Chapter 105: Two Companies

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A tremendous force struck the stone wall with a thunderous boom, immediately dispersing and radiating outward from a single point.

In midair, Azure Dragon let out a wild laugh, unleashing over a hundred palm strikes in an instant. The surrounding air was filled with the shadow of his hands, resembling a surging, overwhelming tide.

"Bring it on," the opponent facing Azure Dragon was none other than Vajra in his second transformed state, his fists striking like bullets from a machine gun, forcefully counterattacking.

Boom! Vajra took over a dozen palm strikes, flying backward. Just as he was about to crash into the stone wall, he flipped and kicked off it, charging forward like a gale once more.

Azure Dragon felt exhilarated—these moves he had never dared to use before, today he would practice them all. Such a worthy opponent was rare to find.

Confident and no longer reliant on external aids, he moved like a swimming dragon slipping through water, effortlessly dodging Vajra's attacks. Azure Dragon’s claws targeted joints, a tactic even Vajra dared not confront.

Again, it was a clash of titans. Neither yielded. Azure Dragon’s agile and unpredictable footwork and continuous palm strikes met Vajra’s immense strength and richer experience. They were evenly matched, the battle fierce and thrilling as each unleashed every technique they knew.

Nearby, atop a large rock, several people basked in the sunlight, enjoying the spectacle.

“Hmm,” Xiao Tianci nodded with satisfaction. Vajra’s efforts were not in vain; Azure Dragon was vastly different from before. His improvement was remarkable, the fight with Vajra evenly matched and intense.

“How’s Meg? Impressive, right? Let me tell you, if Sister’s Fire Phoenix Dance is practiced long enough, it gets even stronger. So you must train hard, understand?”

“Yeah, I’ll work hard,” Meg replied.

Xiao Tianci turned to look at Fire Phoenix and Meg standing there, both fully absorbed in watching the fight. At times she would caution Meg, then encourage her. Finally, Meg spoke—once she opened up, the rest would be easier. Though still not very talkative, Xiao Tianci was pleased. Progress comes step by step; you can’t become great overnight.

Regarding Meg’s studies, Xiao Tianci had come up with a good plan in recent days. It would be a waste not to utilize the genius butler, who held multiple PhDs and master’s degrees. So, he decided to entrust all of Meg’s future courses to the chief steward. Originally, he felt it wasn’t quite right for the steward to manage everything since he mostly stayed by Xiao Tianci’s side and had only limited time for Meg. But to his surprise, the steward not only accepted the task out of loyalty but was overjoyed.

Moreover, he immediately threw himself into the role. Later, Xiao Tianci learned that the steward, Lin Jian, harbored a strong desire to become a teacher. Now, he was passionately dedicating himself to the noble and glorious cause of educating the next generation.

These days, Xiao Tianci hadn’t been idle. He had been thoroughly investigating and organizing the Xiao family’s enterprises, excluding Meihua. Since the Xiao family owned hundreds of businesses, many were highly personalized and scattered. He began streamlining. Those without commercial value or uniqueness were all sold off.

Xiao Tianci didn’t realize how quickly this move spread among the upper echelons. Some guessed he was reorganizing, but the more widespread rumor was that Meihua’s collapse had dealt a severe blow to the Xiao family, forcing the sale of part of its assets.

The news shocked everyone. Xiao Tianci became known as the foremost prodigal heir. The Xiao family’s wealth was vast, seemingly impossible to spend through. Yet, shortly after inheriting, he had caused Meihua’s downfall and was now liquidating assets. Some already lamented that the Xiao family was doomed.

Previously, a few uncles and family friends who maintained ties with the Xiao family reached out to him, but Xiao Tianci had kept to himself, hiding away on the island. Even though they knew where he was, there was nothing they could do.

Since the asset sales began, fewer people contacted him. Xiao Tianci didn’t truly mind; he only occasionally checked the data to keep informed.

Meanwhile, he was plotting his next move. For now, he wouldn’t touch Meihua. If he went out, too many people would come looking for him.

The sound of waves interrupted his thoughts. He turned to gaze at the sea. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind: Yes, this is going to be fun.

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It seemed the allure of business battles was even greater. With a bright idea, he couldn’t even focus on the thrilling fight before him.

“Fire Phoenix, I’m heading back first. I have some matters to attend to. Remember to take Meg home early, okay?” Fire Phoenix, engrossed in the battle, waved dismissively, “Got it, got it.”

Xiao Tianci shook his head helplessly and said to the chief steward, “Make sure you take Meg back later. She still has homework to finish, right?”

The steward nodded, “Don’t worry, boss.”

Back in the office, equipped with the most advanced technology, Xiao Tianci could instantly communicate with the hundreds of senior managers handling the Xiao family’s businesses worldwide.

He immediately contacted Xu Guowei, who looked thinner recently—Meihua’s troubles had kept him busy enough.

