Chapter 35: The Crazy Boss

Long Aotian narrowed his eyes: "I've noticed that you're everywhere, involved in everything, and whenever you're around, things start to go awry."

Lu Chengwen quickly interjected: "Mengyun, don't joke around like that! This kind of joke is not funny!"

Chen Mengyun looked at Lu Chengwen with a gleeful expression: "You tell me, have you ever bullied me?"

Lu Chengwen pulled Chen Mengyun aside: "Big sister, this is no joke! This could cost lives!"

"Oh, so you're scared of someone now?"

"You need to explain this to him clearly, or I'll be in big trouble!"

"Then promise to have dinner and watch a movie with me."

"Are you out of your mind?" Lu Chengwen whispered angrily, "We've already broken up! It's over between us. You were the one who wanted to split, and now it's done!"

"But now I want to win you back with true love, okay?"

Lu Chengwen nervously glanced over at Long Aotian and Chen Moqun, who were chatting and handing out cigarettes.

Lu Chengwen was worried that Chen Mengyun might inadvertently get him killed, and also feared that Chen Moqun, being impulsive, might provoke Long Aotian and get himself into trouble.

Lu Chengwen said, "One movie, one meal, and then we go our separate ways."

"Do you really hate me that much?"

"Big sister, how could I hate you? You're so beautiful! I just want to survive!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Anyway, be nice to that Long Aotian, get along with him, and speak well of your brother to him. He might be your brother's nemesis in the future."

"What else do you know?"

"That's all. I can't say more, or I'll be doomed."

Chen Mengyun nodded: "So, our dinner and movie still count, right?"

"A gentleman's word is as good as gold."

"Good." Chen Mengyun walked up to Long Aotian, suddenly becoming mature and composed: "Mr. Long, thank you for helping us out earlier."

"It was nothing. Not to boast, but even the toughest guys from the outer regions would kneel and beg for mercy if they crossed me."

Chen Mengyun nodded: "I can see you're a master."

"Should I teach Lu Chengwen a lesson for you, or shall we grab a coffee first, and I'll deal with him later?"

Chen Mengyun smiled: "I was just joking. I really dislike men who are into fighting and killing."

"Oh, then the coffee..."

"No need for coffee. I don't really like it, and I've already made plans with Chengwen to have dinner and watch a movie. See you around."

Chen Mengyun turned and left, pulling Lu Chengwen by the hand towards the stairs.

Lu Chengwen tried to break free, but Chen Mengyun shot him a cold look and whispered, "If you dare to break free, I'll have him beat you to death!"

Lu Chengwen thought to himself: [You're really something!]

[After all these years of knowing you, I never knew you had this side to you!]

[Wow, when you women get tough, it's really terrifying, isn't it?]

Lu Chengwen was afraid that if he broke free, Chen Mengyun might do something reckless, not understanding the gravity of the situation, which could inadvertently lead to his demise.

Not breaking free, however, was like challenging Long Aotian.

Well, better to delay the inevitable.

Lu Chengwen grabbed the chubby Chen Moqun: "You're coming with us too!"

"Why bring him along?" Chen Mengyun asked, displeased.

"We have things to discuss."

As they walked out, Chen Mengyun couldn't stop laughing.

Lu Chengwen complained, "You're still laughing? You almost got me killed."

"Hey! Why are you so afraid of that Long Aotian?"

Lu Chengwen thought to himself, if only I could explain it to you, I would have done so already.

"Anyway, he's the nemesis of both me and Chen Moqun. You better protect your brother. This fat guy might end up dead because of him, don't say I didn't warn you."

Chen Moqun said, "Is that all?"

Lu Chengwen looked at him, deadly serious: "Chen Moqun, do you trust me?"

"Of course, you're my brother, I trust you."

"Then remember, if you want to live, don't provoke him. You've seen his fighting skills today. He's on a completely different level from us who just learned a few moves at the martial arts school to fight in gangs. And this guy is ruthless, ambitious, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He won't spare you just because you're the eldest grandson of the Chen family. This guy is capable of anything, including killing you."

Lu Chengwen deliberately spoke harshly, hoping to intimidate Chen Moqun.

Chen Moqun nodded gravely: "Indeed, that guy really shocked me today. Good thing you stopped me earlier. If I had fought him today, I'd probably be in the hospital by now."

"So! We can only outsmart him, not confront him directly."

Chen Moqun nodded: "That guy is after my sister's beauty, just like Hu Shuhui. We can't let him succeed."

Lu Chengwen thought to himself, this scenario is really hard to navigate. "As for him and your sister, it's best if you don't interfere. If you stay out of it, he might leave you alone. But if you try to stop him from pursuing her, he might really kill you!"

Chen Mengyun interjected: "So, you're saying I'm destined to be his woman?"

Lu Chengwen said, "I don't care about your affairs, and I can't control them. I just have one goal: to keep me and Chen Moqun alive. This guy is capable of killing for the sake of pursuing women."

Chen Mengyun snorted: "I'll just ignore him and keep pestering you, how about that!"

Lu Chengwen looked at her: "You..."

Chen Moqun laughed: "Alright, it's just Long Aotian. I'll handle him."

Lu Chengwen was on the verge of a breakdown: "Did you two even listen to what I just said? All that I just said, was it all for nothing?"

