Sun Feng was coaxed into losing his bearings within just a few words. Given his current status, there wasn’t a kind word he hadn’t heard before, yet he still couldn’t help but immerse himself in this honey-sweet flattery, feeling entirely light-headed.
“By the way, Uncle, once the Meng Clan stabilizes, help me look around for a professional manager; I plan to retreat to the second line.” While Sun Feng was feeling floaty, Meng Lingyao lightly tossed another task his way.
“Of course, Uncle, don’t overthink it. The company is a mess of busyness right now, and the more capable people we have, the better. It’s not that I haven’t considered letting you manage it, but I’m worried about your health. When Dad was still around, he was always worried you’d overwork yourself; he wanted you to stop pushing so hard, but you’ve always fought on the front lines and worn your body out. The burdens on your shoulders are already heavy enough—I feel very guilty. I can’t let my own work exhaust you further.”
Meng Lingyao’s display of genuine emotion and his clear intent of consideration for others were deeply moving.
Sun Feng, specifically, knew his own limits and his current workload; he truly couldn’t handle such a heavy burden.
Furthermore, although there were many confidants surrounding Meng Lingyao now, they were split into three factions: the mainstay was the group led by himself from the Old President’s era; then there was an equally matched group led by the Great President’s secretary, Qian Linhao; and finally, a small group consisting of a few people Meng Lingyao had brought in.
If he truly took the top position, it might not be a good thing for the Young President.
After all, Secretary Qian’s side would certainly be watching like a tiger eyeing its prey, causing trouble for President Meng. Sun Feng didn’t want to see the hard-won stability disrupted by further turbulence.
The Meng Clan could not afford internal strife, especially not now.
Therefore, finding someone else was indeed a good idea. Sun Feng didn’t try to persuade Meng Lingyao to stay in the position; he knew Meng Lingyao’s heart wasn’t in it, and truth be told, Meng Lingyao had no talent for business.
Being plotted against by relatives to the point of near-bankruptcy was a huge blow; it was only natural to develop a sense of timidity. Retiring behind the scenes to take a breather was indeed a wise move.
As a precious legacy left by the Old President, Sun Feng felt it was necessary to guard the Meng Clan for him.
Thus, having quickly cleared his head, Sun Feng was deeply moved by Meng Lingyao’s “sincere heart,” feeling he was a truly honest and earnest child.
“I understand. Don’t worry, President Meng, I will look for someone. I usually keep an eye on Secretary Qian’s side, but there are times when I’m stretched thin. It’s good to have another force to distract Secretary Qian’s energy. You truly have the shadow of your father and brother in you now,” Sun Feng said, praising the idea as excellent.
Meng Lingyao simply gave a shy, modest smile.
With Sun Feng appeased, Meng Lingyao then proceeded like a butterfly, using roughly the same rhetoric to have “heart-to-heart” talks with every trusted subordinate, boosting their morale until they were all pumped full of adrenaline.
His incubus skills remained stable; he truly knew how to coax people. Previously he coaxed his brother and parents; now he was coaxing the company’s leadership—it was no different.
Then, he made his way over to Secretary Qian’s side, starting with routine work inquiries before slowly moving toward the main topic.
“Brother Qian, now that the cooperation with the Qi Clan has stabilized, we need to watch out for the ‘Little Meng Clan’ and the Qin Clan playing dirty tricks. You’ve got to keep an eye out.”
“Rest assured, Young President Meng, everything is being arranged.”
“Brother Qian, you are the person my brother trusted most, his iron-clad buddy. I trust you completely too, so I won’t hide things from you. After this matter is over, I plan to find someone to manage the company in my place. You know my abilities are lacking; I need you to help me vet the candidates. While Sun Feng has the ability, his status in the company is already prominent. Although Uncle Sun is very trustworthy now, I’m afraid that in the future…”
Meng Lingyao stopped there, leaving the rest unsaid. Clearly, Qian Linhao understood the implication. “I understand.”
“So I plan to find someone from the outside. For this candidate, Brother Qian, I need your help in the selection,” Meng Lingyao said, using a completely different tone than he did with Sun Feng.
With Sun Feng, it was the intimacy of a junior to an elder; with Qian Linhao, it was the familiarity of equals or even close friends.
He calibrated his boundaries perfectly, making it impossible to dislike him and allowing one to relax completely.
“That is indeed a good idea. Having a third party for mutual supervision—a triangle is stable,” Qian Linhao smiled. He understood Meng Lingyao’s little schemes and was even satisfied that Meng Lingyao had grown to this level.
“Brother Qian, I didn’t mean it that way,” Meng Lingyao said, acting as if his inner thoughts had been caught, looking a bit ashamed and uneasy.
“Young President Meng, I think your idea is very good; it’s what I truly think. The Great President would be very happy with your growth,” Qian Linhao praised him instead, genuinely pleased with Meng Lingyao’s decision.
He felt the gratification of watching a son finally come of age.
Though the tactics were still a bit green, they were already quite good.
With a third party inserted, the three forces would intertwine, making the Meng Clan more stable. While the Young President sat steadily in the back overlooking everything, the maximization of their power would make the company develop faster, while the different factions would restrain each other so that no single party became too dominant.
