2.11 - A tacit understanding that we"d rather die than admit to
Xu Yongyi’s office was so luxuriously decorated that the word "rich" was basically written everywhere.
Xue Ling did not consider himself a guest either, inviting Cole to sit on the sofa and pulling two bottled drinks out of the refrigerator. He didn"t have any semblance to the stereotypical big boss of a big corporation at all, but acted more like a child. Watching him, Cole"s eyes could not help but soften.
“Why the h.e.l.l are you back? What do you want to do?!” Xu Yongyi was unable to stand this kind of action, as if this was the other side’s territory. It made him feel like he has returned back in time to a few years ago in Wen group when he had to lower his head and act like a good son-in-law. “If there’s nothing, just leave. Xu Group does not welcome you!”
Xue Ling turned around and looked at him with raised eyebrows. “To be able to say "Xu Group" these two words so calmly, brother-in-law"s face must be as thick as a wall. Truly worth admiring."
Naturally, Xu Yongyi could understand the intent behind his sarcastic words, face cold as he returned: “You sold the shares to me yourself back then. Now, whether it"s called Xu Group or anything else has nothing to do with you."
“Of course.” Xue Ling did not plan to continue this topic as his purpose today was very simple. He withdrew a doc.u.ment from his briefcase and said straightforwardly, “If you sign this, everyone can part on good terms, and we will go our separate ways. I will also not appear in front of you for the rest of my life.”
Xu Yongyi frowned, not believing his words. Walking over, he picked up the papers to take a look and his frown deepened even further. On the paper three somewhat dazzling words were clearly printed: Divorce Settlement Papers.
Xu Yongyi read through it with forced patience, wanting to know what tricks Xue Ling was playing. Then, he angrily tore the papers up.
Xue Ling had long antic.i.p.ated that his mood would not be good. He leaned leisurely on the sofa, a shadow of a smile hovering on his face: “It’s okay to tear it up. I still have a lot of copies here.”
Xu Yongyi laughed angrily and sneered, “Who do you think you are, wanting me to compensate with everything I own? That"s too funny. You just want to take what you want without doing anything. There’s no such good thing in the world!”
“It"s precisely because nothing was done that we can just take what we want." Xue Ling waved his hand, “You and my sister have been separated for two years, and we can definitely sue you for divorce. I prepared this agreement just because I wanted to give brother-in-law a chance. It seems that brother-in-law is not satisfied with the conditions I listed?”
Xu Yongyi had already decided to kick them out: “Xu group is the result of my many years of effort. If you want me to hand it over and clear out everything I own, you might as well continue daydreaming.” He sneered and said, “Wen Xiuyuan, do you think this world is still the same one as when your Wen family was in charge? Where your word was law? You and your sister cheated me out of a lot of money and went abroad, and your sister even abandoned her husband and son. Ask anyone in X city – who doesn’t know of such a disgraceful scandal? Now you want to use this thing and get a divorce? Are you not ashamed? Who gave you the nerve?"
They both stole money and went abroad, and Wen Xiuting abandoned her husband and son - this is what Xu Yongyi made publicly known when they left two years ago.
Xu Yongyi had posted an announcement in newspapers and television, claiming although that Wen Xiuting had taken away a huge sum of his investment money, he could let bygones be bygones. There was nothing that could not be resolved between husband and wife, and their youngest son was still at home waiting for them. He hoped that Wen Xiuting would change her mind and come back.
After the announcement was broadcasted, everyone all agreed that Boss Xu was a true romantic, a rare good husband, while Wen Xiuting was cruel-hearted and cold. He had already exerted his all to work hard for her family"s company, and not only did she not help out, she also dragged him down and ran away with her eldest son and younger brother, leaving her youngest son behind. How could there be such a cruel wife and mother in the world?
The whole affair was a very big deal, and everyone in Xu Group knew about it. People in the city still talked about it occasionally, cursing the Wen family for taking advantage of their son-in-law before throwing him away, even making implications towards the relationship between the Wen brother and sister, saying that they"re simply not human.
Xue Ling had already known about this. Even after going abroad, he kept an eye on the situation in Country H. Because this had all been part of the original plot, he was also too lazy to come back and explain. Moreover, Wen Mo and Wen Xiuting were not in a good mental state at the time and he was afraid that they would be affected by the news, so he left it alone and let it ferment.
Now, when Xu Yongyi brought it up and tried to scold him with it, Xue Ling wanted to laugh. “You know in your heart what happened back then. I wanted to make a courtesy call before bringing in the big guns. Since you don’t want to sign this agreement, we’ll see you in court. This matter was entrusted to me by my sister, and I believe we will have a chance to talk about it in the future~"
Xu Yongyi heard the a.s.surance in his voice and a sense of panic arose in his heart. He drove them out of his office in anger, and quickly called Bai Luzi.
His and Bai Luzi"s affair was something many people already knew. It was not a secret in the upper circle of city X, but they had always claimed that their relationship was that of friends. They told others that because Xu Yongyi was not yet divorced, it was not good for them to develop their relationship, making many people feel distressed for Bai Luzi. When the ladies in the circle gathered, they often said bad things about Xiuting and accused her of being a dog in the manger.
Oh, that seemed to also be scolding Xu Yongyi?
