This method is not uncommon in offices and companies.

Usually, it is the subordinates who are dissatisfied with the decisions of those above; hence, they tend to execute the arrangements from above in a more extreme and thorough manner.

Problems that might not have arisen can thus be triggered.

And those above have no way to address these subordinates: the subordinates are indeed carrying out orders, and it is difficult to ascertain whether their actions are intentional or simply a case of poorly controlled measures.

As the boss who took control midway of Old Wave, Cao Weiguo, of course, knew this method well.

After all, he had climbed from a mid-level manager to the chairman's seat; naturally, his skills in various corporate battles were refined.

So, as soon as Chen Yan spoke, Cao Weiguo understood Chen Yan's plan and even had a clear idea about its intricacies.

He involuntarily swallowed, looking incredulously at the young man before him.

He opened his mouth, his voice slightly hoarse, "Xiao Chen, is this... isn't this a bit too much?"

Once he said this, he abruptly remembered the path Chen Yan had walked.

This young tycoon in front of him had always been lawless.

In Qin Island, he'd turned everything upside down. After a visit to Hong Kong, he'd become a celebrity there, ventured into the entertainment circle, and nearly annihilated it.

Was such a ruthless person worried about causing too big a stir?

Cao Weiguo rubbed his temples with a bit of a headache as he pondered how to handle this matter.

Everyone with high standing had their own way of handling issues, and clearly, Chen Yan's way was less common. Thus, Cao Weiguo felt somewhat worried about encountering it.

Seeing Cao Weiguo in this state, Chen Yan then asked with a smile, "Brother Cao, are you worried about Zhao Qingtian's retaliation?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Weiguo quickly shook his head.

He analyzed, "If this really happens, he... probably won't be able to retaliate."

Chen Yan asked, "Then are you worried about Weibo being targeted in this affair?"

This time, Cao Weiguo was silent.

Chen Yan said, "Brother Cao, the promise I made still stands. If Weibo gets into trouble, I am willing to exchange shares of Headline Technology for it."

"And even if there's no trouble, after the success, I am also willing to let Weibo invest in some shares of Headline Technology."

As a competitor of Headline Technology, Cao Weiguo wasn't unfamiliar with Headline Technology like other outsiders.

Ever since Headline Technology had shown its potential as a giant, Cao Weiguo had been investigating and keeping an eye on it.

Thus, his knowledge about Headline Technology was quite deep.

Later, when Chen Yan took control of Headline Technology and appointed Qin Ming to manage it, he had intensified his observation.

Initially, he too, like others, thought Headline Technology might head towards decline.

However, within a few months, Qin Ming had managed to convince him about this previously unknown young man, especially during that impressive battle during the Chinese New Year, making Cao Weiguo fully recognize Qin Ming's capabilities: a talent that was no less than his own, no less than Zhang Yonghao.

Thus, compared to the still generally cautious other tycoons and capital, he was much clearer about the potential of Headline Technology.

So, when Chen Yan offered this condition, Cao Weiguo immediately showed no hesitation on his face.

He smiled at Chen Yan saying, "Xiao Chen, I think your plan is very good."

Chen Yan, monitoring Cao Weiguo's psychological journey through the entire process with his "Inner Heart Headphones," reached out his hand with a smile, saying, "So... happy cooperation?"

"Happy cooperation," Cao Weiguo also smiled and extended his hand, clasping it with Chen Yan's.

The firm handshake between the two symbolized that Chen Yan's plan was finally ready to be implemented.

Of course, there was a crucial role in this plan: the state media.

Before, Chen Yan and Yang Rou wanted to initiate this plan but struggled because they didn't know the right people.

Later they found Zhao Xuan.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xuan had complications, and was now even arrested.

Originally, this was supposed to be an obstacle in their plan.

But now... Chen Yan had roped in Cao Weiguo.

Who was Cao Weiguo?

The owner of Weibo.

And what is Weibo? It's the largest social media platform in the country, hosting thousands of state media organizations from various regions and even national levels.

Is there any other company in the country with more extensive connections to state media than Weibo?

Thus, the issue was immediately resolved.

Hence, after confirming the cooperation, Chen Yan didn't hesitate to hand over the task of guiding the state media to Cao Weiguo.

Upon hearing that he had suddenly received another significant duty, Cao Weiguo was practically caught between laughter and tears.

Since he was already on board the "pirate ship," he couldn't refuse and only agreed to proceed.

The two agreed to contact their connections within the next few days and then initiate the plan no later than the day after tomorrow.

As for the distribution of shares afterward, they did not discuss it.

With Zhao Xuan as a link, the two somewhat trusted each other, each believing that the other wouldn't deceive them.

Of course... Chen Yan's trust in Cao Weiguo was also because of the "Inner Heart Headphones."

After sealing the deal, the two went out for a casual lunch together.

During the meal, they also broadly exchanged their thoughts on Weibo, Headline Technology, Zhao Xuan, Zhao Qingtian, and other matters.

Having nearly reached a consensus on almost_everything, the meal also came to an end.

That afternoon, Chen Yan declined Cao Weiguo's invitation to return to the company for tea, instead using the excuse that Zhao Ying was waiting for him at home and left Old Wave's headquarters.

Exiting Old Wave's headquarters and getting back into the car, Jiang Xiaoyun looked at Chen Yan with a bit of concern.

She first used sign language to communicate, but remembering that Chen Yan couldn't understand it, she took out a clipboard and wrote, "Boss Chen. Is everything going smoothly?"

Chen Yan knew that his running around for the past few days had worried his close associates.

So, he smiled and replied, "Smoothly."

He paused, then added, "Cao Weiguo is a man we can trust."

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Jiang Xiaoyun's face immediately lit up with a sunny smile, and she turned the key to start the car and headed towards Zhao Xuan's villa.

