“I’m so sorry, Tang Hao! I didn’t expect the situation to turn out like this!” Ling Wei said apologetically.
“I can’t blame you!” Tang Hao said.
Ling Wei was not the owner of the corporation after all. She had only taken over the helm for only a few years, and she was not able to control everyone.
Even relatives would turn on each other when money was concerned. Furthermore, Tang Hao was only a mere outsider to Tai An.
“This is all caused by my brother from another mother,” Ling Wei said sorrowfully, “He’s rallying the other members in the clan to attack me.”
“There was a board meeting earlier in the day, and we just had a family meeting. I’m fine for now, but Magical Kitchen has been taken out of my hands.
“Control of Magical Kitchen has been handed over to my brother. He said that he wants you to hand over all your shares in Magical Kitchen, back out of the deal, and let Tai An Group take over.
“The suggestion has been agreed upon by all the board of directors and the seniors in the clan. I wanted to object but there was no use.”
Tang Hao smirked coldly when he heard that. “Taking over my share? In their dreams!”
“I’m sorry!” Ling Wei felt guiltier than ever. “My brother has not been happy that I’m the one who took over Tai An’s management. Now that he has found the opportunity to make a comeback, he won’t let go of it.”
Tang Hao furrowed his brows. He knew a little about the Ling family.
Just like many other wealthy families, the Ling family also had its share of scandals. Its many sons and daughters fought and plotted against each other for their own profit and influence.
“According to family tradition, my brother should’ve been the one taking over Tai An’s management after my father. He hasn’t proven himself to be a reliable or capable heir, and that was why my father chose me instead. He hasn’t been too happy about it.
“He might be coming to look for you tomorrow…”
“Got it, thanks!” Tang Hao replied.
After the call ended, his expression turned grim.
‘He wants me to relinquish my stake in the company? In his dreams!’
It seemed as though Tai An did not fully comprehend the situation. Did they think that they could operate Magical Kitchen just like normal without Tang Hao in the picture?
Without Tang Hao, Magical Kitchen would lose its magic.
If Tai An had not replaced Ling Wei with her brother, he might have considered giving up a portion of his shares out of his friendship with Ling Wei. However, he would not yield even an inch now. The worst outcome would be that they shut down the restaurant and go their separate ways.
Tai An would still be one getting the short end of the stick.
The next morning, Tang Hao went to Dragonrock Village.
Shi Xuenong, the village elder, came to greet him as soon as he entered the village. “It’s done, Lil Hao, the families agreed to it immediately when they heard that you’re the one who proposed the idea,” he said excitedly.
“That’s very fast!” Tang Hao was shocked.
“Isn’t that so! Everyone knows that you’re trustworthy and they are comfortable with your terms,” Shi Xuenong said with a smile.
“Alright, we’ll build all the houses at once.” Tang Hao nodded.
He turned around and looked at the main road that led into the village. “We should also expand this road and plant some trees on both sides. There’s also some empty space where we can install some exercise equipment and make it into a common activity plaza for the elderly.
“We should rebuild the village council building too. It needs a grand makeover. Don’t worry, Elder, I’ll be paying for all that.”
“That won’t…” Shi Xuenong said.
Tang Hao waved his hands. “It’s no problem, I can still afford that money. Also, I want Grandpa and Grandma to have a better living environment.”
Shi Xuenong was emotional. “You’re a filial kid, Lil Hao! Grandpa Jianyun has a good grandson!”
He also sounded a little envious when he said that.
“It’s something that I should do,” Tang Hao said with a smile.
He went deep into the mountains to tend to his secret plantation, then went to the hidden valley.
He came to the pond, and could not restrain himself when he smelled the delicious scent of liquor.
Any other beverage would be tasteless compared to the sap of the Liquor Tree.
He took out a ladle from his pocket dimension, filled it with the sap, and drank it. That brought him immense satisfaction.
“This is just too good!” He exclaimed as he wiped his mouth.
Then, he retrieved many wooden barrels and a bucket. He filled the barrels with the liquor.
The pond was square, very deep, and was lined with green stone. It was obvious that it was dug by human hands to contain the tree sap.
Tang Hao could not finish all the sap by himself.
“I ought to share this good stuff with others!” Tang Hao mumbled. He smiled as he slapped the full barrels.
He had given some to Sis Xiangyi to try the night before. She could not stop praising it too.
He came out of the mountains, then went to his company to handle some official business.
Around noon, he heard a commotion outside his office.
“Where’s your boss? Ask him to get out here now, our Young Master is looking for him!” Someone was shouting.
The voice was loud and rude.
“What the hell?” The workers in the company exclaimed.
“Dammit, who the hell are these people? Where are their manners?”
Everyone was shouting and cursing loudly.
Then, Liu Yan’s voice was heard. “I’m the manager here. Do you have any business?”
“Manager? Pah! A manager from a small company doesn’t deserve to talk to our Young Master. Our Young Master is looking for your boss, that Tang kid.
“You’d better come out now, Tang kid!”
The voice became louder and more brazen than ever.
In his office, Tang Hao’s expression was grim.
The people must be from the Ling family. They were indeed arrogant.
He narrowed his eyes, which flashed with shocking coldness.
“Should we call the police, President Tang?” Han Yutong was standing next to Tang Hao.
Tang Hao shook his head. “There’s no need. These people are from the Ling family!”
“The Ling family?” Han Yutong was shocked. She did not know what was going on.
She knew about the Ling family. They were the ones who owned Tai An Group.
‘Aren’t they on good terms with you though? They collaborated with you to open Magical Kitchen, so why do they sound like they’re picking a fight?’
The commotion outside became louder and louder.
“Let’s go! He should be over there,” the voice said.
Tang Hao could hear a group of people marching toward his office.
“Hey, you can’t go there!” Liu Yan shouted.
“Stand aside. Don’t you know who we are? We’re from Tai An Group,” the voice said brazenly.
Everyone in the office exclaimed in surprise.
Tai An Group was one of the biggest companies in Province Z. Even though Haotian Co. Ltd. was expanding, it was nowhere near the size of Tai An Group.
The footsteps soon arrived in front of the door.
Bang!
The door was kicked open. About ten people were standing in front of the door.
Most of them were dressed in black suits and shades and seemed to be bodyguards. Many of them were carrying briefcases.
The person in the lead was a man in his fifties. He was the one who kicked the door open.
Behind him was a young man in his late twenties surrounded by bodyguards. He was tall and strong, and even looked somewhat handsome, but his expression was extremely arrogant.
He lifted his chin and looked down at Tang Hao. “So… you are Tang Hao?”
