Revenge on the Ruthless CEO

The banquet officially began, and everyone was having a great time. Just then, the cell phones of Qi Yang and Qing Xuan, who were sharing a table with Murong Qingming, started ringing incessantly. Earlier, Murong Qingming had blocked their phones through satellite induction, preventing any calls from coming through, and they didn’t dare to deactivate the blocking themselves. Thus, they were able to stay undisturbed until this morning when Murong Qingming ordered the deactivation of the block. Now, their phones were ringing non-stop, clearly indicating that something significant had happened.

Qi Yang and Qing Xuan exchanged glances, both sneaking peeks at Murong Qingming, who was giving a massage to An Luya. Apologizing, they each found a quiet place to take their calls. Murong Qingming watched them leave, his eyebrows raised slightly, revealing a faint smile. These days, he had been indifferent to the bewildered faces of Qi Yang and Qing Xuan. Little did they know, it was hard for him too. But now, it seemed the storm had passed.

“Hello! Qi Ying, how are things in the Mafia?” Qi Yang was now most worried about whether there was chaos within. Were there any serious incidents?

“What? It’s like that?… Okay, I understand! Tell everyone to be more cautious and lay low for now, hmm. Let it be!” Qi Yang almost went into shock after hearing his younger sister’s news.

Qi Ying reported that recent global terrorist activities had caused major headaches and losses for many government authorities, including China. These were all directly linked to arms suppliers. Can’t find the terrorist organizations? OK then! Start with the arms suppliers.

Thus, each country sent their elite forces for specialized training. Then, these elites, hailing from around the world, disguised themselves as terrorist organizations to contact major Mafia arms dealers, preparing to catch them all at once.

Only the Chinese and Italian Mafias remained unscathed. Oh, and a Middle Eastern organization too, since its leader had been seriously injured by an enemy and was hospitalized, narrowly escaping trouble. The rest, however, were mostly caught. As these Mafia organizations were apprehended, many terrorist groups dealing with them were also caught. A significant European terrorist organization lost more than half its members in resistance. The survivors were either injured or jailed. Seeing this, other organizations no longer resisted, and those who could flee did so, though they too suffered heavy losses and needed significant time to recover.

Within a week, the governments had dismantled nearly half of the arms suppliers and over ten terrorist organizations. This matter had now become explosive news nationally, with governments from various countries sending representatives to make statements.

The Mafia groups led by Qi Yang and Qing Xuan, along with some organizations that were not swept up in the crackdown, went into hiding to recuperate.

Now, Qi Yang finally understood what the boss meant by “It’s all for your own good.” The boss had known all along that the governments were planning to raid the underworld across various countries. No wonder the boss had kept him and Qing Xuan in Hong Kong. The boss must have had his reasons for not revealing the truth. But he had saved them in another way. They had even doubted the boss before-they were truly at fault! How could they ever repay the boss’s kindness?

With that, the matter came to a close. Qi Yang and Qing Xuan unanimously decided to keep the Mafia dormant, engaging only in legitimate business. Inside the Chinese and Italian Mafia, there was no longer any dissent. Everyone was now utterly devoted to the Xiting Commerce Clan, treating Murong Qingming as their benefactor.

Qi Yang put away his phone and sat on the steps, deeply moved, nearly to tears.

Murong Qingming, watching from a distance, wondered why Qi Yang looked so odd, now that the crisis was supposedly over. Murong Qingming approached Qi Yang, patting him gently.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Boss!” Seeing it was Murong Qingming, Qi Yang’s eyes reddened, unable to utter a word. By then, Qing Xuan had also approached, clearly aware of the facts. Guilt and gratitude mixed in their hearts, both men bowed their heads in shame, still bearing doubts about the boss. Murong Qingming could hardly bear such scenes, and with a wave of his hand…

“Enough! You two! I’m giving you ten minutes to get a grip on your emotions. It’s a day of celebration; don’t bring me any sadness. If you really want to thank me, take care of that tail that’s been lurking in the shadows. Being watched every day is driving me crazy.” With that, he strode off to find An Luya. That An Luya, take your eyes off her for a second, and who knows what heart-wrenching thing might happen next!

