not disappoint Old Master! he thought.
At the thought of this, he became motivated again and said, "With these 2 billion yuan, we don't have to deal with those people anymore. I must definitely seize this opportunity to lead the Lu Corporation back to its peak!"
Before he could rejoice for too long, Lu Ze interrupted him and said, "However, there is a condition for Old Master to be willing to make a move. From now on, the Lu Corporation belongs to the Tang family. We don't have any shares and have lost the ownership and decision-making power of the company."
???
"What do you mean?
Then what am I now?!"
Lu Yaohua's expression froze as he asked in disbelief.
Lu Ze said nonchalantly, "Old Master told Mom that you'll be a professional manager in the future. You should be Deputy CEO or something, but that doesn't matter. It's fine as long as the Lu Corporation is still around."
In his opinion, the company was still called the Lu Corporation. It was probably still in his father's hands, or in the hands of Old Master Tang—his grandfather. After all, they were family.
Lu Yaohua could hardly breathe. He said resentfully, "How could I have an idiot son like you! Do you know the seriousness of this matter?! Why would your mom agree to this request?! As long as the Lu Corporation is ours, the successor will definitely be you!"
He paused for a moment and continued, "If the Lu Corporation becomes the Tang family's, then succession will have nothing to do with you! The company will be part of the Tang family's assets. Whoever becomes the next head of the Tang family will have the company! In other words, we have to fight with the people in the capital to get the Lu Corporation back!"
Other than the surname Lu, what else would the Lu Corporation have to do with me?! he thought.
In addition, due to various reasons, his bank account was empty, as clean as a white goose feather. If he wanted to make a comeback, he would have to start all over again!
It was equivalent to him working hard for half his life for someone else's benefit in the end!
No matter how the Lu Corporation expanded in the future, it would have nothing to do with him!
Only then did Lu Ze realize how serious this matter was. He said slowly, "I, I don't know. Why would Old Master do such a thing? We're family…"
"Who the f*ck is your family!? They never do business that incur losses!"
The more Lu Yaohua looked at his son, the more outrageous he seemed! It was his first time seeing such a stupid person.
If it were anyone else, he might have mocked them a little, but this person had to be his son!
If this isn't retribution, then what is? he thought.
After taking a deep breath, he fainted.
"Dad!? Dad! Wake up! Doctor! Doctor!"
…
The news of the Lu Corporation accepting the Tang family's asset restructuring quickly made headlines.
Instantly, it caused a discussion in the industry. Even on the streets, one could hear these voices.
"Have you heard? The Lu Corporation has been bought over by the Tang family. From now on, Lu Yaohua can no longer use his power to suppress others. It's really karma! It seems like the saying that the heavens will punish the wicked is true! Serves him right! Who asked him to do evil things!"
"Stop being so smug. Have you forgotten that Lu Yaohua's wife is from the Tang family? Aren't they family now? Perhaps the Lu Corporation will return to Lu Yaohua soon. That's just a matter of time."
"You're wrong. If the Tang family really wanted to help, would they have chosen to help when the Lu Corporation was on the verge of bankruptcy? I think the Tang family just didn't want to get involved in this. If it weren't for the fact that they're also part of the Tang family, they definitely wouldn't have bought over the company."
Upper Forest Park.
When Chu Jinyu saw this news, she could not contain her joy as she said, "They're finally down on their luck. I knew that these guys would not have a good ending for bullying Brother Lu Ming. However, this Tang family is really strange. They still helped them in this situation!"
Han Qianjing glanced at the newspaper and said, "The Tang family is famous for being overprotective. You know that. Besides, they value their reputation very much. It's not surprising that they made such a choice."
However…
To be able to mess with Lu Yaohua to this extent, Lu Ming was indeed resourceful.
She rubbed the ring in her hand. Since he wanted to deal with them to the bitter end, he would inevitably have to go against the Tang family. The Tang family would not be defeated so easily.
Therefore, she was not optimistic that Lu Ming could get away unscathed.
"Your sweetheart is quite bold. I wonder if he's a boor."
Brave and brainless, or brave and resourceful. Which one is he? Han Qianjing could not decide.
