Surrounded by Wolves
The air inside the room froze for an instant. That strange feeling that had just disappeared swept over her again.
Jiang Wu could not distinguish it clearly. Her first reaction was that Huo Qingzhi seemed angry. But she did not know why he was angry.
After thinking it over, Jiang Wu decided that although Huo Qingzhi had a mixed-blood appearance, his thoughts and behavior had always been relatively old-fashioned. Perhaps such words sounded too inappropriate for him.
After all, throughout Jiang Wu’s upbringing, Huo Tingshan was always busy with work. And an eldest brother was like a father. Huo Qingzhi’s role was equivalent to her second father.
Jiang Wu felt guilty for no reason.
Just then, Huo Qingzhi asked again, “Is that how you greet everyone else too?”
“No, it’s not. I was joking, Eldest Brother.” Jiang Wu brought the cookie in her hand toward his lips and said lightly, “Why did you take it seriously?”
Huo Qingzhi lowered his eyes, looking at the way her slender fingers held the cookie to feed him. As though she seemed completely unaware of how intimate the gesture was, just like how she had thrown herself at Third Brother the moment she entered. No guard up whatsoever.
Huo Qingzhi did not move for a long time. Just as his thin lips parted slightly, Jiang Wu nimbly took the cookie back and bit it into her own mouth.
Huo Qingzhi was forcibly teased by her. Yet the culprit, after committing mischief, still smiled and pushed the fault onto him. “If Eldest Brother won’t eat it, then I can only eat it myself.”
Jiang Wu dusted the crumbs off her fingertips, put her hands behind her back, and wandered toward the kitchen. “What is Mommy making today? I’ll go take a look.”
Huo Qingzhi took a deep breath, watching her leave with dark, heavy eyes.
Lu Heng came in from outside and quietly said to Huo Qingzhi, “The board meeting starts in ten minutes.”
Huo Qingzhi withdrew his gaze. “I know.”
After speaking, he went upstairs to the study. Lu Heng followed behind and turned on the large screen in the study’s conference room. On the screen was the group’s boardroom round table.
Before leaving, Huo Tingshan had reminded Huo Qingzhi that it would be best if father and son did not both appear at the board meeting at the same time.
One in the open, one in the dark.
After all, today’s board meeting was critical, a post-mortem meeting after Jiang Wu’s incident. The board had already begun listing the losses and impact this incident had caused the group.
The secretariat read out the loss assessments one by one. After they finished, the room fell silent for a few seconds.
A middle-aged man leaned back in his seat and spoke first. “Chairman, the losses from this matter are so large. Estimated cooperation losses and future net profit losses exceed five billion a year.”
“Everyone is watching us become a joke. How do you plan to handle this?”
Huo Tingshan sat in the main seat and calmly took out a stack of documents. “The reason I came today is to inform the board. I will fully compensate the group for all profit losses. This is the compensation plan for headquarters and subordinate branches. Everyone, take a look.”
Huo Tingshan’s straightforward opening made the few people who had originally wanted to denounce him fall slightly silent.
Very soon, they found their angle again. “Chairman, do you think this is a small matter? That making up the deficit is enough?”
The middle-aged man took over. “That’s right. Whether these five billion in profit comes from your assets or mine is irrelevant. We aren’t short of that bit. But because of this matter, the group’s credibility has plummeted. Can you make up for all future losses?”
Huo Tingshan’s voice was deep and heavy. “The group’s losses are divided into many aspects: market downturn, industry bottlenecks, and ineffective staffing within the company, among other reasons.”
“Third Brother, don’t be too anxious. Before this incident happened, the branch company you were responsible for had a net profit last year that was down twenty-three percent compared with the year before.”
Huo Tingshan looked at him. “I can take responsibility for my inadequate performance as chairman. Can you take responsibility for the losses you caused?”
That man counted as Huo Tingshan’s third younger brother, and Huo Qingzhi and the others’ Third Uncle.
“I don’t deny that what you said is right, and I’m not pursuing losses caused by other reasons either.” The middle-aged man avoided talking about those matters and slowly said, “It’s just that in this matter, the chairman is the party at fault…”
Huo Tingshan interrupted him. “I know I’m the party at fault. According to the company policy, starting tomorrow, I will be suspended from my duties.”
