Chapter 38: The Zhu Group Suffers a Great Loss
Translator: Tuiwen Editor: Tuiwen
Ming Jing stepped into the living room and found out that the atmosphere of the room was very bad.
Nanny Zhou walked out of the kitchen right then and gave her a look. She said in a hushed voice, "Sir just got back. He and Madam are arguing upstairs. Something must've happened. Miss Ming Jing, be sure to watch your back."
After the fight with Zhu Wenjie that day, everyone knew that their marriage was on the rocks.
Ming Jing nodded her head and asked, "How is Grandma doing today?"
There was a smile on Nanny Zhou's face after hearing Grandma Zhu's name mentioned. "The Old Madam is doing better. She can eat solid food now. She was just asking about you."
"I'll check in on her."
After looking in on Grandma Zhu, Ming Jing headed up the stairs. On the right of the stairs were Zhu Wentao and Lin Qing's bedroom. Opposite from their room was Zhu Shaodan's bedroom, and on the left was Zhu Xiangxiang and the guest bedroom.
Faint arguing voices and the sound of objects being thrown around the room could be heard from behind Zhu Wentao and Lin Qing's closed bedroom door.
"Zhu Wentao, how can you place our love which has lasted for twenty years over a three-month-old love affair. What you did disappoints me so much…"
"Stop being so unaccommodating."
"I'm unaccommodating? Take care and ask yourself, after all these years, I raised two children and cared for your mother. Do you think it was easy for me?"
"The nanny takes care of the children and my mother. And how did you pass the time? You went shopping, drank tea, and played mahjong all day long. Which of your sisters doesn't envy your life? Now you're listing your complaints to me? Do you feel tired of this life?"
"Zhu Wentao, you're simply too cruel and heartless…"
"Bang." The sound of the door being slammed shut was heard throughout the house.
Zhu Wentao had left the room in a huff. Before he could get the emotions on his face under control, he bumped into Ming Jing who had just gone up the stairs. His expression was very awkward for a moment there.
He opened his mouth about to say something but nothing came out. He felt too ashamed to show his face to his daughter, so he quickly rushed down the stairs, leaving Ming Jing standing on the stairway alone.
Lin Qing's mournful cries could be heard sounding out from their bedroom.
Lin Qing had always been a proud woman. This was the first time Ming Jing had seen her show her vulnerable side.
Ming Jing stood at the stairway for a long time listening to her cries. Pretty soon, they died down. After that, Lin Qing could be heard making a phone call.
It was most likely a phone call to a private detective to ask him to speed up his investigation. She had no time to wait any longer.
Men and women were not equals in a marriage. If one wanted to be on equal grounds, one had to pursue the matter with absolute clear-headedness.
Fortunately, she was not a stupid woman.
Hearing Zhu Xiangxiang's voice come from down the stairs, Ming Jing lifted her leg and made her way back to her room.
…
"Director Zhu, just to let you know, something happened at the company."
Zhu Wentao had just pressed the doorbell when he got a call from Secretary Wang.
Zhou Ling opened the door wearing a gentle smile on her face. When she saw Zhu Wentao's crestfallen expression, she fell silent out of concern for him.
Zhu Wentao disconnected the call and said in a deep and rumbling voice, "You go ahead and eat by yourself. Don't wait up for me. I'm going to head back to the company."
Zhou Ling did not bother to ask and instead, said, "Wait a second for me."
When she returned, she had a small lunchbox in her hand. "You get sick when your stomach is empty. I just made your favorite pancakes and the soup that I've been preparing for the whole afternoon. If you cool it and reheat it in the microwave, it might not be as appetizing, but it's better than having nothing to eat."
Zhu Wentao appeared moved by her gesture. He reached out to touch her face with his hand and said, "Thank you for all that you've done for me."
Zhou Ling stood on her tiptoes and reached with an outstretched hand to adjust his collar. She said in a gentle voice, "Drive safely on the roads. When you get there, send me a text. Hurry and don't delay things any further."
Zhu Wentao gave her a kiss on the forehead and said, "I'll be back."
