Chapter 11
The icy air of the warehouse seemed frozen in the final syllable of Qin Yu's "Go to hell." Gu Jing looked at the almost insane, undisguised possession and determination in his eyes, and his heart pounded heavily in his chest, again and again. It was absurd, dangerous, yet it felt like grasping at a single, hellish rope in the endless darkness.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all the hesitation and turmoil in them were forced under the ice, leaving only the calmness of a desperate fight.
"I need a clean phone and a contact number that won't be monitored." Gu Jing spoke in a steady voice, going straight to the execution level. "Also, Uncle Lin must be absolutely safe before I go back."
The terrifying madness in Qin Yu's eyes faded slightly, transforming into a cold admiration. He gestured, and one of his men immediately handed over an unopened encrypted mobile phone and a matchbox-sized signal jammer.
"There's only one number, and it connects directly to me." Qin Yu handed it over. "Uncle Lin will be moved to a safer place. My people will be guarding him 24 hours a day, and a doctor will be accompanying him."
Gu Jing took the phone, the cold metal numb his fingertips. He quickly opened it, turned it on, and saved the unique number without hesitation.
"I'm going back now." He raised his eyes. "The longer we wait, the more suspicious Zhou Liguang will become."
Qin Yu nodded, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment, as if he was about to engrave something. Finally, he said in a deep voice, "Remember your proper state."
Still in shock, he took his anger and suspicion out on Qin Yu and turned to Zhou Liguang for help.
Gu Jing said nothing more, turned around and walked towards the warehouse door. His back was straight, but he exuded a deliberately maintained, shaky sense of fragility.
The door opened, revealing a nondescript black sedan parked outside. The driver silently opened the door for him.
The car drove out of the warehouse area and merged into the city's traffic. Gu Jing leaned back in the back seat, watching the familiar yet unfamiliar street scenes speed by outside the window. He felt like a chess piece thrown into a torrent, unable to control his own movements, yet desperately trying to stay awake, calculating every move.
He took out the encrypted phone, his fingertips hovered over the screen for a moment, but in the end he didn't dial any number, just held it tightly.
It was already evening when we returned to the Gu Group headquarters. The setting sun painted the cold glass curtain wall with a false warm golden hue.
As soon as Gu Jing got out of the car, Zhou Liguang, who had already received the news and was waiting in the lobby, immediately came up to him with just the right amount of worry and concern on his face.
"Xiao Jing!" He walked forward quickly and looked at Gu Jing carefully. His eyes lingered on his pale face and slightly messy clothes. His tone was full of heartache. "How did you become like this? You look so bad! Has the doctor seen you? What happened?"
The acting is superb and flawless.
Gu Jing lowered his eyes, avoiding his overly "sincere" gaze, and spoke in a voice filled with deliberately suppressed fatigue and fear: "Uncle Zhou... I'm fine, I just got a fright... Suddenly, something happened at the factory..."
He was vague in his words, as if he was still frightened.
"It's good that you're okay, it's good that you're okay!" Zhou Liguang nodded repeatedly and reached out to pat his shoulder to comfort him.
Gu Jing dodged the movement almost imperceptibly, his movements minimal, more like a natural reaction to his unease. He raised his eyes and looked at Zhou Liguang, his eyes bloodshot, his voice trembling slightly, "Uncle Zhou, the Qin family... Qin Yu..."
He paused at the right moment, as if he found it difficult to speak, or as if he was extremely angry, and his fingers curled up unconsciously.
A barely perceptible glint flashed across Zhou Liguang's eyes, but his tone grew even more sorrowful and indignant. "I know everything! This is outrageous! Such a vicious incident happened in broad daylight! The Qin family is definitely involved! They think the marriage has stabilized us, so they want to take action! Xiaojing, don't worry, Uncle Zhou will never let them go!"
He showed solidarity with the enemy and perfectly played the role of loyal elder and ally.
Gu Jing cooperated with an expression of gratitude and grievance. His lips moved a little, and finally he just whispered: "Uncle Zhou, I only trust you now... The company, the company can't have any more trouble..."
"Don't worry! Uncle Zhou is here!" Zhou Liguang said firmly, his tone full of reliable strength. "Go back and have a good rest first. I'll take care of everything at the company!"
"No," Gu Jing shook his head, his eyes revealing a forced stubbornness and... a hint of the impulsiveness of his age, fueled by the crisis. "I can't rest. Uncle Zhou, notify everyone immediately and hold an emergency board meeting in one hour."
Zhou Liguang was stunned for a moment, hesitant: "Xiao Jing, your body..."
"I'm fine!" Gu Jing interrupted him, his tone slightly hurried, with a kind of paranoia after being stimulated, "I must stabilize the situation immediately! There are some things that must be done immediately!"
Zhou Liguang observed his expression carefully. The stubbornness and fear on that pale face did not seem fake, especially the barely concealed anger and fear towards the Qin family in his eyes, which made him feel at ease.
Not only did the fish return, but they were also startled and easier to control.
His face showed just the right amount of worry and helplessness, and he finally sighed, "Okay, since you insist... I'll arrange it right away. Go to the office and rest for a while. I'll have someone bring you a cup of hot tea to calm you down."
