Chi Ye woke up in the morning to find Mo Huai sitting at the dining table, savoring his coffee.
"Good morning, brother-in-law," Chi Ye said, walking over and yawning.
"Morning," Mo Huai replied, placing his coffee on the table and picking up a financial newspaper.
"Where’s Sister Wei Wei?" Chi Ye looked around but didn’t see Luo Wei, curious.
"Let her sleep a bit longer," Mo Huai said with a slightly raised tone, his face expressionless.
"Oh."
Chi Ye responded and pulled out a chair to sit down. He casually grabbed a fried dough stick and started chewing.
After a while, Mo Huai put down the newspaper and stared at Chi Ye.
Chi Ye was taken aback, thinking, Did I upset my brother-in-law? Why is he suddenly staring at me?
Chi Ye hesitated for a moment and asked, "Brother-in-law, is something wrong?"
Mo Huai’s lips curved into a slight smile as he said slowly, "Thank you."
"Ah..." Chi Ye was surprised and confused. "What are you thanking me for?"
"Thank you for always taking care of Wei Wei. You’ve looked after her very well."
Mo Huai spoke in a composed manner, his voice rich and deep.
Chi Ye felt a bit embarrassed and smiled, touching his hair. "No need to thank me. Sister Wei Wei and I are like siblings. It’s only natural for me to take care of her."
After breakfast, Chi Ye found himself with a set of car keys—a limited edition sports car.
Chi Ye was still processing the fact that Mo Huai was giving him this multi-million-dollar sports car. His own car had been confiscated by his father after a fight, and now he was without a vehicle. Mo Huai’s gift was indeed timely.
Chi Ye silently gave Mo Huai a thumbs-up in his mind, thinking that his brother-in-law was becoming more and more likable. Chi Ye was quite pleased.
Luo Jianguo signed the acquisition contract, and from that moment, the Luo family business, which he had built from scratch, no longer belonged to him.
Luo Jianguo’s face was heavy as he sighed and began packing up his personal items from the office.
Holding a box, he walked out of the Luo building, gazing up at the entire structure with a myriad of thoughts.
After a long while, he collected himself and drove back to the Luo residence.
Once at home, Luo Jianguo called the servants to inform them of the situation. The servants complained continuously.
"Sir, why is this happening suddenly? It’s hard to find work now," one of the servants murmured.
Another added, "Yes, the severance pay is so little; it’s not enough to support a family."
The servants were dissatisfied with the severance pay and voiced their complaints.
Luo Jianguo’s face grew increasingly grim as he hunched over and sat on the sofa in silence.
As the complaints about the low severance continued, Luo Jianguo’s anger flared. He slammed his hand on the table, and the noisy room instantly fell silent as the servants looked at him in fear.
"This money comes from selling my car. If you don’t want it, fine. If you’re unhappy, you can go to the labor bureau and complain. I’m not afraid."
Luo Jianguo threatened, his voice raised with a flash of anger in his eyes.
At this, the servants, though angry, kept silent and began packing their belongings to leave the Luo residence.
Soon, the large Luo house was left empty except for Luo Jianguo, and the silence was eerie.
Luo Jianguo picked up the landline and dialed Zhu Shulan’s number. After three minutes, the call was answered.
"What’s the matter? I’m busy," Zhu Shulan’s voice was impatient and irritable.
In the background, the sounds of mahjong could be heard, and Luo Jianguo frowned, displeased. "Come back quickly. I have something to tell you."
"I’m not free. We’re in the middle of a mahjong game. I can’t leave now," Zhu Shulan firmly refused, upset over her recent losses.
Luo Jianguo sneered and said, "Luo Corporation has gone bankrupt."
"What? Bankrupt? Explain yourself, hello..."
Without waiting for Zhu Shulan to finish, Luo Jianguo abruptly hung up and dialed Luo Qianqian’s number, telling her to come back immediately.
A short while later, Zhu Shulan and Luo Qianqian arrived back at the Luo residence.
As they entered the house, Zhu Shulan’s expression was grim. She grabbed Luo Jianguo’s arm and asked urgently, "What did you just say? Luo Corporation went bankrupt?"
Luo Qianqian, stunned, turned to Luo Jianguo and asked, "Dad, what do you mean Luo Corporation went bankrupt? What’s going on?"
Luo Jianguo, with his head lowered, said after a moment of silence, "I sold Luo Corporation today, and I’ve also let go of the servants and drivers. Our Luo family is essentially bankrupt now."
Zhu Shulan and Luo Qianqian spoke simultaneously, their eyes wide, "What?"
Zhu Shulan, scratching her head, expressed disbelief, "Luo Corporation was doing fine. How could it suddenly go bankrupt? The financial situation was good. How could this happen?"
Luo Qianqian couldn’t help but step back a few paces, then steadied herself and stammered, "Dad, how... how is this possible? Our family can’t go bankrupt."
Luo Qianqian’s expression was one of confusion and disbelief. Having been pampered all her life, she would rather face death than endure hardship.
Luo Jianguo appeared aged by ten years, with more gray hair and a troubled expression. "The raw materials were bought out. Without them, we couldn’t fulfill orders, and we face a ten-billion compensation for breach of contract. We had no choice but to be acquired by another company."
Zhu Shulan, still incredulous, said, "How could the raw materials be bought out? Are we being set up by someone?"
Luo Jianguo scoffed, shaking his head. He had already investigated and seen in the news that Luo Wei married Mo Huai from the influential Mo family in Yanjing. Mo Huai was someone who could single-handedly control everything.
The Luo Corporation’s crisis must have been his doing too. Luo Jianguo could not find any records of the buyer’s name; it was done anonymously. In Yanjing, only the Mo family had the power to cause such destruction. This led Luo Jianguo to believe that Mo Huai was taking revenge for Luo Wei.
The severity of Mo Huai’s actions left him bewildered.
"Hey, speak up. I’m losing my mind here," Zhu Shulan urged, shaking Luo Jianguo, who was lost in thought.
"What can I say? It’s all your fault," Luo Jianguo retorted angrily.
"My fault? You’re the one who failed to manage the company properly and now you blame me, a woman?"
Zhu Shulan’s tone was filled with disdain and sarcasm.
Luo Jianguo’s voice was cold and devoid of embellishment. "If not you, then who? If you had treated Wei Wei better, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened."
Zhu Shulan sneered, "Wei Wei? That spoiled brat? How could she possibly cause Luo Corporation to collapse?"
"She didn’t, but Mo Huai from the Mo family has the power to do so. Mo Huai is behind the bankruptcy of Luo Corporation. Wei Wei married Mo Huai, and Mo Huai is exacting revenge on us for her."
Zhu Shulan was momentarily speechless, trying to process the information. She finally asked, "Wei Wei married Mo Huai from the Mo family?"
Luo Qianqian, wide-eyed and stunned, asked, "Dad, does this mean we’re going to live in poverty? I don’t want to live in poverty."
"You’ll have to. I’ve supported you for over twenty years, and you’ve never earned a penny. Now that our family is in this situation, do you still expect to live off others?"
Luo Jianguo was enraged, having had enough of these recent events.
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