His Marriage Partner is Scheming

Extra Four: The Novel (Garden Where the Path Forks)

The lights flickered in the luxuriously decorated KTV private room. Music that wasn’t too loud flowed from the speakers, masking the sound of the conversation.

The brand new microphone sat on the cold coffee table, unattended.

After a long time, the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa took out a signed and stamped document from his briefcase and handed it to the young man opposite him.

The young man had clean, closely cropped hair and wore a high-end casual suit, but there was a thick gold necklace around his neck. This looked incompatible, but on him, there was a strange harmony. It was both worldly and light.

He took the stack of documents and confirmed the details. A smile suddenly appeared on his face as he took the initiative to stretch out his hand. “Mr Zhang, happy cooperation.”

The middle-aged man shook his hand and said cheerfully, “Next, it is up to you, Xiao Chen.”

Zhang Linghui sighed with relief when this important contract was completely finalized. He sank into the sofa, bit a cigar and took a strong puff.

In the wafting, pungent smoke, he imagined the coming storm and there was a hint of joy and pride in his slightly cloudy eyes.

The only pity was that he couldn’t see the chairman who usually commanded people being forced to bow his head.

“Later, you have to tell me in detail how ugly Lu’s expression is when he sees this document. You can’t miss a single detail.”

Chen Xinzhe put away the contract and joked, “In order to come back safely and report to President Zhang, I have to bring a few bodyguards with me.”

In the luxurious private room, laughter was intertwined with casual ridicule.

“You said he is the same. He doesn’t understand at all. What’s wrong with Director Chi? He insisted on fighting until the end but it turned out cheaper for you and me.”

The middle-aged man talked and a trace of greed flashed subconsciously in his eyes. “In case it doesn’t work with that Lu, it isn’t bad to use this contract to blackmail Director Chi. If it is him, the conditions can be negotiated…”

Hearing this, the smile on Chen Xinzhe’s face faded a bit. He interrupted this person without a trace but his tone was more enthusiastic. “President Zhang, the business is over. Is it time to call someone in?”

Zhang Linghui understood what he meant and was immediately distracted. A smile spread across his fat face. “Call them in, call them in. That is business.”

Chen Xinzhe got up knowingly and his tone was ambiguous. “Have fun.”

He took off the coat hanging on the coat rack. Once he left the private room, he deliberately held the door and waited for the tall, slender and delicate young men and women to enter.

Before he closed the door, there was already flirtatious singing and talking inside. There were already frivolous songs and words coming from inside with a mixture of blushing and laughter.

It was clearly daytime outside but it was like deep, eternal night here.

As always, in the foggy air filled with the smell of smoke and alcohol, a fate was brewing that was about to fall.

Chen Xinzhe’s footsteps slowed as he recalled the two names mentioned by Zhang Linghui.

Lu Siyi and Chi Xueyan.

The entanglement between the two people had been going on for a long time, indistinguishable right or wrong feelings to fighting for too long in the changing business field,

In order to completely get rid of the person around him, Lu Siyi, who was originally dedicated to scientific research, turned to business. The technology company he founded keenly cut the trend of the times and developed rapidly. It doubled its market value after being listed.

From the very beginning, Chi Xueyan had tough means and owned equity in this company.

Up to now, he had gradually increased his shares to nearly 30%, which wasn’t much different from the 35% in the hands of Lu Siyi, the actual controller of the company.

This was a game of seizing control of the company after they turned from close partners to enemies. They were often entangled for years, which wasn’t uncommon in the field of interests.

Chen Xinzhe was a newcomer to the capital market in recent years. He had a keen eye and unique means but he found a gray business opportunity when others were talking about this rich gossip intertwined with love and hate and huge wealth.

He managed to get close to a shareholder who had a big disagreement with Lu Siyi and a long-standing grudge, who held 6% of the shares.

In addition, Chen Xinzhe already held 5% of the company shares by buying them from the secondary market.

As long as he and Zhang Linghui acted in concert, the combined 11% shares would immediately bring a huge crisis to this rapidly growing company.

—The stock exchange stipulated that the share capital in the hands of shareholders holding more than 10% of the shares and those acting in concert were non-public shares. With the current total share capital of the company, once the proportion of non-public shares exceeded 75%, it will face the danger of being delisted.

This was an exceptionally simple math problem: 30% + 35% + 11%= 76%.

Once forced to delist, there would be an incalculable loss, from the company’s reputation to future financing space. This could be called a devastating blow.

After the conclusion of this concerted action, it must be announced within three days. Once the information was officially disclosed, it would be difficult to recover.

Therefore, this was a kidnapping with the future of the entire company as a bargaining chip.

Lu Siyi had one day to pay the ransom.

In fact, he had no choice but to bow his head and admit defeat.

If he chose to sell his shares to tide over the delisting crisis, he would definitely be swallowed up by Chi Xueyan, who was eyeing him. He would eventually lose what he put effort into creating step by step.

This was the most ingenious trap. Chen Xinzhe took advantage of the entanglement between the bitter couple to make himself and his collaborator invincible.

When cranes and clams competed, the fisherman benefited.

However, this was just the story that Zhang Linghui thought.

It was because he didn’t know that the key link that had been hidden in the seemingly parallel intersection of these two groups.

Chen Xinzhe stood by the window at the end of the corridor and finished smoking a cigarette alone before walking to another private room.

He pushed open the door and a dead silence rushed over him.

“It is done, Brother.”

He handed over the signed documents.

The flowing light fell into the darkness, failing to illuminate the cold ice. It only reflected a bleak corner of the clothes.

