Chapter 92 Liu Ruyan's Dilemma

At the same time, Liu Haoran—who was unwilling to go to work at the group and whose trusted confidants in the finance department had been arranged by Liu Ruyan to attend a one-day training course—had no idea that danger was imminent.

At this moment, he was at home discussing with his father when to report them to the tax authorities.

"Enough, Haoran. Stop thinking about these things all day long and just go to the group and work properly."

However, listening to his son's eloquent chatter, Second Uncle Liu showed little patience.

On the contrary, ripples of unease suddenly stirred in his heart.

This was their family business, such massive assets, with so many people relying on working for Liu Group to survive, to have jobs, to develop, to eat. Whoever sat in the CEO's chair was the primary person responsible.

The person in that position must have a public spirit. Can schemes and tricks ever accomplish great things?

Second Uncle Liu leaned back in his master chair, rolling two collectible walnuts in his hand, making a clicking sound. He looked at his son's face, filled with unwillingness, and suddenly felt a sense of fatigue.

It wasn't physical exhaustion, but the weariness of a parent wanting their child to succeed, only to find the child unwilling to soar.

"Dad, I don't like hearing you say that." Liu Haoran flopped onto the sofa nearby, crossing his legs. "Liu Ruyan is an outsider, a mere woman. By what right does she occupy the CEO position and refuse to let go? Is her surname Liu? Does she have the blood of the Liu family flowing in her veins?"

"She is your uncle's daughter, how is her surname not Liu?"

"That doesn't make her surname Liu!" Liu Haoran's voice rose a few octaves. "Dad, think about it. The rule grandfather set back then was that the helm of Liu Corporation must have the surname Liu. No matter how capable Liu Ruyan is, she still has a different surname. A married daughter is like spilled water; her husband's surname is Chen, and her future children will have the surname Chen. Sooner or later, this group will change its name to Chen!"

The walnuts in Second Uncle Liu's hands paused for a moment, then began to turn again. Click. Click.

"Your uncle is gone, but his shares are still in her hands." Second Uncle Liu's voice was unhurried, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him. "Even if you got her in trouble, the shares wouldn't fall into your hands. Besides, the man surnamed Chen married into the family."

"That's not necessarily true." Liu Haoran leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Dad, look at that night at the Old Residence, in front of Grandfather, the way that guy surnamed Chen was showing off. Clearly, I am the eldest grandson of the Liu family."

"Enough." Second Uncle Liu spoke suddenly. His voice wasn't loud, but it felt like a basin of cold water poured over his head.

Liu Haoran opened his mouth, but the rest of his words were stuck in his throat, neither coming out nor going down.

"If you really have the ability, then go ahead." Second Uncle Liu put down the walnuts, picked up the purple clay teapot nearby, and took a sip of tea from the spout. "I'll just ask you one thing: if you manage to bring Liu Ruyan down, do you have the ability to sit in her position?"

"How do I not have the ability? I…"

Hearing this, Liu Haoran immediately got agitated. The thing he couldn't accept most was people doubting him, especially when that person was his own father.

"Do you have the ability to make that group in the finance department obey you? Do you have the ability to negotiate credit lines with banks? Do you have the ability to handle those difficult major clients? You won't even go to work at the group; what ability do you have?"

A series of questions came crashing down, and Liu Haoran's face flushed to the color of a pig's liver.

"That's because Liu Ruyan is there! It's useless for me to go! She sidelined me, she won't give me real power, and even if I went, I'd just be sitting there drinking tea!"

"Then go sit there and drink tea." Second Uncle Liu put down the teapot and looked at his son, his eyes filled with an indescribable disappointment. "You can't even manage to sit there and drink tea, so what else do you want to do?"

Liu Haoran stopped talking. The room fell silent, with only the ticking of the old-fashioned grandfather clock remaining.

After a long while, Second Uncle Liu sighed: "Haoran, it's not that Dad doesn't want you to take the position. Dad wants you to understand that sitting in that chair doesn't depend on pulling others down, but on whether you can stand firm yourself. In the four years Liu Ruyan has been here, the group has gone from loss to profit, and the debt ratio has dropped from eighty percent to fifty percent. That is ability. If you want to surpass her, you must produce a stronger report card than hers, not spend all day pondering these crooked paths."

Liu Haoran lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously picking at the armrest of the sofa. Did he take it in? Second Uncle Liu couldn't tell. But he knew that this son was no longer really listening to him.

"Fine, if you want to stir up trouble, then go ahead. Many people in the finance department were secret confidants I cultivated back in the day, but you only have one chance."

In the end, looking at the vast assets of Liu Group, greed ultimately triumphed over reason. He was just too desperate to get ahead.

Liu Group, conference room. Wang Min's team went back to work after lunch. The four of them worked non-stop, without even taking a lunch break. Liu Ruyan had the administration department order coffee and light meals for them, while she paced back and forth in her office.

She was thinking about one thing. Liu Haoran.

She knew this cousin of hers too well. Not much ability, but not small ambition; not many brains, but plenty of bad intentions. If he really tampered with the finances, given his level, it would be impossible for him to do it flawlessly. Therefore, there was only one answer to these questions: it had to be her Second Uncle.

But in the four years she had been CEO, her Second Uncle had clearly been pushed outside of the core business, hadn't he?

After much thought, the only person Liu Ruyan could think of was Qin Shi. When her Second Uncle was at the group, he reached his hand into the finance department, and then, under Qin Shi's guidance, her cousin pulled off this whole dramatic stunt.

This explained why she hadn't discovered the financial problems for so long. This was clearly a bomb that had just been planted.

Qin Shi, no matter what, we were childhood sweethearts who grew up together, yet you could be so heartless. First, you wanted to snatch my contract, and now you're colluding with others to reach into Liu Group. I must have been blind.

In the office, Liu Ruyan leaned weakly against the soft boss chair, her mood entirely complex. If there were no accidents, Wang Min and her team should have already set the trap by now.

And for this trap, Liu Ruyan both hoped Liu Haoran and Qin Shi would jump in, and hoped they wouldn't.

Liu Ruyan couldn't help but rub her head. Only then did she realize that she was most relaxed when she was with that stinky guy at home, because she didn't need to use her brain.