Chapter 318 - Untitled
Chapter 318: Untitled
The collapse of the Repulse Bay project was an unprecedented case of a shoddy project that also tarnished MBS International’s reputation. Ye Zhenhua, out of agony, vomited blood and was sent to the hospital in the night. As Louis received the information earlier than Ye Zhenhua, he was unusually calm as though it was within expectations. Without discussing the incident, he ordered his men to seem as though they were salvaging the situation.
The extent of the collapse was immense as what should have been a major project was halfway through when it collapsed in the middle and destroyed its foundation. Louis had indeed encountered many technical issues in the Repulse Bay project.
As he had to make up for lost time without the original schematics of the project but only with sketches, there were many details that were overlooked. The hand-take for the project was very clearly defined and the previous team brought along all the documents when they departed. As the terrain around Repulse Bay was complicated, there were numerous problems encountered, including what had to be made up for when it came to Third Young Master Ye’s team’s hand-drawn schematics and putting in additional care during construction.
Louis did not have the luxury of time to resolve the technical problems. He was too confident in allowing Third Young Master Ye’s team to leave scot-free and gloss over the difficulties encountered during the project. While a few omissions were still passable, the final construction was largely different from the original, which led to the middle weakening.
All that was needed was deliberate sabotage to the middle section of the project to trigger its collapse.
Third Young Master Ye’s bets were on that. Once the project was passed to Louis, it was a matter of time before problems surfaced. His original plan revolved leaving Repulse Bay’s foundations alone to take over it later and then resolve the middle section’s technical problems, which would save him some funds.
Nobody expected Louis to, of all things, play dirty and force him to cripple himself to play dirty. Such dirty tactics thoroughly ruined the Repulse Bay project and he would rather start from scratch.
Louis and Ye Zhenhua asked for it.
Even if he angered Ye Zhenhua to death, Third Young Master Ye was not particularly fazed by it. When he received news of Ye Zhenhua’s hospitalization, Third Young Master Ye had nary a reaction. He replied that he was busy and would pay his respects, leaving everyone receiving the news stunned at how deep the hatred between the father and son had run.
It was so deep and intense.
With intense media coverage, the scandal went international at the fastest speed possible. With so many eyeballs on the incident, MBS International was sure to collapse at the quickest speed possible.
Louis actually did not know that this was sabotage as there were no deaths. As there were many workers around when construction continued throughout the night, it was unusual that there were no casualties despite the collapse.
While one could tell that something was amiss, there was no proof to back it up. Even the construction workers were baffled.
While Louis’ team had initially estimated the loading factor and were confident of it, they were still able to keep the project on pace despite the lack of total stability.
The sudden collapse must have been deliberate.
Third Young Master Ye was extremely certain about the specific technical aspect that did not make the cut. All he had to do was to weaken that aspect and the entire project was gone. As he never left a trace, especially with such drastic moves, nobody could relate him to what had happened.
To put it not so politely, even if there was insufficient time to evacuate the construction workers that night, Third Young Master Ye could not be bothered about the deaths of tens of them.
Relevant departments in the government started to intervene and interfere in all of the construction projects that MBS International was involved in. Professional surveying teams were sent to investigate the extent of shoddy construction.
The person in charge of the project, Louis, was administratively detained by the police. Although he went into the police station for a moment and had some coffee before he was bailed out, it was a formality that he had to clear.
As Third Young Master Ye saw the few detectives and him walk toward the police car, he felt thoroughly good. While he knew that he would come out from the police station, he still felt good as detaining the godfather of the Italian Mafia was something glorious.
The hospital was besieged by reporters. As Ye Zhenhua was unwell, his statements were taken in the hospital. Him vomiting blood was timely, and he was still deeply humiliated.
This day, MBS International’s share prices were gravely affected. As the family members were not present, Louis’ consortium without its head did not act as aggressively. Maybe they knew that the battle had ended. Fourth Young Master Tang and Lin heaped additional pressure on MBS International once the stock market opened. MBS International’s share prices dropped.
In the afternoon, MBS International’s reputation was dealt another major blow.
Three batches of diamonds in MBS International’s warehouse were found to have radioactivity levels that exceeded specifications. With public opinion awash against MBS International, poor Mister Louis was brought to the police station again and then released on bail in the afternoon.
In the span of a day, Mister Louis, who had never been detained in his life, had to walk out of the police station twice. This was the biggest humiliation and largest aggravation to the godfather of the Italian Mafia.
A look at his sinister gaze could tell that he was on the brink of rage.
