Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Once they earned enough profit, they would just reimburse them accordingly.
However, the recent market was behaving quite unusually. It was as if it was on steroids. He had lost money from both groups of his customers; not a single penny was left.
On top of that, he had also lost his own personal investments.
Word from an inside source blamed it on the issue of a government policy. Once the policy was passed, the price of their stocks would definitely skyrocket. It would be wise to buy shares now.
His investments included stocks, futures, and funds.
In the beginning, he had attempted to purchase them at a lower price, since the prediction had yet to be announced. Shortly after he had begun purchasing them, however, it seemed as if other people had been leaked the information, and there was a sudden flurry of buyers. The price had shot up exponentially.
Yu Zidong was desperate and angry. He felt that if the rising trend was already so obvious, it would be expected for the growth to increase rapidly upon the passing of the policy.
Taking a gamble with the slightly raised prices, he withdrew Liang Lihua’s money placed it in the same account. How could one succeed if one refuses to take the risk?
He had not expected the stocks to plummet after just a few days, and the money he had placed was almost depleted.
However, there was still some time before the government released the policy. He would not be able to make a profit if he did not restock.
Yu Zidong stared at the numbers on his computer. In an act of desperation, he made the call.
“Lao Zheng, when are they going to issue the policy? The market’s acting very unusual. Why do the prices keep fluctuating? This is just absurd!”
“About that… Director Yu, there have been a couple of changes. Initially, the plan was to issue the policy during the second half of the year, around June or July, but the people up top have decided to delay it. There are a few anomalies they would like to investigate first. They’ll only pass it after market research, surveys, and discussions have been conducted,” the man on the other side of the phone said.
“However, you also know that there is a possibility of it being delayed permanently if discussions do not proceed well. Our system requires them to pass through layers of deliberation and investigation before passing a decision. The paperwork must also be approved by each department, which will take some time. Moreover, the leaders are taking this very seriously. They have to scrutinize this meticulously, as it is for the benefit of all.
“In addition to that, the issuing of the policy is not as simple as making a few statements. It’s not like they can issue it at the snap of a finger, right?” He said, “However, Director Yu, don’t worry about it. This policy has already received the initial approval from the leaders. It’ll definitely be announced, but the earliest will be at the end of this year or the beginning of next year, at most.”
Yu Zidong could not breathe. He felt like there was a lump of coal lodged in his throat, suffocating him.
Nevertheless, he dared not voice his anger at Lao Zheng.
This year-end or the beginning of next year?
That was at least half a year more; how was he expected to sustain the company?
If the trends continued their unpredictable fluctuations, he could lose his entire fortune without ever being able to recover his losses. It was impossible for him to wait for the policy to be approved.
“Also, don’t spread word about this,” the man warned, “The investigation is rather tight at the moment. If they found out that I told you this, they’d have my head.”
Yu Zidong was so furious, he almost flung the phone away. The news he gave him was as good as nothing– how could he behave as if he had provided him with some huge insider tip?
“Don’t worry, my mouth is sealed. Why would I share such a profitable opportunity with others? If word got out, we’re all on the losing side, right? I understand this very clearly,” Yu Zidong said, “However, Lao Zheng, do you know what’s happening to the market these days? Why is it so choppy, rising and falling at such an unusual rate? I was in it early and made some money, but I lost it all, not long after.”
“I noticed that, too. To be frank with you, I invested quite a lot after receiving the tip, but I lost it all, too. That’s why I stopped. Who knows what’ll happen next?” Lao Zheng let out a helpless sigh. “I think we should be extra cautious. If we caught the attention of others, we’d get nothing in return at the end of the day.”
Seeing that Lao Zheng had no idea what was going on, Yu Zidong briefly exchanged a few formalities and invited him out for a drink in the future before hanging up.
Then, he stared at the computer until his eyes went red.
If he were to back out now, he would not be able to get back his invested capital. He could not accept that.
“Director Yu, Qi Chengzhi’s assistant, Cheng Dongge, is on the phone,” his secretary said, after knocking on his door.
Yu Zidong frown and said, “Send the call through.”
Shortly after his secretary left, the phone on his table rang.
