Rivals of Rebirth

Chapter 45: Action

Han Jin lost himself in Zheng Jue's kiss, completely forgetting the words he had said earlier. He tightly clung to Zheng Jue's shoulders, their lips and tongues intertwined, feeling deeply satisfied.

However, Zheng Jue's mood was completely different from Han Jin's. He didn't understand his own thoughts at all. Han Jin's words had shaken him to the core, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing. At that moment, he no longer wanted to dwell on the entanglements and grievances of their past lives. He just wanted to be with him wholeheartedly.

Zheng Jue held Han Jin's waist tightly, and suddenly, a long-lasting calmness settled in his heart. The restlessness and unease he had felt earlier had all disappeared.

***

Wen Yize was efficient in his actions. As soon as he took over the Wen family, he made several major moves to settle the troublesome projects. In an instant, the dissenting voices within the board of directors fell silent, and the Wen brothers quickly established their foothold within the Wen family.

However, those with foresight knew that this alone was not enough. The Wen family was currently teetering on the edge of a cliff. If they couldn't shore up their financial resources, it was only a matter of time before the Wen family collapsed.

Wen Yize understood this as well. After receiving advice from Zhou Cheng'an, he had also carried out a series of acquisitions and integrations with Wen Li Fund and Zhaoyang Real Estate. With the backing of the Wen brothers, these companies naturally did not refuse Wen Yize's requests.

Therefore, it seemed that the Wen brothers had become the largest shareholders of these two companies, and Zheng Jue had also acquired a significant stake through a series of actions in the stock market. As for Zhou Cheng'an, he had managed to win over many of the people who were previously loyal to Wen Hua'an. The three of them had basically divided up all the resources of this small company, leaving only a few retail investors who followed suit.

Wen Hua'an had been sidelined without even realizing it, and Wen Yize wouldn't give him the chance to find out. As soon as he established his position within the Wen family, he proposed the merger of Wen Li Fund and Zhaoyang Real Estate.

This proposal had just begun to surface, and it had already shaken the entire board of directors. The Wen family's financial resources were already strained, and if they proceeded with the merger, it would further burden their capital, pushing them closer to bankruptcy.

The strong backlash from the board of directors was completely within Wen Yize's expectations. He never thought it would be easy to solve this problem. He wanted them to display their short-sightedness so that he could truly establish his authority among this group of people who relied on their age and seniority.

Due to Wen Yize's attitude, as soon as this proposal emerged, it seemed like the entire Wen family united in opposition to the Wen brothers. However, Wen Yize remained calm and didn't argue back, because he knew that if he didn't take action, Wen Hua'an wouldn't be able to sit still.

As expected, just three days after the board of directors clashed with Wen Yize, Wen Hua'an couldn't resist calling him.

"Aze, what's the deal with that recent proposal of yours? Why is it causing such outrage? Several directors have come to me to complain," Wen Hua'an's tone was very gentle.

Wen Yize sneered, "Those old coots only care about taking money from the Wen family, but they don't consider the current situation we're in. I've already negotiated the acquisition of those two companies at a very low price. They still have a lot of liquid funds on their balance sheets, which can fill the gaps."

Wen Hua'an sounded somewhat surprised as he listened, "If they have sufficient funds, why merge with the Wen family?"

"Uncle," Wen Yize fake laughed, "Some things are clear to everyone. It's better not to ask. You're already retired, so just enjoy your rest. Don't worry about these matters."

Wen Yize's words were dripping with sarcasm, but surprisingly, Wen Hua'an didn't get angry and simply paused for a moment before speaking as if nothing had happened. "Since you're so busy, I won't disturb you." With that, he hung up the phone.

Listening to the busy tone on the other end of the phone, Wen Yize smirked. Tomorrow was the day of the proposal vote, and Wen Hua'an definitely wouldn't be able to hold on until then.

As expected, according to the reports from Wen Yize's informant, Wen Hua'an had summoned all his lackeys from the board of directors to the Wen family mansion that afternoon. Two hours later, when they came out, it was said that their leader, Uncle Li, had a pale face.

Wen Yize sneered coldly, feeling considerably more at ease. It seemed that all his obstacles had been cleared by Wen Hua'an.

***

Zheng Jue hung up the phone from Zhou Cheng'an and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He lay back on the bed, looking at Han Jin who was half-naked, leaning against his shoulder. His lips curled up slightly. Although they hadn't reached that point yet, they had done everything they could.

Han Jin looked at his smile and couldn't help but squint his eyes. He rolled over and straddled Zheng Jue's body, using his arm to threaten him by pressing against his neck. He lowered his head and kissed the corner of his mouth, asking teasingly, "Why are you smiling?"

Zheng Jue held onto his waist without speaking, gently caressing the skin on Han Jin's side. Although Han Jin was a pampered young master who got everything served on a platter, his physique was excellent. His thin layer of muscles didn't make him look weak or exaggerated. He even had well-defined abs, but his skin was fairer than Zheng Jue's because he had worked hard in the gym. He hadn't experienced the hardships Zheng Jue had endured from the bottom up.