People noticed that the once gentlemanly melancholic prince was no longer melancholic but sinister instead. He was exceptionally sinister.
Going in and out of the police station was trivial. What was scariest was the government ordering all jewelry from MBS International to be recalled as the raw materials for MBS International’s jewelry was tainted with radiation. In the span of a day, MBS International’s products, from the exclusive resellers to the display cabinets in major shopping malls, disappeared from public view.
At the same time, MBS International’s feedback line received one too many complaints.
This was a disastrous day in MBS International’s history. As Fourth Young Master Tang and Lin kept the pressure up, Third Young Master Ye was in the mood and watched the news, financial papers, and all reports with glee.
GK International Media went the mile to create a column that specially followed the news. It even dramatically contrasted MBS International helmed by Third Young Master Ye against MBS International under Louis’ helm.
This heaven-and-earth comparison that Klose called the shots on continued its typically campy style. People could not help but simmer in laughter at what should have been a factual report by GK International Media.
With the war at its peak, the victor was clear.
Even if Louis invoked the gods, they would not be able to save him. Once a corporation’s reputation is tarnished, all else is empty talk as the corporate reputation is what mattered.
Many were certain that this was a premeditated, planned, and vicious toxic competition which was started by the former president of MBS International, Ye Chen. But, who would even say that?
Firstly, there was some leeway in related legislation and they did not invoke any legal loopholes. Accusing Third Young Master Ye would be akin to slapping oneself, which was something many would not do.
Secondly, when Third Young Master Ye stepped down, he played the emotional card and won over the public. While some caught onto it, this helped pave the way to MBS International’s return—for Third Young Master Ye to helm MBS International following the incidents. This was not something that jealousy could achieve. This was a combination of acting skills, smarts, talent, and a scheming mind played to perfection that one had to respect.
Thirdly, the number of corporations that supported him, GK International Media, Tang’s Enterprises, and the Lin Family were no slouches that commanded substantial influence. Although these corporations minded their own business, this incident revealed that these corporations minding their own business was merely a false impression.
With the heads of the east, west, and north of the city brothers, the Tang and Lin families were incurring a loss to help Third Young Master Ye gain power. When one looked at the marketplace, the number of people who could wield such influence was few and far between.
Even if one saw through it all, all they could do was to feign their foolishness.
This was Third Young Master Ye’s typical style—to slap you and still have you thank him. Nobody could do anything to him, and whoever crossed him was in for a bad time. If the godfather of the Italian Mafia could not beat him, everybody else might be better off calling it a day.
Out of this understanding, Third Young Master Ye’s telephone rang nonstop as many bosses who made the wrong choice politely established relationships with Third Young Master Ye.
Third Young Master Ye was gentlemanly and did not refuse anybody. He had this ‘come and bribe me for I do not care’ vibe that made Cheng Anya and baby Cheng despise him.
To say something and do something else was Third Young Master Ye.
“That was nothing short of vicious,” Ye Wei said as she followed up on the latest developments in the young kid’s study room. To lay dormant for seven days and strike on the first day with total success left Ye Wei extremely pleased. She was even more pleased when she saw Louis’ face, even more so than teasing Mo Jue.
“I wanted to say that he was a pervert,” Eleven said coolly. The jewelry materials tainted with radiation should have been exposed in the morning, but he wanted to wait until the afternoon. Ask Third Young Master Ye why.
His response: If it was leaked in the morning, it would lose its value as Louis would only enter the police station once and settle everything. He loved to see how Louis was repeatedly detained by the police.
He also felt that the policemen would give him a medal as many undercover agents died because of the Mafia. With their godfather being detained by the police, the tables had indeed turned. How much more meaningful could that get!
Firstly, seeing Louis humiliated left him pleased. Secondly, he was doing a service for the public, something every good citizen should do.
As he went on, Miss Cheng, Ye Wei, and Eleven’s eyes twitched hard. Apart from giving him the thumbs-up, Ye Wei could not think of any other way out. Miss Cheng, who was used to it, remained calm.
Third Young Master Ye took an interest in messing people up as he sent them to their doom. One wondered how he cultivated such a twisted mindset.
“That’s how Daddy has always been. Get used to it!” The young kid, who was extremely calm and praised his daddy’s action, was undoubtedly Third Young Master Ye’s son. Ye Wei dope-slapped him.
“When your little son grows up, he will be even more twisted than third brother.” Ye Wei was extremely certain and beyond doubt that this little gentleman would surpass his father.
Eleven nodded in agreement!