Yu Zidong picked it up and listened as Cheng Dongge’s voice flowed through. “Good day, Director Yu.”
“How can I help you, Special Assistant Cheng?” Yu Zidong was careful to be polite towards Cheng Dongge. “Does Young Master Cheng need something?”
“Yes, I’m calling to pass on a message on behalf of Young Master Cheng,” Cheng Dongge replied courteously with a hint of laughter.
Instantly, Yu Zidong was wide awake. Could it be that Qi Chengzhi was going to help him as he was Song Yu’s uncle?
“Oh?” Relief finally washed over him, a welcomed change from the days of frustration. “What did Young Master Cheng want you to tell me?”
“Young Master Cheng wanted to know how you were enjoying your investments these past few days,” Cheng Dongge informed, gentle and polite.
Yu Zidong’s expression immediately changed. He recalled his streak of losses in all his recent ventures.
It was fine if he only lost his own fortune, but, considering he had squandered his customers’ money, too, things were looking rather dire.
If the customers became aware of that, and were to seek answers, he knew he could not justify the losses.
“What is Young Master Cheng insinuating?”
“Nothing in particular. Young Master Cheng just wanted to notify you that he was the one responsible for your recent losses. He also wanted to let you know that the pain you’re feeling right now is because of Young Master Cheng’s unhappiness, caused by your wife inflicting pain on the Young Madam. Young Master Cheng sincerely hopes that you and your wife, as well as your daughter, will stay away from our Young Madam and her parents. If not, then Young Master Cheng will ensure that you know of his wrath,” Cheng Dongge said casually. “I’ll leave it at that, then?”
The moment he finished talking, he hung up the phone without waiting for Yu Zidong’s reply.
Yu Zidong slammed the phone down furiously. What had Cheng Dongge just said?!
How could an assistant dare to threaten him!
He had already tolerated his casual tone, but how dare he relishes in his misfortune!
The message from Qi Chengzhi was no different from a gangster threatening people!
No wonder the market was acting abnormally. Whatever he invested in, the value dropped, but everything else was fine!
Yu Zidong was so infuriated that he wished he could rush to Qi Chengzhi and reason with him.
There was a notification from his inbox. Yu Zidong clicked on the new email and saw surveillance video of a cafe. The video had no sound, but he could see that Liang Lihua was pulling at Song Yu’s arm while she berated her harshly.
Even though he could not hear what her scolding, Yu Zidong knew that this was the reason for Qi Chengzhi’s fury.
Yu Zidong shut the computer angrily and dashed out of his office.
He rushed his way back home. Just as his maid opened the door, he pushed it open forcefully, almost knocking her over.
“Is Madam at home?” Yu Zidong demanded, his expression thunderous.
The terrified maid could hardly whisper, “She’s resting in the bedroom.”
Yu Zidong barged upstairs and slammed the bedroom door open.
The loud noise instantly awakened Liang Lihua and she started. Her heart was racing uncontrollably, hurting inside her chest.
Liang Lihua covered her chest and was about to get up, but Yu Zidong had already walked to her bedside and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her up.
His pull was so forceful, she cried out in pain.”Ow! What are you doing, Yu Zidong?!”
Yu Zidong wrenched her out of the bed before shoving her arm away violently.
Liang Lihua felt that her arm begin to bruise and tenderly massaged it. She shrieked, “Yu Zidong, have you gone mad?!”
“I should be the one asking you that! What the hell were you thinking?! What did you do to Song Yu?! You pulled her hair and hit her while you scolded her, are you crazy?!” Yu Zidong jabbed a finger at Liang Lihua’s nose. His eyes went round and wide.
Liang Lihua went silent for a moment before saying, “She’s the shameless one who bullied Keyao. Why shouldn’t I lecture her?”
“Liang Lihua, you have to consider the master before hitting the dog! I kept quiet when you kept mistreating Song Yu and her parents, but I never expect you to be so stupid as to actually harm Song Yu! Now Qi Chengzhi is seeking revenge for Song Yu and he made me lose all my investments! If he continues at this rate, our family will be left with nothing!” Yu Zidong said furiously.
