Eliza Leng was summoned back by a phone call from her parents.
"Dad, Mom."
The house was prepared for dinner.
"You're back." Elton Leng gestured, "Sit down, let's talk."
Mr. and Mrs. Elton Leng and Eliza Leng, the three of them sat down to eat.
Elton Leng's face was expressionless - not because he was unhappy, but because he was naturally a very serious person.
Surprisingly, today he placed some food in Eliza's bowl with his chopsticks, which startled her.
Eliza felt warmth in her heart. "Thank you, Dad."
Elton smiled slightly. "I heard Fyren Zhang visited your company today? Helped you with a business deal?"
Eliza nodded. "It actually was helpful."
"Oh? How so?"
"That Jason is a fraud. He bribed one of my VPs to tamper with the audit materials. Fyren found out through some channel and went to confront him."
Elton laughed. "Jason's project is worth over two billion, isn't it? That's risky! Our Leng family can't afford to be burdened with more than two billion in liabilities - it would be a fatal blow. We need to secure this capital, otherwise it'll be hard for us to recover."
"My apologies for the oversight." Eliza lowered her head politely.
Elton waved his hand. "I'm not blaming you. But if you didn't notice the problem with this project, how did Fyren Zhang know about it?"
"No idea." Eliza said. "He appears scatterbrained, but is actually quite thoughtful. His methods can be underhanded sometimes. I'm not surprised he uncovered this."
Elton nodded in agreement.
"That Zhang boy is quite something. If he stabilizes himself, he'll become a significant figure who can shake things up."
Elton continued, "The engagement is scheduled for the tenth of next month. Prepare yourself mentally."
Eliza remained silent.
Mrs. Leng quickly served Elton some food with her chopsticks, trying to ease the tension.
Though Elton had delegated his authority to Eliza as CEO, he still held majority shares of Qingfeng Group as Chairman.
This was a common management model among prominent families.
Thus while Eliza held the highest position in the company, Elton remained the ultimate authority at home.
Mrs. Leng knew Eliza strongly opposed this marriage. With both being strong-willed, their previous discussions on this matter had often turned into arguments.
She worried they might argue again today.
Elton Leng said: "Don't blame your father for being harsh. The Leng family has reached a life-or-death juncture. Although you've performed well these past few years, we've never achieved a major turnaround. The business has too many accumulated problems - it's been difficult for you."
"It's not difficult. I'm confident I can lead Qingfeng Group back to the top."
"Well, I believe in you." Elton Leng said, "That's precisely why the Zhang family's support is indispensable. You should get engaged soon. After joining the Zhang family, everything will change, and your challenges will become more manageable. Moreover, the Zhang family will extend their assistance - at the very least, we won't need to worry about financial collapse."
Eliza Leng set down her chopsticks, and Mrs. Leng immediately tensed.
"Fyren and I are not getting engaged."
As expected, the words were finally spoken.
Mrs. Leng anxiously turned to look at Elton Leng.
Elton Leng also grew upset and put down his utensils.
"How many times must I tell you? Those who accomplish great things don't fuss over trivial matters. You're Elton Leng's daughter, the president of Qingfeng Group! Not some office clerk in a small company! Do you think you can behave like an ordinary girl, meeting some guy at parties who wears sweatpants, loves working out, skateboards and listens to rock music? Getting married for so-called 'love'?"
"Your marriage concerns the survival of our business, the fate of our family, with hundreds of people holding their breath watching you. One correct decision is more valuable than thirty years of hard struggle - don't you understand this logic?"
Eliza Leng's face remained impassive: "You've misunderstood. This time it's not my objection - it's Fyren Zhang who disagrees."
Both Elton Leng and Mrs. Leng froze.
Mrs. Leng asked tentatively, "He refuses? What happened? He's pursued you for three years - how could he disagree? What did you do? Did... you have another man and let him find out?"
"No."
"Then why?" Mrs. Leng grew frantic: "He likes you so much - why would he suddenly refuse?"
"I don't know."
Elton Leng said angrily, "Did you deliberately provoke him and are now using these excuses to put me off?"
"Father, is that how I operate?"
Elton Leng paused.
She was right - his daughter wasn't one for petty schemes.
When it came to important matters, she was strategic, certainly not some ordinary girl full of trivial concerns.
Such underhanded tactics truly weren't Eliza Leng's style.
"Then what exactly is going on?"
Eliza Leng said, "I told you, I don't know. He... hates me now."
"Hates!?"
"Yes." Eliza Leng felt extremely suffocated, saddened in her heart, yet had to maintain her composure: "His current attitude shows he can't wait to get away from me, as if he'd rather die than be near me."
Mrs. Leng panicked: "How can... how can this be?"
Elton Leng said, "When I was at the Zhang residence the day before yesterday, I could tell something was off with that boy. There's definitely a problem."
Elton Leng pondered for a moment, "Here's what we'll do - I'll investigate this matter. You need to take the initiative and get closer to him. As a woman, you should show some softness, not always wear that unapproachable expression. Since he had feelings for you before, it should be easy to rekindle them."
Eliza Leng shook her head, "I'm afraid it's not that simple. Regardless of the Zhang family's involvement, I will lead Qingfeng Group back to the top. You can rest assured, Father."
