To Love You Again

The legendary families chosen action brought many changes in the upper society and the business industry.

The upcoming days were filled with many news regarding a certain family business facing censures or scandals. A few went on the verge of bankruptcy, if not fully bankrupt.

The domestic stock market became a turbulent color of a handful of reds and large expanses of green, with several stocks plummeting down in value.

The legendary families' connections were far and wide. They managed to push back those families that went against them. However, they too suffered setbacks.

All four families had at least two or three of their lead businesses shut down due to the decisions they made. Still, an old camel was stronger than a horse. Although they hurt themselves a bit in the process, their overall state was still great.

But for Ming Zhi Yi who was watching this without even losing anything of his own, he had a cheerful smile on his face in the recent days.

Inside a luxury hotel, Ming Zhi Yi came out of the bathroom in his dark blue robe, went to the bar counter, and took out a bottle of wine.

There was a smile on his lips. He was humming a tone as he listened to the reports of his people.

"...The Lu family lost ownership of three hospitals due to the shareholders banding against him to win the head position. They also lost two hotels due to their actions against the hotel partners, causing the latter to declare bankruptcy. The Lu family let go of the hotels to avoid the greatest brunt of the backlash. We also managed to convince two more shareholders to support Eldest Young Master Lu Jin for the succession."

"Hmm. That old bastard is just focused on what is in front of him. He did not even know that we snatched two of his people under his busy nose. I wonder how he would feel once he learned of this?" Ming Zhi Yi sipped on his glass. 

The bittersweet aftertaste and the rich aroma of wine made his smile wider.

He put down his glass. "How are the spies' arrangements?"

"They had prepared everything. We are just waiting for your order, Master. However..."

"Speak. I am waiting."

"We lost contact with two important spies. They told me that they received some core information and would check it out. However, until now, we have not heard of them ever since. I told the others to not make a move since then."

Ming Zhi Yi brushed back his wet hair back with his hand. The droplets of water rolled down from his chiseled jaw, to his throat knot, and down to his strong ċhėst. 

His dark eyes narrowed. 

"Hmm… Even though they are old, they are still quick-witted. They might have doubts on how the minor families became my allies so easily. They must have figured that it is my spies' doing. Haha, they are indeed right, but they are still too late."

Ming Zhi Yi looked at the city down below. "It is about time. Give to them the gift that we have prepared for a long time."

The cold smile on his lips remained.

The mellow fragrance of wine wafted in the air.

....

The tension in the upper echelons did not decrease even one bit. The atmosphere just turned for the worse. For the whole month, once wealthy clans faced collapse one after another. The high society could not even breathe well due to the tense atmosphere. No one hosted a party as they were afraid and cautious of who to invite, fearing that they might accidentally invite someone on the hot seat with the legendary families. After all, the legendary families were being aggressive right now. They were like hungry lions that would attack anyone who dared to go against them.

For the bystanders, whether they joined this fight or not, they would still be heavily affected by this economic war. This turbulence mainly affected the business industry and the shifts of power in the society. Even the government and the masses were being used and guided simultaneously. Like a ball, public opinion and winning chips were played by the two factions back and forth.

The striving domestic economy relied delicately on an organic network that overlapped various industries. A single heavy drop in one sector could affect the rest of the network. Thus, many industries in the country received impacts in varying degrees. 

Therefore, everyone was on tenterhooks, closely observing and predicting the movements and trends in order to react appropriately and avoid losses. 

Although there were no parties or lively occasions during this time, it was still hard to stop people from gathering privately. The topic of discussions was obvious. 

It was about the current conflict between the legendary families and the new rising faction consisting of minor families.

"As expected of the four great families, they went up against many clans but they still brought them all down."

"How ferocious, I am glad I did not get swayed by the other party when they convinced me to join them last time."

"But I heard that they suffered many setbacks because of this conflict though."

"With the long history of each family, they can recover from this in a short amount of time. Still, I am worried, if this continues, the rest of us will have to undergo their purging, won't we?"

"I think all of you have forgotten something." 

All the people turned towards the speaker.

"Have you forgotten how all of this started? I heard that a certain someone openly challenged them by threatening the life of the Xiong Heiress."

"I did hear something like that, but there is no news confirming the people who threatened the young heiress's life."

"Why bother thinking any deeper? It is already an open secret that it is the new power's doing anyways."

"Are you talking about Ming Zhi Yi?"

Some of the quick ones with sufficient connections learned that the legendary families' sole target was Ming Zhi Yi. Although they did not know the exact reason, this was precisely what the information that they had gathered told them.

So far, the legendary families only targeted those clans who were working with Ming Zhi Yi.

Hushed discussions began again.

"Actually, Ming Zhi Yi seems mysterious to me. The four families actually have to unify themselves against him. That in itself is very strange.  Don't you think that for the legendary families to do so, it means that the man is very capable? I feel that this fight is still far from being done. If I were you, I would withdraw all of my risky investments before any more of my business went bankrupt. I plan to save as much as I can. What if Ming Zhi Yi retaliates suddenly?"

The people in the room were silent.

It made sense.

The man who was said to have caused all of this was silent and had not truly made his counterattack yet. It was better to be careful.

...