Chapter 553: Goodbye, Envoy

The young woman listened quietly to everything, then slowly turned and asked in return:

“What conclusions did you reach at your meeting today?”

“They unanimously agreed that we are currently no match for the Beidou Consortium... The optimal approach now is to actively align with them, sacrificing some interests to preserve our current resources and status.”

Huang Suyu’s brow furrowed slightly. “What about you, Uncle Quan? What’s your opinion?”

“Miss, I’m old.” Uncle Quan smiled helplessly. “My energy and stamina aren’t what they used to be, so I can’t offer any valuable advice. But you, Miss, are still young, and your business acumen and foresight far surpass ordinary people’s... I trust your judgment, Miss. As for the directors’ opinions, there’s no need to pay them any mind.”

“Uncle Quan, what are you talking about? You’re in your prime, not old at all!” Huang Suyu said with a smile. “Besides, as the saying goes, ‘an elder in the family is like a treasure.’ If it weren’t for you, how would our Huang Consortium be where it is today?”

Huang Suyu paused, her smile gradually fading as her tone turned serious.

“However, I certainly don’t agree with their idea... That old man Mu Chunsheng is no benevolent person. Blind concession will only make him greedier. While it might stabilize the situation in the short term, eventually he’ll drain us of all our resources, which is no different from a slow death.”

Uncle Quan nodded slightly. Just as he was about to say more, a figure hurriedly approached the doorway.

“Chairwoman, there’s someone outside who says he needs to see you.”

“See me?” Huang Suyu asked, puzzled. “Who is it?”

“He didn’t say... but he gave me a note, saying you’d understand once you saw it.”

Huang Suyu and Uncle Quan exchanged a glance. She still told him to hand over the note. Huang Suyu looked down, slowly unfolding the paper. After seeing the characters on it, her pupils suddenly constricted!

“This is...”

“Quickly, invite him in!” Huang Suyu looked up without hesitation. “Remember, be very respectful... And tell security not to let anyone else up to this floor during this time, except for him.”

Huang Suyu’s demeanor puzzled the person, but he immediately complied.

Uncle Quan hadn’t seen the note’s contents and didn’t understand who could make Huang Suyu so serious, but when Huang Suyu proactively handed the note to him, Uncle Quan’s expression also showed surprise!

“It’s him?! He’s returned to Hongchen?”

“There’s been no word in the Main City for a while; he must have returned secretly...” The young woman looked down at her casual nightgown. This young woman, who had become the Chairwoman of the Huang Consortium and dominated the business world at a young age, was now uncharacteristically flustered. “Uncle Quan, is it too informal for me to see him like this? Should I quickly change into a formal dress or something?”

Six months ago, the Huang Consortium was a gradually declining second-rate conglomerate. But the appearance of one person not only saved her from the brink of collapse but also turned around the entire consortium’s fate... Now, that note which changed their destiny was back in her hands, undoubtedly signifying...

He had returned.

“It’s probably too late to change now. You can’t make him wait at the door while you change, can you?”

“Then what should I do??”

“Just go as you are... You were much more disheveled when he rescued us in the Gray Realm.”

Huang Suyu finally gave up the struggle. She quickly tidied her hair in the reflection of the glass. Just as she turned around, she saw a figure in a brown overcoat, hands in his pockets, slowly walking in from outside the door.

The person wasn’t wearing a golden mask, but Huang Suyu recognized that face... She and Uncle Quan were perhaps the only two people in the entire Hongchen Main City who had seen his true appearance.

As he entered, Huang Suyu placed one hand over her chest, lifted the hem of her nightgown with the other, and respectfully knelt in a curtsy:

“This humble one, Huang Suyu, greets Your Excellency.”“This old man, Quan Xiaoxian, greets Your Excellency.”

The hem of his brown overcoat swished lightly as Chen Ling entered the room. The door behind him closed automatically. His gaze swept across the surroundings, finally settling on the expensive carpet before he slowly stopped.

He looked at the two bowing respectfully, a faint smile playing on his lips:

“Long time no see, both of you.”

After half a year apart, both of them had changed considerably, especially Huang Suyu. When Chen Ling first rescued her in the Gray Realm, she seemed entirely like a naive young lady... But now, all her immaturity had faded, and she was much more mature and composed.

Huang Suyu kept her head bowed, not daring to meet Chen Ling’s eyes, until he calmly said, “You may rise.” Only then did she slowly stand up.

Chen Ling walked directly to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the Hongchen Main City gradually sinking into the night.

“After half a year, the Huang Consortium has developed well.”

“It’s all thanks to Your Excellency’s guidance. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to seize the opportunity and develop to this point,” Uncle Quan said with immense reverence.

At that time, right after Chen Ling left the Huadu Consortium, Zong Wen died, and the entire Huadu Consortium collapsed into chaos. The Huang Consortium immediately received news from Chen Ling, making it clear that the envoy was displeased with certain actions of the Huadu Consortium and intended to support another one... Uncle Quan and Huang Suyu had long considered that Chen Ling might eventually seek them out, as there’s no such thing as a free lunch. But they hadn’t expected this day to come so soon.

“While opportunities are important, the ability to seize them is even rarer.”

“Your Excellency flatters us,” Huang Suyu said with a slight smile. After a moment of hesitation, she tentatively asked, “Is Your Excellency back this time to trade gold again?”

Chen Ling returned to the sofa and sat down, speaking calmly, “No, I’ve returned to Hongchen this time for an important matter.”

“An important matter?”

Anything that the Golden Society’s envoy would call “an important matter” certainly wouldn’t be simple. Huang Suyu and Uncle Quan’s hearts immediately tensed.

“What important matter?”

“The Wuji Realm is about to declare war on the Hongchen Realm.”

“What?!!”

Chen Ling’s simple statement was like a bombshell exploding in the minds of Huang Suyu and Uncle Quan. They stood there in disbelief, taking a long time to recover.

“This... How could this be? The Wuji Realm and Hongchen Realm have never had any conflicts, and realm wars have never happened before...” Uncle Quan’s brows furrowed deeply.

“I will explain the full story to you slowly,” Chen Ling said unhurriedly.

“As far as I know, spies from the Wuji Realm have already infiltrated the Hongchen Main City and may have secretly allied with certain consortiums... My identity is sensitive, so I cannot directly get involved in the affairs between the two realms. Therefore, I require some assistance.”