Climbing the Career Ladder - -

This time, heading to Guangzhou were still Li Mengze and Sima Xiaoyu. Liu Yun had initially insisted on joining them as she always wanted to be by Li Mengze’s side, eager to follow him wherever he went. Without him, she found little interest in anything else.

After much persuasion failed to appease Liu Yun, the family resorted to a vote. Reluctantly, Liu Yun agreed to stay in Beijing.

In the vote among the five family members, Li Mengze and Sima Xiaoyu, being directly involved, abstained. Excluding Liu Yun, the other two members firmly opposed her going. Still not giving up, Liu Yun called Zhang Xiaoqing, only to receive a gentle rebuff, “Sweetie, they are going on business. Why don’t you come to Tianjin and stay with your sister?” That finally settled it.

Li Mengze first visited his sister’s house. He had not seen them during his last trip to Guangzhou, which made him feel quite embarrassed, especially since his mother was also staying there.

Li Mengze had yet to see his sister’s new home. He had only provided the money for them to buy the house and had not had the chance to visit yet. This time, he could finally take a look. Meanwhile, Sima Xiaoyu was feeling nervous.

It was Sima Xiaoyu’s first full interaction with his family. She was understandably cautious, not knowing how his mother and sister would perceive her. Although they couldn’t marry openly, everyone already regarded them as married, which brought her both joy and embarrassment. Added to this were Li Mengze’s teasing smiles, which only intensified the turmoil in her heart.

Upon arriving at his sister’s house, Li Mengze felt overwhelmed, especially when he saw the gleam in his mother’s and sister’s eyes. He almost wanted to run away, but fortunately, he had a plan ready. He had barely spoken a few words when he said, “Mother, I’m exhausted. I haven’t rested well these past few days. Can we find a place to rest? Look, my face has gone pale. Ah, I’m so tired.”

Sima Xiaoyu could hardly believe that Li Mengze would resort to such a shameless tactic, but to her surprise, his mother and sister seemed to find it perfectly normal. After a few caring words, they led them to a bedroom. As soon as the door was closed, Li Mengze quickly shed his coat and, ignoring Sima Xiaoyu’s resistance, made love to her. Before falling asleep, he whispered in her ear, “Xiaoyu, see how much I care for you,” which left her both amused and baffled.

Li Mengze did not dare to stay long at his sister’s house, staying only one day. He managed to appease his sister and brother-in-law before making his escape. He even managed to take a photo with his newborn nephew. Initially, he wanted to take a photo alone with his nephew since he had only introduced Sima Xiaoyu to his mother as his girlfriend. However, noticing Sima Xiaoyu’s forlorn expression, he quickly changed his mind, disregarding any potential consequences.

Sima Xiaoyu held the baby while Li Mengze draped an arm around her shoulders, both of them beaming as they posed together for the photo. The picture looked almost as if it were a photo of Sima Xiaoyu with the child, which amused Li Mengze.

Sima Xiaoyu loved children dearly and was even more delighted by the recognition she received from his family and his open declaration of their relationship to them. Thus, although they had to leave his sister’s house and face the arduous task of finding a new home and dealing with uncertainties, she was not at all worried. She neither complained of hardship nor expressed fatigue, allowing Li Mengze to be affectionate, all the while maintaining a content and willing demeanor.

One of the tasks for Li Mengze and his team upon their arrival in Guangzhou was to establish contact with Du Hai and his group.

Li Mengze, having no connections in Guangzhou (he did not want to exploit his brother-in-law’s social network there and even tried to minimize contact with them), found it a sensible choice to connect with Du Hai, with whom they had a relatively good rapport.

Through two encounters with Du Hai, Li Mengze learned that Du Hai’s influence was limited and his resources were even scarcer, straddling the line between the legal and the underworld, yet he was known for his loyalty. He was considered a force worth cultivating.

Li Mengze decided to leverage Du Hai’s influence and support his group, with the understanding that they would follow his commands. This would make them an important asset in Guangzhou and a significant support for their activities nationwide.

The discussion with Du Hai went smoothly, mainly because Li Mengze’s calm demeanor in two critical incidents touched Du Hai and his associates.

