The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Back at the Li Family Manor.

Li Huiran and Li Jianwen were seething with rage, while Li Qinghe wore a concerned expression.

Li Huiran suppressed her anger and said, ”Everyone’s here now. So tell us, how exactly did you end up getting captured by Huang Tao?”

Chen Dong said innocently, ”Who said I was captured by Huang Tao? I just asked him to give me a ride home. Who knew he’d bail halfway through when he found out I was going to the Li Family Manor and just dump me there?”

No one looked convinced.

Li Huiran pressed, ”And that’s all?”

Chen Dong shrugged. ”That’s all.”

Li Huiran snapped, ”And you have the nerve to look so relaxed and innocent! Do you have any idea what we went through? Everyone thought you’d been captured by Huang Tao and were going to be thrown in the river. To save you, Grandpa was even prepared to trade the Li Group to the Huang Family for your safety.”

Chen Dong was taken aback. He looked at the kind-faced Elder Li, a wave of gratitude washing over him.

He asked, ”So what happened in the end?”

Li Qinghe laughed. ”Haha! For some reason, that Huang Biehe lost his mind and just cursed me out!”

Chen Dong felt a sense of relief. ”Good thing the trade didn’t happen. Otherwise, I’d be the family sinner!”

Li Huiran’s cheeks puffed out in anger. ”You’re a sinner right now!”

Li Jianwen pulled out his phone and checked a message. With a grave expression, he said to Li Qinghe, ”Dad! I just got word. Huang Wenlong and Huang Tao are dead!”

The prayer beads in Li Qinghe’s hands stilled. ”No wonder Huang Biehe said what he did. He must think we were the ones who made the move. Still, Huang Wenlong died at a convenient time. Otherwise, no one in the Li Family right now would have been a match for him.”

Li Jianwen suggested, ”Should we go to their home and try to explain? After all, the Huang Family is the most powerful in Jiangzhou right now.”

Li Qinghe gave Li Jianwen a strange look. ”No need. This is something that can’t be explained away. We’re stuck taking the blame for this. Even if we could clear things up, our relationship with the Huang Family is already at a point where it’s basically a fight to the death.”

Chen Dong was playing with his new phone. Hearing this, he thought, ’Well, it’s not like they’re wrong to blame us.’

Li Jianwen continued, ”Dad! The Wu Family invested five billion into our Li Group last month, making them the third-largest shareholder. We have to take their visiting representative seriously.” As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Li Huiran.

Li Qinghe snorted. ”Hmph! I don’t meddle in company affairs! But if they think they can get any ideas about my granddaughter, I won’t allow it.”

That night, Li Huiran lay in bed, looking at the back of Chen Dong, who was on his floor pallet. She thought to herself, ’Grandpa was so adamant. And today, he was actually willing to trade the Li Group for Chen Dong... Chen Dong is apparently that important in Grandpa’s eyes.’

’Maybe I should try to accept Chen Dong. After all, it seems impossible to change Grandpa’s mind.’

’Besides, now that he’s changed his clothes, he’s actually pretty handsome!’

Just as Li Huiran was pondering her future, Chen Dong’s voice broke the silence.

”Stop staring. You still haven’t given me the hush money we agreed on at the company. Don’t even think about backing out of it!”

Hearing this, Li Huiran instantly felt like she’d lost her mind. To think she was actually considering a scoundrel like him.

A smooth, jade-like leg shot out from under the covers and kicked Chen Dong in the back.

”Go to hell, you scoundrel!”

Struck from behind, Chen Dong used the momentum to sit up.

”What are you doing? Are you trying to get out of paying me?”

Startled, Li Huiran wrapped herself tightly in her blanket.

”I’ll pay! I’ll pay! I’ll give you thirty thousand tomorrow!”

”That’s more like it!” Satisfied with her answer, Chen Dong turned back over and went to sleep.

Tangled in her blankets, Li Huiran was fuming. She made up her mind: she would rather die than marry Chen Dong.

...

The next day, in the same spot as before, Chen Dong was kicked out of the car.

As he slowly walked to the administrative office, Wang Hao and the others quickly surrounded him.

Wang Hao asked urgently, ”Sister Huiran just sent a message. I knew you’d be okay, Brother Dong. I hate how useless I am! If I were stronger, I wouldn’t have let you get into danger!”

Xu Qing asked, ”Brother Dong, how did you get away? We were so worried we couldn’t sleep all night.”

