Watching his younger brother leave, Chen Jiayuan mused that without his help, Gu Sanqing would find it difficult to establish himself in Pengcheng.
But that was none of his business; he was Gu Lou's son, after all, and was destined to bear all of it.
Then there was Zhang Liunian, who had thwarted his plans once too often. This time, he was determined to get the money out of his hands. Once he had it, he could have Zhang Liunian killed if he wished.
"Go deliver the evening's invitation to Zhang Liunian," Chen Jiayuan instructed his subordinate, realizing he hadn't yet sent an invitation to Zhang Liunian.
As the subordinate left, Chen Jiayuan suddenly remembered that Zhang Liunian was also involved in the National Chamber of Commerce's affairs.
He thought that by now, the elders of the National Chamber of Commerce must have learned of their project direction. They would surely follow suit, but those old men couldn't compete with them.
Let them test the waters first; he would surpass them later.
At six o'clock in the evening, after dinner, Zhang Liunian informed Zhang Qian to prepare for the second project meeting of the Chamber of Commerce.
"You're still planning to go to the Chamber of Commerce? They'll surely give you trouble again," Zhang Qian said, seeing Zhang Liunian dressed and ready to leave, a bit confused.
Why would Brother Liunian go to endure their cold remarks when he could handle the project himself?
If Zhang Liunian could hear him, he would surely say it was for cooperation. If the Chamber of Commerce's project was truly good, he would still invest.
However, this time, no matter how good the project was, he didn't plan to invest entirely in others. He would set aside a large portion of the money and handle it himself.
"Yes, this is the last time I'll attend this kind of seminar. After that, we'll manage projects ourselves," Zhang Liunian said as he put on his jacket, taking Zhang Qian and the bodyguards back to the Chamber of Commerce.
Upon arrival, Chen Jiayuan was as cordial as ever and again seated him next to the young men, Hei and Huang Mao. Zhang Liunian had reason to suspect Chen Jiayuan was doing it intentionally.
He knew these two young men didn't have a good impression of him, yet he had seated him there twice. He believed Chen Jiayuan was doing it deliberately.
The purpose, naturally, was to make him look foolish.
As Zhang Liunian suspected, Chen Jiayuan had deliberately orchestrated the previous incident where Hei and Huang Mao targeted Zhang Liunian, with the aim of making Zhang Liunian uncomfortable.
However, Chen Jiayuan hadn't mentioned this to anyone, and Hei and Huang Mao were unaware of his intentions.
"Let me in. I want to join the Chamber of Commerce too. Didn't you say you welcome everyone? Why are you stopping me?"
As Zhang Liunian pondered this, Gu Sanqing's voice suddenly rang out from the entrance of the meeting. Zhang Liunian looked towards the door and met Gu Sanqing's displeased expression.
"What's going on?"
Chen Jiayuan, hearing the commotion, walked over with a frosty expression. Zhang Liunian, seeing some drama unfold, stood up and followed him.
"Chairman Chen, my father met with trouble while helping you. Now that his body is not yet cold, you're shutting me out. Aren't you afraid he'll rise from below to find you?"
Gu Sanqing originally didn't intend to interact with these people, but after his father disappeared, the people from the National Chamber of Commerce couldn't find him and began targeting him, causing his newly established small company to shut down.
Upon learning this, he had no solution and could only come here seeking Chen Jiayuan's help.
His father's warning not to provoke Chen Jiayuan still echoed in his ears, but in his current situation, he had no choice.
If Chen Jiayuan didn't help him, he wouldn't be able to survive in Pengcheng.
He didn't want to go to Hong Kong; it was much harder there than here.
"Gu Lou and I only had a fair business relationship. I have no obligation to help you. Moreover, I'm not even holding you accountable for the debts your father owes me. Now you're showing up, are you looking for death?" Chen Jiayuan was already angry about Gu Lou's concealment, which had rendered one of his moves useless. Now, Gu Lou's son was coming here to demand an explanation, which truly made him laugh in anger.
This Gu father and son were both shameless. It was the first time Chen Jiayuan had suffered a loss, and it was Gu Lou who caused it. He considered himself merciful for not having Gu Sanqing killed. Yet this fellow dared to come knocking, asking for his help – what a joke.
"My family's factories were all given to you, yet you didn't ensure my father reached Hong Kong safely. How can you take what you don't deserve?"
After discovering his small company was failing, Gu Sanqing turned his attention to his father's factories.
Originally, these factories should have been his. But his father was foolish and was completely tricked by Chen Jiayuan.
"Heh, do I need to tell you how your father died? Wasn't it you, his good son, who caused it? No one would believe it if I said it. Gu Lou didn't die at the hands of those National Merchants, but at the hands of his son. If he knew, the first person he'd look for from below would be you, his good son."
Chen Jiayuan looked at Gu Sanqing with mockery. Gu Lou didn't know what kind of person his son was, but Chen Jiayuan did. He could be called a viper without exaggeration.
Gu Lou's death was caused by his own son. He could find this out with a little investigation.
Yet this shameless person wanted to shift the blame onto him. While he did intentionally slack off, the one who actually took action was not him!
"You're talking nonsense. I didn't do that. My father only had me as a son. How could I have harmed him? When he passes, everything will be mine anyway, why would I need to act?" Gu Sanqing was furious at Chen Jiayuan's accusation of harming his father. It was sheer nonsense.
He couldn't stand his father's stupidity, but he didn't want him dead. All he wanted was his father's money.
Chen Jiayuan, however, was placing the blame for patricide onto him, the son. If this were confirmed, Gu Sanqing would have no hope of developing in Pengcheng.
"What you say makes sense, but until the money is in your hands, it's not yours. We can understand your eagerness to take control, but if you blame Gu Lou's death on me, I, Chen Jiayuan, will not acknowledge it, nor will I be polite to you, even if you are Gu Lou's son." Chen Jiayuan glanced at him with disdain, thinking this wretch lacked the courage to own up to his actions.
But Gu Sanqing glared at him in a fit of rage, "You're slandering me! I didn't do it. Chen Jiayuan, just tell me if you'll help me or not. If you don't, I'll tell everyone about what you made my father do in the past, and we'll see how you can still stand in Pengcheng."
The matters of swindling the National Merchants in the past were all led by Chen Jiayuan, with his father merely an accomplice.
Gu Sanqing had known about these things for a long time but had never revealed them to anyone. If Chen Jiayuan hadn't pushed him, he wouldn't have resorted to threatening him with this.
"..." Chen Jiayuan was speechless. He knew best what he had done. He just hadn't expected Gu Lou to tell his son about these matters. He truly wanted to disown his descendants!