Chapter 168
Li Ziqi knelt on the ground, shivering. He hadn’t expected the Li Corporation to encounter so many problems in just a few days.
Although Li Ziqi lacked competence, he was adept at shifting blame. He whispered, “Grandfather, these are all traps set by that woman Li Ziyu for me. There’s nothing I could do. No one in the company listens to me, from department managers to janitors. I can’t order them around at all.”
“And those partners, they came saying they had cooperated with Li Ziyu. Now that Li Ziyu is no longer the general manager, they want to terminate their contracts.”
“Grandfather, don’t you find these events too strange? In just a few days, I can’t control the employees, and today, someone is short selling our Li Corporation’s stocks with a massive amount of capital.”
Li Weifeng’s anger gradually subsided. After pondering for a while with his eyes closed, he opened them and said, “Go call Ziyu here. I have some words to speak with her.”
Li Ziqi looked dejected, knowing his days as the general manager were numbered. He hadn’t expected Li Ziyu to have so many moves up her sleeve, not making a move until it was thunderous, leaving him no time to catch his breath.
Li Ziqi left the inner courtyard to summon Li Ziyu.
Li Ziyu appeared indifferent. She was unaware of Su Lin short selling the stock market, so she was surprised that Li Ziqi, the useless one, couldn’t hold on for long.
Looking at his usually obedient granddaughter, Li Weifeng felt sentimental. He didn’t know when Li Ziyu had become so strong-willed and unstoppable, to the point where he now had to be wary of her.
“Ziyu, must you go to this extent?”
Li Ziyu looked up, somewhat puzzled at Li Weifeng, “Grandfather, what are you talking about? What extent?”
Li Weifeng snorted coldly, “At this point, you’re still playing dumb with me? Do you think the company can’t operate without you?”
Li Ziyu shook her head, “Grandfather, I’ve never thought that way. The company can operate without anyone, let alone me.”
Li Weifeng slammed the table and roared, “Then why are you pulling these tricks behind the scenes? Making employees disobedient, causing partners to make trouble at the company, and getting people to short sell the company’s stocks, huh?”
Li Ziyu was taken aback, “Grandfather, is that what’s happening?”
“I’ve realized that the one in the Li family who is most like me is you. Even at this time, you’re still playing dumb with me,” Li Weifeng said furiously.
However, Li Ziyu genuinely looked confused at this moment. She had only instructed the company’s staff not to cooperate with Li Ziqi, giving him some trouble, but she knew nothing about partners terminating contracts or short selling Li Corporation’s stocks.
Yet, Li Ziyu quickly realized these were actions others might not be capable of, but that didn’t mean Su Lin couldn’t do them. This was likely his doing. It could help her and also benefit him—a win-win situation.
Li Ziyu felt warmth in her heart. She had been confined for so long, with no one visiting her except for Su Lin, who came to see her and take her side.
Seeing Li Ziyu’s silent demeanor, Li Weifeng wished he could have her killed, but he knew he couldn’t because of her engagement with Xiao Chen, the only opportunity to tie down the ghost doctor. He didn’t want to miss it.
“Do you really think I have no way to deal with you?”
Li Ziyu smiled faintly, “Grandfather, I’m still confined. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back. As for the company, I’ve already resigned as the general manager, so it has nothing to do with me.”
“Hmph! I’ve already contacted the Hunter team from the US. They are professional managers. Ziyu, since you’re playing dumb with me, I hope you can keep playing dumb to the end.”
Li Ziyu responded calmly, “Grandfather, an international management team will also need time to adapt to maintain the company’s operations. As you said, with so many things happening in the company, I doubt they can handle it.”
Li Weifeng became even more furious, “Still, you’re the one who caused this mess. But do you think I will return the general manager position to you? You’re gravely mistaken. I definitely won’t let you continue as the general manager. Prepare yourself, marry Xiao Chen.”
Li Ziyu’s expression changed dramatically, “Grandfather, I will not marry Xiao Chen.”
“Do you think you have a choice? Your marriage to Xiao Chen was settled by me and Wang Yannian over twenty years ago. It’s an unchangeable fact.”
“Initially, I wanted to let you and Xiao Chen spend more time together to develop feelings before marrying. But you’ve disappointed me too much, so there’s no time for you to adjust. You will marry Xiao Chen this October,” Li Weifeng declared definitively.
Li Ziyu’s words were firm, “Grandfather, I’ll say it again, I will not marry Xiao Chen. I am your granddaughter; why push me to a dead end?”
Li Weifeng replied indifferently, “A dead end? Xiao Chen is the husband I painstakingly chose for you. Do you know how many women envy you and can’t even hope to have such a chance?”