The man in a black coat took the paperwork. He didn’t speak and just passed by Chen Xinzhe, walking towards the outside of the private room.

Chen Xinzhe gradually got used to this silence and spoke with some hesitation, “Do you really want to do that?”

He wasn’t a sophisticated and ruthless capital broker and he doesn’t have that much money that really belonged to him.

Ten years ago, as a middle school dropout, he didn’t know what time the stock market would open, let alone the eye-popping financial jargon. He still relied on rote memorization to this day.

He was just doing things for people.

Unlike the version Zhang Linghui learned, Chen Xinzhe wasn’t arranged to blackmail Lu Siyi with the contract.

The contract would sit safely for three days until it was officially disclosed according to the regulation. Then everyone would know that the booming company was about to face a delisting crisis.

It wasn’t just Lu Siyi who was affected. Countless fates would be reversed such as the other employees in the company, the retail investors who held stocks…

In his heart, Chen Xinzhe didn’t approve of this decision, but he did not have the right to oppose it.

In fact, the person in front of him who completely dominated his actions also had no right to object.

Or rather, the other person voluntarily gave up this power.

The colorful lights of the corridor fell on the man but none of the illusory light fell into his eyes.

He Qiao didn’t stop and said in a cold voice. “He will decide.”

Chen Xinzhe stopped asking and said goodbye to him in a relaxed tone. “Brother, see you later.”

He watched the other person leave and didn’t move for a long time.

This is how he called this person since they accidentally met a few years ago.

It was the first time that Chen Xinzhe, who had been on the streets for a long time, stole a car. He didn’t expect that the owner of the car had a large background and he was arrested not long after.

In the police station, several young masters looked down at him, with a taunting gaze like looking down on an ant. It was as if they came from one party to another.

Only the owner of that car asked him in a focused voice,
“Why did you steal the car?”

Chen Xinzhe, who wasn’t yet an adult at the time, almost laughed after being stunned for a moment.

Why else?

He needed the money so badly that he had to do it.

Everyone seems to have a reason to do something that went against their heart.

But in the eyes of bystanders who had no personal experience, these reasons were just flimsy excuses.

So Chen Xinzhe hid his despair with a playful smile. “For the money. I need the money to save someone. It’s extremely urgent. Brother, why don’t you raise your noble honor and let me go?”

Not to mention the victim, even the police didn’t bother to look at him when they heard such a nonsensical tone.

But the man believed it.

“Save someone?”

Hearing his question, Chen Xinzhe really laughed and sneered in disbelief.

After laughing enough, he wiped his face with his cuffed hands, only to find it was full of tears.

Later, he was spared from going to prison and kept the relative who should have been lost.

The second young master of the He family, who grew up in a sugar bowl, seemed to not understand the principle of ‘being helpful while not forgetting the uglier side of human nature.’ So he innocently and kindly gave Chen Xinzhe a large sum of money without asking for anything in return, only telling him not to do wrong things again.

Chen Xinzhe thought it was fortunate that he was a person who repaid favors and wasn’t greedy.

He started to live a good life, earning money and saving money, waiting for the day to pay off the debt that the creditor may have long forgotten.

Until one day, he received a phone call. The other party’s voice was much more mature and cold, asking him if he would like to live another life.

Chen Xinzhe cheerfully agreed.

He was originally a punk who would steal cars to raise money.

Many years later, he had a decent identity and life. He could easily go in and out of the originally distant high society while still retaining the heart he had long ago.

Meanwhile, the rich child who had extended a generous helping hand to him retained a decent and glamorous identity while quietly walking into the darkness.

Why did it turn out this way?

He couldn’t find an answer.

He just watched in amazement as the cold back disappeared at the end of his vision.

The long streets in the cold winter were bleak. The snow had started to melt in the previous two days and the temperature had almost reached its lowest.

In the old city full of life, the old trees beside the sidewalk were bent and the leaves were scattered.

A few children in white training clothes and wrapped in thick coats rushed out of an old building and ran into the side neighborhood. It was the only trace of steaming vitality in the depressed winter scene.

They brushed shoulders with a man in a black coat.

At this moment, He Qiao stopped and glanced up at the old building that the noise was faintly coming from.

Every time he passed by here, he would silently stare in this direction.

At the same time, he habitually imagined a little boy who ran in and out of here more than 20 years ago.

This was the martial arts gym where Chi Xueyan’s father once used to be the instructor.

Immediately afterward, He Qiao walked into the community. Then he entered an unremarkable old residential building and skillfully opened the door with the key.

This was the first home Chi Xueyan had ever lived in.

Ever since he insisted on using a large amount of money from Chi Zhongyuan’s company to fight with Lu Siyi and almost broke with his family for this, Chi Xueyan moved here.

The slippers belonging to Chi Xueyan at the entrance weren’t there. The bedroom door was open and the sofa was empty.

Therefore, He Qiao knew that he was at home and not sleeping.

He closed the door and said, “I’m back.”

This time, his voice was softer than the coldness when facing others.

But it was only somewhat.

He was silent for too long and he lost the vitality that once followed, like sand leaking between empty fingers.

Ever since He Qiao decided to spend as little time as possible with every family member, he had become less and less talkative.

It was because language was the most pale and hypocritical thing.

What was really going on in a person’s mind when they said they were fine?

In addition, what would his casual remark be interpreted as when it fell into the ears of others?

He didn’t want to think about this type of question anymore, and he didn’t want to take anyone’s words to heart.

He didn’t want to say anything unnecessary anymore.

There was one exception.

The only necessary exception.