These words had been buried in Zhang Jingchan’s heart for eight years. He had never told anyone, including his mother. Today they all poured out in one breath.

Li Weiyi looked at him, her eyes full of shock and pain. Zhang Moyun, however, was like someone who had been viciously punched—his soul scattered, his entire body cold. His voice trembled as he grabbed Zhang Jingchan’s arm and asked, “Why… why would you say these things? Who are you? Who exactly are you?”

Zhang Jingchan pried his fingers open one by one, his face covered as if with frost and snow. “Who I am doesn’t matter. From which year, from where I came to stand before you—none of that matters. I’ve already watched you die twice in front of me. No, it should be three times. If I have to witness a fourth time, I won’t come anymore.”

A tear fell from Zhang Jingchan’s eyes. Zhang Moyun drew a deep breath and called out, “Ah Chan…”

Li Weiyi covered her mouth with her hand.

At this moment, in this room, everything was tranquil—whether it was the sunlight outside the window, the faint wisps of steam rising from the teapot, or this father and son who had finally laid bare their hearts to face each other.

Until the knocking sounded at the door once again.

Zhang Moyun looked deeply at Zhang Jingchan, then swept his gaze over the well-behaved Li Weiyi beside him. He released his son’s hand, straightened his shirt collar, and said, “Come in.”

The person who entered saw the three of them sitting in a row behind the computer and was startled. He sensed the atmosphere in the room was off—all three had reddened eyes. He gave an honest smile and said, “Chairman, we’ve been waiting outside for quite a while. We wanted to ask what to do about Secretary Zhang’s situation.”

The visitor was none other than Li Yunmo’s father, Li Jinxiong, the group’s Construction Director. He was still wearing his thick work clothes, his face weathered, his voice booming like a foreman’s.

Zhang Moyun asked, “Are Cheng Chuan and Liu Ying outside too?”

“Yes.”

“What about Xu Yi?”

“He said he went to handle matters at the Jianshe Road store.”

“Tell Xu Yi to return immediately. Notify Zhang Fengming and Wu Mingrui to put aside whatever they’re doing and come here.”

Li Jinxiong was taken aback. This was equivalent to summoning all of Zhang Moyun’s core confidants with real power among the company’s senior leadership. But Li Jinxiong asked nothing and went out to handle it.

“You two go out. Let me think about exactly what to do,” Zhang Moyun said.

Li Weiyi and Zhang Jingchan exchanged glances and slowly stood up. Zhang Moyun smiled. His earlier loss of emotional control had been extremely brief. When this man made up his mind and sat up straight behind his executive desk again, he once more assumed the commanding posture of an ambitious hero.

“Don’t worry. You’ve both sharpened the dagger for me—the one that will cut Fu Ming’s throat and sever the rope. If I still can’t handle what comes next, then these decades have been wasted,” he said.

Zhang Jingchan walked to the doorway, stopped, turned back, and said, “Dad, goodbye.”

Li Weiyi also waved with a sweet smile, finally no longer needing to pretend. “Uncle, see you in 2022.”

Zhang Moyun’s pupils contracted sharply. The two of them had already walked out the door.

Zhang Moyun sat alone for a long time, until the midday sunlight became blindingly intense. He reviewed the proposal on the computer several times more, committing it thoroughly to memory, then clicked “Permanent Delete.”

“Xu Yi, have everyone come in.”

Zhang Moyun sat behind his desk, looking over each of their faces one by one. He wanted to speak, but his throat was hoarse. He cleared it, and his face already bore the familiar expression of resolute determination everyone knew.

“You are all the pillars of Fu Ming—my family, close friends, my right and left arms. You manage construction, finance, procurement, marketing, human resources… I’ve called you here to announce a major decision:

“Starting now, all of Fu Ming’s construction projects will halt immediately. All capital that can be recovered must be recovered within three days by any means necessary. All accounts payable will be delayed without payment, including everyone’s salaries. We will secretly proceed with the group’s bankruptcy liquidation, taking inventory of all assets and mortgaging another portion—find a way to borrow another 40 million from the bank. Together, we’ll raise a total of 90 million for me. Whether we can pay off all of Fu Ming’s debts in one stroke, including the money I borrowed from all of you, depends on this one move. Is everyone clear? From this moment on, Fu Ming has no other path to take—only this one path that I’ve decided on.”