With that, Eliza Leng stood up to leave the table.
"I'm finished eating. Please enjoy your meal."
Elton Leng watched his daughter's defiant attitude and suppressed his anger: "If you fail to get engaged by the tenth of next month, I'll convene a board meeting to appoint a new CEO. Choose between your freedom or your career."
Eliza Leng paused at the door for several seconds, said nothing, and left.
Meanwhile, Fyren Zhang received a call and realized that while he had been detained, Xena Xu had already put Chloe's mother into remission.
When Chloe heard Fyren Zhang had been taken to the police station, she immediately wanted to bring her lawyer to bail him out, but was stopped by Xena Xu.
Now the person was saved, but unfortunately, Fyren had been tricked out of over 10 billion dollars by that devil Xena Xu.
After finding Xena Xu, Fyren Zhang was in terrible spirits.
Anyone - even the world's richest man - would be devastated to lose over ten billion dollars like this.
Fyren Zhang wasn't the world's richest man, and losing over ten billion was practically a death blow to the Zhang family.
The Zhang family's total assets didn't exceed two hundred billion. While ten billion might seem astronomical to ordinary people, for the Zhang family it was still an enormous sum.
The only silver lining was that it wasn't a cash loss. If they had lost over ten billion in liquid assets, the Zhang family's capital chain might have collapsed.
Since it was just shares in a pharmaceutical company, the loss was somewhat manageable.
Sitting in a business café with Xena Xu, Fyren Zhang clicked his tongue in disapproval.
Xena Xu didn't dress at all like the new-generation leader of a powerful family.
Eliza Leng dressed professionally every day and wore evening gowns to events, always elegant and polished, perpetually neat and capable.
Cora Chen preferred more traditional styles, often wearing cheongsams, hanboks or similar outfits, though most of the time she maintained the same professional and high-end fashion style as Eliza Leng.
Only Xena Xu was different.
She rarely involved herself in business, preferring to travel and take photographs. Her clothing choices were casual, bordering on blunt and careless.
Yesterday she had worn a JK uniform to the Chen residence, but today she was dressed in a pink girly dress.
Xena Xu sported twin ponytails with a lollipop in her mouth.
The pretty pink princess dress showcased both youthful energy and an innocent, rosy charm.
Her slender legs wore short socks paired with brown casual leather shoes, creating a playful and cute appearance.
At this moment, she was looking at Fyren Zhang triumphantly.
"Sign it, rich boy."
Fyren Zhang pulled the contract toward him, read it thoroughly, and smiled bitterly. "When the media interviews you in the future and asks about your most successful business deal, you'll have to remember this one."
"Mhm."
As Fyren Zhang carefully reviewed the contract terms, Xena Xu smirked.
Hmph! Let's see what excuses you'll use to stall me this time.
After finishing the contract, Fyren Zhang nodded. "No problems here."
Xena Xu was startled. "No problems?"
"Mhm."
Fyren Zhang picked up the signing pen and swiftly signed his name, then handed the contract back to Xena Xu.
Xena Xu didn't need to examine it - she had been watching closely the whole time. Fyren Zhang hadn't played any tricks; he had genuinely signed and fingerprinted the document.
Instead of taking the contract immediately, Xena Xu simply stared at Fyren Zhang in shock, her astonishment beyond words!
What kind of joke was this!
What game was this man playing!
Over some ridiculous wager, he had actually transferred over 17 billion shares to me!
Did he even understand what he was doing?
In this world, not even the richest person would do something so foolish!
Was he insane? A fool? An idiot? A complete moron?
I had no real leverage over him - just some random excuse and brazen claim about a meaningless bet!
Wasn't he supposed to be experienced at handling these situations?
Fyren Zhang looked at the motionless Xena Xu in confusion.
[Is this girl stupid? Why isn't she moving?]
"Hello? Earth to Xena?" Fyren Zhang waved the contract twice. "You're supposed to check the contract, not stare at me."
Xena Xu furrowed her brows and took the contract, but her eyes remained fixed on Fyren Zhang's face.
At this moment, Xena Xu no longer wore that mischievous, cheeky expression from before.
Her adorable, delicate lolita face had turned stony and frightening.
With her eyelids lowered, she examined the signature lines - everything was in order.
In other words, simply by collecting this contract, she stood to gain over seventeen billion dollars in net profit today.
And this was just the immediate paper profit.
With full control of the entire pharmaceutical factory, the subsequent earnings would be incalculable.
"Why?"
Fyren Zhang took a wet towel and wiped the red seal ink from his hand. "What do you mean why?"
"This contract."
Xena Xu looked somewhat chagrined. "Why did you sign it?"
"If I didn't sign, wouldn't you accuse me of going back on my word?"
Xena Xu stared intently at Fyren Zhang, searching for clues in his expression.
Unfortunately, Fyren Zhang remained as calm and indifferent as ever.
Seeing Fyren Zhang's relaxed demeanor, Xena Xu suddenly exploded in anger.
"Fyren Zhang! What are you playing at? Explain yourself!"
Fyren Zhang was startled by her outburst and met her gaze. "How come... you're angry after earning over ten billion dollars?"