Chapter 35: The Mad Boss

Long Aotian narrowed his eyes. "I’ve noticed that you’re everywhere. No matter where I go, there you are. And every time you appear, things start to take a turn for the worse."

Lu Chengwen hurriedly said, "Sister Mengyun, don’t play around! This isn’t a joke you can make!"

Chen Mengyun looked at Lu Chengwen with a gloating expression. "You tell me, have you been bullying me?"

Lu Chengwen pulled Chen Mengyun aside. "Big sister, you can’t joke about this! It’ll cost lives!"

"Oh? So you’re afraid of someone too?"

"Go and explain it to him clearly, or I’m going to be in real trouble!"

"Then promise to go to dinner and a movie with me."

"Are you sick?" Lu Chengwen whispered, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. "We’ve already broken up! We’re done! You were the one who wanted to split up, so let’s keep it that way!"

"Well, now I want to use true love to win you back. Is that allowed?"

Lu Chengwen nervously watched Long Aotian and Chen Moqun, who were busy exchanging cigarettes and already deep in conversation. He was worried both that Chen Mengyun would carelessly get him killed and that the blockhead Chen Moqun would provoke Long Aotian and get himself killed in the process.

Lu Chengwen relented. "One movie, one meal, and then we go our separate ways."

"Do you really hate me that much?"

"Big sister, how could I hate you? You’re so beautiful! I just want to stay alive!"

"What are you spouting?"

"In any case, be polite to that Long Aotian. Get along well with him, and in the future, speak well of your brother to him. He might just be your brother’s nemesis one day."

"What else do you know?"

"That’s all. I can’t say any more; if I say too much, I’m dead."

Chen Mengyun nodded. "The dinner and the movie are a deal, then?"

"A gentleman’s word is his bond."

"Good." Chen Mengyun walked over to Long Aotian, suddenly appearing mature and poised. "Mr. Long, thank you for helping us out just now."

"It was no trouble at all. I don’t mean to boast, but these few thugs are nothing—even high-level experts from the border territories would have to kneel and beg for mercy if they crossed me."

Chen Mengyun nodded. "I can see you’re a master."

"Do you want me to teach Lu Chengwen a lesson for you? Or should we go get coffee first, and I’ll deal with him later?"

Chen Mengyun smiled. "I was just joking. I really dislike it when boys are always fighting and killing."

"Oh, well, the coffee..."

"The coffee won't be necessary. I don't really like coffee, and I have a dinner and movie date with Brother Chengwen. See you later."

With that, Chen Mengyun turned and left, grabbing Lu Chengwen’s hand and dragging him toward the stairs. Lu Chengwen tried to pull away, but Chen Mengyun shot him a cold, warning look and whispered, "If you dare pull away, I’ll have him beat you to death!"

Lu Chengwen thought to himself: *You are ruthless! After all these years, I never knew you had this side to you! Goodness, when a woman like you gets vicious, it’s truly terrifying, isn’t it?*

He didn't dare pull away for fear that Chen Mengyun would do something reckless; she didn't grasp the gravity of the situation and might truly get him killed by mistake. But not pulling away was equivalent to showing off in front of Long Aotian.

*Forget it, just drag it out as long as I can.*

Lu Chengwen grabbed the fatty, Chen Moqun. "You're coming with us!"

"Why take him?" Chen Mengyun asked, displeased.

"I have something to discuss."

As they walked out, Chen Mengyun giggled incessantly. Lu Chengwen said grumpily, "You’re still laughing? You almost got me killed."

***

"Hey! Why are you so afraid of that Long Aotian?"

Lu Chengwen thought to himself: *If I could explain it to you two clearly, I would have done it long ago.*

"In short, he is the destined nemesis of both me and Chen Moqun. You’d better protect your brother. That fatty is very likely to die at his hands; don’t say I didn’t warn you."

Chen Moqun asked, "That’s it?"

Lu Chengwen looked at him with utmost seriousness. "Chen Moqun, do you trust me?"

"Don't be ridiculous, you're my brother. Of course I trust you."

"Then remember this: if you want to stay alive, don't provoke him. You saw his combat prowess earlier—it’s on a completely different level from us guys who just picked up a few moves at a martial arts gym to get into street fights. And this guy is cold-blooded, ruthless, and ambitious; he’ll stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He won’t go easy on you just because you’re the eldest grandson of the Chen family. This guy is capable of anything, including—but not limited to—killing you."

Lu Chengwen deliberately spoke with extreme harshness, hoping to shock Chen Moqun into submission.

Chen Moqun nodded heavily. "Indeed, that guy really spooked me today. It’s a good thing you stopped me; if I had fought him today, I’d probably be in the hospital by now."

"Exactly! You have to outsmart him; you cannot use brute force."

Chen Moqun nodded. "The bastard is lusting after my sister, just like that Hu Shuhui. He must not be allowed to succeed."

Lu Chengwen thought to himself: *This game script is goddamn hard to play.*

"As for his business with your sister, you’d best not interfere. If you don't get involved, he might leave you alone. But if you block him from picking up girls, he really might kill you!"

Chen Mengyun chimed in, "So you’re saying I’m definitely his woman?"

Lu Chengwen said, "I don't care about your affairs, and I can't control them. I have one goal: to keep myself and Chen Moqun alive. This guy will kill to get a girl."

Chen Mengyun snorted. "I’m not going to pay attention to him. I’m sticking with you, so what are you going to do about it?"

Lu Chengwen looked at her. "You..."

Chen Moqun laughed. "Alright, alright. So he’s a Long Aotian—I’ll deal with him."

