After finalizing the terms of cooperation with Mi Zhongde, I left the golf course first. Mi Zhongde never picked up the golf club again, the one that had made him appear still full of vigor and ambition. He leaned against a lounge chair, somewhat dazed, staring at the nearly setting sun. Perhaps even this powerful figure was in pain, afraid to think about tomorrow’s sunrise amid his suffering.
In the evening, I went again to have dinner with Ban Di and my mom. The topic we talked about most was still the news about Mi Cai’s upcoming return for the New Year. Yet people are never satisfied, so my mom urged me again to try to keep Mi Cai in China for a few more days after she returned. Naturally, I wanted this too, so throughout the meal, I was already calculating how to turn this hope into reality.
After dinner, I didn’t stay too long and returned to the old house. I cleaned both inside and outside thoroughly, and by around nine o’clock, I finally sat down at my computer and sent an email to Mi Cai. This time, I didn’t start with the usual phrase, “Have you gone to work today?” because recently I had already figured out her work and rest schedule. Unless something unexpected happened, she should be working today and probably sitting in front of her computer.
“Are you there? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
Mi Cai replied shortly afterward, as expected: “Okay, what’s this serious matter?”
Today I met with Mi Zhongde. He has agreed to transfer a small portion of his shares to my company. I hope he can persuade the other shareholders to sell their shares while they still hold value. However, he set one condition: he wants us to provide a legally binding letter of commitment, promising that after we reclaim Zhuomei and complete the restructuring, we will allocate twenty percent of the shares to Mi Lan… I feel this demand is too high, so I wanted to know your thoughts on this matter.
After a moment’s thought, I added another sentence: “Even if he doesn’t get involved in this matter, I have other ways to get the shareholders to transfer their shares; it would just take a bit more time.”
I originally thought Mi Cai would need a long time to consider, but to my surprise, she replied in less than a minute: “Agree to his request!”
This was a response completely unexpected, but upon reflection, I understood. After all, Mi Zhongde was her own uncle, and Mi Lan had grown up with her like a sister. Therefore, providing them with such a guarantee was something she would definitely do. It was just like when she had been removed from her position, and Mi Zhongde had personally delivered a huge sum of 30 million to her. This was the power of blood ties… At this moment, I could truly understand why Yan Yan felt pity for Fang Yuan. He was ultimately just a commoner, unable to receive the same kind of tolerance and forgiveness that Mi Lan could, even after making absurd mistakes. Mi Lan could still continue living a life that others could only admire from afar. Once Fang Yuan ended his marriage with Mi Lan, his fate was destined to be a tragedy from which he would find it hard to rise again…
Moreover, it was certain that once I and Mi Cai agreed to Mi Zhongde’s request, the next step would be for Mi Zhongde to strongly interfere in Mi Lan and Fang Yuan’s marriage. If Mi Lan indeed divorced Fang Yuan, all the negative consequences would fall entirely on Fang Yuan. Mi Lan, aside from experiencing a failed marriage, would still be able to walk away unscathed. For a woman like Mi Lan, as long as she wished, starting a new marriage would never be a concern. There would still be countless men in this world who would be tempted by her beauty and wealth!
Mi Zhongde remained the calculating and shrewd figure he had always been, except that now, instead of calculating business interests, he was calculating life interests.
Ultimately, I still chose to respect Mi Cai’s decision and agreed to Mi Zhongde’s request…
After finishing this heavy discussion, Mi Cai and I talked about her upcoming return. I asked repeatedly, “Are you certain you’ll come back on New Year’s Eve?”
“Certain, certain, certain… You’ve already asked almost ten times!!”
I grinned shamelessly, then turned that grin into an emoji I sent to Mi Cai: “Hehe, there will be an eleventh and twelfth time… Oh, by the way, you said there would be a surprise. Will you definitely keep that promise?”
“I will keep it!”
“What kind of surprise is it?”
Mi Cai sent back a pouting emoji: “Can our conversation not be so predictable? You’ve already asked me this more than ten times… Can’t you control your curiosity a little?”
Even though my conversation with Mi Cai was only through text, my expressions changed as if I were facing her directly, responding to my shifting emotions. I furrowed my brows—not out of dissatisfaction, but because until she returned, I felt like a boat unable to reach shore. That’s why I kept asking, hoping she would understand how much I missed her…
Mi Cai seemed to sense my mood. Amid my emotional turbulence, she sent me another message, suddenly filling my world with stability and warmth, because she sent me a crying emoji, telling me: she missed me too… Whether this emoji was symbolic or if she was actually crying, I couldn’t be sure. But I understood her feelings. Our longing for each other had always been mutual and equal!
…
The next day, I informed Mi Zhongde of the decision made by Mi Cai and me. Soon after, my company purchased the small portion of shares he held. Then, one after another, under his encouragement, we acquired shares from other shareholders as well. In this way, Fang Yuan was gradually pushed into a desperate situation. Once New Green Energy completed the purchase of another portion of shares from Aisa Investment, we would be ready to convene a board meeting to remove Fang Yuan from all his positions and completely reclaim the management rights of Zhuo Mei. I believed that Mi Cai was handling this matter with great tension at this moment. We both hoped to preliminarily resolve the conflicts and grievances of the past two years before the New Year.
This evening, I was still working on project coordination with Yan Yan. We were preparing to launch a luxury brand under Yang Youqi’s name, which had already entered the formal preparation stage. We needed Yan Yan’s advertising company to provide an integrated marketing plan. Today, our discussion focused on product personality positioning and the establishment of a visual identity system.
This was a long conversation, and before we realized, the streetlights had already replaced the sunset that had accompanied Yan Yan when she arrived, illuminating the city…
Just as we were getting to a crucial part of the discussion, a sudden argument outside the office interrupted us. Then the office door was pushed open by Mi Lan, and the receptionist behind her couldn’t stop her impulsive actions.
Yan Yan instinctively turned to look at her, and immediately, their gazes met without any hindrance. In an instant, the atmosphere turned nearly icy. However, Yan Yan, who had already gained a family and children, clearly had no hostility toward her. She suggested we continue our unfinished work the next day, gathered her documents from the table, and chose to leave…
As she passed by Mi Lan, I could clearly see the hatred and gritted teeth in Mi Lan’s eyes. This hateful gaze followed Yan Yan all the way until she disappeared at the far end outside the office.
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