Chapter 1265: Taking Again

Lu Tao didn't have time to carefully savor his sad love before his career started to go downhill.

After waking up this day, he came to the company absent-mindedly. He wanted to continue perfecting the design of the new project, but ended up receiving bad news.

"What? You said this project of ours is going to be sold?"

Although Lu Tao had been prepared, he was still very angry when it actually happened. So he couldn't help but ask a redundant question.

After receiving confirmation again, he slammed the door and left, then kicked the door open and entered, angrily questioning his biological father.

"That project is my heart and soul, why did you sell it?"

Xu Zhisen looked at his naive biological son, told the subordinate reporting to him to leave, and watched him standing there with his neck stiff, even with veins showing from anger.

Unable to help but shake his head and sigh, Xu Zhisen said: "You, you just can't keep your cool."

"You've packaged and sold my project, how can I keep my cool?"

"This time it was a last resort. Just a month ago, someone was sniping our stock in the market. I know you don't pay attention to these things, but what I want to tell you is that our losses are huge. The stock price fell to one-fifth of what it was before, and that's the result we managed to maintain with great difficulty."

"We've been hit with the limit down three times. Do you know what this means? It means hundreds of millions in money evaporated, it means our shareholders have major opinions about us, and it means if this continues and we don't solve the problem, we'll go bankrupt and be delisted."

"Everything I've built in half a lifetime will turn to ashes and vanish. Lu Tao, your ideals require money, don't you understand? Without money, everything you say is a castle in the air. You think you're doing well working here, and that the previous youth apartment project landed, because of your ability?"

"No, Lu Tao. It's because I gave you the opportunity. This opportunity is something others can't beg for, something others have to struggle for ten or even twenty years to get."

"And you, a twenty-something undergraduate, can lead a project. Don't those more excellent graduate students and PhDs have more ability than you? Don't they have higher ideals than you?"

"Lu Tao, what is all this because of? Because of money! You think I'm a person who only sees profit? You're wrong, Lu Tao. Without profit, you can't do anything."

Lu Tao didn't think about why Xu Zhisen, who was always calm and composed, had such great emotion, scolding him almost unceremoniously and mercilessly.

He only knew that Xu Zhisen had belittled him to nothing, denying everything he was proud of.

"I quit!" He shouted at Xu Zhisen.

Then he threw his work badge onto Xu Zhisen's desk and turned to leave without hesitation.

Xu Zhisen watched Lu Tao slam the door and leave, let out a few long breaths, and calmed his agitated heart.

He picked up Lu Tao's work badge from the table, and after a long time, finally let out a long sigh...

He had never felt so powerless, and it all started two months ago. At that time, they had bought two plots of land at a high price, and that was also when the company's stock price started to grow slowly—that was because many circulating shares had been bought up.

And just last month, without warning, their stock started to plummet, and panicked retail investors followed suit, hitting the limit down in a very short time.

It had continued like that until today. The stock price fluctuated, rising and falling. To protect the stock price and the interests of the shareholders, they had withdrawn a lot of liquid funds.

And they were a real estate company, with leverage stretched to the limit. Without this pool of liquid funds, the numerous accounts payable accumulated, leading to a mountain of debt, a pool of stagnant water, and what he called turning to ashes...

"Yuanda started selling land. Because they were in a hurry, we negotiated for a few days and almost got the land at last year's price." Mi Lai laughed, hugging Wang Yan to show her joy, "You're really amazing."

"This is just the beginning. If I push a little harder, Xu Zhisen and Lu Yaxun will be chatting in prison by now."

"Better not be so ruthless." Mi Lai shook her head and advised.

"You're not reluctant, are you?" Yang Xiaoyun mocked from the side.

"It's just not at that point yet, no need to be like that."

"I think you just haven't lost face yet." Yang Xiaoyun curled her lips, "If it had gone as we discussed before, and someone blocked your door and your company, cursing you for being shameless, you would think it's necessary."

"It didn't happen, so no need to be so ruthless, forcing them to death?"

"You're just too soft-hearted. Lu Tao didn't care if you lived or died, yet you're still thinking about him." Yang Xiaoyun continued to put eye drops on Mi Lai.

"Alright." Wang Yan waved his hand, "I can guarantee I won't do that, but I can't guarantee they won't go in, understand? When Yuanda goes bankrupt, Xu Zhisen definitely won't be able to run. His shareholder structure is very complex, and there are some people who can't afford to lose money. I estimate Xu Zhisen will still have to go in."