Lu Chengwen was on the verge of a breakdown. "Did you two hear a word I said? Everything I just said... was it all just hot air?"

"Chengwen, when did you become such a coward?"

"I’m not being a coward; I’m managing this instance with strategy and sacrifice!"

"What does that mean?"

Lu Chengwen looked at the big guy, who was only wearing a bathrobe. "Just get in the car. I don't want to talk to you anymore."

***

In the back of the car, Long Aotian read the newspaper, his expression gloomy.

Hua Xuening sat across from him. "Young Master, that Lu Chengwen has repeatedly disrupted your plans. Why don't we just kill him?"

Long Aotian looked up. "Are you telling me how to do my job?"

"I wouldn't dare. It’s just that seeing you suffer setbacks every time is hard for me to accept."

Long Aotian snorted. "The situation isn't what I expected. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that things are developing in a... strange way."

"Is it because of the time you fell into the septic tank?"

Long Aotian glared at Hua Xuening. "Do not mention that septic tank again! Never!"

"Yes!"

Long Aotian took a deep breath. "Lu Chengwen cannot be killed yet; the situation has changed. My original plan was to take down the Leng, Xu, and Chen families in order, and then use their combined strength to take down the most powerful one—the Lu family. But now, all three families are being obstructed."

"And that obstacle is Lu Chengwen!"

Long Aotian nodded. "However, even though I can't kill him yet, I can still make him suffer."

"Send a message to Shiyin. It’s time for her to make a move."

Hua Xuening said, "I can handle a task like that!"

Long Aotian smiled. "No, there are some tasks that only Shiyin can handle."

Hua Xuening looked displeased. "She only knows how to seduce men."

"Hahaha!" Long Aotian laughed heartily. "You just don't know how to adapt. I could have used Jiang Shihan as my mole to gather intelligence, but who would have thought that bitch would be so cheap and remain loyal to Lu Chengwen? Shiyin is my person, and Lu Chengwen is a lecher... Once I figure out his bottom line, I’ll have no trouble toppling the Lu family."

"Does the Young Master plan to start with the Lu family?"

Long Aotian shook his head, a glimmer of gloom in his eyes. "The best answer remains the Leng family."

***

Waking up, Lu Chengwen felt refreshed.

He had figured it out.

*Why do I always end up as Long Aotian’s opponent? It’s because I’m still standing in this position!*

Aside from the female leads, Long Aotian’s ultimate goal was to consolidate the four major families of Snow City. As long as his own family remained one of the four, he would inevitably be the target of the protagonist's annexation. That would never change.

Unless, the Lu family shrank to a point where the protagonist lost interest. Becoming a second-rate, or even third-rate, business.

That way, the Lu family would become nothing more than an unremarkable background prop, outside the main storyline of this book.

Furthermore, if that happened, his social connections would change, and his interactions with the main female leads would decrease.

*Yes!*

Lose a few deals, bankrupt a batch of the Lu family’s secondary enterprises, sell off another batch, and keep only the core profitable projects.

That way, he could ensure the family’s standard of living wouldn't drop too drastically, while guaranteeing absolute safety for himself and his family!

*I really am a genius.*

The shantytown renovation project was the first step. If this step went well,嘿嘿, perhaps all the problems would be solved.

Dasheng Group.

Lu Chengwen sat at the head of the table, looking at the two rows of subordinates with a smile.

"Everyone, I’ve reviewed the latest financial reports, and you’ve all done well. The Internal Affairs Department will reward merit; employees who have contributed recently will receive bonuses. All subsidiaries, departments, and outstanding employees who participated in profitable projects are to be rewarded. Salaries across the group will be increased by no less than twenty percent."

At these words, the entire room erupted in an uproar.

Lu Chengwen was famous for his stinginess; salaries for Dasheng Group’s management and staff were consistently the lowest in the industry.

It was a policy of keeping pay as low as possible while still ensuring people didn't quit. Lu Chengwen was the type to chase profit outside and pinch pennies inside. He lived a life of luxury and excess, but if you wanted to make money off him? *Dream on!*

There had always been complaints about salaries within Dasheng Group.

But Lu Chengwen was clever; he used every means to keep his high-level management tied to him.

If you wanted to jump ship, the pay here was actually decent, and since Dasheng Group was at its peak, the value and sense of personal achievement one could create here far exceeded other companies.

If you didn't jump ship, the pay just wasn't exciting, and the boss would squeeze every cent he could.

When it came down to it, every company was about the same—companies that were generous had their own downsides... In short, you couldn't bear to leave, but if you stayed, the salary was definitely not top-tier.

But today, Lu Chengwen shocked the room by voluntarily offering to increase the employees' wages.

Vice Executive President Li Meiqin was stunned.

"President Lu, shouldn't we discuss this internally first? A twenty percent increase is not a small amount. Once implemented, our future operating costs will become very high..."

"No need for discussion."

Lu Chengwen was clear about what he was doing.

While others were open-sourcing and cost-cutting, he had to cut sources and open up spending. Lose money outside, spend money inside—a two-pronged approach. Once Dasheng Group’s operations were in poor condition, the peripheral subsidiaries would collapse one after another, selling off assets at dirt-cheap prices...

He had to speed up. Long Aotian wouldn't give him much time, and he had to disappear from his radar as soon as possible.

"That's final!" Lu Chengwen said firmly. "Execute my decision."

Li Meiqin frowned, completely unable to fathom what had gotten into her boss today.

The first thought in Li Meiqin’s mind was: *Could it be that he found out about my plan? Has this man become this formidable? Damn it, I still underestimated Lu Chengwen’s strength!*

Li Meiqin clearly felt that today, her boss made her feel fear from the bottom of her heart.