Chapter 169: People Are Forced to Evolve

“Tell me, now that I’m part of the management team, shouldn’t I get a secretary?”

Mei Liangxin posed the question to Xu Shaochen with a hint of eagerness.

After witnessing Ma Xiangnan ‘working the field’ in his office, Mei finally realized the benefits of having a secretary.

This must be the so-called balance between work and rest, he thought.

“Get lost!”

Xu Shaochen rebuked him without mercy. ‘A factory financial supervisor? You think you’re some high-ranking executive?’

Mei Liangxin shrugged. He hadn’t been wasting time the past few days but was instead getting familiar with the responsibilities of a financial supervisor.

He took this task quite seriously.

After all, Xu Shaochen trusted him enough to assign him this role. If something went wrong, Mei couldn’t bear the responsibility.

“Tell me, why is it always men chasing after women in this world?”

Watching a couple arguing on the side of the road, where the man pleaded while the woman remained indifferent, Mei Liangxin suddenly asked with some newfound insight.

Xu Shaochen rolled his eyes: “Have you ever seen a socket searching the world for a plug?”

Mei Liangxin: “…”

He really had no words for that analogy, but somehow, it made a strange sort of sense.

It’s always the plug looking for a socket; when has anyone ever seen a socket going around looking for a plug?

“Let’s go. Let’s find a place to eat.”

………..

Yunzhou.

Yunzhou was right next to Jiangzhou. By highway, it was only a two- to three-hour drive, or a half-hour by plane.

The Zhou Family’s living room.

Right now, the atmosphere in the living room was oppressively grim.

“Who did it?!”

On the sofa, a middle-aged man with a few strands of silver in his hair looked at Zhou Yun, his voice commanding respect without the need for anger.

This was Zhou Tianhua, the current head of the Zhou Family, and Zhou Yun’s father.

“Dad, I’ll handle this myself.”

Zhou Yun clenched his teeth as he spoke.

“Third Brother, if you could’ve handled it yourself, it wouldn’t have gotten this bad. Just say it, and let us help you!”

Zhou Yun’s second brother, Zhou Hu, had a mocking gleam in his eyes, though his words sounded quite considerate.

“That’s right, Third Brother. You’ve been bullied like this, and as your elder brothers, it’s only right we help you get revenge.”

Zhou Yun’s eldest brother, Zhou Long, also smiled earnestly as he spoke.

“No need to trouble you two. I have it under control,” Zhou Yun responded coldly, knowing full well that his two brothers were merely gloating.

The three Zhou Family brothers were neither extraordinarily brilliant nor completely mediocre. The differences between them were minimal.

All three had their eyes on the position of the Zhou Family’s heir, but since there could only be one, their relationship was bound to be fraught with tension.

Now, Zhou Hu and Zhou Long were only trying to undermine him in front of their father.

“Hmph! If that’s the case, then settle it yourself. Don’t embarrass the Zhou Family!”

Zhou Tianhua ignored the undercurrents between his sons. After all, he had gone through the same trials when he was younger.

“If you don’t fight for what you want, why should I give it to you?

“Yes, Father, you can rest easy. I’ll take care of it.” Zhou Yun nodded, a sharp glint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

Xu Shaochen, if you don’t die, I’ll write my name backward.

Zhou Tianhua stood up and left, leaving Zhou Yun, Zhou Hu, and Zhou Long alone.

“Haha, Third Brother, don’t overextend yourself. Your brothers are still here to help.”

Zhou Hu patted Zhou Yun on the shoulder, his words carrying a double meaning.

“Third Brother, Third Brother. How many times have I told you? This temperament of yours is bound to get you in trouble. Didn’t I say so? And now look, you’ve learned the hard way.”

Zhou Long’s schadenfreude was evident as he looked at Zhou Yun’s arm.

“Hmph! You two should worry about yourselves. I hear your companies still haven’t stopped the bleeding.”

“Zhou Yun snorted, his expression full of mockery as he looked at the two.

The smiles on their faces froze simultaneously, and with a cold snort, they left in a huff.

Each of the three brothers ran their own company, which was their main leverage in the competition for the Zhou Family heirship. For now, Zhou Yun was just a step ahead.

Watching his brothers’ retreating backs, Zhou Yun sneered, then took out his Phone and dialed a number.

……………..

Jiangzhou.

A restaurant.

Xu Shaochen and Mei Liangxin were having a meal.

“You need to pay close attention to Dafeng Factory’s finances. There might be some unrest at the start,” Xu Shaochen said to Mei Liangxin.

The transition period was the easiest time for someone to try and pull something sneaky. There’s always someone looking to take advantage.

Mei Liangxin nodded. “Don’t worry. With me watching, there won’t be any surprises.”

“It seems people really are forced to change.” Seeing how confident Mei Liangxin had become, Xu Shaochen smiled. The difference from the Mei Liangxin who used to focus solely on fooling around was striking.

Mei Liangxin looked up and gave Xu Shaochen a puzzled glance. “If people aren’t forced to change, where else would they come from?”

“…” Xu Shaochen’s expression grew stiff, internally cursing as a barrage of crude thoughts ran through his mind.

“I suspect you’re up to something, and I have evidence.”

“Darling, why are you here too? Why didn’t you answer my call? I was so worried about you!”

At that moment, a beautiful woman suddenly sat next to Xu Shaochen, wrapping her arm around his.

Mei Liangxin’s eyes widened at the scene. Could it be that good-looking people could just do whatever they wanted?

“Help me out. Pretend to be my boyfriend. This guy has been pestering me nonstop,” the woman whispered nervously to Xu Shaochen, confident that he wouldn’t refuse.

After all, who could say no to such a breathtaking request from a beautiful woman?

“Hey, who are you to Lili?” A young man dressed in designer clothes with a luxury watch glared at Xu Shaochen.

Xu Shaochen ignored him and looked at the woman clinging to his arm, his voice cold as he uttered, “Scram.”

As soon as Xu Shaochen spoke, the entire restaurant fell silent.

“What… what did you say?” Lili stared at Xu Shaochen in disbelief. She thought she must have heard wrong.

Xu Shaochen cast her a cold glance. “Did you not understand? I said, get lost. Don’t disturb my meal.”

He had no good feelings toward this woman.

This woman was clearly trying to shift trouble onto him, making him the scapegoat for the young man’s wrath.

And from the young man’s attire, it was clear his family had some influence. If the woman had chosen an ordinary person instead of Xu Shaochen, that person would’ve probably been subjected to relentless revenge by now.

This kind of woman was downright malicious. To shake off the young man, she didn’t care about the potential consequences for whoever she pulled in to be her shield.

Xu Shaochen couldn’t stand women like this.

He had no intention of being used by others, and he certainly didn’t want to gain an unnecessary enemy because of a venomous woman’s schemes.