Chapter 363

Chapter 363 You Are That Chicken!

Make Xu Wenjie pack his bags and get lost?

Smith was taken aback for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, “Apollo, even though I’m the CEO of Gaoqi Bank, Jeremy is already a senior executive at the company. I can’t just fire him on the spot. This kind of thing has to go through a board vote. All appointments and dismissals at the senior level have to follow that process.”

Su Rui naturally knew Smith wasn’t lying. Although he was the Chief Executive Officer, holding administrative and decision-making authority over Gaoqi Bank, when all was said and done, he was nothing more than a slightly higher-end professional manager.

“Then call the shareholders together for a meeting right now.” Su Rui glanced at Xu Wenjie, who didn’t seem the least bit worried about being fired.

Seeing this, Su Rui gave him an irritated kick and said coldly, “If I can’t make you slink out of Gaoqi Bank in disgrace today, then I’ve got no face left to go back to the Western Dark World!”

So he really was someone from the Western Dark World!

Xu Wenjie had finally confirmed his suspicion!

He cursed his luck inwardly. This was supposed to be an incredibly simple matter, something that could’ve been settled with just a few words. How had it managed to draw out someone from the Dark World? Could it be that their target was Sanzuo Aminlun?

The more Xu Wenjie thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. The enormous profits that Sanzuo Aminlun could generate were enough to tempt anyone.

Smith let out a soft sigh and said, “Apollo, you know this is very difficult for me to pull off.”

“It’s difficult for you, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.” Su Rui paused, then said meaningfully, “As long as you actually want to do it.”

“I really do want to help, but you know how it is. When our company holds a shareholders’ meeting, we need to give at least a month’s notice. There’s no precedent for notifying people and holding a meeting on the same day. On top of that, Jeremy’s performance over the past two years has been quite impressive. The fact that he became the head of the Asia region was the result of a shareholder vote…”

Before Smith could finish, Su Rui cut him off. “Smith, I’m very disappointed by your stalling and stonewalling tonight. No, let me correct that — I’m extremely disappointed. Utterly and completely disappointed.”

“I’m genuinely in a tough spot here…” Smith said helplessly. Dealing with someone this forceful, anyone would feel uncomfortable.

Truth be told, in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer, if he truly wanted to push through the removal of a regional head, it could be done — it would just take a bit more maneuvering, and might risk damaging his own standing within the company.

“I’m in a tough spot too. I’m wondering whether I should even keep you as a friend!” Su Rui said coldly. “Smith, you’d better get one thing straight — you’re talking to me!”

With that, Su Rui checked the time, his tone ice-cold. “By this time tomorrow, I guarantee you’ll be crying and begging me for help.”

And with that, Su Rui hung up.

Listening to the busy tone coming from across the ocean, Smith shook his head helplessly. This man truly lived up to his reputation — he was absolutely genuine in his nature, but that genuineness was enough to send chills down your spine. One moment he was calling you a friend, the next he was threatening and intimidating you.

“If he wants to retaliate against me over this, I can only wait and see.” Smith knew that against Su Rui’s overwhelming power, he had absolutely no chance of resistance. If the man flew into a rage, there would be no way out for him.

Still, having dealt with Su Rui a few times, Smith had a vague sense that Su Rui wasn’t the type to kill indiscriminately. Otherwise, his reputation in the Western Dark World wouldn’t be what it was.

What Smith completely failed to realize, however, was that if he had done what Su Rui asked, it would’ve been tricky but not impossible. Yet by choosing to stand aside this time, in Su Rui’s eyes, it had become a matter of allegiance. To borrow a term often used in Huaxia’s political circles — he had backed the wrong side.

Smith glanced at his watch. It was almost lunchtime. With a thirteen-hour time difference, Huaxia had long since fallen into the dead of night.

“Worthy of someone from the Dark World. What a handful.”

Smith brewed himself a cup of coffee, then called his secretary and said, “Bring me a sandwich.”

As the Chief Executive Officer of one of the world’s top investment banks, Smith’s lunch was nothing more than a simple sandwich costing two or three dollars — a stark contrast to the ostentatious excess of certain nouveau riche back in the country.

These high-achieving professionals all shared one common trait: they compressed their time and devoted every bit of it to where it would serve them best.

Sipping his bitter coffee with no sugar added, gazing at the sunlight beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, Smith felt the worry in his heart gradually fade away.

This was a world of sunlight. He had simply declined to help once. Would Apollo really threaten his life over that?

Was it really worth doing all this over a Jeremy?

…………

“Is it really worth doing all this over an investment bank regional head named Jeremy?”

The same question rang out from Su Rui’s phone.

“Worth it for someone like him? Of course not.” Su Rui glanced at Xu Wenjie, who was still kneeling across from him, and gave a cold smile. “I have my own plans. Just do what I tell you.”

