On Sunday, Xiang Mingzhang was invited to the Chu family. Since he wanted to discuss business, he dressed formally and did not bring too many fancy gifts.
Chu Shichen sat in the hanging chair on the porch early in the morning waiting, and stood up to greet Xiang Mingzhang. They had just met yesterday and spent most of the day together, so he was reserved today.
There was another car in the garden, and Chu Shichen asked Lawyer Lei to come over.
Xiang Mingzhang, wearing a double-breasted woolen suit, asked, "Am I late?"
"No." Chu Shichen reached out and poked the dark golden button. "The time is right, go in."
Mrs. Chu, Chu Shihui, and Attorney Lei were all in the reception room on the first floor. Aunt Tang and Sister Xiu were on vacation these two days and were out. There were no fresh desserts on the coffee table, only a pot of coffee and a plate of fruit.
Chu Shichen sat with Xiang Mingzhang on the double sofa on one side and poured a cup of coffee for everyone.
After a warm greeting, Mrs. Chu asked, "Xiaochen, why did you call everyone together?"
Chu Shichen signaled to Lawyer Lei with his eyes, took out the prepared documents and said, "I think there is something fishy about the yacht accident, and I have been investigating behind the scenes."
Mrs. Chu was stunned and said, "Yacht... What does strange mean?"
Chu Shichen replied: "I suspect the yacht explosion was not an accident, but a man-made accident."
Mrs. Chu was horrified. At the beginning, she only cared about Chu Shichen's life safety and had no intention of paying attention to anything else. She thought the whole matter was settled and she almost forgot about it for such a long time.
"How could it be?" Mrs. Chu asked hurriedly, "Who did it? Why? Is someone trying to harm you?"
Although Chu Shihui was surprised, she calmed down and took the documents and looked through them with Mrs. Chu. Lawyer Lei described the investigation process and the doubts.
Mrs. Chu asked impatiently, "Have you found out?"
Lawyer Lei said: "The power of the law firm is limited. Thanks to Mr. Xiang for helping to find it."
Xiang Mingzhang was sipping his coffee and said slowly, "There are two suspects, both Thai. One of them is called Alan."
Chu Shichen narrated the details and told the truth about the information he had at hand, including that they were being followed by Alan in Guangzhou.
Mrs. Chu clenched her fist and pounded it on her thigh: "Why didn't you tell your family earlier? If something happens again, Mom won't live anymore."
Chu Shichen comforted her, "We have been investigating for a long time and it was shelved for a while. I am afraid that if I tell you too early, it will make you worry."
Chu Shihui was very smart and asked, "Brother, do you have any idea now?"
Chu Shichen and Xiang Mingzhang looked at each other and confessed their suspicions. When he mentioned "Li Zangqiu", he paused for a few seconds and observed Chu Shihui's reaction.
Mrs. Chu hugged Chu Shihui, frowned, and did not refute.
Lawyer Lei, from the perspective of an outsider, said: "Mr. Li was in charge of the aftermath of the accident. In order to suppress the news, he was in a hurry and directly skipped over some suspicious points."
Mrs. Chu spoke frankly: "It was my idea to suppress the news because I was afraid of the bad influence."
Lawyer Lei added: "Well, it's just a guess. If Mr. Li has a problem, he can handle it smoothly afterwards."
Chu Shichen asked: "Xiao Hui, what do you think?"
Chu Shihui seemed to remember something. She held Mrs. Chu's hand and said, "Brother, when mom promised you to sell the shares to Xiang Yue, I agreed."
The real "Chu Shichen" cried, made a fuss, and even threatened to commit suicide, forcing Mrs. Chu to compromise and sell her shares, and then attempted to take it all for himself in the name of starting a business.
Mrs. Chu agreed because she doted on her son, but she actually had other plans. Unexpectedly, Chu Shichen got into trouble and lost his memory, and she never mentioned it again.
Mrs. Chu smiled bitterly: "Equity may seem like a good thing, but it's not a safe thing for an orphan or a widow to hold it and attract people's attention."
