Take Me Away, My Love - Chapter 29 - Taking Over Changyun Group
After Ma Yunfei left, Li Minchun needed to get a clear understanding of the company’s affairs.
Previously, she was mainly responsible for the underworld aspects, but now it seemed that even the legitimate company needed a thorough investigation.
As she sifted through the piles of documents, a thick file caught her attention, and the words on it pierced her heart deeply-Changyun Group.
What Li Minchun hadn’t expected was that even Changyun Group was under her control. It seemed that in the future, Changyun Group would be entirely within her grasp.
Compared to other ventures, Li Minchun felt most attached to Changyun Group. After all, it was the best testament to her relationship with Jian Yiqing.
“Secretary, come in for a moment.”
Soon, the secretary entered the office and respectfully said, “Leader, you wanted to see me.”
Waving the document in her hand, Li Minchun asked, “Do you know who currently manages Changyun Group? Also, who are the key senior management figures there?”
The secretary nodded and replied, “The director of Changyun Group is Zhang Mi. The senior management includes Gu Xing from the Planning Department, Ru Long from the Marketing Department, and others…”
In one breath, the secretary relayed all the information she knew to Li Minchun.
Before praising her for her efficiency, it’s important to acknowledge one thing: Changyun Group was Jian Yiqing’s enterprise, and these young women would often look into matters concerning the eligible bachelor.
Although they might not necessarily know that the chief of Ling Kong was Jian Yiqing, it didn’t deter them from paying close attention to him. Moreover, since Changyun Group was under their jurisdiction, it was essential to be informed and remember such matters.
“Alright, I understand. Can you arrange a meeting with Ms. Zhang for me?” Li Minchun’s request left the secretary astounded.
Stifling her surprise, the secretary found it difficult to respond, “I’m sorry, Leader, I can’t do that.”
“Why?” Li Minchun was puzzled. She knew a bit about Zhang’s character and thought a girl like her wouldn’t be so arrogant as to ignore a directive from Ling Kong.
Given her good relationship with Jian Yiqing, she ought to oblige.
Yet, the secretary confidently explained, “While these enterprises are under our jurisdiction, in general, the chief has already instructed us not to interfere with those businesses, nor can we get involved.”
“Why is that?”
Li Minchun felt increasingly curious. She often became sensitive and suspicious about matters concerning herself, needing everything to be crystal clear.
“We don’t know either; it’s just that the chief instructed us this way, so we have to abide by it.”
“Alright, I understand. You may go now.”
After sending the secretary away, Li Minchun resumed her course of action.
No, despite what the documents suggested-that everything seemed fine with Changyun Group-her rough understanding of the company made her skeptical that nothing untoward had happened.
Especially before Cheng Duo and Cheng Mo launched their attacks, they would surely attempt to extract money from Changyun Group.
Otherwise, even by using the Italian Mafia to threaten small businesses, it would be impossible to sustain the massive Shiyu Conglomerate.
With these thoughts in mind, Li Minchun recalled someone.
She promptly set off for a particular place.
After changing outfits and deliberately taking multiple detours-taking a much longer route than necessary-she finally arrived at her destination.
Standing in place, she looked up at the imposing, luxurious, and uniquely designed villa, a slight smile appearing on her lips.
Then, she gently pressed the doorbell.
“Who is it?” came the voice of a middle-aged woman from beyond the doorbell. Li Minchun spoke into the intercom, “I’m a friend of Mrs. Liu, my name is Li Minchun.”
“Alright, please hold on a moment.”
Upon receiving the information, the housekeeper quickly went upstairs to find Liu Yuanyuan.
Now, Liu Yuanyuan, after marrying Director Liu, finally understood what kind of life she should lead.
She was indulging in leisure every day, needing to do nothing more than shopping and pampering herself. Even Director Liu’s two children treated her with great respect.
Despite not being entirely accustomed to this life as a devoted wife and loving mother, Liu Yuanyuan was striving to adapt.
After the events she had previously experienced, she realized that to live a good life, she must abide by her role. Otherwise, the bloody lessons from the past would repeat themselves.
Liu Yuanyuan was sitting on the sofa, eating fruit and reading a magazine, when she heard the doorbell ring. She called out, “Who is it?”
Auntie Zhang hurried over and said, “Mrs. Liu, someone is here to see you. She says her name is Li Minchun.”
“Li Minchun?”
Hearing this name, Liu Yuanyuan’s eyes widened with surprise.
She quickly put down the magazine and fruit she was holding, and rushed out without even bothering to change her shoes.
When Li Minchun saw the door open, she also saw Liu Yuanyuan’s face, glowing with a healthy blush.
With a bright smile, she said, “Long time no see, you’ve become even more beautiful.”
It was a heartfelt compliment, and Liu Yuanyuan could tell. Excitedly, she pulled Li Minchun into the house, saying, “I haven’t heard from you for such a long time. I never expected you to show up today-it’s such a surprise; I wasn’t prepared at all.”
Seeing that Liu Yuanyuan was living a happy life now, a radiant smile appeared on Li Minchun’s face as well. “What preparation do you need? Are you trying to set me up on a date?”
This joke immediately lightened the atmosphere and made it more cheerful.
Liu Yuanyuan laughed and introduced Auntie Zhang, “Auntie Zhang, this is the matchmaker who introduced me to my husband. Please prepare some snacks for us, and oh, a cup of coffee too.”