"Chengwen, when did you become so cowardly?"

"I'm not being cowardly, I'm strategically managing this scenario with careful consideration!"

"What do you mean?"

Lu Chengwen looked at the big guy only wearing a bathrobe: "Just get in the car, I don't want to talk to you anymore."

...

In the back seat of the car, Long Aotian was reading a newspaper, his face gloomy.

Hua Xuening sat across from him: "Young Master, that Lu Chengwen keeps ruining your plans. Why not just kill him?"

Long Aotian looked up: "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

"I wouldn't dare. It's just that seeing you suffer losses every time makes me uneasy."

Long Aotian snorted: "The situation isn't developing as I expected. For some reason, I feel like things are getting... strange."

"Is it because of the incident where you fell into the manure pit?"

Long Aotian glared at Hua Xuening: "Don't ever mention that manure pit again! Never!"

"Yes!"

Long Aotian took a deep breath: "We can't kill Lu Chengwen yet, the situation has changed. My original plan was to take down the Leng, Xu, and Chen families one by one, then combine their forces to take down the most powerful Lu family. But now, all three families are facing obstacles."

"And the obstacle is that Lu Chengwen!"

Long Aotian nodded: "However, although we can't kill him yet, we can still make him suffer."

"Send a message to Shi Yin, it's time for her to make her move."

Hua Xuening said, "I can handle this kind of mission!"

Long Aotian laughed: "No, some tasks can only be handled by Shi Yin."

Hua Xuening looked displeased: "All she knows how to do is seduce men."

"Hahaha!" Long Aotian laughed heartily: "You just don't understand flexibility. I originally wanted Jiang Shihan to be my spy to gather intelligence, but who knew that cheap woman would be so loyal to Lu Chengwen. Shi Yin is my person, and Lu Chengwen is a lecher... Once I figure out his background, it won't be hard to bring down the Lu family."

"Does the Young Master plan to start with the Lu family?"

Long Aotian shook his head, a hint of gloom in his eyes: "The best target is still the Leng family."

...

Waking up, Lu Chengwen felt refreshed.

He had figured it out.

Why am I always becoming Long Aotian's opponent? It's because I'm still in this position!

Apart from the main female characters, Long Aotian's ultimate goal is to merge the four major families of Snow City. As long as my family remains one of the four major families, I will always be a target for the protagonist to conquer, and that won't change.

Unless, the Lu family shrinks to a point where the protagonist loses interest. Becoming a second-tier family, or even a third-tier enterprise.

That way, the Lu family becomes a background element outside the main storyline of the book, completely insignificant.

And in that case, my social connections would also change, reducing interactions with the main female characters.

Yes!

Lose a few deals, let some of the Lu family's secondary businesses go under, sell off some, and keep only a few core profitable projects.

This way, I can ensure that the family's standard of living doesn't drop too much, while also ensuring the absolute safety of myself and my family!

I'm such a genius.

The shantytown renovation project is the first step. If this step goes well, hehe, all problems might be solved.

Great Sage Group.

Lu Chengwen sat in the central position, looking at his subordinates with a smile.

"Everyone, I've just reviewed the financial reports, and you've all done well. The internal affairs department should reward those who have contributed recently. All subsidiaries, departments, and outstanding employees involved in profitable projects should be commended. The entire group will receive a salary increase, with a minimum raise of twenty percent."

This statement caused an immediate uproar among everyone.

Lu Chengwen was notoriously stingy, with the group's management and employee salaries being the lowest in the industry.

He ensured that salaries were just enough to prevent people from leaving, but as low as possible.

Lu Chengwen spent lavishly on his own indulgences, but when it came to others earning his money?

No way!

The issue of salaries had always been a sore point within the Great Sage Group.

However, Lu Chengwen was quite adept at tying down senior management with various means.

You might want to jump ship, but the salary here is actually quite good, and the Great Sage Group is at its peak. Working here offers a sense of value and personal achievement far beyond other companies.

If you don't jump ship, the salary just isn't stimulating enough, and the boss squeezes every penny he can.

In the end, every company has its pros and cons... The point is, leaving is hard, but staying doesn't offer top-tier salaries.

But today, Lu Chengwen shocked everyone by voluntarily proposing to increase employee salaries.

Deputy Executive President Li Meiqin was utterly astonished.

"President Lu, shouldn't we discuss this internally first? A twenty percent increase is no small amount. Once implemented, our operational costs will significantly increase..."

"No need for discussion."

Lu Chengwen was clear about what he was doing.

While others focus on increasing income and reducing expenditure, he must reduce income and increase expenditure.

Losing money externally, spending money internally, hitting both sides at once. Once the Great Sage Group's operational status deteriorates, the peripheral subsidiaries will start closing down, assets will be sold off cheaply...

He had to speed up; Long Aotian wouldn't give him much time. He needed to disappear from his radar as soon as possible.

"It's decided!" Lu Chengwen said firmly: "Execute my decision." Li Meiqin frowned, completely baffled by what had gotten into the boss today.

Li Meiqin's first thought was: Could it be that he knows about my plan? This man, has he really become this formidable? Damn it, I've underestimated Lu Chengwen's capabilities!

Li Meiqin clearly felt that today, the boss had instilled a genuine sense of fear in her.