chsdbacks Chapter 52 Nobody Will Get Away With It
Chapter 52 Nobody Will Get Away With It
When faced with real money, love is as fragile as frozen tofu, crumbling at the slightest touch.
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On February 16th, the day before Lunar New Year's Eve, the company held a board meeting and press conference with all employees present, an unprecedented number of attendees.
Zhang Zhishan and Yu Li officially announced two things to the public.
First, the mastermind behind the rumors, slander, and defamation against Yu Li has been arrested. Seven people from that small website have been arrested, and two reporters who were paid to do the work are also under investigation.
The second thing is that Yu Li and Zhang Zhishan have divorced. Although they are no longer husband and wife, they are still "strategic partners".
The board members had already received the news, and now, listening to the two of them talk, they were as calm as if they were listening to a weather forecast.
Media reporters swarmed in, asking all the pre-arranged questions, their cameras and microphones snapping away at the newly formed "former couple," like a group of lovebirds in a zoo who had just finished fighting but were forced to put on a show.
"There are only two days left until the Spring Festival. After we go back to work on the seventh day of the new year, there will only be one month left until the performance-based agreement is finalized. The first round of financing for the high-end luxury line has already arrived, and the second round is about to arrive. I hope that President Zhang can also deliver a brilliant report to the board of directors in a month." Yu Li suddenly threw out the performance-based agreement, as if it were a knife stabbing straight at Zhang Zhishan.
The audience erupted in uproar. The board members hadn't expected Yu Li to pull this stunt. They whispered among themselves, their eyes darting around, unsure whether to laugh or not.
The reporters were even more excited, and all their cameras turned to Zhang Zhishan. It was clear that the two of them had never rehearsed their lines; it was purely Yu Li's sneak attack, trying to catch Zhang Zhishan off guard.
Zhang Zhishan sneered inwardly, but remained calm on the surface. She had already figured out her little schemes; Zeng Jia had even prepared a complete contingency plan last night.
He slowly straightened his suit cuffs. "You've got the timing wrong. Why don't you take another look at the agreement?"
Yu Li touched her ring finger, where the diamond ring had been removed; a mark still remained. Her manicured nails shimmered with a faint pearlescent sheen. Her voice was sweet and coquettish. "The agreement is for six months, ending on March 31st. What's wrong with that?"
"Of course, a six-month period is calculated based on working days!" Zhang Zhishan leaned forward. "Fixed holidays like National Day, New Year's Day, and Spring Festival are not included."
Yu Li frowned, not expecting him to play such a trick. The faint smile on her lips froze for half a second as she forced herself not to break down. But at this critical juncture, she wasn't afraid to tear off the mask. "President Zhang really knows how to play word games, but you can't just say a workday is a workday. That's too frivolous."
Zeng Jia had already prepared the agreement and placed it directly in front of Yu Li. "President Yu, the agreement only specifies working days and does not have a fixed deadline. Please take a closer look."
This idea was Zeng Jia's suggestion to Zhang Zhishan, and it wasn't a deliberately arranged trap. When they drafted the pledge for the bet, she and Wang Haowen had just taken over the positions of secretary and assistant and were completely unfamiliar with each other. In their haste to draft the contract, they genuinely forgot to include the stipulated date.
Yu Li picked up her teacup and took a small sip. The contract was in black and white, so there was no way to be coy. But his trick was really disgusting.
"Then I demand a supplementary agreement, excluding those statutory holidays you mentioned, the deadline for the bet should be set for April 16th." She swallowed her anger, but she had to prevent Zhang Zhishan from playing any more tricks. "Otherwise, if you tell me again on April 16th that you want to include the 52 days of the 26 weekends, the whole world will laugh at you."
Zhang Zhishan's eyes froze. She had actually figured it out. But being able to get a sixteen-day extension was already a good deal. Zhang Zhishan reached out, wanting to give her a friendly hug. "Okay, whatever you say. Let's have a pleasant cooperation."
In front of everyone, having just performed as "friendly partners," Yu Li couldn't very well refuse. She stretched out her hand, feeling his body temperature, and said, "Just you wait, you'll die in my hands sooner or later."
Zhang Zhishan paused, then smiled and patted her back, "We're on the same wavelength, thinking the same thing."
After the reception, Zeng Jia felt completely exhausted. With the New Year approaching, all she wanted to do was collapse and catch her breath. The brain cells she had lost these past two days were causing her hair to fall out in clumps. If this continued, she wouldn't be far from becoming "exceptionally intelligent."
But Zhang Zhishan had no intention of letting her rest at all.
"You won't be taking a break during the Spring Festival. You need to make a trip to Hong Kong. I've paved the way, and someone needs to take over. The performance-based agreement has been postponed, but Yu Li's two rounds of financing went incredibly smoothly, so we can't let our guard down!"