“That’s fine, but this is no small matter. I’m taking on risk here too.” The voice on the other end hesitated slightly.

Su Rui replied impatiently, “If you want to help, help. If not, forget it. I’ll find someone else.”

“Come on, of course I’ll help you.” The person on the other end seemed to know Su Rui’s temperament well. “In ten hours, I’ll show you my sincerity.”

“Five hours.” Su Rui was ruthless about it, cutting the time in half just like that.

“Apollo, you scheming profiteer. Being this devious is going to shorten your life!”

“There’s an old saying in Huaxia — the good die young, and the wicked live a thousand years.” Su Rui glanced at Xu Wenjie again, his tone meaningful. “Compared to those who put on a righteous front while being rotten underneath, I’d much rather just be the villain.”

“You already are a villain — the worst kind!” The voice on the other end began to gnash its teeth.

Su Rui smiled indifferently and hung up.

Smith, you bastard. You dare to butt heads with me? Do you really not know your own limits?

Su Rui walked over to Xu Wenjie’s side, looked at the man’s cold, stern expression, and tapped his face with the dagger in his hand. “Are you thinking I’m just putting on a show?”

Xu Wenjie said nothing.

“Are you thinking I have absolutely no way to deal with you?” Su Rui kept tapping his face.

Xu Wenjie still said nothing. He didn’t even meet Su Rui’s gaze, wearing the look of someone who would rather die than yield.

He knew he couldn’t say anything. If he did, he might save his life, but he would lose things far more important than his life — the dream he had carried his whole life, the goal he had dedicated himself to pursuing.

And after these past few minutes, Xu Wenjie was increasingly convinced that the other man simply didn’t dare kill him. Otherwise, why go to all the trouble of calling Smith and asking him to have Xu Wenjie fired?

“You’ve got it completely wrong.”

Su Rui looked directly into Xu Wenjie’s eyes and said, “I told you long ago — you pose absolutely no threat to me. You have no standing whatsoever to be on equal footing with me.”

“At this point, you’re probably thinking I’m just bragging again. But why would I still do this anyway?”

Su Rui flicked out the dagger, its sharp blade pressing against Xu Wenjie’s cheek.

The icy blade sent an immediate shudder through him.

The blade glided lightly across Xu Wenjie’s face. It didn’t break the skin, but the cold sensation still filled him with sheer terror.

Looking into Su Rui’s cold, merciless eyes, feeling the chill against his skin, Xu Wenjie suddenly began to panic.

The man was pressing down on him with an indescribable weight — a pressure that came from somewhere deep in the soul, from pure instinct, like a mouse that turns and bolts the moment it sees a cat.

If Xu Wenjie could have endured the pain in his knees and stood up right then, he would have turned and run without a second’s hesitation.

In that moment, the killing intent radiating from this man was overwhelming.

The blade slid across Xu Wenjie’s face, then moved to his throat, where it finally stopped.

Su Rui said softly, “You’d better not swallow. And breathe as lightly as you can. This dagger of mine is very sharp. One careless move and it’ll slice open your windpipe.”

Xu Wenjie’s entire body went rigid. He didn’t dare breathe, didn’t dare move, terrified that the razor-sharp blade would cut through his throat.

“You were once a Huaxia person, so you must know a certain Huaxia idiom.” Su Rui smiled lightly. “Kill the chicken to warn the monkey.”

Xu Wenjie’s whole body trembled.

“You can think of it this way too — kill the chicken to warn the monkey. You’re the chicken.” Su Rui gently patted Xu Wenjie’s face. “I will kill you, but not right now.”

From the inside out, Xu Wenjie went completely cold. Just a few minutes ago, he had believed Su Rui had no way to deal with him. Now he took that thought back entirely. This man would truly stop at nothing to kill him.

“Of course, there’s another Huaxia idiom — rattle the mountain to startle the tiger.”

Su Rui said with a cold laugh, “Though don’t go thinking you’re some kind of mountain. In my eyes, you’re nothing more than a little mound of dirt.”

Contempt. Naked, undisguised contempt.

With that, Su Rui put away the dagger, opened the door, and walked out.

Once he was gone, Xu Wenjie finally snapped back to his senses. His body gave out completely — all the strength seemed to drain from him at once. He collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath in great heaves.

His eyes stared blankly at the ground. His body was soaked through with cold sweat, yet still ice-cold. His mind still seemed saturated with the bone-chilling presence Su Rui had left behind.

After a long while, a faint glimmer of life finally returned to Xu Wenjie’s eyes. The ashen pallor slowly receded. He pressed his hands against the floor and leaned back against the sofa, overcome by the feeling of having just escaped death.

Who on earth was this man?