Homo Sapiens

On Li Qingye’s phone browser.

[Today’s Headlines: Xinxin Group’s Strategic Shift... 2017.04.20]

[New Xinxin Group President Du Shuping: Xinxin Is at a Life-or-Death Juncture. Failure to Change Means Bankruptcy... 2017.04.11]

[Xinxin Group Partners with Temasek Investment to Push for North American IPOs for Multiple Subsidiaries... 2017.04.04]

[Cutting Off Its Tail to Survive: Jianhu Steel Successfully Acquires Tonghua Steel, One of Xinxin’s Holding Companies... 2017.03.28]

”So much has happened in just one month...” Li Qingye stared at the ceiling, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

Even though he didn’t understand corporate management, he could tell something was wrong. Xinxin Group had been founded by his father, and Li Qingye had picked up a lot just by being around it. For instance, he knew that Xinxin Company’s basic model was similar to Huawei Company’s—one of his father’s core principles.

His brow furrowed deeper as he pieced together fragments of memory.

Xinxin wasn’t a monolith. From snippets of his parents’ past conversations, he knew that among the dozen or so partners, some wanted to stick to the old model. Others wanted to move with the times, pushing for an IPO and external financing. And then there was a faction that was on the fence.

If all this had been initiated by his father, Li Qingye wouldn’t have been surprised.

But why did the company undergo such a drastic change at this exact moment? It happened right after the sudden death of his father, the man who had always insisted on no IPOs, no outside financing, and an employee stock-ownership model.

He couldn’t stop his mind from racing with speculation.

He then recalled that his older brother, after joining the company, had also always supported their father’s business model.

In ’14, his older brother had gone to inspect a construction site and was killed on the spot, crushed by a steel rebar...

This year, his parents had been traveling to Modu for business when a dump truck rammed their car, sending it plunging into the Huangpu River...

And then came the rapid power shuffle within Xinxin Group. Even the company’s core principles were upended...

Li Qingye swallowed hard, a cold sweat soaking his back. It was all too coincidental. It was as if an invisible, sinister hand was behind the Li Family’s string of tragedies.

As he looked at the photos of Xinxin Group’s founders on his phone, a storm of emotions—scrutiny, suspicion, hatred, anger, and helplessness—flashed through Li Qingye’s eyes.

He closed the browser and leaned back against his pillow.

Even if he guessed the mastermind was one of them, what could he possibly do now? If he acted rashly and brought this to light, he would be the one to die. No question.

His enemies weren’t making a move yet because his parents had just died. If Li Qingye also died in an ”accident” right now, it would alarm the faction loyal to his father. They’d see the writing on the wall.

They needed time to completely take over Xinxin Group, and they needed time to purge the company from within.

All they had to do was wait a few years. By then, he’d be forgotten by everyone at the company, his enemies would have cemented their control, and he would have faded from the public eye. At that point, arranging a simple ”accident” would be all it took to remove him from the picture for good.

At this thought, a chilling fear he couldn’t suppress crept into his heart.

’No... I refuse to die such a pathetic, stifled death...’

Li Qingye roared indignantly in his heart. If before he had felt he had nothing left to live for, now his heart was filled to the brim with hatred. He couldn’t give up his life, not before he had avenged his parents and older brother. This blood debt had become his reason to live.

Countless thoughts collided in his mind.

He knew his situation was extremely dangerous. The masterminds who seized Xinxin Company were not saints. If he showed the slightest sign that something was wrong, they would very likely decide to eliminate him completely.

But continuing to play the fool back in Gao Shansi Village was probably just a form of slow suicide.

As long as Li Qingye lived, he would be an obstacle to their control over Xinxin Company. To an outsider, he might seem like just a young kid, nothing to fear.

Just because he didn’t appear to be a threat didn’t mean he wasn’t one. His very existence was a threat.

Putting himself in their shoes, he knew that if he were the mastermind, simply killing Li Qingye would be the easiest solution. It would not only strike a blow against the remnants of the Li Family’s loyalists, but it would also allow them to gobble up the 5.8% of company shares in Li Qingye’s name.

Any other solution would risk complications and unforeseen problems.

Li Qingye racked his brain, searching for a way out of this impossible situation.

Doing nothing or continuing to play the fool in the village were not viable options.

Immediately returning to Peng City to rely on the Li Family’s remaining loyalists to fight Du Shuping and the others would be suicide. He had no way of knowing who was truly loyal to his father and the Li Family. When it came to scheming against those old foxes, he would be outmaneuvered ten times over.

As he thought it over and over, a hint of madness suddenly flashed in Li Qingye’s eyes.

Retreating meant death.

Advancing also meant death.

The only path forward was to throw himself into the jaws of death and find a way to survive.

Having made his decision, he began to take stock of the resources at his disposal.

Personal savings of 1.37 million, a 148-square-meter apartment near Jiangcheng University, and the Colorful Heart Cosmetics Company (which owned a biochemical lab built with a 22 million investment) with 3.72 million in liquid capital.

He also had his parents’ savings, properties, and company stock. But the stock was off-limits; touching it would undoubtedly attract the attention of Du Shuping and the others.

Damn it! Li Qingye’s fists clenched. Xinxin Group’s total assets were in the hundreds of billions; his parents’ 5.8% of the original shares were worth at least seven billion.

But for now, he could only swallow his anger and bide his time.

That 5.8% of the company’s shares, to him right now, was a death warrant.

If he couldn’t touch the Xinxin Company shares, it meant he probably couldn’t touch his parents’ other assets for the time being either.

After thinking all night, he finally fell into a groggy sleep the next morning.

「Until April 26th.」

With a dejected expression, Li Qingye said goodbye to his Seventh Uncle and then called Wu Heguang.

”Uncle Wu...”

”Qingye, are you planning to come back to Peng City? I’ve already cleaned out a room for you, just waiting for your return,” Wu Heguang said in a kindly voice.

Li Qingye’s voice was just as listless as ever. ”No, I’m planning to go to America on an academic visit with my advisor. I probably won’t be back in the country this year.”

”...” Wu Heguang paused on the other end of the line before replying in a gentle, consoling tone. ”That’s good too. Go clear your head. Old Su and I will hold down the fort at the company. Oh, by the way, I have some old friends in America. I could arrange for you to get into the business administration program at the University of Pennsylvania. Later on...”

Before he could finish, Li Qingye cut him off. ”Thanks, Uncle Wu, but I just want to follow my advisor to America and see how it is. Biology suits me better.”

”Alright then! Give me a call when you get there. And if you’re short on cash, don’t hesitate to ask me.”

”Got it, Uncle Wu. I’m hanging up now.”

He hung up the phone, grabbed his suitcase, and took a three-wheeler to the bus station in Qingshan Bridge Town.

For his own safety, he planned to stick to crowded public transport for the rest of his journey—buses, high-speed rail, and planes. He wouldn’t take any taxis or private cars until he had a trustworthy team of his own.

After all, in this country, those people would be more hesitant to act on crowded public transport.

Li Qingye was essentially using the other passengers as a shield, forcing his pursuers to hold back.

The part about going abroad with his advisor was true. His advisor was a leading figure in his field in the country, and his advisor’s own mentor was an academician.

As long as he didn’t immediately reveal his thirst for revenge through his words or actions, his enemies would most likely be wary of the risk of accidentally harming a well-known scientist.

As long as Li Qingye stuck close to his advisor, he would be much safer, at least for the time being.