CH 257

Upon hearing these words, the people sitting or standing in the conference room were stunned, but their first glance wasn’t at Xing Conglian but at the old man with a limp leg and a urine bag.

There was no doubt that Morgan Stanley was the largest global financial services company, involved in all industries related to money. And the fact that the old man was the former CEO of Morgan Stanley indicated that he had held a prominent position in the world of finance.

The old man grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth without any modesty. “What are you looking at? That’s how I roll!”

“So, what about Captain Xing…?” someone tentatively asked as their gaze shifted to Xing Conglian with a similar intensity as if they were looking at a bank vault.

“Come on, do you really think I’m his chauffeur?” The old man was also exasperated. “With my status, how could I be his driver? After the retirement of the President of Metti, he can only be a gardener for our master. Even the Governor of Yueqiu has to wait in line to visit our home…”

The previous look of satisfaction on the face of Chairman Zhou gradually faded as he listened, finding these words increasingly bizarre and suspicious. At first glance, they seemed like nonsensical ramblings, but considering the old man’s identity, he had to play along with the act to cover for Xing Conglian. Therefore, Xing Conglian’s identity was not merely described by the simple phrase “a kid from a rich family”.

Furthermore, all these theatrics conveyed one message: Zhourui Pharmaceutical, you think you’re valuable, but we don’t really care. Therefore, the accusation of bribery is akin to a beggar accusing a wealthy person of extortion—nothing more than a joke.

Chairman Zhou clenched his teeth. The old man didn’t directly insult him, but every word felt like the ultimate humiliation.

His emotions fluctuated wildly, and his face turned from red to blue to pale. He began to ponder the causes and consequences of the entire story and where he had ultimately lost. But in the end, as he lifted his head and looked at the employees in the entire conference room, he realized that from the very beginning, he had no chance of winning.

Why did it turn out like this?

His gaze fell outside the window. The current floor they were on was relatively low, with only a narrow strip of sky visible between buildings.

Suddenly, in that moment, he seemed to have thought of something very interesting, and a trace of understanding appeared on his face.

The expression was extremely relieved, even carrying a sense of satisfaction from avenging a great enmity.

In reality, there were no winners, only a prearranged storyline.

He finally stood up slowly, with a hint of a smile appearing on his face. It was as if he had just realized that there was no one around him anymore.

In that instant, Xing Conglian keenly captured this reaction. Since entering the conference room, it was the first time he had stood up from his seat.

“Inspector Huang,” Xing Conglian called out.

Huang Ze stood against the wall and looked over.

“Please proceed with recording.” Xing Conglian paused, then addressed everyone. “I want to have a private conversation with Chairman Zhou.”

As soon as these words were spoken, within two minutes, everyone in the conference room had cleared out completely.

As soon as this statement was made, everyone in the meeting room cleared out within two minutes.

Xing Conglian stood by the window, with the influential figure from the pharmaceutical company approaching him slowly, dragging his heavy steps.

From the third-floor window, he could clearly see the bustling scene downstairs.

Office workers hurriedly rushed out of the subway exit, and young people ran quickly on the square, fearing they would be late for clocking in. Everything was a typical scene of a normal workday, thriving and bustling.

In just a dozen steps, the chairman seemed to have aged by over ten years.

The middle-aged man finally stood beside him, hunching his body. This figure of authority finally shed all the cunning, maliciousness, and worldliness, speaking candidly and sincerely. “I have investigated your background. You are just an ordinary detective. To target you was the best choice for me at the time.”

Xing Conglian listened to this explanation, and although he knew that people could be very bad and foolish, he still felt angry when such things kept happening.

Zhou Shi continued, “Because of the information asymmetry, I underestimated you. Captain Xing, you effortlessly dismantled our company, using various means. I, Zhou, willingly admit my defeat.”

Xing Conglian looked at the office workers rushing around downstairs, and for a brief moment, he remembered the scene from yesterday when he overlooked everything from a tall building.

At that time, Lin Chen sat beside Shen Lian, and they both made the most difficult decision of their lives.

Thinking of Lin Chen, Xing Conglian calmed down, suppressing the anger in his heart, and said to the businessman beside him, “Chairman Zhou, everyone makes mistakes.”

“Please go on.” Chairman Zhou bowed respectfully, showing his humility.

“I once witnessed a scene.” Xing Conglian turned his head, his gaze falling on the crow’s feet at the corner of the middle-aged man’s eyes. “On the road, one dog bit another dog, and the bitten dog turned around and attacked a passerby.”

A trace of chill flashed across Chairman Zhou’s face as his thoughts were struck, but he still lowered his head and said obediently, “Dogs are extremely foolish.”

“So, do you still think that I am the one who brought down your Zhourui Pharmaceutical until now?” Xing Conglian didn’t like playing games, especially not with someone like Zhou Shi. He continued, “Out of millions of compounds, the TERN miraculous substance appeared, possessing strong healing properties, while the isomer is an unheard-of poison. As the boss, please estimate how many experts and teams you would need to develop such a compound?”

“It’s hard to say. All scientific research actually involves luck.”

