Chapter 5 Shares

When Zhu Wendong was eight years old, her parents divorced and her mother Wen Lu raised her alone.

Until she was sixteen years old, Wen Lu remarried to Zhu Shouwen, the chairman of the Zhu Group, from the wealthy Zhu family in Jiangbei. Since then, Zhu Wendong changed her surname to Zhu and became the eldest daughter of the Zhu family.

Although Zhu Wendong is not a biological child of the Zhu family, people in the circle have to give him some face when they meet him because of his surname Zhu.

Zhu Wendong sat in the coffee shop downstairs of the Zhu Group. The taste of the iced American coffee lingered in his mouth, but the bitterness lingered for a long time.

The coffee shop is an extremely conspicuous place, with a lot of chatter coming from all around.

"That's not Miss Zhu, she's back home!"

"Who? Who? Who? Rumor has it that the beautiful and wealthy Zhu Group member who was studying in California has returned to China?"

"Oh my god, he's coming back to inherit the family fortune!"

"Don't tell me I'm truly worthy of the words white, rich, and beautiful. Nuwa, were you just waking up when you pinched me?"

…

"Wen Dong, you must have been waiting for a long time." Zhu Shouwen came late, buttoning his suit.

Zhu Wendong came back to his senses, looked at him with a hint of sarcasm, and said straight to the point: "My mother is not here, so there is no need to pretend. Just tell me what you want from me."

Zhu Shouwen's smile froze for a moment, then returned to a proper smile. "I wish you were my biological daughter, you're so smart."

Zhu Wendong ignored his words and said calmly, "I can't get the amount you want right now. Please wait for a while."

Zhu Shouwen leaned back in his chair, still smiling. "I understand. You've been studying for your undergraduate degree and then your graduate degree in California these years since you graduated. How could you possibly make money, let alone raise so much money in such a short time?"

"Actually, this isn't the only path you have. Wouldn't marrying into the Zhou family be a better option for you?"

Zhu Wendong's eyes were filled with coldness. "That's for you, not for me."

The gossip that had just come into the coffee shop suddenly rang in my mind.

——"Oh my god, he's coming back to inherit the family fortune!"

As the only daughter of the Zhu family, she appears glamorous on the outside, but only she knows that it is just an empty shell with no real name.

Zhu Shouwen's kindness to her was all a pawn used to show his love for her and his image as a good husband and stepfather.

He is nearly fifty years old, but he still looks radiant, has a neat and capable figure, and always wears a mask of amiability on his face.

When Zhu Wendong saw through his disguise, he felt that the term "smiling tiger" was tailor-made for him.

"That's not right. Don't forget, your last name is Zhu now." Zhu Shouwen said with reason and evidence, "The interests of the Zhu family are your interests. What you need to do is maximize those interests."

After saying that, he did not forget his stepfather persona and added: "As a father, of course I would be more happy to see you get married. I think this is also what your mother wants."

Zhu Wendong didn't respond, "If you want to, go ahead and get married."

He always uses his mother's trick to pressure her and it always works.

Zhu Shouwen choked. He hadn't expected her to be so blunt. His smile froze. "I'll only give you seven days. If you don't have the food ready by then, save your stomach for dinner with the Zhou family."

"I'm not a fool. I can't give you money for free. I have conditions." Zhu Wendong changed the subject.

Zhu Shouwen said with great interest, "Tell me about it."

Zhu Wendong said: "I want 5% of the shares of Zhu Group."

"Going abroad has made you more hungry!" Zhu Shouwen said darkly, "Your last name is Zhu. When I die, the entire group will be yours. What's the point of having your 5% stake?"

"When you die, I won't even get a toilet in the Zhu family."

Zhu Wendong lowered his voice and said coldly, "Since you are forcing me to return to China, you should be prepared for the worst."

-

Loud and deafening music, bright and colorful lights, groups of three or two, twisting and turning in the middle of the dance floor.

Lu Guanqi was tired of dancing, so he left the center of the dance floor in disappointment and sat down next to the man with a terribly gloomy face.

