Chapter 114: He Jiansheng Was Dumbfounded

On the thirty-sixth floor, the highest level of the Qi Garden Grand Hotel, He Jiansheng had for years reserved the most luxurious presidential suite. Even though he did not often spend the night there, he would come only when he sought a sense of achievement. Yet this suite always belonged solely to He Jiansheng. Occasionally, he would bring a beautiful girl, transforming her from a girl into a woman, and in those moments, his sense of accomplishment soared.

In truth, no one knew that He Jiansheng had never liked the position of external affairs manager in the He family. To outsiders, that role was prestigious and powerful, but they did not see the endless scheming and the immense pressure that weighed on him. He disliked it intensely. Yet the old master of the He family had specifically chosen him for the role, and so He Jiansheng had no choice but to accept it with gritted teeth.

He had even tried to shirk his responsibilities, acting out or causing trouble, hoping to be removed. But while the old master lived, He Jiansheng never managed to step down as he wished. This deeply disappointed him.

Finally, the old master passed away. With him gone, He Jiansheng lost his favor. Those in the family who had always been displeased with him swiftly ousted him from his position. Others saw this as He Jiansheng's defeat, but he felt no such thing. In fact, he felt liberated. Life, after losing that post, became much more comfortable. No matter how incompetent he seemed, he was still the legitimate heir of the He family in the eyes of outsiders. With that lineage, he retained his young master’s status and the privileges of the family’s influence. The businesses under his control provided him with vast wealth, allowing him to live a colorful life.

He Jiansheng had planned it this way. He vanished from public view for a long while, and no one knew how carefree his days were during that time. No need to rack his brains over endless problems, to worry about managing or growing the family’s external assets, or to concern himself with interfamily relationships. He Jiansheng enjoyed life to the fullest.

When he had enough of this carefree existence, he decided to show himself a little, to remind others of his presence. But at Young Master Hai's banquet, he was first slapped by Wang Xinrou and then severely reprimanded by He Tian. He Jiansheng's dignity was utterly crushed. How could he possibly swallow such humiliation? So, he resolved to take revenge on He Tian and the entire Wang family. For this, he even set aside Young Master Hai’s face, disregarding it entirely. Only by doing so, he believed, could he display his own dominance.

Now, everything was unfolding according to He Jiansheng’s script. He mobilized the He family’s power to bring Mengrou Fashion Group to a standstill.

The initial effects had already appeared. Hadn’t He Tian been forced to ask Young Master Hai for reconciliation? The thought made He Jiansheng laugh triumphantly. Yet he was not satisfied. Even in reconciliation, He Tian remained combative. How could He Jiansheng let him have his way? His revenge could not end here—not a chance. He wanted He Tian to kneel before him, to let all of Tianhai witness He Tian’s defeat. Only then could He Jiansheng restore the reputation he’d lost at the banquet. And this was merely the beginning.

He Jiansheng intended to bring Wang Xinmeng and Wang Xinrou, the two sisters, to his bed, to make them truly understand what a disaster it was to offend him. Savoring a fine sip of wine, he smiled in satisfaction, contemplating whether to go out tonight and celebrate with a new conquest.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door—an urgent, annoying knock that He Jiansheng deeply disliked, especially when he was in the presidential suite. He opened the door.

Standing outside was his assistant, Meng Yang, his most trusted confidant.

"Young master, bad news... very bad news! Director Lin, Director Zhang, Director Wang, Director Qi, Director Liu—they’ve all been placed under double investigation!" Meng Yang’s face was anxious, his voice uneasy.

"What? What did you say?" He Jiansheng knew exactly who Meng Yang referred to: the leaders of the five most powerful departments in Tianhai City, all representing the He family’s interests. Now, all had been placed under double investigation. How could this be? Who dared challenge the He family’s authority? Who was declaring war on them?

He Jiansheng’s thoughts did not even touch upon He Tian. He didn’t believe He Tian had such power. The leaders of the Administration for Industry and Commerce, the Health Bureau, the Tax Bureau, the Quality Supervision Bureau, the Publicity Bureau—though their ranks were not the highest, their presence in Tianhai made them incredibly important. For someone to take them down, and for He Jiansheng to hear nothing in advance—it was unthinkable.

"Any news from Secretary Cheng? What is he doing?" The He family’s main power in Tianhai was the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee—a genuine third-in-command in the city. Yet such major news, and Secretary Cheng had given He Jiansheng no word? How could he not be surprised?

Meng Yang did not answer; he couldn’t. Matters at that level were beyond Meng Yang’s reach.

Nor did He Jiansheng know that Li Chengcai—also known as Li Kai—the new Executive Deputy Mayor and Standing Committee member, after receiving Li Kai’s dossier, contacted first the Party Secretary, then the Mayor. This represented the three main forces in the city. Faced with such concrete evidence, even if blame were to fall, it would land solely on Li Chengcai, not implicating the Party Secretary or Mayor. How could the two not support him?

Few were offended, and much could be gained; what could be better? With the backing of the two city leaders, Li Chengcai’s operation was completed smoothly. In fact, he concealed it from Secretary Cheng. As for Secretary Cheng, the very man He Jiansheng counted on, he was busy covering his own tracks.

Of course, double investigations and the series of nearly chess-like maneuvers would not so quickly yield a clear outcome. But one thing was certain—the five He family department heads had fallen completely. Even if there were compensation, if one of those departments returned to the He family, it would be fortunate.

He Jiansheng was unsettled. Comically, his panic was not for the He family’s losses implicating him, but rather—he could no longer torment Mengrou Fashion Group. His desire to pressure He Tian was now impossible to realize.

"Young master, what should we do now?" Meng Yang asked quietly.

"What do you mean, what should we do? You ask me what to do—I have no idea!" He Jiansheng snapped.

Meng Yang lowered his head, but after a moment, he raised it again. "Young master, those five... they were all helping us. Do you think this has something to do with He Tian?"

"You suspect that? Do you know who led the action against those five?" He Jiansheng’s expression shifted. He hadn’t considered it before, but Meng Yang’s reminder triggered a cold realization. If He Tian was involved, and He Jiansheng had caused the He family such losses, he would be in grave trouble—his family might skin him alive.

"Investigate! Find out everything for me, thoroughly!" He Jiansheng ordered urgently. "Get to the bottom of this immediately!"

"Yes!" Meng Yang answered, hurrying to leave.

At that moment, the hotel’s general manager arrived—Liu, a man loyal to He Jiansheng, for he owned thirty-seven percent of the hotel’s shares and was its largest shareholder and chairman.

"Young master!" the general manager called.

"What’s happened, Manager Liu?" He Jiansheng’s tone was grave. Liu rarely came to the top floor—only if something major occurred. With the shocking news Meng Yang had just delivered, He Jiansheng’s temper was already frayed; what else could possibly go wrong?

"Young master, in recent days, someone has been quietly buying up our stock. Several small shareholders have transferred their shares without a sound. Just now, someone arrived with a lawyer, claiming to own fifty-six percent of Qi Garden Grand Hotel, and proposing an immediate shareholders’ meeting," Manager Liu said anxiously.

He Jiansheng was stunned, unable to believe it. "What did you say? Someone acquired fifty-six percent of the hotel’s shares and wants to call a shareholders’ meeting?"

"Yes, young master! The person is waiting in the conference room," Manager Liu replied.

"Who? Who is it? Come, take me to see!" He Jiansheng’s face grew darker and darker. He never expected that misfortune would arrive in such rapid succession.