Xie Jinghu has transferred another 6% of shares to Xie Qian.
This news caught many people off guard, including Zhang Zhijun.
At home, Zhang Zhijun was still puzzled. “Could my outburst actually have woken Third Brother Xie up? If so, at least I did something useful.”
Half a year had passed, yet his wife’s mental state remained poor.
They had visited countless hospitals. Western medicine found nothing wrong from head to toe, all indicators all normal.
Traditional Chinese doctors could not identify a specific illness either. Since she was always listless, they finally diagnosed qi deficiency.
Qi deficiency needs slow tonification. Medicine too strong would harm the body; too mild would take forever. No matter how rich Zhang Zhijun was, he could not suffer in his wife’s place. All he could do was let her stay in the country and recuperate gradually.
She used to be such a bright, cheerful woman. Now, dragged down by her health, she looked completely worn.
Yet while her energy had changed, her personality had not. Hearing her husband, the corners of her pale lips curled in sarcasm. “A man who has changed his heart is not so easily awakened. I feel sorry for little Qian. Xie Jinghu probably did not transfer those shares willingly.”
Zhang Zhijun sighed. “You are right. This share transfer probably has little to do with me. If Third Brother had been willing to listen to me earlier, things would not have reached this point. If only I had noticed something was wrong sooner.”
If he had discovered the affair earlier, he could have cut it off.
Now, with two children already born, how could it be severed?
Why did Zhang Zhijun know about the share transfer?
Besides Xie Jinghu’s own signature, the process required other formalities.
Zhang Zhijun happened to be a shareholder of Jinhu Group himself, albeit a minor one with only 3%. He did not involve himself in daily operations, but major changes like shareholder transfers still had to be notified to him.
Seeing her husband sink into self-blame again, his wife did not know how to comfort him. The couple fell silent together.
Zhang Zhijun was truly a good man; his wife had never denied that.
He was just too good. Even in middle age, he could still get hot-blooded like a young man.
Like this time, standing up for Zou Weijun and Xie Qian. The moment he returned to the country, he went straight to confront Xie Jinghu without considering whether the timing was appropriate. Luckily, according to little Zhang Nan, Xie Qian did not seem too affected and had taken the college entrance exam smoothly.
…
Xie Jinghu’s share transfer was no secret.
Zhang Zhijun, as a shareholder, got the news first-hand.
Even someone on the outer edges like Zhao Dong received it several hands removed.
Zhao Dong was completely stunned.
Ever since he and Sara Zhuo had hooked up, Xie Jinghu had always favoured the Zhuo siblings in front of him. So why was he now frantically transferring shares to Xie Qian?
Xie Qian now held over 10%, 11% to be exact.
Jinhu Group was a colossus. Forget the 20% Silan shares held in trust for Zhuo Chen; even the entire Silan investment combined could not compare to 11% of Jinhu.
After botching a job recently, Zhao Dong had fallen out of Xie Jinghu’s favour and did not dare ask directly. He hurriedly called Sara Zhuo.
On the phone, Sara Zhuo was silent for a long time.
Zhao Dong was surprised. “You did not know?”
“…Of course I knew.”
Sara Zhuo sounded calm. “The rift between Jinghu and Xie Qian is beyond repair. Do you think he would voluntarily transfer shares to Xie Qian? He had no choice.”
Zhao Dong gave a cold laugh. “No choice this time, no choice next time. A few more ‘no choices’ and all his shares will belong to Xie Qian. What are we even working for? I am telling you, do not be too confident that Xie Jinghu loves you so much he cannot live without you. Between men and women, it is always the same. Spend every day together and you get sick of each other; stay apart too long and the feelings fade.”
His words were ugly.
In the past, Zhao Dong would never have dared speak to Sara Zhuo like this. But as he himself said, that is just how it is between men and women. Distance breeds respect; closeness breeds… anything goes.
Sara Zhuo did not argue. She simply hung up.
After holding back for two hours, she finally made an international call to Xie Jinghu.
The first call was rejected.
She tried a second time; still no answer.
She resisted making a third.
Xie Jinghu was probably busy. Normally they were perfectly in sync. When he could not take calls, Sara only needed to ring once and wait for him to call back.
And he never made her wait long. When a man truly has a woman in his heart, how could he bear to keep her waiting?
This time was different. Zhao Dong’s words had shaken her. She had actually called twice in a row.
The problem was, after two calls, Xie Jinghu still had not rung back.
Was Zhao Dong right?
Sara Zhuo forced herself to be patient and not dial a third time.
Some women spam calls relentlessly. Sara Zhuo never did. Especially with Xie Jinghu, she always played it cool, unruffled, never anxious, never demanding, always so understanding. She could not ruin her image now.
She told herself to wait.
Sure enough, after an hour of yoga and a full-body spa, Xie Jinghu finally called back.
“Jinghu, very busy today?”
Sara Zhuo asked casually, then added with concern, “Let your people share more of the company load. Do not wear yourself out.”
Xie Jinghu’s voice on the other end sounded perfunctory.
They exchanged a few pleasantries, but he seemed eager to end the call. Sara Zhuo’s heart sank: he had not even mentioned the share transfer.
Fine, transferring shares was one thing; she could guess how helpless he felt.
But not telling her? That would never have happened before.
Xie Jinghu used to share everything with her. They were physically far apart but emotionally close.
Ever understanding, Sara Zhuo took the initiative and suggested meeting.
Of course, she would not say she missed him. She made it seem she could control her longing perfectly.
“It is fine that we only talk on the phone, but Chen and Yue have not seen their dad in ages. Especially Yueyue. She keeps asking me every day until I cannot stand it.”
She spoke of how much the children missed him.
Ten thousand miles away, Xie Jinghu was naturally moved.
Moved, yes, but thinking of the shares he had just transferred to Xie Qian, and Zou Weijun’s words “one building, one needle”, he felt desire but dared not act.
He truly could not bear to part with Sara Zhuo, nor with his excellent elder son Zhuo Chen, nor his sweet younger daughter Zhuo Yue.
But even more, he could not bear to lose the billions in wealth and the business empire he had built through years of blood and sweat.
Swallowing his reluctance, Xie Jinghu spoke harshly to Sara Zhuo for the first time. “No need to meet right now. The situation here is not good. I will stop sending living expenses for the three of you for the time being. We will talk after the storm passes.”
Sara Zhuo felt as if lightning had struck her. Refusing to meet and cutting off living expenses. What did Xie Jinghu mean?
“You do not want us anymore?”
“Of course I do. You know the situation back home. The gambling agreement I signed with that unfilial son can only hold him off temporarily. It will not last forever. He already has 11% of Jinhu. The remaining 3% in my mother’s hands could go to him at any moment… You have always been the most understanding. Just bear with it for a few years until I sort everything out, all right?”
He said it lightly. Sara Zhuo laughed in anger.
Bear with it for a few years?
Five years? Ten? Twenty?
Zhuo Chen was already an adult, Zhuo Yue not much younger. The siblings could not remain illegitimate children without status forever.
For once, Sara Zhuo did not go along with him. Her voice carried a rare chill. “If our existence is causing you trouble, then we need not stay in touch anymore. I raised Zhuo Chen just fine without you, Xie Jinghu, all those years. Do you think I cannot survive without you now? Before, I stayed away because I did not want to make things hard for you and because the Xie family would not accept us. Now that we are cutting ties, the children and I will go wherever we please. The Xie family has no say.”
