Chapter Eighty-Four - A Matchmaker's Errand, Part Two

That is not for you or Su Xin to decide. Young man, let me tell you, this society is brutally realistic. It is a web of interests, each layer binding and restraining the next. A marriage alliance like the one in the Su family is perfectly ordinary in the world of officials and power. Su Xin’s mother married her father for profit, and it is obvious that she will follow the same path. Besides, in her generation she is the only daughter, and she is so beautiful. I will not hide it from you: the Su family is in real trouble lately. The central leadership has been overhauled, and the old generation of the Su family is nearly unable to hold on. Their influence is shrinking more and more. If no powerful interest group steps in to help them now, then the Su clan, which has existed in the political world of this nation for decades, may very well vanish completely.

Chu Zhengsheng gave me a faint glance and said softly, If you do not mind, do you know where Su Guohui went? He was called back to the capital by the old patriarch of the Su family. And do you know who he took with him? I saw him take his own daughter along! What does that mean? It means that Su Xin has already become a crucial pawn in the Su family’s survival, and no one can change that. Unless you have a formidable political backing, unless you are part of the central circle of interests, it is useless. Even if you are clever enough to build a fortune by selling a few thousand software products and become a billionaire, it is still useless. In this country, wealth can only be counted as capital; it cannot let you do whatever you please. Power is power. Power is the true standard by which a person stands at the summit.

After hearing Chu Zhengsheng’s words, my mind went utterly blank. The Purple Sun vital energy that had been circulating steadily through my body seemed to explode in an instant, surging chaotically through every part of me. The searing pain made my face turn paler and paler. So Su Xin had not gone to Hong Kong after all, but had been taken by her father to the capital. So Su Xin’s joyful holiday had become a forced sacrifice to the family’s interests. So that was why she had been so gloomy lately...

“That man is called Song Jie, isn’t he...” I gritted my teeth and forced out the words one by one, my expression dark.

Chu Zhengsheng, seeing how cold I looked, was momentarily stunned. After hearing my words, he became a little flustered and said, Xiaoqiang, no matter who he is, this was the Su family’s choice. It is not their fault. The fault lies only with interests. The interests between people are not something you can fight against. Sigh, why can’t you understand? You and Su Xin are impossible—

“Chu Zhengsheng, before I get angry, I advise you not to say that word a second time.”

I forcibly suppressed the raging Purple Sun vital energy within me and shot Chu Zhengsheng a fierce glare, then revealed a smile cold to the bone.

“Even if heaven itself says it is impossible, I, Xiao Qiang, will make it possible. You do not need to say any more. Thank you for thinking so highly of me, but it is a pity that your daughter and I were not meant to be.”

“Ah...” Seeing my resolute look, Chu Zhengsheng could only shake his head and say, “Forget it, forget it. I know you cannot accept this for the moment. Think it through first, then we can talk. Actually, I invited you here today for two reasons: first, to talk about my daughter’s matter; second, to ask whether you would be interested in coming to my company to help me manage the software division.”

I gradually forced myself to calm down and began to regulate the chaotic Purple Sun vital energy within my body. Facing Chu Zhengsheng’s invitation, I finally felt that I had been far too restrained before. A kind person is bullied, just as a docile horse is ridden. For Su Xin’s sake, I had finally decided to truly begin fighting. For Su Xin, I also had to fight for my own happiness. I could not remain weak any longer. I could not go on living this tranquil life. So I answered calmly, Do you think my abilities are limited to this? Since we have spoken so much, then I will be direct as well. Sunrise Group was founded by me. Skylark Group was acquired by me. The purpose of my visit today is actually only two things. Whether you choose or not is entirely up to you.

“What... what? Sunrise Group? That... that suddenly emerged Sunrise Group... was actually founded by you? No, impossible, impossible. Macrosoft could not possibly have given you that much money. How could you possibly have that much money?”

Chu Zhengsheng was thoroughly shaken by my words. He was not familiar with Sunrise Group, but he knew the Skylark Real Estate Group very well. Just today, at the bidding conference, had Skylark’s CEO, Zhang Jing, not shouted an astronomically high price of 1.7 billion? How could he possibly believe that the young fellow before him, not even eighteen yet, actually controlled such a massive group?

“Macrosoft certainly would not have given me that much money, but I know how to make money grow.”

This was no joke. At this point, my Swiss bank account probably already held assets worth at least several billion dollars. If one compared personal assets rather than corporate assets, I was the undisputed richest man of this year.

“I value Uncle Chu’s ability to run a company, and I also trust Uncle Chu’s business judgment, so my first purpose in coming here is to acquire your company. Your Imperial Dynasty Group is a major enterprise focused on digital technology. In particular, its main products include chipset-based profit operations, computer motherboards, portable digital music players, and hard drive distribution, which are currently your company’s chief lines. But technology abroad is evolving far too quickly. You are only an agent, so you must follow the international market. To put it nicely, your company’s current agency products are selling well and making good profits; to put it bluntly, your company will eventually collapse. A company without independent development capability, no matter how good its products may be, is still relying on someone else’s goods. Not to mention that you are only propping things up through internal acquisitions by leaning on your father’s Western Chu Group. Digital products in this country have only just begun to sell, and many people are still unfamiliar with such high-tech goods. How large can the national procurement volume be in a year? So you have no choice but to come to this city. On one hand, perhaps your father sent you here to establish a sales network in a prefecture-level city like this; on the other, although there are not as many talented people here as in the big cities, this is still virgin land. Digital technology will certainly become the mainstream in the future, and you will want to be a dark horse among that mainstream, firmly seizing the vast second-tier market. I wonder whether what I said is correct?”

“You... how do you know...”

From Chu Zhengsheng’s astonished and flustered expression, I already knew my guess was right. Perhaps because of the age gap, he found it difficult to show his shock openly. At that moment, he was clearly forcing down the questions flooding his mind. After a heavy cough, he gave a somewhat cold laugh.

“It seems you have already investigated my company in secret. Not bad. Young man, having this kind of ability is already very impressive. But I want to ask you this: what you just said is the truth, and it is also the common illness of digital companies nationwide. Even if you acquire my company, what then? Moreover, although my company is not ranked among the top in the country, it is by no means small. How could it be acquired just because you say so?”