“My brother already told us to make amends with the Song family, but you just won’t listen! Song Yu was not married to Qi Chengzhi yet, so I just let you be because you were being so oblivious about the situation. Their marriage was inevitable. What can you get from making such a scene? You think that, if you pester them enough, Qi Chengzhi will finally accept Keyao?” Yu Zidong was still pointing at Liang Lihua. His blood boiled and rushed when he saw how remorseless she was.
“At least I stood up for Keyao! I just can’t stand that seductress. She’s my niece– don’t I have the right to teach her a lesson as her aunt? She hates us just because we withheld our help, and now she’s seeking revenge. I’m sure she convinced Qi Chengzhi to ruin our family after she married him!
“Did she ever consider that it’s our choice whether or not we helped them? She shouldn’t take it for granted. She can’t blame us for not helping! It’s not like we made the Song family bankrupt. How dare she seek revenge on us now!” Liang Lihua screamed, jerking her finger at her empty side. With every jolt, her shoulders shook violently.
“I’m not going to talk to you about this further. Our company’s investments are all gone. Those are our customers’ funds. It’ll be our turn to face bankruptcy when the customers come to our doorstep demanding refunds! Besides that, the ones I invested in under my own personal account are also lost! Qi Chengzhi had his eye on me and made sure that I’d lose no matter what I invested in! Are you still in the mood to demand justice for Keyao and yourself? By then, Song Yu will be the one getting her justice!”
Finally understanding the gravity of the situation, Liang Lihua asked, “What happened? Is it really that serious?”
“If it’s not serious, do you think I’d rush back to you?” Yu Zidong snapped in frustration.
“What should we do now? Will Qi Chengzhi be able to keep this up?” She was starting to feel anxious now.
“Even if he can’t, I can’t do this anymore. How can we compare the reserves of our family with the QI family’s? If I was the eldest son of our family, I may have been able to persevere, as I would be controlling the entire Yu family’s assets. Even Qi Chengzhi wouldn’t dare to make such rash decisions. However, my parents’ will only gave me a small portion of Yuli’s shares. We are depending on our company, but our company was only formed several years ago. How are we going to compete with Qi Chengzhi?” Yu Zidong felt himself grow calmer, drained of the energy needed for anger.
He sighed heavily and said, “I think you should just apologize to Song Donglin and Yu Qianying. Do it sincerely this time. Last time, you treated them badly, so now you must surrender and put on a better front.”
“You want me to apologize to them? Never! I know that Yu Qianying and her daughter are waiting for this. I’m not going to make their wish come true!” Liang Lihua waved her hand about violently.
“Then you can just wait for our bankruptcy. Don’t put your hopes on my elder brother. You saw the way he treated the Song family back then! You can wait for Yu Qianying’s mockery! Qi Chengzhi is doing this for the sake of Song Yu. If you can get Yu Qianying to forgive us, Song Yu will not be a problem, and Qi Chengzhi will not have a reason to continue attacking me.” Yu Zidong glared at Liang Lihua.
“Not like you haven’t begged from Yu Qianying before. Back then, you brought Keyao to seek sympathy from the Song family every day. Why don’t you do something like that now? You just have to bring out your courage from that time. Our family will benefit from it in the end. What’s the big deal, embarrassing yourself a little bit?” Yu Zidong’s impatience grew, and he said with finality, “Embarrassment or bankruptcy, you make the decision!”
…
…
Yu Qianying stared at the five million dollar cheque in front of her and squinted her eyes at Yu Zidong across the table.
Liang Lihua did not know that Yu Zidong was going to give Yu Qianying the cheque directly. If she did, she would not have come no matter what he said.
She tensed, wishing she could snatch the cheque back.
“What is the meaning of this?” Yu Qianying asked coldly.
“Qianying, I know that it’s too late to say this, but we’re not here to ask for your forgiveness. I know that our big brother went over to your place. You probably think that I’m worse than our big brother, but I just want to be more honest with myself. Back then, Donglin and you helped us so much when we first started our business. When you guys went bankrupt, our company was just starting to stabilize, so all of our assets were churned into the company. We didn’t have sufficient funds to lend out,” Yu Zidong said sincerely.