Qi Yang and Qing Xuan exchanged a glance, nodding simultaneously. After a quick scan of their surroundings, they finally understood the unspoken difficulties of their boss! Damn the national government, seeking their own demise! They were so well hidden, had their boss not mentioned them, they would have remained unnoticed.

The two dispersed, heading towards the pair of eyes in the dark. They had pretty much guessed what Murong Qingming meant. Previously, to avoid suspicion, Murong Qingming had not acted against the person in the shadows, but now that the issue was resolved, he naturally wanted to send a warning to the government. The Xiting Commerce Clan was not to be monitored so casually.

Now that they had discovered him, they certainly weren’t going to let him walk away easily. Qi Yang and Qing Xuan grabbed the watcher.

“What are you doing?” The watcher was shocked and alarmed, discovered? He was a national-level surveillance agent, how had he been detected?

“What are we doing? I should be asking you that! This is a private club, what are you doing here?” Qi Yang said with a mocking smile, clueless of the danger!

“I think he’s just a petty thief! Let’s interrogate him and see what he planned to steal from our boss’s place.”

“Good idea, let’s go!” The two escorted the watcher towards the villa’s interrogation room, completely bewildering him. What was this, an abuse of private justice?

“Let me go, you, hey! I’m a police officer, you’re assaulting an officer!” Who would listen to him, a police officer, indeed!

Murong Qingming returned to the gathering, smiling as he watched An Luya feeding Murong Yang. He was truly happy! Everyone was enjoying their happiness, except for Qi Yang. When would he be able to move on from his grief? Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but remember Lan Lin. How had all this happened? In just a year, a brother who had been with him for many years was gone? But the dead are gone, and the living must live well. Thus, a brother’s matters are his own.

A month ago, in the United States, representatives from major countries like the UK and China secretly approached Murong Qingming. They sought his assistance in combating the Mafia, following a series of recent terrorist activities. Murong Qingming immediately declined their request.

Are you kidding? Launch a crackdown on the Mafia? The two largest Mafia families are part of the Xiting Commerce Clan, and half of the arms for the terrorist organizations are supplied by these two Mafia groups. Asking him to eradicate these two would inevitably lead to chaos within the Xiting Commerce Clan. There’s no way he would help the governments in taking them down.

This was a request he absolutely couldn’t accept. Not only should he refrain from aiding them, but he also needed to find a way to protect them from potential downfall. Murong Qingming gave the governments the reason that all actions of the Xiting Commerce Clan were meticulously planned by him and required a lot of his focus to execute. However, he claimed that he currently lacked the energy to manage these tasks as he was wholly preoccupied with caring for his pregnant wife, who was in fragile health and could be in danger at any moment. Given these circumstances, he couldn’t devote himself fully to any such undertaking.

If he were to take on this request, he couldn’t ensure a successful outcome, and failure would be a major issue. Murong Qingming had already made it publicly known that the leader of the Xiting Commerce Clan’s wife was ill, and they wouldn’t be taking any tasks for the next year. Didn’t they know that?

The representatives understood that the head of the Xiting Commerce Clan was known for his profound love for his wife and prioritized her above all else. Seeing him in person confirmed this-he was willing to forgo such a massive opportunity without hesitation because of her.

Reluctantly, the representatives returned to their countries to report back. Murong Qingming’s refusal was partly to protect Qi Yang and Qing Xuan, the leaders of the two Mafia families, and partly because he had already decided that the Xiting Commerce Clan would lay low for a year. He wished to stay by An Luya’s side until she safely gave birth, only then resuming his management of the Clan’s affairs.

Additionally, he pondered how to protect Qi Yang and Qing Xuan from harm. Before leaving, some of the representatives subtly hinted to Murong Qingming that, since he chose not to be involved, he should not leak any information. Murong Qingming understood the implications, so he needed to come up with a plan to save Qi Yang and Qing Xuan without exposing anything.

No country, including China, knew that the two Mafia families were part of the Xiting Commerce Clan. Since they were unaware, there was an opportunity. The Chinese government even naively placed surveillance on him, underestimating his awareness. He had noticed this surveillance several times, but he couldn’t act against it now, as any action would reveal his stance. So, he let them continue. If they wanted to watch, they could watch as much as they liked. He continued to enjoy his life leisurely, spending most of his time with An Luya and rarely visiting the company.