At this point, Zheng Jue couldn't help but laugh for some reason, his eyes filled with tenderness that could almost drown a person. Han Jin had never seen Zheng Jue smile like this before, and he stared at him dumbfoundedly. After a long while, he suddenly leaned in fiercely and kissed Zheng Jue, his hands gripping his neck, passionately kissing his lips, licking his Adam's apple, and caressing his cheek. His body quickly responded, pressing against Zheng Jue's thigh.

Zheng Jue reluctantly pushed Han Jin's head away from his neck, his hand caressing the back of his neck as he whispered, "Alright, stop messing around."

Han Jin pouted in frustration, grinding his teeth and said, "Don't let me catch you again!"

Zheng Jue chuckled softly a few times, "Wen Hua'an has made a move. Let's focus on the important matters first."

Only then did Han Jin reluctantly climb off Zheng Jue's body. He reached for the cigarette on the bedside table, intending to light it, but it was snatched away by Zheng Jue. Han Jin turned his head and glared at him, but Zheng Jue still smiled gently, saying, "Smoking is bad for your health, don't smoke."

Although Han Jin's face still looked somewhat unhappy, the smile that couldn't be suppressed at the corner of his mouth revealed his current mood. Zheng Jue's tenderness was like the winter sun to him, something he couldn't let go of or quit.

Zheng Jue got up, put on his shirt, and also brought Han Jin's clothes over to him. Han Jin obediently put on the hoodie. Since being with Zheng Jue, he seemed to really like this kind of casual clothing.

The two of them moved from the bedroom to the living room. Han Jin lazily sat down on the sofa, playing with the Rubik's Cube he had found in Zheng Jue's storage room a few days ago. He casually asked, "What did Wen Hua'an do again? Did Wen Yize scare him?"

Zheng Jue poured a glass of warm water and placed it next to Han Jin, saying in a warm tone, "He should have been scared. The subsequent actions can begin."

Han Jin tossed the solved Rubik's Cube aside, picked up the glass of water, took a sip, and then said, "That's good. That old Wen Hua'an should taste the bitterness of despair."

***

On the third day, the Wen family shareholders' meeting took a complete turn from the previous atmosphere of opposition to the Wen brothers. This time, surprisingly, many people switched sides at the last minute and cast their votes in favor of the Wen brothers. Together with the original influence of the Wen brothers, the proposal quickly passed.

The Wen brothers instantly gained a lot of attention due to this proposal. Outside opinions were mixed, with some saying they had a secret plan, while others believed they were digging their own graves. However, regardless of the various evaluations, they didn't affect the footsteps of the Wen brothers' acquisition.

They first acquired the Wen Li Fund at a rapid pace, encountering almost no resistance during the process. Wen Li Fund accepted the Wen brothers' acquisition plan and became a subsidiary of the Wen family two weeks later.

The acquisition of Zhaoyang Real Estate, on the other hand, was more complicated. Its asset structure was more complex than the Wen Li Fund, so they spent a lot of time liquidating assets and equity. Despite the Wen brothers' prior preparations, it still took them over a month to bring Zhaoyang Real Estate under their control.

Zheng Jue stared at the share transfer certificate representing 10% of the shares of Wen Corporation in front of him, his expression was complex. Wen Company was a publicly traded company, and the shareholding structure and shareholders couldn't be concealed.

He still remembered the complicated expression on the faces of the Wen brothers when they handed him this document, as well as the ambiguous smile on Zhou Cheng'an's face sitting beside them. Zheng Jue closed his eyes. Since Zhou Cheng'an knew, then... he was afraid Han Jin also knew.

With his fingers crossed, Zheng Jue sat in his office, looking somewhat lost. He didn't answer any calls or see anyone. He didn't know what he was waiting for. Was he waiting for Han Jin's anger or for that unrealistic hope?

As the entire room was engulfed in darkness, finally, the door was pushed open.

Zheng Jue straightened his posture and stared intently at the doorway.

Han Jin stood there against the light, furrowing his brows slightly. He reached out and turned on the room's light.

Zheng Jue couldn't immediately adapt to the brightness, squinting his eyes slightly as he looked up at Han Jin, who had approached him.

"Why didn't you turn on the lights?" Han Jin frowned, looking at Zheng Jue.

Zheng Jue's expression was somewhat stiff. He clenched his fist and cleared his throat. "You're here."

Han Jin looked at Zheng Jue strangely. "What's wrong with you?"

Zheng Jue stared at Han Jin's face intently, as if trying to see something different from it. "You... don't you know?"

"Know what? Hurry up, the restaurant I booked is about to close," Han Jin impatiently walked to the chair in front of Zheng Jue, intending to pull him up. However, he accidentally caught sight of the document on Zheng Jue's desk. He instantly seemed to understand something, and a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he looked at Zheng Jue, a smile that was neither a smile nor a frown. "Are you talking about this?"

Author's note: Something really bad happened today, and I feel very upset, as if my whole life has been turned upside down. So I didn't write much, and I will try to update more tomorrow.