Chapter 21: Wu Zhiming the Master Actor

In the Yao family's meeting room, the atmosphere was rather heavy.

"Jian Yong, Yao Jing is your daughter. Do you have any ideas?" Yao Tianlong asked his son Yao Jianyong, who was known for being afraid of his wife.

"Well..." Yao Jianyong hesitated for a moment, then looked at Zhou Yanqiu and asked, "Yanqiu, do you have any ideas?"

Seeing this, Yao Tianlong sighed. If his son weren't so afraid of his wife, he might still be of some use. Unfortunately, his fear of his wife rendered him almost useless.

"Well!" Zhou Yanqiu's eyes gleamed with cunning as she said, "Dad, I think we need to address this matter from both ends."

"Both ends? How do we do that?" Yao Tianlong asked.

"First, we must resume our cooperation with the Wu family. This is real money on the table. Others are now trying to pull strings to reach a deal with the Wu family. We have such a good opportunity and cannot let it slip. Once cooperation is established, we'll make a fortune!" Zhou Yanqiu said.

"What about the Li family?" Yao Tianlong asked again.

"I can continue to work on Jingjing. As long as she agrees, and once she is with Li Shao, we can terminate our cooperation with the Wu family without any concerns. After all, the Li family is wealthy and powerful. Any losses we incur with the Wu family can easily be compensated by the Li family. This way, whether Jingjing divorces Wu Zhiming in the future or not, our Yao family will benefit!" Zhou Yanqiu explained.

Hearing Zhou Yanqiu's words, Yao Tianlong's eyes lit up, followed by a sense of regret. If only his son had Zhou Yanqiu's brains, the company would have been handed over to him long ago. Unfortunately, Zhou Yanqiu was ultimately an outsider.

"What you said makes sense. I'll leave this matter to you!" Yao Tianlong said.

"Dad, when you fired Jingjing before, you were so decisive. I'm worried she might hold a grudge. It's hard to handle this matter now," Zhou Yanqiu said helplessly.

"Tell Yao Jing to make sure she gives us all of the Wu family's construction materials business, and she can take one percent of the profits!" Yao Tianlong said.

"Grandpa, isn't that too much?" Yao Shanchuan said anxiously.

"Too much? A profit of one percent on one billion is only ten million, not even enough for the money you took from the company to buy a car a few days ago!" Zhou Yanqiu said disdainfully.

"I bought that car for the company's image!" Yao Shanchuan said angrily.

"The company's image? Buying a sports car is for the company's image?" Zhou Yanqiu mocked.

"Enough! Yanqiu, give Yao Jing up to three percent of the profits. Tell her not to forget her surname!" Yao Tianlong said with a dark expression.

"Okay, Dad, I will definitely persuade Jingjing!" Zhou Yanqiu said with a confident smile.

The meeting quickly ended.

Zhou Yanqiu and Yao Jianyong left the meeting room together.

"You know our daughter's temper. How can you guarantee this?" Yao Jianyong asked doubtfully.

"No matter how temperamental she is, she is still my daughter. Let's go, buy a chicken!" Zhou Yanqiu said.

"Why buy a chicken?" Yao Jianyong asked.

"To make chicken soup for my good daughter, of course. If being tough doesn't work, we'll be gentle! Our daughter is soft-hearted and can't resist kindness. As her mother, I can definitely handle her!" Zhou Yanqiu said, her face brimming with confidence.

Meanwhile, in Wu Zhiming's office at the Wu Group.

Yao Jing was sitting at Wu Zhiming's desk, going through some documents.

She had already seamlessly integrated into her role, and now she needed to thoroughly understand everything about the Wu Group as quickly as possible.

Wu Zhiming, on the other hand, was enjoying his time being a hands-off boss. He sat on the sofa, casually texting on his phone.

"You've got it wrong," Yao Jing suddenly said.

"What did I get wrong?" Wu Zhiming asked.

"No one from the Yao family has contacted me so far," Yao Jing looked at Wu Zhiming. "From this, it seems they still have some dignity."

"Dignity crumbles in the face of profit," Wu Zhiming replied.

Yao Jing shook her head, disagreeing with Wu Zhiming's view. However, she didn't argue with him. She was the type of person who seldom tried to change others' opinions. She only needed people to follow her plans; their opinions didn't matter.

At that moment, Yao Jing's phone rang.

"I bet it's your mom calling," Wu Zhiming said.

Yao Jing was about to pick up the phone but paused at Wu Zhiming's words.

"What's the bet?" Yao Jing asked. Her mother rarely called, especially during work hours, so Yao Jing didn't think it was her. She assumed it was more likely her brother Yao Shanchuan or her grandfather Yao Tianlong.

"Anything you like," Wu Zhiming smiled.

"If it's not my mom, you have to tell me who's behind you," Yao Jing said.

"Deal!" Wu Zhiming agreed, then asked, "And if it is your mom?"

