Chapter 22: How to Be the Family Head?

At the entrance of Wu Group, at least a hundred phones were simultaneously pointed at Wu Zhiming and Wu Maocai. Every word Wu Zhiming said would be transmitted through these phones and spread across social media platforms.

Wu Zhiming gently tightened his grip on Wu Maocai's hand. Wu Maocai looked at Wu Zhiming, realizing he was waiting for him to speak. 

If what he said next satisfied Wu Zhiming, they would have a place to stay. If not, they might truly end up wandering the streets.

Wu Maocai made his decision instantly.

"Yes, that Shen Hongyue is truly heartless. He sold our house, which is the property of the Wu family. What right does he have to sell it? Now, we are homeless and have no choice but to come to you, Zhiming. You won't abandon us, will you?" Wu Maocai asked.

"Of course not!" Wu Zhiming nodded solemnly. "Not just you, but any member of the Wu family. I won't abandon any of you. Please, stand up, Second Grandpa!"

As he spoke, Wu Zhiming helped Wu Maocai to his feet. Wu Maocai, having knelt for over an hour, was numb and unable to stand. Seeing this, Wu Zhiming directly carried him on his back.

This scene drew applause from the onlookers. Many in Haixia City knew about Wu Zhiming's past hardships within the Wu family. Now that he had risen, instead of harboring grudges, he was willing to help those who had wronged him. This act of returning kindness for enmity moved many people.

"Come into my company, everyone!" Wu Zhiming called to Wu Yuwei and the others. Although they didn't fully understand what had happened, seeing Wu Zhiming carrying Wu Maocai and inviting them in, they knew Wu Maocai must have succeeded.

A group of them happily followed Wu Zhiming into the Wu Group, while the onlookers dispersed, taking their recorded videos with them.

Inside the Wu Group building, Wu Zhiming, having reached a place out of the public eye, set Wu Maocai down. Wu Maocai's legs gave way, and he sat down on the floor.

"Wait for me in the office," Wu Zhiming said before walking away without another glance at them.

"Grandpa, are you okay?" Wu Yuwei hurried forward to help Wu Maocai up.

"I'm fine!" Wu Maocai shook his head.

"This Wu Zhiming is really two-faced. In front of others, he pretends to be kind, but when no one's watching, he can't even be bothered to look at us. It's infuriating! Should we expose him?" Wu Yuwei said through gritted teeth.

"Expose him? And then what, live on the streets? We still have some value right now, and that value is enough to get us a place to stay. Do not cause any more trouble!" Wu Maocai said sternly.

"Why is Wu Zhiming so full of cunning schemes now?" Wu Yuwei frowned.

"This might be the idea of the person behind him. Wu Zhiming doesn't have the brains for this... I thought using the bitter trick would force him to accommodate us, but we ended up becoming his tool to smear Shen Hongyue. Now, we're completely on his side," Wu Maocai sighed.

Everyone around exchanged glances, feeling as aimless as drifting duckweed. 

At this moment, Wang Hai walked over.

"Ladies and gentlemen, follow me to the office," Wang Hai said expressionlessly.

Heads down, the group followed Wang Hai to the office. Inside, Wu Zhiming sat in a chair. Wu Yuwei and the others walked in and sat opposite Wu Zhiming.

"Who told you to sit?" Wang Hai scolded.

Wu Yuwei and the others quickly stood up.

"It's fine, sit down. We're all family here," Wu Zhiming said with a smile.

Had they heard this before, they would have been overjoyed. But now, Wu Yuwei and the others felt a chill run down their spines. They sensed Wu Zhiming had an ulterior motive.

They hesitated, afraid to sit down.

"I said sit!" Wang Hai barked again, his face stern.

Only then did everyone cautiously take their seats.

"Shen Hongyue abandoned you?" Wu Zhiming asked.

"That woman, after all, is an outsider and unreliable," Wu Maocai lamented.

"Indeed, only those of us with blood ties can be trusted," Wu Zhiming nodded.

"Zhiming, we were wrong before. Thank you for not holding a grudge," Wu Maocai said.

"No need for thanks, there's no lasting grudge among family," Wu Zhiming shook his head, then asked Wang Hai, "Have you found a place for them to stay?"

"We're looking," Wang Hai replied.

"Second Grandpa, Wang Hai is already helping you find a place. Please bear with us a little longer," Wu Zhiming said.

Hearing this, Wu Maocai realized he needed to make a valuable gesture. Otherwise, this search for accommodation might never end. Wu Zhiming had a ready-made Wu family old house they could stay in, but his subordinate claimed they were still looking. Clearly, they were waiting for him to express his stance. If he did it right, the place would be found immediately.

