Chapter 143 A scapegoat 'exiled to the frontier'

2. Yu Shuo's phone rang.

She apologized and walked outside to take the call.

Not long after, she hurried back and said: "I'm so sorry, I won't be able to stay for dinner tonight. Something came up at the Company, and I need to return to Hangzhou immediately. I have to leave right now.

I'm truly sorry. I'll treat you to a meal next time to make it up to you."

In such a rush?

Ling Yue was curious and really wanted to ask.

But since she didn't volunteer the information, it was clearly inconvenient to discuss.

She wasn't the type to gossip either!

She nodded and said: "It's fine, travel safely."

Yu Shuo left in a flurry with her people.

Looking through the window as their figures disappeared at the end of the garden, Cheng Jiao said:

"Miss, I just received news that Longcui Group intends to sell the 'Feimi' brand. I suspect that the phone call Miss Yu just took was about this matter."

Ling Yue's heart skipped a beat.

To be honest.

The design style of the 'Feimi' brand really suited her taste.

Since Longcui was selling it, why couldn't she buy it?

"How is the progress on setting up the investment Company I mentioned previously?"

Cheng Jiao immediately replied: "Currently, a five-person investment team is being contacted. They are quite interested, and we are currently negotiating salaries."

"What about their capabilities? How are their skills?" Ling Yue reclined on the sofa.

Cheng Jiao had Qian Xu send over the resumes and opened them in front of Ling Yue.

Judging from the resumes, their track record was impressive with numerous awards.

Resumes can be embellished, but practice reveals the truth.

Ling Yue returned the phone to Cheng Jiao: "Haven't you poached them yet? Is it because they are asking for too much, or do they think we are offering too little?"

Cheng Jiao shook her head: "Neither. The salary is easy to negotiate; it's just that they need to hand over their current work."

Ling Yue nodded in understanding.

"Speaking of which, there are currently three potential locations that need you to finalize as the work site. Also, the Company name needs to be decided by you as well."

Ling Yue was silent for a moment.

She took a gamble and said: "For the site selection, have Qian Xu find a master who understands Feng Shui. As for the name..." Ling Yue thought for three seconds, "Let's use a homophone of my name: Ling Yue."

"Understood." Cheng Jiao noted another to-do item on her phone.

In the evening.

After dinner, Ling Yue lay on a lawn lounge chair enjoying the breeze.

While scrolling through TikTok China, she saw a lot of news about Longcui Group.

A group of finance bloggers were analyzing the reasons for the financial crisis and the bursting of the bubble at Longcui Group, as well as the impact of failed investment strategies.

There were also netizens posing as consumers who were reporting Longcui Group online for mixing fake goods with real ones, shop staff looking down on people, poor service attitudes, and so on.

The netizens didn't care who was who.

Upon learning that Long Zhuoyan was the current president of Longcui Group, they bombarded her with criticism, accompanied by all sorts of slanderous and false rumors.

For a time, overwhelming negative news swept the entire internet, shooting straight to the top of the trending searches.

With so much dirt, Ling Yue wouldn't be surnamed Ling if she believed there wasn't a competitor adding fuel to the fire.

The next day, early morning.

Ling Yue woke up and went downstairs, only to discover that from the living room to her bedroom, there was a bodyguard standing every ten meters or so.

All 20 bodyguards were in place, taking shifts to guard her.

Ling Yue sat down at the dining table.

She stirred the piping hot beef porridge in her bowl.

"Miss, here is the invitation sent by the Pingxi Public Auction."

Qu Shu ran in from outside the courtyard, holding a sealed document.

"Bring it here for me to see." Ling Yue took a bite of a steamed bun and said indistinctly.

Seeing Ling Yue eating, Qu Shu first opened the file in the living room and then brought the contents to the dining table.

An invitation and a brochure.

The Pingxi Public Auction was holding a private auction tomorrow night, and since Ling Yue had won both the large and small King of Bids, it was only natural for the auction house to invite her.

She looked at the brochure.

The first few pieces of raw material were quite ordinary; Ling Yue already had them in her warehouse.

