Chapter 146: Do you want revenge?

"Chinese, you despicable liar!'

listening to Brook's exasperated scolding over the phone, Zhou Ming felt a bit puzzled. Although in the past, because of the incident of his son being sent to prison, Zhou Ming had been scolded by him, either face to face or behind his back, for more than a day or two, in the past, at least there was a reason. Now that he himself has become the savior of his company, he no longer dares to scold him in public. At least he has never received a phone call like this before today. :3w.sh

At that moment, Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing were sitting in the dining room having breakfast, when suddenly Brooke called. Lin Muqing was very concerned and wanted to ask Zhou Ming what was going on, but Zhou Ming told her to rest assured.

Despite his full heart of doubt, Zhou Ming asked him calmly, 'Mr. Brooke, although our relationship is not good, you have to tell me why you are scolding me like this?'

'It's the cheque you gave me. Today, the company's assets went to Brighton Bank, and they said that this cheque cannot be cashed at all! Are you not a despicable liar?' Brook shouted, "No, even if he is a liar, he will have a bottom line and a kind side, but you are simply a devil crawling out of the abyss of hell!"

Zhou Ming didn't have time to argue about those personal attacks, he got straight to the point: 'Brook, you said that you went to the bank today and said that my cheque could not be cashed. Why? We clearly confirmed it with Brighton Bank yesterday, have you forgotten?'

'Chinese, are you questioning my word?' Brooke asked.

Zhou Ming shook his head and said kindly, 'I didn't say that. I just simply hope that you can think more about this question: why is the same cheque not honoured after just one day?'

Zhou Ming then added: 'Mr. Brook, as the chairman of Brook Investment Company and someone considered to be part of high society, you have a certain understanding of everyday finance, so I hope you won't ask such an ignorant question as "Why did you transfer the funds in my account?". Even if I don't have a single cent in my account, it's just that I bounced a cheque, and the bank will explain it to you. But the bank hasn't given you such an explanation, has it?'

There was silence on Brook's end, and it was only after a long while that he said, 'Chinese, are you saying that another problem has occurred? So what is going on?'

Zhou Ming smiled at this and asked him in return, 'I think that regarding this question, Mr. Brook already has the answer in your own heart, you just don't want to believe it.'

There was once again silence on Brook's end, and it was only after a long while that he asked with difficulty, 'Are you talking about the Adams family?'

'I can't tell you the exact answer, but at the Brighton Bank, only they have this power, and you know how they treat me, MP Brooke..."

Zhou Ming's words were interrupted by Brook's loud voice: 'But what does that have to do with me? This money is clearly meant to save my investment company! They can do whatever they want to you, but why do they have to touch this money?'

Brooke's words were rapid and completely hysterical, while Zhou Ming just listened to him quietly, and deliberately remained silent for a moment before saying, 'Congressman Brooke, if you want to scold, just scold. I can understand the feeling of being betrayed and abandoned.'

The words betrayal and abandonment pierced Brooke's heart like two steel needles, making him feel as if the world had turned grey in an instant.

Zhou Ming did not take advantage of the situation, but instead changed the subject, saying, 'However, Congressman Brook, perhaps there is just something wrong with my account. I will go to Brighton Bank as soon as possible to find out

what is going on. In addition, this money is also very important to Brook Investment Company. Since there is now a problem, it must be solved. I will come by the company this afternoon.'

After receiving Brook's affirmative reply, Zhou Ming hung up the phone. Lin Muqing, who was sitting next to him, immediately asked, 'Is there a problem with the two loans you took out at Brighton Bank?'

'I think so, and not only the loans, but even my accounts will definitely be frozen."

Zhou Ming said this without any hesitation, but instead said happily and thankfully, 'It seems that Mr. Governor did not lie to us at all. Yesterday, Christo only had a meeting with them, and today my check could not be cashed. I must say that the Adams family is really fast. But this is not only not bad news for me, but it will be good news instead.'

Zhou Ming thought for a while and then said, 'I will go to Brook Investment Company this afternoon. Muqing, you will be in charge of liaising with Tong Gang, Li Cheng and Yelbeldov. Tell them that our plan on the other side can be started. Those companies must be taken no matter what, even if it means paying a high price. However, compared to eliminating the Adams family, these are trivial matters!'

Lin Muqing took Zhou Ming's hand and placed it in her palm, gently saying to him, 'Don't worry, as long as it's your business, I will do my best to get it done, just don't take any more risks.'

Zhou Ming also nodded vigorously in response.

It was 2 pm when the time was up. Zhou Ming arrived at the general manager's office of Brook Investment Company, where Brook was sitting in the general manager's seat.

Since the Brighton Consortium announced after the meeting that it would give up rescuing Brook Investment Company, Brook, the chairman, returned to the company and sat in the general manager's office, while the original general manager could only sit in the secretary's seat.