Zeng Jia was already used to his sudden attacks. "Okay, I'll get ready right away. We'll set off tomorrow... Um, about Zihao wanting to climb the snow mountain..." She had to pass on the message for her little darling.
"You can't argue with him, so let him go!" Zhang Zhishan has always been generous to his son. "Hire him a professional climbing team. Money is no object, as long as he comes back safe and sound!"
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away." Zeng Jia agreed readily. Actually, as long as she didn't have to go hiking herself, she could hire eight hundred people to accompany her, since it wasn't her money.
"The information you gave me about Yu Li's assets is useless," Zhang Zhishan said, his tone shifting with dissatisfaction. "You have to dig out the parts she's hiding. She'll definitely try to control me, and I need to have a way to fight back. I can't let her crush me."
"Then I'll urge the law firm again and make them dig up our ancestral graves... Are you still going to deal with those people from that little website? I think they're too unreliable." Yu Li sent seven people in total, and there are still two jumping around outside, trying to get the partners inside out, otherwise they will resolutely refuse to cooperate.
Zeng Jia felt extremely uncomfortable, but she had to consider the boss's opinion on this matter.
Zhang Zhishan glanced at her and said, "Don't worry about it. Focus on things in Hong Kong. I'll leave them out for a few days and deal with them later."
Zeng Jia clicked her tongue inwardly. The old fox was fighting the little ant; she didn't need to worry about it. She quickly went to apply for her Hong Kong and Macau travel permit, sending Zhang Zihao a message on the way: "Your dad has given his approval for the mountain climbing! You can find your own climbing team, and your dad will pay for it."
On the other end of the phone, Zhang Zihao was arguing with Yu Li, the call on speakerphone. Upon hearing this news, he jumped for joy: "Yay! Someone gave me money... Mom, don't stop me, I just wanted to let you know!"
Yu Li's face instantly darkened, looking like a black mountain demon smeared with soot. Wang Haowen's heart clenched; this call couldn't have come at the right time. His little darling was just a wilted eggplant, and in the blink of an eye, she was a rocket.
"Since he agreed, Mom can't stop you anymore. I'm mainly worried about your safety; it's easy to get injured while hiking." Yu Li suppressed her anger, her nails almost digging into her flesh. "Let Haowen find the hiking team. I don't trust the people you chose; children are easily fooled."
Wang Haowen quickly chimed in, "Mr. Yu, please be sure to hire the most professional, five-star bodyguards. I guarantee Zihao won't lose a single hair!"
Zhang Zihao and he were already in cahoots, but at this moment he still had to put on an act, looking at Yu Li with pitiful eyes: "Mommy..."
"Um?"
"Will I be all alone in this villa from now on? You won't be coming back, will you?" His words were half-hearted and half-serious, instantly evoking a surge of emotion.
Yu Li's hardened heart instantly softened like cotton, and even her voice became gentler: "How could that be? Mom won't leave. If you miss Dad, you can have him come back and stay for a few days."
"But after you finish climbing the mountain, you need to settle down. Mom is already contacting schools in England, all top-tier universities. Once you go there, study hard so you can have a bright future..."
"Let me finish climbing the mountain first!" As soon as Zhang Zihao heard the word "Britain," he disappeared in a flash, like a rabbit seeing an eagle.
As Yu Li watched her son's disappearing figure, the forced gentle smile on her face instantly froze. She grabbed her favorite bone china coffee cup, which she had specially asked someone to bring back from abroad and which she treasured dearly, but now she slammed it hard onto the gleaming floor!
"Zhang Zhishan! You've gone too far! It's bad enough that you cheated on the bet and stabbed me in the back, but now you dare to pretend to be a good guy in front of your son and try to win him over? Trying to sow discord between me and Zihao? No way!"
Wang Haowen shuddered in fright, looking at the shattered porcelain on the ground with a pained expression. That was at least half a month's salary, gone just like that.
"You have to ruin the mountain climbing trip! He's my only son, what will I do if something happens to him?!" Yu Li was so angry that she was trembling all over, and her voice was cracking.
Wang Haowen was inwardly groaning, but could only bite the bullet and advise, "President Yu, it's better to guide than to block. This little devil is so determined, not even nine oxen could pull him back. We probably can't stop him by force!" He tried to put his words in a tactful way.
Yu Li understood perfectly well, but she just couldn't swallow her anger. She stormed to the bar and downed two drinks to calm herself. "I'm not going to bother with that little punk. Don't even bother taking a break during the Spring Festival. Keep a close eye on Shanghai. I'll make sure Zhang Zhishan gets kicked out of Tianyi with his bare bottom showing! He thinks he can get away with this? Not so easy!"
