108: Lu Ziming's choice and thoughts, Night Owl's warning.

Top floor of Xingji Corporation Building, Chairman's office.

Lu Hongqiang lit a black, hard cigar, leaned back in his chair, took a deep puff, and slowly exhaled after the smoke circulated through his lungs.

"What's on the schedule today?"

Zhao Qingcheng, who was beside him, quickly replied, "A conference call with all companies at 10 AM, and an army-civilian exchange meeting in Outlook City at 2 PM. The helicopter has already been arranged."

"Hmm, any news about Old Man Chen's matter?"

"Not yet. He probably hasn't received news of his son's disappearance. We thought if we left him for a couple of days, he'd get anxious."

"Delay breeds trouble. Resolve it as soon as possible."

"Yes."

Ding-a-ling!

Just as the two were talking, the internal phone rang, and the secretary's flustered voice came through.

"Chairman, Young Master Lu is here."

Before the words finished, the office door was pushed open.

Lu Ziming walked straight in, while the secretary clutched the doorknob, looking wronged and helpless.

Seeing this, Zhao Qingcheng tactfully retreated, closing the door behind him.

Only the father and son remained in the room.

Seeing Lu Ziming, Lu Hongqiang was somewhat surprised. He took a puff of his cigar and exhaled, saying,

"You little brat, willing to come back now?"

He thought his suppression had worked, and a hint of smugness appeared.

"Even if Old Man Chen helped you reach second on the ranking list, the agreement stated the top 32 in the team."

"If I can't suppress you, can't I suppress your teammates?"

Smelling the pungent smoke, Lu Ziming frowned slightly. He didn't answer his question but went straight to the point.

"I'm here for one thing: please don't target Old Man Chen. Whatever it is, come at me."

Lu Hongqiang chuckled at his words.

"Heh... so it's about this."

He shook his head, extinguished the cigar, and sighed, "I thought you had a change of heart. It seems I was thinking too much."

"If it's about this, then you can leave. I don't need you to tell me what to do."

Lu Ziming's advantages all came from Old Man Chen. Resolving Old Man Chen would win him the bet, so how could he give up?

Moreover, Old Man Chen's value was continuously rising. Having Old Man Chen meant having the confidence to sweep everything. From the perspective of guild development, he couldn't miss this opportunity either.

Hearing this, Lu Ziming grew anxious.

Old Man Chen was his ticket to freedom, an excellent partner in Ten Thousand Realms Game. He also didn't want to give up.

Clearly, his father also saw this and held on tightly.

What to do...

Lu Ziming stood rooted to the spot, deep in hesitation.

Lu Hongqiang didn't rush him, drinking tea and waiting for him to think it through.

After a long while, Lu Ziming finally spoke.

"I promise to join the company, as long as you stop targeting Old Man Chen."

"Oh?"

Lu Hongqiang looked somewhat surprised and couldn't help but sit up straight.

In his memory, this seemed to be the first time the little brat had softened.

"Have you thought it through?"

Lu Ziming took a deep breath and nodded.

"I have another condition. Joining the company is fine, but I want to be in the game department."

Bang!

Lu Hongqiang happily slapped the table, stood up beaming, and laughed loudly.

"No problem! No problem! As long as you're willing to inherit our family's business, your father will agree to anything!"

He stepped forward and patted Lu Ziming's shoulder, his expression relieved.

Lu Ziming forced a smile and nodded, but he had his own plans in mind.

By doing this, he could continue playing the game, protect Grandpa Chen, and satisfy his father.

Although the battle for freedom had failed, he had also thought things through.

As long as he bided his time for a few years, once he completely took over the company, he would sell everything that could be sold, take the money, and flee far away to embrace freedom.

As for now, he would humor his father first.

"Then... Dad, you can't go after Grandpa Chen anymore..."

"Okay, I know, I know."

Lu Hongqiang chuckled, still immersed in joy.

His vast family business finally had an heir!

Hahaha...

......

The bet between father and son was canceled, but Lu Ziming still returned to Morning Wind City.

