The flight on the way back to Beijing was not as Jing Lihua had expected. Mei Xiu failed to appear for some reason and Jing Lihua asked her to meet in Beijing immediately. On the way back, Jing Lihua had a lot of alone time with Li Zhiqiang. But no matter how much time they spend together, it seemed too little and passed too quickly.
Li Zhiqiang made her promise that she would spend more time with her or otherwise he would force her to move in with her. Jing Lihua was aghast. He couldn't be serious? She was still married! But nevertheless, she wouldn't be stupid enough to test him. So she agreed. Still looking glum for having to part from Jing Lihua, he was reluctant to leave.
With a sigh, Jing Lihua gave him a kiss to bribe him. That seemed to do the trick and with an obedient puppy who just got his treat, he obeyed Jing Lihua and let her go.
Sitting into the car, she spoke. "What happened?"
"President, do you remember that Fu Jianguo? The one who had entrusted the handlings of the property transfer for the central city?" Mei Xiu handed Jing Lihua the coffee and spread the files on her lap. (See chapter 26)
"Let me guess. He has failed to fulfill his part of the bargain before the deadline? He is ignoring our calls. He wants to drag us in lawsuits?"
"No, President. Quite the contrary. He has gone missing. The company is quite in disarray in his absence. With no obvious leader without him, it is impossible for the company and it might fall and rn into bankruptcy. The other members know that already and instead of making effort to save it, they want to pocket as much money as they can."
Jing Lihua felt a sense of guilt for misunderstanding him. She shook her head. "The company was in crisis back then we contacted them. The construction prizes overshoot and with the Qin Jua company, I had presented them an alternative and provided the manpower with a fair concession to hire their service. All I wanted in return was to have Mr. Fu keep the things secret that. But I guess someone in his company betrayed him."
"President Jing trust Mr. Fu?"
"Of course. As I see the things, Fu Jianguo must have declined to breach the contract even when Su Empire presented him with a better choice. I thought the man seemed honest back then but I wasn't sure."
"President Jing seems confident that it was Su Empire that is behind Mr. Fu's disappearance? Then should we help him?"
"We need him for completion. The mall is not yet fully completed. " Jing Lihua sighed. That Fu Jianguo managed to finish a lot of work before his disappearance but still a little remained. "Only once it is completed, the ownership would be transferred. And that's the most crucial step. Because we can start working on our next step only once the ownership is transferred." Jing Lihua had done everything until now to keep it a secret from Su Liwei. Jing Lihua had been keeping a low profile until now. But now that she had formed a business alliance with Li Zhiqiang, she didn't need to fear.
She could work in motion the next part of her plan.
"Understood President. I'll ask Heng Bingwen to dig out Mr. Fu's location. That, if he is alive." Mei Xiu noted down. "There is one thing else. The President of the Su enterprise has been reelected."
"Reelected?" That was unexpected.
"Just yesterday, the board of directors decided to elect Su Donghai, the brother of President Father-in-law as the new President."
"Su Donghai had always been the real power behind Su enterprise." Jing Lihua was less shocked than Mei Xiu had expected her to be. "Su Liwei was just a lackey he controlled because he didn't have a son of his own. I wonder, now that Su Lanfen showbiz career has been ruined, Su Donghai decided to take back the hold of the office. In this way, he would be able to clear the obstacles for her if she wishes to join the company in the future. Nevertheless, it is still bad news for us."
Between Su Liwei and Su Donghai, Jing Lihua couldn't decide which was worse. Su Donvghai would hate her for ruining his daughter's career and might come at her as soon as taking hold of the office. "We must speed our steps." Now that Li Zhiqiang was at her back, she felt less worried than before. He was a great support, be it emotional or influential. But she didn't want to depend on him too much either.
"I just don't want anyone I love to be hurt in any way." The loss of her grandfather had stemmed the fear deep in her heart. But it also strengthened her. She was determined to destroy her enemies before they made move.
After signing off a few documents when she arrived at her apartment, Jing Lihua tried to contact her grandfather. But he didn't pick up. "He must have realized I discovered something. That's why he is avoiding me. Looks like I'll have to go and pay him a visit soon."
That evening after completing all of her office tasks, she decided to pay a visit to Xu Baozhai. (Heng Bingwen mother) They had shared a very strong bond in her last lifetime. In this life, however, due to various circumstances, she hadn't been able to visit her more than a couple of times.
Jing Lihua dressed moderately. Before going to her, she asked Wang Yi to stop the car and buy some fruits. Jing Lihua got off the car and gave Wang Yi strict orders not to follow her. She knew that this sneaky driver or bodyguard or whatever he was, would always follow her, sneakily if she didn't allow him.
"Yes, President Jing. You do not need to worry. I won't take a single step away from here!"
His over-enthusiastic response flabbergasted Jing Lihua. Ever since they had the fight with those people, Wang Yi had been different. Jing Lihua shrugged. A bit more obedience and respect were not bad, if only it was a good thing.
Leaving him alone, Jing Lihua proceeded to head for their apartment number. She frowned when she saw the suspiciously open door to Xu Baozhai.
And what followed that was screams.