Everyone was shocked, their expressions changing.

Cheng Chuan was the first to speak up. “But… Brother Yun, if we do this, won’t Fu Ming be… be…” completely finished?

Liu Ying also said with reddened eyes, “Chairman, what do you need 90 million for? The group’s capital is already tight. This is draining the last bit of hope from the company! Are you giving up on Fu Ming?” As she spoke, tears fell.

The atmosphere became heavy. Even Li Jinxiong, Zhang Moyun’s most loyal supporter, had tears in his eyes. “Brother Yun, I don’t understand! Those projects—our life’s work—you’re abandoning them all? Vienna… the Vienna we spent so much money building, so much money! It’s already more than half completed. If we stop construction now…”

Zhang Moyun’s second brother, Zhang Fengming, stared with wide tiger-like eyes, looking as if he hadn’t processed what was happening. Zhang Moyun’s brother-in-law and Human Resources Director Wu Mingrui, like Xu Yi, remained silent.

Zhang Moyun raised his hand, and everyone quieted down. He gave a bitter smile and said, “Fu Ming is already a pile of mud. The operations spread too widely—it can’t be saved. This isn’t everyone’s fault; it’s all due to my poor decision-making. But I guarantee to everyone that I, Zhang Moyun, will not run away. I will always be here, and my wife and son will be here too. To be honest with you all, I’m taking this 90 million because I have reliable inside information for an investment. I can’t go into specifics for now. If it succeeds, we can pay off all the group’s debts in one stroke. Fu Ming will collapse, but everyone here will be able to exit with a clean slate. As for me, I’ll probably end up penniless with nothing at all. I’ve already made this decision. There’s no need to try to persuade me. Everyone think it over. Those willing to walk this final journey with me, stay. Those who aren’t willing—please keep today’s conversation to yourselves, and you’re free to leave Fu Ming at any time.”

Everyone’s expressions shifted—some exchanged glances, some were anxiously distressed, some buried their heads in silence.

After a moment, Zhang Moyun asked, “Have you all thought it through? Second Brother, you’re my real brother—you speak first.”

Zhang Fengming sighed and said, “As you said, we’re real brothers. Whatever you say, I’ll do! Everyone here has prospered following you. We can’t be ungrateful now. Since you say this inside information will work, then it definitely will work! I trust you!”

Li Jinxiong had also composed himself, though his expression was tragic. “Brother Yun, I’ll listen to you.”

Cheng Chuan said, “I’ll listen to you.”

Wu Mingrui said, “You and I are family. I have no objections.”

Liu Ying wiped away her tears. She had always possessed courage and boldness in business that didn’t fall short of any man’s. She said, “Chairman, I think Fu Ming still needs me right now. I won’t leave. Although I came later, in these years, you’ve always treated me well. I won’t abandon you.”

Her eyes shimmered with tears. Zhang Moyun only smiled without saying anything. Finally, his gaze fell on the youngest among them, Xu Yi.

Xu Yi adjusted his glasses, his face still bearing a gentle, refined smile. “I am your assistant. My goal is execution, not questioning. I’ve recorded all six points you mentioned just now. I will definitely supervise their complete implementation.”

Zhang Moyun suddenly burst out laughing—he even laughed until tears came out. He heavily patted Xu Yi’s shoulder and nodded. “I haven’t misjudged you all. So what if Fu Ming collapses! When brothers unite in purpose, their strength can cut through metal! Once we get past this hurdle, does Zhang Moyun lack the ability to rise again? I’m not even fifty yet. If I could build one Fu Ming, I can create a second one! I’m putting my words here: I will remember all of your kindness today in my heart. When I turn things around someday, I will definitely repay you handsomely!”