An hour later, in the top floor conference room.
The atmosphere was heavy. The directors all had different expressions on their faces, having obviously heard about the "accident" at the suburban factory and the danger Gu Jing had encountered.
Gu Jing sat in the main seat, his expression still grim, but he kept his back straight, trying to maintain composure. Zhou Liguang sat in the first seat to his left, his face solemn, as if protecting him.
"Everyone," Gu Jing said, his voice still slightly hoarse, but with unquestionable determination, "I'm sure everyone has heard about what happened today. I don't want to say much, but the Gu family has encountered a series of misfortunes, and we can't just sit there and wait for death!"
He swept his eyes across the room and continued, "I've decided to pledge some of my shares to urgently raise funds and restart the Dawn Project!"
As soon as the words fell, a low murmur echoed in the conference room. Several senior directors who knew the inside story were even more shocked and puzzled.
"Mr. Gu, the core data of the 'Dawn Project' has been leaked. The project is actually..." an elder couldn't help but speak.
"I know!" Gu Jing interrupted him, his tone carrying the stubbornness and toughness that only young people can muster after being provoked. "But I've got a new source of information, and there's hope for a breakthrough in key technological barriers! This is the best chance for Gu's to turn things around! We have to take a gamble!"
His words were full of loopholes and seemed more like a willful adventure.
Zhou Liguang's eyes flashed with sarcasm, but he expressed his support at the right moment, his tone heavy: "Xiao Jing's determination is good, and the Gu family really needs a shot in the arm right now. Although it's risky, it's worth a try! I support you!"
As soon as he took the lead, people from his faction followed suit.
Gu Jing seemed to have received great encouragement. He took a deep breath and threw out the second bomb. This time, his voice was filled with obvious, uncontrollable anger and trembling:
"Also! Given the Qin family's suspicious role in this incident and their consistent bad behavior, I have decided to unilaterally suspend all cooperative projects with the Qin Group! Especially the joint venture project in Nancheng! Re-evaluate immediately! I can't trust a partner who might want to kill me!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience was in an uproar!
Even Zhou Liguang was stunned, as if he hadn't expected Gu Jing to be so impulsive and foolish! That joint venture project was the key to maintaining Gu's cash flow right now! Cutting off one's own arm?!
"Mr. Gu! Think again!" Several relatively neutral directors immediately objected. "If the joint venture project is suspended, the capital chain may..."
"I said pause, so pause!" Gu Jing suddenly raised his voice, as if he had been touched in a sore spot. His eyes were slightly red and he was very emotional. "Who knows what they will do next? Do they want the Gu Group, or do they want my life?! Instead of passively waiting to die, it's better to cut off the connection! I will find a way to solve the funding problem!"
He behaved like a frightened, impulsive young man, full of irrational fear and anger.
Zhou Liguang suppressed the smile that was about to overflow from the corner of his mouth, and his face was filled with worry and disapproval: "Xiao Jing, should we reconsider this matter? After all..."
"Uncle Zhou! Even you don't support me?" Gu Jing looked at him suddenly, his eyes full of astonishment of being betrayed and grievance of broken dependence. His acting was so realistic that even he almost believed it.
Zhou Liguang's words instantly caught in his throat. He looked at Gu Jing's completely trusting yet accusatory eyes, his inner sneer growing even stronger. But his tone softened immediately, and he sighed helplessly, "It's not that Uncle Zhou doesn't support you... Well, never mind! Since you've made up your mind, Uncle Zhou will definitely help you!"
He followed the flow, feeling ecstatic. Stupid! God is really helping me! Such an impulsive and brainless heir will only hasten the demise of the Gu family!
The meeting ended in an eerie atmosphere. Gu Jing, despite all objections, forced through two resolutions, then left the room exhausted and exhausted, as if having exhausted all his energy.
Zhou Liguang stayed to comfort the directors. Although his face was filled with grief, he had already started calculating in his mind how to take advantage of the opportunity to increase short selling efforts and "kindly" take over the power vacuum left after Gu Jing pledged his equity and suspended the project.
He returned to the office, immediately locked the door, and dialed an encrypted overseas number.
"The fish has taken the bait, and it's even more foolish than I imagined." He whispered to the other end of the phone, his tone filled with uncontrollable excitement and contempt. "Plan ahead, and we can maximize the leverage... Yes, I'm going to make sure he can't turn over."
He didn't know that all his words, every word, were clearly transmitted back to the distant safe house through an inconspicuous micro sensor on Gu Jing's collar provided by Qin Yu.
In front of the screen, Qin Yu listened to Zhou Liguang's undisguised greed and viciousness, his eyes as cold as the abyss.
On another screen in front of him, the stock price curve of Gu Group had begun to fluctuate violently and abnormally due to the resolution of the board of directors that had just concluded.
The storm has already begun.
Qin Yu slowly raised the corners of his lips, a cold and cruel arc.
He picked up another communicator and pressed a button. His voice was steady but carried a cold judgment:
"Start buying. Go slowly, so he doesn't notice too quickly."
"Let him... be happy for a while longer."
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