Vanjaro seemed to find Sun Ying's changes very interesting. His jet-black eyes stared at him for a moment, and the corners of his red lips even formed a faint smile.
Sun Ying took a few steps forward, and pressed close to Cao Xiaofeng's back, trying to stick with him for warmth. For some reason, when he was being watched by Vanjaro, he felt as if everything about him was being seen through, from the inside out.
Cao Xiaofeng also quietly moved closer to Sun Ying, smiling and saying, "Little Van, now that you're back in the limelight and popular again, you can definitely negotiate with the company and renew the contract. If you trust me, you can leave the contract renewal to me. I can intercede with the company and reduce part of the penalty. 80 million is not a small amount!"
Vanjaro extended his slender fingers and pressed the top floor button, smiling and saying, "No need to trouble yourself. I came today to settle the breach-of-contract penalty. I'll personally talk with Zhao Wenyin."
"You'll talk to President Zhao yourself?" Cao Xiaofeng's face twitched, as if somewhat worried. "President Zhao doesn't show any mercy. If you directly approach him, this matter might be difficult to negotiate."
"I'm aware of the situation. Don't worry," Vanjaro nodded with a smile, conducting himself with poise. He seemed nothing like the indecisive person he was before.
Cao Xiaofeng guessed that the person in front of him was probably not the real Vanjaro, but some other alter ego. He wanted to test and understand the other's background but was taken by surprise when the elevator doors suddenly opened. His floor had arrived. He stood still, not wanting to leave, but Sun Ying pushed him out and hurriedly pulled him away.
Vanjaro slowly stepped back, bent one leg, and leaned casually against the smooth, mirror-like metal wall. His posture was very relaxed, as if he was not there to negotiate, but simply to chat with a close friend.
The elevator doors closed slowly and ascended quickly.
A few minutes later, Vanjaro was already waiting outside the president's office.
A female assistant brought a cup of coffee and said with a slight bow, "Mr. Van, please wait a moment. President Zhao is currently with a guest." Even without any eye contact, she knew that Vanjaro had recently gained significant attention, and the company definitely wanted to keep him. It was a good thing he had taken the initiative to come, and they couldn't simply dismiss him because of the lack of an appointment.
Vanjaro whispered his thanks, placed the coffee on the coffee table, and closed his eyes slightly, hands clasped with thumbs lightly tapping on each other, patiently waiting.
The door to the president's office was tightly closed, but due to the visitor's extremely excited emotions and loud voice, people outside could still hear what was happening inside.
An old man's voice questioned, "Zhao Wenyin, do you realize that your decision will drag the Zhao Group into the abyss? Have you gone mad? Filling that pit is not just a matter of six billion, it could be over a hundred billion, and may not see any return for a lifetime. What happened to your brain? Have you forsaken everything except love? I'm very disappointed in you! Also, are you sure what you have is love? You pour your heart out, but they treat you like a fool, never reaching out when there are benefits, only thinking of you when they get into trouble! Don't you feel it? Don't you have any dignity left?"
Zhao Wenyin's voice was calm, making it difficult to hear what he said.
The old man's voice rose a few notches, "Shut up! I don't want to hear your twisted logic! If you are determined, I will call for a shareholders' meeting to overthrow all your positions! You are not worthy of being the chairman of the group!"
The door suddenly opened, and a thin and imposing old man walked out, unmistakably Zhao Wenyin's grandfather, Mr. Zhao Guoan. He had retired for over ten years, never interfering in the group's affairs, and rarely staying in the country. If he had come back in such a hurry and was now in a power struggle with his grandson, the situation must be significant.
The entire top floor was in panic due to Mr. Zhao's arrival. Walking behind the old man, Zhao Wenyin also had a pale face, with a hint of fierce glint in his eyes.
Mr. Zhao turned to glance at him, found him filled with anger, and lifted his cane to give him a beating, saying in a pained and angry tone, "Have you gone mad? Huh? If I had known you would turn out like this, I wouldn't have let you take over my position, bypassing your father and uncles. How many foolish things have you done for that woman, causing so much loss to the company? Have you considered? I was completely blind!"
Zhao Wenyin quickly lowered his head, respectfully accepting his grandfather's scolding, and then squeezed out a few words from his teeth, "Grandfather, I am not disrespectful to you, nor do I hate you. I just can't resign myself. I really can't resign myself..." But he couldn't say why he couldn't resign himself.
No one noticed a few drops of crimson blood falling from the corner of his mouth, then being trampled and cleaned away by Mr. Zhao's staggering steps and the assistant rushing to mediate. He bit his gums to the point of bleeding, yet he truly had no way to make a change...
Who could notice his helplessness, and who could pull him out of the abyss? He spent the entire night having nightmares, and those nightmares were far less horrifying than the reality he had experienced.
Zhao Wenyin quickly licked the blood from the corner of his mouth. With the assistant's help, he carefully sent Mr. Zhao into the elevator.
The old man, still in great anger, scolded as he struck the ground with his cane, "You wretch, you wait to step down! I will not sit back and watch you ruin the Zhao Group!"
