The Winds of Change Rise Again

"Mr. Welt, that's exactly what's giving me a headache. I don't know what conditions I'd have to offer to make Ms. Cocolia agree as well." Yaqing rubbed his temples.

"She won't agree."

Welt reached his conclusion.

"Mr. Welt, don't be so certain. President Otto once taught me that nobody is perfect. Everyone has a weakness; some are simply better at hiding it."

"When you put it that way..." Welt thought carefully. "She does seem to have one weakness."

"What should I do?"

"Invest."

"Hahaha." Yaqing laughed from the bottom of his heart. He had never expected that a problem that had troubled him for days could be solved so simply by throwing money at it. "Mr. Welt, I truly want to share a drink with you right now."

"Not a chance. I can help you talk to Cocolia, but you have to help me with something too."

"Mm. If you make a request, you pay a price. That's only natural. Mr. Welt, what do you want? Power, wealth, knowledge, technology—none of that is worth mentioning."

"No need to make it so complicated. I only need you to help me find a few actors."

"Just something that minor?"

"Yes, just something that minor."

"I would be delighted to be of service, esteemed... Mr. Welt."

A New Storm Rises

After hanging up, Yaqing began thinking. Though he had agreed to Walter Yang's request, where was he supposed to find actors? He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the streams of traffic below, as tiny as ants.

Rita knocked on the door before entering. She gently placed the proposal she had been holding against her chest onto the desk and said, "Lord Yaqing, the proposal has been brought up."

"Mm." Yaqing still looked downstairs. Hearing Rita's report, he merely gave an indifferent hum.

"Are you thinking about something?" Rita walked to Yaqing's side and asked.

"Mm. Cocolia's matter can be put to rest for now," Yaqing said. "But the price is that I have to find suitable actors for Anti-Entropy's new script. What a hassle."

"Actors?" Rita thought for a moment. "Lord Yaqing, do they need to be actors who have received formal training?"

"I don't know. I agreed first since they've only just started planning it." Yaqing returned to his seat, crossed one leg over the other, and asked, "Have little Kiana and the others arrived?"

"They have. I just met with them."

"Good. I'll leave the rest to you, Rita. Don't disappoint me." Yaqing picked up his suit jacket and left the office.

"Yes..."

Rita looked helplessly at the reports sent up from below on the computer. Yaqing had never looked at them. She skillfully sat in the seat Yaqing had just occupied, her fair, slender hands tapping across the keyboard.

Yaqing took the elevator down to the thirty-second floor.

The thirty-second floor had a total of seven recording studios.

Yaqing walked into a randomly chosen occupied studio. The moment he pushed open the door, he saw Shub speaking with utmost seriousness. "Raiden Mei, there's something wrong with your tone. It should sound helpless, with a hint of affection, not this stiff."

"That's right, that's right." Kiana nodded vigorously from the side.

Across the soundproof glass, Mei blushed deeply and looked very troubled. She had never studied voice acting, so her lines came out somewhat stiff. More importantly, she could not relax in front of strangers.

"Don't be nervous, Raiden Mei. Just approach the scene the way you normally interact with little Kiana."

Yaqing's sudden voice startled Kiana badly. Her attention had been entirely on Mei, and she had not noticed anyone entering.

"Ah! You stinking old uncle, why did you suddenly appear? You scared me!"

Yaqing ignored Kiana and continued speaking into the microphone to Raiden Mei in the recording booth. "You still haven't fully relaxed. Perhaps it's because Shub is here. Shub and I will leave in a moment, and only little Kiana will stay with you."

"Huh?" Kiana was dumbfounded. Her? Wasn't she supposed to be voice acting too? Why was she suddenly being put to work?

Yaqing left the first recording room with Shub. In the second recording room, Shigure Kira was supervising Himeko and Bronya's voice acting, so Shub went directly there.

"Himeko, for this part, you need to... Huh, Shub, why are you here? Weren't you supervising little Kiana and Mei's voice acting in the other recording room?" Shigure Kira had intended to correct Himeko's delivery first, but when she saw Shub enter, she was immediately puzzled.

Himeko also stopped recording.

"Don't even mention it. That little Raiden Mei is too shy. She actually couldn't relax with me there, so the boss dragged me out." Shub sat beside Shigure Kira.

Bronya looked over curiously. Then the phone in her pocket suddenly rang, and she hurried outside to answer it. Walter Yang was calling. Bronya lowered her voice and said, "Teacher, what is it?"

"Bronya, why are you speaking so quietly?" Walter asked in confusion.

Bronya whispered, "I'm busy, Teacher. Did you need something?"