Chu Jinyu retorted, "Brother Lu Ming must have thought of a way long ago. He never acts rashly! I believe him! What's the big deal about the Tang family?"
"You know, everything you're saying now does not have reference value. We'll know when we see the results."
Han Qianjing said rationally.
Chu Jinyu seemed to be a little dissatisfied, but she could not say anything. She puffed up her cheeks like a little squirrel and said, "If Brother Lu Ming can do it, will you agree to us being together?"
She tried to push her luck and settle their relationship as soon as possible.
But how could Han Qianjing let others take advantage of her?
"Let's wait and see."
The families in Beijing had complicated relationships. The slightest mistake would incur the hostility of the other party, which was similar to a domino effect.
It was a question whether Lu Ming could get away unscathed.
She decided to wait and see if he would survive.
Since Lu Yaohua regained consciousness, he had been busy like a spinning top. Before he could sort out his emotions, he had no choice but to face reality. It was not that he had not thought of pleading with the Old Master, but the other party had already given him two choices.
Either accept the arrangements obediently, or the Tang family would withdraw their investments immediately and leave him to head a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy and in debt.
He could not tell him that he wanted the best of both worlds.
If he said that, he would definitely be beaten up badly. After all, there was a saying that one could not have both the fish and the bear's paw. He understood this principle.
He sighed heavily and walked into an unfamiliar yet familiar company like a ghost. Everyone knew that the Lu Corporation no longer had anything to do with him.
The Old Master was being generous by maintaining the name of the original company, the Lu Corporation, to this day. Perhaps this was on account of Tang Wenyi.
Speaking of which, it was not that he had not looked for Tang Wenyi after he regained consciousness. He met his wife reluctantly and with resentment, but he was rendered speechless by her after just saying a few words. In the end, she even threatened him with divorce. He had no choice but to concede defeat.
The more embarrassed he was, the more he wanted to hang on to Tang Wenyi, his only lifeline.
He gripped the leather bag in his hand tightly. He had thought that he would have no worries in his life and could enjoy himself freely outside of work. He did not expect that, overnight, he had to go back to working a nine-to-five job every day. As for the people who had followed him previously, they had also been demoted accordingly.
Fortunately, there was room for promotion for him. Since he could build a company from scratch, he would definitely be able to reach his previous heights!
The thought reignited his confidence and he strode towards the office.
As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw a young man in a burgundy suit sitting in a leather chair. He said in a mean tone, "Lu Yaohua? You're great! You're late for work after only a few days? I didn't mind the past few times because you just recovered from a serious illness. But it has been almost a week. Why are you still like this?"
He said sarcastically, "Don't tell me you still think you're the boss of the Lu Corporation? I'm being polite to you because of Old Master. Don't take my politeness for granted. In all the companies in the world, which professional manager is as slack as you?"
Lu Yaohua frowned in displeasure and asked, "Who are you? What I do has nothing to do with you!"
"I forgot to introduce myself. I am now the CEO of the Lu Corporation, Ning Yuanxin. Perhaps I will be your superior from now on."
Ning Yuanxin said with a fake smile.
He had been doing well in the capital and was about to be promoted to senior management. As he reached the peak of his life, he heard that he was going to be promoted to CEO. He thought that he would be the CEO of the Tang family branch!
He did not expect to be posted to Shanghai to manage a company that was about to go bankrupt. Who could stand this?
So he could only vent his anger on Lu Yaohua, who was one of the masterminds!
If not for Lu Yaohua, he would not have come to this godforsaken place.
And this promotion was not even as good as his previous job. Even his salary had not changed!
At first, he thought that if Lu Yaohua went to work obediently, he would not interfere too much because Tang Wenyi was there. However, not long after, the supervisor of the Human Resources department told him that Lu Yaohua was late for work.
Lu Yaohua had been working for so long, so he could not be unaware that 9 am was considered late.
Besides, it was not like he had not been given a chance!
He sneered. "Lu Yaohua, if you still can't do this job well, then don't blame me for complaining to Old Master. There are many people who want your job! You don't even have to do anything to get such a high salary. Are you dreaming?"
