After Rebirth, Married to a Deadly Enemy - Chapter 11

After breakfast, the two of them set off for the headquarters of New Shi Group. Shi Zhen was driving, and Bai Xiangxing sat in the back seat, giving off an impression as if Bai Xiangxing was the boss and Shi Zhen was his hired driver. However, neither of them paid much attention to it, as Bai Xiangxing had been used to sitting in the back seat as the CEO for many years, and it felt quite harmonious.

After half an hour of driving, Bai Xiangxing suddenly realized that the scenery outside the window didn’t seem right. It felt like they were heading out of the city instead of towards the city center. “Where are we going?” Bai Xiangxing asked. “To the New Shi headquarters,” Shi Zhen replied. “But we’re already out of the city. Isn’t New Shi’s headquarters in the Starlight District?” The Starlight District was one of the most prosperous commercial districts in the capital star, and Bai Xiangxing had checked New Shi’s information last night, finding that their office building was located there. “It used to be there, but due to some financial difficulties, my uncle decided to rent out the building,” Shi Zhen explained. “Couldn’t you have mortgaged the building to the bank for funds? You’re moving out of your own building. Will anyone still do business with you in the future?” Bai Xiangxing was astonished by Shi Zhen’s uncle’s peculiar actions. It seemed like he was intentionally letting everyone know they were going bankrupt. “It seems like it was mortgaged, but it still wasn’t enough,” Shi Zhen replied. “How did your financial chain break?” Bai Xiangxing inquired. He had been briefed on some prestigious companies in the capital star during his childhood, and New Shi was one of them. Moreover, the Shi family had always been a prominent military and political family with strong ties to the military. Many of New Shi’s products were directly supplied to the military, giving them a unique advantage. “I’m not very clear about the specifics. We can discuss it with my uncle when we get to the company,” Shi Zhen confessed. While he had extraordinary talent in combat, he was utterly clueless when it came to running a company or analyzing the market. “Alright,” Bai Xiangxing sighed, figuring out the reason. It seemed that the Shi family had little interest in the company, which was why the company was in trouble. The car continued for another half hour before finally arriving at their destination, an old-looking factory building. Bai Xiangxing glanced out of the car window and guessed that this was probably the pharmaceutical factory that New Shi had built in its early years. “Remember what I told you yesterday?” Bai Xiangxing reminded Shi Zhen as they got out of the car. “What?” Shi Zhen asked, puzzled. “Let the people in the group know about our relationship,” Bai Xiangxing said. He knew that Shi Zhen tended to forget, so he wanted to remind him. Shi Zhen recalled and nodded. Shi Zhen opened his own door and, at the same time, a Beta security guard opened the door for Bai Xiangxing. After opening the door, the security guard immediately stepped back and stood at attention. Bai Xiangxing got out of the car, and upon seeing his delicate appearance, the security guard’s eyes lit up subtly but quickly restrained his expression, greeting Bai Xiangxing with a military salute. Bai Xiangxing raised an eyebrow. A military salute? Could it be that this Beta had been in the military before? It made sense; the Shi family was originally a prominent military and political family, and they had a strong military background. Many of New Shi’s products were directly supplied to the military, giving them a unique advantage. Bai Xiangxing figured that it was quite normal for the company to employ a few retired military personnel. “Captain,” the security guard saluted Bai Xiangxing again and turned towards Shi Zhen’s direction to salute him too. “Well.” Shi Zhen nodded, then pointed at Bai Xiangxing and introduced, “This is my partner, Bai Xiangxing.” The security guard seemed to panic a bit, thinking that his surprised expression at seeing Captain’s partner had been too obvious. He quickly apologized, “I’m sorry.” Shi Zhen’s face darkened. How dare you entertain impure thoughts about my partner? Oh no, what if Captain is angry and