Chapter 504: Far Too Direct!

Chapter 504: Far Too Direct!

Wu Weidong had just praised Wu Chen’s methods, but there was no smile on his face. There was no hostility either—not even in his heart. After all, he couldn’t control his daughter regardless of whether he approved of Wu Chen. It was merely an unhappy observation, born of his feelings at the moment.

Unlike Su Ruiwen, who had spent so long suppressing his emotions over his daughter’s situation, Wu Weidong saw no need to do so. His outlook was considerably more relaxed than Su Ruiwen’s.

Wu Chen merely smiled and said nothing. He didn’t dispute the old man’s assessment.

“You know Rongrong’s been divorced, don’t you? Her daughter’s all grown up. She’s only two years younger than you, Mr. Wu,” Wu Weidong asked again. It was an unnecessary question, of course. He was deliberately bringing it up.

“Old Master, you can speak plainly,” Wu Chen said with a smile. He had no desire to beat around the bush with Wu Weidong.

“Normally, I wouldn’t want to say much about Rongrong’s love life,” Wu Weidong said, looking at him. “You’ve probably heard that I wronged her back then… But Mr. Wu, I think you understand the difference in your ages. Can the two of you really get along?”

Wu Weidong didn’t want to pursue the matter too deeply either.

He didn’t think there was any need to put pressure on Wu Chen. He was simply raising the subject.

“Old Master, you might not know me, but surely you know your own daughter?” Wu Chen said with a smile.

“That’s true.” Wu Weidong lifted his teacup and looked out at the scenery around the pavilion. “Rongrong is an exceptional woman. And I trust that no one can deceive her.”

Clack!

Having finished his sip, Wu Weidong set his cup down and looked at Wu Chen again.

“But I still find it hard to understand…” He gestured as he spoke. “You… and my daughter. Did you two know each other long before this? Was it through Xuanxuan?”

This was clearly only the beginning of a long line of questions. Wu Chen knew that once the old man started, there would be many, many more.

But none of this mattered much to Wu Chen.

Wu Weidong could never influence his relationship with Wu Yurong! And Wu Chen hadn’t come here today to discuss his daughter’s love life.

“We haven’t known each other long,” Wu Chen replied with a smile. Then he continued, “The fact that Sister Rong and I met—or rather, that our relationship has reached this point—was partly coincidence and partly inevitable.”

Wu Weidong considered that for a moment, but couldn’t work out exactly what he meant. “What do you mean?”

“At first, it was because I’d become rather close to her daughter. You should know better than anyone how protective Sister Rong is of your granddaughter…” Wu Chen looked at him. “She was the one who approached me. And as it happened, I knew about some very serious matters involving Sister Rong’s life and everything she owns.”

“Hmm?!!” Wu Weidong’s expression changed. It was the first time since meeting Wu Chen that he’d shown such a sharp emotional reaction.

“What matters?” he asked.

“Well…” Wu Chen paused. His gaze grew a little suggestive as he looked at Wu Weidong. Then he smiled. “Old Master, I think you’re better off not knowing. You’re retired, after all. Whether you know or not won’t change anything.”

“What?!” Wu Weidong was startled again.

Wu Chen was obviously keeping him in suspense! He’d stopped halfway through the explanation, after claiming that his daughter’s very life and livelihood were involved!

Wu Weidong knew perfectly well that Wu Chen was doing it on purpose. But he still had to ask!

“Mr. Wu, Rongrong is my daughter!” His voice instinctively grew heavier. “Don’t I have a right to know about her affairs?”

“Sometimes knowing certain things means having to bear the consequences. And those consequences aren’t so easy to bear. Do you still want to know, Old Master?” Wu Chen asked, smiling.

“What consequences?” Wu Weidong asked.

Clearly, Wu Weidong didn’t possess Su Ruiwen’s ability to think things through. His social circle, experience, and understanding also fell far short of Su Ruiwen’s!

Nor was he nearly as cautious or discerning!

If Su Ruiwen had been in this situation, the first thing he’d have considered was whether he should continue asking. He certainly wouldn’t have blurted out a question like “What consequences?”

Wu Chen only smiled at him without answering.

