"What does the Qin family's business have to do with me?" Yu He asked coldly.
Steward Qin's face was awkward. Qin Beiting wasn't answering his calls or seeing him, so he thought he'd try asking Yu He for help. At least Qin Beiting would listen to her.
He hadn't expected Yu He to be so indifferent.
"Miss Yu, Seventh Master cares deeply for you. Don't you want to see Seventh Master have a better future?" Steward Qin said earnestly.
Yu He: "And then?"
"When Old Master Qin was alive, of all his children, he favored Seventh Master the most. Before he passed, he specifically transferred all his Qin Corporation shares to Seventh Master, intending for him to inherit the entire Qin family.
"Seventh Master was still young then and couldn't manage the whole Qin family, so I took over as head of the family temporarily. Now that Seventh Master has grown up, it's time for him to start taking over affairs at the corporate headquarters. In a few more years, when I retire, I'll pass the position of family head to him, and he'll adapt more quickly."
Yu He sneered. Qin Beiting probably didn't care about that at all.
"Miss Yu..."
"Who told you to find her?" A man's voice, as cold as if from the depths of a glacier, suddenly interrupted Steward Qin's attempt to continue speaking.
Hearing the voice, Steward Qin turned around. "Seventh Master..."
Qin Beiting: "Get out!"
Steward Qin hesitated, having failed to complete the task given by Qin Yongchao.
Seeing him not move, Qin Beiting added, "Do you want me to have someone carry you out?"
"My apologies, I'll leave now." Steward Qin knew he was capable of it, and it would be too embarrassing. Reluctantly, he left.
Returning to the Qin residence, Qin Yongchao called him into his study and asked, "How did it go?"
"Seventh Master is still angry and refuses to return to headquarters," the steward replied. "I was planning to ask Miss Yu to help persuade Seventh Master, but Seventh Master kicked me out."
Qin Yongchao took a slow puff of his cigar and exhaled, the outcome within his expectations. Qin Beiting was still strongly resistant to returning to the Qin family.
"Master, please smoke less," the steward advised.
He was Qin Yongchao's confidant and knew he didn't usually smoke. He only did so when he had bothersome matters. The more intensely he smoked, the heavier the burden.
"Perhaps if you personally speak to Seventh Master and ask him to come back, he might listen to you," the steward suggested. "After all, I don't represent you."
"If you can't persuade him, you want me to go? Who is it for his own good that he should come back?" Qin Yongchao frowned displeasedly. "He got these bad habits from being spoiled! So many shareholders are scrambling to get their people into Qin Yonghao's position. And here he is, being asked to come back, and he's putting on a face! If he wants to come, he can. If not, then forget it!"
"Master, please don't say such angry words," the steward advised. He refrained from adding the unspoken thought, "After saying these angry words, you always end up eating crow."
He continued his persuasion, "Seventh Master's temper has always been like this. You know he responds better to soft persuasion than to hard tactics. The more you argue with him and put on a stern face, the more you'll trigger his rebellious nature. Young people have strong self-esteem. You should put aside your authority as family head and speak to him kindly as an elder brother. He will surely be touched."
"..."
Qin Yongchao had worried about Qin Beiting for a long time. To correct Qin Beiting's bad habits, he had sent him directly into the military for training. He had thought the discipline of the army could curb his bad temper, but not only did it not change at all, it intensified.
"Will this really work?" Qin Yongchao asked doubtfully.
"I saw my wife communicate with our granddaughter this way," the steward said.
Qin Yongchao: "..."
"Fine, you may go," Qin Yongchao waved his hand impatiently, looking annoyed.
After Steward Qin left, he rested his elbows on the table, propping his head with his hands, a slight headache forming. He comforted himself, telling himself he wasn't desperately trying to curry favor with Qin Beiting. It was just that there were piles of documents at the company that required Qin Yonghao's approval, but the Special Investigation Department had not yet given the go-ahead. When asked, they said to wait for further notice. He hadn't followed up on it, as he himself leaned towards uncovering the truth.
After finishing the cigar in his fingers, he picked up his phone and called Qin Beiting.
The first call went unanswered and was automatically disconnected.
"..."
Qin Yongchao made a second call. The phone was picked up just as it was about to automatically hang up. A cold voice came from the earpiece, "What is it?"
"Did you know Steward Qin was looking for you?" Qin Yongchao asked stiffly.
"Didn't he tell you my answer?" Qin Beiting asked, not directly answering.
Listening to his icy tone, Qin Yongchao's blood pressure surged uncontrollably. "That was an order, not a negotiation! You will return to the headquarters and start working next Monday!"
There was no reply from the other end. Qin Beiting then said, "Did you hear me!"
Still no reply. He checked his phone, and Qin Beiting had actually hung up!
Qin Yongchao, enraged, dialed again, only to be met with a message that he had been blocked!
---
Time flew by, and it was Monday. The Qin Corporation headquarters.
Huang Hang, his son, and several other high-ranking executives arrived at the company half an hour earlier than usual. They were all loyal to Qin Yonghao. Last week, Qin Yongchao had ordered Qin Beiting to return and take over Qin Yonghao's work. While they couldn't openly defy the order, they could collectively make things difficult for Qin Beiting in their day-to-day work. The president of Qin Corporation *had* to be Qin Yonghao. They had to help Qin Yonghao keep his position!
However, when the workday began, they didn't see Qin Beiting at the headquarters. Instead, Qin Yongchao arrived. Qin Yongchao immediately summoned Qin Yonghao's three secretaries to his office.
Seeing this, Huang Hang waited outside the chairman's office. As soon as the three secretaries emerged, he called out to them. The four of them went to Huang Hang's office, where Huang Fengqiang and five other executives were waiting.
Among the three secretaries, Jiang Si was the head secretary and a shrewd observer. She scanned the people in the office and recognized them as Qin Yonghao's faction. She understood their intentions.
"Secretary Jiang, what did the chairman ask you to do?" Huang Hang asked directly.
"Seventh Master Qin did not come to headquarters. I heard he's been at the hospital with Yu He during this time and is not focused on work. The chairman asked us to bring the documents requiring the president's approval to him for him to handle first," Jiang Si explained.
"This love-struck fool has no ambition. How can he compare to Fourth Master?"
"Back then, Fourth Master was still at the company when his wife was giving birth, all for the sake of the corporation's business. Seventh Master's situation is just a girlfriend, why does he need to stay by her side day and night like this?"
"Men should prioritize their careers. A person like Seventh Master, who prioritizes personal relationships, is destined not to achieve greatness. If Qin Corporation falls into his hands, it will surely go bankrupt."
As Huang Hang listened to everyone complain, he seized the opportunity. "Therefore, for the benefit of everyone, let's quickly brainstorm a way to bring Fourth Master back quickly before Seventh Master comes to headquarters."
"It's difficult without the chairman's protection, but I think there's one place that might work," Jiang Si said.
"Where?" Huang Hang asked.
Jiang Si: "Xing Que."