I'm Done with the Elite Marriage - Chapter 59
Fu Xunzhou never denied the issues he had within himself.
Yet, no one ever pointed them out to him, nor did anyone tell him.
He was like a blind man walking alone at night, groping his way down a path, completely unaware that he had already hit a dead end in his marriage.
In the end, he was sentenced to death, unable even to appeal for himself.
He wasn’t skilled at arguing, nor did he enjoy debating.
He knew he was selfish, incompetent, and he was aware he had never been a competent husband.
During the time after the divorce, Fu Xunzhou had a sudden realization; he understood he had made mistakes.
It was like getting a test question wrong; he knew the answer too late, yet he still wanted to make amends and leave no regrets.
But reality told him that emotions weren’t simple math or chemistry; even if he wanted to make amends, the other party wouldn’t give him the chance.
Zhou Youling stood right in front of Fu Xunzhou, yet for a moment, he felt so distant from her.
He was the one who pushed her away first, and he had no right to complain.
Zhou Youling’s back as she turned away was so resolute; she seemed genuinely unwilling to look at him again.
Fu Xunzhou leaned against the wall, watching her walk away from him.
Zhou Youling entered the Dry Cleaning Shop, and shortly after, she came out.
Without looking back, she headed in the opposite direction.
At four in the afternoon, dusk fell like a gray net, quietly covering the earth and casting a shadow over Fu Xunzhou’s heart.
If Fu Xunzhou was a failing student in matters of the heart, then in his career, he had achieved some success.
Fu Xunzhou had officially submitted his resignation to the group, and the next step was the work transition. As a leader of a large group, he was given a three-month transition period.
On the eighth day of the new year, Fu Hexu was buried in the documents of various subsidiaries of the group. After a long hour of studying, he couldn’t help but look up at Fu Xunzhou with a wry smile, “It’s too hard, really too hard!”
Fu Xunzhou remained seated in his accustomed executive chair, focused on processing the approvals.
Upon hearing this, he looked up and said, “Under normal circumstances, you need three months to fully familiarize yourself with the group’s business. It’s only the first day; finding it difficult is normal.”
Fu Hexu rolled his eyes, placed the folder down, and pulled up a chair to sit in front of Fu Xunzhou, “Let’s make a deal, what do you think?”
Fu Xunzhou signed his name with a swift stroke, then placed the pen aside, lazily leaning back in his chair as he asked Fu Hexu, “What kind of deal?”
Fu Hexu grinned mischievously, “You see, Elder Brother, I’ve been quite successful in matters of the heart over the years. Helping you win back your younger brother’s wife shouldn’t be too difficult!”
Fu Xunzhou’s expression remained indifferent, showing little interest in this proposal.
Mainly because he didn’t quite like Fu Hexu’s way of handling things.
Fu Hexu leaned closer to Fu Xunzhou, saying, “You see, all these years, you haven’t seen me stumble in matters of the heart, have you?”
Fu Xunzhou raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.
Fu Hexu reached out and draped an arm around Fu Xunzhou’s shoulder, saying, “How about this? If I help you win back your wife, you won’t resign. How does that sound?”
Without expression, Fu Xunzhou removed Fu Hexu’s hand from his shoulder and gently reminded him, “The group meeting at nine-thirty is about to start. Get ready and join me.”
Fu Hexu immediately put on a mournful face, lamenting, “It’s so tough for me, really tough!”
Fu Xunzhou stood up, ignoring Fu Hexu’s dramatics, and left on his own.
The group meeting was scheduled to start five minutes later in the conference room.
From a young age, Fu Xunzhou disliked being late. He adhered strictly to punctuality and was always meticulous in his work. Typically, he would arrive at the meeting room five minutes early.
Knowing Fu Xunzhou’s habits, all the executives would also arrive five minutes early for any meeting he attended, ensuring they were never later than him. However, there was one exception: Fu Xunzhou’s second uncle, Fu Zhiqiang.
Fu Zhiqiang was currently the manager of the automotive electronics subsidiary, widely known as the most profitable division of the entire group.
Today’s group meeting was essentially a gathering of executives from various subsidiaries to plan and review the year’s work.
But by nine forty, Fu Zhiqiang had yet to appear.
Fu Hexu sat obediently next to Fu Xunzhou, noticing that Fu Xunzhou was engrossed in signing various approval documents. He couldn’t help but ask quietly, “Who are we waiting for?”
Fu Xunzhou glanced at his wristwatch and indicated, “No need to wait, let’s start directly.”