"I'll do any one thing you ask, as long as it's within my power," Yao Jing replied.

"Deal," Wu Zhiming snapped his fingers.

Yao Jing took her phone out of her bag.

Seeing the caller ID, Yao Jing smiled and said, "It's my dad calling. You lost."

"What a shame," Wu Zhiming sighed in mock disappointment.

Yao Jing answered the call, and her mother's voice came through the phone.

"Sweetie, come home for dinner tonight. I made chicken soup for you. You've looked a bit thin lately, so you need to eat more!"

"Mom… Why is it you? Why are you using Dad's phone?" Yao Jing asked, puzzled.

"My phone's dead. Remember, come home for dinner tonight, and bring Zhiming with you," Zhou Yanqiu said before hanging up, not giving Yao Jing a chance to refuse.

Yao Jing frowned slightly, put down the phone, and looked at Wu Zhiming, who was smiling at her.

"How did you know it was my mom calling?" Yao Jing asked.

"The Yao family wouldn't ignore such a big deal with the Wu family. Yao Tianlong fired you, and Yao Shanchuan is at odds with you, so they wouldn't call. The only possibilities were your parents. Your dad lacks initiative, so it had to be your mom," Wu Zhiming explained.

"I lost. Go ahead, make your request," Yao Jing said.

"I haven't thought of anything yet. I'll let you know when I do," Wu Zhiming waved his hand dismissively.

Yao Jing smiled slightly. She understood Wu Zhiming well and knew he was a man of good judgment. That's why she had confidently agreed to fulfill any request he might make, knowing he wouldn't ask for anything inappropriate. It seemed she was right; she had figured him out completely.

Meanwhile, outside the Wu Group building, a group of Yao family members had gathered.

"Grandpa, are you really going?" Wu Yuwei asked.

"Yes, I'm putting my old bones on the line. As long as I can find a place for you to settle... I don't believe Wu Zhiming will ignore us! Wu Zhiming is at the peak of his power now; he won't let me kneel at the company gate and ruin his reputation!" Wu Maocai said as he walked forward. He went straight to the front entrance of the Wu Group and then knelt down with a loud thud. Facing the entrance, he shouted, "Wu Zhiming, we know we were wrong. Please have mercy on us and give us a place to stay. We're all part of the Wu family; don't destroy us completely."

His shouting immediately attracted the attention of passersby, and many people gathered around.

Seeing the growing crowd, Wu Maocai felt a glimmer of hope and continued shouting, "Zhiming, I held you when you were little. Your grandfather and I were brothers. Now we're homeless. If your grandfather knew this, he wouldn't rest in peace."

The number of onlookers increased, and some even took out their phones to record the scene.

Wu Maocai kept shouting, with tears and snot streaming down his face. A seventy-year-old man kneeling and crying was indeed a pitiful sight.

However, despite Wu Maocai's cries, no one from inside the building came out.

After shouting for more than ten minutes, his legs went numb, but still, no one paid him any attention, not even to ask him to leave.

Wu Maocai felt awkward. Kneeling was uncomfortable, especially without anything to cushion his knees.

He glanced at the other Wu family members nearby and saw they were all looking at him with expressions that seemed to say, "Keep it up."

Gritting his teeth, Wu Maocai continued kneeling.

Over an hour passed this way.

By now, hundreds of people had gathered outside the Wu Group, and Wu Maocai's face had turned pale, his head dizzy from kneeling so long.

At this point, Wu Zhiming finally appeared.

Seeing Wu Zhiming, Wu Maocai was overjoyed and said excitedly, "Zhiming, blood is thicker than water. You've made it big now, but you can't forget that you are still a member of the Wu family!"

Wu Zhiming emerged from the Wu Group building, looking shocked and concerned. He ran over to Wu Maocai, knelt on one knee, and supported the old man, saying emotionally, "Second Grandpa, what are you doing? Why are you kneeling here?"

"Second Grandpa?"

Wu Maocai was taken aback by this. The Wu Zhiming who had been so ruthless yesterday, now suddenly called him Second Grandpa?

As the saying goes, when someone is unusually courteous, they must have an ulterior motive. What was Wu Zhiming up to now?

"Wang Hai, what were you doing? My Second Grandpa is kneeling here, and you didn't wake me?" Wu Zhiming angrily questioned Wang Hai, who had followed him out.

"President Wu, I was in a meeting and didn't know about this," Wang Hai apologized.

"Useless! Write a self-criticism when we get back!" Wu Zhiming scolded. Then, supporting Wu Maocai, he said, "Second Grandpa, I'm a Wu family member through and through. If you're homeless because of Shen Hongyue, there's no way I'd ignore you. Please get up; I'll arrange a place for you right away!"

Hearing this, Wu Maocai's mind went blank. Wu Zhiming was trying to tarnish Shen Hongyue's reputation!