In these incidents, the composed attitudes of Sima Xiaoyu, Liu Yun, and Zhang Xiaoqing, the women involved, earned them great admiration from everyone present. They wondered about the background and capabilities of Li Mengze, who had attracted such remarkable women. Du Hai and his group had already decided that Li Mengze was wealthy and not just an ordinary man. In fact, they were more aware of his potential future than Li Mengze himself, which led them unanimously to decide to follow him. Whether it was fate or destiny, Li Mengze’s initial and most fundamental social influence was thus established.

Several key figures within the Han gang played a significant role, starting with Du Hai’s recognition of Li Mengze, followed by strong support from core gang members Shi Jun and Li Lan.

For the Han gang, Li Mengze’s greatest asset was his unpredictable financial strength. With money, they could escape the awkward status of a minor gang and lay the foundation to become a major force in Guangzhou and nationally.

Li Mengze’s insistence on not taking the position of Boss greatly impressed several underworld figures. This decision defined their cooperative approach: one side in the open, the other in the shadows, setting the stage for mutual greatness.

The Han gang decided to follow Li Mengze. Although he refused the role of Boss, he accepted the gang’s records, effectively taking control of this rising major gang.

Li Mengze’s true domination over the Han gang was not merely through superficial words. As a first step in their cooperation, he decided to place several brothers from the gang into Wansheng Company as his confidants, boosting the gang’s confidence in following him.

Just the association with Wansheng Company significantly boosted the confidence of the Han gang, a minor group that previously could not have imagined connecting with such a prominent company in Guangzhou. In return, Du Hai first unearthed information on relevant personnel from Wansheng Company and individuals like Chen Haisheng, which proved immensely beneficial to Li Mengze.

Li Mengze spent most of his time in Guangzhou with Du Hai and their group, listening to them discuss the ins and outs of the streets, the situation in Guangzhou, their future plans, and various matters concerning Wansheng Company, including rumors about its shareholders. This made Li Mengze feel that his trip was worthwhile, even Sima Xiaoyu found it fascinating, which deepened their mutual understanding.

The two stayed low in Guangzhou for two days, finally awaiting the announcement from the Securities Regulatory Commission.

From the announcement, it was clear that the Securities Regulatory Commission had largely adopted their proposed plan. As expected, the massive backlog of stocks held by investors was offloaded, with approximately 15 billion circulating shares being bought back in one go. Investors, terrified by Wansheng Company’s final move, many vowed never to speculate in stocks again, and some even quietly destroyed the suicide notes they had written earlier. However, no one expressed gratitude towards Wansheng Company for their last act; people are fickle like that.

There was a time when investors had hoped that Wansheng Company would buy back the shares to stop their plummeting value and alleviate their financial pressures. Yet, when Wansheng Company finally exhausted its last funds to free them from their predicament, not one remembered their initial promises.

Li Mengze is now a shareholder of Wansheng Company.

In the eyes of the investors, the shareholders of Wansheng are the vampires of this incident; they have siphoned off massive amounts of hard-earned money from numerous investors, offering them only meager compensation in the end. They are thoroughly despicable, doomed to be cast into the eighteenth level of hell. Yet, it is forgotten that it was their own greed that left them almost penniless.

Shareholders are the main target of people’s curses. “Today’s youth are even more heartless,” they say. However, real businesspeople, securities economists, and other insightful individuals are paying close attention to Li Mengze, the young man who has emerged as the second-largest shareholder following the event.

To the investors, Li Mengze is a mysterious figure. Previously unknown, no one truly understands him even now. Just how wealthy is he? He has invested so much money in Wansheng Company-hundreds of millions, perhaps even billions? The industry consensus is that Li Mengze has invested a significant amount, although the exact figure remains unclear.

Following the terms of the agreement, Wansheng Company informed Li Mengze, and after a series of discussions, the details of their cooperation were finally settled. These talks took place in a highly confidential setting.

Li Mengze has now become a celebrity. He can hardly bear the media’s disruptions, especially concerned for Sima Xiaoyu’s safety. Thus, after nearly resolving everything, he sent her back to Beijing, leaving himself alone in Guangzhou to handle the situation.

However, according to Liu Yun, it was because “Xiaoyu had been used up, became valueless, and somewhat of a nuisance,” that she was sent back to Beijing, which left Xiaoyu feeling incredibly wronged. Nevertheless, Sima Xiaoyu did indeed handle everything that needed attention and left only after giving numerous warnings and instructions.