VBNWDW - Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Why?
Xi Zhoukang couldn't understand why such a favorable situation would suddenly begin to collapse. Just a few days ago, he had managed to impress Old Master Xi by reporting that Xi Zhoulu, due to a shortage of funds, had secretly sold company shares to an outsider.
The old master had been so angry he'd slammed his hand on the table, nearly losing his breath. Then, he had praised Xi Zhoukang for being meticulous and for having the Xi family's interests at heart, buying back the shares Xi Zhoulu had sold.
Hearing such words from a grandfather who had never praised him before, Xi Zhoukang, who had always felt inferior to his sister, was overjoyed. He became even more proactive in reacquiring the shares.
Others were quick to read the room. Perhaps finally realizing that Xi Zhoulu was never coming back, they began to eagerly curry favor with him.
Xi Zhoukang could acquire shares that had once been tightly controlled by simply offering a small business deal or a minor favor.
This was something even Old Master Xi had rarely been able to achieve during his tenure, let alone Xi Zhoulu. Thus, Xi Zhoukang grew increasingly zealous.
Of course, he had his own selfish motives. As a precaution, he secretly pocketed a few shares for himself. That way, even if Xi Zhoulu did return, he would still have some say.
A month passed quietly like this. By the time Xi Zhoukang noticed something was wrong, the very people who had been "currying favor" with him had turned around and snatched the company's business deals. And their bids were always just a little higher than the Xi Group's.
Xi Zhoukang looked back in a daze, only to realize he had accomplished nothing in the past month and had caused the company significant losses for no reason.
At the same time, a rumor from an unknown source quietly swept through the Imperial Star: Xi Zhoulu was gone, leaving only the good-for-nothing Xi Zhoukang in charge. The Xi Group was doomed. Panic and uncertainty began to spread.
The once-respected name of the Xi Group now became a red flag. After all, who would want to partner with a ticking time bomb?
Xi Zhoukang tried to use the investment deals previously established by Xi Zhoulu to build up his own reputation.
To his astonishment, however, he discovered that most of the major deals Xi Zhoulu had set up had been completed in the preceding six months. Only a few thorny, drawn-out projects remained.
This was disastrous.
Xi Zhoukang panicked. He and his parents racked their brains before finally coming up with a solution.
Qin Yuan.
The Qin Family's main business was in mining, and they had amassed an astonishing amount of wealth. They had invested heavily in returning to the country to develop their business in recent years. If he could secure a partnership with them, Xi Zhoukang's problems would be easily solved.
But the moment he opened his mouth, Qin Yuan demanded the plot of land in the west of the city.
That land had already been promised to Tan Xunwen. If they gave it to Qin Yuan, what if an agitated Tan Xunwen exposed what they had done to Xi Zhoulu?
But Qin Yuan was adamant. He wanted that land and would accept nothing else.
Xi Zhoukang finally understood what it felt like to be caught between a rock and a hard place. Before he could resolve this issue, more bad news arrived.
Xi Zhoulu, who had been missing for a long time, had finally reappeared.
Not only was she not dead, but she had been safely delivered to a hospital owned by the Xi Group. She was temporarily recuperating, and the old master was scheduled to see her that afternoon.
"Dad! What do we do, Dad!" Xi Zhoukang shot to his feet, his expression a mixture of shock and terror.
"If… if Xi Zhoulu really comes back, and Grandfather sees the mess we've made, he'll never let us set foot in the company again."
"Tan Xunwen! Do you think she colluded with Tan Xunwen beforehand to set us up? Otherwise, why would she appear now of all times, not a moment sooner or later?"
Xi Yunting kept his head down, smoking on the other side of the room. As the white smoke drifted upward, his face became increasingly obscured.
"Dad!" Xi Zhoukang couldn't read his expression and grew more anxious.
The woman beside him tugged on his sleeve. She said nothing, but her meaning was clear.
Xi Yunting exhaled a heavy cloud of smoke and said gravely, "Let's go."
"Go?"
Xi Yunting looked up, his expression grim. "To the hospital, to see your sister."
The other two exchanged a look, a strange light flickering in their eyes.
A doctor in a white coat hurried down the corridor. A young nurse, having done something wrong, was being scolded by a senior nurse at the top of the stairs, her head hanging dejectedly.
Suddenly, a person in a blue and white hospital gown approached, but was stopped by the senior nurse before they could enter.
"Sir, the fifth floor is off-limits without an appointment."
The person nodded and quickly left.
The young nurse blinked, then put on a placating smile. "Sister Xu, please just switch shifts with me. Let me go up and have a look."
"I've been a fan of CEO Xi for so many years. I finally have a chance to see her…"
As they spoke, the elevator ascended from the first floor to the fifth.
Xi Zhoukang and his family stepped out and strode toward the innermost room. When they heard the old master's voice, the three of them slowed their pace, instinctively quieting their steps.
The door to the hospital room was ajar, letting a sliver of light escape. Lin Rong, the housekeeper who was always by the old master's side, was nowhere to be seen.
Xi Yunting stood silently by the door, in a visual blind spot from inside, and peered in.
Xi Zhoulu, pale and gaunt, was half-reclining on the bed. The old master sat by her side. The two of them faced each other in silence, with none of the joy one would expect from a reunion.
"…Xi Zhoulu, do you have any idea what you're saying!"
"I haven't even scolded you for selling those shares, and now you're giving me this nonsense?" Old Master Xi coughed from anger.