He fiddled with his phone for a few moments, opened a group chat of some rich young men, and casually scrolled through it until he saw a photo.

He zoomed in carefully, magnified it again and again, and couldn't help scratching his cheek and said, "Isn't this Zhu Wendong?"

Before I could take a closer look, the phone was snatched away by the person next to me.

"Qi Yanxue, be careful, this is the latest phone, and I haven't even warmed it up yet!"

The photo was taken from a long distance, and only a vague outline could be seen. The woman in the picture was sitting in a cafe with her long hair tied behind her head, making her fair and delicate face look even more petite.

He was wearing the same simple, plain sweater and jeans he had seen that morning.

The person who took the photo was obviously doing it secretly, and the angle was obscure. Only the back of the head of the person sitting opposite her was captured in the photo, but it was enough to identify that it was a man.

Qi Yanxue paused, her gaze lingering on the back of the man's head for a while. After a while, she casually tossed the phone back to him.

Lu Guanqi quickly picked it up and flipped through the group chat. "Now the whole circle knows that Zhu Wendong is back. They're talking about throwing a party for her as a welcome."

He thought for a moment and continued, "Not many people in your circle know about your affairs. You might be invited when the time comes. Will you go?"

Qi Yanxue lowered his eyes, looking indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with him. "If you want to go, just say so."

Lu Guanqi said righteously, "What do you mean I want to go? It depends on you. I am your mother's family, so of course I will fully support you."

Qi Yanxue glanced at him and closed his eyes tiredly. Just when Lu Guanqi thought he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly spoke casually.

"This welcome party can't go on."

Just as Lu Guanqi was about to ask how he knew, a message came to his phone. He lowered his eyes and looked at it for a long time. Then he said to his side, "I've found some clues about the matter you asked me to look into. She has indeed contacted two more copyright companies, but they haven't started negotiations yet."

Qi Yanxue showed no emotion and said, "No need to pay attention to it anymore."

Suddenly, the sofa beside me sank and someone sat down.

Zhou Jinxiu walked over to the two of them, holding a glass of wine, and suddenly said, "The Zhu Group's stock price has been falling recently. Miss Zhu is in trouble for coming back at this time."

Lu Guanqi pointed at him and said, "You eavesdropped on our conversation!"

Zhou Jinxiu: "Who eavesdropped on your conversation?"

Lu Guanqi: "Then how did you know we were talking about the Zhu family?"

Zhou Jinxiu glanced pointedly at the middle of the two men, "You're under his thumb every day, don't you notice that his face is getting worse and worse?"

Lu Guanqi murmured, "Hasn't his face always looked like this?"

Zhou Jinxiu: "Young Master Lu, you should be thankful that you were born into the Lu family, otherwise Qi Yanxue would have thrown you into the waterway to fend for yourself."

"Stop talking nonsense here!"

"I'm telling the truth!"

Qi Yanxue rubbed his sleepy eyes and said calmly, "If you two want to quarrel, go outside and quarrel."

Upon hearing this, the two fell silent at the same time.

Qi Yanxue felt that the music in the bar was really noisy, making his temples throb. He suppressed his impatience and said, "Don't mention the Zhu family in front of me anymore. I don't have time for that kind of nonsense."

Zhou Jinxiu noticed that he was in a bad mood at the moment, so he said tactfully, "Why don't you go to the private room on the second floor? It's a bit noisy on this floor today."

Qi Yanxue closed his eyes, looking too lazy to move. The colorful lights above his head depicted his sharp face.

"Hey, Zhu Wendong..."

After receiving Qi Yanxue's cold gaze, Lu Guanqi's mouth was half open, and he pointed to the distance, as if he wanted to say something but stopped.

How come this person changes his attitude faster than turning the pages of a book? Just two days ago, I asked him to pay attention to other people's whereabouts, but now he doesn't want him to pay attention anymore and doesn't allow me to mention their names.

Why is he so moody, like a tyrant?