"It's nothing major. Dr. Tesla recently wrote a script, and after an internal discussion, we decided to have you play the female lead."

"Huh?" Bronya was dumbfounded. Why had everyone been looking for her lately? Schicksal had asked her to voice one of the main characters, and Anti-Entropy wanted her to play the female lead in a live-action special effects show.

"Cocolia has also agreed to the proposal, so find time to return to the North American headquarters."

"Teacher, I..."

"All right, that's it."

Just as Bronya was about to refuse, Walter Yang had already hung up.

Bronya was very angry.

As Yaqing went downstairs to find Patrick, his phone suddenly rang. When he saw that the contact name on the screen was Froglay, the lazy smile on his face instantly faded considerably.

After the call connected, a gentle female voice came from the other side.

"Family Head."

"Froglay, what happened this time?" Yaqing leaned against the wall, his smile utterly devoid of warmth.

"The board of directors. During today's meeting, four directors jointly questioned the division under your authority and requested that the president revoke your control of the third division." The gentle woman spoke at an unhurried pace.

"And then?" There was no warmth in Yaqing's voice.

"The president neither agreed nor refused. Later, Director Ziegfried, the head of the Kaslana family, suppressed their proposal. It seems the elders within the family have developed some particular ideas as well."

"I know about that." Though Yaqing was far away in the Far East, he knew the Schariac family in Northern Europe inside out. He smiled disdainfully and said, "I know what this is about. The young man they want to put forward is named Cyberlutia Schariac, a piece of trash who doesn't even know his own place and has long made countless enemies at headquarters."

"Since they want to play, we'll play along. Don't let those old tangerines on the board think that just because I left the Schariac family, I truly have no allies left."

No matter who it was, if they wanted to stop him from fulfilling his childhood dream, Yaqing would welcome them all.

Yaqing turned around and went back upstairs to his office. "Rita, book me a flight back to Northern Europe tomorrow. Salome and Patrick will temporarily take charge of the Far East Branch."

"Yes." Rita did not know what had happened, but seeing that Yaqing intended to return the very next day, she knew it was no small matter.

"Schariac..." Yaqing lightly tapped his fingers on the desk and made three calls to different people in succession.

In his eyes, the board of directors was a malignant tumor left behind within Schicksal. He intended to cut it out piece by piece. Even if the process was excruciating, even if it might cause Schicksal's assets to shrink, he did not care.

He knew clearly that President Otto would not help him. Or rather, President Otto was still observing his capabilities.

That evening, Yaqing returned to Golden Courtyard and informed everyone.

Early the next morning, Yaqing boarded a plane back to Northern Europe.

I've Bled for the President! I've Earned Merits for Schicksal!

At an airport somewhere in Munich, Germany, in central Europe, Yaqing had only worn this expensive suit once since going to the Far East—on his first day there. However, to keep those old tangerines on the board from finding fault with him, he changed into it again.

This suit had been a birthday gift personally chosen for him by Kallen on his twenty-seventh birthday. Within the Schicksal Group, it was practically the equivalent of an imperial yellow jacket. At a critical moment, it could "save his life."

The VIP lounge's automatic glass doors sensed someone approaching and opened to either side. The woman waiting on the sofa rose instinctively.

The woman had waist-length, slightly wavy flaxen-brown hair, snowy skin, and gentle brows and eyes. She wore a white women's suit paired with fitted trousers that outlined her perfect legs. Seeing Yaqing enter, she parted her red lips. "Family Head..."

"Mm." Yaqing sat on the sofa opposite her, lightly tapping the table with his fingers. "There's no need to concern ourselves with those old tangerines in the family for now. Misteln will make them shut up obediently."

"Yes." Froglay said, "Just yesterday, Cyberlutia Schariac returned to headquarters from the South Africa Branch without authorization. We have yet to determine his purpose."

"He's just a monkey on stage trying to draw the audience's attention." Yaqing did not take Cyberlutia seriously at all. To him, Cyberlutia was merely a weapon someone had pulled out to use, yet he was eagerly convinced that he could replace Yaqing.

Froglay briefly told Yaqing about the changes at headquarters. Ever since the Snowfield Team had disbanded, many people had set their sights on the division he was in charge of. They simply feared the influence of Kaslana and Schariac and did not dare act openly.

"It doesn't matter." Yaqing stood up.

"Do you not need to rest a little longer?" Froglay asked with concern.

"No need. Just thinking about having to argue with those old tangerines, seeing those hypocritical faces, makes me sick." Yaqing knew exactly how the board behaved behind the scenes, so he held their manufactured dignity in utter contempt.

