Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Desert Villa (1)

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The atmosphere in the conference room was as oppressively hot as the desert outside. Will, Autney, and several of his close confidants all wore unpleasant expressions, but Xiao Tianci had no intention of sparing them even a glance, nor did he care about their contorted faces.

He turned to gaze outside. Ah, the cityscape was truly remarkable. From this vantage point, the entire city unfolded beneath him, with broad intersecting avenues and towering skyscrapers. Though one could spot the main thoroughfare, the traffic below was invisible, the vehicles flowing along like a living stream.

Seeing Xiao Tianci’s indifferent attitude, Will felt as though he would cough up blood from sheer frustration. He wanted to have a proper conversation, to restrain himself, but Xiao Tianci simply refused to give him the opportunity.

“This plan is absolutely out of the question. I’m not feeling well and need to excuse myself.” With that, Will turned to leave. This time, even many who had not been Will’s supporters—those dissatisfied with Xiao Tianci’s attitude and his outrageous proposal—stood up, intending to leave as well. Only Zhou Ao and a few of his people remained seated.

Will reached the door and was about to open it when he saw Fang Meng standing guard, blocking the exit. “Without the boss’s order, no one is allowed to leave.”

Enraged, Will turned and shouted, “Xiao Tianci, what on earth are you trying to do? I warn you, this is the headquarters of Meihua, in America. Don’t think you can do whatever you please.”

Only now did Xiao Tianci seem to emerge from his contemplation of the view. He slowly lowered his feet, stood up, glanced at Will and those trying to leave, then looked at Zhou Ao and offered him a smile.

He turned back to Will, pressing his cigar heavily onto the table, grinding it into the surface as he spoke coldly, “I’m merely notifying you, not asking for your approval—nor do I need it. You lot must have gone too long without supervision and your minds have grown dull. Let me remind you: you’re working for Meihua. Meihua is a business of the Xiao family.”

“You—” Will tried to speak, but Xiao Tianci glared at him, “What, you’re not convinced? Don’t bother playing games with me. Today’s proposal was just to test you—to see where you all stand. Seems like you really do need some discipline. Forming little factions, have you forgotten the ancient wisdom that gentlemen do not form cliques?”

Everyone present was a seasoned veteran of the business world, most having worked at Meihua for many years. Yet even they were infuriated by Xiao Tianci's words.

Especially Will—he had finally turned against Xiao Tianci, though not by choice. Xiao Tianci had forced his hand.

“Xiao Tianci, watch what you say. You’ll have to answer for your words.”

“Ha… ha… ha… How amusing! If I don’t answer for my words, will you do it for me?” His expression darkened. “Hmph, enough with the jokes. As the largest shareholder of Meihua, you… you…” He pointed at Will and the two others who held shares and stood beside Will. “You’re merely minority shareholders. To put it nicely, you’re shareholders. To put it bluntly, you’re just along for the ride, making money because I let you. Don’t get carried away. From now on, you’d best stay home and behave yourselves. The four of you are hereby dismissed.”

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Will, Autney, and the other two were all stunned, not expecting Xiao Tianci to act so decisively. Autney spoke up, “Kid, let me tell you, you don’t have the authority…”

“Stop!” Xiao Tianci suddenly bellowed. “What did you say? I don’t have the authority? You must really be addled in the head. A few days without oversight and you actually believe you’re someone important? You seem to have forgotten—the real owner of Meihua is the Xiao family.”

Will now realized fully that there was no way to reason with this man. “Xiao Tianci, you’d better understand: Meihua belongs to all of us. The Xiao family may be the largest shareholder, but that does not mean Meihua is yours alone, nor can you represent Meihua. Dismissing us, pushing this insane Desert Villa plan—it’s you who should be leaving Meihua.”

Others quickly echoed his sentiments. Xiao Tianci, facing them all by himself, remained supremely confident and arrogant. He waited for them to finish their outbursts, then spread his hands. “Go on, speak your minds. If there’s anything else, say it now. If not, I’ll have my turn. Let’s not quibble over semantics anymore. By law, the Xiao family owns thirty-four percent of Meihua’s shares. In the end, votes are decided by who holds the most shares, aren’t they? So let’s put it to a vote.”