Xi Zhoulu's gaze drifted to the doorway. After catching a glimpse of a corner of clothing, she lowered her eyes again. "Please don't try to persuade me anymore. I don't want to go back."
Old Master Xi immediately barked, "You don't go back just because you say so? Is this how you repay me for all the years I spent raising you!"
"But I…"
"No buts! I'm old now. Even if I drag these old bones back to the company, I won't be of much use. If you don't go back, the Xi Group will be ruined by that good-for-nothing Xi Zhoukang!"
The person in question stood at the door, his face dark with suppressed hatred.
He had worked so hard to please the old master, only to be called a good-for-nothing. He would never be as good as Xi Zhoulu. Even now, when Xi Zhoulu was clearly scared and unwilling to return to the company, his grandfather was still trying to force her back!
"Grandfather, you know…" Xi Zhoulu's voice suddenly grew quiet.
"What they did was wrong, I'll definitely compensate you for it," Old Master Xi sighed, unconsciously lowering his voice as well.
The people outside couldn't help but lean closer, but it became harder and harder to hear.
"…just pick whatever you want… go back to the company…"
"The shares… yours… the will I drew up before…"
"Let's keep Xi Zhoukang for now… you don't like him… we'll deal with him in a while."
The fragmented words made the Xi family members frown deeper and deeper.
To compensate Xi Zhoulu, the old master was planning to give her his shares?
And a will…
They had never heard the old master mention a will before. Could it be that he favored Xi Zhoulu so much that he was afraid they would be unhappy, so he secretly wrote a will and only told her?
The more they thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, and their resentment grew.
Xi Zhoukang clenched his fists.
They had been standing there for some time. Fearing the housekeeper would return, the three of them exchanged a look, turned, and left, taking the stairs down to the third floor instead of the elevator.
Xi Zhoulu retracted her gaze and replied calmly, "I never intended to monopolize the Xi Group. There's no need for you to threaten me with a will, Grandfather."
She looked up at him, her pale blue-gray eyes clouded. "It's not as if you don't know what happened before. Now, history is repeating itself."
She paused, as if the words were difficult to say. "It's even more serious than before. If someone hadn't taken me away, who knows where I'd be right now."
Old Master Xi didn't speak, only letting out a heavy sigh. "Whoever is targeting the Xi family, whoever wishes us ill—once you're back at the company, you must investigate this thoroughly."
A flicker of light crossed Xi Zhoulu's eyes, but she shook her head. "Grandfather, I really don't want to go back to the company."
"Nonsense!" Old Master Xi stamped his foot, his voice rising again. "Is this how I taught you? To be scared by a small setback? When did you become so cowardly!"
"I'll give you the house in that area later. You can move in, rest well for half a month, and then go back to work at the company."
Old Master Xi hesitated for a moment, then added in a softer tone, "Xiao Kang is not reliable. You need to be there to teach him a thing or two, so he's not completely useless when it matters."
Xi Zhoulu remained silent. Outside, the wind rustled the tree branches. As time passed, the weather grew colder.
Lin Rong, who had been missing earlier, now stood at the door, perfectly visible to Xi Zhoulu through the crack. She gave Xi Zhoulu a slight nod.
The conversation in the room came to a halt, and Old Master Xi walked out.
Lin Rong came forward and said in a low voice, "The young master and the others are here."
This was a property owned by the Xi Group, and all visitors were recorded. The three of them weren't foolish enough to just run off. Instead, they had deliberately contacted the housekeeper, saying they had just arrived and that it was inconvenient to go in, giving her a heads-up.
Old Master Xi waved his hand. "Zhoulu needs to rest now. Don't let them come and disturb her."
He reasoned that Xi Zhoulu already disliked them. Her current refusal to return to the company was largely due to seeing him let Xi Zhoukang temporarily take her place. If they met now, who knew what might happen? It would only make Xi Zhoulu more determined not to return.
As if she had anticipated his response, Lin Rong said with some difficulty, "But the young master and the others are already downstairs."
Old Master Xi's brow furrowed. He could only sigh. "Let's go downstairs. I'll see them."
"Yes," Lin Rong immediately agreed.
With that, they headed downstairs.
In the hospital room, Xi Zhoulu turned her head to look out the window, as if oblivious to what was happening outside the door. The loose blue and white hospital gown hung on her frame, making her look even more frail and pale.
Having received the message, Luo Yueqing walked in. Uncharacteristically silent, she simply sat on the edge of the bed and took the other woman's hand.
Xi Zhoulu squeezed gently, her fingers sliding between Luo Yueqing's until their hands were tightly clasped.
Luo Yueqing didn't resist, only patting her hand reassuringly. Then, they sat together in silence, watching the wind outside strip the last leaf from the tree, the thin branch snapping and falling into the dust.
The phone that had been tossed aside finally rang. As soon as Xi Zhoulu answered, a hushed voice came through.
"The old master fainted from anger because of Xi Yunting and the others."
Before Xi Zhoulu could respond, the call was disconnected.
The people in the room remained expressionless, as if they had long anticipated this. One could even say they had orchestrated it themselves.
Luo Yueqing finally spoke, but it was about something trivial. "Are you thirsty? Want some water?"
As usual, Xi Zhoulu nodded slightly. "A little."
Then she added, "I've already gotten the house you picked out before. We'll go over together later."
"Alright."
The cold wind howled louder, but it couldn't penetrate the glass. It could only beat against the window in vain, a constant, noisy patter.
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