Chapter 197 — Before the Storm
Years of Heartflutter · Page 2 of 3
And it was precisely on the strength of this connection with Bao Lin that Qu Daming acted with impunity. When he first began skimming, he was cautious; later, he simply grew rapacious and stopped at nothing.
But whoever walks often by the river must get his shoes wet. Besides, Qu Daming was only the third vice president of Mingyang Entertainment—there were two vice presidents above him: first vice president Guo Jianchao, and second vice president Liu Chan.
Of course, Guo Jianchao, though called vice president, was in effect the same as the president, since the presidency was held concurrently by Hou Lin, and Hou Lin simply had no time to oversee matters on this side.
So the company's affairs were almost entirely in Guo Jianchao's charge. When Qu Daming was skimming money, Liu Chan finally spotted the flaw and seized the lifeline of Qu Daming.
In truth, some things went without saying. So long as there was no evidence, even if Bao Lin learned of what Qu Daming had done, he would not do anything to him—he would simply turn a blind eye.
But evidence changed everything. If Bao Lin did not deal with him, he would have no way to answer to the rest of the company. And when others followed suit, what was Bao Lin to do then?
So Qu Daming sought out Liu Chan to discuss joining forces in the same dirty business.
At that time, Liu Chan knew that evidence against him was held in someone else's hand. He knew that his presence at Mingyang Entertainment was merely a matter of scraping by one day at a time, that sooner or later the day of rupture would come. So Liu Chan simply adopted the attitude of a man who had given up caring—one day was as good as another—and began skimming alongside Qu Daming.
And so Qu Daming became a grasshopper on the same rope as Liu Chan: if one of them fell, the other could not escape. Liu Chan in turn introduced Qu Daming to the boss behind the scenes, and together they conspired on great matters.
"The boss is about to move," Liu Chan said to Qu Daming, word by word, drawing a deep breath.
"Oh? So soon?" Qu Daming was startled as well. He had no wish, at heart, to go along with Liu Chan's boss, but he had no choice. If Liu Chan went down, he would go down with him.
Things had already come to this point—better to stake everything on one throw.
"It'll be within the next few days. Get ready," Liu Chan said. "The company's books are in order, aren't they?"
"No problem, they're spotless," Qu Daming said. "As soon as the boss moves, I'll transfer out the last sum. We split it, and all that's left of the company is an empty shell."
"Good. Wait for my word." Hearing Qu Daming's words, Liu Chan breathed a sigh of relief. At least this time the work would not be for nothing—he could get his hands on a great deal of money.
……
In a luxurious private room of a private club, two middle-aged men were holding a secret meeting. At the side of each stood his own trusted aide and bodyguards.
"And this time, what do I stand to gain?" one of the middle-aged men asked mildly, having heard the other's plan. His expression betrayed not the slightest ripple; whether he approved or disapproved, no one could tell.
"Heh, Boss Sui, let's not mince words between men who understand each other." The middle-aged man took out a cigarette and put it between his lips. Beside him, a bodyguard with a scar across his face hurriedly produced a lighter and lit it for him. "Guo Jinbiao of Jidun City—he's your man, isn't he?"
Sure enough, the middle-aged man's words made Boss Sui frown. "How do you know that?"
"Matters of the underworld—heh." The middle-aged man smiled and blew out a ring of smoke. "I've been in this game for years too; I haven't been idling. These things may be hidden, but a man who sets his mind to it can still dig them out. Jidun City—that's your turf, Boss Sui, isn't it?"
Boss Sui's expression shifted, but after a moment he still gave a slow nod. "So what if it is?"