Murong Qingming faced a bit of a challenge: Qing Xuan’s company had collaborations with Zhu Feng. A misstep in signing any contract or a project issue could keep Qing Xuan in Hong Kong. But how could he manage to bring Qi Yang over from faraway Europe and keep him in Hong Kong for a week? Without a convincing reason for the watchful eyes lurking in the shadows, Qi Yang would be at risk, which could adversely affect the Chinese Mafia.

Then, An Luya’s jump in the garden provided Murong Qingming with the perfect excuse to summon Qi Yang. His visible anxiety and fear made the person watching them from the shadows dismiss him disdainfully. He’s just a lovesick fool, they thought. Why on earth did the higher-ups assign them to monitor this useless person? Since the observer wasn’t suspicious, the state wouldn’t suspect him either, ensuring Qi Yang’s safety.

“Yangyang, pick out the thing you like the most; listen carefully, the one you like the most!” An Luya said with a motherly smile to Murong Yang. Murong Yang grinned broadly and glanced over at his father.

“Kid, make a careful choice!” Murong Qingming said in a half-joking tone. The little boy seemed to understand, pouting at Murong Qingming, which made everyone chuckle. Murong Yang looked at the small table in front of him and walked over cautiously, as if it were the most interesting thing. He squatted down, inspecting this and that without reaching for anything for a while.

“Yangyang, take whatever you want. Come on! Mommy will take a picture, make it beautiful!” An Luya said, shaking the camera to entice little Yang.

“Meimei!” Little Yang’s eyes lit up immediately at those words. Did he think Luya was telling him that taking an object would bring him a younger sister? Murong Qingming covered his face-that couldn’t be his son, definitely not! An Luya was at a loss; whose child was this, anyway? She sneaked a glance at Jing Ziming, who suddenly looked up and started counting stars-what did this have to do with him?

Looking back at Yangyang, who was leaning on the table, he focused on a red egg and picked it up. Staring at the red egg in his hand, Yangyang blinked and nibbled at it. It didn’t budge! He scratched his sparse hair, wondering if a younger sister could possibly be inside. Then, he shook his head and tossed the egg aside. He reached out and picked up a pen and paper, one in each hand. Yangyang looked up at the sky, remembering how his daddy used those to draw every day. Could drawing conjure up a younger sister? Little Yang began scribbling on the paper, but no sister appeared.

“Mommy! No Mei Mei!” The little guy was close to tears; where was his younger sister? With teary eyes, he glanced at a stack of hundred yuan¹. Could this make a sister appear? Oh, right! You could buy a sister. He tossed aside the pen and paper and grabbed the money, trying to stuff it into his little pocket. Because he was so small and not very coordinated, it took him a while to get it all in. Then he patted his pocket and gave An Luya a big smile.

“Mommy! Buy Mei Mei!” Everyone who understood Yangyang’s words was utterly stunned. What planet did this little guy come from? How could he know about buying a girl at such a young age? An Luya felt like she could die of embarrassment, her slender fingers pinching Murong Qingming’s waist. Murong Qingming was on the verge of tears-what did this have to do with him? He had never done such a thing! He cast a cold glance at Jing Ziming.

‘Jing Ziming, this is your doing!’

‘Boss! I swear, it wasn’t me who taught him!’ Jing Ziming knew exactly what the boss wanted to say as soon as he saw that look. But what did this have to do with him? Why was everyone blaming him? His own son wouldn’t do such things!

‘If not you, then who?’

‘I really didn’t, boss! I’m more wronged than Dou E.’ Jing Ziming held up three fingers, nodding vigorously at Murong Qingming. Murong Qingming shot him a glare; he figured Jing Ziming wouldn’t dare do such a thing. But where did this little troublemaker learn it from? Murong Qingming squinted at his son.

“Yes! This little guy who grabs money will surely be a money-maker when he grows up!”

“Exactly! He’ll definitely surpass his predecessor!”

“He’s destined to become a business miracle!” Those who didn’t understand or didn’t hear properly gave thumbs up to the Murong Family, flattering them. Those who knew the truth just shook their heads, realizing the compliment had missed the mark.

“Our little birthday star picked money, so let’s hope our little birthday star will have money like…”

“Wait!” The host on stage hadn’t finished speaking when a woman walked up. She was stunning and sexy, with an aura of danger!

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