punishes me? Married Alphas could be possessive to an extreme degree when it came to their Omegas. “I didn’t have any improper intentions towards Mr. Bai. Please don’t misunderstand,” the security guard continued to explain nervously. Shi Zhen’s face grew darker. He was worried that this guy still had improper intentions. Bai Xiangxing, on the other hand, was utterly confused and stunned by the situation. Just when the atmosphere was extremely awkward, Shi Zhen’s uncle came out of the office building to greet them. He called out from a distance, “Shi Zhen, Xingxing, you’re here. I’ve been waiting for you all morning.” Shi Zhen sighed in relief. Finally, someone who could divert the attention away from the security guard’s awkwardness. “Uncle,” Shi Zhen greeted his uncle. “Uncle,” Bai Xiangxing called out warmly, sounding completely natural and even affectionate. His tone and demeanor were so friendly that it made Shi Zhen, his own partner, raise an eyebrow. Well, he was a businessman after all. Knowing how to socialize and use the right words to make people like you was basic etiquette. Besides, even if he wasn’t officially Shi Zhen’s partner, this Seasonal Alpha, Ji Yuanwu, was technically his uncle. Even if he weren’t, Bai Xiangxing could still call him that with a thick skin, and it would make the other person feel pleased. Currently, Ji Yuanwu was the CEO of New Shi Group, and Shi Zhen wanted a smooth transition of leadership at New Shi. To achieve that, he needed to build a good relationship with this uncle. “Xingxing, I must apologize for my impulsive words at your home yesterday. I didn’t know the situation then,” Ji Yuanwu apologized for his rash remarks about their marriage at Bai Xiangxing’s home. “It’s okay. Shi Zhen has explained everything to me. It wasn’t his fault; he moved that little asteroid without my consent,” Bai Xiangxing replied. “It’s not Shi Zhen’s fault. That asteroid was originally set aside by Shi Zhen’s grandfather for his wedding. To be honest, I should take the blame for not managing the company properly.” “How could that be? Shi Zhen told me that you’ve been running New Shi all these years. You’ve been working hard, Uncle.” The two of them conversed comfortably, occasionally breaking into laughter, leaving Shi Zhen bewildered. What’s going on? Weren’t you two strangers just a few minutes ago? How do you suddenly act like you’ve known each other for years? “Come, come, let’s continue our conversation in my office,” Ji Yuanwu led Bai Xiangxing inside, and Shi Zhen silently followed them. “Mr. Ji,” in the elevator, the three of them encountered a worker in a white coat carrying a box of chemicals, presumably for testing. “Is this for factory testing?” Ji Yuanwu asked. “Yes,” the worker replied. “What kind of chemicals is this?” Bai Xiangxing was curious. The worker didn’t recognize Bai Xiangxing and stared blankly at him, not answering. “This is my partner, Bai Xiangxing,” Shi Zhen took the opportunity to introduce. “Hello, Mr. Bai,” the worker responded, now recognizing Shi Zhen. “This is a Pheromone suppressant.” “Pheromone suppressant?” Bai Xiangxing blinked. The color of that chemical didn’t seem quite right. The elevator reached the third floor as the worker left. Three more employees in white coats entered the elevator. Shi Zhen and the others exchanged greetings, and Shi Zhen continued to introduce his spouse. “This is my partner, Bai Xiangxing.” He kept saying that to everyone. Meeting after meeting, he made sure to introduce Bai Xiangxing to everyone they encountered. Ji Yuanwu couldn’t help but comment, “Do you have to introduce him to everyone? It’s just your bride; you act like you’re introducing a VIP to everyone.” “No,” Shi Zhen explained, “I just wanted to remind the high-level executives later.” Bai Xiangxing was not pleased. He had asked Shi Zhen to inform the high-level executives during their meeting later, not to introduce him to everyone they met. Shi Zhen was a bit slow to grasp this, and his expression soured when he understood. Now he had to awkwardly introduce Bai Xiangxing to everyone they met, even the security guards at the entrance. He had no choice but to accept the blame for this. When they arrived on the eighth floor, Ji Yuanwu led them to the office he had prepared for Bai Xiangxing. It was