Xing Conglian said, “Is that so? Then, at the beginning of TERN’s development, before Shen Lian joined your company, who introduced this compound into Nao Kangning?” Xing Conglian said coldly, “How could Shen Lian alone accomplish such a massive plan? From the initial compound screening to the final production and release of the drug, it took over a decade. Over a decade ago, someone secretly planted a seed, and countless people watered it tirelessly over the years. It only fully erupted yesterday, causing your pharmaceutical empire, built through countless days and nights of hard work, to collapse overnight. But you are shortsighted, only seeing me standing here, and you fail to see the person who planted the seed over a decade ago.”

The middle-aged man suddenly looked up at him, but Xing Conglian raised his hand to stop Zhou Shi from explaining and firmly said, “Just half a minute ago, you wanted me to give up pursuing the bribery through preemptive explanations and meaningless flattery. So now, please answer me two questions. First, since you never suspected Shen Lian of wrongdoing in Nao Kangning for a long time, why did you suddenly discover yesterday that she was the mastermind? Second, within the entire administrative department, you had countless options to choose as scapegoats, so why did you solely target me? Is it a coincidence or a deliberate arrangement?”

The commercial district buzzed with voices as office workers carried their breakfast and streamed out of convenience stores. It was an ordinary morning.

Zhou Shi’s body finally completely slumped, and the intense struggle in his heart seemed about to overwhelm him.

Finally, he raised his head and looked at Xing Conglian. “I guess I am truly very foolish.”

……

Huang Ze had been standing outside the meeting room.

Although Xing Conglian instructed him to take people for interrogation, as an Inspector, it felt strange to be ordered by a subordinate like Xing Conglian.

Apart from him, the old man who had just wreaked havoc in the meeting room was also there.

To be honest, he couldn’t connect this bald, emaciated old man with the former high-flying executive of a major corporation, especially when the old man was carrying a urine bag, constantly hopping and complaining that his urine was about to leak out.

However, apart from them, the first scientist who stood up against Zhourui Pharmaceutical was also present, along with the young members of the team led by the scientist.

Li Zheng was persistently pestering the old man, constantly inquiring about the follow-up matters of the company’s acquisition.

The old man became impatient with the questioning and directly threw the urine bag at the other party’s hand. “How would I know if the acquirer is reliable? Look, I can’t even hold my urine. How could I have the capability to buy your company?”

Li Zheng became even more anxious. “What will happen during the period of turmoil? Will the production and sales of our company’s regular drugs be affected? Will many research projects be immediately interrupted?”

“It’s hard to say. The duration of the acquisition can range from weeks to a year. Moreover, the upper management of your company is deeply involved in a criminal case, so trading will be halted tomorrow. The best choice, of course, is to wait until the stock price plummets after trading resumes and then make the acquisition.” The old man twirled his mustache and glared. “Do you know how much it costs to consult someone like me for a similar question?”

“But I really don’t have that much money.” Li Zheng held the old man’s urine bag with great sincerity. “But I must ask you this question, and I implore you to answer it. It not only involves my research project but, more importantly, I cannot become a criminal. As you mentioned just now, in addition to vaccines, our company also produces some rare medicines with extremely low profits. Only we have the capability to produce them. If our company really falls into turmoil, there may be serious problems with the supply of certain drugs and even vaccines. It could lead to situations where patients suddenly fall ill and are unable to receive medication, which is a societal issue that affects everyone.”

Li Zheng earnestly pleaded.

“What exactly do you want?” The old man snatched his urine bag back and turned to leave.

Li Zheng said firmly, “Can you use your resources to buy our company in the shortest possible time?”

The old man was surprised to hear this, and Huang Ze frowned while looking at Li Zheng.

Just then, the doors of the meeting room were pushed open, and sunlight poured in like water.

Xing Conglian stood in the doorway; it was unclear how long he had been standing behind the door.

The old man seemed to have not noticed that the chairman of the pharmaceutical company was standing behind Xing Conglian. He pointed at Li Zheng and spoke to Xing Conglian as if no one else was present. “Are all the researchers sick? They have no understanding of economics. He actually asked me to buy Zhourui at the fastest speed?”

“Can you do it?”

To Huang Ze’s surprise, he heard Xing Conglian ask such a question.

“Of course I can…” The old man began, but suddenly he stared at Xing Conglian. “Are you crazy?”

Just then, Xing Conglian’s phone rang. He answered the call and hung up. His tense expression suddenly relaxed, and a relieved look, as if everything was destined, appeared on his face.

Huang Ze knew that Lin Chen had probably woken up.

“Take action.”

Xing Conglian raised his head and uttered those words with a determined gaze.

Wang Chao, who had been sitting on the ground playing with his laptop, suddenly stood up, causing the laptop to fall to the ground. “Fuck me Boss!”

The young people looked at Xing Conglian in confusion, not understanding why things had suddenly taken this turn.

And at that moment, Huang Ze seemed to see the figure of Lin Chen overlapping with Xing Conglian.

It was only then that Huang Ze realized how much Xing Conglian resembled Lin Chen.