Chapter 157: Unworthy of Being a Father
On a July morning, the sky was gloomy and the thick dark clouds made it hard to breathe.
The glass curtain wall of the SNK Building looked cold in the gloom. Pei Song and his team were nervously discussing a new round of system testing in the conference room.
The phone vibrated. It was Special Assistant Zhao calling.
"Mr. Pei," Assistant Zhao's voice was filled with anxiety, "I haven't been able to contact your father since last night. His cell phone is off, and there's no one at home. He didn't come to the company this morning... Now your grandmother has brought a group of people to the company to make trouble..."
"I'll be there right away." Pei Song said briefly.
When we arrived at Pei's, the company lobby was already in chaos.
Grandma Pei sat on the sofa in the middle, with her third and second aunts and several cousins ​​surrounding her.
The young aunt was sitting aside holding the child, and a group of relatives from her mother's side were chattering. Some were shouting to call the police, and some were already calling reporters.
"Pei Song, you're finally here!" Grandma Pei stood up as soon as she saw him, "What does your dad mean by this? Why didn't he discuss such a big company matter with our family?"
"Grandma, don't worry..."
"How can I not be anxious?" Grandma Pei interrupted him, "Your uncle is still in prison, and this is the only business left in the family. If something happens to your father, I can't give you the whole company, right?"
The third aunt also shouted: "This company should have been divided! Your grandfather's inheritance was not divided clearly back then..."
"Enough!" Pei Song's voice was as cold as ice. "The most important thing now is to find my dad. We can talk about other things after we find him!"
"In the future?" The young aunt sneered, "What if something happens to your father? What will happen to this company? My son is still young, I can't let you have the final say, right?"
"What are you looking for?" Second Aunt interrupted, "Maybe he ran away with the money!"
"What did you say?" Pei Song stepped forward, and Assistant Zhao held his shoulder: "Go to the office first."
Pei Song took a deep breath and turned to the security guard, "Please ask these irrelevant people to leave."
Several security guards immediately stepped forward and began to clear the area without further explanation.
Pei Song looked around with a cold look in his eyes: "This is the Pei Group. It's not a place where anyone can cause trouble if they want to."
"What's your attitude?" Grandma Pei raised her voice, "I am the elder of this family!"
"It's true that you are my elder," Pei Song said calmly, "but this is a company, and everyone must abide by the rules. I can't let you affect the normal operation of the company."
"What rules?" The young aunt was indignant. "We obviously have shares in the family, so why should you have the final say?"
Pei Song sneered: "Really? Special Assistant Zhao, show us the equity structure."
Special Assistant Zhao immediately turned on the tablet.
"Look," Pei Song pointed at the screen, "the shares that my uncle mortgaged back then were long ago taken back by the bank because of default. As for the shares you have..." He looked at his aunt, "not enough to buy a tea room for the company."
The third aunt slammed the table and stood up: "What do you mean? Do you look down on us?"
"Third aunt," Pei Song said calmly, "Do you want me to ask the financial department to calculate how much your 3% stake is worth? Dad just said that the company is buying back shares recently..."
"You, you..." The third aunt was so angry that she couldn't speak.
"And Second Aunt," Pei Song continued, "I helped you stop your son from secretly selling the stocks last month. If it weren't for the sake of our relationship..."
The second aunt turned pale and quietly pulled her son's sleeve.
"Pei Song!" Grandma Pei said angrily, "Are you going to quarrel with your elders?"
"Grandma, if you really care about this family, you should know what to say and what not to say." Pei Song looked at her directly, "My uncle has been sentenced for embezzlement and bribery. My father has tried his best to deal with this matter, and fortunately the court gave a lighter sentence. Are you still making trouble now? Do you want the procuratorate to pay attention to this case again?"
Grandma Pei suddenly collapsed on the sofa, with a trace of panic in her eyes.
Her youngest son had just been sentenced to eight years in prison for commercial fraud, and this incident had brought shame to the Pei family.
If it gets out of hand, it won't benefit anyone.
"Now, please go back and wait for news." Pei Song looked around and said in an unquestionable voice, "The company still needs to operate normally. Special Assistant Zhao, please show us out."
Grandma Pei bit her lip, stood up, and walked out holding the hands of the third and second aunts.
Pei Song didn't say anything more and turned to get on the elevator.
The relatives behind him looked at each other, and under the persuasion of Special Assistant Zhao, they left the company one after another.
When the chaos subsided and Shi Yanchen arrived, Pei Song had already begun to deploy the search plan in the office.
"I heard that you shocked everyone in your family?" Shi Yanchen asked.
"Yes." Pei Song's fingers tapped quickly on the keyboard, "I have asked someone to check the surveillance. Dad left the company around five o'clock yesterday afternoon..."
Shi Yanchen asked: "Has there been any unusual incidents in the company recently?"
Assistant Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Come to think of it, Director Zhang came here the day before yesterday afternoon."
"Boss Zhang?" Pei Song frowned, "What is he doing here?"
"He said he wanted to discuss cooperation with Mr. Pei, but Mr. Pei left before get off work ended," Special Assistant Zhao recalled. "He waited in the office for a while and seemed to be in a bad mood."
Shi Yanchen and Pei Song looked at each other.
The International Financial City project has just dealt a blow to Zhang's father's plan. It is indeed strange that he came to find Pei's father at this time.
"Should we contact Zhang Ruojin?" Shi Yanchen said, "She knows her father's movements best."
Zhang Ruojin arrived quickly and looked serious after hearing the situation: "My father has been acting very abnormal these past two days. He had a long private conversation with a few old friends a few days ago, and suddenly came to see Mr. Pei..." She paused, "He has always been a grudge holder. He suffered a loss in the project this time, and he will not let it go."
"Then why haven't you received any blackmail calls yet?" Pei Song asked.
"He's waiting," Zhang Ruojin sneered, "until we get anxious. This is his usual tactic."
Shi Yanchen has already started calling people to mobilize their connections: "I'll have someone check on Director Zhang's recent whereabouts."
On the other side, in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city, Zhang's father was looking coldly at Pei's father and Zhang Yumei who were tied to chairs.
"It's been twenty years," he said with a sinister smile, "Yumei, you're still so stubborn."
Zhang Yumei raised her head, her eyes full of sarcasm: "Zhang Haiming, you are really becoming less and less human. We are divorced, how long are you going to keep pestering me?"
"Petition?" Zhang's father sneered, "If it weren't for you, my daughter wouldn't be so disobedient." He took out his cell phone, "Call Ruojin now and let her know what filial piety is."
"You're dreaming!" Zhang Yumei spat, "You're unworthy of being a father!"