The week had finally come to an end and it was now Friday night.
It was the perfect time to go out and relax with friends except now, at a lavish residence in a highly guarded neighborhood in Beijing, a group of people–men to be precise were gathered in the library of the mansion.
The men were all somewhere in their early fifties or late forties.
They all held an air of importance to them. They sat in absolute silence as if in wait of someone. None even bothered to touch the snacks that were laid out on the table before them.
They were seemingly a bit weary while looking at the snacks.
However, if someone paid close attention to some of the faces in the extravagant library, they'd noticed a certain likeliness between some of the faces present.
Surely some of them were siblings.
"Where is Rutong, he's wasting our time. I came here to deal with the obvious troublemaker not wait around for him."
A man finally couldn't handle the wait.
He looked tired and worn out.
Infact, they all looked tired and worn out.
Just as someone else was about to complain, the man of the hour showed up.
Ink black hair that was starting to lose it's shiny luster with a bunch of white strands in the midst.
Calm and unreadable chocolate brown eyes. He carried an aura of leadership and every step he took was confident and sure.
He approached the waiting guests and he remained calm as the host.
"Friends, siblings. Good evening." Zhou Rutong spoke calmly with a smile that hid his intentions well.
His poker face was courtesy of being a politician.
Everyone looked at him wearily. Truth to tell, among all the Zhou family members, surely Zhou Rutong was the most conniving.
"Rutong, let's get down to business already. We've already wasted enough time waiting for you, there is no more need to beat around the bush don't you think."
Zhou Ni spoke exasperated from the already long wait.
Zhou Rutong narrowed his eyes lightly but then smiled. "Sure, we'll get down to business directly."
Everyone nodded.
"As you must all already know, I've called you all here today to discuss the issue concerning the girl Han Ziyou."
Out of behavior, everyone grind their teeth in anger at the mere sound of Han Ziyou's name. They all hated her to the bone.
The girl that showed up out of nowhere and ruined their meticulously planned out paths to position of CEO.
Once again out of behavior, everyone looked at Zhou Rutong with blaming looks. Zhou Rutong however remained smiling despite feeling everyone's disapproval.
In reality he played a role in making Han Ziyou CEO though it was an unintentional and unforeseen role.
It was him that took the girl away from her family at the age of just eight inorder to repay her father's debt to him.
Who would have thought the girl who was forced to repay her father's debt at the debtor's home would one day end up becoming the CEO of the family company.
An outsider, a debtee moreover becoming the CEO, that was truly outrageous and demeaning.
Alas regardless of how hard they tried, none of them had managed to create a single dent in the little thief's reign.
It's like the helpless girl who was struggling to repay her dad's debt had suddenly become invincible.
How infuriating was that when all of them were still struggling to become invincible.
"Anyway, I know you have all tried to get rid of Han Ziyou and failed terribly."
Everyone frowned at the obviously degrading words but there was no denying the truth.
They had failed—that was the ugly truth.
"I also have failed in a way though—" Zhou Rutong spoke with a slight scowl.
Truth was he had lost his leverage point the day Han Ziyou sat on the position of CEO.
Initially when she had just gained the seat. He had tried to threaten her with her family's life but it was obvious she realized through her own investigations that her family was nowhere near his watch.
They had miraculously disappeared years back. Heaven knew where they had disappeared off or if they were still even alive.
However, Zhou Rutong knew this. He had looked for them hoping to use them to threaten Han Ziyou into giving up the CEO position but he had failed to find them even using all his political influence.
It was a disturbing point but he didn't overthink about it.
People disappeared all the time. Some of them because they angered the wrong people.
Zhou Rutong organized his thoughts again. Though he had lost that leverage point, it didn't mean he was going to take her reign seated down.
Truth be told. He was more angry than everyone else seated in the library today. Simply because how could he bring that Han girl to his home to repay her father's extravagant debt to him only for the girl to take over the position of CEO in his family's company.
It was a harsh slap in the face.
Zhou Rutong himself didn't need the position since he had enough to handle in politics but he had make sure his son, Zhou Xi got the seat without fail.
Zhou Rutong clenched his hand but relaxed when he remembered his plan to finally get rid of the girl.
He knew the girl was careful so casual plans to destroy her wouldn't work and he had to be mindful of his own position as a politician lest his rivals used a flaw against him.
"I'll get straight to the point. I have a plan to destroy the Han girl once and for all."
Everyone in the room looked at each other, the silence intensifying.
A plan that could deal with that ruthless thief from hell.
Everyone doubted.
A man raised his hand to voice his worry even before the plan was laid out. "We honestly hope this plan is good Mr Zhou. Unlike you we are not in politics and are directly in the Zhou business."
"If your plan back fires and that little devils knows we were part of it, we will definitely lose our jobs."
Everyone once again nodded and Zhou Ni who spoke earlier said something that had everyone going pale.