Zeng Jia flew to Hong Kong right on New Year's Eve and stayed in this glamorous world for more than 20 days.
She was so busy that she barely had time to breathe, and the change of location and the breakup with Wang Haowen really dampened the initial excitement quite a bit.
It seems that the boost to her career was working wonders, her sense of personal value is soaring, she's so happy she's lost all sense of direction, and there's no heartbreak at all. And Shi Jun's phone calls and text messages are like relentless, haunting calls, taking up all her time for sentimental musings.
So, when faced with real money, love is as fragile as frozen tofu, crumbling at the slightest touch. But ultimately, it was the Hong Kong business that really took off. Zeng Jia was truly impressed by Zhang Zhishan this time, and had to admit that this boss was incredibly capable.
His framework is in place, seamlessly connecting the mainland supply chain with the global market. The major business segments of the small commodities line are now fully integrated, focusing on selling globally from Hong Kong. Home storage, kitchen gadgets, smart appliances, trendy cultural and creative products, and eco-friendly daily necessities—with 7-day new product launches and 28-day inventory turnover—the first round of operations has been successfully completed. If the powerful addition of content-driven social media is added later, Yu Li's high-end luxury line will definitely be rendered helpless.
Zhang Zhishan praised her several times on the phone, saying that Zeng Jia's decision to extend the betting agreement was a "stroke of genius," otherwise he really wouldn't have had the time to make such a big fuss. Moreover, he and Yu Li had already passed the cooling-off period for divorce, and had smoothly obtained their divorce certificates. On the surface, no one was being coy, but the undercurrents of conflict were incredibly strong, and the real battle had begun.
Zeng Jian could picture Yu Li in that big villa in Shanghai, furious, smashing glasses and bowls, practically exploding on the spot. She even felt an urge to send Wang Haowen a message: "Do you submit? I'm asking you, do you submit now?!"
Wang Haowen wasn't thinking about whether he "convinced" or not, but Yu Li was truly unconvinced. With only half a month left until the bet expired, Zhang Zhishan, that old fox, had managed to turn it into a month. If he could just maneuver for another two days, wouldn't he have the victory in his grasp? How could she possibly accept that!
Wang Haowen quickly tried to smooth things over on the phone, "Mr. Yu, we're not bad either. Our social content is way better than his small commodity line. Cross-border and global cooperation has been around for ages. Give me a few more days, and I'll get the AI full-chain integrated. Digital collectibles will directly become digital assets, and the premium potential will be enormous. Crushing the small commodity line will be a piece of cake. Don't worry, just stay calm!"
Wang Haowen had been shuttling between various investment banks in Shanghai these past few days, seeing a lot of the world and truly broadening his horizons. He was somewhat impressed by Yu Li; this woman had a really sharp eye. Luxury goods were currently the real goldmine in China and Southeast Asia, with Shanghai as the foundation. Her choice was absolutely spot on.
Yu Li remained silent for a long time on the other end of the phone, frantically rubbing the white mark left by the diamond ring on her ring finger. The mark was so faint that it was almost invisible, but she was determined to get it right, rubbing her finger until it was red, the skin was almost broken, and even a little blood was seeping out, as if the mark was Zhang Zhishan's throat.
"...You can stay in Shanghai and don't need to come back." Yu Li's voice was icy cold. "We have our own ways of dealing with him."
Wang Haowen's heart tightened. "President Yu, please don't make a mistake..."
Before she could finish speaking, she heard the busy tone on the phone; Yu Li hung up very quickly.
However, considering the commotion Zeng Jia had caused in Hong Kong, he actually gave him a thumbs up. He had indeed underestimated Zeng Jia's abilities, but he wasn't bad either. Until the final showdown, the outcome was uncertain.
As he was pondering this, the phone suddenly rang. His eyes lit up the moment he saw the number. It was the contact person from the international investment bank he'd been eyeing for so long. If he could really get this big shot on board, not just one Zhang Zhishan, but ten Zhang Zhishans would surely lose everything.
Yu Li had just hung up the phone with Wang Haowen when she grabbed a band-aid from the table and carefully wrapped it around her chafed fingertip. She stared at the spurting red mark on her fingertip, and as she stared, the pent-up anger in her chest surged up again. Five minutes, a full five minutes, and she still couldn't swallow her anger.
She gritted her teeth, pulled out a number from her contacts, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed it.
In just two seconds, her face, which had been so cold it could freeze you to death, melted instantly, and her voice became so soft it could melt water, "Mr. Chen? Are you free tonight? Let's go out for a drink? I'd like to invite a few of the most influential entertainment bloggers to chat... These days, it's not good to always be so high and mighty. We need to lower our stance a bit and listen more to the market."