He still had things to handle there before moving into the company in a few days.

Lu Hongqiang stood by the French window, feeling exceptionally bright sunshine, his mood uplifted.

He called Zhao Qingcheng and instructed him.

"Find an opportunity to release Old Man Chen's son. Temporarily cancel the plan to target him."

"Yes."

Although Zhao Qingcheng had questions, he didn't say anything unnecessary.

Just as he was about to leave, Lu Hongqiang suddenly changed his mind and called him back.

"Never mind, don't release him yet. Wait until Ziming truly moves into the company, just to avoid any mishaps."

"Understood."

Zhao Qingcheng turned and left.

Lu Hongqiang looked out the window, the corner of his mouth curving slightly upwards.

To prevent the little brat from tricking him, it was safer to remain cautious.

......

Outlook City.

2 PM.

Xingji Corporation's helicopter landed on the rooftop helipad.

Lu Hongqiang and Zhao Qingcheng disembarked, followed by the secretary carrying a briefcase.

This army-civilian exchange meeting aimed to foster cooperation and expand its scope.

Especially the recently popular virtual online game "Ten Thousand Realms," which even had a dedicated section.

It was one of the main exchange projects of this meeting.

As they walked, Zhao Qingcheng briefly explained the important points of the meeting.

"The guild leader of Snow Wolf Guild, codenamed Night Owl, is the person in charge of this Ten Thousand Realms cooperation."

"Last time we gave up the guild token to save face, so securing this cooperation shouldn't be a problem this time."

Lu Hongqiang nodded at his words, not taking it to heart.

His presence was merely a formality; Zhao Qingcheng was ultimately responsible for the game department's operations.

Naturally, it was Zhao Qingcheng who would discuss the detailed cooperation projects, while he only needed to review and sign.

Attendees of the meeting arrived one after another, taking their seats in the conference hall.

The exchange meeting quickly began, with each item proceeding smoothly.

It wasn't until the "Ten Thousand Realms" virtual game project that Night Owl, as the person in charge, needed to go on stage to announce the confirmed cooperation units.

"Now, I will read out the confirmed cooperation units: Qiangsheng Group of Ping'an City, Tazhai Company of Tenglin City, Xingwang City..."

As Night Owl continued to read, some rejoiced, while others hung their heads in dejection.

The smiles on Lu Hongqiang and Zhao Qingcheng's faces completely vanished as the announcement concluded, their expressions stunned.

"What's going on? Didn't you say the talks went well?"

Cold sweat broke out on Zhao Qingcheng's forehead, and he also said, very strangely, "I don't know either. Everything was fine during the talks just now. Did they forget?"

"How can you handle things like this? Go and ask quickly!" Lu Hongqiang frowned and reprimanded.

Seeing that people were about to disperse, Zhao Qingcheng quickly stepped forward to stop Night Owl and asked with a polite smile,

"Captain Night Owl, did you perhaps forget about our Xingji Corporation?"

Night Owl put the document into his bag, zipped it up, and looked up, glancing at him indifferently.

"No mistake, you are indeed not included in this cooperation."

Zhao Qingcheng was stunned and quickly added,

"We are Dragon Clan Guild! Last time, we even let you buy the guild token first, Captain Night Owl, have you forgotten?"

Night Owl looked at him as if he were an idiot, somewhat speechless.

"That was something our guild bid for. The highest bidder wins. What does that have to do with you?"

"Why do you have such a misconception?"

"Or... do you think your company has so much money that it can contend with the country?"

"Uh... no, no, no, we absolutely don't mean that..."

Zhao Qingcheng's breathing hitched, and he frantically waved his hands.

Night Owl grabbed his document bag, shook his head, and walked past him. As he passed Lu Hongqiang's seat, he paused.

After thinking for a moment, he left a remark.

"Old Man Chen is not someone you can touch. Take care of yourself."

Lu Hongqiang and Zhao Qingcheng both trembled at his words!

By the time they came back to their senses, Night Owl had long since left...