Ye Wei pinched the young kid’s cheeks and turned his face. “I am stifled. Baby, tell me about my third brother. While he had a terrible upbringing, his twisted mentality is understandable. As for you, who is loved by your parents, protected, spared from torture, and never suffered any setback, could you become as twisted?”
She was extremely curious about this.
Brother and sister, especially Third Brother, had it worst. This, however, guaranteed the happiness and good life of the next generation. The young kid was definitely an accident.
“There is a term… Inheritance!” The young kid smiled elegantly as he gave a cryptic answer. He resembled Third Young Master Ye’s squinted eyes.
Ye Wei was at a loss for words.
Eleven was speechless…
“Got it. You’d better pass this down to your children. If each member of the family surpasses the previous generation, the Ye family will rule the world.” Ye Wei laughed alluringly as she moved her wrist. Her wrist, which had almost recovered, was still not as comfortable as it was when she was well.
It was the young kid’s turn to become speechless. He did not even know whether his wife was born yet. Wasn’t it a tad too early to talk about the next generation?
“Desperate times call for desperate measures. One wonders what other tricks Louis has up his sleeve.”
“According to the information that I received, the Mafia is planning to pull back to Italy. Since the battle in City A was a battle for MBS that only mattered to Ye Zhenhua, Italy is Louis’ main camp. It wouldn’t make sense for him to be penny wise and pound foolish,” the young kid replied calmly.
“He is planning to pull back?” Ye Wei raised her eyebrows. This was a little out of expectation as she was expecting Louis to put up a final struggle. This was not Louis’ style. The violent man, even in the throes of his death, would take somebody with him to his death.
Eleven frowned in slight incomprehension. “Did the Mo brothers deliberately mislead you?”
“Is there even a need to?” the young kid asked nonchalantly. “I am not going to interfere in his fight with Daddy and will, at most, just get some popcorn. Since Daddy is able to handle it all, why should I show myself?”
“That is not necessarily the case,” Ye Wei said as she stroked her chin and murmured to herself. “It has been years since people came to ask for trouble. Does that mean that Mo Jue is still alive?”
As Eleven coldly harrumphed, the young kid stuck his head close to Ye Wei but Ye Wei did not react. “Auntie, are you in love?”
Ye Wei responded and smiled alluringly. She then kissed the young kid on the face. “When you reach auntie’s age, a female who does not fantasize about men is definitely abnormal. Your auntie is free from psychological trauma and healthy, so fantasizing about men is logical and understandable. As for you, aren’t you too young to fantasize about girls?”
As the young kid saw Ye Wei admit this openly, he smiled and brought his daddy out. “As I have my father’s style with me, this is inheritance.”
“You, unfilial son.”
“While Mo Jue still being alive may be good for you, it isn’t for us.” Eleven reminded her. How could that damn lass fall in love with that numb skull? How spineless of her.
“Hey, what’s with the two of you? I am not interfering with business. I will still kill when I have to, and wallop when I have to. Did you see me go soft?” Ye Wei raised her eyebrows as she took a look at them. “Stop looking down on people. I still have my morals and am reasonable.”
“Seriously?”
“Look at how badass and sharp your mommy is. Shut up please.” Ye Wei moved her hand over and tried to pin the young kid down.
As the poor young kid was too weak, he was still pinned down.
As his little body struggled, he was unwilling to concede defeat. A warning tone suddenly came from the computer. Ye Wei then let the young kid go as the young kid ran toward the computer as quickly as he could.
This was an intruders’ alarm that he had set up. Somebody had apparently hacked into his computer. When he touched his computer, his computer screen went black and displayed another image.
“Speak of the devil indeed,” Eleven said coldly as she looked at the screen with arms akimbo. The best way to differentiate Mo Ye from Mo Jue lay in their eyes. No colored contacts would be able to imitate those pure purple lenses.
There was something sinister about him that nobody could imitate. It was unique, stern, and he had almost recovered… Nobody could tell that Ye Wei had nailed him in the heart.
…
In the afternoon, after all of MBS International’s jewelry lineup was recalled, Third Young Master Ye was invited by Mao Huairen, the chairman of the City A’s jewelers association, for a detailed meeting. Since Miss Cheng was also free, she followed him out.
Third Young Master Ye, who was a member of the association, had a so-so relationship with Mao Huairen.
As he had spent a relatively short time developing the jewelry industry and was not in the association for long, he had no dealings with Mao Huairen as they were in different professions.
Even though he joined the jewelers association and exchanged information with Lin, his friendships with the other members were not deep.
Third Young Master Ye knew the reason behind Mao Huairen’s sudden invitation. After spending days at home directing the battle, he was all too happy to go out and stretch his bones.
