Returning - Chapter 180

Chapter 180: Closing the Net

Perhaps it was because she had been scheming for so long and the moment of revenge had finally arrived, making it difficult to find any peace of mind. Or perhaps it was because the past had been dredged up too many times lately, forcing her to relive memories she never wanted to revisit. Whatever the reason, Zhao Yu's nightmares had indeed grown far more frequent.

Hallways stained crimson with blood, the blurred lights of an operating room, the ice-cold bed in a morgue, the suffocating scent of damp earth in a cemetery... Everything replayed itself over and over in her dreams.

Seeing her so drained, Xue Zi'ang and Ling Jianwei could only try every trick in the book to cheer her up and distract her.

Xue Zi'ang, at least, could tell her a few jokes. From international news down to celebrity gossip, as long as she was willing to listen, he could always find something to talk to her about.

Ling Jianwei, on the other hand, didn't have the faintest idea how to make a girl happy, nor did he know how to comfort anyone. Every day, he could only hover around her cautiously, worrying himself sick in silence.

Zhao Yu certainly understood their intentions, but aside from feeling quietly grateful—and aside from the guilt that deepened bit by bit—there was nothing else she could do.

She had been counting the days. While the business world was turbulent and unpredictable, making it hard to guarantee everything would go exactly according to plan, with Xue Zhan and Shang Lu meticulously laying the groundwork, and Ling Jianyuan assisting from the sidelines, an accident seemed highly unlikely.

Finally, just after breakfast that day, she received a message from Shang Lu: I'm on my way to Lanxi.

What Shang Lu was negotiating with Lanxi was the acquisition of roughly 13% of Lanxi's shares, held by several major investors in Hong Kong.

Now that Lanxi was facing monumental upheaval, those shareholders wanted to offload their equity. Naturally, Lanxi didn't want it falling into enemy hands, but the company's stock price had plummeted, its market value severely shrunk. The Zhuang family had the will but lacked the means, so they had to seek help from allies.

Once it was confirmed that this ally was Kuangshiji, the acquisition would become far less strenuous for Xue Zhan.

Her fingertips, gripping the phone, relaxed slightly. Zhao Yu finally let out a long, deep breath.

Since Lanxi was willing to negotiate with Shang Lu directly, it meant they truly hadn't uncovered the connection between Shang Lu and her.

Even though Xue Zhan had carefully deployed measures—altering the files from her three years at Huacan's overseas division and erasing the period abroad that could have led back to Shang Lu—she had still been somewhat worried that the Zhuang family might find out.

In reality, when it came to screening potential allies, the Zhuang family had indeed been exceptionally cautious, especially after suffering consecutive losses. So even with the situation so urgent and little time for deliberation, they still sent people to conduct a thorough investigation.

Aside from real estate—its core business—Kuangshiji had also made substantial investments across multiple sectors. But in recent years, the property industry had been in a slump, and the company had just weathered internal strife that severely damaged its vitality. Strictly speaking, it wasn't the most suitable ally.

However, given Lanxi's current predicament, there wasn't much room to be picky. Besides, the idea of the Zhuang family collaborating with Shang Lu carried a certain feeling of mutual sympathy in the face of adversity.

As he stepped out of Zhuang Zhen's office, Shang Lu unexpectedly ran into Ji Sui.

Zhao Yu had told him that Ji Sui was the only person in the Zhuang family who knew about their connection. But she had also been certain that, after Ji Sui learned about her past experiences, even if he encountered and recognized Shang Lu at Lanxi, he absolutely wouldn't expose them.

Sure enough, after Shang Lu swept a calm glance past Ji Sui, Ji Sui just as naturally averted his gaze.

Ji Sui's memory had always been excellent. Of course, he recognized the man at a glance—the one who had held Zhao Yu while getting into a car that snowy night, the man Zhao Yu later explained away as "the boyfriend I dated when I was in America."

He didn't know their exact relationship, but the moment he saw Shang Lu, he understood. This whole affair was definitely tied to Zhao Yu, tied to this long-planned acquisition campaign.

But what right did he have to stop her from seeking revenge? Even if he was part of the Zhuang family, it was the Zhuang family that owed her. Besides, he had come today to resign. He and the Zhuang family had already been completely severed.

Not long after learning from Shang Lu that he had encountered Ji Sui at Lanxi, Zhao Yu received a message from Xue Zhan: Ji Sui had transferred his 6% equity stake to Huacan—and it was a gift, free of charge.

That he chose to transfer it to Huacan didn't surprise Zhao Yu in the slightest. After all, Huacan was already a Lanxi shareholder, and internal transfers between shareholders were far easier.

Even though all of this had been expected, actually seeing the news still felt surreal. Not only could she not feel happy, but the weight pressing on her heart only grew heavier and heavier.

For a massive listed company like Lanxi, a 6% equity stake represented an enormous amount of assets. Zhao Yu knew this very well, and Ji Sui naturally knew it too. Yet he had actually transferred it away for nothing, just like that.

Moreover, even if his action didn't violate the law or company bylaws, it was still a breach of ethics. Whether at the corporate level or within the Zhuang family, he would inevitably face condemnation from all sides.

Zhao Yu could even fully imagine it—when this was reported by the media, when the news emphasized his relationship with the Zhuang family as the second-largest individual shareholder, just how many people would curse him as an ungrateful wretch.

Her fingertip hovered over the phone screen for a long time. Hesitating, she typed the word "You," and then stopped abruptly.

What was the point? Such blatant hypocrisy. Even she found herself disgusting.

She moved to tap the delete button, but accidentally hit send instead. The message was transmitted in an instant. Flustered, she hurried to recall it, only to realize upon closer inspection that the message hadn't gone through at all.

He had deleted her. Just as she had once deleted Xu Chengyan.

But back then, deleting Xu Chengyan had been a feint to draw him in. Now, with Ji Sui, he was truly drawing a clear line between them. The shares he had promised, he had already given. He owed her nothing anymore.

But then again, had he ever really owed her anything? From the very beginning, it was she who owed him—a debt she could never fully repay.

On the day the final acquisition was completed, Shang Lu wore an old-fashioned suit to Lanxi. It was one Zhao Yu had bought for him back when they were in the United States, and the tie had been carefully chosen by her as well.

In the conference room, Zhuang Zhen sat opposite him, and Zhuang Yiqing sat diagonally across. Looking at this woman who was around his age, Shang Lu felt a tangled mix of emotions.

If it weren't for her, he never would have met Zhao Yu. But if it weren't for her, Zhao Yu would never have endured so much suffering.

If he had the choice, he would rather have never met that woman called Zhao Yu. He would rather she had remained forever the carefree Tang Xi.

"After all this exhausting work, how about we share a meal later, President Shang?" The one who spoke was Han Changming, a Lanxi board director and general manager.

Shang Lu smiled politely. "Sounds good, but I've already made plans to dine with my wife. Would any of you mind if I invited her to join us?"

Everyone knew he was engaged, so naturally they assumed he meant that Miss Zheng. Zhuang Yiqing smiled and said, "Of course I don't mind. President Zheng and I are old acquaintances. She helped tremendously in making this collaboration with Kuangshiji possible. I should thank her in person."

Shang Lu turned to his secretary and said, "Please go invite her up. She is indeed an old acquaintance of President Zhuang's. I'm sure they have much to talk about."

Qin Rui obeyed the order and left the conference room, heading to the underground parking garage.

Hearing the door open and the click-clack of high heels, Zhuang Yiqing looked up with a smile, ready to greet the newcomer.

But the moment she saw who it was, her face turned ashen in an instant.

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