"What are people who can't afford to lose money? Are there people who can't afford to lose money?" Yang Xiaoyun was very ignorant about this, and she didn't think about it much.

Mi Lai explained it to her, and looking at Yang Xiaoyun's sudden realization, she said: "Otherwise, how do you think Xu Zhisen got the land? How did he develop the business? This is Beijing, big sister. There are many tricks."

"Then that means your family isn't clean either." Yang Xiaoyun realized later.

"Then why don't you look at our Brother Yan? You think he..."

Wang Yan waved his hand: "Don't slander me. I'm a legitimate businessman; I do business differently from your dad and the others."

"Could it be that you encountered some little ghosts and dared to slap them in the mouth?"

"You think I slapped them less?" Wang Yan laughed out loud, "It's true that it's a society of human relationships, and it's true that there are disgusting people. But I'd rather seek in the middle. I'll fight to the end with those I can beat, and I'll strip the pants off those I can't. I'll fight to the end with the spirit of coming naked and leaving naked."

Mi Lai curled her lips, not quite believing it. Wang Yan didn't explain further to her, just letting her think he was bragging; it was no big deal.

Wang Yan returned to the main topic and said to Mi Lai: "Ask your dad to prepare more funds, but don't reveal the bottom line, otherwise they would rather sell to others than give you a bargain. You can also appropriately reveal your past relationship with Lu Tao to give Xu Zhisen a bias. After all, it's a past fact. I'm the one targeting them, so you don't have to have any burden. You should still pick up the money that's picked up for free."

"You think I have that much face?" Mi Lai gave a coquettish look.

"You're the bitchiest!" Yang Xiaoyun always interrupted with mockery.

This had become a daily routine. As long as the three of them were together, except in bed, Yang Xiaoyun and Mi Lai would always have a quarrel...

Xia Lin walked on the street, feeling very bored.

It had been two months since they broke up. From Lu Tao looking for her every day at the beginning, to occasionally looking for her later, for some reason, in the last few days, he had started looking for her every day again. Every day he was drunk, blocking their door, shouting and screaming, disturbing the neighbors, and even calling the police several times.

But it was useless. Lu Tao still came, still shouted, still acted out while drunk. He was even beaten up twice, but it was of no use. She went to talk to him herself, but it was useless. As long as she didn't agree to reconcile, Lu Tao wouldn't leave for a day.

Such a shameless face made her feel overwhelmed. Truly, if a person is shameless, they are invincible. The police had to normalize their patrols.

Even walking on the street, she couldn't help but curse Lu Tao in her heart. She also saw it clearly: Lu Tao didn't want to be with her; he just didn't know what happened, and was using her as a raft to vent his emotions...

So disgusting.

This was her most direct thought. She couldn't understand why Lu Tao had become like this. Just as Lu Tao couldn't understand why Mi Lai had become like that...

Just as she was walking on the road, she saw a row of cars parked by the roadside, some with huge cameras outside, some pickup trucks with lighting equipment, and a whole bunch of other people. Some were holding cameras, some were holding notebooks and the like. On the periphery, traffic police and police were maintaining order.

Among this group of people, she saw a familiar face.

It was Huazi, standing in the middle, being filmed and talking eloquently.

Now Huazi had changed a lot. His long hair from before had been cut, he was wearing a slicked-back hairstyle, and he was dressed in business casual. The whole impression he gave was one of spirit and capability, radiant. Compared to when they first met a few years ago, it was incomparable.

Another person was Wang Yan, with a side-parted oily hairstyle, dressed in comfortable sportswear, standing on the side with his arms crossed, watching.

Xia Lin stood in the distance watching the excitement. She didn't feel Wang Yan's difference, even though Wang Yan stood there as if he were the center, more eye-catching than Huazi, and no one's gaze could ignore Wang Yan's existence.

But Xia Lin felt this was very normal, because it seemed to have been like this since they first met. Wang Yan seemed to have never changed.

He was still standing there, still with a smile on his face, as if he never had any worries, always full of confidence and chest full of plans.

After watching for a while, she squeezed into the crowd and wanted to squeeze further in, but was stopped by the staff.

"Hello, ma'am, we have reported this and are recording here. You can't come in any further, thank you for your cooperation."