The moment these words came out, the room instantly fell silent.
Huo Tingkun, who had not even finished speaking, still had his mouth slightly open. The people around looked at him in disbelief.
“Isn’t this your purpose today?” Huo Tingshan signaled for the secretary to read out his disciplinary agreement regarding himself.
Huo Tingshan knew that since his third brother had called him over to hold this meeting today, more than half the people seated here must be his allies, having agreed to take the chance to pull him down.
Rather than letting them act, it was better for him to take the initiative himself and shoulder all the responsibility. Then he could transfer power to Huo Qingzhi and push him up, a strategic retreat to advance. This way, the board’s structure would still be led by their family.
As long as the position was stabilized, the accounts afterward could be settled slowly. Just as well, Huo Tingshan considered himself old now, and it was about time for him to retire.
“The chairman committed a serious dereliction of duty and caused major group losses due to private matters. In addition to compensating the company’s losses, he must be relieved from certain board duties and executive positions. The specific positions to be removed are as follows…”
The atmosphere in the conference room was taut. Every person had their ears pricked, quickly gathering which information was advantageous to them.
Aside from the secretary’s reading, the surroundings were so quiet that a pin could be heard falling.
Huo Tingshan voluntarily yielded power and released some benefits, which made part of the board very satisfied. The dissatisfied part was that the acting chairman would be Huo Qingzhi, merely the father being replaced by the son.
But whether according to group stake or Huo Qingzhi’s current position within the group, there truly was nothing to criticize. For the time being, they had no way to pull Huo Qingzhi down along with him.
After the disciplinary agreement was read, the room remained silent. Huo Tingshan gave them no chance to object. “If there are no other opinions, then proceed with the board resolution process.”
As Huo Tingshan spoke, he was about to rise and ready to leave.
At the side, Huo Tingkun kept feeling that everything seemed far too much within Huo Tingshan’s control. He simply did not want to let him leave so comfortably and suddenly spoke. “Chairman, your proposal is thorough and sincere. You’ve basically thought of all the solutions we discussed before. There is only one…”
“We unanimously believe that, Chairman, you still need to make a public statement to set the family’s name right, maintain your personal and the group’s image, and reduce further losses.”
Huo Tingshan faintly sensed what they meant. His words carried a trace of chill. “A public statement to set the family’s name right means…”
“Jiang Wu’s public influence has already caused serious damage to the group’s image. Please sever all ties between the group and her, make a clean public statement, recall all of Jiang Wu’s shares and holdings, corporate and real estate, and ensure she no longer has any connection with the group’s funds or industries.”
In a family business, more than half the board was made up of relatives. Put another way: kick Jiang Wu out.
In the future, even if the media reported anything, Jiang Wu would be Jiang Wu, and the Huo family would be the Huo family. All negative influence in the future would be borne by Jiang Wu herself.
Huo Tingshan laughed from anger. “She’s only a child.”
He had thought that by voluntarily going this far, it would be enough to make them spare Jiang Wu. “You elders used to be so doting on Wenni. Only if she’s family. Is she?” came the retort.
Outside the screen, Huo Qingzhi listened without a sound, unconsciously turning the pinky ring on his pinky.
~~
By dinner time, Huo Tingshan still had not returned. Jiang Yaping made a phone call and told everyone not to wait for him.
With things happening so suddenly, everyone sensed that something was not right. Jiang Wu still could not help asking, “What happened?”
Huo Qingzhi placed a bowl of taro pork ribs in front of Jiang Wu and smoothly took over the conversation. “Just miscellaneous company matters.”
Jiang Yaping also said lightly, as though nothing were wrong, “Isn’t your dad always like this? What, do you miss him?”
Jiang Wu held a spoon and scooped up some taro. “I’m just asking a little more because he missed me so much and wanted me back.”
Across from her, Huo Lingyi suddenly smiled and spoke. “Didn’t you say you came back to see me?”
Jiang Wu was nearly burned by the taro. She pulled out a tissue to cover her lips. “If he hadn’t said you were back, how could I have let him succeed so quickly?”
