Chapter 157 - You're Fired

When the brothers got home, they were immediately welcomed by their grandmother, kissing both their cheeks and was lead to the kitchen even before they could change clothes.

Each of their favorites were at the dining table and Qing Lok and Wuming who already had their fill, felt like they were hungry again. Qing Chen was quick to eat and he ate plenty. He was so hungry.

"How did you know we're coming home today?" Qing Lok asked, spooning a cup of ice cream.

"Master had sent us a message," answered their father. When he heard that his sons were coming back this morning, he had cancelled all his meetings. The days without the boys in the house probably was the most peaceful it had been ever since… he could not even remember the last time their house had been that quiet. But there was also something unsettling about the calm. He missed the knuckleheads terribly.

"Qing Chen," he called. "Why don't you take a few hours of sleep and then after dinner we can talk about the company?"

Qing Chen nodded and yawned. "Lok, do us a favor and get started with the team in looking into Auntie's House? After a nap, perhaps?"

"You're the boss," answered Qing Lok, looking satisfied with his chocolate.

Qing Zihao turned to Wuming. "And you?" 

"I do what I do best."

"And that is?"

"Disappearing," Wuming grinned. "Unless you need someone dead tonight, then I'll just go grab a shovel from the toolshed." He looked around the table. "Any takers? No? Then, I'll be one call away."

**

Qing Chen was just fighting his sleep while he was in his father's study. They were going through the dozens and dozens of reports. He was not allowed to read just the updated ones but he had to read through every progress made.

It had been three hours since he woke up. He didn't get enough sleep like he wanted to. The bed felt empty without Feng Xuan there.

When he placed the folder on top of the last pile, he heaved a sigh. "Finally done," he said to his father who was holding a black folder. His victory was short-lived "Right… the mafia."

His father handed him the folder and when it was near his fingers, his father retracted it. "I'm keeping you off the mafia at the moment. We've heard no news about The Zookeeper while the three of you were gone. But there's a pressing matter I would like you to attend to at the moment."

Qing Chen let out a breath. "What is it?"

"While you were gone, I heard from little birds that some people at the board wants to replace the CEO…"

"We have majority shares. It'll tank."

"I know, but if the board starts doubting your competence as the CEO the others will too. They will keep on pressuring you, disagree with your every plan and basically… rebel."

"Then we'll buy them out. We didn't really need to sell our stocks to those people. We just didn't want to appear like snobs in the public by closing it on our family."

"Mostly, I think they're just a little unsettled with you being gone and getting into the public's scrutinizing eye lately."

Everything felt so long ago when really it had just been months. Then they still have The Zookeeper and Auntie's House... All these issues that could catapult his name in the headlines again were not yet over. "Well, I'll be going back to work starting tomorrow. I'll work my ass off."

His father stood up. "In case you're wondering, the mafia is in a good place." There was another message behind it: don't touch it.

He leaned back against the leather chair. "Don't worry, Father. One thing at a time," he smiled.

All his time away and getting side-tracked by enemies, it didn't change his plan on making the mafia go under reform. He was still going to do it.

His father only grunted in response and left the study.

He was about to leave his seat when he realized his father had just threatened him… in the subtlest way.

The board wants to replace him… don't touch the mafia…

Qing Chen laughed. If it would all go down, his father was going to remove him as the CEO. His father would say, "You're fired."

**

Qing Chen was up early the following morning. His body clock had not yet restarted from his early mornings from the training grounds. He immediately went for a run on the treadmill and lifted weights.

He was actually feeling good about going into the office today. He even stopped by an infamous breakfast place and got a bag of warm donuts for his older secretary. "Welcome back, Mr. Qing," she said with her wrinkled smile. "Thank you for the little snack.

"I hope you enjoy it," he said and took a bite out of his own. 

It was not long when his door opened and Qing Lok strode in. Qing Chen said, "Mafia matters go straight to father nowadays."

"Not about the mafia," Qing Lok said and placed a magazine on top of his desk. The Society—the magazine of the obnoxious.

Qing Chen took it and was more than surprised to find him on the front cover. It was a picture of him and Feng Xuan on the day of their wedding party. It was ripped in half and the headlines said: "Qing Chen and Feng Xuan, source reports split?!?!"

He pressed between his eyebrows. "What the hell?" he flipped to the page of the article and scanned.

"It just basically says that the media had not been seeing the two of you together and when you were finally pictured yesterday after being 'gone', you're not with your wife," Qing Lok summarized. 

"I just got back yesterday and I'm on the front page," he laughed. Someone out there clearly wanted for him to cause trouble.

And he might just have an idea who.