Bai Luzi had just finished taking a lady"s measurements and was discussing possible styles when her mobile phone suddenly rang. She smiled apologetically and left the room to answer the call. “h.e.l.lo.” Her voice was as pure as her appearance, gentle and pleasant to the ears.
“Little Zi! Wen Xiuyuan is back!” Xu Yongyi’s tone was somewhat heavy, every word enunciated clearly. It sounded like his mood was especially bad.
Last night, Bai Luzi only heard that he had an important contract to discuss today, and was surprised to receive such a call. She froze for a moment before hurriedly replying, “Don’t worry, he has nothing now. What can he fight us with? What did he come back for?"
Xu Yongyi pulled irritably at his tie and kicked his office chair. “He came back to help Wen Xiuting get divorced.”
Bai Luzi was suddenly delighted. “Isn"t that just perfect? Weren"t you just worrying that we wouldn"t be able to get married without the divorce?”
“That guy brought a divorce settlement. The doc.u.ments said that I cheated on my marriage and would hand over everything in compensation.” Xu Yongyi was a little upset. During these years, because of how perfectly Wen Xiuyuan had managed to deceive him, he always had a shadow in his heart. It was okay as long as he did not appear in front of him, but now that Wen Xiuyuan has shown up, Xu Yongyi was in a state of anxiety, his heart inexplicably uneasy.
“Hand over everything in compensation?” Bai Luzi exclaimed, “What kind of joke is this? He wants too much. Who does he think he is? It"s only been two years, how did this young master"s thinking become more and more delusional?"
“It"s not that he has no leg to stand on. He came here today on behalf of the Mo An Group to talk with us about a partnership, but I kicked him out."
“Oh, he must have applied with his company to come once he found out these cooperation talks were held in Country H, wanting to masquerade around with the Mo An Group"s name.” At this point Bai Luzi felt that she understood the situation very clearly. “Don’t be alarmed, our relationship back then was very well hidden. He has no evidence in his hands. Even if he goes to court, it would be pointless without any proof. Moreover, his and Wen Xiuting’s reputations have already been ruined. Even if he wants to come back with his head held high, he should first understand his current situation."
“Wen Xiuting and Wen Xiuyuan"s reputations…” Xu Yongyi repeated this sentence in a low voice. Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed. “The malicious rumours from two years ago should still be useful. Nowadays, online public opinion is very important. I remember that he used his name as an internationally renowned pianist to gain a lot of fans online. We can attack him there. Based on this young master"s character, one or two negative opinions from those haters should already be enough to destroy him."
Although Bai Luzi felt that Wen Xiuyuan already had no way to win, she still thought it would be good to have Wen Xiuyuan fall into disrepute in order to ensure the divorce went smoothly.
Who told him to be Wen Xiuting"s brother? The two siblings grew up in a wealthy family from birth, totally different from Xu Yong yi and Bai Luzi’s own childhood environment. After many hardships, they were finally moving upwards in society, and they must absolutely not let the Wen family destroy their blissful life!
This suggestion that seemed to come out of nowhere was agreed on just like that. Bai Luzi contacted friends in the entertainment circle, found several famous studios and hired an online mob to destroy Wen Xiuyuan"s reputation so that he would feel disgust and rejection from everyone. She wanted to see if Wen Xiuyuan would still have the courage to stand in court and fight with them then.
Xue Ling and Cole left Xu Group’s building joking and laughing. Well, fine, in reality Xue Ling was the one doing most of the talking, with Cole humming in agreement from time to time in order to get a satisfied smile from him. It was very cost effective - he really liked it.
Xue Ling was not bothered by Xu Yongyi’s att.i.tude at all. Just now, he dropped a little hint when he spoke to the other party, nudging him to take the matter online and make it public. The bigger the better, and it would be best if they try to completely destroy his reputation.
This was the result that he wanted. After all, Cole would be sufficient if he just wanted to bankrupt a company. For him, even bankrupting the whole group would not be a problem.
What Xue Ling wanted was for them to suffer like Wen Xiyuan had in the last life. Carrying the label of being a pedophile, being spat on in the streets, with everyone disgusted at them. He wanted them to properly enjoy the taste of living in a dark world without even the tiniest spark of brightness.
At that time, he would destroy their only hope, wipe his hands and wait for the courts to give them a fair verdict.
There was no sense of beauty if the revenge was too simple.
Perhaps because Wen Xiuyuan died too miserably, Xue Ling was especially cruel with his plans.
Cole didn’t care what kind of person he was – he would still like Xue Ling regardless. Especially when he showed off proudly, laughing, like a little fox with his tail up asking for praise. It always made Cole want to reach out and pet his head.
But unfortunately, the relationship between the two was neither hot nor cold, and they were not that close. Cole was afraid that if he made a move, he would scare Xue Ling away.
To be fair, Xue Ling was also not that timid. In the past few days, he could more or less guess what Cole was thinking. In fact, there were still emotions under that stiff, wouldn"t-be-moved-even-by-thunder face, one just had to spend some effort to find them.
But Xue Ling was a true tsundere, following the spirit of "If you don"t say it, I won"t ask about it; if you want to pretend, I"ll pretend with you~" he also stubbornly acted ignorant, making Doyle click his tongue in wonder.
With these two, for them to talk it out and get together would really take a miracle.
editors: alamersyl & BlueBug