spacious and had a panoramic view, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view of the entire factory area. The desk was piled with various documents, including New Shi’s financial records for the past few years. Bai Xiangxing casually scanned through them and was surprised to see that New Shi’s financial records were ready so quickly after he had just mentioned taking over the company yesterday. “Xingxing, do you need anything else?” Ji Yuanwu asked Bai Xiangxing. “Oh, no, I’m good,” Bai Xiangxing casually picked up a ledger and asked seemingly nonchalantly, “Uncle, you work with remarkable efficiency. You’ve prepared the handover materials so quickly?” “It’s not a big deal. I just glanced through it lightly last night, and most of the materials had been organized months ago,” Ji Yuanwu replied. “Months ago?” Bai Xiangxing hadn’t turned into an Omega months ago, so Shi Zhen couldn’t have planned to make him take over New Shi back then. “Yes, New Shi’s performance has been poor for the past few years, and bankruptcy was inevitable. I had the relevant departments prepare in advance,” Ji Yuanwu sighed. “Bankruptcy was inevitable?!” They prepared for bankruptcy in advance?! Why didn’t they focus on running the business instead? If these were my employees, I’d fire them a hundred times over. So infuriating! No, hold it in. You haven’t completely taken control yet. Deal with these incompetent people after you gain full authority. Bai Xiangxing took a deep breath, then another one, finally managing to calm himself. He smiled and asked, “I’d like to have a meeting with the executives at the group to get to know everyone. Is that convenient today?” “It’s convenient. I’ll arrange it,” Ji Yuanwu left to make the arrangements. Once he left, Bai Xiangxing immediately grabbed the financial report for the most recent quarter and rapidly flipped through it. “Were you angry just now?” Shi Zhen was sensitive to emotions, so he felt that even though Bai Xiangxing had tried to hide it, he still sensed Bai Xiangxing’s anger towards his uncle. Even though the two had been getting along well, laughing and chatting moments ago, appearing even closer than Shi Zhen, why had Bai Xiangxing suddenly become angry? “Why wouldn’t you be angry?” Bai Xiangxing asked Shi Zhen. “Why should I be?” “Listen to what he just said. He hasn’t been managing the company properly. The company is on the brink of bankruptcy, and he didn’t do anything to prevent it. Instead, he prepared the documentation for bankruptcy in advance. I was curious how such a large company could go bankrupt so easily, but with a leader like him, it’s no wonder the company’s in such a state. Look at these financials – loss, loss, and more loss. The medical expenses claimed by employees are higher than their salaries, and they even faked accounts. How could they be so careless?” Shi Zhen hadn’t looked at the financial records himself. He frowned, gazing intently at Bai Xiangxing. “Why are you?” Bai Xiangxing saw this expression from Shi Zhen for the first time and felt a bit uneasy. “Are you planning to abuse me?” “Uncle isn’t faking accounts. He’s just not good at running a business,” Shi Zhen replied. Bai Xiangxing: !!! Were Shi Zhen’s family members all saints and angels? Even after they had ruined the company, they were still thinking about how to protect him. Bai Xiangxing was also angry. “Shi Zhen, don’t be ungrateful. I’m doing this for whose sake? It’s not my company that’s going bankrupt.” Shi Zhen wasn’t sure why Bai Xiangxing was reacting so strongly, but he had a feeling that arguing further would only make things worse. Was it because of his Omega transformation? Did the hormones affect his personality? “Shi Zhen, Xingxing, I’ve already informed the executives. They’re all waiting in the conference room on the seventh floor,” Ji Yuanwu returned just in time, breaking the tense atmosphere in the room. “Help me move these documents downstairs,” Bai Xiangxing gave Shi Zhen an elegant yet icy look, an expression that clearly said, “I’m giving you a chance to redeem yourself, so be a good boy and do the work.” Shi Zhen: … Shi Zhen obediently moved the documents. Ji Yuanwu followed behind, watching his nephew work diligently and sending a secret message to his sister: “Your son-in-law is a control freak.”