Hmm!!

What a beautiful piece of Imperial Purple slab material!

Such a rich and clear purple material could rival the glass-species Imperial Green large egg-shaped stone she had unearthed yesterday.

Looking at the description on the side, this slab was large enough for a 56mm inner diameter bracelet. For Ling Yue, this size was a bit large, and the remaining material after cutting the bracelet could still make a string of beads.

She liked it as soon as she saw it, and her mind was filled with thoughts of must adding it to her own warehouse.

"Miss, are we going tomorrow night?" Qu Shu asked, resting her chin on her hand.

Ling Yue nodded: "Of course we are going."

She called Cheng Jiao over.

"For this auction, take a few people to go for me and secure this Imperial Purple slab material."

Cheng Jiao took the invitation, glanced at the brochure, and asked: "Miss, what is the budget?"

"150 million... or thereabouts." Ling Yue gave a relatively generous price.

On the night of the auction.

Ling Yue tried remote bidding for the first time.

Through a phone connection, she was informed of the situation at the auction.

There were quite a few people who wanted to buy this Imperial Purple slab material. The starting price was 50 million. At the beginning, the momentum was very strong, rushing all the way to 80 million. After exceeding 80 million, there were only three people bidding on-site. When it exceeded 90 million, the three turned into two, and it remained deadlocked until 96 million.

Someone requested an intermission, and the organizers agreed.

"Miss, it was Long Zhuoyan who was bidding against us just now, and she is walking toward me now." Cheng Jiao's voice sounded over the phone.

Ling Yue didn't speak and casually turned on the speakerphone.

Long Zhuoyan's voice came from the other end of the receiver.

It was nothing more than a request for Cheng Jiao to let her have the Imperial Purple slab material.

Auctions are all about the highest bidder winning.

Ling Yue could only say, I am very sorry.

Long Zhuoyan ultimately returned empty-handed.

The Imperial Purple slab material was successfully secured by Ling Yue for 96 million.

Cheng Jiao had completed her task; she paid the money and left the venue midway, surrounded by bodyguards, with the auction item in hand.

When she walked out, she even saw Long Zhuoyan crying.

Upon returning home, she specifically reported this matter to Ling Yue.

"Crying?" Ling Yue held the slab up to the light with one hand, squinting her eyes to observe it.

Cheng Jiao nodded: "Yes, and I also saw Yang Huatian's people outside the auction, but he didn't enter the venue."

Ling Yue put down the slab and carried it to the basement vault: "One person doesn't enter the venue, but sends people to come..."

"I know what's wrong now." Ling Yue looked back at Cheng Jiao: "Long Zhuoyan is from a jewelry family; she should have attended many auctions of this caliber since she was young. For a job like this, she could just leave it to her subordinates to follow up; why did she need to show up in person?

The big client requested the finished product by the end of the year. It's only May, so the time is relatively ample. Compared to the other crises of Longcui Group, this is simply insignificant.

She isn't handling the chaotic mess of the Group's crisis, but instead is wasting time here in Guang Province. It's very suspicious."

A possibility flashed through Cheng Jiao's mind: "Yang Huatian keeps saying he wants to buy the King of Bids we have, but he isn't actually serious about it. Since the last time he blocked our path, he hasn't contacted us again, as if he's just going through the motions.

If his task was to purchase good materials, he should have actively contacted us.

I don't think he's here representing the Company to make a purchase; instead, it looks more like..."

"Surveillance!" The blockage in Ling Yue's mind suddenly cleared up.

She raised her eyes to meet Cheng Jiao's gaze: "Letting Long Zhuoyan become the nominal president, but arranging for her to do menial tasks, stripping her of her real power, and then pinning all the blame on her online.

A scapegoat 'exiled to the frontier'.

Yang Huatian's presence is just to prevent this sheep from jumping out of the pen."

Cheng Jiao had seen more of these power struggles than Ling Yue.

She analyzed it very calmly: "That big client from Hong Kong is 50% likely to be fake. With things developing to this point, the Yang Family is almost in full control. To seize power, they are truly ruthless."