Chapter 479: August 2—A Grand Gathering!
by cnwebnovelsChapter 479: August 2—A Grand Gathering!
“To Wu Chen’s? Cough, cough, cough…” Su Ruiwen gripped the banister and looked back, then covered his mouth and coughed violently twice more.
“Hubby, did you take your medicine tonight?” Madam Su could tell something was wrong. Guessing he’d forgotten in the rush, she hurried over to the coffee table to fetch it.
“Xiaoling, bring some water!” she called.
The young maid, who had been wiping things down, hurried to the water dispenser. Madam Su grabbed the medicine and walked quickly to the stairs, scolding him as she went. “Look at you, forgetting again. Qingying’s busy every single day, and so are you…”
Su Ruiwen took his medicine and drank some water. He felt a good deal better.
Madam Su went upstairs with him.
In the bedroom, Su Ruiwen stepped into the walk-in closet and unbuttoned his suit jacket. Madam Su took it, smoothed it out a little, and hung it up.
“Has Qingying been… going to Wu Chen’s a lot lately?” Su Ruiwen asked, pulling off his tie.
“Not really…” Madam Su replied. Then she caught what he was implying and gave him a reproachful look. “What are you thinking? Miss Li is there! Our daughter goes to see Miss Li. As for Wu Chen… I hear he’s been traveling a lot lately on business. He’s hardly ever home…”
“Hmm…” Su Ruiwen murmured, and asked nothing more.
Madam Su could tell he had something weighing on him, that he was turning something over, suspecting something. But to her mind, he was reading too much into it.
She herself had had an unpleasant run-in with Wu Chen.
She even felt he’d taken advantage of her daughter.
But that Su Qingying could actually be involved with him? That, she didn’t believe for a second!
Because Wu Chen’s girlfriend was Li Ruobing! Madam Su had originally seen Li Ruobing as domineering in style, fiercely strong-willed, a business prodigy in her own right, and, above all, backed by a terrifyingly powerful family!
All of that was reason enough for Madam Su to be wary of her and treat her with care!
But it wasn’t enough to make her truly afraid of Li Ruobing! Whether to make an enemy of her, whether to dare a falling-out, would depend on the issue! If the stakes were high enough, Madam Su wouldn’t flinch before Li Ruobing!
That had been the full extent of her view.
But after her daughter seized power from her at the board meeting, her view of Li Ruobing changed completely. With Li Ruobing’s help, Su Qingying had managed something so astonishing… Li Ruobing’s strategy and methods had left Madam Su genuinely shaken!
She knew she had badly underestimated the eldest daughter of the Li family’s third generation!
She was also thankful she hadn’t fallen out with Li Ruobing for good back when Wu Chen took Su Qingying away from the golf course!
Her daughter had even become close friends with Li Ruobing.
With a woman like that, Madam Su was sure no man would dare fool around right under her nose! It wasn’t just a matter of risking his neck. More to the point, there was simply no way to hide anything from Li Ruobing!
Besides, Madam Su trusted her daughter.
Mother and daughter had already reconciled.
Madam Su knew she could no longer control her daughter. Her husband’s health was poor, and no one knew how much longer he could hold on. In the future, Qingying would certainly be the one running the family.
Even so, she couldn’t believe her daughter would suddenly turn into the kind of woman who came between a couple. She trusted the upbringing she’d given her.
The couple went on talking.
With Madam Su’s help, Su Ruiwen changed into a robe. Instead of going to bathe, though, he left the bedroom and went into the study next door.
Madam Su went back downstairs.
In the study, Su Ruiwen switched on his computer and opened a document. Then he took out his phone and found the recording, more than an hour long, of his conversation with Wu Chen.
No one else had heard it. Nor could he hand it to anyone else to sort out the information it contained.
He intended to do it himself.
Play. Pause. Type it up.
Over and over.
Su Ruiwen was extremely patient. Now that he had this opportunity, he was determined to “send Xu Zhenyuan away” flawlessly. It would not only eliminate the family’s biggest danger. Once he recovered the shares, the Su family’s stake in Jinfu Group would climb to over forty percent.
For a sprawling business empire that had inevitably been through round after round of financing and acquisitions as it grew, for the controlling shareholder to push their stake that high was extraordinary.
The Su family’s actual assets would also grow by several billion yuan.
They wouldn’t even need to hold such a large stake.