He paused for a moment before continuing, "You were lucky to have the Tang family acquire the Lu Corporation in your previous life. Not only did you not thank them, but you also had the gall to neglect your work? So what if you married Third Miss? Old Master will not show you mercy on account of this.
Do you understand, Lu Yaohua?"
Lu Yaohua gritted his teeth and looked at him. How long had it been! How long had it been since I was belittled like this?! he thought.
"… Understood."
"Good that you understood. I don't want the Lu Corporation to turn into the Ning Corporation soon."
Although he said that, Ning Yuanxin's expression showed the opposite. He could not wait to change it to the Ning Corporation.
Before he left, he patted Lu Yaohua's shoulder and smiled maliciously. "I'd like to see how long you can last here."
Lu Yaohua slammed the table in anger!
He is just someone who works for the Tang family. What right does he have to treat me like this?!
I'd be the head of the Tang family in the future!
His eyes widened at the thought. When I reach that position, I'll never let you off!
…
Ning Yuanxin did not know that Lu Yaohua was talking about him behind his back, but even if he did, he would not take it to heart. After he returned to his office, he sat down on the sofa and played with his phone as he fell into deep thought.
Should I call Old Master?
He hesitated for a moment before deciding to call. As expected, he could not stand Lu Yaohua.
"Old Master, Mr. Lu has been late for work recently. What should I do?"
Late?
On the other side, the old master looked disappointed and said, "Do what you have to do. Follow the company's rules."
"If he's late for a week, he'll be struck off the full attendance bonus and reprimanded. Do you think that's fine?"
"Up to you. Since I've already entrusted the Lu Corporation to you, you can decide what you want to do."
"Okay."
After hanging up the phone, the Old Master's face turned cold as he muttered, "He is really someone who can't be helped! Forget it, since he was No. 3's choice, she will naturally have to bear the consequences!"
Initially, he thought that if Lu Yaohua did a good job, he would let Ning Yuanxin stay in Shanghai to assist him. He did not expect him to be late every day for a week!
This is outrageous! he thought.
What a disgrace to the Tang family!
He was even more certain that without the support of the Tang family, Lu Yaohua would not have achieved so much.
Lu Yaohua, who was far away in Shanghai, shivered. Could someone be scolding me behind my back?
He shook his head. He must be thinking too much.
Right on the heels of that, he focused his gaze on the list in his hand. It clearly stated that this month's full attendance bonus was gone. Back then, this rule was written by him!
It was to ensure that the employees did not slack off!
He did not expect such a day to come. This was a slap to his face.
Coupled with the company's announcement just now, he could no longer hold his head high in the company!Because Lu Yaohua had always been in the business industry, he was in charge of the company's external investment department. This was an important part in the early stages. When the company developed, there would be unexpected earnings.
This happened to be his forte. When the Lu Corporation first started, he was out soliciting sponsors every day. With his glib tongue, there was basically no deal that he could not negotiate.
It was just that his position was reversed now—it was his turn to invest in promising projects.
At the thought of this, he realized that he was a higher-up in a way. He could not help but feel self-satisfied. Although he did not have as much status as before, it was enough to deal with ordinary people.
He looked at the appointments list. Perhaps because the Tang family had joined the company, many people came to ask for their investment every day.
He looked at the person waiting anxiously on the bench at the door and said, "Mr. Wang, come in."
A young man in a suit walked in uneasily and sat opposite Lu Yaohua. He said, "Hello, Manager Lu. I'd like your company to invest in a web-based project. I've created an dating app with my partner. We offer the following advantages:
Firstly, we are very responsive. Secondly, we promote more diverse information. Thirdly, we offer a lot of freedom on our platform. Everyone can speak freely. According to my statistics, there are too few social media functions in the market at the moment, and they're very controlled…"
Lu Yaohua was not interested. He said disdainfully, "You want my Lu Corporation to invest in such a thing? Kid, aren't you thinking too simply of the industry? With your standards, I don't think you'll be able to make it in this lifetime. You might as well switch careers early! Get lost!"
The young man's expression instantly turned ugly. He knew that although what he made was not outstanding, he should not have received such a low evaluation. He asked indignantly, "What did you not take a fancy to? Please give me a reason!"
