Su He hadn't expected her adoptive father to be so resolute.
To ensure her adoptive mother's comfort, he had given up his company shares without a second thought.
His decisiveness was truly moving.
Mr. Zhao, his partner, initially thought he was joking. Was it really necessary to throw a tantrum just because a few uninvited guests had been brought in without his prior consultation?
But Su Dazhi wasn't one to make idle threats; he was serious.
The next day, he informed the other shareholders of the company about the equity transfer.
Mr. Zhao couldn't help but panic.
A significant reason for the company's growth was Su Dazhi's financial support, as well as his matrimonial ties with the Lu Group. If their business partners learned of his departure, they would surely stop approaching him for future projects.
"Dazhi, we've been partners for so long, why are you suddenly withdrawing your investment?"
"I wasn't aware they had any issues with you. Can't you make some allowances?"
"Old Su, this company was founded by both of us. You can't just decide to quit. How about this, I'll give you another five percent of the shares, what do you say?"
Facing Mr. Zhao's entreaties, Su Dazhi remained unyielding. "Precisely because we are old friends, I am offering to sell my shares to you first, instead of selling them to someone else directly."
"My health hasn't been good these past two years, and my family is very worried. I've worked hard my whole life, and now I plan to retire and enjoy my life. I'll leave the company to you from now on."
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Su Dazhi, Mr. Zhao had no choice but to give up.
However, he couldn't gather the substantial amount of money required in such a short time. After borrowing from relatives and friends, he was still short of several million.
At this point, the Tang family, somehow having caught wind of the situation, approached him proactively, offering to help. Their condition was to purchase twenty percent of the company's shares at ten percent below market price.
Under normal circumstances, Mr. Zhao would have dismissed such a request outright. But now, desperate for funds, he had no room to negotiate. Just being able to raise the money was a relief.
Moreover, the Tang family's demand wasn't entirely unreasonable. Even after selling twenty percent of the shares, he would still remain the largest shareholder.
Within three days, Mr. Zhao had the money and transferred it to Su Dazhi's account.
The once inseparable friends had now become estranged.
Of course, Su Dazhi didn't care.
In his heart, family was the most important.
"Mr. Zhao actually let the Tang family get involved? Isn't he afraid of inviting a wolf into his house!" Tang Jiaojiao couldn't help but shake her head secretly after hearing the inside story. Those Tang family members were all opportunistic; they wouldn't act without a motive.
Whatever they set their sights on, they would acquire. Just wait and see, it wouldn't be long before the company changed hands. Then, Mr. Zhao would have reason to cry.
The Tang family's appearance did not have any substantial impact on Tang Jiaojiao's life.
However, this family seemed determined to establish themselves in City B, spending money lavishly to build connections and investing in numerous small companies. It was even rumored that they had invested heavily in the company where Su He had previously worked.
"The Tang family intends to enter City B..." As she heard more and more discussions, Su He naturally took notice.
"Is the Tang family that wealthy?" Su He murmured to herself.
Tang Jiaojiao replied, "With the accumulation of several generations, they should have quite a bit. However, in terms of strength, they are definitely no match for the Lu family. With Tang Ren's intellect, he might be adept at quick schemes, but when it comes to real competition, he's simply out of his depth!"
"I'm not worried about overt competition, but I fear they might resort to underhanded tactics behind the scenes." Tang Jiaojiao knew they were up to no good, so she kindly reminded her, "You'd better warn your son-in-law and have him guard against them."
The Tang family's business practices were hardly straightforward.
A significant reason for Tang Jiaojiao's departure from home was her disapproval of their modus operandi.
"I heard the old madam is gravely ill. Are you really not going back to see her?" Su He was somewhat concerned that those people might use this matter to their advantage.
When Tang Jiaojiao's maternal grandmother was mentioned, her expression remained remarkably calm. "Let's wait until a critical illness notice is issued."
She wasn't sure if the news was true.
What if it was Tang Sese's ploy to lure her back? She had support in City B, but once she returned to the Tang family's territory, she would lose control. At that point, she would become a pawn to restrain them.
Su He was secretly astonished. It seemed the rift between her adoptive mother and the Tang family had reached an intractable point. What kind of enmity made her so wary of her own birth mother?
*
During Lu Yanbei's business trip, Su He could only speak to him on the phone before bed each day.
During the day, he was so swamped that he had no free time to connect with Su He.
Su He understood that he wanted to finish his work as soon as possible, so she tried not to disturb him. However, every night, when she found herself alone in bed, she missed him terribly.
Habits were truly formidable things.
Lu Yanbei spoiled her too much, to the point where she couldn't bear to be apart from him.
"Honey, when will you be back?" That day, after taking a shower, Su He got into bed early and video-called Lu Yanbei.
Across the vast distance, the two could only find solace in this manner.
On the other end, Lu Yanbei was still busy in his office. Figures occasionally flitted past, phones rang intermittently, and the room was brightly lit, making it seem like daylight.
"Still working overtime?" Su He felt a pang of concern.
"Yes, a sudden issue, but it should be resolved soon." Lu Yanbei spoke to her while hastily shoveling some food into his mouth, his eyes darting to the next document.
Seeing how overwhelmed he was, not even eating properly, Su He worried greatly. "You don't need to rush back. Take your time with your work, and take good care of yourself over there."
"What have you been busy with lately?" Lu Yanbei glanced up at her.
"Nothing much, besides clocking in at the company and accompanying Ms. Jiao Jiao shopping..." Su He briefly updated him on her schedule. "There's a new sci-fi movie out that's quite good. I'll watch it with you when you get back."
"Okay," Lu Yanbei agreed with a smile.
"Mr. Lu, we have news from DK..." Cheng Jue rushed in with a document, not noticing that his boss was on a video call with his wife.
Su He knew they had business to discuss and promptly ended the call. "You get back to work. Get some rest as soon as you're done."
"Mm, you sleep early too." Lu Yanbei didn't want to cut their conversation short, but with so many urgent matters, he couldn't afford to be indulgent. Moreover, numerous subordinates were awaiting his decisions, so he could only take this brief respite.
Putting down his chopsticks, he plunged back into his intensive work.
That night, the office lights remained on without a break.
Fortunately, their efforts paid off!
By dawn, all the difficult problems had been resolved. Only some finishing touches remained.
Lu Yanbei sat in his swivel chair, rubbing his throbbing forehead, and asked, "What time is it?"
Cheng Jue glanced at his watch. "Quarter past five."
"What time is the earliest flight?" Lu Yanbei asked again.
"Six forty-eight," Cheng Jue replied.
Lu Yanbei calculated the time. If he moved quickly, he should be able to catch the earliest flight. "Head back to the hotel to pack your luggage, and then to the airport."