About twenty minutes into the meeting, Fu Zhiqiang finally arrived.
As the second son in the family, Fu Zhiqiang had initially assumed he would naturally become the group’s Chairman when Old Master Fu was preparing to hand over the reins. Unexpectedly, Fu Xunzhou emerged as a contender.
For the past three years, Fu Zhiqiang had been dissatisfied with Fu Xunzhou’s leadership, using tardiness as a subtle form of protest.
Seeing Fu Zhiqiang enter the conference room, Fu Xunzhou raised a hand to signal the speaking executive to pause.
The room fell silent.
Fu Zhiqiang smiled and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Fu Xunzhou looked at Fu Zhiqiang from a distance, lowered his head slightly, and spoke into the microphone, “Second uncle, is the weather too cold for you to get out of bed?”
With these words, Fu Hexu led the room in a quiet chuckle.
Fu Zhiqiang settled into a chair and said, “You know, it really is cold.”
Today, the highest temperature in Nanzhou City was only 5 degrees Celsius, which was indeed considered frigid for a southern city.
Fu Xunzhou looked up at Fu Zhiqiang and said coldly, “How about this, you might as well not come at all in the future, so you won’t have to brave the cold.”
In the past, regardless of how often Fu Zhiqiang was late or left early, Fu Xunzhou would turn a blind eye. But today, he showed no leniency in front of all the leaders present.
Fu Zhiqiang was furious, gritting his teeth, but found himself unable to argue.
Unexpectedly, Fu Xunzhou continued, “If I remember correctly, second uncle, you’re turning sixty this year, right? It’s time to retire.”
Fu Zhiqiang frowned and asked, “What do you mean?”
Fu Xunzhou said expressionlessly, “It’s exactly as it sounds. Second uncle, you should understand plain speech, right? I’ll have the HR department quickly draft a suitable candidate to replace you, so you can enjoy your retirement.”
With a loud bang, Fu Zhiqiang slammed the table, his neck bulging with anger. “Fu Xunzhou! Don’t go too far! Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been up to lately! You drove away Fu Zhiqing, and now you’re trying to get rid of me too, aren’t you? You’re nothing but a rebellious ingrate!”
Fu Xunzhou sat upright in the chairman’s seat, the meeting room warmed by the heater. Today, he wore a simple black crew-neck sweatshirt, a stark contrast to his usual formal attire. Yet, his commanding presence was unmistakable, intimidating even without anger.
Even Fu Hexu found this side of Xunzhou somewhat unsettling.
Fu Hexu had always understood what kind of person Fu Xunzhou was. He recalled a time during their school days when he tried to drag the straight-laced student out of class to watch a game. On their way back, they encountered some thugs bullying a little girl. Without hesitation, Xunzhou picked up a stone from the roadside and hurled it at the thug’s head, leaving him bleeding profusely. And that wasn’t all; Xunzhou’s kick likely ensured one of those thugs would never experience intimacy again.
When it came to ruthlessness, Fu Hexu knew he could never match Fu Xunzhou.
Clearly, Fu Zhiqiang had underestimated Xunzhou’s resolve over the years.
After Fu Zhiqiang had finished his outburst, Xunzhou pulled a document from his desk and tossed it in front of him. “Second uncle, the entire group has witnessed your work over the past three years. We deeply appreciate your efforts, but it seems you might truly be getting old. The profits have been in decline for three years, which is quite regrettable.”
Faced with the undeniable performance figures, Fu Zhiqiang was left speechless.
For three years, Fu Zhiqiang had banked on Xunzhou not daring to confront him, leading to his lax attitude.
Xunzhou smiled slightly, “The younger generation surpasses the old. I believe you’ve done your best, but unfortunately, the group doesn’t need someone as useless as you.”
His words were a veiled insult, leaving Fu Zhiqiang humiliated.
His pride was trampled, and in a fit of rage, Fu Zhiqiang charged at Xunzhou, ready to fight.
Xunzhou remained calm in his seat, and as Fu Zhiqiang reached him, security swiftly pinned him down.
Throughout the ordeal, Xunzhou never once looked directly at Fu Zhiqiang. As Fu Zhiqiang was escorted out of the meeting room, Xunzhou turned to one of the executives and said, “We were discussing the plans for the first half of the year. Please continue.”
Beside him, Fu Hexu watched Xunzhou with an expression of disbelief.
Observing his formidable younger brother, Fu Hexu suddenly felt grateful he had never crossed Xunzhou.
Otherwise, with old and new grievances combined, Xunzhou’s retribution would leave no time for mental preparation.
