Chapter Thirty-Nine

Steward Lin’s furtive demeanor reminded Gu Liuyun of a villain from a spy thriller. He curled his lips slightly into a playful smile. "Steward Lin, if you have something to say, just say it. Acting so mysterious—anyone who didn't know better would think you were about to hand me some peerless secret manual."

Steward Lin wiped the sweat from his forehead and offered a sycophantic smile. "Young Master, please, don't tease me. It’s just that when I was organizing the accounts according to the new rules, I discovered some... well... rather unsettling discrepancies."

"Oh? Unsettling? What kind of discrepancies?" Gu Liuyun’s gaze sharpened, and his tone turned stern.

Steward Lin stammered, "On the books... it seems a very large sum of money is missing..."

"How much is missing?" Gu Liuyun’s voice was low, like the silence before a storm.

"A preliminary estimate... it’s about... one hundred million," Steward Lin replied, trembling, terrified that Gu Liuyun might strike him down in a fit of rage.

"One hundred million?!" Gu Liuyun stood up abruptly. A powerful aura radiated from him, leaving Steward Lin gasping for air. "Although the Gu family isn't some world-class tycoon, we aren't so weak that we can't cover a deficit of one hundred million. Where exactly did this money go?!"

Pale with fright, Steward Lin dropped to his knees. "Spare me, Young Master! I don't know where the money went! I haven't been the steward for long, and all the previous accounts were..."

"Handled by my uncle and my cousin, right?" Gu Liuyun finished for him, his eyes icy, as if he could see through everything.

Steward Lin nodded repeatedly, not daring to draw a full breath. Gu Liuyun sneered, already having the answer in his heart. It seemed those two were truly stubborn, thinking they could stop him from taking control of the family business with such petty tricks? It was pure delusion!

Just as he was about to order someone to bring his uncle and cousin in for a confrontation, he heard a commotion outside. The door to the conference room was pushed open, and a group of employees marched in aggressively.

"Gu Liuyun, by what right do you cut our benefits? We won't stand for it!" the lead employee shouted.

"Exactly! We’ve worked hard for this company for so many years; the moment you arrive, you start stirring up trouble. We don't agree to this!" The other employees chimed in, the atmosphere turning hostile.

Gu Liuyun saw at a glance that these people were all loyalists to his uncle and cousin. It seemed they were ready to challenge him openly.

"What I am cutting are the unreasonable benefits, not your base salaries," Gu Liuyun said calmly, completely unfazed by their bluster. "As for why I’m doing this, you can look at the company’s ledgers and see exactly how much money this company has lost over the past few years!"

"Don't you spout nonsense here!" the lead employee shouted, neck stiffening. "We only trust Manager Gu and Young Master Gu!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Gu Liuyun looked at them with a mocking smile. "Then do you know that one hundred million is missing from the company accounts?"

The room erupted in shock. "What? One hundred million?!" "This... how is that possible?" "Who on earth did it?!"

The employees began to whisper, their eyes filled with suspicion as they looked toward the lead employee. The leader panicked; he hadn't expected Gu Liuyun to know about this. Just as he was about to offer a defense, a flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from the hall.

The footsteps drew near, accompanied by the crisp clatter of high heels. Two figures burst into the conference room like twin flames. It was Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao—enemies often cross paths, and they had met again.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Chen. What, looking to show off your superiority in front of me again today?" As soon as Ye Manman entered, she spoke with a sharp tone. She wore a fire-red bodycon dress that accentuated her alluring figure, her eyes narrow and seductive.

Chen Jiaojiao was not to be outdone. She wore a sharp, professional white suit that made her look capable and stern. "Ye Manman, stop with the passive-aggressive act. I’m here on official business, unlike some people who only know how to seduce men all day long!"

"Seduce men? Miss Chen, you really love to flatter yourself. With that sour face of yours, who would take a second look?" Ye Manman covered her mouth and laughed, her voice charming yet dripping with undisguised mockery.

"You!..." Chen Jiaojiao’s face flushed with rage, her chest heaving as she longed to tear the woman’s mouth apart.

The surrounding employees went deathly silent, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire, and could only watch from the shadows. These two women—one seductive and charming, the other cold and strong—were born rivals, and every meeting was like a powder keg.

Gu Liuyun watched this farce, a vein throbbing in his forehead. These two women were truly insufferable! Could they not resolve their grievances somewhere else? They had to cause trouble just as he was dealing with company affairs. He sighed and rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"Enough!" Gu Liuyun raised his voice, putting an end to their squabbling. "This is a company, not a place for you to quarrel! Everyone, be quiet!"

Just then, Grandfather Gu walked in leaning on his cane. He frowned as he surveyed the chaotic scene, his expression grim. Usually, he would have fiercely reprimanded the troublemakers and backed Gu Liuyun’s management, but today, he was strangely silent. He merely looked at Gu Liuyun with complex eyes before slowly sitting in the head seat, saying nothing.

This unusual behavior surprised everyone present. Gu Liuyun was also taken aback, but he showed no trace of panic. He simply smiled slightly, his eyes as firm as before.

"Very well, since everyone is here, let us continue the meeting," Gu Liuyun said calmly, as if nothing had just happened. He ignored the questioning gazes and dove straight into the agenda.

Just as everyone thought the matter had been glossed over, Gu Liuyun’s phone vibrated. A text from an unknown number appeared: "Be careful, the ledger is rigged."

Gu Liuyun frowned. He looked up to survey the room, but everyone’s expression seemed different. He curled his lips into a meaningful smile. It seemed the real show had only just begun.

Gu Liuyun remained composed, continuing to preside over the meeting on the surface while his inner thoughts churned. Who sent that text? Could there be someone else in the company secretly helping him? He narrowed his eyes, observing everyone's expressions for any trace of a clue.

After the meeting, Gu Liuyun made an excuse about needing to handle urgent documents and returned to his office alone. He locked the door and took a jade slip from his storage space—a magical artifact from his past life used to record and analyze information. He fed the data from the ledger provided by Steward Lin into the slip and initiated the analysis program.

The jade slip shimmered, and lines of data flowed past like a waterfall. Drawing on the memories of his past life as an Immortal Venerable, Gu Liuyun quickly discovered the deception. His uncle and cousin had used their positions to transfer company funds to overseas accounts, totaling hundreds of millions!

"Ha, child's play," Gu Liuyun sneered, feeling a secret sense of triumph. They thought they could hide such petty tricks from him, a former Immortal Venerable? It was like trying to teach a master how to swing an axe! A sense of total control washed over him; it was as if everything were firmly within his grasp.

The next day, Gu Liuyun summoned the family members for another meeting. In front of everyone, he projected the data from the jade slip and pointed out the crimes of his uncle and cousin.

"Uncle, Cousin, do you have anything to say for yourselves?" Gu Liuyun’s voice was as cold as ice, filled with authority.

His uncle and cousin turned deathly pale, trembling uncontrollably, unable to utter a single word. They never imagined that Gu Liuyun could find such damning evidence! The other family members were equally shocked by Gu Liuyun’s methods. They had previously doubted his capabilities, but now they looked at him with newfound admiration.

Gu Liuyun reorganized the corporate affairs, stripped his uncle and cousin of all power, and appointed new management. The family business stabilized for the time being, but Gu Liuyun knew this was only the beginning.

He looked in the direction where Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao had left, his eyes deep and thoughtful. He knew their conflict remained, a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.

"It’s time to resolve the issue between them..." Gu Liuyun whispered to himself. He picked up his phone and dialed a number. "Help me contact Ye Manman and Chen Jiaojiao. Tell them I invite them to meet in the family garden tomorrow."