"Ah?" Gu Sheng was stunned. "Xiao Ya, what's going on?"
Cen Ya tearfully told Gu Sheng about Ou Minghan taking out loans in her name, how the Cen family had paid off a portion of it, and that there were still two hundred million in debt remaining.
"Gu Sheng, the Cen family really doesn't want me anymore..." Cen Ya cried even harder. "With such a huge debt on my back and no home, what should I do..."
"You still have me!" Gu Sheng said quickly.
"Are you going to help me pay off the debt?" Cen Ya asked, as if she had found her last ray of hope, full of expectation.
"Uh, this..." Gu Sheng was very troubled. "Xiao Ya, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I truly don't have that much money to pay it back. How about this, we can slowly figure out a way for this money, and as for a place to stay, you can come stay with me first. I'll give you the guest room."
"No... I can't do that..." Cen Ya shook her head while crying. "Gu Sheng, I'm very sad and upset right now, I can't accept anyone else..."
"I know, Xiao Ya, I won't force you to be with me. I just want you to be happy!" Gu Sheng said quickly. "I'll wait for you, until the day you completely forget Ou Minghan and accept me!"
Cen Ya was moved by his words and finally agreed.
*
The holiday ended, and on the first day back at work, Ye Zhi was about to call a meeting, but first received a call from Zhan Ruoqing.
Ye Zhi was a little surprised but pressed the answer button.
"Ah Zhi, have you heard?" Zhan Ruoqing said gossipy. "Cen Ya is in debt by two hundred million!"
"Huh?" Ye Zhi was very surprised. "How did she owe this money?"
Zhan Ruoqing immediately told Ye Zhi all the gossip she knew.
"Actually, Cen Ya owed the bank over a billion yuan. Cen Xiucheng paid off a portion for her, and now only two hundred million is left," Zhan Ruoqing said.
"The Cen family actually helped Cen Ya pay off so much debt..." Ye Zhi clicked her tongue. "The Cen family has truly treated her with utmost kindness."
"Isn't that right!" Zhan Ruoqing said excitedly. "But there's something even more outrageous, do you want to hear it?"
Ye Zhi found it both amusing and exasperating, but she cooperated and said, "I do."
"Cen Ya is now burdened with such a huge debt, do you know who she's with?" Zhan Ruoqing asked mysteriously.
"Gu Sheng, probably," Ye Zhi mused slightly. "I saw them at the airport when I came back from N City."
Zhan Ruoqing was regretful. "You actually guessed it... But you definitely don't know that Gu Sheng, for Cen Ya, used the Gu family's money to help her pay off several million! His parents found out about this and almost sent them to the hospital! His parents were so angry they disowned him..."
Ye Zhi: ...
Love-struck fools are truly terrifying!
Zhan Ruoqing continued, "This isn't even the end of it. His family forced him to break up with Cen Ya, but Gu Sheng refused to do so. Moreover, in defiance of his parents, Gu Sheng actually wants to sell the house his parents bought for him, which is under his name, to help Cen Ya pay off her debt! It's said that Gu Sheng's house is worth seven or eight million..."
Ye Zhi was truly shocked. Is this the second male lead? She was convinced.
"But if he sells the house, where will they live?" Ye Zhi couldn't help but ask.
"They'll rent a place to live," Zhan Ruoqing said. "Gu Sheng has a job, and his salary is not low. He can afford to rent a place."
"I suddenly thought of a problem," Ye Zhi said.
"What problem?" Zhan Ruoqing was curious.
"Ou Minghan and Cen Ya haven't divorced yet. You said she's living with Gu Sheng now... What do you call that?" Ye Zhi asked.
"Probably called... marital infidelity?" Zhan Ruoqing said with a giggle.
Ye Zhi's lips twitched. If Ou Minghan found out about this, he would probably fly back from abroad no matter what and get rid of Gu Sheng.
"Oh, right, I heard that K Company is going to acquire Qianbai. Is this news true?" Zhan Ruoqing asked.
"Very true. Cen Xiucheng told me himself. They should complete the acquisition not long from now," Ye Zhi said.
"Is he trying to do you a favor?" Zhan Ruoqing was taken aback. "Then why didn't he just not sell it to K Company? What does this mean now?"
"Ruoqing, he's a businessman. It's strange if he doesn't make money, isn't it?" Ye Zhi said with a laugh. "Besides, even if he doesn't sell, it won't change anything. If K Company wants to develop in China and fails to acquire Qianbai, they can just build their own subsidiary and start from scratch. It will just take more time."
"That's true..." Zhan Ruoqing frowned. "But with K Company as the opponent, I'm a little worried about you."
"Don't worry, I won't underestimate them," Ye Zhi said with a light smile.
The two chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up the phone.
Afterwards, Ye Zhi gathered the management of Taoxun Shopping for a meeting and announced the acquisition of Qianbai by K Company.
Everyone immediately started discussing.
Ye Zhi listened quietly, then suddenly turned to Feng Jie. "Feng Jie, do you have any opinions?"
"Me?" Feng Jie was stunned for a moment, but he quickly replied, "K Company is indeed a strong opponent. My suggestion is to engage in a price war. Calculating the time, after K Company acquires Qianbai, it will take at least a month for restructuring, and then the new website can go online.
During this period, we can remain inactive and observe K Company's movements. When the new website goes online, we can launch some promotional activities and drag K Company into a battle of capital with us.
K Company is very wealthy, but their investment in China is definitely limited. When the investment becomes too large and the returns are very small, they will reconsider the domestic market.
Most importantly, now that we have money, we might not lose to them in a battle of capital.
As for the follow-up, we'll see how they play and react accordingly."
Ye Zhi nodded slightly. Feng Jie's suggestion was similar to her own thoughts.
Taoxun hadn't even broken into the international market yet, and an international opponent had already come to China. In that case, Taoxun should indeed give them a good 'welcome'.
Now that Taoxun had money, her confidence had grown. Although a price war was simple and brutal, it was effective!
"Assistant Feng's suggestion is very good, very good," Ye Zhi agreed. "However, there's one more thing. Starting this month, Taoxun must focus on improving its services. We must raise the quality of our services!"
Everyone agreed.
After the meeting, Feng Jie came to Ye Zhi's office.
"President Ye, I heard that Ou Minghan has fled abroad?" Feng Jie asked.
"Yes," Ye Zhi nodded.
"Will he come back?" Feng Jie asked worriedly.
"Whether he comes back or not, it won't have much impact," Ye Zhi explained calmly. "His subordinate, Wu Yongzhi, has already sold him out completely..."