Chapter 157 Despicable Tactics

Yao Chuchu lay in Lu Feng's arms, raising her head to gaze blankly at his face. Gradually recovering from her sorrow, she was overcome with new anxiety. "We beat up Yuan Jianhui. What if he calls the police?"

"He won't dare call the police," Lu Feng said.

"Really? Why?"

"Trust me, he doesn't have the guts," Lu Feng nodded and said.

Indeed, Yuan Jianhui did not dare involve the authorities. With his own hands far from clean—having paid to hire burglars, alongside an old case from five years ago that had recently resurfaced—he was already neck-deep in trouble and would never risk drawing police attention.

When he finally crawled his way back home from the outskirts, he received yet another severe reprimand from his mother. Because they still needed to keep the swapped antique vase a secret from Yuan Fuchun, they were forced to swallow their grievances and keep their mouths shut.

Of course, choosing not to call the police did not mean doing nothing at all. The wealthy had a myriad of ways to exact revenge.

...

Several wellness centers under the Yun’an Group were reported for illicit activities. The police intervened, conducting raids that uncovered over a dozen sex workers operating within the establishments.

The raided centers were immediately sealed off for rectification, and the individuals involved were hauled away for questioning.

The moment the news broke, Su Dao'an was thoroughly shaken and hastily dispatched senior executives to investigate the situation.

While the high-ranking management could uncover little on the surface, the security manager—hired from the underworld—caught wind through the grapevine.

Someone had orchestrated the scheme by paying a dozen women to pose as job seekers, bribing the human resource department to hire them into the wellness centers, and then arranging for them to accept payment for relations with clients, thereby manufacturing concrete evidence of prostitution before tipping off the authorities.

Not only that, the Health Bureau and the Administration for Industry and Commerce launched joint surprise inspections on the Yun'an wellness centers, seizing packets of traditional Chinese medicine with unknown formulas. Under the pretext of substandard sanitary conditions, they sealed off several more of Yun'an's branches.

Overnight, the wellness centers under the Yun'an Group seemed cursed, being shut down one after another.

Yun'an instantly plunged into the greatest crisis since its founding, with every avenue of escape blocked off.

The Yun'an Group lacked powerful backers. Although its relationship with the Zhou family was amicable, there were no intertwined business interests, and the Zhou family held no shares in Yun'an, making it impossible for them to step in and help.

Worse still, the banks began calling in their loans.

Originally, Yun'an was a healthy enterprise with excellent operations, the kind of business banks fought over to finance. But as soon as the negative press surfaced, the banks immediately demanded early repayment.

The Yun'an Group possessed enough circulating capital and liquid assets to settle the bank loans, but doing so would instantly push its capital chain to the brink of fracture.

Su Dao'an attempted to negotiate new loans with other banks, but warnings had already been issued behind the scenes, and not a single financial institution was willing to lend to them.

...

At this juncture, Chunsheng Capital reappeared, adopting an even more arrogant and aggressive posture to propose an equity injection into Yun'an. This time, the investment terms were far more predatory than before: not only did they demand seventy percent of the shares, but they also required Yun'an to surrender the Qianjin Formula to jointly establish a pharmaceutical company—of which Chunsheng Capital would claim the lion's share of the ownership.

Presently, the dilemma facing Su Dao'an was stark: either accept the capital injection or be dragged down until bankruptcy, barring any miraculous turnaround that could reopen the sealed wellness centers.

In this corporate war, Chunsheng Capital held an absolute advantage.

Yet, viewed from a broader perspective, this was inherently an unfair duel, executed by multiple government departments acting in unison, resorting even to despicable methods.

...

Su Dao'an had considered various ways to break the deadlock, naturally including seeking assistance from the Zhou family.

While Zhou Fuqun coveted the commercial potential of the Qianjin Formula, the formula alone was not enough to entice the Zhou family into muddying these treacherous waters. Facing nearly half of Guangzhou's political establishment, a single medical recipe fell woefully short.

Tang Long possessed the clout to shield people from underworld troubles, but his influence could not reach the bureaucratic corridors of power. This was not a conflict that gangland might could resolve.

...

