Chapter 27: Change of Dynasties
With a burst of renewed energy, the minor physical discomfort vanished instantly.
That very night, Han Xuan checked out of the hospital. The next morning, he was determined to head straight to the company to assume his position.
At the Han family home, Han Changyong couldn’t stop worrying. He repeated his advice again and again: “At the company, make sure to listen to the seasoned employees. Don’t be impulsive. Don’t be overbearing. Don’t—”
Han Xuan waved his hand impatiently. “Oh, come on, Dad! Don’t worry about me! I’m not a kid anymore. I know what I’m doing!”
How hard could it be to be the boss?
If Han Mo could do it, then surely he could too.
When his car pulled up to the company building, he stepped out confidently, stretching his long legs.
He strode into the building, looking every bit the part, expecting employees to greet him with cheers and applause.
But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Around him, people rushed by like clock-punching cattle, hurrying to their shifts.
He frowned, displeased. “Why isn’t anyone here to welcome me?”
His assistant, Meng Yu, followed respectfully behind him. “Junior Han, our company has never had that kind of tradition.”
This isn’t some idol drama. Who’d want to play along with that nonsense?
He was just an ordinary grunt. For the salary he got, how many extra jobs did he have to juggle?
Han Xuan pouted in irritation. “Didn’t Han Mo get a welcome when he took over?”
Meng Yu nodded. “Senior Han never went in for that sort of thing.”
The mention of Senior Han triggered Han Xuan’s temper instantly. “What’s all this ‘Junior Han’ and ‘Senior Han’ nonsense? From now on, there’s only one President Han in this company! Got it?”
Meng Yu bowed his head obediently. “Understood.”
The elevator climbed to the fifteenth floor, where his new office awaited.
Han Mo’s belongings had been cleared out the night before. Polite, considerate—Han Xuan was satisfied with that.
He pushed open the office door and was greeted by a sleek, black-and-white décor.
He curled his lip in disdain. “Tacky. Get rid of it all. Replace it.”
Meng Yu hesitated. “Everything? That’ll need the finance department’s approval stamp...”
Han Xuan was a hair’s breadth from kicking him. “Are you deliberately going against me? Huh? Can’t you talk properly?”
From the moment he’d stepped out of the car, not one word from this guy had been pleasant to hear.
Why did he have to get stuck with such an idiot as his assistant?
Meng Yu stood there looking miserable. Did he want to be his assistant?
He’d been doing great in logistics before!
Nice and stable.
No idea what crack that idiot in HR was smoking when they transferred him to work for Han Xuan.
Good Lord, everyone in the company knew about the mess in the Han family.
What business was the struggle for the heir to him?
Han Mo’s competence was obvious to all. If they’d assigned him as Han Mo’s assistant, that might have been something.
But instead, it had to be Han Xuan, clearly a useless pretty boy!
If Han Xuan messed up, he’d be dragged down with him.
The thought made him want to quit on the spot.
He stood there all pitiful, and Han Xuan, disgusted by the sight of him, waved his hand dismissively. “Forget it. Just bring me all the projects Han Mo was handling.”
“Oh, okay.”
Chen Yu had worked overtime all last night to hand everything over.
Meng Yu went to fetch the files. As soon as he placed them on the desk, without even glancing at them, Han Xuan announced, “Tell everyone—all these projects are canceled.”
“Huh?”
Meng Yu was stunned. “All of them?”
These were Senior Han’s life’s work in the company over the past few years!
Han Xuan shot him a look. “You deaf?”
Meng Yu hesitated nervously. “President Han, don’t you want to look these over first?”
The company had already poured a huge amount of money into these projects. Scrapping them now would be a disaster.
Besides, several of them were investments worth nearly a hundred million. Canceling them outright?
Without consulting the board?
He tried to reason with him, but Han Xuan exploded. “What part of ‘shut up and follow orders’ don’t you get? Didn’t you hear me? I said cancel them!”
Every single project Han Mo had touched—he was going to kill them all!
He would erase every trace of Han Mo!
“But—”
Han Xuan glared at him. “One more word, and I’ll fire you on the spot!”
Meng Yu grimaced. “We need your signature to cancel...”
Honestly, he wished he’d be fired. If that happened, he’d get his severance package and be done with it. Sweet deal.
He’d assumed Han Xuan was just messing around initially.
But no, he actually meant to shut down everything.
The strangest part? Some of the project cancellations required board approval.
Yet when the termination documents were submitted, they were approved in no time.
Those old men on the board didn’t say a single word.
Meng Yu didn’t get it. Combined, this added up to hundreds of millions!
Was the company just throwing all that away?
Rich people’s world was beyond him.
But it wasn’t his problem. He was just a regular guy getting paid monthly. Why should he lose sleep over it?
In a single day, the fruits of Han Mo’s several years of hard work were wiped clean.
All projects—axed.
All the people Han Mo had trusted and promoted—suspended.
Some got severance, some got buyouts for stock options...
They were all cleared out without exception.
Meng Yu was dumbfounded by how fast it happened.
Was this what they meant by the war for the heir?
Holy crap.
Watching those people walk out of the building with cardboard boxes, Han Xuan felt an immense thrill.
He snapped his fingers triumphantly and said to Meng Yu, “See that? That’s what happens when you back the wrong person. Got it?”
Meng Yu nodded miserably. “Got it.”
All he could think was that he wanted a severance too.
Fire me, please.
But luck wasn’t on his side. He was stuck working under Han Xuan.
After vetoing ten versions of a project proposal, Han Xuan finally had fun with his choice—returned to the very first draft.
He leaned back smugly in his executive chair. Being General Manager—wasn’t that hard!
The grunts would handle all the pesky details.
His job was just to make things difficult for them.
What the hell had Han Mo been so busy with all the time?
No doubt trying to show off to Dad.
Dad had already brought the company to its peak. Their job was just to maintain it.
Maintain. How hard could that be?
Don’t go crazy with investments. Don’t mess with random projects. Simple.
For now, he was only going to back one project: East City.
East City—the Gu family.
He’d already offended He Huanhuan, so that left Gu Chacha.
At the thought of her, Han Xuan immediately pictured her haughty face.
Gu Chacha had always looked down on him. Back in that nightclub, when he’d asked her for a drink, she’d sneered and called him a bastard’s son. He remembered that to this day.
He was a bastard, was he?
She never imagined that one day he—the mongrel—would have the upper hand.
A secret excitement pulsed through him.
He’d heard that last night, Song Zhuo and Rong Yuze had both cut ties with her.
That bastard Han Mo, trying to win East City’s project, would kiss He Huanhuan’s shoes if he could.
He didn’t give a damn about Gu Chacha anymore. She must be struggling now, right?
Good. Hard times would show her who could truly be her savior in a snowstorm.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Gu Chacha.
The phone rang several times before she picked up. His voice dripped with smug delight. “Gu Chacha, dinner tonight?”
Gu Chacha’s voice was ice-cold. “I don’t think we’re close. Why would I have dinner with you?”
Han Xuan’s smile grew. “Because I can give you what you want.”
The line went silent for a long moment—long enough that Han Xuan wondered if she’d hung up.
“What time tonight?”