The Way of Restraint

Chapter 121: A Mastermind’s Brilliance Stirs Envy

China, countryside.

Inside the Xu family’s ancestral home.

Xu Zhizhi was reporting the latest developments to Xu Qiaomu, who sat in a wheelchair.

“Grandfather, this time our counterattack was a success. The Feng family took a heavy loss—they’ve even been forced to give up the shares they swallowed. More importantly, we’ve secured quite a few foreign trade orders overseas. This year’s overall profits will probably jump to a whole new level.”

A trace of excitement flickered across Xu Zhizhi’s face.

In recent days, he had suffered torment but also basked in triumph. Having seized the reins of the Xu family and been named heir, he faced plenty of resistance—but also plenty of flatterers.

And in his struggle against the Feng family, as well as while reorganizing the Xu family, his abilities gradually came to light.

At first, people just stood by and watched. But step by step, he consolidated power, reassigned responsibilities, placed his own people, audited accounts, cut unprofitable projects, and expelled idlers. He was tough when he needed to be, flexible when he had to be. Within a short time, many of the Xu family’s companies looked completely renewed. That made people reevaluate him.

The sharp-eyed sighed one after another: Master Luo’s fortune-telling was indeed accurate.

It looked as if the Xu family, once flourishing but hollow at its core, was about to decline. Yet with a casual finger-point toward an inconspicuous junior, the family suddenly found new vitality.

Even if one couldn’t yet call it rising higher than before, there was at least no trace of looming collapse.

“A single seed well-placed brings new life—that is the Xu family’s fortune.” Xu Qiaomu narrowed his aged eyes. “The key is that shipment of goods detained overseas was unexpectedly released so quickly, without breach of contract. Had there been a breach, we’d have suffered catastrophic losses, and that whole foreign trade channel would’ve been cut off. Foreign trade is profitable, but dangerous—like those Shanxi merchants of the Qing dynasty hauling tea, silk, and porcelain to Mongolia and Russia. If successful, they grew rich overnight. If not, their cargo was plundered and they went bankrupt instantly. Who would’ve thought? Just as Master Luo said—that Su Jie is a dragon who saved our Xu family.”

Xu Zhizhi said nothing.

He knew the details.

If not for that shipment being released—no massive damages, no strangling of the family’s breathing room—those business tycoons would never have dared join Xu Qiaomu in reporting Haoyu Feng family’s crimes.

Who would risk offending the all-powerful Feng family on behalf of a dying Xu clan?

But now the Xu family had recovered somewhat, the heir had shown competence, and future collaborations seemed promising. Add in the Fengs’ long-standing arrogance, and many had already been itching for payback. That’s what made the joint complaint possible.

The blow had dimmed the Feng family’s fire; their swagger was finally checked.

“Zhizhi, what have you learned from this?” Xu Qiaomu asked.

“Grandfather, this ordeal tempered me greatly. Before, I thought myself capable—enough to reorganize the family, expand outward. Now I see much of it still came down to luck. Heaven does not wish the Xu family destroyed.”

That answer seemed to satisfy Xu Qiaomu. “Good. Small money comes from effort, great fortunes come from luck. Families have their fate, nations their destiny. That you grasp this shows precocious maturity. I can rest easier entrusting the family to you. These days I’ve seen your ability firsthand—cutting useless projects, selling what should be sold, discarding what should be discarded. You’ve stripped us of burdens, let us advance light and swift. Very good. As for those six who once came to demand repayment—how much blood did they secretly drain from the family for their own gain? I turned a blind eye, thinking feeding a dog made it docile. Who knew they’d conspire with outsiders to bite me? Master Luo truly saw with piercing eyes.”

“They still haven’t settled down. After being bailed out, the Feng family invested in them, set up a department just to dig into our foundations.” Xu Zhizhi shared the intelligence he’d gathered.

“These people must be eliminated,” Xu Qiaomu said coldly. “And you must also beware Su Jie and Xu Ying.”

“Why? Didn’t Su Jie just help us enormously?” Xu Zhizhi asked, puzzled.

“Precisely. He has revealed his capability—and he’s not someone you can control.” Xu Qiaomu’s imperial cunning showed through. “Originally, I considered bringing Xu Ying into the company, but now that’s out of the question. Look at her son Su Jie, young Miss Zhang Manman, and Zhang Jinchuan. At such a young age they accomplished what even I could not. That kind of talent—if they join, can your position be secure? Remember: the Fengs are an external enemy, but the internal threat is even deadlier. You may use Xu Ying and Su Jie, but never let them touch company affairs. Remember this well.”

“Yes, Grandfather.” Xu Zhizhi nodded. Indeed, he could never truly rein in Su Jie.

At first he had thought to rope Su Jie into the company as his right-hand man. Now that thought had faded.

Someone that capable, that young—in three to five years, would the Xu family still be “Xu,” or would it become “Su”?

“Truly, Grandfather’s far-sightedness—I’ve much to learn.” Xu Zhizhi silently agreed. He then asked, “What about Xu Nuo’s promised reward to the Zhang family?”

