Uncle Lu on the Crest of Success

Inside the Li Family mansion.

Li Xiujian expressionlessly tossed his tablet onto the desk. On the screen was an image of Lu Chenyuan and Mo Qingli smiling at each other.

"Yuanlong Technologies... What a move, Lu Chenyuan. A perfect golden cicada shedding its shell!"

The malice in his eyes was almost palpable.

He had originally thought Lu Chenyuan had been forced out by that fool Lu Mingshi's power play.

Now it was clear—everything had been orchestrated by Lu Chenyuan himself!

He had planned all along to abandon the sinking ship of the Lu Family and start anew.

This young man's cunning and tactics were far more terrifying than he had imagined.

"Boss," his trusted subordinate whispered beside him, "Our people investigating 'Far Star Real Estate' have returned. The company is just a shell, with layers of holding structures—impossible to trace the real owner. But... its registration date coincides exactly with when Lu Chenyuan began selling off his shares."

"Stop digging," Li Xiujian coldly cut him off. "It's him. No one else."

Everything fell into place.

While plotting his exit from the Lu Family, Lu Chenyuan had also secretly snatched the land parcel Li Xiujian had been eyeing.

Two moves, one in the light and one in the shadows, executed simultaneously—leaving him blindsided.

Now, his biggest leverage, "Sheng Tian Real Estate," had turned into a burning hot potato.

Lu Chenyuan had already jumped out of the game, and that idiot Lu Mingshi had been played yet again, with no funds to take over.

If Sheng Tian's problems exploded in his hands, not only would he suffer massive losses, but it would also expose the hidden networks he had spent years building.

No—this ticking time bomb had to be passed on, and fast.

And in all of Jingzhou, there was still only one person foolish and greedy enough to be the perfect scapegoat—Lu Mingshi.

"Prepare the car," Li Xiujian stood, a flicker of humiliation and resolve in his eyes. "We're going to Lu Corporation."

---

Lu Corporation, CEO’s office.

Lu Mingshi lounged in his expensive leather chair, feet propped on the desk, puffing leisurely on a premium cigar.

Though the recent stock plunge had annoyed him, the thrill of holding absolute power drowned out all concerns.

As he fantasized about reshaping Lu Corporation in his image—purging the old guard who dared defy him—his secretary knocked, voice tense.

"Chairman... Chairman Lu, a Mr. Li is here to see you. He said you’d know who he is."

"Li?" Lu Mingshi raised an eyebrow, lips curling into a mocking smirk. "Let him wait."

And wait he did—for a full hour.

When Li Xiujian finally entered the office, he was met with Lu Mingshi’s gloating face.

"Well, well, if it isn’t Chairman Li? To what do I owe the honor?" Lu Mingshi slowly straightened in his chair but made no move to stand, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

How the tables had turned.

Once, he had groveled before Li Xiujian, desperate to prove himself and secure investment opportunities.

Today, he would repay every ounce of humiliation tenfold.

Li Xiujian’s expression remained unreadable, as if the taunts had flown past him.

"Chairman Lu now reigns supreme. Naturally, I came to pay my respects."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Lu Mingshi sneered. "Get to the point. I’m a busy man."

"Sheng Tian Real Estate," Li Xiujian cut straight to it.

"I know funds were tight for you last time, but as Lu Corporation’s new helmsman, that shouldn’t be an issue now. I’m willing to sell all my Sheng Tian shares to you—at a 10% discount from our last negotiation."

He kept his tone deferential. He had little leverage left.

Yet Lu Mingshi laughed—a loud, derisive bark.

"Ten percent? Are you trying to swindle me, Li Xiujian?"

He stood, jabbing a finger into Li Xiujian’s chest.

"Remember when I begged you to sell those shares to me? What did you say? Times have changed. This is my era now!"

He dropped back into his chair with a cold laugh.

"Let me make this clear—I’ll take Sheng Tian. But the price? I set it."

He held up five fingers.

"Fifty percent off your last offer. Take it or leave it."

Li Xiujian’s eyes flashed with lethal fury, the air around him turning glacial.

Fifty percent?

This wasn’t negotiation—it was outright robbery.

"Problem?" Lu Mingshi smirked, confident Li Xiujian had no choice.

"Don’t play dumb. Sheng Tian’s a sinking ship. If not for old times’ sake, I wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole!"

He wanted to humiliate him, to grind this once-untouchable man into the dirt.

Li Xiujian’s chest heaved, his gaze locked onto Lu Mingshi.

Then, inexplicably, the rage in his eyes vanished, replaced by an eerie calm.

"Fine," he hissed.

"Fifty percent. But the deal closes in three days."

He needed to sever all ties to Sheng Tian—immediately.

Lu Mingshi blinked, startled by his compliance, then swelled with triumph.

"Smart man!"

He summoned legal and finance with a call, gleefully watching as Li Xiujian signed the humiliating contract.

As Li Xiujian left, Lu Mingshi spat at his retreating back.

"Pathetic."

The moment Li Xiujian slid into his car, his composed mask shattered.

"BAM!"

His fist slammed into the window, spiderwebbing the glass.

"Lu Mingshi," he growled, voice raw like a wounded beast,

"You will pay—a thousand times over—for today."

He had been humiliated.

But his goal was achieved.

The bomb was now planted deep within Lu Corporation’s heart.

All that remained was to wait—for the perfect moment to light the fuse.

---

Yuanlong Technologies, top-floor office.

Lu Chenyuan set down the phone, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"President Lu," Zhang Qi entered, reporting, "Confirmed—Lu Mingshi just acquired all of Li Xiujian’s Sheng Tian shares at half the price."

"Good," Lu Chenyuan nodded.

Everything was proceeding exactly as planned.

From the very beginning, he knew that with Lu Mingshi's vindictive and arrogant nature, once the man gained power, he would inevitably seek ruthless revenge and humiliation against Li Xiujian.

And Li Xiujian, desperate to rid himself of the burden of Shengtian, would have no choice but to endure the humiliation.

What he exploited was precisely the conflict and human weaknesses between the two.

"Our mole inside Shengtian has also sent word," Zhang Qi continued.

"After taking over, Lu Mingshi immediately launched a high-profile internal overhaul, demanding all projects accelerate their progress to boost performance and stabilize the stock price. Many previously suppressed safety hazards and financial loopholes have been ignored."

"Expected," Lu Chenyuan replied, walking toward the floor-to-ceiling window as he gazed down at the bustling city below.

"Notify Su Yang. Have him anonymously send that secret ledger—the 'Project Emergency Reserve Fund'—to the heads of the Jingzhou Discipline Inspection Commission and the Tax Audit Bureau."

Lu Chenyuan's voice was calm and icy, as if discussing a trivial matter.

"The timing is ripe."