“Actually, I’ve always wanted to return the money we borrowed from you. I know that you lent us a large sum. According to the value back then, this five million is definitely insufficient. However, our company is facing some issues now. Even putting in our own savings, we could only afford to repay you this five million; but, let me assure you, once our company recovers, I’ll return the remaining sum.”
Yu Qianying took the cheque in silence. Yu Zidong owed them this; she did not have to be polite.
Furthermore, she thought it came a little too late.
She wondered if they would be so willing to return the money had Song Yu not been wed to Qi Chengzhi.
Yu Qianying stood up with a sarcastic smile and said, “I’ll take my leave then. Goodbye.”
Yu Zidong was startled for a moment. He had not expected Yu Qianying to be so crude after all he had done.
He tugged on Liang Lihua’s sleeve. She exhaled loudly from her nose before rising. She rubbed her eyes, and there it was: an unrepentant expression.
“Qianying, we’re not only here to return the money. You’d falsely accused me the last time: we’ve never once thought of taking advantage of you. We didn’t return the money because we didn’t have enough funds. We’ve brought it to you the moment we could afford it,” Liang Lihua said, “Let’s put this aside first. In fact, I wanted to apologize to Song Yu too, but I know that she may not want to see me.
“That’s why I’m saying it to you. At the end of the day, she’s still my niece. The last time, I behaved rashly and unjustly laid a hand on her. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind, since I was so angry, and I treated Song Yu as I do my own child. I educated her in the way I would my own. Qianying, please pass this message to Song Yu: I’m really sorry. I don’t know if I’ve hurt her. If she’s willing to grant me the opportunity, I would like to apologize to her personally.”
“What?” Yu Qianying’s voice was sharp and high. She was so angry, she saw red. “You laid a hand on Song Yu?”
“You… you didn’t know? Didn’t she tell you?” Liang Lihua stammered in shock.
She thought that Song Yu would definitely have complained to Yu Qianying after being bullied!
She did not realize that Song Yu was different from Yu Keyao, who would come back and rant her head off at every slight offense. Song Yu did not want to upset Yu Qianying, knowing that, if she were to find out, she would definitely grab a broom and go after Liang Lihua, even though she would be on the losing side.
That was the main reason Song Yu kept quiet.
“Liang Lihua! Who do you think you are?! How dare you hit Song Yu!” Yu Qianying bellowed. She was fuming. She hated her to the bone.
“N-No, Qianying, it’s not what you think,” Liang Lihua tried to salvage the situation. “We had an argument over a misunderstanding, which led to a small fight. It’s not that– Qianying, I’m her aunt. Even if I was slightly too harsh on her, it’s for her own good. Not that–”
“You don’t have to downplay your actions! Don’t you think I know what you’re trying to do to Song Yu?” Yu Qianying did not bother explaining herself, and reached for her cellphone, punching in Qi Chengzhi’s number.
Liang Lihua swallowed dryly. She did not know what Yu Qianying was planning to do. Thinking she was about to verify the story, she grew anxious.
To her surprise, she heard Yu Qianying say, “Son-in-law, it’s me.”
Liang Lihua’s heart stopped as she heard Yu Qianying ask, “Did Liang Lihua hit Song Yu?”
Initially, Yu Qianying had intended to call Song Yu, but her thoughts were still clear even through the haze of anger. She understood her daughter well, so she knew better than to expect her to tell the truth regarding the matter.
Qi Chengzhi would never cover up for Liang Lihua. When he heard Yu Qianying’s question, he knew that Yu Zidong must have brought along Liang Lihua to their doorstep to apologize.
He went ahead and told Yu Qianying the whole story.
When he saw the surveillance video from the cafe, he was so angry, he almost turned the table over. He had no intention of letting Liang Lihua walk away from this.
Yu Qianying’s eyes narrowed as he spoke. All of a sudden, she turned and glared at Liang Lihua.
Glaring directly at Liang Lihua, she asked, “Chenzhi, Yu Zidong mentioned that his company was having some issues. Is that your doing?”