While Mao Huairen and Ye Zhenhua were about the same age, he seemed much older than Ye Zhenhua. He had merciful wisdom and could click well with Third Young Master Ye. As expected, they were discussing future developments in the jewelry industry.
Mao Huairen wisely decided against discussing the latest commercial war and merely chatted with Third Young Master Ye as the chairman of the jewelers association. Third Young Master Ye was secretly awed at Mao Huairen’s wisdom.
Although he made no mention of the commercial war, he ‘accidentally’ revealed the government’s intention to incentivize jewelry enterprises. This was in line with Third Young Master Ye’s thoughts as there would be massive room for the jewelry industry following MBS International’s collapse and restructuring.
Mao Huairen’s intentions were clear, which was to get Third Young Master Ye onboard and develop the local jewelry industry. As Third Young Master Ye was a hard-to-come-by talent, as well as MBS Jewelry a leading international brand, a willing Third Young Master Ye would be able to develop the local jewelry industry.
Jewelry was not the Lin Family’s main industry, and the Lin family collaborated more with Third Young Master Ye than competed against him. MBS International controlled more than half of the jewelry market in City A.
With vibrant opportunities awaiting, he gave Third Young Master Ye some ideas to consider as the latter planned to reorganize MBS International.
While Third Young Master Ye politely said that he might not return to MBS International, he still accepted Mao Huairen’s proposal. With help from the jewelers association, he would be able to get the jewelry pillar of MBS International’s three pillars up and running first. With the capital flow that originated from it, it gave him time to restructure the media and real estate pillars.
Third Young Master Ye accepted the proposal with glee as it reduced his work.
“Why do you want to help me?” He was more curious about that as he must have done something good. Third Young Master Ye did not believe in favor, and he was certain that Mao Huairen expected something in return.
“Credit goes to Third Young Master Ye for allowing MBS International’s jewelry to achieve international fame in such a short time. It would be such a shame for City A to have such a renowned brand that would go to waste. I hope you will continue to develop MBS International’s jewelry business.” Mao Huairen chuckled.
“That simple?” Third Young Master Ye raised his eyebrows.
“Young man, when you reach my age, your thoughts become less complicated.” Mao Huairen chuckled as Third Young Master Ye felt embarrassed.
“Mister Mao, thank you so much. This will beat having to raise funds.” Cheng Anya smiled as she eased the situation.
Teaching a man how to fish would win giving a man a fish hands down.
“Miss Secretary is too polite.” Mao Huairen smiled gently. Third Young Master Ye did not mention much, and the following conversation went well. To Third Young Master Ye, this was something that could not be compared with wealth. To Mao Huairen, this was a young man that he deeply admired.
As they had met at an open cafe opposite Hughes Square, the conversation went on until four in the afternoon. The giant television screens displayed the news of MBS International’s jewelry being recalled. Many people were gathered at Hughes Square and largely negative opinion was awash.
After Mao Huairen had left, Miss Cheng sat next to Third Young Master Ye. “How does it feel to ruin your own kingdom?” Miss Cheng smiled as she asked him.
“Very good!” Third Young Master Ye openly hugged Miss Cheng. “It does not take much to destroy the very kingdom you have built up. Besides, I had only invested a few years in it. In comparison to the lifetime efforts some have put in, it makes me even happier.”
He wanted to elevate MBS International further and then allow it to free-fall. Although he had developed feelings for MBS International, he hoped for time to wash away the hatred. He originally did not want to corner Ye Zhenhua and leave him alone. But learning that Louis was actually Ye Yukun wiped away all his hesitation to destroy MBS International.
Looking at the damage he had caused. He was not the slightest sad. He only felt the pleasure of revenge.
“Since it’s done, enjoy it while you can.”
“Come, let’s go home. When we’ve time at home, let’s work on what we should call our next company.” Third Young Master Ye smiled as he held Miss Cheng on the way out. To think they would encounter Louis on the way down.
Enemies are sure to meet.
Third Young Master Ye’s smiling face suddenly sunk whilst Louis lowered his head and gave his subordinates instructions as they headed in. When he saw who that was, a sinister intent flashed past his emerald gaze.
It was extremely malicious and sinister.
“Hello, Louis, was the coffee in the police station drinkable?” Third Young Master Ye smiled elegantly and did not conceal his gloating at Louis’s misfortune. Having orchestrated this entire act, he was very pleased with its outcome.
“My dear brother, be as happy as you can. It will only last two days,” Louis said as his gaze swept past Cheng Anya.