Yao Chuchu remained oblivious to the massive storm unfolding at Yun'an; she only knew that it had been some time since she last saw Lu Feng. Yet, she refrained from proactively calling him, terrified of intruding and incurring his annoyance.

On this particular day, she received a phone call from her father, urging her to meet him. His tone on the phone had been earnest, filled with professions of sincere remorse.

After all, her father was her only remaining relative in this world. Ultimately, her heart softened. She withdrew a month's salary, intending to bring it to him as living expenses.

Outside the dilapidated old house, Yao Chuchu pushed open the door and stepped inside, calling out, "Dad!"

"You're back? Come, come... hurry over here..." her father immediately bustled out to greet her.

Usually, whenever her father displayed such uncharacteristic warmth, it meant he was after money.

Accustomed to this routine by now, Yao Chuchu retrieved the few thousand yuan she had just withdrawn from a plastic bag, handed it over, and said, "Here, take this."

Catching sight of the small bundle of cash wrapped in plastic, her father casually pushed her hand back and said, "Dad doesn't want your money. Come with me somewhere."

"Where?" Yao Chuchu asked, frowning. "I am not going to work at any more nightclubs."

"It's not for work, just follow me. I'm not even taking your money, would I trick you?" With that, her father grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward the exit.

Thinking there was some logic to his words, and hoping her father might genuinely have turned over a new leaf, Yao Chuchu allowed herself to be led outside.

...

They walked all the way to a luxury car parked at the street corner. Beaming with obsequious smiles, Yao Chuchu's father knocked on the car window.

The door swung open, and a young man wearing sunglasses stepped out of the vehicle.

Her father grinned broadly and fawned, "This is my daughter—pretty, pure-hearted, and obedient..."

When Yao Chuchu caught sight of the man behind the sunglasses, she froze entirely. It was none other than Yuan Jianhui.

Yuan Jianhui removed his sunglasses, the corners of his mouth curling into a smirk. He patted Yao Chuchu's father on the shoulder, pulled out a bank card held between two fingers, and handed it over. "Take it!"

With a servile smile, her father received the bank card with both hands, shoved Yao Chuchu toward Yuan Jianhui, and said, "Chuchu, from now on, follow Young Master Yuan and be a good girl!"

Stunned and furious, Yao Chuchu jerked her arm away and stepped back. Pointing at Yuan Jianhui with a trembling hand, she cried out, "Dad! Do you even know who he is? Even if you wanted to sell your own daughter, it couldn't possibly be to him! Do you understand?"

Yuan Jianhui relished the expression on Yao Chuchu's face—the look of utter despair, as if her heart had turned to ash, was infinitely satisfying to him.

"What's wrong? Either way, you're just being kept by someone. Since I'm willing to pay several dozen times more, wouldn't it be better to be with me?" Yuan Jianhui laughed derisively.

"Young Master Yuan is a good man. He promised me he'll take good care of you. Be obedient and go with him," her father urged.

Tears welled up and spilled over Yao Chuchu's eyelids. "Dad! Do you know who he is? He is the one who drove Mom to her death! How could you let me go with him? I'll die before I ever agree to this!"

"Don't go talking about death, such bad luck. Your mother drank pesticide and died on her own; how can you blame Young Master Yuan? He heard that your mother used to work as a maid at his house, which is why he wants to take care of you. Be a good girl and go with Young Master Yuan!" Having secured the bank card, her father was already itching to find an ATM. He retreated step by step as he spoke, heading toward the nearest bank.

Yuan Jianhui reached out, grabbed Yao Chuchu by the wrist, and flashed a cold, wide grin. "No wonder she looked so familiar; turns out she's the daughter of our household maid. Back in the feudal days, children born to servants belonged body and soul to the master's family."

Yao Chuchu violently twisted her arm, desperately trying to break free from his grip, paralyzed by a mixture of terror and heartbreak. "Even if I die, I will never let you touch me!"

"Such a young girl, always chattering about dying. Do you even know what death is? Why don't I teach you what it means to wish for death with pleasure instead!" Yuan Jianhui snarled as he dragged Yao Chuchu toward the car.