The Boldness of Xu Shou

Ye Tong looked toward the thin elderly man in a suit with deep nasolabial folds, her eyes glimmering.

"Uncle Wang?"

"Young lady, what are you doing here?" Wang Weiliang immediately strode over.

Ye Tong's eyes reddened slightly, tears welling up. "I never thought I'd see you here."

"Heh, no need to stand around catching up. Let's all sit," Xu Shou said with a smile from the sofa.

Xu Mu gave Ye Tong a gentle pat on the back.

Ye Tong nodded lightly and took Ye Yu's hand, leading her to sit on the couch.

"Xiao Tong, and Lao Wang, you might not know the full story, so I'll keep it brief."

Xu Shou leaned back on the sofa and summarized his relationship with the Ye family and what he had done over the years.

Xu Mu sat beside Ye Tong, listening attentively.

These were things even Xu Mu didn’t know, as the novel’s plot primarily followed the Dragon King’s perspective.

After Xu Shou’s explanation, everyone present—including Xu Mu—finally understood what had happened.

Back when Xu Shou was starting his business, he had once faced a crisis.

Decades ago, at a business gathering, he happened to meet the father of the Ye family head—Ye Tong and Ye Yu’s grandfather.

Though the elder Ye didn’t invest in Xu Shou, he introduced him to several established businessmen.

With their help, Xu Shou overcame the crisis.

So Xu Shou never forgot that debt of gratitude.

Later, when the Ye family fell into trouble and Ye Tong came to him for help, he didn’t hesitate to invest heavily.

But it didn’t work out, and the Ye family head went missing.

Xu Shou had already guessed that the Ye family’s problems weren’t purely business-related—they had offended someone powerful.

So he secretly took Ye Tong and Ye Yu under his wing, then proposed that Ye Tong marry Xu Mu.

This way, Ye Tong would become part of the Xu family, severing ties with the Ye family.

He also pooled the Ye family’s pharmaceutical experts and established a subsidiary.

The pharmaceutical industry was highly lucrative if successful, and over the past two years, Xu Shou had continuously funded their research into a specific drug.

It was a gamble, but so far, it seemed to be paying off.

After hearing Xu Shou’s words, everyone present felt genuine admiration for this middle-aged man.

Truly a self-made tycoon. Reaching such heights by fifty was no small feat—most people wouldn’t have the audacity.

Even Xu Ningbing was deeply impressed by her father.

The Ye family’s pharmaceutical ventures had already cost Xu Shou a fortune.

If it were her, she wouldn’t touch the industry again anytime soon.

Yet Xu Shou dared to keep investing in it.

"Dad, aren’t you afraid you’ll lose everything?" Xu Mu asked with a chuckle.

"Traditional industries are hard to turn around once they decline. Unless you innovate, but what’s new in traditional sectors?"

Xu Shou glanced at Xu Mu. "Tech is even more capital-intensive, and I don’t have trusted people there. But I trust Lao Wang—he’s an expert in medicine."

"Thank you for your faith, Chairman. I had no idea you were protecting the young ladies so well. Had I known, I would’ve worked harder."

Wang Weiliang clasped his hands respectfully.

"Heh, let’s get to the main topic. Lao Chen, you can probably guess why I called you here today, right?"

Xu Shou looked at the slightly overweight man beside Wang Weiliang.

Xu Mu recognized him—Chen Bei, one of the original founders who had started the business with Xu Shou.

"I know. The materials for our weight-loss drug suddenly spiked in price. There’s a leak." Chen Bei’s expression darkened.

"Any guesses who?" Xu Shou asked.

"Hard to say. Only core members knew about the drug."

Chen Bei shook his head slowly. "I really don’t get it. The Chairman isn’t stingy—why would they betray us?"

"There’s one thing people always underestimate—the power of a beautiful woman."

Xu Shou smiled. "Since ancient times, they say 'the empire or the beauty.' Not many things are weighed equally with an empire."

"You’re saying the traitor leaked secrets because of a woman?" Chen Bei asked, stunned.

Instead of answering, Xu Shou took out his phone and played the recording Xu Mu had sent him for the two men.

Ye Tong, sitting nearby, stole a glance at Xu Mu.

She remembered that during dinner, Xu Mu had specifically asked Meng Wanyue for a listening device—so this was why.

By the time the recording finished, Chen Bei’s face had grown increasingly grim.

"Damn it! It’s Qian Gang! For a woman, he’d throw away everything we built!"

Chen Bei clenched his fist and slammed it onto the sofa. "Even knowing he’s being played, he still goes along with it."

"Now that you know, let’s discuss solutions. Lao Chen, Qian Gang will keep digging to avoid exposure, and you’re his best lead."

Xu Shou pointed at Chen Bei.

"I know. He’s not close to Mr. Wang, but he and I go way back." Chen Bei nodded.

"If he approaches you, don’t agree right away—that’d be too obvious. Wait till he’s paid some price, then give him the wrong ratios and processing methods."

Xu Shou’s gaze sharpened. "Since they’ve crossed us, we won’t hold back. Let them lose everything."

"Understood, Chairman." Chen Bei nodded firmly.

"Chairman, if I may," Wang Weiliang suddenly interjected.

Everyone turned to him, waiting.

"Your plan might not work. Anyone in our industry knows you test before full-scale production."

Wang Weiliang explained, "Once they get the ratios and methods, they’ll first invest minimally in trial batches. If it doesn’t work, they won’t mass-produce."

Xu Shou and Xu Ningbing frowned at this.

True—they’d overlooked that.

No one would blindly mass-produce without testing first.

Xu Shou rubbed his temples, then suddenly looked at Xu Mu with a smile. "Kid, any ideas?"

His question surprised several people.

Xu Ningbing was the first. Whenever she was present, Xu Shou always sought her opinion first—never Xu Mu’s.

Today was different.

The shift in status left her slightly sour.

Chen Bei and Wang Weiliang felt similarly. Chen Bei, especially, had watched Xu Mu grow up.

He’d always pegged the boy as a spoiled heir.

For Xu Shou to ask Xu Mu’s thoughts now? The sun must be rising in the west.

"The ideal scenario is giving them a drug that works short-term but fails long-term," Xu Mu said, crossing his legs with a smirk.

"Easier said than done. We can’t just pour money into developing a flawed drug," Wang Weiliang countered.

"Mr. Wang, if possible, could you share the mixing ratios and production techniques with me?" Xu Mu asked from the side.

Wang Weiliang immediately glanced at Xu Shou across from him at these words.

After all, Xu Shou was the boss—if he agreed, then it was settled.

Chen Bei’s lips parted slightly, but he ultimately stayed silent. What he really wanted to say was that it was better not to.

Xu Mu, that naive fool, was far too easy to manipulate.

A woman could probably bat her eyelashes at him, and he’d spill everything without a second thought.

"Dad, I disagree!"

Xu Ningbing interjected coldly.