Naturally, Wu Weidong’s curiosity was thoroughly aroused! Wu Yurong was the pillar of the Wu family now. Nothing could be allowed to happen to her!

“Mr. Wu, even if you don’t tell me, I can always ask Rongrong afterward…” Wu Weidong said bluntly.

“If I tell her not to say anything, she won’t,” Wu Chen interrupted, still smiling.

Wu Weidong’s expression stiffened.

Was he really that formidable?!

“Now that things have reached this point,” Wu Chen continued, “neither Sister Rong nor I have any way to back out. But you still do, Old Master, so…”

He paused again, as though struggling to decide whether to tell Wu Weidong.

In fact, Wu Chen wasn’t struggling at all. He’d come here today precisely to tell Wu Weidong. But first, he needed to close off the old man’s escape routes and make him feel that he absolutely had to hear the rest.

Wu Weidong watched Wu Chen’s performance. Naturally, he realized this was no ordinary matter!

If it had concerned someone else, he might have stopped asking by now.

He understood that sometimes knowing too much could be a bad thing!

But this concerned Wu Yurong. Inevitably, it would involve the Wu family as well…

“I suppose… there’s no reason I can’t tell you.” Wu Chen appeared to weigh the matter. After thinking for a moment, he smiled again. “It depends on you, Old Master… If you think you can handle it, then I’ll tell you!”

What did he mean by thinking he could handle it? Wu Chen’s words were rather ambiguous.

“Why wouldn’t I be able to?” Wu Weidong asked in return. Then he added, “It’s about my daughter. If Rongrong can know, why can’t I?”

“Then shall I tell you?” Wu Chen smiled.

“Tell me!” Wu Weidong nodded. Compared with Wu Chen’s composure, he looked much more solemn. Yet his attitude made it clear that he still hadn’t imagined just how enormous this matter was!

“This matter began… or rather, I should say it began with Ding Ruilong.” Wu Chen looked at Wu Weidong. “You know what sort of relationship Ding Ruilong and I have, don’t you, Old Master?”

“Love rivals? Or enemies?” Wu Weidong asked in return. All he knew was that Ding Ruilong and Wu Chen were enemies because of Li Ruobing. How deep their feud had become, he didn’t know.

“It’s either his death or mine,” Wu Chen said with a smile. He continued, “Actually, Ding Ruilong himself is a minor problem. If the Ding family hadn’t protected him so excessively and allowed him to do whatever he pleased, someone would have hired an overseas assassin to take him out long ago. After all, that’s what he’s done to other people…”

“So as far as I’m concerned, the prerequisite for Ding Ruilong’s death is bringing down the Ding family along with him!”

Wu Weidong’s expression changed.

What audacity Wu Chen had!

“I’ve already discussed this with Li Maoren… We’ve come to an agreement,” Wu Chen went on.

“What?!” Wu Weidong’s expression changed drastically. Wu Chen’s words struck like a thunderclap out of nowhere! Suddenly, he was talking about someone of that stature!

“The Li and Ding families only wanted to establish trust through a marriage alliance and become allies. To the Li family, the Ding family isn’t irreplaceable…”

Smiling and speaking at an unhurried pace, Wu Chen began telling an astonishing, almost unbelievable “story”!

He didn’t go into every last detail. That would have taken far too long. But he told Wu Weidong every essential point in his outline—even more than he’d told Wu Yurong!

By sticking to the main points, he didn’t need very long.

“…As for the Li family and the Wei family, I’ve discussed that with Li Maoren too. I gave him…”

“…Regarding the Dong family, by today the Li family should already have made secret contact with them. The Dong family doesn’t fully understand the Li family’s intentions yet. This is groundwork for Li Maoren to negotiate with them personally later…”

“…For now, the Li and Ding families need to maintain the appearance of cooperation. Everything is strictly confidential. If word leaks out and the Ding family learns what’s happening ahead of time, the struggle between the powerful families will inevitably erupt prematurely. The consequences… the Li family’s side will lose some of its advantages…”

Wu Weidong was utterly bewildered.

It wasn’t merely that Wu Chen was describing a struggle involving the interests, relationships, and strategic plans of great families.