“Alright, alright!”
Hearing that she was the matchmaker for Mrs. Liu’s marriage, Auntie Zhang quickly busied herself.
Wasting no time on pleasantries, Li Minchun got straight to the point, “Please don’t tell anyone about my visit here today, okay?”
Although Liu Yuanyuan didn’t know why Li Minchun was making such a request, she nodded.
Ever since their collaboration the last time, Liu Yuanyuan’s perspective on Li Minchun had changed. The resentment she once felt seemed to have gradually faded away with time. Li Minchun was right; living in this world, one should make oneself comfortable. Let those unpleasant memories disperse with the wind.
Li Minchun continued to ask, “While I was away, did Cheng Duo and Cheng Mo cause you any trouble?”
Speaking of this, Liu Yuanyuan’s previously smiling face instantly turned cold.
Her expression was full of bitterness as she said, “Of course they did. They came to my house right after my wedding. But that was when I went abroad for my honeymoon, so they missed me. Later on, they were scared off by the photos you gave me and my husband’s influence, so they didn’t dare do anything. I’ve been okay here.”
Despite what she said, Li Minchun could still sense the deep-seated resentment emanating from Liu Yuanyuan.
It seemed her experience with the Shangguan Family indeed left her with a bitter hatred toward them.
“What else?”
“They wanted me to hand over evidence of the fake accounts we made, and they even promised me some benefits.”
“Did you agree?” This was the most pressing matter for Li Minchun. After all, if their joint efforts to counter the Shangguan Family were exposed, it would have significant repercussions for Changyun Group.
Liu Yuanyuan shook her head and said, “I didn’t. I will never trust them again. Anyway, I figured that keeping these things in my hands could possibly save my life. But if, one day, I lose all of it, I could be truly doomed.”
It seemed there was a reason why Jian Gangchen chose Liu Yuanyuan to be an undercover agent to monitor Jian Yiqing. This woman had her moments of cleverness.
Li Minchun nodded and continued, “Besides this, is there anything else you know about them?”
Liu Yuanyuan thought for a moment and quickly said, “I’m not sure of much else, but I do know that after giving up on pressuring me, they targeted Chen Zhen, who is a friend of yours.”
“Chen Zhen?”
Li Minchun exclaimed in surprise.
She had grown up with Chen Zhen and Cheng Mo.
Especially with Chen Zhen, she shared a particularly close bond. They had gone through life-and-death situations together, becoming like sisters through shared triumphs and trials.
No matter what hardships they faced, they silently supported each other, and that was mutual.
But, whether due to fate’s curious twists or mere mischance, they ended up falling in love with different men, who were actually arch-enemies.
The two, who could face life and death with calm, ended up parting ways over men.
Thinking about it, it indeed felt ironic and somewhat amusing.
Li Minchun continued asking, “What happened to Chen Zhen?”
“Chen Zhen was controlled by them because of the child she’s carrying. They used her as an informant to find out your exact location at the Aegean Sea. And then…” As Liu Yuanyuan recounted these memories, she didn’t realize how each word felt like a dagger, piercing Li Minchun’s heart deeply.
She had treated Chen Zhen as a close sister, and yet in the end, this was the outcome. It was indeed sorrowful.
“Okay, I understand.”
“Do you know where Chen Zhen is now?” Liu Yuanyuan suddenly asked.
Li Minchun shook her head, a bit dazed.
Liu Yuanyuan regrettably replied, “According to my information, it seems she still lives in this city.”
After getting this information from Liu Yuanyuan, Li Minchun was left a little dizzy and unfocused. She had intended to visit Liu Yuanyuan to clarify matters about Changyun Group, but unexpectedly, she stumbled upon Chen Zhen’s whereabouts.
So, she started using her contacts to find Chen Zhen.
Meanwhile, she received an unexpected call from Zhang Mi at Changyun Group.
Once again taking on the identity of Su Xin, Li Minchun sat face-to-face with Zhang Mi in a café, both sitting silently for a while.
To avoid recognition, Li Minchun specially ordered civet coffee this time.
“I never thought you would reach out to me,” Li Minchun began. Her tone was more of familiarity than that of strangers, as if she was talking to an old friend. Truth be told, Li Minchun didn’t feel the need to intentionally hide things from Zhang Mi.
Zhang Mi, gazing intently at Li Minchun, remarked with a hint of surprise, “Honestly, I’m not sure why the president wanted me to meet you and tell you about that matter.”
With her dark eyes and hair, Zhang Mi always exuded an aura of intelligence and wisdom, which indeed was true.
She wanted to figure out why there was an exception with this woman.
Originally, Jian Yiqing had made it clear that only people from their small world could be involved with Changyun Group. Even the upper echelons of Ling Kong couldn’t interfere. This was why, for so long, despite Ling Kong’s secret protection of Changyun Group, they hadn’t intervened further.
Because Jian Yiqing had said he and Li Minchun wanted to wash away their sins. Changyun Group was meant to be a pure place, free from any criminal interference. Even his organization, Ling Kong, was no exception.
For so many years, Changyun Group had remained calm and stable.
On the surface, they were protected by American criminal organizations, while secretly, they were under Ling Kong’s influence. But for Changyun Group, these two powerful entities were merely a protective shield.
However, today…
The arrival of this woman seemed to have disrupted all that order.
