"I'm an old man. I don't have the energy to jump around anymore. I don't have much money or energy. I just want to spend my remaining years in peace," Zhong Ruiqiang said wearily, then poured himself a glass of wine.
"I'm really powerless. I'll punish myself with a drink."
Xiao Zhenguo and Bo Siming exchanged glances but didn't try to persuade him anymore.
But they knew very well.
Zhong Ruiqiang had kept three mistresses outside. What only having a daughter in senior three? He probably had four or five illegitimate children.
Although his oil company wasn't that big and couldn't even make it into the top 500 in Yancheng, it was still no problem for him to take out a few million.
Pretending to be poor here was just an excuse to avoid getting involved in the troubles of big companies.
The farther away, the better.
"Alright then, Mr. Zhong. Let's not talk about business today. We won't stop until we're drunk!" Bo Siming didn't bring it up anymore and just kept pouring wine for them.
Xiao Zhenguo was easy to handle. He was both greedy for money and lustful.
He pretended to be a gentleman at home but was actually a slippery old fox outside.
Bo Siming had seized this weakness of his. He often invited him to his mansion and specifically told Yang Wan to bring a few good-looking women to accompany them and serve them well.
Within a few days, Xiao Zhenguo had signed seven or eight contracts.
And they were all big projects in the engineering field.
This had greatly contributed to the expansion of Bo Siming's own power.
But unexpectedly, Shen Shiyu had disrupted his plan.
On that rainy day, he had already sent a killer to secretly get rid of Zhong Ruiqiang. When he was sitting in his office thinking about how to announce Zhong Ruiqiang's death, he received a message from the mansion.
It said that Xiao Zhenguo had been poisoned and fainted.
At that time, he still had one last breath left, on the verge of death.
But how could Shen Shiyu, that stupid woman, have known that he was still alive? After committing the crime, she panicked and ran back to Yang Wan's dormitory from the attic.
If Bo Siming hadn't asked the servant to give Xiao Zhenguo a fake death medicine in advance, he would have been arguing with Zhong Ruiqiang on the road to the underworld by now.
Captain Hao was dismissed from his post after taking the "body" back to the police station, and that young police officer who wanted to get promoted had successfully been promoted to captain.
Bo Siming had then justifiably swapped Zhong Ruiqiang's body with Xiao Zhenguo's. He had solved one person without having to do it himself.
Now the person who had been cremated into ashes was Zhong Ruiqiang.
And now the person who had merged and acquired Zhong's Oil was Xiao Zhenguo.
As a "dead" person, Bo Siming had asked a plastic surgeon to make a few slight changes to his face. No one could tell.
He could both win over Xiao Zhenguo and earn the benefits of Zhong's Oil.
His chess game had started off very successfully.
Pulling his thoughts back, Bo Siming's smile became even more intense.
"Once my power grows to a certain extent, I'll make you the manager first."
"Really?"
Xiao Zhenguo would even be willing to be a supervisor, let alone a manager.
After all, as the president of such a small company, he couldn't even earn half of what he could in a big company. He could only maintain a false appearance.
But if he could work under Bo Siming, he was sure to make a fortune!
"Of course it's true. When have I ever lied to you?"
The ambition in his eyes made people feel uneasy, but at the same time, it was also mixed with excitement and eagerness.
Xiao Zhenguo, in his fifties, could actually feel the same enthusiasm as when he was young. It was quite rare.
But the main reason was -
If he didn't do as Bo Siming said, his end would be the same as Zhong's. He would die an unclear death and be buried in someone else's grave.
He couldn't afford to offend such a ruthless and dangerous person.
"It's almost time. Shiyu is still waiting for you, 'Mr. Zhong'."
Xiao Zhenguo snuffed out the cigar in his hand and stood up to tidy his suit.
"Then I'll thank the young master first. See you later."
Bo Siming's smile stopped abruptly the moment the door closed.
He would use anyone who could be used.
Now Xiao Zhenguo was both the president of Xiao's Trading and Zhong's Oil. Such an achievement was largely due to his matchmaking.
And now Shen Shiyu could only rely on flattering him to survive.
The decline of the Shen family had completely turned the three of them into his tools. Shen Yuliang and Yang Wan were old and useless. The only one who could still be of use was their daughter.
Bo Siming's ambition didn't stop there.
He wanted to seize half of the Bo family's property and also compete for Bo Jingyu's power. Most importantly... he wanted Wen Jinrui.
That woman who haunted his dreams and whom he yearned for every night.
The Eastern Suburb Villa.
Shen Ximan kept looking at her watch and urging, "Can I leave now?"
"Why are you in such a hurry? Ruochi hasn't come back yet."
Bo Jingyu sipped his coffee unhurriedly, his eyes on the backyard in the distance. An Ruo was smiling innocently as she fed the fish in the pond.
"Are you deliberately stalling for time?"
She asked him accusingly in a bad tone, "An Ruo finally got her fever down this morning. Why did you have to mention the toy and make her stay here longer?"
"This isn't a temple of the god of plague. An Ruo isn't in a hurry. Why are you?"
Shen Ximan gritted her teeth, "Yes! I'm in a hurry!"
"I can't wait to get out of this lousy place and take a breath of fresh air!"
Just as she said this angrily, Butler Yang happened to come out with some pastries. She put the plate on the table with an unnatural expression.
"Miss Shen, please help yourself."
Shen Ximan immediately lost her temper, "Aunt Yang, don't misunderstand. What I just said wasn't aimed at the people here. I..."
"You don't need to explain. I understand," Butler Yang said, then turned around and left in a hurry.
Shen Ximan drooped her shoulders dejectedly and frowned in confusion. Aunt Yang was very kind to An Ruo. She least wanted to hurt her.
"It's all your fault!"
Bo Jingyu looked innocent, his hand holding the coffee cup pausing in mid-air.
"Why blame me? It's you who's complaining so loudly."
"You did it on purpose!"
An Ruo watched them bickering from afar and covered her mouth to giggle.
"Brother and sister are arguing again. It's so nice."
"What's so nice about it?"
Ruochi came in carrying some things, out of breath from the exertion.
"If the second master is in a bad mood, it'll definitely be me who suffers!"
"Wow, my fluffy bear! And my fluffy rabbit!"
An Ruo threw away the fish food in her hand and ran over excitedly.
She rummaged through four or five paper bags but didn't find the doll she had always wanted. "Brother, did you forget to buy the doll?"
At this, Ruochi felt embarrassed and didn't know how to explain.
He pulled the person behind him out and scolded, "You explain!"
Facing this little girl who was looking at him expectantly, Hao Zhibin didn't know how to start for a moment. "I, I..."
"Uncle, your hand is injured."
He had thought that this little girl would throw a tantrum or call her parents and cry and accuse him. But unexpectedly, her focus was on something else.
He raised his hand and looked. His little finger was indeed scraped.
The blood on it had already coagulated.
"This little injury is nothing. But your doll..."