"Zhiming, whatever you need us to support, we'll do so without hesitation," Wu Maocai said.

"There's no need for that... Helping you is my duty. But since you mentioned it, there is indeed something," Wu Zhiming said with a smile.

"What is it?" Wu Maocai asked.

"My brother Zhixing is in jail. This family cannot be without a head. It's time we chose a new head for the Wu family," Wu Zhiming said.

Hearing this, Wu Maocai's eyelid twitched slightly.

Wu Group is not the same as the Wu family. 

Wu Zhiming taking over Wu Group only means he is the company's boss, not the head of the Wu family. 

By saying this, Wu Zhiming's intentions were clear.

He wants to be the head of the family!

After a moment of silence, Wu Maocai said, "Zhiming, this is a difficult matter."

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Wu Zhiming said with a smile, glancing at Wang Hai.

"Wu, we just found accommodation for your relatives," Wang Hai said with a smile.

"You see, where there's a will, there's a way! If you want to do something, you can get it done," Wu Zhiming said with a smile.

Wu Maocai licked his dry lips and said, "To become the head of the family, you need to get past your elder brother..."

While Wu Zhiming and Wu Maocai were discussing the family head position, elsewhere, Shen Hongyue was watching a video on her phone, trembling with anger.

The video was of the events outside the Wu Group's entrance.

"Wu Maocai, you turncoat! For the sake of accommodation, you sided with Wu Zhiming and slandered me, saying I kicked you out. Why don't you just die!" Shen Hongyue shouted, throwing her phone to the ground in fury.

The video was sent to her by a friend and had already spread widely. Many people were now gossiping behind her back, accusing her of mistreating the elderly.

Heavy breathing filled the room as Shen Hongyue's subordinates kept their heads down, not daring to breathe loudly for fear of provoking her further.

"Call Yang Sandao and tell him I want to meet him for dinner tonight!" Shen Hongyue suddenly ordered.

"Madam, Yang Sandao is a ruthless character," someone whispered in caution.

"To deal with Wu Zhiming, we need a ruthless character," Shen Hongyue said, her eyes glinting with cold light.

Back at Wu Group.

"Your elder brother is still the head of the Wu family. Although he is temporarily detained, according to the Wu family rules, as long as he hasn't been sentenced, he remains the head," Wu Maocai said to Wu Zhiming.

"That will take quite some time," Wu Zhiming replied.

"Yes... It will take at least another six months before he is sentenced. And I've heard that your elder brother will be released soon. The Shen family is lobbying the higher-ups," Wu Maocai explained.

"Alright..." Wu Zhiming nodded, not saying much more.

"If your elder brother is released on bail, he will still be the head of the Wu family," Wu Maocai continued.

"I understand," Wu Zhiming said, then turned to Wang Hai, "Arrange for someone to take them to their accommodation. Make sure they are taken care of with three meals a day."

"Yes!" Wang Hai nodded.

"Zhiming, thank you," Wu Maocai said gratefully. Although it was Wu Zhiming who had evicted them from the Wu family residence, it was ultimately Shen Hongyue who had sold it without permission. If not for that, Wu Zhiming wouldn't have been able to drive them out. So now, Wu Maocai's hatred was directed more towards Shen Hongyue than Wu Zhiming.

Wang Hai arranged for Wu Maocai and the others to leave the meeting room.

Only Wu Zhiming and Wang Hai remained in the room.

At this moment, the door to the meeting room opened.

Dong Jian and Yao Jing walked in one after the other.

"What brings you here?" Wu Zhiming asked.

"I saw the video online... I think there's no need for this. You've already taken over the Wu Group, why provoke Shen Hongyue further? She's not someone to be trifled with," Yao Jing said with a frown.

Wu Zhiming shook his head and replied, "You don't understand."

"Are you getting cocky?" Yao Jing asked.

"Young Madam, you don't understand the Young Master," Dong Jian interjected.

"What do you mean I don't understand? Do you?" Yao Jing retorted, clearly annoyed.

"Taking over the Wu Group makes the Young Master merely its owner. Within the family, he remains a concubine's son, still unable to stand out. In future genealogies, he'll still be ranked below Wu Zhixing... The Young Master has been biding his time for years, and his sudden rise is not just for a mere Wu Group," Dong Jian explained with a smile.

"A mere Wu Group? Such arrogance," Yao Jing sneered. She didn't like Dong Jian; he was sullen and likely placed by the mysterious figure behind Wu Zhiming to control him.

In Yao Jing's eyes, Dong Jian was almost an enemy.