In the office.
Yu Mengzhi and Chen Jinzhao stood side-by-side by the window, gazing at the northern scenery.
"I owe you this time. If you hadn't stepped in, I wouldn't have been able to keep these things," Yu Mengzhi said with lingering fear, immensely grateful to Chen Jinzhao.
Chen Jinzhao said plainly, "Between you and me, do we still need to say thank you?"
Yu Mengzhi hesitated for a moment, then said, "I truly didn't expect his methods to be so despicable, actually using you to threaten me. If you couldn't produce that evidence, Gou Chen Group would have changed hands today. If not for you, who else would I thank?"
Chen Jinzhao fell silent for a moment.
Yu Mengzhi glanced at Chen Jinzhao, who shook his head and said, "If you encounter this kind of situation again, don't worry about me. Even if I were imprisoned, you couldn't hand over Gou Chen Group to Li Tian Ce. Otherwise, it would become a disaster!"
"I can't do that," Yu Mengzhi shook her head.
If she were forced to choose between Gou Chen and Chen Jinzhao, Yu Mengzhi would unhesitatingly choose Chen Jinzhao.
There was no doubt about it.
Chen Jinzhao said earnestly, "Li Tian Ce wants to control Gou Chen Group, attempting to make it another Shen Guo Pharmaceutical. If you truly care about me, do not agree to Li Tian Ce's unreasonable demands. Gou Chen Pharmaceutical can only achieve its greatest value in your hands."
"If this sharp sword falls into Li Tian Ce's hands, it will bring great destruction."
"And besides—"
"I don't want to live with guilt. I hope you can understand me."
Yu Mengzhi stared at Chen Jinzhao blankly.
She understood the deeper meaning behind Chen Jinzhao's words. He was a proud man. If Yu Mengzhi gave up control of Gou Chen Group for him, Chen Jinzhao would feel useless, damaging his self-esteem.
If she truly loved him, she had to be considerate of him.
"I can't make that decision," Yu Mengzhi understood Chen Jinzhao, but she couldn't do it.
Chen Jinzhao looked deeply into Yu Mengzhi's eyes. "You can. I believe in you."
"I..."
Yu Mengzhi stopped speaking.
Facing Chen Jinzhao's resolute gaze, Yu Mengzhi realized she had to become a warrior to help Chen Jinzhao.
Mere appeasement
would only lead to Li Tian Ce's increasingly aggressive actions.
"You are not fighting for me," Chen Jinzhao spoke again.
Yu Mengzhi seemed to understand, yet not quite.
Chen Jinzhao shifted his gaze elsewhere. "Let's not talk about this for now. Let's talk about the Li family. What are your plans for the future?"
Yu Mengzhi pondered for a moment, then said, "After that banquet, I truly saw the Li family's true colors. I considered the Li family my own, but they never treated me as one of their own. What's the point of me staying with such a family?"
"Wherever you go, I go."
Chen Jinzhao chuckled, "I'm not going anywhere."
Yu Mengzhi also smiled, "Then I'm not going anywhere either."
After Li Tian Ce left Gou Chen, the news quickly spread within certain circles. The first to receive the news was Qin Fengwu.
This was because both Qin Fengwu and Li Tian Ce had informants within each other's organizations.
This was an unspoken understanding.
Qin Fengwu thought for a moment, then immediately called Chen Jinzhao and said with a faint smile, "I've heard about your situation with Li Tian Ce. If you truly want to get rid of him, I can do it for you."
Getting rid of Li Tian Ce would benefit both of them.
Moreover, Chen Jinzhao possessed some evidence that Qin Fengwu wanted to obtain.
Chen Jinzhao chuckled sinisterly, "If I hand those things over to you, do you think I won't be killed by Li Tian Ce?"
Qin Fengwu said again, "I can protect you."
"You can't protect me," Chen Jinzhao stated directly.
Qin Fengwu realized that Chen Jinzhao was indeed unlikely to give him the evidence, and his tone became regretful. "It seems you still don't trust me. However, I believe you will gradually change your mind in the future. I always look forward to our upcoming cooperation."
After the call ended.
Yu Mengzhi looked at Chen Jinzhao with a strange expression. "When did you become so close with Qin Fengwu?"
"There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests," Chen Jinzhao replied.
That night.
Before they could go to sleep, Li Zhiqing suddenly rushed to their home.
Seeing her anxious expression, as if something major had happened, Chen Jinzhao immediately asked, "Auntie, what happened?"
Yu Mengzhi stood by, looking around, but did not see Yu Wendong.
This gave her a sense of unease.
"Mom, where's Dad?" she asked.
Li Zhiqing's eyes welled up with tears, and her body trembled slightly. "Your father, he... he was arrested."
Chen Jinzhao frowned. "Who has such audacity to break into the Li family and arrest someone? Who is it, and where was Uncle Yu taken?"
"He was arrested at home. The old man watched him being taken away without saying a word, and even said it was a matter of official business." Li Zhiqing's words made both of them turn pale. They both realized this might be Li Tian Ce's retaliation, perhaps a warning.
Yu Mengzhi stared blankly. "Mom, are you saying my dad was taken away by the authorities for investigation?"
"Yes, that's right," Li Zhiqing nodded.
Yu Mengzhi and Chen Jinzhao exchanged a look.
Chen Jinzhao said grimly, "If I'm not mistaken, this must be Li Tian Ce's doing. It seems Li Tian Ce will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, even to the point of madness!"
Li Zhiqing agreed, "I think so too. I never imagined he could be so ruthless. What should we do now?"
"Mom, please calm down."
Yu Mengzhi was anxious but could only try to comfort her mother.
Li Zhiqing's face was filled with sorrow and grief; how could she calm down?
"Chen Jinzhao, what should we do?" Yu Mengzhi also looked at Chen Jinzhao.
Chen Jinzhao pondered for a moment. "Li Tian Ce doing something like this is nothing more than a cornered beast lashing out, trying to force us to hand over control of Gou Chen Group. Since he has a demand, we have leverage for negotiation. My suggestion is to talk directly with the old man."
"What's there to talk about with him?!" Li Zhiqing said indignantly.
Her brief moments of warmth with the old man had barely passed before this incident occurred, completely revealing the true nature of Li Buyan and the others.
She no longer felt any sense of belonging to this family.
Yu Mengzhi thought for a moment, then said, "Mom, I think Chen Jinzhao is right. We can seek to talk with the Li family. If their terms are not too excessive, I believe we can make some concessions."
After being strongly persuaded by the two, Li Zhiqing finally agreed to return to the Li family with them to talk with Li Buyan in person.
Half an hour later.
The three of them arrived at the entrance of the Li family compound.
Standing before this gate again, Chen Jinzhao's feelings were entirely different.