Lu Fang raised his eyes.
"Let them in."
Before long.
Several figures entered the villa's living room.
Leading them was Chen Guangmao, head of the equipment trading department.
Beside him were Lin Man, the finance director, Zhao Qiming, the head of security, and several other senior members of the chamber of commerce.
Every one of them was well-dressed and composed.
Yet there was little reverence for the heir in the way they looked at Lu Fang.
Their gazes held more scrutiny.
There was even a trace of condescending pity.
Lu Fang did not rise.
Uncle Jiang stood behind him.
Jiang Xia stood to one side, his brows furrowed, instinctively sensing that this group had not come with good intentions.
Chen Guangmao spoke first, forcing an expression of grief onto his face.
"Young master, we've all heard about what happened to your father and mother."
"Please accept our condolences."
Lu Fang looked at him.
"They're not dead."
Chen Guangmao's expression stiffened.
Lin Man immediately took over.
"Young master, of course we also hope both presidents return safely."
"But the chamber's operations cannot be built on hope."
"The outside situation is turbulent now. The Fangfang Chamber of Commerce is enormous, but it has lost the top-tier powerhouses who held the fort."
"If we don't respond soon, the consequences will be unthinkable."
Lu Fang said evenly.
"So how do you intend to respond?"
Lin Man took out a document and placed it on the coffee table.
"This is the plan we senior executives worked out overnight."
"We plan to sacrifice some of our distribution channels and profit shares to seek the joint protection of several major chambers of commerce in South Province."
"At the same time, we'll establish an interim management committee, with those of us familiar with the chamber's business temporarily taking control of its operations."
"Young master, you will remain the legal heir and enjoy the chamber's earnings."
"But authority over specific decisions will need to be temporarily handed over to the management committee."
Jiang Xia's expression immediately changed.
They made it sound so nice.
An interim management committee?
Put plainly, weren't they just trying to strip Lu Fang of his power?
Lu Fang looked at the document on the table without even touching it.
"In other words, you want to hand the enterprise my parents built over to outsiders."
Chen Guangmao frowned slightly.
"Young master, this isn't handing it over."
"This is preserving our strength."
"Circumstances leave us no choice."
"The Fangfang Chamber of Commerce is no longer what it used to be."
"Without the two presidents holding the fort, we can't hold on to an operation this large."
Lu Fang said calmly.
"As long as I'm here, the chamber won't collapse."
The living room fell silent for a moment.
Then Chen Guangmao could not help laughing.
It was not a hearty laugh.
It was the helpless smile of an elder looking at a child who did not know any better.
"Young master, I know you've performed well since your awakening."
"I also know you're full of ambition right now."
"But the chamber isn't a school, and it isn't a dungeon."
"This is reality."
"Perhaps you'll have that ability in the future."
"But that will be ten or twenty years from now."
"Not now."
Another senior member spoke as well.
"Young master, you've only just awakened. The most important thing for you is to grow."
"Running a chamber of commerce is too complicated, and too dangerous."
"Letting us handle it for you is the safest choice."
Uncle Jiang's expression darkened.
Their words sounded as though they were considering Lu Fang's interests at every turn.
But in reality, every sentence denied his qualifications.
Lin Man suddenly looked at Uncle Jiang, her tone softening somewhat.
"Butler Jiang, you watched the young master grow up."
"We also know he trusts you most."
"At a time like this, you should help us persuade him."
As she spoke, an assistant beside her immediately took out an exquisite silver box and placed it on the table.
The box opened.
Inside were a pale blue-green crystal core, an advanced potential potion, and a set of archer equipment gleaming with silver light.
Lin Man spoke slowly.
"Young Master Jiang Xia awakened as an archer, didn't he?"
"This Wind Spirit Crystal Core can improve an archer's elemental affinity."
"This potion can enhance his early-stage potential."
"And this silver-grade Gale Hunter Set is perfect for archers from level ten to level thirty."
"Butler Jiang, you've devoted yourself to the chamber all these years. This is a small token of appreciation from us."
"As long as you're willing to help persuade the young master to take the right path, there will be more resources to come."
Uncle Jiang said nothing.
His expression had already turned utterly grim.
But Jiang Xia moved first.
He stepped forward and snatched up the silver box.
A hint of a smile had just appeared at the corner of Lin Man's mouth.
The next second.
Bang!
Jiang Xia slammed the box hard onto the floor.
The crystal core rolled out.
The potion shattered.
The silver-grade equipment scattered across the floor.
Everyone in the living room's expression changed.
Jiang Xia stared fixedly at Lin Man and the others.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"You're trying to buy off my dad with this junk?"
"You want my dad to help you betray Brother Fang?"
Lin Man frowned.
"Jiang Xia, you're young. You don't understand..."
"I don't understand all your scheming!"
Jiang Xia cut her off, his voice suddenly rising.
"But I know Brother Fang has treated me like a brother ever since we were kids!"
"My dad has been with the Lu family for all these years, and Uncle and Auntie have never treated us badly!"
"Now something's barely happened to them, and you're already here forcing Brother Fang to surrender his power, even trying to bribe us?"
"Have you no shame?!"
His chest heaved as he pointed at the shattered potion bottle on the floor.
"Even if I, Jiang Xia, spend my whole life as a good-for-nothing, I'll never take these things and betray Brother Fang!"
Uncle Jiang slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, his gaze had become utterly resolute.
He took a step forward, standing behind Lu Fang, and spoke in a low voice.
"Please take your things back."
"The young master's decision is my decision."
The smile finally vanished from Chen Guangmao's face.
"Butler Jiang, you'd better think this through."
Uncle Jiang said evenly.
"I've thought it through very clearly."
The atmosphere in the living room instantly turned cold.
Lin Man put away her gentle expression, her tone becoming flat as well.
"Young master, we came here today hoping to discuss this with some dignity."
"If you agree, things will work out well for everyone."
"If you don't, we have other ways."
"It just won't be a very pretty scene then."
Chen Guangmao continued.
"Young master, you may be the first heir, but the chamber isn't your personal toy."
"The chamber also has a joint executive system, a board agreement, and operating rights for each department."
"If we really follow the procedures, you may not be able to take over smoothly."
Lu Fang finally gave a slight smile.
"Legal means?"
"I'm the first heir."
"If we really go to court and follow the procedures, you may not win."
Chen Guangmao's gaze darkened.
"Young master, what exactly are you trying to do?"
A senior member beside him could not help standing up, anger in his voice.
"Do you have any idea how much danger the chamber is in right now?"
"Will you only be satisfied if you drag the chamber down to its death with you?"
"This is the enterprise your parents worked so hard to build. Are you going to destroy it with your own hands?"
Moral blackmail.
Slapping labels on him.
Claiming the high ground of the so-called greater good.
Lu Fang looked at them, his expression unchanged.
He could no longer be bothered to keep watching their act.
"When it comes down to it, this is still a world where strength does the talking."