Froglay notified the driver. Before long, they left the airport and arrived beneath the Schicksal headquarters building. The sixty-six-story tower soared into the clouds, an awe-inspiring sight.

Though Yaqing had been assigned elsewhere, his records remained at headquarters. He took the elevator directly to the sixtieth floor. Those old tangerines had already laid their trap and were merely waiting for him to step into it.

The elevator doors slowly opened. At the end of the corridor stood a young man, seemingly waiting specifically for someone. He had short flaxen hair, wore a black suit, and had a tall, upright figure. The smile on his face immediately brought Yaqing and Otto to mind, though it was slightly stiff, as if he had only recently learned how to smile.

"Dear Yaqing, I'm very happy to see you again. When I learned that you, like me, had been assigned away from headquarters, I was very saddened. But there was nothing I could do. I've already been transferred from the Africa Branch back to headquarters." The young man spoke in a frivolous tone, carrying that same familiar air.

"Cyberlutia, after spending so long in a harsh place like Africa, you still haven't learned?" Yaqing smiled. "Learn to shut up, or you'll never be any different from a monkey. Think carefully—why were you assigned elsewhere in the first place?"

"You!"

Yaqing's words shattered Cyberlutia's composure. His gentlemanly bearing vanished completely. He pointed at Yaqing, just about to speak, when the door to the meeting room behind him opened.

Yaqing did not even look at Cyberlutia as he walked straight inside.

Cyberlutia's gaze gradually turned vicious, his handsome face twisting.

Upon entering the meeting room, Yaqing first noticed Amber standing beside the seat of honor and the empty seat itself. He silently breathed a sigh of relief. As long as President Otto did not personally appear, he would definitely win.

"I will win."

Yaqing's declaration of victory before arriving at Schicksal headquarters!

Yaqing skillfully took the first seat to the left of the seat of honor, while Froglay stood quietly behind him.

The moment Yaqing sat down, the board began making trouble.

"Yaqing Schariac, we have heard that the entertainment division under your authority is suspected of defaming President Otto Apocalypse in its latest released film and causing Schicksal's stock price to fall. Do you admit it?" A middle-aged man spoke first.

Yaqing slightly raised his brows and smiled. "I believe you heard incorrectly. I did not lead the creation of this film's script. It was written by Anti-Entropy's Welt, and the film itself was a collaborative product of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy."

"Stop making excuses! You were clearly the director. When you saw Anti-Entropy's script blatantly slandering Schicksal, you did not choose to reject it. Instead, you filmed it exactly as written. Do you even have the company in your heart?! Do you even have the president?!" The middle-aged man slammed the table and rose, speaking with stern indignation.

Yaqing looked at the middle-aged man, who resembled a clown, then glanced at the elderly men with white hair and beards who calmly drank tea. They acted as though the matter being argued had nothing to do with them.

"Alekszm Fischer." Yaqing sneered. "What right do you have to question me? How much capital have I brought Schicksal over the past seven years, and what have you done? Do you need me to list it all one by one?"

"That has nothing to do with the matter currently under discussion." The middle-aged man named Alekszm Fischer remained stern, but a trace of panic entered his tone.

"Do not change the subject. Answer seriously, Yaqing Schariac." At last, an old man spoke. His hoarse voice was physically unpleasant to hear.

"That's right, Yaqing Schariac. Your deliberate evasion only makes our board feel that you are guilty."

"Yaqing Schari..."

Faced with the board's aggressive pressure, Yaqing was utterly dismissive. He smiled and said, "A bunch of worthless creatures who only know how to sit at headquarters—why do I need to explain anything to you?!"

"You!"

The meeting room door suddenly opened.

The members of the board were stunned.

The person who entered was actually Ziegfried. The board had clearly investigated him in secret. He was supposed to be vacationing in Sanya, Shenzhou, with his wife, which was why they had so confidently called Yaqing to account.

"Hey, hey, why wasn't I notified about this Schicksal executive meeting?" Ziegfried took the second seat to Yaqing's right and looked dangerously at the members of the board.

Ziegfried was different from Yaqing. He was not a nominal family head but one who held real power. Given the immense scale of the Kaslana family, the board had to carefully weigh the cost of making an enemy of him.

The second person to enter was Wendy, the actual power holder of the Oceania Branch. She sat beside Ziegfried.

The last to enter was Theresa. She sat in the vacant seat between Yaqing and Ziegfried, her beautiful legs in white stockings gently swinging.

The board was completely dumbfounded.

They had believed Yaqing to be nothing more than a nominal family head who had been sidelined by Schariac, someone who merely had the identity of the president's student. But now...