Jin Haili leisurely puffed on a Cohiba cigar from Havana, its fragrance reminiscent of the sweet scent from a young woman's inner thigh, as he scrutinized the man in front of him who was trying to persuade him to unite against the Tang Group for their mutual benefit. Though Jin maintained a respectful demeanor outwardly, inwardly, he was full of contempt.
*You! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you.*
Please forgive Mr. Jin Haili for his crude language, but it was the only way to express the anger he was barely keeping in check.
Initially, Jin Haili had been determined to acquire the few hundred acres of land at Langshan, using money to smooth the way and covering all the necessary angles. He even considered, as a last resort, kidnapping Tang Buyi's precious daughter, something he wasn't a stranger to. Morality was worthless to him; he cared more about the growing digits in his Swiss bank account.
But all of this was just in the planning stages, not yet set in motion, when that smiling devil came knocking at his door.
Jin Haili had heard that the most poisonous things often have the most beautiful appearances. Like the poppies he once grew in his garden, like that man's face. If he wasn't a devil, how could he have such a handsome face and a dazzling smile? And if he wasn't a devil, how could his smile send chills down your spine, and how could his methods of dealing with people be so ruthless?
Yes, he must be a devil.
Now, with someone asking him to oppose a devil, it was no wonder Mr. Jin Haili was so angry, even going so far as to curse this person silently.
"Boss Jin, are you really going to give up such a juicy piece of meat that's already at your mouth?" The middle-aged man smiled as he spoke, his eyes sharp behind his glasses, not missing a single detail of Jin Haili's facial expressions.
"Haha, too much meat can be nauseating. The Jin Group has decided to withdraw from the competition for Langshan's development. I think President Cai of International Jiaye can have that piece of meat instead," Jin Haili said with a dismissive laugh, trying to brush the matter off.
"To be honest, Boss Jin, International Jiaye is indeed very interested in Langshan's development project, and we'll do our best to secure it in the upcoming bid. However—" The middle-aged man paused, then lowered his voice and continued while staring directly into Jin Haili's eyes, "There's enough profit here for everyone. International Jiaye alone can't swallow such a large project. I wonder if Boss Jin would be interested in partnering with us?"
"Haha, the Jin Group will pass. The company is currently shifting its business focus, and the development of Langshan doesn't align with our direction," Jin Haili responded with a smile, politely declining. He loved money, but he knew that this was a business he could no longer afford to get involved in.
"What's this? Is Boss Jin scared?" The man sneered.
"What do you mean by that, President Cai?" Jin Haili retorted, his smile fading as he stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray.
"I've heard rumors circulating in Yanjing about Boss Jin being attacked. I didn't believe them at first, but it seems that your courage isn't what it used to be," Cai Xingwang said with a grin, his chubby cheeks shaking as he chuckled.
"That's a personal matter. It has nothing to do with you, President Cai."
"Haha, no need to get angry, Boss Jin. I'm here with sincere intentions to discuss a partnership. But since you're not interested, I won't press the issue. However, if you could help International Jiaye secure the development rights for Langshan, I'm willing to offer you a 10% commission. How about that?"
"President Cai, you must be joking. What makes you think I can help you get the development rights for Langshan?" Jin Haili asked coldly, though his mind was racing. What was it that Cai had seen in him, to offer such a high price to win him over? He understood what a 10% commission meant—it was a staggering sum.
"This time, the Tang Group is the most likely to win the development rights for Langshan. But if we can take down the Tang Group, with our combined strength, we can definitely take this big cake for ourselves. And as it happens, Boss Jin, you hold the key to bringing down Tang Buyi."
---
Ye Qiu had been to the Tang Group headquarters several times before, so he was familiar with the place. After getting out of the taxi, he hurried toward the building, feeling a bit uneasy. Tang Buyi had called him urgently but hadn't mentioned what it was about.
"Ye Qiu." Just as Ye Qiu was about to enter the lobby, a soft and enchanting voice called out from behind him. The mere sound of it could make a man's bones turn to jelly.
The voice sounded familiar to Ye Qiu. He turned around and saw a dignified and beautiful face—it was Tang Guo's stepmother, that lovely woman, walking toward him with a joyful smile.
"Ye Qiu, are you here to see your Uncle Tang?" the woman asked warmly as she approached Ye Qiu.
"Yes," Ye Qiu nodded, though he found it odd. He was just Tang Guo's bodyguard, a relatively unimportant person to the Tang family, yet she had remembered his name after just one meeting. This was quite surprising, and there was no reason for her to be so friendly with him. Could it be that she was trying to win favor with Tang Guo by being kind to him?
"Well, you should come by more often to keep your Uncle Tang company. You're a university student, right? Once you graduate, I'm sure Buyi will bring you into the company to take on important responsibilities. It's good to communicate with him more now. By the way, how are Guoguo, Monong, and Bao'er?"
"They're all doing well," Ye Qiu replied with a polite smile. He could sense that she was trying to draw him in, which made him even more suspicious.
"I've been quite busy lately, but when I have some free time, I'll come over and cook for you all. I'm quite good at it, you know."
"Thank you."
"There's no need to be so polite. You can call me Auntie, just like Guoguo does. After all, we're all family," she said with a charming smile.
The two of them took the elevator upstairs, where Uncle Wang was already waiting at the elevator door. He seemed slightly surprised to see Ye Qiu and Zheng Ru together, but he quickly masked his reaction.
"Miss Zheng, the master is currently in a meeting. Could I ask you to wait in the lounge for a while?" Uncle Wang asked respectfully.
"Sure, I'm not in a hurry. You all go ahead with your work; I'll relax with a drink in the lounge," Zheng Ru replied with a smile before turning to Ye Qiu and saying, "Ye Qiu, I'll head over now. Come visit us whenever you have time."
"Miss Zheng is very attentive to the master," Uncle Wang commented softly, his eyes following Zheng Ru's departing figure.
"What?" Ye Qiu asked, suddenly alert. His intuition told him that Uncle Wang's remark carried a deeper meaning, as if he was hinting at something.
"The master is waiting for you in his office. Please follow me," Uncle Wang said, as if he had already forgotten his previous comment, leading Ye Qiu toward Tang Buyi's office.
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8