What bewildered him even more was Wu Chen’s role in it all.

Wu Chen described everything so casually, repeatedly using the phrase “I told him.” It left Wu Weidong imagining all sorts of things!

Perhaps only ten minutes passed before Wu Chen had outlined the essential points concerning the Li, Ding, Dong, and Wei families, along with the various parties and matters involved.

As soon as Wu Weidong had heard it all, he regretted it!

He really shouldn’t have listened to any of this! What if word got out and they suspected him of leaking it?

“Mr. Wu… what does any of this have to do with my daughter?” Wu Weidong asked, as though he’d discovered a gap in the explanation.

“Sister Rong previously made investments outside Senlan, including acquiring stakes in funds…” Wu Chen briefly explained how Wu Yurong had ties to someone connected to the Ding family, with their interests bound together, and how she would be implicated when the Ding family came under attack.

Wu Weidong could only stare in astonishment.

He knew about that investment of Wu Yurong’s, but he hadn’t understood the complicated relationships behind it.

“But that’s being taken care of now. Sister Rong has already begun withdrawing from those investments steadily,” Wu Chen continued. “Besides, barring any surprises, the Ding family’s downfall is inevitable. With assets worth hundreds of billions of yuan up for grabs, the Li family and its allies will certainly take the lion’s share. The major families will divide up the core assets. As for the peripheral assets… Sister Rong is very interested in those too!”

Wu Chen sounded as though he were leaving something unsaid.

“So?” Wu Weidong asked.

“I arranged for her… to meet Gu Ruibo,” Wu Chen replied.

Once again, Wu Weidong’s emotions surged, plainly visible on his face.

Little Brother Gu of Donghai was a famous figure too. Wu Weidong had met Gu Ruibo once, four years earlier, at the opening of Donghai Crown Entertainment Club. Wu Weidong had attended the event, and Gu Ruibo had come over from Modu.

“And there’s Lei Cheng,” Wu Chen continued after a few seconds. “We’ve already made plans… Within the next few months, Lei Cheng will reclaim his family assets and send his elder brother, Lei You, to prison. And by now, Sister Rong, Gu Ruibo, and Lei Cheng have held many private discussions. The funds Sister Rong mobilized late last month were for this very purpose…”

Wu Weidong felt a chill run through his entire body.

This was something on a scale he could scarcely imagine! In all his life, he’d never participated in or been involved with affairs at this level. It wasn’t that he’d never had an opportunity. He’d simply chosen to stay away.

Because it wasn’t safe. The profits from winning would certainly be enormous, but a loss could mean losing everything—even ending up in prison!

And because Wu Chen had spoken in such detail, covering virtually every key point, Wu Weidong had begun to feel that even if he wanted his daughter to withdraw, it would be impossible!

Once a business family chose to participate in a highly secret undertaking of this kind, there could be no turning back!

The consequences of withdrawing might well be that the powerful families who had once been its allies would eliminate it first! Only the dead could keep their mouths shut and prevent secrets from leaking!

The Wu family was simply too weak!

Wu Weidong sat there, his expression shifting constantly. One thing in particular kept turning over in his mind: Wu Chen had said, “We’ve already made plans” to help Lei Cheng recover his family assets and send Lei You to prison!

That was terrifying!

The Lei family’s assets were worth even more than those of Su Ruiwen, the richest man in Donghai!

Lei You was not someone who could be dealt with easily. And because Wu Chen hadn’t explained that part too clearly, Wu Weidong instead came to believe that Wu Chen was using the power of the great families behind him to make a covert move against Lei You!

Silence fell over the pavilion.

It lasted for quite some time.

“Mr. Wu… you came here today intending to tell me all this, didn’t you?” Wu Weidong suddenly asked.

Wu Chen nodded without hesitation, then smiled. “You could say I’m giving you an explanation, Old Master. If you’d chosen not to listen earlier, I wouldn’t have said anything. Otherwise, it might have been another six months before you learned about all this.”

“So…” Wu Weidong pondered for a moment. “Now that I know, then…”

“I hope you’ll transfer your shares to Sister Rong, Old Master.” Wu Chen looked Wu Weidong in the eye, still smiling.

Far too direct!