Dinner proceeded more smoothly than Wang Che thought it would. No one brought up the matter of the business again. Moreover, Master Wang did not speak up again, so it was not difficult for everyone else to keep the conversation light. 

Things took a turn shortly after dinner when Master Wang invited Wang Che to his study. The living room fell into a cold silence before Madam Wang intervened. 

“Dear, do not bother Che. He has just returned home. There will be other opportunities to talk with him.” The woman said as tactfully as possible.

“He is not a delicate flower, and I am not a monster. We are only going to talk about a few things, father to son.” Master Wang dismissed her. 

“Dad, should I join you?” Wang Lu asked. 

“Do not become a worrier like your mother. I am going to speak to Wang Che alone. He does not mind. Why are you all butting in?” Master Wang was irritated. 

“So, I guess I should not say anything?” Wang Ning asked cheekily.

Master Wang glared at him before indicating for Wang Che to follow. Wang Che did not mind because he wanted to know the extent of damage to the Wang family business. Perhaps, it might give him a clue about who had the most motive for acting. 

When the two men sat down in the study, Master Wang did not waste any time. 

“Wang Che, I know you believe that I have wronged you, but that does not mean that you should abandon your family.” Master Wang said with a firm look on his face. He believed that he had expressed humility as much as possible. 

Wang Che scoffed at the righteous attitude. “If you believe in your words, why didn’t you seek me out until you needed something? We both know what happened fifteen years ago. But even if we were to put that behind, did you reach out when I had nothing?” 

“Do you have to be so petty about everything? You are a man. You might experience some injustices, but you do not have to live in them forever. You should learn to move on instead of constantly digging into the past.” Master Wang said.

Wang Che calmed down. “You are right. What exactly do you want from me?”

Master Wang nodded in approval, assuming he still had power over his son. He took out a file from his drawer and pushed it to Wang Che. 

“We are struggling a little with paying off some of the loans, and we need a little cash input for some of our major projects. If you can invest that amount into the company, we will be able to get through the hard period.” Master Wang said. 

Wang Che opened the file and looked at the document. He was not surprised to find a contract for him to finance the Wang family business. He was not disappointed. He had expected everything to work out exactly like this.

But he could not believe that his father or brother had prepared a contract for financing already. They were quite confident that they could convince him. His eyes perused over the contract, and he wanted to roll his eyes.

Still, he kept an outward look of calm. 

“All you have to do is sign the contract. Your brother and I will take care of everything else.” Master Wang said generously. 

Wang Che closed the file and looked at his father. “That is a lot of money to ask from me. You should know that it is difficult for me to get this amount, especially after what I put into building Clarion Extreme.” 

Master Wang laughed lightly. “Do not be coy with me. I know that Clarion Extreme might have made a dent in your fortune, but I have also heard some things about you and that Furukawa boy. If I am to understand, you have control over his money.” 

Wang Che felt a cold chill cover his body. “How do you know about this?” 

“Come on, boy! This is Supreme City. No one can keep their secrets for too long.” Master Wang said with a sharp look in his eyes. “It is not a problem for people to know. You have already broken up that ridiculous situation, and you came out on top. The rumours will pass, but you will still have all his money.” 

Wang Che almost gritted his teeth at the audacious words from his father. He could not believe that he was related to this vile and calculating man. But again, he had not turned out much better. He was, after all, the one who threatened to control Shun using his fortune. 

“You know the money is not mine. I will eventually have to return it to Shun. It is rightfully his.” Wang Che tried to stop the churning disgust in his heart. 

Master Wang banged his hand on the table with anger. “You will do no such thing. That boy humiliated you and made a fool out of you in public. If you return his money, you will become a true laughingstock. Do you want to drag the Wang name into the mud?” 

“When you were following him around like a dog wagging its tail at its master, I did not say anything. When you used your money and connections to remove obstacles from his way and get him whatever he wanted, I was quiet. But I will be damned if I watch you prove that you are a ball-less little shrimp after that public spectacle.”

Wang Che looked right at his father. “You are speaking quite boldly for someone who is about to lose everything and possibly be sent to jail. I assume your business practices have not changed. So, I am sure someone will find a reason to sue you and your son.” 

“You… Why do you have to be like this?” Master Wang breathed heavily. 

“I learned from the best, Father.” Wang Che said. “But I am a little soft-hearted. I cannot truly abandon my poor vagrant family. Of course, I am also a businessman, so I will not help without gaining something.” 

“What do you want?” Master Wang asked angrily. 

“Naturally, I will require shares from your little business for the amount of money I will give you. I want to make sure that my money will not go into buying yourself an island in the Caribbean” Wang Che folded his hands over his chest. 

“Ah! Why don’t you take over the whole company?” Master Wang shouted. 

“Mmmh, I just might. But let us take things one at a time.” Wang Che said calmly. “And for my second demand…” 

“You still have another demand. What kind of black-hearted child are you?” 

“The kind who listened to his father tell kidnappers to sell his son and see if they could earn that much money. Do you remember that? Do you remember saying that it was not difficult to get one more son to the people holding a knife to my neck?” Wang Che smiled coldly. 

“Will you stop bringing that up?” Master Wang shouted. “What child of the elite family has not been kidnapped once? And aren’t you here well and fine? If I had paid the amount, you would have probably have been killed and dumped into a river.” 

“Then, I will thank you once I find a time machine.” Wang Che said. “For my second demand, I would like to find out who is responsible for Shun’s accident.” 

Master Wang did not calm down. “You have already broken up with him. Why do you care if someone tried to kill him?” 

“Oh, you seem to know quite a bit about this accident. I did not mention anything about someone trying to kill him.” Wang Che stood up and looked down at his father. 

Master Wang was caught by surprise and sputtered a little. But he gained his bearings almost immediately and looked at his son without guilt. 

“It was just an assumption. You said someone was responsible for the accident. It is not a broad lead to assume that someone tried to kill him. You should not be so paranoid.” He replied. 

Wang Che became more certain that it was a member of the Wang family who was responsible for the incident in Clarion Extreme. He was almost certain it was Wang Lu at first. But now, after spending some time with Wang Ning, he realised that he was no longer that naughty boy. 

Wang Ning was crafty and seemed to know more than he let on. He could not overlook him as a possible suspect for the attempted murder. And his father was not innocent either. It was unlikely that he dirtied his hands, but he knew something. 

Wang Che straightened his back and buttoned his coat. “You have heard my demands. I have no problem watching the Wang family fall into dire straits. If I do not find which of you is responsible for that accident, I will destroy you all. As they say, it is better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty one escape.” 

Master Wang gritted his teeth. “You should know that boy will not return even if you seek revenge for him.” 

Wang Che pursed his lips. “I know. But if I let go of someone taking such a bold action on my turf, no one will respect me. Is this not your motto, father? You have one week to surrender the culprit, Master Wang.” 

With that, Wang Che left the study. He did not say anything as he walked through the living room and out of the front door. The rest of the Wang family could only watch his back as he disappeared. Shortly after, Master Wang appeared. 

“So, did he agree to finance the projects?” Madam Wang asked even though she knew it was almost hopeless. 

“Yes, he did, but he has some very tough demands.” Master Wang said with anger before turning his eyes to his two sons. “He is sure that one of you was responsible for the accident. If I find which one of you did it, I will let Wang Che deal with you.” 

He turned and left the room.