Chapter 184: I Am a Businessman

Lin Ruoxi didn't directly answer Yang Chen. Instead, she glanced at the ladies' Vacheron Constantin watch on her wrist and said, "The celebration is about to begin. Although it's mostly internal personnel, it's better not to be late. Let's go first."

"Not even a brief explanation?" Yang Chen asked, feeling frustrated.

"I'll explain as we walk."

The four of them left the private resort. Xu Zhihong drove ahead with Maoqiu, while as last night, Mo Qianni drove, and Yang Chen sat in the back with Lin Ruoxi.

Lin Ruoxi roughly recounted to Yang Chen the events that had occurred, and only then did Yang Chen truly understand.

The entry of Changlin Media was a commercial disadvantage for Yulei International. Moreover, due to the Zeng family's background, allowing Changlin Media to continue to develop would undoubtedly be inviting trouble.

So, when Zeng Xinlin, acting as a senior, visited Lin Ruoxi for the first time to discuss the important project of cooperation with Yulei and Moyun, Lin Ruoxi consciously thought of using this opportunity to drive Changlin Media out of Zhonghai.

From the moment there was a preliminary plan, Lin Ruoxi began to accumulate funds far exceeding the requirements of the contract through fundraising and loans.

Defeating Changlin in the stock market battle was an idea from the beginning, but everything had to be kept highly confidential. So, not only Yang Chen but even Mo Qianni was only informed a few days ago.

The ultimate outcome of this plan wouldn't affect the cooperation project with Changlin and Moyun. It meant that even if Changlin Media were defeated, they would still receive a substantial amount of funds from the profit sharing of the new materials. However, surpassing Yulei would be nearly impossible.

Especially with Yang Chen unexpectedly securing sixty-five percent of the profits, it was like adding wings to a tiger, prompting Lin Ruoxi to unhesitatingly execute the plan to take down Changlin.

As for Xu Zhihong, it was a pre-arranged collaboration. Lin Ruoxi privately signed a contract with him, jointly investing to deal with Changlin Media.

The Xu family would not suffer any losses. In fact, in the future competition in the new materials market, with one less competitor like the politically-connected Zeng family, Xu Zhihong was naturally willing to take action.

Of course, Yulei also made certain conditions, which were to allow Donghua Technology to use Yulei's powerful sales network after the future launch of its new products. This was a market element that the Xu family lacked, and for Xu Zhihong, it was extremely valuable.

Yang Chen looked at Lin Ruoxi with a strange expression. "So, you just sold out your senior like that?"

"I was just doing what I had to do," Lin Ruoxi said, furrowing her brows slightly. She didn't like the word "sold."

"I thought you valued him so much, but it turns out you deceived him like a poor little worm," Yang Chen said, feeling a bit amused.

Lin Ruoxi looked out the window and said, "He's my senior, but it's unrelated to this matter."

"But you didn't need to deceive me like this. Why did I only find out at the end?" Yang Chen was somewhat displeased.

Mo Qianni, who was driving in front, saw Yang Chen's troubled expression in the rearview mirror and chuckled, "If I didn't hide it from you, how could I hide it from others?"

Lin Ruoxi nodded in agreement.

Yang Chen pursed his lips. He realized he needed to reevaluate his wife. Despite her seemingly indifferent demeanor, who knew how many twists and turns were in her mind because of it.

Her deception was so subtle that she didn't even need to cover it up. Whether she lied or not, it made no difference!

Yang Chen finally understood what Mo Qianni had told him yesterday about Lin Ruoxi's "innate advantage"!

However, Yang Chen thought carefully and found something amiss. He furrowed his brows and asked, "Since you had negotiated with Xu Zhihong before, why did he send assassins to kill us in Hong Kong?"

Lin Ruoxi turned around, slightly apologetic, and said, "I'm sorry about that. Xu Zhihong only mentioned causing some obstruction to make Zeng Xinlin more convinced of our alliance's determination. I didn't know if he would actually resort to assassination."

Mo Qianni, who was driving, was afraid that Yang Chen would get angry, so she explained, "Yang Chen, Ruoxi didn't know about it. Xu Zhihong wanted to kill you himself because for him, whoever dies, it's advantageous and harmless. But aren't we all fine now? We'll find a chance to deal with Xu Zhihong next time. Don't blame Ruoxi." Yang Chen felt a bit frustrated. Mo Qianni, this silly woman, nearly died, yet she's still trying to speak well of Lin Ruoxi in front of me. He chuckled lightly, "It's okay, I'm tough. But, if Xu Zhihong's assassin happened to shoot at you, could you still be driving here now?"

3.5

Mo Qianni was speechless. She knew she was lucky in that situation.

Lin Ruoxi lowered her head in silence. It was her miscalculation, only considering the big picture and not fully considering the safety of Yang Chen and Mo Qianni.

"When you think about defeating your opponents next time, don't forget about people. People are more important than the victory of your career, especially those who care and help you," Yang Chen expressed some dissatisfaction. "Qianni doesn't blame you; she's just kind-hearted. If you want to play these risky games in the future, you'd better think carefully. Is Xu Zhihong the kind of person with a simple mind who can be easily manipulated by you?"

Hearing Yang Chen speaking up for her, Mo Qianni felt a warm feeling in her heart. But seeing Lin Ruoxi's silent and downcast expression in the rearview mirror, she also felt uneasy. "Alright, Yang Chen, Ruoxi isn't a fairy. How can she predict everything?"

Yang Chen shrugged, shook his head, and said no more.