Using “humanistic care” on Sun Feng and revealing some “true thoughts” to Qian Linhao, he had both men completely handled. Meng Lingyao felt his task was finally coming to an end.
To tell the truth, his mouth was quite dry; he had really talked a lot. He took a sip of water to moisten his throat.
“Young President Meng, I need to know: is there another deal behind the cooperation between the Qi Clan and the Meng Clan? After all, as it stands, the Qi Clan is helping the Meng Clan unilaterally; they aren’t gaining any profit. If a problem arises later, it would be better if I know how to resolve it,” Qian Linhao asked, seeing Meng Lingyao about to leave. He had held this question in for a long time. “Just to avoid being unprepared if issues crop up later.”
He tried to use objective language and a business-like tone.
Meng Lingyao didn’t think there was anything he couldn’t say. As lightly as if he were discussing what he ate for lunch, he dropped a bombshell: “Oh, it’s nothing major. I just agreed to Qi Zhongjing’s request for marriage.”
This news caused even Qian Linhao to lose his composure. Looking as if he had misheard, he stared blankly at Meng Lingyao, his eyes asking if it were true.
This news felt as unreal as if today were April Fool’s Day.
In all his calculations, Qian Linhao could never have guessed such a condition.
President Qi wants to marry the Young President?
How did these two get involved in marriage?
Wait… it wasn’t as if there weren’t clues. Qian Linhao’s expression shifted rapidly; even though he was usually calm and self-possessed, he couldn’t hold it together now.
In the past, the Great President—Meng Lingsheng—had guarded against Qi Zhongjing with everything he had. Qian Linhao knew this and had even been a primary force in those efforts.
…In the end, they still failed to guard against him.
“By the way, I don’t want this to get out. Don’t tell my mother, and the Qi Clan is currently keeping it under wraps as well.” Having dropped the heavy news, Meng Lingyao remained extremely calm. Leaving Qian Linhao as if struck by lightning, he gracefully walked out of the secretary’s office.
Behind him, the stunned Qian Linhao swallowed hard, only hoping that if the Great President ever woke up and found out, he wouldn’t kill President Qi.
Having consolidated the relationships with the company’s upper management, Meng Lingyao’s personal phone, which had been quiet for a while, began to pop up with messages. People were starting to fish for information in roundabout ways.
Meng Lingyao looked at those messages sarcastically, selectively replying to a few friends who had been somewhat sincere before.
Sure enough, it is only when one falls from grace that one sees who is true and who is false.
The group of “second-generation” socialites that used to surround him had thinned out considerably. Countless people avoided him like the plague, and even those with a heart stayed away due to family reasons.
After all, most of these second-generation heirs relied on their families to survive and had little power to offer him help.
However, those who truly helped him, he would remember.
The cooperation between the Qi Clan and the Meng Clan commenced amidst varying reactions from all sides. With the Qi Clan’s backing, the Meng Clan gradually stabilized, and the restless hearts of the employees became steady.
How the upper class gossiped and what the general public thought were two different things. The Meng Clan was hiring in large numbers with generous compensation; even with ill-intentioned people trying to block them, they couldn’t stop the flood of job seekers.
People are realistic, after all. The Meng Clan was an established enterprise, and it had now fully passed its crisis period. It didn’t look like a risky company anymore. No matter how many unfavorable rumors were on the market, they seemed pale in the face of cold, hard cash.
People are driven by interest; everyone lives to put food on the table.
Within a few short days, the entire Meng Clan was spinning like a top, with everyone’s feet barely touching the ground. New employees underwent induction training, senior staff mentored the newcomers, and everything was moving in a positive direction.
The first installment of funds from the Qi Clan had arrived, with subsequent funds set to follow. Several cooperation groups from the Qi Clan were interfacing smoothly with the Meng Clan.
Meng Lingyao was also busy. He hadn’t even gone home to see his brother and mother for several days, occupied with various meetings, decisions, and interviews for key positions.
He worked himself to exhaustion. As for the messages Qi Zhongjing sent from time to time, he only saw them after long intervals. For instance, Qi Zhongjing’s bored harassment messages—given their current cooperation, he would politely reply with a sentence or two when he saw them.
He had no idea that on the other end, a certain someone was sending messages with a trembling heart, clutching his phone and staring at it until the screen went black, opening it every few minutes to check again.
He saw it, he didn’t see it, he saw it…
He was counting in his head, and his mind was racing even more: wondering if Lingyao was ignoring him because he hated him, or if he had curled his lip and tossed the phone aside in disgust, or if Meng Lingyao had accidentally lost his phone. All sorts of messy thoughts were hallucinated in the mind of the Qi Clan’s decision-maker, who appeared cold and stern to outsiders.
Regarding Qi Zhongjing’s harassment, Meng Lingyao expressed some disdain, thinking that Qi Zhongjing was truly too idle and was actually annoying him.
The messages were all quite meaningless.
For example:
“Are you there?” — Not there.
“Have you eaten?” — I eat when it’s time to eat.
“Do you have time?” — I’m obviously very busy.
Meng Lingyao was utterly speechless, unable to understand Qi Zhongjing’s behavior, which seemed like madness to him.
Meanwhile, Qi Zhongjing was secretly flipping through “Thirty-Six Stratagems for Pursuing a Lover” in his office, studying with diligent earnestness.