When he saw Zhou Ming come over, Brook immediately got up from his seat to greet him. After leading Zhou Ming to sit on the sofa in the reception area, Brook said, 'Mr. Zhou Ming, I have already checked with my friends at Brighton Bank today. Regarding your cheque and account issues, it was Christo himself who personally ordered to freeze all your funds at Brighton Bank...especially the part related to Brook Investment Company!'

Brook said the last sentence with clenched teeth, and it was obvious to hear the hatred in his words.

Zhou Ming sighed and said to him, 'I guess there's nothing we can do about it. After all, I'm a thorn in the side of the Adams family, and they're going to pull me out no matter what.'

'So,' Brooke said, picking up where Zhou Ming had left off, 'now that you've chosen to save Brooke Investments instead of them, he's set his sights on my investment company.'

Brooke laughed heartily after he finished speaking. His laughter was miserable: 'I know, of course I understand this, but has anyone ever thought about why this is my business? Why should I bear the burden of your problems? In the past, whether I was a senator in the state legislature or my investment company, I have brought great benefits to the Adams family, but now, when the subprime mortgage crisis broke out, they threw me away like trash!'

Following Brooke's words, Zhou Ming asked him, 'So you want revenge?'

At Zhou Ming's sudden question, Brooke was stunned. He looked at Zhou Ming blankly, as if he couldn't believe it, and it wasn't until Zhou Ming asked again that he reacted as if he had just woken up from a dream. However, he still found it incredible and asked back, 'Revenge? Chinese, are you saying that I should go to the Adams family for revenge?'

Zhou Ming nodded and said, 'That's right,' but while speaking, he also stared at Brooke and said, 'Or are you saying that you dare not, Mr. Brooke?'

Brooke laughed, shook his head and said to Ming Zhou, 'Dare not? I really should say that you Chinese are really naive. You probably don't know what the Adams family is like, and how terrifying their control is. Only you would talk about seeking revenge from the Adams family.'

Brooke's words came to an abrupt end, because Ming Zhou then asked him a question in return.

"Before the subprime mortgage crisis broke out, Congressman Brooke, would you have thought that your investment company would be driven into bankruptcy and collapse? And before that, would you have thought that the Adams family would discard you and your company like trash?"

Facing Zhou Ming's barrage of rhetorical questions, Brooke lowered his head. Indeed, as Zhou Ming had asked, before that, how could he have thought that his investment company, which was almost attached to Brighton Bank, would face bankruptcy one day, and he could never have imagined that as a senior senator, he would be discarded by the Adams family at will. But would these unthinkable things be the same as the unthinkable things he was facing now?

Zhou Ming of course understood what Brooke was thinking, and he smiled and said to him, 'In our country, China, there is an old saying: A thousand-li embankment collapses at the ant's nest. It means that no matter how sturdy an embankment is, it can be destroyed in an instant by an insignificant ant's nest. So what is impossible about the Adams family now? I have always believed that in this world, there is nothing that cannot be done, only minds that are unwilling to be activated.'

After saying this, Zhou Ming looked at Brooke and added, 'But for you, I'm afraid your situation is even more special, because you used to be a servant of the Adams family. You are already used to kneeling before the name Adams, and it is not so easy to make your kneeling knees stand up again...'

Before Zhou Ming finished speaking, Brooke shouted, 'I will not kneel, let alone kneel to the Adams family!'

'So Mr. Brooke is prepared to take revenge on the Adams family?' Zhou Ming asked.

Of course the word had already reached Brook's lips, but in the end he did not say it. Instead, he looked up at Zhou Ming with a meaningful smile and said, 'I think I should know how to take revenge before blindly talking about it, don't you think?'

Zhou Ming also smiled. It seems that it is not so easy to convince Brook. At least this senior senator has very good psychological quality. He will not be blindly led by emotions, but can jump out of emotions to make calm thinking and judgment.

Although this was an interruption for Ming, it was not serious, because Ming had never intended to make a decision based on emotion rather than reason, as if he were giving a speech.

Ming said to Brooke, 'My idea is very simple. It is the credit default swap contracts owned by Brooke Investments.'

Brooke immediately realised what was going on: 'Ming, you plan to further expand the subprime mortgage crisis, and even go so far as to start a war with Brighton Bank. Are you going to force out the full strength of the Adams family?'

'From what Mr. Brook has said, I assume you know what I'm going to do,' Zhou Ming said with a smile, 'I'm going to sell all these contracts, not just the ones owned by Brook Investment, but also those owned by many other companies.'

Brooke looked at Zhou Ming with some fear on his face: 'Do you know what will happen? This will cause the CDS market to go bankrupt, it will cause more companies that hold CDS contracts to go bankrupt, it will cause more companies involved in CDS contract trading to go bankrupt, this will mess up the whole of Brighton, this is not taking revenge on the Adams family, but on this Brighton!'

'To me, it makes no difference,' Zhou Ming said.

Brooke let out a cold breath, and finally gave Zhou Ming a comment: 'Chinese, you are really a lunatic!'