Shadow Heir II: Dark Glory - Chapter 56

Mu Qianyu returned to Linzhou from the Capital, never once mentioning to Su Wuji that she had smashed Tailong Club.

The opening of Linmu Bank was, for her, a crucial step in leading the Mu family’s second rise. As for the elders in the family, those who wanted to see Mu Qianyu fail were definitely not in the minority.

Since the incident at the old residence and Mu Qianyu’s successful takeover of Linmu Insurance, the elders who had previously opposed her most fiercely had become strangely quiet.

Whether it was Fifth Uncle Mu Xudong or Third Uncle Mu Dongsheng, both were behaving themselves, not saying a word, keeping a low profile that felt incredibly eerie.

Today was the opening day of Linmu Bank.

Just a day ago, the elders of the Mu family had declined Mu Qianyu’s invitation to attend the opening ceremony. The only ones present were Eldest Uncle Mu Shanhou and Fourth Uncle Mu Zhengming, who had rushed back specifically from Xishan Province.

The fourth uncle had always been in politics and was now the Party Secretary of a prefecture-level city in Xishan. His promotion to vice-provincial level in a few years was almost a certainty.

As the first chairman of Linmu Bank, Mu Qianyu was welcoming the guests.

“Qianyu, Big Brother told me everything about what happened at home,” Mu Zhengming said. “This time, I don’t blame you. After all, ever since the struggle for leadership began, these disputes and conflicts have been passed down from generation to generation.”

The Mu family seemed powerful, but in reality, they had never been united.

Mu Zhengming had an excellent relationship with Second Brother Mu Yuanming, and his son, Mu Huanrui, was also very close to Mu Qianyu.

Mu Qianyu smiled gently. “Thank you for understanding, Fourth Uncle, and for not blaming me for destroying the old residence.”

Mu Zhengming was extremely open-minded. “Some outdated old things should be buried in the ground.”

He then looked at the eldest brother, Mu Shanhou, and asked, “Big Brother, aren’t the others coming? The opening of Linmu Bank is a major event for the Mu family.”

Mu Shanhou smiled bitterly and shook his head. “I tried to persuade them, but they wouldn’t listen. If they don’t want to come, fine. As long as they don’t trip us up from behind, I’ll be thanking the heavens.”

Mu Zhengming knew his eldest brother had a softer personality. He sighed and said, “It’s such a good thing for a young and capable heir to emerge in the family. A bunch of old fogies, only caring about infighting every day, fighting over their own little patch of land. Truly worthless.”

By now, the ceremony guests had arrived one after another. Most were business celebrities from Linjiang Province and presidents of other banks. As for the political circles, the heads of the Linzhou financial supervision department and the People’s Bank also attended.

Mu Qianyu didn’t care whether the family elders came or not. While welcoming guests, she kept looking towards the end of the road in the distance, searching for the shadow of that battered Santana.

“Qianyu, how much in deposits did Linmu Bank attract before opening?” Mu Zhengming asked.

“Twenty-eight billion,” Mu Qianyu replied. “Basically just reached the average level for a city commercial bank opening.”

“There are so many banks in Linzhou, and your preparation period was so short. Rushing into battle and still attracting this much in deposits is already surprising,” Mu Zhengming said.

Mu Qianyu added, “Today, upon opening, there should be another fifteen billion in funds transferred in.”

Achieving this relied mostly on Mu Qianyu’s own connections.

Mu Zhengming’s eyes brightened significantly, and he praised, “Very good. Qianyu, having you as the leader of the next generation is absolutely the best choice.”

At this moment, the secretary walked over and said, “Chairman, it’s almost time for the opening ceremony, but Mayor Li, who oversees finance, hasn’t arrived yet.”

The mayor in charge of financial affairs participating in the ribbon-cutting indicated the government’s attitude; such was the national condition of China. If government leaders didn’t attend on opening day, everyone would speculate about the city’s attitude later, and many of Linmu Bank’s businesses wouldn’t be able to proceed smoothly!

“Mayor Li agreed to attend a week in advance. Let’s wait a bit longer; no rush,” Mu Qianyu said.

Just then, several luxury cars drove up to the red carpet.

Mu Qianyu’s expression remained unchanged, but the smile in her eyes clearly held a bit more playfulness.

Fourth Uncle Mu Zhengming also recognized these cars and chuckled. “Arriving at this hour? Are they here to cause trouble, or to pick peaches?”

“This tree, Linmu Bank, was planted by Qianyu. No one can take the fruit. Appearing at this time, they’re probably here to cause trouble.” Mu Shanhou shook his head and sighed. Although he had a weak personality, he saw many things very clearly.

The cars stopped, and a group of people stepped out.

