Chapter Forty-Five: Negotiation Under Duress

  The clear and bright sunshine that had been continuous for many days did not appear on the second day's afternoon, instead, the sky was overcast with dark clouds, as if a storm could break out at any moment.

  The weather was similar to Li Ruoxi's mood, after all, she had to negotiate with the person sent by her family. Her heart was a bit nervous. In recent years, she had performed extremely well, but mainly under the shelter of her family, which was like a giant tree that protected her from the wind and rain. Now, however, that giant tree no longer shielded her from the storm, instead, it seemed to be brewing thunder and lightning for her in the bad weather, making her feel extremely terrible.

  Changling Group Co., Ltd. operates in three main business segments: cosmetics industry, apparel industry, and small household electrical appliances industry. This is a well-funded listed company, although it may not be among the top two large group companies in Changji City, but it is possible to rank among the top twenty.

  Behind the professional attire that perfectly showcased her slender figure, Li Ruoxi walked into the grand entrance of Changling Group Corporation with Wang Ke's large strides.

  He had some understanding of Changling Group Corporation, but it was also a one-sided understanding. The name of this group corporation came from Song Yi's mouth.

  Eighteenth floor, in the office of the CEO of Changling Group, Wang Ke sat quietly on the sofa, eyes closed, silently circulating the true energy in his meridians while waiting for the arrival of the Li Ruoxi family. Meanwhile, Li Ruoxi sat in her office chair, pulled out a stack of documents, and watched them silently. As time passed, the expression on her stunning face also became increasingly cold.

  "Bang bang......"

  The office door was knocked open and a young woman in business attire stepped inside.

  "Director Wang, your guest has arrived, they are in the prepared conference room." The young woman said softly.

  Li Ruoxi slowly stood up, turned her head and glanced at Wang Ke, nodded and said: "I know, you go out first, I'll be right there."

  The young woman nodded and left, closing the office door behind her as she went.

  Li Ruoxi walked out from behind the desk, looking at Wang Ke and asking in a low voice: "Do you have confidence in protecting my safety? Because I don't know who is coming this time from the family, if it's someone of my grandfather's generation, then don't take action, just leave yourself."

  "Even if the King of Heaven himself came, I would still protect my boss. Please rest assured on this point. Even if they want to use force, even if their cultivation is higher than mine, I will exhaust all my strength to stop them and give you time to escape."

  Li Ruoxi shook her head and said, "If it were someone of my grandfather's generation who came over, you wouldn't be their match at all. Even if I could escape, I'm afraid I would still be caught quickly by them. So don't waste your energy. I am the boss, and you must unconditionally obey my orders."

  Wang Ke nodded helplessly, which was equivalent to agreeing with Li Ruoxi's words.

  A few minutes later, the two of them arrived in a small conference room.

  At this time, there were five middle-aged people sitting in the conference room. Three of them were around forty years old, and two were fashionably dressed middle-aged women. Their faces were filled with indifference, and since Li Ruoxi and Wang Ke entered the conference room door, the eyes of the five people only swept over Wang Ke's body and then focused on Li Ruoxi.

  "Li Ruoxi, I really don't understand. In the past, you were such a sensible and obedient child. Why are you going against our wishes at this critical moment for the family? Don't you know how much benefit our family will gain from marrying into the Gu family?" Li Ziqiang, Li Ruoxi's uncle, who holds great power in the Li family, couldn't wait to scold Li Ruoxi as soon as he saw her sitting across from them.

  Li Yu'e, Li Ruoxi's aunt, a woman in her 40s, also had a cold face and looked at Li Ruoxi with dissatisfaction, humming: "Ruoxi, do you think your wings are hard enough that you don't need to be taught by the elders of the family? I'll tell you, no matter how great your abilities are, you're still a descendant of the Li family. Without the Li family, you're nothing. Put away your pride and arrogance, we elders won't harm you. You can marry the first heir of the Gu family and enjoy endless wealth and glory in the future. What more could you be dissatisfied with?"

  The other three people did not speak, but their faces were so serious that they also expressed their thoughts in their hearts.

  Li Ruoxi's face looked even more unsightly than before she entered the conference room.

  Her icy gaze carried a hint of pleading and stubbornness, as she said coldly: "This topic, you'd better not bring it up again. I'm firm in my resolve; even if it means death, I won't marry that scoundrel with the surname Gu. Don't harbor any illusions. I understand your intentions this time, so I advise you to leave the way you came. I am a living person, not a pawn in your hands. In these two years, I've earned so much wealth for the family; isn't it enough? My life is mine to control, and no one should think of using me as a tool to gain benefits for the family."

  Li Ziqiang's face was filled with intense anger, and he said in a deep voice: "Li Ruoxi, you'd better understand one thing clearly. You are a member of the family, isn't it your duty as a Li family descendant to seek benefits for the family?"

  Li Ruoxi coldly smiled and said: "Now you know I'm a descendant of the Li family? If you treat me as a tool for alliance marriage, would I still be considered a member of the Li family? Would I still be considered a person of the Li family? At that time, I'm afraid I'll have to represent the Gu family instead? A married-out daughter is like spilled water, shouldn't you understand this?"