Zhao Wenyin bowed deeply. As the elevator doors closed, he caught a glimpse of a glimmer of tears in his grandfather's eyes, and his own eyes also became flushed. He stood at the elevator door, staring at the closed doors for a long time. After about three or four minutes, he expressionlessly turned around and collided with a pair of deep, bright, black eyes.
He had seen those eyes before, and the impression was very deep, leaving him slightly stunned.
"Vanjaro, why are you here?" Zhao Wenyin had calmed down, extending his hand and inviting, "Come in, let's talk."
Vanjaro walked into the office, smirking.
"Would you like something to drink?" Zhao Wenyin asked politely.
Vanjaro was about to refuse, but Zhao Wenyin's phone rang. He quickly answered and listened quietly to his mother's counsel; after hanging up, the next call came in, from his uncle, sternly scolding him. Following that, the senior and peer members of the Zhao family called one after another, advising, reprimanding, or teaching...
Zhao Wenyin's face tightened, his cheek muscles biting so hard they were at the verge of breaking, but still, he insisted on a single statement: he planned to sell all his assets and shares, and even the companies he had founded with his own hands, to save Su Fengxi's investment in Sichuan.
"Are you under Su Fengxi's curse?" a member of the Zhao family asked, then ended the call in extreme disappointment.
Zhao Wenyin stared at the phone, with a hint of dim darkness in his eyes. Suddenly, the phone rang again. Seeing the incoming call, he eagerly answered, asking in a hoarse voice, "How is it?"
"Mr. Zhao, I really can't see any issues. You should find another person for help. It's not a curse, I can assure you," the person said a few simple words and then hung up. Zhao Wenyin's straight back collapsed suddenly, slowly sagging against the chair back. His handsome face was shrouded in shadow, looking so devastated.
He was like a trapped animal now, stuck in a chasm filled with sharp knives. No matter where he tried to climb, it was a path of bleeding wounds and despair waiting ahead. He couldn't save himself, and couldn't rely on anyone else's help. Looking back at his past and ahead to the rest of his life, it seemed like an endless nightmare, from which the only escape was to endure to death.
Zhao Wenyin held his head with one hand, and tightly grasped the phone with the other, the creaking sound indicating the fragile device was likely to shatter under his tumultuous emotions.
Vanga Lu seemed to turn a blind eye to his struggle with pain, sitting calmly in the leather chair, crossing his long legs and saying directly, "Mr. Zhao, I hope the company can waive my breach of contract penalty."
Zhao Wenyi remained silent for a long time before hoarsely saying, "You know that's impossible. Although you are now popular, the loss has already occurred, and the company has compensated you a lot of money. At most, I can only reduce some of it for you, and the rest needs to be repaid by yourself. You can renew the contract with the company and make some concessions in the profit sharing."
Facing Vanga Lu, for some reason, Zhao Wenyi, even though in great discomfort, was able to talk to him calmly. He was surrounded by a particularly soothing aura.
Vanga Lu leaned closer to Zhao Wenyi, continuously approaching him and then whispered to his ear, almost in a whisper, "The company cannot waive the penalty for me, Mr. Zhao, can you privately fund me?"
Zhao Wenyi wanted to step back, but found himself trapped in an invisible magnetic field, with something even more subtle entering his ear along with Vanga Lu's breath, stirring up his nerves and even every cell in his body. It felt profoundly mysterious.
Vanga Lu continued to approach, with flickering lights in his dark pupils, forming into clusters of bright nebulae, indescribably wonderful. It turns out there really are such eyes in the world, capable of containing an entire world and even concealing an entire universe.
Zhao Wenyi was stunned, his already unclear thoughts even more chaotic. Fund Vanga Lu personally? How is that possible? However, no matter what, he couldn't bring himself to say this, a strange palpitation brewing, fermenting, and finally sparking in his chest.
Vanga Lu lightly tapped his hand with his slender fingertips, with a hint of rhythm, and seemed to seduce, but the words were incomprehensible: "I'll give you 80 million in exchange for 10 billion, deal?"
"What?" Zhao Wenyi's throat was dry and smoky.
"80 million for 10 billion, you profit," Vanga Lu placed Zhao Wenyi's right hand in his own palm, then gently covered it with his left hand, closing his eyes and said, "Okay, you can answer the phone now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Wenyi's phone rang urgently, and the name "Su Fengxi" jumped out of the screen. Seeing this name, Zhao Wenyi's eyes instantly filled with bloodshot, with signs of resistance, hatred, and even killing intent hidden within. His fingertips couldn't help but tremble, as if eager to answer the phone.
Vanga Lu gently clasped his right hand, tenderly instructing, "Don't struggle, answer it."
Zhao Wenyi couldn't help but chuckle, what's the use of struggling? He couldn't possibly not answer Su Fengxi's call. But he quickly realized that Vanga Lu's "don't struggle" meant for him not to free his hands, rather than to struggle with his own thoughts.
This was not a problem, but he wasn't sure what Vanga Lu was up to. Could it be that he also harbored feelings for me like the main personality? Zhao Wenyi was lost in thought as he answered the call, but then heard Vanga Lu whisper softly, "Whatever she says, you can refuse it all."
Refuse Su Fengxi? Zhao Wenyi was stunned, this was an impossible task for him.