When he left, Zhou Ling caressed her hair and smiled before turning around and closing the door behind her.
…
There was a family-run restaurant in the early years that was popular. At that time, people came far and wide for their mutton soup recipe. It was rumored that the family's ancestor was a royal chef whose secret recipe was passed down for hundreds of years. The very recipe was served at the family-run restaurant and the dish was very popular. So popular that people wouldn't mind lining up to get a taste of that delicious dish.
However, the owner of the family business was faced with hard times and he was in urgent need of money. Zhu Wentao immediately took action and had his relatives and friends make an offer for the secret recipe from the owner. Pretty soon, he took over the shop. He and Lin Qing were in charge of everything from the outside and inside operations and onward. Soon, it was the Zhu family's mutton soup that was famous. In less than five years, it became the driving factor of all the branch openings in all the major cities and towns in the province.
Later, Zhu Wentao jumped on the bandwagon of the fast real estate developments and changed tracks to invest in the real estate sector. He was lucky and met a noble person who guided him. He earned a lot of money and the industry was vastly transformed by his contributions. In the past ten years, Zhu Wentao acted boldly and decisively. He had an eye for talent and the company continued to see a boom in development. Right now, he could be considered one of the top figures in Jiang City.
The Zhu Group's biggest move recently was to partner up with the old real estate company, Shengda, to develop what was once an old school property. Shengda could not keep up with the economic times and was failing as a business. That was why they reached out to the Zhu Group for a partnership. The old school property was reputed to be one of the most expensive pieces of land in Jiang City. The collaboration between the two major real estate companies was said to be a strong alliance. It caused quite a stir within the city. The old school property became a hot commodity even before it was placed on the market. Pretty soon, the price of the property soared to an astonishing amount.
However, about half a month ago, Shengda suddenly had to file for bankruptcy. The development project was halted and everything was seized by the courts. At this stage, the Zhu family had already invested quite a lot of time and energy into this project. Once the Zhu Group was faced with this blow, its vitality was greatly damaged and its funds could not be recovered in time. Its next few major projects had to be terminated as a result.
This was, of course, not the worst part. The news of Shengda's bankruptcy had been suppressed in the press. If the news were to leak out and affect the stock exchange, things would be problematic indeed.
The company was faced with a bad situation. The person in charge of the project ran away with all the money. Even the person to be responsible for all this was long gone. Zhu Wentao had to shoulder all the pressure alone.
"Director Zhu, Director Qian is not answering our calls and has already notified the police. However, the company is facing a major loss, and there is no way we can keep this out of the news. We have to think of a way around this as soon as possible."
Zhu Wentao's face was terrifyingly somber. "That bastard surnamed Qian, don't let me see him again, or else he will be feeling the full brunt of my wrath."
"Is Shengda so powerless as to be unable to reverse the current situation?"
Secretary Wang shook his head back and forth. "There was some news earlier that Shengda was going to be brought out by Ark Group. However, for some reason or another, there was no more news. I suspect that Shengda's misfortunes must be some trap set up by the other party. It just so happens that our company is making a wedding dress for someone else."
"Ark Group? The losses are becoming more and more a headache every day. This Shen Zhou is certainly a shrewd businessman."
"President Zhu, do you think we should take Mr. Shen out to dinner sometime?"
Zhu Wentao didn't want to beg for help, but the business world had been declining for many years. If his old face could help him in any way, he didn't mind showing it in front of a potential business partner to help turn the tides in his favor.
"Go ahead and make the arrangements."
…
At the Lonemoon Nunnery.
Ming Ti sat under the stairway with her chin resting on her hands, staring mystified at the night sky overhead.
"Second Senior Sister, you've been away for 35 days. When will you return to see us? We've missed you so much."
The door behind them creaked open, and a girl of eight or nine years old made her way inside.
"Chen, how is Eldest Senior Sister doing?" The girl turned around and asked.
Ming Chen shook her head back and forth. "I hope that Second Senior Sister will bring back some good news soon."
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