It was seven o'clock in the evening at a restaurant in Tianhai City. Wang Yu and Wang Liqing were seated at a dining table.

Across from them sat two men. One, dressed in a black suit and wearing sunglasses, stood to the side, clearly a bodyguard. The other, a man in his fifties, was seated in a chair with his suit jacket hung aside. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing a Patek Philippe watch. The man's beard was meticulously groomed—neither unkempt nor sparse, but obviously well-maintained.

He was Wang Tianlu.

"So you only think of me after you've failed?" Wang Tianlu asked, his eyes lowered as he slowly sliced his steak. The skin on his fingers was already wrinkled.

Wang Liqing's expression soured at the remark.

But Wang Yu wore a smile. "Brother Lu…"

"Stop. Cut it out," Wang Tianlu sneered. "You're always so close to that girl, Wang Qifu, yet I've never once heard you, President Yu, call me 'Brother Lu'."

"That's just for public appearances. We're in private now, so there's no need to be so formal," Wang Yu replied, not looking the least bit fazed.

Wang Tianlu stopped cutting his steak and picked up a napkin to dab the corner of his mouth. "Fine, no need to be so formal. So, why did you ask me to dinner? To reminisce about old times? Or is it because you can't handle Xu Ke and now you want this old fossil to chase him away for you? If you want to use me, then state your price. We can handle this as a business transaction. Isn't that right, Captain Li Qing, President Yu?"

Wang Yu's face stiffened. Wang Liqing's eyes blazed with barely concealed rage.

They had originally planned to appeal to him with both logic and emotion, explaining the serious threat Xu Ke posed to the Wang Family Corporation. They hoped to spark a sense of crisis in Wang Tianlu, prompting him to deal with Xu Ke of his own accord. That way, they wouldn't have to lose too much. But Wang Tianlu's words made it clear he intended to fleece them.

Wang Yu forcibly swallowed her displeasure. "Brother Lu, that's not what I meant. Xu Ke's presence is very detrimental to you."

Wang Tianlu raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"He'll take money from the Wang Family Corporation."

Wang Tianlu scoffed mockingly. "Even if Wang Qifu gave him all her shares, that would still be her own money. As long as it doesn't touch the money in my pocket, I don't care if it's a Zhou Ke, a Chen Ke, or a Xu Ke joining our corporation. In fact, you're the ones who should be on guard. Xu Ke might not take my money, but he'll very likely take yours."

Both Wang Yu and Wang Liqing's faces turned ashen. The real reason they were so hostile toward Xu Ke was precisely because he might take their money. Wang Yu and Wang Liqing had always been on Wang Qifu's side. Wang Qifu only had so much money to go around, and now Xu Ke was marrying her. Naturally, the amount of money they could get from Wang Qifu in the future would shrink. This was why they had repeatedly made moves against Xu Ke. Why else would a pretty boy incite such animosity? It was all driven by self-interest!

Wang Yu took a deep breath. "But Brother Lu, with Xu Ke in the corporation, he's caused so much trouble for Qi Fu and wasted so many of the corporation's resources. This gives you a perfect excuse to move against Qi Fu. Aren't you tempted to make a move?"

At this, Wang Tianlu laughed. "Yesterday, you used my name to force Qi Fu to hold a press conference, and I let it slide. Now you actually want me to take real action against her? It seems you don't just dislike Xu Ke; you hate Wang Qifu!"

Wang Yu's nerve had been struck, and her face instantly turned ashen. Just last night, she had claimed that Wang Tianlu would use the Xu Ke incident to attack Wang Qifu, but in reality, it was an excuse she had fabricated to create a sense of crisis for Wang Qifu. Of course, she had cleared it with Wang Tianlu beforehand.

Seeing Wang Yu's pale face, Wang Tianlu shook his head and picked up his knife and fork. "Let me tell you, I have no reason to act against Xu Ke right now. Keeping such a troublemaking piece of trash around gives me plenty of opportunities to catch Wang Qifu slipping up. Why would I rush to make a scene now? Ever heard of boiling a frog in warm water?"

Wang Tianlu's condescending attitude, as if he were lecturing them, made both Wang Yu and Wang Liqing extremely uncomfortable.

Wang Liqing's face darkened. "Brother Lu, are you teaching us how to do things?"

"Why not?" Wang Tianlu sneered contemptuously. "Holding a press conference to force Wang Qifu to debunk rumors was just plain stupid. Not only did it backfire, but you even gave Xu Ke a platform for his counterattack.

"Do you realize? If it weren't for your press conference, this wouldn't have gotten so much attention, and Xu Ke wouldn't have been able to retaliate so easily. Without the press conference, without so many people watching, Xu Ke would still be the one taking all the blame right now. Believe me?

"You shot yourselves in the foot, trying to pull a fast one and losing out in the process. And I heard Chen Zhiyong and Wang Hongsheng were taken away by Wang Wu in the parking lot, is that right? Tsk, tsk, Wang Yu. You've really suffered a double loss on this one!"

This statement utterly provoked Wang Yu. Her face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. The fact that her two men had been captured was a festering wound in her heart.

Seeing Wang Tianlu relentlessly picking at Wang Yu's scars with his mockery, Wang Liqing couldn't take it anymore. "Wang Tianlu, what gives you the right to lecture us? I wonder who it was, the number two man in the company, who sold off his shares and cashed out the second Brother Jiang Nian passed away. He sold his shares, and Xiao Fu was the one who had to clean up the mess he left behind. Then, when a certain someone decided to return to the company, he couldn't even get his old position back," Wang Liqing said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

This matter was a lifelong sore spot for Wang Tianlu. Back then, he had been the second-in-command of the Wang Family, having built the company alongside Wang Jiangnian. After Wang Jiangnian's death, according to both company bylaws and family rules, he should have been the one to take over. But because he didn't want to deal with the mess, he sold his shares instead. As a result, he was now forever beneath Wang Qifu within the corporation.

Wang Liqing thought that poking this sore spot would wound Wang Tianlu. A cold light flickered in Wang Tianlu's eyes, but he simply chuckled. "Why dredge up the past? All I know is that you sent people to kill Xu Ke, failed, and they got caught. There's surveillance footage of Chen Zhiyong and Wang Hongsheng attacking Xu Ke in the parking lot. The proof is all there, both witnesses and physical evidence. Instead of wasting your breath arguing with me, you two should be thinking about what you'll do if Xu Ke uses this incident to seize power from you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Liqing's face turned pale. He remembered what Wang Qifu had done to him at the Wangjiang Hotel...

But just then, a smug look appeared on Wang Yu's face. "There's no need for that, Brother Lu. That good-for-nothing Xu Ke wouldn't dare move against me. Otherwise, with his petty, vengeful nature—the kind that won't even spare social media trolls—he would have already had Xiao Fu come after me. So what if I sent people to block his way? Hah. He's just scared of me…"

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