"I'm friends with Brother Yan and Huazi. Go ask your Wang Zong, he'll definitely let me in."

"This..."

Just as the staff was hesitating, Wang Yan's voice sounded: "Let her come over."

"See, I didn't lie to you, did I?"

Xia Lin raised her eyebrows at the staff, then went to Wang Yan's side with a smile and asked: "Brother Yan, with such a big formation, what are you doing?"

"Cheche. com is opening a new column and filming a trailer."

"Didn't you have one before? The car review one?"

"This time it's a dialogue program, similar to a talk show on TV, and it will expand later. If conditions are ripe, it will also be broadcast live."

"Sounds good." Xia Lin nodded repeatedly, giving her approval.

"Where are you going?"

"Nothing serious, just wandering around by myself."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Wait until we're done here, let's have lunch together."

"Oh, you didn't want to invite me to dinner, you have such a big group of people, and besides, it's only..." Xia Lin raised her arm and looked at the time on her small watch, "It's only ten o'clock. You want me to watch you for two hours? I didn't eat breakfast, I came out early in the morning."

Wang Yan raised his eyebrows and asked: "Did something happen?"

"It's not that something happened, it's that I have trouble."

Xia Lin sighed helplessly, "Brother Yan, you also know that I broke up with Lu Tao, and it's been over two months now. When we first broke up, he did make a scene at our house, but later he gradually stopped coming. Recently, for some reason, he's been drunk and making a scene downstairs every day, shouting and screaming, disturbing the neighbors, and even calling the police several times..."

"I know what's going on."

Following the voice, Huazi walked over drinking water.

Mentioning Lu Tao, Huazi also couldn't help but sigh, "Just a few days ago, Xiangnan and the three of us were drinking together. Lu Tao's biological father's company is in trouble, they say it was sniped, and the company's situation isn't good. His stepfather scolded him again, saying that some previous things might be risky and easy to be investigated, and he might go to jail. Anyway, whether it's his biological father or stepfather, they scolded this son to nothing. He went to find a job again, thinking that with his previous project experience, he could earn more than when he was under his biological father, but although people wanted him, they didn't let him lead projects, and the salary was far worse. Isn't he doubting himself because of this?"

"Plus you broke up with him, all these things pressing on him—career, love, family—none of them are going well, he's a bit unable to hold on..."

"But he can't make a scene downstairs every day, can he? Doesn't he let people live?" Xia Lin cursed, very disgusted with Lu Tao's actions, "He used to be quite good, otherwise I wouldn't have been with him for so long, but how did he become like this?"

"He suffered a blow, right? I know you're not having an easy time either. How about this, when I'm done today, I'll go find Lu Tao and talk to him, persuade him. He's unhappy himself, he can't torment others..."

Huazi comforted Xia Lin and fulfilled his duty as a good friend...

"Didn't you say we'd eat? Brother Yan, you go eat with her, don't wait for me. Look at how busy I am, you've seen what you needed to see, everyone is doing well, I guarantee there won't be any problems, let our program be a hit."

"I'm afraid Wang Zong is too busy to invite me, a commoner, to dinner." Xia Lin said with a smile.

"This is like cursing, and it's quite dirty."

Wang Yan shook his head with amusement, then gave Huazi two instructions, and drove Xia Lin to find a place to eat.

"Brother Yan, you're such a big boss, and you still drive this car?"

"It's quite good to drive, and it's comfortable to sit in, no need to change. I also had it refurbished and modified before, these seats are newly replaced."

"That's not as grand as driving a Rolls-Royce, is it?"

"I don't really care about those things, and I'm not that particular about appearances. We have three Rolls-Royces parked at our used car dealership."

Thanks to the development of Cheche. com's business, the one that benefited the most was naturally their own used car dealership. With the development over the past two years, the dealership now deals in luxury cars, one car costing hundreds of thousands or millions, and the storefront is much more luxurious than those 4S stores, with a much higher level of class.

"Really amazing, Brother Yan. No one expected you could develop so fast and earn so much."

"Just a coincidence, caught a good time, chose the right industry. But it's not good lately, didn't a financial crisis happen? It's not easy to do."

"Then why are you opening a new column? Looking at that formation, the investment isn't small, right?"

"The worse it is, the more you have to find ways to expand. If you do nothing, it's no different from waiting for death."