Chen Dong smiled and said, ”I’m fine. I just hitched a ride. By the way, that Huang Tao guy is dead.”

”What?!”

The group was stunned. Huang Tao, who had made their lives miserable, was just... dead?

”How did he die?”

Chen Dong answered perfunctorily, ”I don’t know. Just something I heard.”

While they were still reeling from the shock, Wang Hao mentioned casually, ”Sister Huiran said that because you left early yesterday, she’s docking your pay by fifty thousand.”

”What?” Chen Dong shrieked.

’Damn it!’ he fumed internally. ’That woman is one step ahead of me. I just squeezed thirty thousand out of her, and she turns around and docks me fifty thousand. And she hasn’t even paid me the thirty thousand yet!’

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He stood up, ready to go find that woman and demand an explanation!

Seeing Chen Dong about to leave, Wang Hao called out, ”Where are you going, Brother Dong? The meeting is about to start. All manager-level staff have to attend.”

Chen Dong remembered that he was also technically a manager, albeit a vice manager. He asked, ”Will Li Huiran be there?”

”Sister Huiran is the General Manager. Of course she has to be there.”

”Good! Then I’ll wait!”

Wang Hao, Xu Qing, and the others looked like they’d just discovered a new continent, their eyes sparkling with curiosity. ’The relationship between Brother Dong and Sister Huiran is definitely not simple!’

The massive conference room began to fill up.

As soon as Chen Dong walked in, he saw Li Huiran at the head of the table and scowled.

Li Huiran saw him too, but she was prepared. She gave her secretary at her side a subtle glance.

The secretary, Xiaoyu, intercepted the approaching Chen Dong and led him back toward the door.

Once they were outside the door, Xiaoyu said, ”Vice Manager Chen, here is the thirty thousand yuan President Li is rewarding you with. She also asked me to remind you to abide by company rules and regulations.”

With that, she placed thirty thousand yuan in Chen Dong’s hand, turned, and sashayed back inside.

Chen Dong was dumbfounded. ’Li Huiran really has her methods.’

Chen Dong returned to his seat, still thinking about how to get even, when the room suddenly erupted in thunderous applause.

On the stage stood a young man with black hair, dressed in a sharp suit and leather shoes. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and had a dashing, gentlemanly air about him.

Wang Hao, knowing Chen Dong hadn’t been paying attention, leaned over and explained, ”That’s the new Chief Financial Officer appointed by the board of directors. His name is Wu Haichao. I hear he’s from the Nanhai Wu Family.”

’The Nanhai Wu Family... sending someone at a time like this, and straight into the CFO position? I’m afraid their intentions for investing in the Li Family might not be so pure.’

’If the Li Family’s finances were to run into problems during the bidding process, it would be a critical blow.’

’Didn’t the Li Family consider this?’

’And how could the board of directors approve such a proposal, letting an outsider choke them at such a critical moment?’

Chen Dong couldn’t make sense of it.

The entire meeting was just an introduction for Wu Haichao and a review of some routine tasks. It had nothing to do with their administrative office. ’As expected of the useless department,’ he thought.

After the meeting, Chen Dong left the company. His pay had already been docked anyway. If Li Huiran decided to keep docking his pay, she couldn’t blame him for using his ultimate move!

Chen Dong planned to go to Xue Tianxiang’s Hundred Herbs Hall to buy some medicinal herbs.

The Li Family’s current strength was too weak.

Only Elder Li had ever cultivated True Qi. Neither Li Jianwen nor Li Huiran practiced martial arts.

Chen Dong, who hated trouble, decided to solve the problem at its root. If he could raise Elder Li’s strength, a lot of unnecessary trouble would stop coming their way.

Elder Li was getting on in years, so enhancing his strength would require the aid of medicinal herbs.

He chose to buy them from Xue Tianxiang’s Hundred Herbs Hall for two reasons: one, it was a familiar place, and two, he got a discount.

He had briefly considered teaching Li Jianwen and Li Huiran martial arts, but he instantly dismissed the idea.

Given their attitudes, they would never agree to learn. They’d probably just mock him for suggesting it.

Just as Chen Dong arrived at Hundred Herbs Hall, he saw Xue Tianxiang, carrying a medicine box and with Xue Lele in tow, rushing out the door.

Seeing Chen Dong arrive, his expression became even more excited.

He grabbed Chen Dong and started walking, saying, ”With Chen here, this will be foolproof!”