The dining table was large enough. Huo Yingli sat beside Huo Lingyi and said lazily in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Ah Wu’s just saying things to coax you. You came back to coax her, not to beg for coaxing like some puppy.”
Huo Lingyi raised a hand and poured Huo Yingli a glass of water. “Does eating not keep your mouth busy enough, Brother?”
Huo Yingli couldn’t be bothered with him. He picked up the glass, then slammed it back down with a sharp smack. “Damn.”
The little brat had poured boiling water on his brother. What a vindictive child. Say a few things he didn’t like, and he wanted to scald his brother’s mouth off.
Not far away, Wen Ciying keenly sensed something subtle in the air. She looked up at them, only to find that everything seemed perfectly normal.
After dinner, Jiang Yaping called out to Huo Qingzhi. “Come here for a moment.”
Huo Qingzhi stopped. The others knew she had probably called him over for something serious, so they all tactfully excused themselves.
Huo Lingyi asked Huo Yingli to go return the car with him. Only Jiang Wu and Wen Ciying were left to take the elevator back to their rooms together.
Wen Ciying couldn’t help asking, “Those brothers of yours…”
Jiang Wu leaned closer, sounding almost boastful. “What do you think? They’re all really nice, aren’t they?” She didn’t forget to praise herself too. “Just like me.”
Wen Ciying narrowed her eyes. “You really think they’re nice?”
“They’re your brothers too,” Jiang Wu said easily. “You’ll realize how nice they are once you get to know them.”
No.
Wen Ciying was an extremely perceptive person. She could clearly sense something unusual about every one of those men. Each was more calculating than the last. Jiang Wu was nothing like them. Especially the eldest, who seemed the most normal on the surface.
Jiang Wu stepped out of the elevator, said goodbye to Wen Ciying, and left.
On her way back to her room, the maids and servants she passed greeted her politely. The first two seemed normal. But the farther she went, the more Jiang Wu realized that the servants appeared to have been replaced.
All the people who had worked here before were gone.
Jiang Wu was about to think more carefully about it when a notification on her phone interrupted her thoughts. Several more negative hashtags about her had climbed the trending lists.
Jiang Wu didn’t understand. She wasn’t a celebrity, and she had no professional rivals, so why did malicious trending topics like these keep appearing?
The content was much the same as before, except this time she was being condemned for paying an exorbitant price for a box, calling her wasteful and extravagant.
Jiang Wu sat by the kitchen island and read the posts for a while. Just as she exited the page, Cherry forwarded her a text message.
It was a notification from the museum asking her to attend an in-person interview.
Jiang Wu suddenly fell silent. She sat by the island for a long time, staring at the message on her phone. For a moment, she felt dazed, as though she had returned to that night several years ago.
There was only one difference. She was no longer as terrified and uneasy as she had been then.
Jiang Wu reread the message several times before putting down her phone. There was no outcome the present her could not accept.
The next morning, Jiang Wu woke early, changed into a long dress suitable for the interview, and left.
When she got into the car, Cherry was still sitting in the passenger seat, phone in hand, passionately trading insults with online trolls.
She only put away her phone when she caught sight of Jiang Wu in the rearview mirror.
“Morning, babe.” Jiang Wu handed Cherry a bag.
Inside was a complete set of breakfast boxes. Cherry recognized at a glance that the meal had been prepared by the Huo family’s Michelin-starred chef. There were also pastries and coffee.
Being Jiang Wu’s assistant was a fairly easy job.
Jiang Wu didn’t have much work. She only called Cherry when something came up, and whenever there was nothing to do, Cherry could take time off and rest.
On days when she did need to work, Jiang Wu covered her food, clothes, accommodation, and transportation, and everything was always the very best.
The sight of it stirred Cherry’s righteous fury all over again. She picked up her phone and spent another five minutes passionately fighting with the trolls behind the negative hashtags.
As Jiang Wu absentmindedly touched up her makeup, she asked, “What do they usually talk about at an interview like this? Do you know?”
“An interview usually means your documents passed review, and they only want to discuss what happens next,” Cherry reassured her. “Don’t worry.”
Jiang Wu didn’t ask anything else. Instead, she took out two lipsticks and asked Cherry to help her choose a shade.
The car soon arrived at the museum’s rear entrance.