They could easily sell off part of it, bring in other powerful investors, and boost Jinfu Group’s cash flow. So long as they kept a firm grip on the voting rights, nothing else would be a problem!
Before he knew it, it was past ten.
Creak!
Madam Su pushed open the study door in her pajamas.
“Hubby, why aren’t you resting? What are you so busy with? Still working at this hour. If something’s urgent, have Qingying come home and handle it. You…” she said as she came in. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about her daughter. She just worried about her husband’s health.
The plan was for their daughter to take over anyway. Putting more on her plate would be good training in itself.
“Some… evidence of Xu Zhenyuan’s crimes,” Su Ruiwen said, eyes on the screen, and tapped the paused phone.
A young man’s voice came from it.
“Wu Chen?” Madam Su recognized it.
“Yes.” Su Ruiwen paused the phone again. He looked at his wife, glanced back at the screen, typed a couple of keys, then stopped. “This afternoon Wu Chen came to the company and said…”
He gave her a brief rundown, then added, “All of this… came from Wu Chen. He implied that Li Ruobing had people look into it. But when I called her afterward, she seemed… not to know much about it…”
He sounded far from certain.
“Not to know much?” Madam Su frowned slightly. She came to his side and read what he’d already typed.
She sensed something wasn’t right, but for the moment that wasn’t her concern.
“Hubby, go and rest. I’ll do it… It’s just the recording on your phone, right? Leave it to me…” she said.
Su Ruiwen really was near the end of his strength. He was exhausted.
And he kept no secrets from his wife.
They’d been married for many years, and they loved each other deeply.
“Don’t stay up too late either. If you don’t finish, I’ll carry on tomorrow…” He stood, cupped her head gently, and kissed her forehead.
“Oh, I know. Go to bed. Go on,” she urged.
Su Ruiwen left the study.
Madam Su sat down in the executive chair, tapped the phone, and resumed the recording… Within a few minutes, she’d typed a dozen-odd lines, and something began to feel off.
The recording wasn’t just Wu Chen’s account. Su Ruiwen had also pressed him for details.
And Wu Chen had answered every single question!
…
In the master bedroom.
Su Ruiwen was already lying under a blanket. As he reached to switch off the main light and leave just the bedside lamp on, his hand paused. He looked at the phone on the nightstand.
He had two phones and no fewer than three numbers in regular use: a work number, a private number, and one more… on a SIM card whose registered owner no one could trace!
His work phone was in the study. The one on the nightstand held his private number.
After a moment, he picked it up.
He opened his contacts and scrolled. Apart from family, every number in there belonged to a “big shot,” and not only in Donghai. They were from all over the country!
Even the patriarchs of a few great families.
He found his daughter’s number.
It was ten twenty at night.
He hesitated but didn’t call. It was simply too late. She might well be asleep. He scrolled on, found Wu Yurong’s number, and didn’t call her either.
There was something seriously wrong with Wu Chen!
And not just with his relationship with Su Ruiwen’s daughter!
Su Ruiwen felt he ought to ask around. Wu Yurong, for one. But this was obviously not the hour for it. There would be a chance tomorrow!
Tomorrow, all of Donghai’s upper class would gather for the same occasion. He’d be able to ask not only Wu Yurong, but plenty of others.
Mulling it over, Su Ruiwen set down the phone, switched off the light, and lay down.
August 2, 2020. Seven o’clock sharp in the morning.
Zunrong Donghai Huafu.
The master bedroom on the second floor.
Wu Chen opened his eyes, looked up at the ceiling, and smiled. Still drowsy, he rolled over, wrapped his arms around Su Qingying, who lay curled up fast asleep beside him, and closed his eyes again.
He didn’t wake again until after nine.
Su Qingying was no longer in the room. He could faintly hear voices outside. Li Ruobing and Mu Qianqian were out there too.
On a normal day, all three of them would have left for work by now.
They hadn’t, and not only because it was the weekend. Today Donghai was hosting an exceptionally grand event: Lu Guangnian’s wedding!
That Lu Guangnian had found his first love again and gained a biological son and granddaughter in one stroke was no longer any secret in Donghai’s upper circles.
Today, he would finally marry her!
Lu Guangnian loved making friends, and had a reputation for loyalty and integrity! Nearly every one of Donghai’s super-rich counted as his friend. The only difference was how close.
And for this wedding, he had practically sent invitations to all of Donghai!
Everyone would give him face.
Everyone would be there!