“Hmph, it’s just you who doesn’t appreciate it. If it were any other woman in the family, she would have jumped for joy.”
Li Ziyu said somewhat sorrowfully, “What you’re doing is not finding me a home, but a backing for the family. What others give is always theirs.”
“There’s no need for you to teach me what to do; I have my own plans. And don’t think I don’t know that you’ve bought off some people in the family.”
“But it’s useless; they are ultimately members of the Li family. When it comes to matters of principle, they know how to choose.”
Li Weifeng knew that some people in the family had sided with Li Ziyu, but he didn’t care. As long as Li Ziyu married Xiao Chen, those people would naturally become his again.
As for now, Li Weifeng believed these people would prefer to see the family grow stronger rather than let Li Ziyu do as she pleased. Thus, Li Weifeng didn’t immediately investigate who was on Li Ziyu’s side.
“Ziyu, your time is running out. I hope you can come to your senses soon.” After saying that, Li Weifeng left abruptly.
Watching Li Weifeng’s retreating figure, Li Ziyu smiled. She knew Su Lin well, he would not make a move unless it was sure to cause significant damage to the Li Corporation, especially in the stock market. A person who wouldn’t blink at twenty billion was sure to make a grand move this time.
“Grandfather, I have no choice. You pushed me to do this step by step.” Although Li Ziyu resisted, she always had a hint of reluctance, but now, that reluctance was completely gone.
She couldn’t believe Li Weifeng would be so cruel as to force her into marriage in October, leaving no room for negotiation. Therefore, she must accelerate her pace to take control of the entire family.
Thinking this, Li Ziyu headed towards the back yard of the manor, where some martial artists maintained by the Li family resided.
On Su Lin’s side, he wasn’t constantly monitoring the stock market. He left that to professional traders and was currently driving with Xia Shiyu and Lin Xiaowan to their new home.
“Su Lin, we really got lucky this time. The villa is only two kilometers from Donghai University and about seven or eight kilometers from Quan Le Guo. How about that? Isn’t the location great?” Lin Xiaowan said, seeking praise.
Su Lin smiled, “The location is indeed great, not too far or too close to Donghai University, just right. I thought we would have to buy in the suburbs. I didn’t expect to find a villa in the city.”
“Hehe, Xiaoyu and I searched for several days before finding it. That villa was somewhat secluded, so it had been on the market for a while. But it was exactly what we wanted, so we fell in love with it as soon as we saw it.”
Xia Shiyu nodded, “Su Lin, there’s a bamboo forest there. It’s not easy to be discovered while practicing martial arts, and it’s quite convenient.”
Su Lin chuckled, “That really sounds like a good place.”
A few minutes later, they arrived at the Dongjiang Villa Area, and Su Lin’s car drove all the way to a rather secluded villa surrounded by decorative bamboo, a serene location.
Su Lin liked the special location at first sight.
“How about it? Isn’t it beautiful? There’s also a yard inside, about 100 square meters, which I think is definitely enough for practicing swordsmanship,” Lin Xiaowan introduced.
Su Lin’s car stopped in front of the villa, with the address plate reading “Dongjiang Villa Area, Block 087.”
The three got out of the car. “This is the only fully furnished house in the Dongjiang Villa Area, mainly because it was hard to sell. Xiaoyu and I just added some furniture and got rid of some things we didn’t like, so it’s ready to move into.”
Su Lin gave a thumbs up, “Finding such a convenient place in three days, Xiaowan, Xiaoyu, you did a great job.”
“Hehe, we just got lucky.”
“Ha-ha, let’s unload the things and then go in to pick rooms.”
“Okay~!”
After cultivating internal energy, Lin Xiaowan and Xia Shiyu were no longer fragile ladies. They easily carried suitcases weighing tens of kilograms.
Lin Xiaowan unlocked the door, “This is our new home in Donghai.”
Su Lin smiled, “Nice, this is our new home.”
Hearing the implication in Su Lin’s words, Lin Xiaowan rolled her eyes at him and pulled Xia Shiyu, “Xiaoyu, let’s pick rooms first and leave the one we don’t like for Su Lin.”
Xia Shiyu laughed and nodded, though they had already chosen their rooms when they viewed the house. They were just putting on a show for Su Lin.
Su Lin didn’t mind and followed the two women through the yard into the villa. The interior of the villa was duplex-style, spanning three floors. The first floor contained the dining room, living room, kitchen, garage, etc.
The second floor had bedrooms, and the third floor featured multifunctional rooms such as a KTV, study, and bathroom. Su Lin was very satisfied with the villa.