"Reason?"
Lu Yaohua's eyes were full of contempt as he said, "It's my decision whether to invest or not. Do you have any objections? Who do you think you are? How dare you talk to me like that? If you offend me, believe it or not, I'll blacklist you in the company!"
The young man gritted his teeth in anger and left the place.
For some reason, Lu Yaohua felt secretly happy. It felt so good to do this! He knew that this person was talented, but he hated this kind of person the most!
He wanted to break their wings!
At that time, he wanted to see who could still stand above him!
The corners of his lips curled up as he said, "Next!"
A man in a checkered shirt entered and said, "Hello, Manager Lu. I currently own a Chinese fast food restaurant. I want the Lu Corporation to join us. I dare to guarantee that this will definitely allow your company to obtain huge profits in the short term. There are three reasons."
He paused for a moment and continued, "It has a very wide market. Throughout the industry, Chinese fast food restaurants dominate the market share. Moreover, the project's unique characteristics are obvious. Chinese fast food restaurants are not limited by their geographical location. Their prospects are broad. In addition, the research and development of food products is awesome. They offer nutritional value and a variety of cuisine…"
"It's not easy to run fast food restaurants. The Lu Corporation is not a small company. Investments naturally have to be carefully considered. Besides, what good results can a poor person like you achieve? Get out!"
Lu Yaohua attacked bluntly.
The man in the checkered shirt frowned and said, "Manager Lu, don't you think you're going too far? You're just a manager. You're defaming your company!"
"Ha, this company used to be mine. I can do whatever I want. What has it got to do with you?! Get lost quickly! Don't get in my way!"
Lu Yaohua sneered.
A bespectacled man outside the door waited anxiously. From time to time, he would look inside. To his surprise, those who came out would swear. "Sick!"
What's going on?
Could it be that this professional manager is very difficult to deal with? he thought.
He became even more nervous.
It was not until the next name was called that he realized it was his turn. He gulped and walked in with the documents in his hand. "Hello, I'm He Xiaopeng. I used to be an Internet browser software developer. The project I'm bringing this time is Little Peng Smart Cars."
The project inspired by his name was the result of his years of research. He was confident that the Lu Corporation would invest in it!
So he took a deep breath and said, "I want to model Elon Musk's Tesla project and make a new energy car that belongs solely to Shanghai. It offers three advantages. First, I want to talk about its appearance.
I've used the interstellar design element inside, and the LED light runs through the entire car. Even among a group of cars, it's quite recognizable. Not only is the body streamline, but I've also specially designed a slickback. One look and you can tell it's a coupe.
The second advantage is performance. No matter how good a car is, it needs to be durable, right? All our cars are natural electric cars. The rear engine is also equipped with a permanent magnet. The maximum power is 267 horsepower. The maximum acceleration at 100 kilometers is 6.3 seconds, and the average is 6.7 seconds."
He Xiaopeng flipped the documents and showed a photo to Lu Yaohua. He said, "The last and biggest advantage is that the products we make can completely free our hands. We can replace our hands with voice commands. These are all features that have yet to appear on the market or are still emerging.
Trust me, this is definitely a sure-win project!"
When he first heard that He Xiaopeng wanted to emulate Musk, Lu Yaohua wanted to mock him for overestimating himself. Musk was the top Business Person of Fortune Magazine's annual list! He had even won the Edison Invention Award!
The person in front of him was a nobody. Lu Yaohua wondered where he got the guts to say all that.
The more he listened, the more stunned he was. This product was really not bad. It would fill a gap in the market now.
However, when he heard that it was a sure-win deal, he experienced the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder that he suffered from after being tricked by Lu Ming. He sized up He Xiaopeng suspiciously. Could this be another trap set by Lu Ming?! he wondered.
The Dogecoin speculation and the Feng Shui master who tricked me into selling land. Perhaps the project this time is the same? The goal is to make me leave the Lu Corporation!
He increasingly felt that this was very likely to be the case. It was similar to the previous sugar-coated bullets!
He Xiaopeng did not know what he was thinking. He only saw one expression after another, so he asked cautiously, "What do you think?"