Raising his hand, Xiao Tianci declared, “First, I vote in favor—myself, Xiao Tianci—taking the position of chairman of the board. Anyone else? Unless you can muster more than thirty-four point zero zero zero zero zero one percent of the shares, you’ll have to accept my decision. Otherwise, I’m the chairman.”

Will and the others’ faces turned from furious red to ashen white. Xiao Tianci continued, “Next, I propose we implement the unique Desert Villa strategy, ensuring Meihua remains the world’s most dynamic company, not a stagnant pond controlled by a handful. Let’s have a show of hands.”

He raised his hand. “With no opposing votes sufficient to block me, the matter is settled. Now, let’s discuss dismissing you four.”

Unable to leave, staying here was simply unbearable torture. Will’s expression kept changing, and after hearing Xiao Tianci’s words and recalling earlier events, he could no longer suppress the turmoil in his chest—a mouthful of blood spurted out, and he collapsed to the floor.

Wow, Xiao Tianci marveled inwardly. He hadn’t expected himself to be so talented at infuriating people—he’d actually made someone cough up blood. But he mused, he’d better not let Will die; the game had only just begun. Now that Will was dealt with, he’d have to placate the others.

“Tsk tsk, see? I told you to go home and rest. When the money rolls in, you’ll still get your share. Health is the foundation of all endeavors; what’s the use of wealth if you ruin your body? Honestly, I was just venting in the heat of the moment—you know how impulsive the young can be. While I do have the authority, you are, after all, an old-timer at Meihua. Why don’t you submit a sick leave application? Take as long as you need—ten years, eight years—I’ll approve it.”

Now that’s what it means to infuriate someone to death without taking responsibility. Zhou Ao, seated nearby, was drenched in cold sweat. He was glad he hadn’t sided with Will—otherwise, who knows what his fate would have been? Xiao Tianci’s tactics were… rather domineering. Although power struggles often involved far more ruthless means, such directness was unusual. What was his purpose?

And if his way of dealing with Will had an ulterior motive, what was the point of this Desert Villa plan? The entire proposal just seemed like throwing money into the sea…

Far away, atop a distant building…

“That Xiao kid is quite amusing. See how he drives others mad? Though his methods differ from his father’s, he’s just as clever.”

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“Hmph… Yeah, but that so-called Desert Villa plan he proposed—doesn’t it seem off?”

“What do you know? I can guess, just by stroking my beard, that he did it just to spite Will, that foreign devil. Didn’t you see—he was so enraged he spat blood? The effect was splendid.”

“Hmph, well, your beard-stroking is as unreliable as ever. I’m certain he has more in mind than just provoking Will. I’ll bet you—bet you a lobster…”

Tightly gripping his prize, he glanced over with satisfaction. “Dream on. You’ve eaten so many already; I’m not betting. Ha ha… I’ll wait until you’re finished, then I’ll have some…”

“Hmph… hmph…” After grumbling for a while, his eyes brightened. “How about we split it in half and then bet?”

“Mm,” stroking his beard, “all right…”

The wind outside was fierce, sending sand and dust swirling across the rooftop. Yet where the two sat, all was uncannily calm; not a hair or thread of their clothing stirred. Before them sat a device resembling a laptop, through which they could clearly observe everything Xiao Tianci was doing in his office.

Having finished with Will, Xiao Tianci turned to Autney and the other two staunch supporters of Will. “As for you three—yes, you—I want you to submit leave applications as well. After all, Will is a long-serving veteran of Meihua, and now that he’s ill, the company must express its concern. So the three of you will go take care of him for as long as he’s unwell.”

He then turned to the others. Most had already stood up, but now they realized the gravity of the situation. They finally understood that Xiao Tianci’s words were not empty threats—he truly held absolute authority and need not consult them at all.

Standing uncertainly, not knowing what to do, Xiao Tianci looked at them with feigned distress. “Sigh, I know you’re all concerned for your colleague, but after all, the company is still paying your salaries. I’ve already given Will leave and assigned four of our most capable people to look after him. You should be reassured. Now, everyone, please return to your seats—we still have matters to discuss.”

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