Talking and laughing all the way, they found a decent restaurant, ordered a big table of food, and started eating and drinking.

Looking at the sumptuous food on the table, looking at Wang Yan eating elegantly, quickly, and deliciously, Xia Lin sighed: "Xiaoyun is really happy with you, she can eat anything and doesn't have to worry about waste."

"You're saying this deeply. I don't know if you're saying I'm a rice bucket or mocking me for letting Yang Xiaoyun down."

"Although Lu Tao did tell me about you and Mi Lai, heaven and earth are my witness, Brother Yan, I don't have that intention. After all, you know, I wasn't very honorable before either, I don't have the qualifications to condemn you."

"Your self-awareness is quite clear." Wang Yan shook his head with amusement.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Xia Lin didn't feel embarrassed either. After a moment of silence, she hesitated and said, "Brother Yan, the reason Lu Tao is so miserable... is it because of you?"

"Why do you say it's me?"

"Reasonable suspicion, you have the greatest motive." Xia Lin counted on her fingers, telling Wang Yan about Lu Tao destroying his family relationship and so on.

"It was me." Wang Yan nodded and said with a smile, "He didn't want me to have a good time, so I won't let him have a good time, very fair."

Xia Lin was silent.

Wang Yan laughed: "Think I'm too ruthless?"

"A... little?"

"You said it yourself, he destroyed my family, didn't take Yang Xiaoyun seriously, didn't take Mi Lai seriously, and didn't even put me in his eyes."

"But he didn't..."

"He didn't get the result he expected, that's because I have some ability, not because he was soft-hearted. You can't take the result that looks okay for me right now and put it on his motive to reduce his responsibility. This is the most basic logic problem, Xia Lin, are you still thinking about Lu Tao?"

"That's not it, it's just that no matter what, we had a past. If I really see him destitute, I don't feel comfortable either."

"Then don't look."

Wang Yan waved his hand and changed the subject, "You said you resigned and have been idle for two months, what are your plans next?"

"I want to go abroad." Xia Lin said, "Actually, I wanted to go abroad before, but I met Lu Tao and couldn't bear to leave. But in the current situation, I don't have any hesitation. Go abroad for further studies, and come back with a title. Whether it's fashion design or the fashion circle, it will be better. It won't be long, just two years."

This seems to be a plot point in every TV series of this era: if you're hurt, go abroad; if you're pursuing a future, go abroad. In short, going abroad is good, it's progress.

Wang Yan smiled: "Not bad, you've thought it through quite clearly."

"You have to be realistic, right? Otherwise, why would people go abroad? It's to have the status of a returnee, to be the foreign monk who can chant scriptures."

After not talking about Lu Tao anymore, the conversation between the two was very happy and relaxed.

Of course, this was Xia Lin's feeling. She hadn't interacted with Wang Yan alone before and hadn't had so many conversations. This time, it made her feel that the various good things about Wang Yan that Yang Xiaoyun had told her before were indeed very comfortable.

They ate and chatted for more than two hours, left the restaurant, and got into the car.

Wang Yan opened the car window, lit a cigarette, and asked: "Where to? I'll send you there."

"Nowhere to go." Xia Lin stretched her waist lazily, "Go home. Lu Tao is definitely making a scene downstairs right now. If I don't go home, I have nowhere else to go, and shopping alone is boring."

"Then think about it, no rush."

"You have nowhere to go either?"

"At this hour, I can only go to the company, but there isn't much work lately, no rush to deal with any problems. Besides, sitting in the office every day is boring, very dull."

"What about them?"

"Mi Lai is working at their family company, Yang Xiaoyun is at the flower shop."

For no reason, Xia Lin laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Wang Yan was confused.

"I remembered what Yang Xiaoyun told me before." Xia Lin explained, "That was when I just broke up..."

"She said I have a good body, strong force, and asked you to seduce me and form a united front with her to annoy Mi Lai?"

This time it was Xia Lin's turn to be surprised; she couldn't help but widen her eyes: "She told you?"

"Obviously. You mention this..." Wang Yan raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Do you want to have a friendly match with me?"

"Since we're talking about this, I'm really a bit curious."

Wang Yan smiled, started the car directly, and merged into the traffic... ===== CHAPTER 1266 =====

Wang Yan smiled, started the car directly, and merged into the traffic...