Besides, Yisi's condition was getting worse by the year. Rather than letting him be ruined in the hands of Li Zangqiu, it would be better to sell him to a good family. Maybe there would be some improvement.
Therefore, Mrs. Chu decided to keep only Chu Shihui's shares. For one thing, Chu Shihui was young, and even if Li Zangqiu wanted to take advantage of the marriage between the two families to do something, he would not be able to do anything in one or two years.
Secondly, it is a way out. She and Chu Zhe focus on training their daughter. If Chu Shihui wants to join the company in the future, it will be smoother with the equity in hand.
Mrs. Chu is usually beauty-loving, pampered, and has a naivety that is not in line with her age. Apart from socializing and dressing up, she seems to worry about nothing, but in fact, she has a mirror in her heart.
Chu Shichen was not surprised. During the time at Meijinlou, Li Zangqiu proposed that Li Heng and Chu Shihui get engaged. Mrs. Chu did not show any resistance, but she cooperated with him and played the good cop and the bad cop role.
He had a vague feeling that Mrs. Chu had her own scale. She pretended to be confused, but in fact she was very clear about the considerations for her children.
Chu Shihui and Li Heng were childhood sweethearts, and the feelings they had when they grew up together were always real. She agreed to Li Heng's pursuit, and dated him, thinking countless times whether there were any other desires mixed in with her true feelings.
Over the past six months, the relationship between Yi Si and Du Heng has broken down, and Chu Shihui and Li Heng have also become increasingly distant. She certainly understands the subtleties involved.
There are only two outcomes for a rigid relationship: either you try to turn the tide, or it breaks the camel's back and ends completely.
Chu Shihui was not a sentimental girl. She simply asked, "Brother, what do you want to do?"
Chu Shichen had imagined that he could do the same thing and hold another signing party, saying, "Let's stage a play to transfer Xiao Hui's shares to my name."
Chu Shihui has equity but no real power. Even if she joins the company directly after graduation, it will take at least three to five years to gain experience.
Chu Shichen is already the director of the sales department. He has real power and prestige. If Yisi's shares are added, his power will be even greater. Li Zangqiu will definitely feel threatened.
In the past, Li Zangqiu thought that the incompetent "Chu Shichen" was easy to control and disagreed with him selling his shares to Xiang Yue. Now, on the contrary, what Li Zangqiu fears is that the powerful Chu Shichen will have greater power.
Chu Shichen said: "Xiao Hui, when Li Heng finds out, he will definitely come and ask you. You have to pretend that you were pressured by your family and that I forced you to do it."
Chu Shihui asked: "Why?"
"Because I want to weaken you, I will be the target." Chu Shichen said, "Li Zangqiu and I have been grudged for a long time. Once the conflict intensifies, he will naturally turn his spearhead towards me."
Chu Shichen said: "Last time it was an explosion, aimed at human lives. We can't take it lightly, so I have to ensure Xiao Hui's safety."
Chu Shihui shouted, "What if you get into trouble? You almost lost your life last time!"
"Yes!" Mrs. Chu's palms and backs of her hands were all flesh. "Xiaochen, you escaped death last time, you can't take risks again this time. No, no, I can't stand it!"
Chu Shihui threw the information away and showed her rare temper: "I just started to like you this year and treat you as my elder brother. If anything happens to you, what will mom and I do?"
Chu Shichen said: "We are luring the snake out of its hole, so we must be careful and cautious."
Xiang Mingzhang remained quiet the entire time, and raised his eyes when he heard the word "be wary". He had been wary of Xiang Xingzhao, directors with ulterior motives, and competitors. This kind of vigilance could be loose or tight, and there was no standard scale.
Even if there is, how should we respond if the opponent is one step ahead
Xiang Mingzhang said: "I will help."
Mrs. Chu was frightened and almost ignored the guest. She politely refused: "Ming Zhang, I can't implicate you."
"It's not an involvement." Xiang Mingzhang said, "Li Zangqiu knows that I value Shichen and thinks I'm backing him up. My involvement makes him feel more pressured."
Chu Shichen asked: "What are you going to do?"