Jiang Wu got out and walked inside. Only then did she realize that her palms were slick with cold sweat.
How strange. It wasn’t as though she cared.
Two girls approached from nearby. When one of them saw Jiang Wu, she nudged her companion. “Is that a celebrity? Her silhouette looks so familiar.”
At the mention of a celebrity, the other girl hurriedly pulled out her phone and took two photos. “You can’t even see her face. I think she looks like that actress who played the high-ranking official’s daughter in that Republican-era drama…”
Before the girl could finish, Cherry stepped forward and interrupted them. “Excuse me, could you please delete those photos?”
Jiang Wu knocked on the meeting-room door.
The museum director’s voice came from inside. “Come in.”
Jiang Wu opened the door and discovered that the director was not alone. Every prominent leader in the museum was present, seated in a semicircle across from her.
Jiang Wu offered a brief greeting and sat down.
The director set down her assessment form. “Your written exam and interview have passed the review process. Congratulations. You passed the review. However, before we finalize your position, we need to gain a more comprehensive understanding of you and have a more in-depth conversation.”
Jiang Wu was familiar with the procedure. “I understand.”
About an hour later, Jiang Wu emerged from the meeting room.
Perhaps hoping to ease the stiff atmosphere, the director softened his voice. “The artifact you donated to the museum was examined personally by Elder Yuan, an appraisal expert from the National Museum in the capital. He determined that it is a thousand-year-old artifact once used to store an imperial jade seal. Its actual value is extremely high. Today is its first day on display. Would you like to see it?”
Jiang Wu heard the familiar name. “Professor Yuan is here?”
The director looked somewhat surprised. “You know him?”
Jiang Wu’s lips moved slightly. “I attended his classes.”
The director nodded in understanding. After pointing her toward the exhibition hall, he returned to his work.
Jiang Wu walked alone through the empty, silent corridor.
Amid the echoes of her footsteps, her mind was filled with everything the museum leaders had said in the meeting room.
“As a venue for cultural exhibitions, the museum does need public attention and exposure, but too much is as bad as too little. That attention cannot become so excessive that it interferes with the museum’s normal operations or our internal research. The repeated reports and harassment over the past several days have affected the museum on an unprecedented scale.”
“Hiring you carries a certain degree of risk. We understand that you are innocent in this matter, and we also recognize your professional ability.”
“But we are not a court of law. It is not enough for us merely to determine who is right and who is wrong. We must assess our own gains and losses. We are especially obligated, as an institution responsible for cultural preservation, to ensure our own security and stability.”
“Take another month off. Wait until this matter passes.”
That month was meant to be an observation period. Jiang Wu knew that. They had not mentioned when she would officially begin working either. Yet she had never wanted this attention from the outside world in the first place.
The museum had only just opened for the day, and there were not many visitors inside.
Jiang Wu followed the exhibition hall. The dim lighting reflected her silhouette across the glass display cases. She stopped before the gold-traced imperial dragon seal box carved from rose quartz and stared at it in a trance. Until someone tapped her on the shoulder.
Jiang Wu turned around.
Liang Xiaoyue stood behind her. “What a coincidence.”
Jiang Wu was surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard my seal box went on display today, so I came to have a look.”
Liang Xiaoyue peered through the glass at the artifact and its description, clicking her tongue twice. “So, it really is from the Tang dynasty.”
The artifact had returned from overseas and originally belonged to an ethnic Chinese collector. The auction house’s appraisers had spent ages examining it before concluding that it dated from the Ming or Qing dynasty.
But when Liang Xiaoyue saw Jiang Wu continuing to bid on it, she had suspected there was more to it than that.
Ever since childhood, everything Jiang Wu liked had been both beautiful and expensive. Whether it was an astronomically priced blue diamond or the understated antique white-jade paperweight in Old Master Huo’s study, one glance was enough for her to fall in love with it.
At first, everyone assumed her talent was nothing more than a little girl’s love of pretty things. That changed when Jiang Wu was nine years old, and Huo Tingshan took her to an auction. She stared intently at an ancient jade piece mottled with mixed coloring. Knowing she liked it, Huo Tingshan bought it for her.