Second Grandfather Mu Chengchang, Third Grandfather Mu Chengsheng, along with the second generation’s Third Uncle Mu Dongsheng, Fifth Uncle Mu Xudong, and Sixth Aunt Mu Yunxia, all appeared in suits and leather shoes.

The two old masters greeted the guests, all smiles and in high spirits, seemingly believing that the opening of Linmu Bank truly added luster to the entire Mu family.

However, Third Uncle Mu Dongsheng and Fifth Uncle Mu Xudong had somewhat heavy expressions. After all, their sons had suffered significant injuries at Su Wuji’s hands, and they hadn’t had a chance to vent that anger until now.

Mu Zhengming went up to greet them. “Second Uncle, Third Uncle, you’re all here.”

Mu Chengchang laughed heartily. “Qianyu has made such a great contribution to the Mu family; we naturally should come to congratulate her, lest outsiders say my Mu family isn’t united.”

These words seemed to carry a hidden meaning, and the expression felt like a smile that didn’t reach the eyes.

Mu Qianyu smiled slightly. “Thank you for the praise, Second Grandfather.”

Third Grandfather Mu Chengsheng looked at Mu Qianyu and couldn’t help but think of his destroyed bonsai garden. He had fainted from anger at the scene and rested in the hospital for several days, only being discharged yesterday. This old fox, previously thrown into disarray by the two juniors, Su Wuji and Mu Qianyu, had finally recovered his composure.

He slightly withdrew his smile and stared into Mu Qianyu’s eyes. “Qianyu, I heard you already attracted nearly thirty billion in deposits before opening?”

Clearly, there were Mu Chengsheng’s people in the newly formed Linmu Bank.

Mu Qianyu said, “I can’t hide such small matters from Third Grandfather. Current deposits are too few; I still have a long way to go.”

“For a head office like yours, this amount of deposits is indeed not enough to look at.” Mu Chengsheng maintained his smile. “I imagine you’re still waiting for the fifteen billion from the major construction groups in Linjiang Province to arrive, right?”

Mu Qianyu’s gaze sharpened slightly.

Ginger gets spicier as it gets older. She had never underestimated the elders in her family, but perhaps they still had a large part of their energy that they had never shown. She thought her relationship with those major construction groups was solid enough, but people like Mu Chengsheng might have known them for longer than Mu Qianyu had even been alive.

Mu Chengsheng said, “Don’t wait for that fifteen billion. It won’t be arriving.”

Fourth Uncle Mu Zhengming frowned. “Third Uncle, is this really necessary? The opening of Linmu Bank is good for the entire Mu family. Pulling the carpet out from under your own junior, don’t let outsiders laugh at us.”

Mu Chengsheng chuckled. “Zhengming, you were in Xishan, so you didn’t see how Mu Qianyu joined forces with a little hooligan that day to show off their power at the Mu family’s old residence.”

Second Grandfather Mu Chengchang also said, “Regardless of whether outsiders laugh at the Mu family today, on the day the family’s old residence was destroyed, the entire Mu family had already become the laughingstock of Linzhou.”

Mu Qianyu shook her head gently but said nothing.

Fifth Uncle Mu Xudong finally spoke in a deep voice, “Qianyu, withdraw from the competition for leadership, and I can recontact those major construction groups to transfer the fifteen billion into Linmu Bank for a one-year fixed deposit.”

Third Uncle Mu Dongsheng remained silent. Upon seeing Mu Qianyu, his mood was clearly poor. After all, the cash cow that was Linmu Insurance had been snatched from his hands by this good niece.

Other guests attending the opening ceremony stood nearby, watching the Mu family’s infighting and whispering amongst themselves. Clearly, if Mu Qianyu couldn’t hold the fort today, the future of Linmu Bank would be precarious.

“It’s past opening time, isn’t it? Why hasn’t the ribbon-cutting started? If the auspicious hour passes, it won’t be very lucky.”

Just then, a sarcastic voice reached everyone’s ears.

A young man in a white suit was slowly walking over. Beside him was a man wearing a brown LV jacket. Behind these two were a dozen bodyguards in black suits, a grand spectacle.

Bai Xuyang, Qin Guilin!

The voice just now had come from Qin Guilin!

Bai Xuyang stared at Mu Qianyu and said, “I know you’re waiting for Mayor Li of Linzhou. However, he won’t be coming. He was called to a meeting in the Capital on short notice.”

Mu Qianyu remained neither humble nor arrogant, still wearing a faint smile. “Dimensional reduction strike. Young Master Bai really has good methods.”

Bai Xuyang’s voice was heavy. “Mu Qianyu, when you smashed my club, you should have expected this day.”

NOTES

“Dimensional reduction strike.” Originally a sci-fi term from The Three-Body Problem, it refers to using a higher-level power or method to attack a lower-level opponent against which they have no defense, here, using Capital-level political influence to block a local mayor.