“Second Young Master, I don’t want to!” Having lived for over twenty years, Ye Xiaoqiong had enough of being fooled. The word “deception” had defined the first half of her life. Even the slightest hint of deception now made Ye Xiaoqiong extremely sensitive.
Du Zhaoji closed the document. “I also very much dislike being deceived.”
Who had deceived him?
It was Du Zhaohui who had deceived him. Pretending to be a frivolous playboy.
Du Zhaoji used to think his elder brother posed no real threat. He sympathized with him for losing his mother at a young age, and no matter how extreme or gloomy Du Zhaohui became, he always showed some tolerance. He even sincerely wanted to join forces with Du Zhaohui to elevate the Du family business to new heights! He had thought that if Du Zhaohui wasn’t good at management, he could just let him live easily off the dividends.
Now… Du Zhaoji felt he had been the biggest fool. The image Du Zhaohui had projected for years was all a facade, meant to lower everyone’s guard. From suggesting to Du Chengrong to transfer Liu Tianquan to manage the smuggling business, and replacing him with Du Zhaohui himself to develop the mainland market in Pengcheng, it had all been Du Zhaohui’s scheme. Du Zhaohui had gradually established connections in Pengcheng, developing close relationships with local government leaders.
Finally, Du Zhaohui waited for the competition for 5% of the group’s shares. Du Zhaoji now suspected this competition was also deliberately staged, and biased toward Du Zhaohui before it even began.
The Second Young Master was typically very cold, but now his face had changed from anger. Ye Xiaoqiong couldn’t help but ask, “What do you need me to do?”
Du Zhaoji threw down the documents: “When a competition loses its fairness, the nobility of methods becomes irrelevant. I need you to gain their trust. I want to destroy Du Zhaohui from within. I think you need to strengthen your connections with your old friends!”
He wanted her to get close to Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng.
Ye Xiaoqiong suspected Du Zhaoji already knew about her conversations with Xia Xiaolan. Yet Du Zhaoji didn’t mention a single word about it, leaving Ye Xiaoqiong uncertain.
To approach Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng, she wouldn’t even need an excuse – she could just pretend to agree to Xia Xiaolan’s proposal…
Ye Xiaoqiong clenched her fist.
Du Zhaoji didn’t rush her, letting her decide for herself. Pushing too hard would only cause resistance. Once Ye Xiaoqiong made her choice, Du Zhaoji wouldn’t allow her to regret it – traitors must face severe punishment. This was a principle the Du family had taught Du Zhaoji, not something that could be erased by studying business abroad.
Finally, Ye Xiaoqiong’s fist unclenched.
“Second Young Master, I’ll follow your instructions. You’re right – we’re on the same side!”
Du Zhaoji showed a faint smile. “Ye Xiaoqiong, you’ve made the right choice. When we succeed, you’ll discover that some things that seem difficult are very simple! In this world, all difficulties crumble before money and power. Our only concern is not having enough of either.”
That day, Ye Xiaoqiong was transferred back from the workshop to work at Du Zhaoji’s side. Her position was promoted from secretary to special assistant.
Within the Chengrong Group, being a special assistant to Du Zhaoji was considered middle management. Looking at Du Zhaoji’s business in Thailand alone, Ye Xiaoqiong was nearly at an executive level. Though she hadn’t been with Chengrong Group long, she had jumped from ordinary clerk to Du Zhaoji’s secretariat, from secretariat member to his trusted personal secretary, then to workshop worker for a period, and now, returning to Du Zhaoji’s side as a special assistant.
Those unaware of the inside story had many speculations about this appointment. The official announcement cited Ye Xiaoqiong’s outstanding abilities, even packaging her workshop experience as grassroots training to understand frontline production.
But Ye Xiaoqiong’s promotion was so rapid that when news reached Hong Kong, people assumed she was Du Zhaoji’s favored woman.
Liu Keying even joked with the Second Mistress: “Second Sister, you should be careful that Zhaoji doesn’t get caught by his female secretary. He’s always been a good boy – it wouldn’t be surprising if he suddenly fell for a woman.”
The Second Mistress remained calm: “It’s time for Zhaoji to date someone. Playing around with a female secretary is better than him going out mixing with questionable women. But what about the Master’s side – are we getting another sister?”
Du Chengrong had been spending less time at home lately.
When he did come home, he no longer lingered with the Third Mistress, clearly satisfied by women outside.
The three mistresses of the Du family had been fighting for years. Whenever Du Chengrong favored one, the other two would become jealous, fighting like roosters in a cockpit.
Now that Du Chengrong wasn’t coming home, Liu Keying was the most anxious!
The Second Mistress could rely on Du Zhaoji, and the Third Mistress was never much favored to begin with. Only Liu Keying, who had been the favorite for many years, couldn’t bear Du Chengrong’s recent coldness.
Before she could confront the Second Mistress, the latter brought up the topic first. Liu Keying sneered: “Second Sister, I may not know if the Du family will add new place settings, but I happen to know about the woman who’s got the Master head over heels lately. Her name is Vivi, in her twenties, previously worked in Zhaoji’s secretariat… I see his secretariat specializes in raising vixens – one bewitching Zhaoji himself, and another, unable to catch the young one, going after the Master instead!”
The Second Mistress’s expression changed. “What do you mean?”
Liu Keying was wrongly accusing the Second Mistress of sending women to Du Chengrong. The Second Mistress wanted to squeeze the water out of Liu Keying’s brain: “I don’t even know any Vivi! What benefit would that bring me? Don’t mistake who your enemy is!”
Liu Keying was half-believing, half-doubting.
She knew better than anyone how effective pillow talk could be. In these years as Du Chengrong’s favorite, not only had she, a family tutor, soared to become the Fourth Mistress, but her entire Liu family had been transformed.
How?
Not because her elder brother Liu Tianquan was a business genius, but because of Du Chengrong’s favoritism toward her.
Liu Keying twisted the diamond ring on her finger. She couldn’t just sit and wait. By the time Du Chengrong proposed bringing in a Fifth Mistress, it would be too late. She needed to meet this Vivi beforehand to see if she could be dismissed.
Based on her understanding of Du Chengrong, Liu Keying keenly sensed this time was different.
Previously, Du Chengrong had other women outside but never neglected his official mistresses at home. This time—
“Second Sister, it’s good if she’s not your person. If we don’t unite, we’ll get stepped on. You can imagine how nasty the tabloids will be.”
In Hong Kong’s wealthy families, Du Chengrong wasn’t alone in having multiple wives.
After all, Hong Kong didn’t enact the Marriage Act emphasizing monogamy and abolishing polygamy until 1971.
Before 1971, taking mistresses was legal.
Like Liu Keying and the Second Mistress, they were addressed as “Mrs. Du” in public, at various events, and in news reports.
Now that Du Chengrong wanted to bring home a Fifth Mistress, it wouldn’t be legally acceptable. People might just comment on how the Chairman was still vigorous and romantic, but gossip tabloids would surely mock Liu Keying and the others mercilessly. They would lose face in social circles, laughed at for being unable to prevent Du Chengrong from bringing home new women.
It would be worse for Liu Keying, with the obvious label of “fallen from favor” affecting both her and Liu Tianquan.
The Second Mistress didn’t react much, as she now relied on her son for favor in her aged years.
But with Du Zhaoji and Du Zhaohui competing, the Second Mistress had temporarily allied with the other two houses. With Liu Keying anxious, she couldn’t remain indifferent, so she comforted Liu Keying: “If you’re worried, let’s meet this Vivi. I’d like to see what kind of person she is too.”