"Have no fear, President Xia. I made sure Lin Wang was killed in a spot free of cameras. The video that I sent over shows Lin Wang in such a horrific state that he couldn't possibly be alive. You can barely even make out his face."
"Well done!" Xia Long clapped, praising Zhao Shi. "I'll double your bonus this month!"
"All of this is due to your excellent instruction!" Zhao Shi said modestly. Then, he asked a question of his own. "President Xia, you promised Lin Wang a large sum of money and a promotion when he was finished, right? Why did you kill him?"
The grin that had been on Xia Long's face abruptly vanished. He gave Zhao Shi a chilly stare and said nothing.
Aware of this, Zhao Shi quickly bowed his head and said, "I'm sorry, President Xia. I overstepped. I'll receive my punishment now."
"This is the first and last time I'm letting it slide, but I won't be doing so again. If you do it again, don't blame me for punishing you." After saying that, Xia Long motioned for Zhao Shi to leave by waving his hand.
Xia Long's eyes narrowed as he stared at Zhao Shi's back. True, he had made a promise to Lin Wang before. What about it? It was hard to guarantee that such information would not be used to blackmail him in the future. Therefore, nothing was cleaner than tying up loose ends, permanently.
Nothing could possibly threaten him now. This put Xia Long in a good mood, and he instructed his secretary to send out notices to the company's shareholders that a shareholders' meeting would soon be called. The plan was to eliminate Wang Sheng from his positions within the organization.
It didn't take long at all for the news to reach Xia Zhi after Xia Long made his announcement.
Xia Zhi, who was currently seated on the couch, was mulling over how best to treat Chu Nan. She perked up a little when she heard the news and grabbed the jade pendant from the table. The performance is about to start.
The following morning, Xia Zhi got everything ready and hurried to the Wang Consortium's meeting room.
She arrived before most of the shareholders, so the room was rather empty.
Xia Zhi didn't waste any time and plopped herself down in the head seat. She yawned widely before asking, "Why is Xia Long so tardy? It's already been ten minutes since the meeting, and he's still not here. If anyone has his number, hurry up and contact him."
The stockholders had planned to grill Xia Zhi, but she surprised them by taking the floor first. Furthermore, she spoke in such a commanding manner that, upon hearing her words, they reflexively reached for their phones to text Xia Long.
Xia Long came into the office wearing a gloomy expression. He stormed over to the front desk and demanded, "Who told you to let Xia Zhi up? Don't you know how to stop her? What a bunch of trash!"
The front desk clerk was too afraid to speak out loud, but she was cursing under her breath.
About a week ago, Xia Long was hobbling around with a limp. He didn't specify why, but everyone in the company assumed he'd been beaten up by Xia Zhi. In the face of such overwhelming odds, they could not decide whether to work or die.
Xia Long's expression soured when he opened the door and saw Xia Zhi in the main seat. Then, in a chilly tone, he said, "Xia Zhi, this is the shareholders' meeting. You shouldn't be here. Get out of here right now. I can still let you off on account that we're father and daughter!"
"Do you think I want to be your daughter?" Xia Zhi's lips twitched mockingly.
Then Xia Zhi brought out the jade pendant and held it high, so everyone in the room could see it. She spoke deliberately, "I know that everyone came to the meeting today to vote to revoke Grandpa's authority. However, he has already handed me the jade pendant, so the power is mine."
Xia Long's face darkened. There was no way the old man could have concealed the jade's symbolic significance to his position from him. Sure, she might have the jade, but so what? He was about to denounce its value.
When Xia Long looked at the investors who had recognized the jade pendant, he gave them a stern warning look. When no one else spoke up, he said with a satisfied grin, "You see, we don't recognize this jade pendant, so you can't be making this up yourself, right?"
Xia Zhi wasn't surprised. She had long been aware of Xia Long's extensive power within the company. She calmly pulled the papers from her bag.