Chapter 413: Four-Hundred and Thirteen: Changed Hands
Chapter 413: Four-Hundred and Thirteen: Changed Hands
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Lin Yu only had one thought on her mind: ‘Han Yuan must die! This old hag must die! I’ll go down in flames if she’s not dead!’
Lin Yu could feel several hands yanking at her hard, but she ignored them. She was single-mindedly focused on only one thing: ‘I have to kill Han Yuan, even if it means doing it with my own hands.’ Her fingers tightened, and Han Yuan’s face went from red to purple, but the old woman still had that mocking smile on her face.
Bang! Lin Yu felt something strike her head hard, and immense pain bloomed across her skull. At the same time, someone forcefully pried her fingers apart. Han Yuan began to cough violently as air rushed down her throat.
Something warm dripped down Lin Yu’s head. She could hear Lily shouting anxiously beside her ear, “Madam! Madam! Are you alright?”
‘See, you can’t trust anyone but yourself. At critical moments, that little servant girl I took in is only thinking about others and not me, her mistress.’ That was Lin Yu’s last thought before she lost consciousness.
Xi Cheng woke up from his dreams feeling dizzy. He’d drunk a lot last night celebrating Gu Man’s birthday and only went to bed very late after getting hot and heavy with her.
Uncaring of her unclothed state, Gu Man got up behind him and wrapped an arm around his chest, coquettishly purring, “Honey, come back to bed. I don’t feel like getting up yet.” As she spoke, she pressed her luscious figure flush against him.
Xi Cheng wouldn’t mind another romp in the sheets, but he was quite spent from last night’s activities, so he put his arms around her and coaxed, “Okay, okay. Back to bed it is. Just let me check the time. I have a routine meeting today.”
He reached for his phone, but Gu Man grabbed his hand and placed it on her bare chest. “It’s still early; the sun’s not even up yet! Come back to bed,” she breathed into his ear. The beauty leaned in close, placed her arms around Xi Cheng’s neck, and kissed him deeply as she wrapped her slender legs around his waist.
In the end, the hand Xi Cheng reached out to grab his phone landed on Gu Man’s naked back.
At this very moment, there was complete pandemonium in Cheng’an Industries, the Xi Corporation’s subsidiary. All the employees were dumbfounded, because their company had changed hands overnight.
Dawn and John—Xi Cheng’s secretary and assistant—made nonstop calls to Xi Cheng, but both paled when all they got was the automated intercept message recording stating the number they dialed wasn’t in service.
The new boss was a cold and handsome man with an indefinably ferocious air. He had come to the company with a sales contract which Dawn and John had read over meticulously. They also had the company’s legal department go over it—it was indeed signed by Xi Cheng himself and there were no traces of forgery. Said contract clearly stated that from now on, Cheng’an Industries belonged to this Mr. Chen Tao in its entirety, along with all its debts and assets.
Anxious, John kept wiping the sweat off his forehead, very much aware of all the employees outside the office looking at them, eagerly awaiting their news.
Chen Tao sat in Xi Cheng’s chair and impassively uttered, “Secretary Dawn and Assistant John, I’m only here today as a formality. The company will continue its usual daily routine. It’s just that the finance department needs to cooperate with my finance staff to conduct an audit. Is there a problem?”
Dawn didn’t say anything. John tried hard to compose himself as he wiped his sweat off his brow. “Mr. Chen, I need to get in touch with Mr. Xi Cheng. He needs to give an explanation to the company’s employees. He also needs to give headquarters and the corporation an explanation.”
Chen Tao sneered, “Go on, then. Knock yourself out.”
John picked up his phone again. He didn’t make the call to Xi Cheng this time—he called Shi Nian. The call successfully connected, and John’s heart instantly settled back in his chest as he thought, ‘In a certain sense, Mr. Shi is more reliable than my boss.’
“Mr. Shi, it’s John. Something happened on my end. Someone came over with a contract signed by our boss saying that he sold the company to him. We couldn’t get in contact with Xi Cheng, and I’m worried something might’ve happened to him.” John urgently relayed everything to Shi Nian in one go, eyes fixed on the calm and relaxed Mr. Chen Tao. It wasn’t the wisest to have this conversation in the man’s presence, but needs must.
There was a pregnant silence on Shi Nian’s end before he said, “John.”
John’s heart suddenly jumped to his throat. Shi Nian’s voice was heavy as he went on, “This is the fifth call I’ve received this morning. If I recall correctly, there are only five companies under Xi Cheng’s name of which he has full control over.”
John was stunned. “John,” Shi Nian reminded him, “the most important thing now is to find Xi Cheng.”
“But none of our calls are getting through to him,” John nearly wailed.
Shi Nian stated firmly, “Go look for him at the places he frequents. Don’t bother about the company anymore. There’s nothing you can do to turn things around at this point. I’m on my way to the Xi Corporation right now. I think your headquarters must’ve received the news by now. Put everything else aside for now. We’ll only know what happened when we find Xi Cheng.”
“Yes, Mr. Shi!” John replied with determination, suddenly appearing to have found his pillar of support. He ended the call, put down his phone, and met Chen Tao’s gaze head on. “Mr. Chen, I have to step out for a while. Dawn will help manage the company’s work in the meantime.”