Staring at Xu Guowei’s image on the screen, Xiao Tianci ordered, “Register two new companies immediately. The registration must be in Country Z.”

Xu Guowei quickly grabbed his electronic notepad, jotting down instructions. “Boss, what kind of companies do you need?”

Xiao Tianci had just conceived the core idea but hadn’t worked out the details. He closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and tapped the armrest lightly. If he wanted a continuous effect, it would involve multiple industries, mainly in several key areas.

“Note this: both companies will focus on media, plus all related traditional and modern sectors. Oh, and pay special attention to the internet.”

While recording, Xu Guowei pondered what this was about. What new move was the boss planning? Recently, the desert villa incident had caused chaos worldwide. This time, he was baffled.

“Oh, and by the way, set up a military industry company—one that can produce military-related products.”

Xu Guowei hesitated, “Boss, that might be difficult. It’s easier in other countries, but you know that domestic military industry isn’t open to private enterprises.”

Xiao Tianci thought it over and agreed it was tricky, especially domestically. He’d have to handle this personally. “Alright, you don’t need to worry about that. I’ll deal with it. Everything else, just get done.”

Hearing about the media venture, Xu Guowei reminded him, “Boss, the Xiao family already holds shares in two media groups ranked among the world’s top fifteen—one is eighth, the other fifth.”

Xiao Tianci had known this during his recent reorganization. “I know. Those two are next. You’ll negotiate with them—if they’re willing to be acquired, I’ll offer a good price; if not, we’ll go hostile.”

“Ah…” Though he didn’t vocalize it, Xu Guowei’s mind screamed repeatedly.

Xiao Tianci wasn’t satisfied unless he made hearts skip beats. “Also, use the two new companies separately to acquire them. I want full control—preferably wholly owned. Ha... ha...”

Xu Guowei listened dumbfounded, thinking, “This guy… is crazy…” Sweat poured down his face as he licked his cracked lips. “Boss, I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

Sitting up, Xiao Tianci leaned on the desk, smiling brightly. “It’s simple. We’ll create two new companies to acquire these two media groups, plus try to acquire others, building a huge media empire. Not a bad plan, right?”

Xu Guowei could only nod, perplexed. “If that’s the case, one company’s name would suffice. Why two?”

Xiao Tianci explained, “Competition between companies is inevitable, and sacrifices will occur. Even if they suffer losses, it’s honorable. Plus, a pure monopoly is suicidal. The only sustainable commercial model is one where everyone has a stake. In business, you can be strong and lead, but never seek to fully exclude others. No one should feast alone.”

Xu Guowei thought he understood, but questioned why two companies were necessary. Perhaps the rivals feigned conflict to mask an underlying monopoly scheme.

“Oh, I see,” he thought he’d figured it out. But he doubted full monopolies were feasible or wise, especially now. If Meihua had tried this, maybe. But starting anew would be costly. Could the recent sell-offs of useless assets be linked to this?

Yet, with the Xiao family’s global holdings, a full monopoly seemed impossible.

Before Xu Guowei could ponder further, Xiao Tianci’s next words shocked him more.

Using his hands to mimic sparks from a collision, Xiao Tianci said, “Do you know how sparks are ignited? They need impact, need friction. We’re going to create that friction. Do you know how masters become strongest?”

Xu Guowei shook his head, dizzy from the sudden shifts between abstract concepts and practical talk.

Xiao Tianci smiled knowingly, “True masters need rivals to grow stronger. When they can’t find worthy opponents, they stagnate. To become the strongest, you need someone equally powerful to constantly challenge you.”

Xu Guowei hesitated, “Boss, do you mean...?”

“Ha ha,” Xiao Tianci pointed at him, “You guessed it! I want these two companies to compete head-on—whoever wins, wins. Isn’t that a unique idea?”

Xu Guowei was speechless. He had suspected but dared not believe. Now he was certain: his boss was mad!

Standing nearby, chief steward Lin Jian watched Xu Guowei’s stunned expression. He seemed to anticipate this reaction but inwardly thought, “Perhaps when everyone looks up, they’ll see he’s a genius.”

Indeed, such invincible ideas could stun others at first glance. What once seemed wild and impossible now appeared attainable.

Seeing Xu Guowei’s expression, Xiao Tianci felt genuine joy and grew more proud. “Ha ha ha… Isn’t this brilliant? Nobody has done this before. By the way, what shall we name these companies?”

Xu Guowei shook his head quickly, thinking: as a world-class lawyer, this was beneath him and embarrassing, yet he had no better suggestion.

Suddenly, he recalled Hitler, rumored to be a madman with erratic thoughts. The more he looked at his boss, the more he saw the resemblance.

“Well, naming something distinctive is tough. Let me think… think… Got it! How about Xiao Family One and Xiao Family Two? What do you think?”

Thunk! Xu Guowei slipped off his chair and tumbled to the floor.

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