As Chen Yan watched the rapidly receding scenes outside the window, he also couldn't help but recall the inner thoughts of Cao Weiguo that he had heard.

접었다

The reason Chen Yan had activated the "Inner Heart Headphones" from the start of their conversation was primarily because he wanted to verify Cao Weiguo's "true identity" – whether he was a Werewolf or a good person.

And since Cao Weiguo's emotional control was only disrupted by intense emotional fluctuations, causing him to reveal his genuine thoughts, Chen Yan had initiated the conversation by directly stating his plan of making a preemptive attack on Zhao Qingtian.

Chen Yan believed that regardless of whose camp Cao Weiguo belonged to, hearing such significant news would likely shake him up, leading him to start fantasizing and eventually revealing his inner thoughts, allowing Chen Yan to determine his affiliation.

Of course, depending on Cao Weiguo's identity, Chen Yan had prepared two contingency plans in advance.

If Cao Weiguo was a man of Zhao Qingtian, after revealing the plan, Chen Yan would just make up a decoy plan for him to pass on to Zhao Qingtian, to distract Zhao Qingtian's attention.

If Cao Weiguo truly was on his side, then Chen Yan would reveal his actual plan.

And in the end, Chen Yan had gambled correctly...

...

The vehicle travelled swiftly, soon arriving back at Zhao Xuan's villa.

The car slowly halted, and Chen Yan also pulled his thoughts back.

Having dealt with the official matters, Chen Yan needed to address some personal issues: Zhao Ying's "test."

The test from last night, unfinished, Chen Yan felt that he should consider completing it.

Of course... provided that Zhao Ying agreed.

While pondering this, Chen Yan alighted from the car.

He arranged for Jiang Xiaoyun to return to the company and walked into the villa himself.

As he entered the villa, he heard Zhao Ying's voice, "Uncle An. Are you saying that you've been in Qin Island handling my dad's assignments these past few days?"

"But why haven't you contacted me at all?"

Hearing Zhao Ying's words, Chen Yan wondered: could it be that Zhao Xuan's trusted butler had returned?

With this thought, he strode quickly to the living room door, pushed it open, and walked in.

Upon entering, what met Chen Yan's eyes was a man in his forties, dressed in a black suit, with a neatly trimmed mustache.

He stood before Zhao Ying, his face adorned with a genial smile, then said somewhat indulgently to Zhao Ying, "Miss, this was the master's arrangement. He..."

He paused, sensing Chen Yan's footsteps, stopped what he was about to say, then turned around and glanced at Chen Yan.

Chen Yan could clearly see the man pondering for a moment before placing his hands in front of his stomach and slightly bowing towards Chen Yan, saying, "Boss Chen, you're here."

Chen Yan curiously asked, "You know me?"

The butler nodded, "The Family Head mentioned you before things went south. He instructed that I should follow your directives for anything."

Hearing the man's words, Chen Yan thoughtfully nodded then asked, "I overheard your conversation just now, Uncle Zhao had other arrangements for you before the crisis. I wonder if you could share those with me."

Hearing Chen Yan's question, the man didn't hesitate at all and said, "It's alright. That's the reason I came back to Tiandu this time."

With that, he gestured for Chen Yan to sit first, then went to the cupboard, took out tea cups, brewed Chen Yan a pot of tea, and only then did he start to speak slowly, "Actually, the Family Head had had a premonition before the crisis. That period, he almost always locked himself in his room, trying to figure out Zhao Qingtian's motive."

"And ultimately, after studying many things, he roughly guessed Zhao Qingtian's motive: it was related to the fire incident during his fake death years ago."

Chen Yan interjected, "The reason?"

The man explained, "Because after the Family Head took over the Zhao Family's Qindong branch, he hadn't done many wrong things. Most of the issues were merely related to economics."

"These, under the domestic law, are not fatal, even the penalties wouldn't be too severe."

"But there's one exception..."

Chen Yan took over the conversation, "The fake death case from back then."

The butler nodded, "Yes." "Because if this case involved human lives, it could genuinely bring down our Family Head."

Chen Yan nodded.

Zhao Qingtian had pinpointed an extremely crucial point. If the case were true, it indeed would be a fatal issue.

Thus, he couldn't help but ask, "So, what's the real truth behind this case?"

The butler replied, "This case had some inside details."

Chen Yan countered, "Inside details?"

The butler nodded and continued, "Right. Actually, that year... the female secretary didn't die. Moreover... in fact, she was completely unharmed."

Chen Yan: ??

The butler said, "Because, I was the one who rescued the Family Head and Zheng Juan from the fire that year."

He paused momentarily, then added, "Zheng Juan was the secretary back then."

Chen Yan looked at him, patiently waiting for his explanation.

The butler continued, "Actually, before the fake death, the Family Head had already discovered Zheng Juan's duplicity. However, he had already ascertained that he couldn't win, so he just wanted to end the matter and start over."

"He wanted to fake his death and break away, but Zheng Juan was his secretary. He couldn't get around her."

"If he dismissed Zheng Juan in advance, she knew too many of his secrets and it would've alerted the authorities."

"So, after much consideration, he thought of the plan of faking their deaths together."

"That's what led to the fire that year."

Hearing the butler's story, Chen Yan couldn't help问道: "But what about the body?"

"That couldn't have appeared out of thin air, could it?"

The butler replied, "It was a cadaver."

"Back then, I stole it from a nearby school."

Saying the word "stole," he stressed it heavily. But Chen Yan immediately understood what he meant.

It was essentially acquired through buying or smoothing things over through connections.

Chen Yan was still a bit puzzled, "How did that get past the investigators?"

The butler replied calmly, "They were all our own people."

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