"It's true Rutong. I heard that Zhou San tried to have the girl killed through an accident but she survived and guess what she did to him once she woke up in the hospital."
Everyone's heart's felt dread at the thought because they all knew what happened though know one had dared to point out the detail yet.
"Hmph. The little thief had Zhou San removed from the position of branch manager in the US and that isn't the worst part."
"She even played a role in exposing some of San's other activities and tomorrow he's getting deported back to the country. Heaven knows what the little thief will do to him by then."
Everyone looked uncomfortable by the time Zhou Ni finished his dose of cold water. Everyone's initial fire to get rid of Han Ziyou was starting to die out.
Zhou Rutong took a minute and then he took a deep breathe and spoke calmly.
"I'm sure everyone here knows the infamous Long Feng Jian—the CEO and chairman of Long Comonglerate."
Everyone's face twisted sharply at the name. A fear crept up into their every bone at the mention of the devil's name.
They all looked at Zhou Rutong like as if he was insane for even mentioning the name.
Long Feng Jian.
Who the hell in their rightful senses would ever mention THAT man's name so casually.
Zhou Rutong calmed his breathing though he also felt an inmate fear and pressure from merely thinking about that man.
Anyone who was sensible or who didn't live under a rock in the middle of nowhere, knew whom Long Feng Jian was.
If everyone of the sons of the people in this room were prodigies in the business world, then that man was the god that inevitably looked down on all of them and their measley efforts.
He is a fifth generation heir.
The eldest son of the number one family in the whole country—that is the Long family.
He is the CEO and board chairman of Long Comonglerate, a company whose networth was enough to scare billionaires.
He was everything to be admired and feared. Young, genius, rich, powerful, influential but was he ruthless as hell.
He sat at the pinnacle of the business world not just within the country but globally too. A man no one was willing to anger.
No one.
Zhou Rutong shivered lightly and there was a slight faulter in his drive to carry out his plan but he hurriedly calmed down.
Everyone was looking at Zhou Rutong wondering why he mentioned that man.
"This is my plan—" Zhou Rutong said before he went on to explain in detail what he wanted to do.
At the end of it, everyone looked at him like he was crazy.
Zhou Ni was the first to stand up feeling terrified by what he even heard. Was Rutong stupid or stupid.
How would he dare even dream of trying to utilize a man such as Long Feng Jian as a tool to do his bidding.
He must be insane. Yeah—that was it.
"Rutong are you crazy. Do you know that your plan could very well get us killed and not just jobless."
Everyone else was just pale silent.
How did Zhou Rutong even come up with such a plan. What dared to give him the confidence. There was playing with fire and getting burned but the man wanted to play in hell and get obliterated completely.
He even wanted to drag them along with him.
Had politics somehow fried his head. Did he think his mere position in the government could protect him from the evil known as Long Feng Jian.
Zhou Rutong however remained calm or at least he tried to remain calm. He knew it was risky but he also knew that this plan had not been his sole work alone.
There were certain people. People higher than him in the government that had some really bad beef with that terror bringer Long Feng Jian.
They were people who were not exactly stronger than him but rather confident in their staying alive in case Long Feng Jian retaliated.
Zhou Rutong was simply using their power and infusing his plan with theirs inorder to bring out the best result.
A mutual benefit thing. He used them to get rid of Han Ziyou and they used him and Han Ziyou to attack Long Feng Jian while he made sure that all collateral damage landed on Han Ziyou in order to use Long Feng Jian to wipe her out clean.
A win-win scenario.
Zhou Ni shook his head.
"I know you feel confident Rutong but have you considered the outcome of your plan in case it back fires. That man—hmph. He'll skin you alive."
Zhou Rutong didn't say much but he smiled.
"I'd like to formally inform all of you that my daughter Zhou Lin is seeing Ming Xian."
It was like Zhou Rutong had thrown a bomb on them and time froze. Everyone looked at Zhou Rutong in shock.
He was not the type to lie over such things.
So was Zhou Lin really seeing that other devil whose family was also among the top ten.
How—when. Seriously when did Zhou Rutong leave them in the dust. His children were scary.
Ming Xian, that was truly a game changer for Zhou Rutong.
Seriously, couldn't he just use his daughter's man alone to gain power back from Han Ziyou and even overpower all of them too.
Everyone's faces turned pale. Why were they still fighting with Rutong when the man had such ridiculous trump cards. His daughter had surely won the cake for him.
Everyone felt a helpless despair.
Seriously, if Zhou Rutong wanted and if indeed Zhou Lin was seeing Ming Xian, was there a need for them to fight his son for CEO position.
Was there a need for them to put themselves in line of direct fire of not only Zhou Rutong but also Han Ziyou and with Zhou Rutong's crazy plan, even the devil Long Feng Jian.
Deflated like balloons. That was everyone's current expression.
....