Xiang Mingzhang thought about it for a long time last night: "I heard that Miss Chu is going to hold a design exhibition. The venue and labor will be handed over to me. I can take the opportunity to deploy it."
The design exhibition extended invitations to some technology companies. Chu Shihui said, "Mr. Xiang, I wanted to invite you to be a guest at the exhibition."
"That's perfect." Xiang Mingzhang said, "Let's arrange the equity transfer on the same day. A party should be lively with as many people as possible. For safety reasons, Mrs. Chu and Miss Chu will leave quietly and will not stay on the scene."
Chu Shichen said: "Don't go home, it's better to hide away."
Xiang Mingzhang thought it over: "I will send someone to protect you throughout the trip, Auntie, and you and Miss Chu will go to New Zealand for a few days."
Chu Shihui asked: "Brother, what about you?"
Chu Shichen said: "I will stay. No matter whether the real murderer will show up or not, as a party involved, I have to deal with the aftermath."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "No plan has a 100% chance of success. No matter what happens, I will accompany him."
Mrs. Chu listened to their words full of tacit understanding, and her mood calmed down. She even felt inexplicably moved.
But she still had to reason with him. She said, "Ming Zhang, we are very grateful for your help, but this matter is dangerous. If you are implicated, the Chu family will not be able to explain to the Xiang family."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "I am the boss of the Xiang family, I don't need to report to anyone."
"Nonsense, where is your mother?" Mrs. Chu said earnestly, "This is the Chu family's family affair, you can't be dragged into it."
Xiang Mingzhang paused: "Auntie, are you being polite to me?"
There was only one thing left to discuss today. Chu Shichen suddenly picked up the cold coffee and took a big gulp like drinking wine, which not only moistened his throat but also gave him courage.
He announced: "Mr. Xiang is not an outsider."
Xiang Mingzhang was always nitpicking about the details: "Mr. Xiang?"
Mrs. Chu was confused, Chu Shihui seemed to understand, and Lawyer Lei was watching with some confusion. As luck would have it, Aunt Tang and Sister Xiu came back, knocked on the door, each holding a box of desserts they bought on the road.
There are so many people here, so let’s all listen and bear witness.
Chu Shichen's pronunciation was not fluent, but it was clear and pleasant to the ear. He changed his address to "Ming Zhang and I are in love."
The reception room was silent. Xiang Mingzhang nodded and restrainedly suppressed a smile.
Lawyer Lei, who has been in the industry for many years and has seen a lot, was the first to react: "Ah... Congratulations."
Chu Shihui covered her mouth with her right hand, curled her eyes, and gave Chu Shichen a thumbs up with her left hand.
Aunt Tang and Sister Xiu stood at the door in a daze. They pinched each other, their lips drooping in pain, and asked, "Do you want to eat egg tarts? They're fresh out of the oven..."
Mrs. Chu's mood was up and down. She couldn't help but hold her chest and murmured, "Oh my God, Chu Zhe, your son brought home a CEO."
Chu Shichen spoke frankly, but was a little overwhelmed after he finished. Xiang Mingzhang held one of his hands and then stated his attitude: "We have been together for a while."
Chu Shichen said implicitly: "The feelings are very deep."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "I will definitely help him solve any problem."
Mrs. Chu was surprised and happy, her eyes were red, and it took her a while to calm down.
She suddenly remembered the days of the Spring Festival and asked, "Xiaochen went to visit your mother, could it be..."
"Yes." Xiang Mingzhang said, "My mother knew it earlier than you."
Mrs. Chu had invited her before, so now it was more legitimate. She said, "Xiao Hui and I are going to New Zealand. Would Miss Bai like to come with us?"
Xiang Mingzhang wants to help, and there are always risks involved. If something goes wrong, Bai Yongti is far away abroad, so it is convenient to conceal it and she doesn't have to worry about him.
In the past year, Bai Yongti has never left Manzhuang. How can a living person be happy if he is locked up in one place for a long time
Chu Shichen said: "Let's take this opportunity to persuade my aunt to go out and get some fresh air."
Xiang Mingzhang acted decisively, but he had no confidence in this matter, so he said, "I'll give it a try."
(End of this chapter)