Because no one else thought highly of it, no one competed for it. The starting bid was five hundred thousand yuan, and that was the price he paid. Later examinations revealed that it was a two-thousand-year-old king among jade cong. It was worth more than one hundred million yuan.
Its monetary value was almost beyond measure. The discovery brought an immeasurably positive impact to the Huo Group. After all, discernment was one of the most important qualities a businessman could possess. Back then, everyone said the Huo family’s Little Princess was their lucky star.
Liang Xiaoyue couldn’t help asking, “You paid such a high price for it. Why did you give it to the museum?”
“It was only a greeting gift for the Hong Kong Museum.”
Liang Xiaoyue sighed. “And because of it, people have been attacking you online all day again?”
Jiang Wu said nothing.
She looked at the small line of text beneath the exhibit’s description.
Donor: Jiang Wu
On the way home, Jiang Wu reclined her seat and closed her eyes to rest. When they arrived, she casually asked, “Daddy still isn’t back?”
A servant took her bag. “He’s back. He’s in the study.”
Jiang Wu perked up a little. “Then I’ll go see him.”
“Wait, Miss.”
Jiang Wu stopped.
She turned around and noticed the strange expression on the servant’s face. But the servant still maintained a pleasant smile, trying her best not to let Jiang Wu notice anything.
“Master is still discussing important matters. Perhaps you should return to your room and rest first. We’ll call you when he’s finished.”
Jiang Wu nodded in understanding. “I see. Understood.” She turned and went upstairs.
The elevator was deathly silent. She could almost hear her own heartbeat growing faster and more violent with every passing second.
Her room was on the third floor, but the button she pressed was for the second. Where the study was located.
Jiang Wu could guess that whatever Huo Tingshan had spent the entire day handling was connected to her. Sure enough, before she even reached the study, she heard the sound of an argument.
It was her Third Brother, Huo Lingyi. “And now you think she’s damaging the Group’s reputation? When the Group was benefiting from all the attention she brought in, why didn’t anyone talk about stripping her of her shares, reclaiming the trust, and kicking her out back then?”
Even though Jiang Wu had braced herself, it still took her a long moment to process what she had just heard.
Suddenly, everything around her went quiet, followed by a rush of deafening ringing that swallowed every sound until the whole world became blurred and indistinct.
Only those words remained. “Kicking her out.”
Huo Lingyi’s voice continued from inside. “And what about you? What do you think?”
Huo Tingshan’s voice continued, “It’s a board resolution. If more than half approve, the proposal passes. This isn’t something that will go however I want it to.”
“So, you gave your tacit consent?”
Huo Tingshan sounded as though the argument was giving him a headache. “If you truly object, then first earn the right to vote at the board meeting. Instead of standing here spouting useless words.”
“Then I’ll say something useful.”
“Kicking her out is fine. Those people of yours can decide whatever you want.” Huo Lingyi had clearly thought it all through. “The moment you force her out of this family, I’ll give her all my shares, my trust, and my assets. Then I’ll leave this place with her and never come back.”
Huo Tingshan snapped, “Nonsense!”
Their argument made Jiang Wu’s head ache. The ringing in her ears grew louder, drowning out all her senses. She could no longer make out what Huo Tingshan was scolding Huo Lingyi for.
Jiang Wu turned to leave, only to run into Huo Qingzhi coming up from downstairs. She averted her gaze, brushed past him, and hurried down the stairs.
Huo Qingzhi stood still, feeling the tips of her hair graze his arm.
From inside the study came Huo Tingshan’s furious voice. “You think I don’t want to give anything? How can I?”
“And you? On what ground would you give her? What exactly is your relationship with her that you can just hand things over?”
“You’re not father and daughter, not brother and sister, and not husband and wife. A transfer of shares without any legally recognized relationship would still require shareholder approval. If you dare defy the board’s decision, they can even take your shares along with hers!”
Huo Qingzhi lifted his eyes without a trace of expression.
Behind the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, the dim, sunless corridor reflected in the depths of his lenses as his gaze settled on the study door at the far end of the hall.
Inside, Huo Tingshan was seething with rage, and yet Huo Lingyi sounded unnaturally calm. “Why don’t I try my luck then?”
Outside the room, Huo Qingzhi understood.
They were all thinking the same thing.