“A promise must be kept. The Zhang family must not be offended,” Xu Qiaomu said. “I know you want to win Su Jie over. But the stronger he is, the more dangerous. If his surname were Xu, I’d entrust the family to him without hesitation. But alas, it’s Su. We’ll see if he even makes it back from overseas.”

“What do you mean?” Xu Zhizhi was startled.

“The Feng family is not so easily thwarted.” Xu Qiaomu closed his eyes. “They invested heavily in this venture, yet failed. At home they don’t dare use certain underhanded means. But abroad? Who can say?”

“Should we help?” Xu Zhizhi asked quickly. “We have plenty of people over there.”

“No.” Xu Qiaomu waved it off. “We can’t squander our manpower. Besides, the Zhangs aren’t to be underestimated—they’re far stronger than us. We signed a contract with them. Pay what we owe, and let the rest be. You focus on stabilizing our domestic business and consolidating loyalty.”

“Yes.” Xu Zhizhi, seeing his grandfather ready to rest, tiptoed out.

*****

Overseas.

In the compound, the van started up again.

The matter was more or less resolved. Su Jie, Zhang Manman, and Zhang Jinchuan were preparing to head home.

“All in all, it went smoothly. Dangerous, yes, but no bloodbath,” Zhang Manman summed up. “The Xu family paid up quickly, so once we’re back we can split the reward.”

“This deal really paid off,” said Zhang Jinchuan, who knew the inside story. “You’ve secured startup capital, and also helped forge a business bridge between the Zhangs and the Xus. The family must see you in a new light now.”

“You’re the one who gained more. After all, you’re taking sixty percent of the payout.” Zhang Manman looked pained.

“If I hadn’t drafted the plan and pulled in Fuya, could it have succeeded?” Zhang Jinchuan retorted.

“Actually, it was Su Jie sparing that Gale and winning his goodwill that made things go so smoothly,” Zhang Manman countered. “If you’d killed Gale like you wanted, not only would the mission have failed, we’d probably be dead.”

“Alright, alright—everyone contributed,” Su Jie cut in, smoothing things over. “Without Manman’s father’s deterrence, Awasi wouldn’t have even agreed to meet us. I did show mercy once, which earned Gale’s favor. And Jinchuan nailed down the execution. By merit, we each deserve credit. But since we agreed beforehand how to split, let’s stick to it. Arguing now is pointless. Besides, I’ve already gotten the fattest gain of all.”

“I can tell this whole ordeal really toughened your mindset,” Zhang Jinchuan said, sensing how Su Jie’s spirit had shifted—becoming unfathomable.

Before, he’d seen Su Jie as a great talent to recruit under him.

But now, after this crucible, Su Jie had shed his earlier traces of vanity and youthful arrogance. He was becoming steady, deep, someone not so easily suppressed.

He had endured dangers at home he never could’ve faced—proving his psyche had been fragile, a paper tiger. That hollowness was now beaten out of him, leaving only tempered steel.

That was Su Jie’s greatest harvest.

For him, wealth was secondary. Enough was enough.

The real treasure was his hardened mentality.

He knew this experience was something no amount of money—billions, even—could buy.

“This time, we’re not taking the old route back,” Zhang Manman said. “We’ll drive across the border to a major city in another country, then catch a flight. We came by sea, but now that we’ve wrecked the Fengs’ plan, it’s too risky. On land, if ambushed, we can scatter and escape. At sea, we’d all be wiped out, no escape at all.”

“We definitely need to be cautious. They’ve already started—killing Daru, assassinating those officers. It’s intimidation. Such methods are impossible to guard against,” Zhang Jinchuan warned. “This time, we can’t afford any carelessness.”

“I’ve been on edge for a while. But I’ve never studied those bizarre assassination methods, so I don’t know how to guard against them. What about you?” Su Jie asked.

“I haven’t studied them,” Zhang Jinchuan admitted.

“I have, actually.” Zhang Manman was driving the van fast as the wind. Yet Su Jie now sat steady and calm, completely different from last time.

The scenery around them was monotonous—either barren loess plains with desertification, or sheer mountain cliffs. The villages they passed were dilapidated, many people barely clothed, refugees everywhere.

“War leaves people destitute,” Zhang Jinchuan sighed.

“This country’s feng shui has been destroyed,” Su Jie said. “It was once lush with greenery. But with population growth came reckless logging without replanting, leading to soil erosion and poor harvests. Decline followed. Fortunately, our own country has been reforesting, conserving soil, protecting the environment. Short-term it restricts profits, but long-term it strengthens national destiny and lays a solid foundation.”

As he spoke, suddenly there was a screech of brakes—then a violent explosion ahead.

The entire van jolted hard, flipping toward the roadside.

“We’re under attack!” Zhang Manman, though flipping the car, stayed utterly calm.

For a veteran driver like her, even rolling a vehicle was nothing out of the ordinary.