His words silenced everyone else, making them hesitant to voice any opinions.
Seeing the renewed silence in the conference room, Huangfu Sisong roared, "Have you all turned into mute statues? I suppose none of you want to keep your jobs!"
To secure his position, someone finally spoke up, "I have connections at the court. Let's find out the exact reasons Zhan Jiayi is suing us."
Huangfu Sisong immediately urged him, "Then hurry up and go."
The man left the conference room as if granted a great pardon.
Others began to share their thoughts and potential strategies.
Huangfu Sisong found them all unfeasible.
He had invested heavily in acquiring Xie Corporation, and he couldn't tolerate any setbacks in a deal that was practically sealed, especially when it was in the final stages of bankruptcy proceedings. He refused to let the prize slip through his fingers.
After the meeting, Huangfu Sishu noticed his elder brother's displeasure and stayed behind, wanting to speak with him privately.
"Brother, I've investigated the lawyers representing Zhan Jiayi in this lawsuit. It's that same lawyer, Gui Nan."
Huangfu Sisong, seeing that the conference room was empty, gestured for him to close the door and asked, "What about the other matters?"
"It seems Qin Tianyi's wife has a very good relationship with Zhan Jiayi. Zhan Jiayi received help from Qin Tianyi's wife when she was starting out. Xie Zhendong even supported Qin Tianyi's wife's studio because of this."
Huangfu Sisong pondered for a moment and said, "It appears Qin Tianyi's wife helped him resolve the conflict with the Xie family. What is her name?"
"Gu Susu." Huangfu Sishu asked, "Brother, are you suggesting that Qin Tianyi and his wife are deliberately helping Zhan Jiayi and opposing us?"
Huangfu Sisong nodded.
Huangfu Sishu continued, "Qin Tianyi's Ao Xiang Group has grown rapidly over the years, expanding into various sectors of Lancheng's business landscape and capturing a significant market share."
"Do you know how Ao Xiang developed?" Huangfu Sisong inquired.
"Originally, Ao Xiang was an obscure small company primarily engaged in e-commerce. However, after Qin Tianyi won the family inheritance dispute, he integrated the promising business projects of the Qin family into his own company, while discarding the unprofitable and outdated subsidiaries. He also leveraged the financial and material resources of the Shu Corporation to strengthen himself. In fact, the Shu Corporation is also currently managed by Qin Tianyi. It is widely rumored that his wife is the illegitimate daughter of Shu Zhongze, which is why Shu Zhongze handed over the group to them before his death."
Huangfu Sisong remarked, "Qin Tianyi is indeed remarkable. Every step he takes is calculated and steady, without haste or fanfare. It's something most young people find hard to achieve."
"Brother, did you know that Qin Tianyi's mother is from the Xiao family? The current vice president of Ao Xiang Group also has the surname Xiao. Are they seeking revenge for the Xiao family?"
As far as Huangfu Sisong knew, there were very few surviving descendants of the Xiao family, and Qin Tianyi's mother, Xiao Yongmei, had passed away before the Xiao family's decline.
As for Xiao Anjing, he had also investigated him, but he was merely a distant relative of the Xiao family, with almost no contact with the former Xiao family.
"I am aware of these facts. Although these two individuals have some connection to the Xiao family, they are not close enough to seek revenge for them."
"Brother, don't you remember Father telling us on his deathbed to be wary of the Xiao family's descendants and not to take them lightly?"
"Could I have been negligent?" Huangfu Sisong regretted not having paid more attention to Ao Xiang's growth.
He had noticed Ao Xiang Group's emergence early on and had investigated Qin Tianyi and Xiao Anjing.
However, he hadn't taken them seriously, considering them insignificant threats.
"Brother, what should we do now?"
Huangfu Sisong pondered for a moment and said, "Let's engage them in a lawsuit. Regardless of the outcome, we must find a way to eliminate these two individuals."
"We just need to make sure Ao Xiang Group cannot establish a foothold in Lancheng. We cannot engage in illegal activities; that would be too risky," Huangfu Sishu said fearfully.
"With Ao Xiang's current strength, it will be difficult to completely suppress them in a business war. For extraordinary individuals, extraordinary measures are necessary." A murderous glint appeared in Huangfu Sisong's eyes.
"Brother..."
"Stop talking. When I say extraordinary measures, I mean only as a last resort. It's too early to discuss that. For now, we cannot let Zhan Jiayi win this lawsuit. We must proceed with our original plan to dismantle Xie Corporation."
"Understood, Brother. I'll head to the court now."
...
One day, while Xi Xianya was learning to cook with her mother at home, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Xi Xianya looked through the peephole and saw two strangers. She didn't open the door and asked, "Who are you looking for? What is this about?"
"Hello, we are police officers. Are you a family member of Xi Feng?"
Xi Xianya opened the door and quickly said, "I am his daughter. Please come in."
She invited the two officers to sit, and her mother, hearing the voices, came out from the kitchen.
Xi Xianya poured two cups of water and offered them to the officers, asking, "My father is no longer with us. Is there anything else you need to investigate?"
Her mother stood nervously to the side, holding her hand, afraid the police might uncover further illegal activities by Xi Feng.
One of the officers said, "Please sit down, don't be nervous. We received an anonymous tip and have new evidence regarding your father's cause of death, which is why we are here to investigate."
Xi Xianya pulled her mother to sit down and asked, "Officers, what is this new evidence? How exactly did my father die?"
The two officers exchanged glances. The same officer who spoke earlier said, "We can now confirm that your father did not commit suicide; he was murdered."
Xi Xianya was stunned at first, then immediately asked, "What evidence? Who killed my father?"
"We are still investigating and cannot disclose details at this time," the officer replied. "We came to ask if you recall anything that happened in the days leading up to your father's death, any disputes or arguments he might have had."
She and her mother thought back, recalling that their father had no conflicts with anyone at the time.
Her father had always been amiable and never engaged in arguments.
The two officers, having found no useful leads, prepared to leave.
Xi Xianya couldn't help but ask, "Why do you still need to investigate? Wasn't Zhao Jianhua the one who killed my father?"
An officer quickly produced a printed surveillance image and showed it to her, asking, "Is the Zhao Jianhua you mentioned one of these two individuals?"
Xi Xianya looked at the image, which showed two men standing on a balcony with her father. She pointed to Xia Ming and said, "I recognize this person. He is Zhao Jianhua's assistant, Xia Ming. But I don't recognize the other one. I don't know who he is."
"Alright, thank you for the clue." The two officers had finally found a useful lead.
Xi Xianya pointed to the other unfamiliar person in the picture and asked, "Then who is this person? Did they kill my father?"
"Yes, to be precise, this person killed Xi Feng. We are currently trying to identify him."
"What about Xia Ming?"