  "How dare you, how did our Li family produce such an unfeeling and unrighteous descendant like you? Li Ruoxi, you'd better understand one thing clearly now. If you insist on refusing the marriage arranged by the family, what kind of consequences will you face? Do you think this group company is your last protective umbrella? Go ahead and dream! If you don't come back with us, we can immediately take back your management authority and kick you out of the company." Li Ruoxi's second uncle, Li Ziming, slapped his palm on the table and shouted loudly.

  Li Ruoxi's expression changed slightly, but she still said firmly: "What if you take back the company's management rights? This group company was founded by me, and all the high-level personnel in the group company were promoted and trained by me. If you drive me out of this company, I dare to guarantee that almost all the high-level managers will leave with me, and the group company will be paralyzed in an instant. As for what kind of loss the family will suffer, I think it's not necessary for me to say."

  Li Ziqiang and the other four had a mocking expression on their faces, while Li Ruoxue's threat was met with disdain.

  Li Ziqiang sneered, "Do you think that just because you promoted them, they will really follow you? You've forgotten a saying: 'Where there's milk, there's a mother.' Those high-level managers have to rely on the company to make a living, and almost all of them have families to support. Who would follow you out of the company? Are they going to go with you to beg from the northwest wind?"

  Here is the translation:

  "By now, his sarcastic expression had thickened, and he slowly stood up with his hands propped on the conference table, looking down at Li Ruoxi who was sitting in her chair. He sneered coldly: "If you're driven out of the family and have your management rights revoked for this last company, think carefully about your fate! Without the family as a backing, you are nothing. Moreover, when Grandfather gave his orders before we came here, if you don't agree to marry the first heir of the Gu family, even the place where you live, that villa worth tens of millions, will be taken back. At that time, not only won't you have any money, but you might not even have a place to live. Come back with us, or else you'll be waiting for a night on the streets!"

  Li Ruoxi's face was gloomy, as if it could drip water, her lips were trembling, and her eyes were filled with despair and pain. The feeling of being oppressed and coerced by loved ones was like a venomous snake biting at the heart that still yearned for family affection.

  Her body trembled slightly, not because of fear, but because of the cold, as a chill rose from her bones, making her feel icy all over.

  She never thought that her family members would be so indifferent.

  Li Ziqiang looked at Li Ruoxi's appearance, still thinking that his niece was in fear, so the angry and sarcastic expression on his face slowly disappeared, replaced by a triumphant smile. He stroked his chin whiskers and chuckled: "Ruoxi, you've been clever since childhood, you should be very clear that this matter has no room for maneuvering. This time it's the head of the Gu family who personally brought his son to our doorstep to propose marriage, giving our family a huge favor. The benefits they promised are even more than what you could earn from managing the family business for ten years."

  "You need to think clearly, marrying the first heir of the Gu family, in the future you will also be a figure who can make decisions in the Gu family, becoming the lady of a prestigious family, how much power and wealth will you have? If you give birth to children in the future, they will also be cultivated as the first heir of the family, and later they will inevitably control all the industries of the Gu family."

  "There's something you may not be aware of, the Gu family and our Li family are both ancient martial families. The head of the Li family has already made it clear that if the two families were to form an alliance through marriage, he would offer a secret manual of martial arts as a betrothal gift. Just think about how extraordinary the manual must be for the Gu family to offer it as a gift! If you were to marry into the Gu family, you would also have the opportunity to cultivate all of their martial arts techniques in the future, which would be an incredibly fortunate thing for you."

  "So, don't resist anymore, your resistance is meaningless, you might as well sit back and enjoy the pie that has fallen from the sky."

  Li Ruoxi's face turned iron-green, and after Li Ziqiang finished speaking, she suddenly stood up and said in a low voice: "If you want me to marry that good-for-nothing scion of the Gu family, you can forget it! Even if I die, I won't agree. Since you're so bent on forcing me, I'll take my high-level management team, which I've cultivated with my own hands, and leave. I'm not afraid, I have people in my hands, and I can start another business. Wang Ke, let's go."

  Wang Ke had been standing behind Li Ruoxi since he followed her into the conference room, and he heard every word they said clearly. He even saw the expressions on the faces of the five people opposite them.

  As for Li's family being heartless, let's not mention Li Ruoxi, even he felt a chill.

  Just then, when Li Ruoxi mentioned that she would leave with the company's high-level executives, Wang Ke suddenly had a bad premonition from the sarcastic look on his face.

  Li Ruoxi, haven't you arranged everything for these days?

  Will there be any unexpected events?

  Wang Ke wanted to remind Li Ruoxi, but after some thought, he finally gave up on the idea.

  That bad premonition, even if it's just in her own heart, what's the use of reminding Li Ruoxi herself? It's better to let her try and see if her family members will compromise or not.

  Thinking of this, he turned around and followed Li Ruoxi's back, walking out of the conference room with big strides.

  Li Ziqiang and Li Yu'e exchanged a glance, then the corners of their mouths slowly curled up, full of sarcasm and disdain.

  Li Ziqiang clapped his hands and sneered, "Let's go take a look at the excitement too! Since this niece wants to fight to the end, then let her know that ginger is still spicy when it's old. She's just a young girl who hasn't even grown all her hair yet, and there are many things she still needs to learn."

  "Not bad, we've taught her a lesson today, let her know that without our support behind her back, she's nothing. I used to think this girl was quite clever, but with such a great opportunity, she couldn't figure it out, it seems her cleverness is just petty cleverness, and calling her foolish wouldn't be an exaggeration either." Li Yue'er's face was cold and detached, with a hint of chill in her eyes.