Chapter 94 His only miscalculation and variable did not lie in this.
The top level of the Shang family.
The heavy double walnut doors were pushed open, shattering the tranquility of the office.
Mr. Shang walked in with a gloomy expression, followed by Mrs. Shang, who looked worried.
Shangqiu Zhu raised her head and calmly looked at her parents.
"Qiu Zhu!" Chairman Shang's voice was filled with barely suppressed anger. "Tell me, what's going on with the cooperation with the Yan family! And the engagement, the wedding is next month, and you suddenly unilaterally terminated it. Are you trying to put both our families' reputations on the ground? You must give me an explanation immediately! Do you know that in just this one day, I've received calls from dozens of board members who expressed their extreme dissatisfaction with your arbitrary actions? How do you plan to quell the market turmoil?"
Shangqiu Zhu then got up and walked over.
"Old Shang, don't be hasty, let the child speak slowly." Mrs. Shang gently patted her husband's arm, trying to ease the atmosphere, then turned to her son, her tone full of confusion and persuasion, "Qiu Zhu, what exactly is going on? Weren't things fine before? You and Youyou... did you have a fight? Can't you sit down and talk about some misunderstanding? Why did it have to come to this?"
"There's no misunderstanding." His tone was devoid of any emotional fluctuation. "It's just to cut our losses as quickly as possible."
"Cut your losses in time?" The chairman paused again, provoked by his indifferent attitude. "Is this your explanation? Do you know how much this will cost us? Reputation! Funds! Stock price!"
“If we continue to cooperate, the losses will be ten times greater than they are now. Yan's Group is already facing internal deficits, projects have been repeatedly delayed, and its reputation has been severely damaged. Being tied to them would be the real way to destroy a business's foundation. Terminating the cooperation is the best and only option at this stage.”
Shangqiu Zhu raised her eyes, her gaze icy.
"As for the board's dissatisfaction," he slowed his pace, "I will address it at the extraordinary board meeting this afternoon. At that time, all questions will be answered. And they will eventually understand whose decisions truly protect the interests of the Shang family."
The chairman was speechless for a moment, especially by the aura of complete control his son exuded, which left him speechless.
Mrs. Shang, standing to the side, looked at her son and interjected with concern, "Qiu Zhu, even if there are business considerations, what about the engagement with Youyou? The wedding is next month, and the invitations have already been sent out. This... this sudden cancellation, where do you put the reputation of both families? This can't be a business decision, can it?"
"The annulment of the engagement and the termination of the cooperation are two different things, but based on the same facts, being tied to Yan You is no longer in my best interest."
His response remained calm, equating marriage with a transaction that could be calculated for profit and loss, thus obscuring his true motives.
"I will handle this matter of saving face. I will take full responsibility for any consequences that may arise."
He stood up and walked to his seat, as if the conversation was over.
“If there’s nothing else, I still have work to do.”
Mr. Shang snorted heavily, turned around with a livid face, and slammed the door shut as he left.
Madam Shang gave her son a deep look, then let out a helpless sigh and left as well.
The office door closed, and silence returned.
Shangqiu Zhu sat down expressionlessly, his gaze sweeping over the dismal stock price chart on the screen, his eyes showing no emotion.
His only miscalculation and variable lay elsewhere.
Shangqiu Zhu raised her hand and pinched the space between her eyebrows.
A few minutes later, there was a cautious knock on the office door three times.
"Enter."
Lin Sheng pushed open the door and entered, gently placing the folder on the table and pushing it toward Shang Qiuzhu.
"Mr. Shang, here are the investigation results you requested."
Shang Qiuzhu's gaze fell on the ordinary kraft paper folder, and a very subtle change finally appeared in his eyes. He did not immediately flip through it, but simply looked up at Lin Sheng.
Lin Sheng understood and briefly reported the core information: "Preliminary investigations show that Mr. Lin and Secretary Yan met in Paris about three years ago. The key point is that Mr. Lin seemed to be involved in a street robbery and was injured. Secretary Yan happened to meet him and helped him."
A hint of mockery flashed in Shangqiu Zhu's eyes.
Hero saves the damsel in distress? Or damsel in distress saves the hero? This is such an old and tired trope.
“Since then, Mr. Lin has developed… special feelings for Secretary Yan. But there was no close contact for the next few years,” Lin Sheng continued. “Until this summer, after Mr. Lin returned to China after graduation, he immediately arranged a blind date with Secretary Yan through his family.”
Lin Sheng paused, glanced at his boss's expression, and then continued, "And right after you and Secretary Yan arrived in Los Angeles, Mr. Lin Chengyu arrived almost simultaneously. He is currently staying in a luxury apartment near USC. Furthermore, he goes to USC almost every day."
The office fell into a deathly silence.
Shangqiu Zhu finally reached out and opened the folder.
The further down he looked, the colder the chill in his eyes became.
It was circuitous and deliberate, and the intention was carefully planned.
This tactic is only good for fooling someone like Yan Shuang, who seems shrewd but is actually incredibly stupid in some ways.
He closed the folder and casually tossed it back onto the desktop.
"Lin Sheng."
"Yes, Mr. Shang."
Shang Qiuzhu's voice was calm, "I don't want to see any trace of this person in Los Angeles anymore."
"Understood." Lin Sheng replied without hesitation, bowed slightly, and left the office.
The door closed again.
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