Lin Ruoxi lifted her head and looked at Yang Chen with clear eyes. "Don't worry, Xu Zhihong will pay the price."

"What? You just took down Changlin, and now you're going after Xu Zhihong immediately?" Yang Chen almost jumped out of his seat. This woman was too terrifying.

Lin Ruoxi blinked. "You'll see."

As they spoke, the car had already stopped outside a baroque-style white building, surrounded by lush greenery, with several neatly dressed bodyguards standing by.

The three got out of the car, and Xu Zhihong was already waiting on the red carpet in front of the main gate.

"This is a small estate under my name. There aren't many people at today's celebration, so this place is most suitable. Please, follow me!" Xu Zhihong gestured with an inviting gesture.

As they entered the hall, many people were already holding champagne cocktails, chatting and laughing. They were mostly temporarily invited here, people from Yulei International and Donghua Technology.

Everyone's faces were filled with joy, whether it was because they had secured a lucrative contract or defeated the incoming Changlin Media. For both parties, it was worth celebrating.

When Lin Ruoxi and Xu Zhihong entered, everyone erupted into warm applause without exception. Obviously, they had already learned about the stock market situation in Hong Kong. Before the closing, Changlin was sure to collapse.

Lin Ruoxi and Mo Qianni were engaged in conversation with several other high-ranking executives from Donghua Technology, leaving Yang Chen with nothing to do. Taking a glass of red wine, Yang Chen noticed someone waving at him from a corner. Upon closer inspection, it was Zhang Cai, accompanied by Liu Mingyu and Zhao Hongyan, both smiling.

After the affair with Liu Mingyu, she hadn't changed much. Her gaze towards Yang Chen was still soft, showing how well the mature woman controlled her emotions.

"Congratulations, you can consider yourself a hero too," Zhao Hongyan said, clinking glasses with Yang Chen.

Yang Chen chuckled. "No need for teasing. I only just found out the whole story. At most, I'm a clueless hero."

Liu Mingyu took a sip of her amber-colored drink and said, "The president's arrangements this time were brilliant. Just after signing such an exciting contract, she managed to overthrow Changlin Media."

Zhang and Zhao's children nodded in agreement, clearly reaching another peak of admiration for Lin Ruoxi.

After chatting for a while, Liu Mingyu suddenly frowned and pointed towards the entrance. "Look, isn't that Mr. Zeng from Changlin Media?"

Yang Chen turned to look and indeed saw Zeng Xinlin, walking into the hall alone, his head held high with a handsome smile on his face.

The venue fell silent, and all eyes focused on a few important figures.

Yang Chen quietly walked to the entrance, sipping his wine, intending to see what Zeng Xinlin was up to. But from the looks of it, he seemed to be in a good mood.

"President Lin, President Xu, I, Zeng Xinlin, have come uninvited. I hope I haven't disturbed the good mood of everyone," Zeng Xinlin said, extending his hand to the two.

Lin Ruoxi shook her head and shook hands with him calmly, while Xu Zhihong also greeted him with a smile, as if they were longtime close friends.

"Would Mr. Zeng like to have a drink?" Xu Zhihong asked.

Zeng Xinlin smiled bitterly. "Just one drink will suffice. With your brilliant strategy, I've been kept very busy. But as a sign of respect to both of you and in line with my sporting spirit, I had to come over and congratulate you. From now on, for the next ten years, Changlin will probably find it difficult to compete with your two companies."

"Not ten years, maybe eight," Lin Ruoxi said calmly. "Changlin will still receive a share of the profits, which will help their development speed up a bit."

Zeng Xinlin waved his hand at her. "Ruoxi, I'll still call you that. You really fooled me badly. I never imagined that my junior from elementary school would pull such a move on me."

"I'm sorry. I'm just a businesswoman," Lin Ruoxi replied.

This line sounded like it was from a movie, but when spoken by Lin Ruoxi, it sounded truly cold-hearted.

Zeng Xinlin felt a bit choked up, forcing a smile. "Yes, a businessperson pursues profit. I'm not as open-minded as you, but I'll learn from this."

With that, Zeng Xinlin glanced over to where Yang Chen was standing and smirked at him. "Mr. Yang, I won't forget about you either. Our competition isn't over yet."

"If you don't leave, I'll take a little knife and puncture your car's tires," Yang Chen retorted bluntly.

Competition? What competition? He's my wife now. Are you trying to be a gang leader and steal women? Zeng Xinlin glanced at him meaningfully, chuckled coldly, then turned and left confidently.

Only after watching that free-spirited figure walk out the door did Xu Zhihong retract his gaze and say to Lin Ruoxi, "He's a decent opponent, but unfortunately, he hasn't soaked in the business world for long enough. Ruoxi, are you sure about giving him a share of the profits from the new material product? That could be dangerous."

"Tigers aren't scary when there's a lion tamer," Lin Ruoxi replied calmly. "I'll stick to the agreement."

Understandingly, Xu Zhihong nodded. "It seems that before long, our two companies will have to start a fierce battle in the process of launching the new product."

Lin Ruoxi shook her head. "No, our product will definitely be the first to market, and it will be much faster than yours."

"That's hard to say. I know Mu Yun has Dr. Li Guangxun, but our Donghua has Dr. Green, who is equally proficient," Xu Zhihong said confidently.

Turning around, Lin Ruoxi asked sarcastically, "Dr. Green will start collaborating with Dr. Li Guangxun in Hong Kong next week to develop research together. When he leaves your lab, who do you think will be faster?"