Chapter 910: Dismissal

He Yuzhu was sitting in the living room, stewing in his anger.

"Thump, thump, thump—"

The sound of knocking on the door rang out twice.

"Come in!"

Qin Tianzhen pushed the door open and entered.

He Yuzhu raised his eyes to look her over, his gaze landing on her slightly protruding belly, and he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"Tianzhen," his voice was heavy, "I must apologize to you on behalf of He Zheng. You've likely heard about that boy's business. He was in the wrong for doing this, but fortunately, we discovered it early, and no major disaster occurred."

Qin Tianzhen nodded, her eyes rimmed with red: "Dad, actually, this isn't entirely He Zheng's fault. The economy in Southeast Asia is sluggish, and foreign trade has almost completely stopped. As for real estate, he hasn't been able to make any headway either; he's been so worried that his hair has turned white. Plus, seeing how well Ma Rui is doing, he just... he wanted too much to prove himself to you, and he was a bit too eager for success."

He Yuzhu was silent for a moment, then let out another long sigh, looking up at her: "How many months pregnant are you?"

"Five months."

He Yuzhu pursed his lips and decided to speak plainly: "Tianzhen, I won't hide it from you—that boy just had evil thoughts about that woman; everything else is just an excuse. If you can't swallow this, then divorce him, and I'll have half the assets divided for you."

Qin Tianzhen's eyes turned red instantly, her voice choked with sobs: "I don't blame He Zheng; he has been... truly too suppressed during this period."

He Yuzhu let out a cold snort, not a hint of a smile on his face: "Looking for women just because business isn't good? The He Family hasn't fallen to that point yet! You will serve as Chairman for at least two years, and let He Jia be the Vice Chairman. For the little bit of business in real estate, the two of you are enough. As for trade, there are still Bang Geng and Yi Xiaotian."

Qin Tianzhen, with red-rimmed eyes, pleaded in a low voice: "Dad, if you really strip him of his position, I'm afraid he... I'm afraid he might do something desperate."

He Yuzhu sneered: "Desperate? Will he commit suicide? If he dares to commit suicide, then let him die! What a useless thing!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the door was pushed open again.

Chen Xueru walked in carrying a cup of tea, clearly having listened for a while outside.

She didn't rush to speak, first placing the tea by He Yuzhu's hand before saying calmly: "The boy is already over forty years old; you can't lecture him like a child. How much face does that leave him? How is he supposed to carry himself in the future?"

He Yuzhu took the teacup but didn't drink, setting it down heavily on the table: "Within two years, I don't want him to be Chairman again. Let this be a lesson to him. I used to think he had at least some ability, enough to hold onto his own little patch of land. Now it seems he doesn't even have that much!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and he raised his hand to point out the window: "Look at Ma Rui; his advertising and film companies are thriving. Then look at him—once foreign trade failed, he did nothing in real estate, threw everything to others, and spent his days playing golf and chasing women, all while calling it 'expanding the European and American markets.' Don't you find that ridiculous?"

Chen Xueru sighed and patiently persuaded him: "Zhuzi, you can't expect our son to be like you. He is just an ordinary man; being able to accumulate over a billion in assets through his own ability already counts as having talent. Compared to his peers, he is a success. But to you, he is nothing, so how could he not be twisted inside? Dealing with it this way is truly inappropriate."

He Yuzhu slapped the table, making the teacup jump: "It's decided! It doesn't matter who says what!"

Seeing that his mind was made up, Chen Xueru stopped trying to persuade him and changed the subject: "Then... what do you plan to do about the matter with the spies?"

He Yuzhu darkened his face, thought for a moment, and then spoke: "I caught three of his men and interrogated them. A contact will come over in a while... I plan to take one of them to meet him. We'll play it by ear when the time comes."

Seeing that his anger had subsided, Chen Xueru said: "Zhuzi, if you don't give He Zheng work, then I'll let him take over my side of things!"

He Yuzhu didn't respond, standing up and pacing back and forth in the living room a few times. After a long while, he stopped: "How about this—Man Yatou has developed a chat app called 'Shunliao,' and it's still in the early stages. Let him manage that!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xueru's eyes lit up instantly. She had heard He Yuzhu describe people from the future world—in the future, no one would use telephones, and everyone would use communication software; that was a massive business.

Only now did she fully understand: He Yuzhu was making He Zheng stumble first, only to throw him a truly major task. This was truly: a parent's love for their child is deep and far-reaching.

Chen Xueru's face immediately blossomed into a smile: "This is good! This is good!"

He Yuzhu, however, darkened his face, his tone allowing no room for negotiation: "Good is good. Every important decision he makes from now on must be reported to me; he cannot make decisions on his own."

Qin Tianzhen, standing to the side, was completely confused, not knowing if this was good or bad, and said worriedly: "Dad, He Zheng is a stubborn person. If you make him start over in a completely unfamiliar industry, I'm afraid he... won't be able to adapt."

He Yuzhu shook his head, his tone cold and hard: "If he can't even handle this, then he shouldn't do anything for the rest of his life. He can just stay home and rot."

Qin Tianzhen opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't dare to persuade him further, only nodding helplessly: "O-okay."

Chen Xueru didn't explain to Qin Tianzhen and left in high spirits—she went to explain it to He Zheng.

Three days later. Summer Palace.

A light drizzle had drifted all night and still hadn't stopped by morning.

On Kunming Lake, a few pedal boats swayed leisurely. Tourists on the shore held umbrellas, looking relaxed and content.

On the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, He Yuzhu was dressed like a small lackey, his head slightly lowered, following behind a white spy.

This foreigner was named Luke, and after being caught by He Yuzhu, he was much more obedient, coming along quietly to make the contact.

Both of them held black umbrellas. This was the signal for the meeting.

He Yuzhu scanned his surroundings with an expressionless face.

The scenery today was truly beautiful; it actually had a bit of the flavor of West Lake.

Luke, however, was not as calm as He Yuzhu.

He touched the item he had prepared inside his sleeve.

Ten o'clock sharp.

A man dressed in a suit and leather shoes walked over hurriedly, followed by two sturdy lackeys.

When they reached Luke and He Yuzhu, a set of keys fell to the ground with a "clatter."

Luke hurriedly bent down to pick them up, offering a fawning smile: "Sir, these are the keys you dropped, right?"

The other party didn't rush to take the keys, bowing slightly: "These are indeed the keys to my front door. If I lost them, I wouldn't be able to get in."

Luke immediately followed up: "It wouldn't cost much to get a key made here."

The man said: "These keys have been with me for years; I'd hate to lose them."

The signal was matched.

Taking the opportunity to hand over the keys, Luke also inconspicuously slipped a data folder into the man's hand.

The man in the suit took the item without even lifting an eyelid, walking straight toward the North Palace Gate with his two lackeys.

The entire process was smooth and fluid, with not a single flaw to be seen.

He Yuzhu watched every movement of the two throughout the process and found nothing unusual.

Once the three men had walked far away, Luke turned his head, his face full of fawning smiles: "Sir, I did everything you said... can you spare my life?"

He Yuzhu smiled: "That depends on the result. If you didn't play any tricks, I will spare your life."

Before Luke could even be happy, He Yuzhu raised his hand and struck him cleanly on the back of the neck.

Luke's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed limply. The next second, He Yuzhu moved his mind and took the person directly into his space.

He propped up a black umbrella and walked slowly down the bridge.

In the distance, the backs of those three people were already almost at the North Palace Gate.

Just at this moment, an old man and an old woman followed them at a leisurely pace, blending into the tourists, not standing out in the slightest.