章 24: 1.21

"...Then, there's not much I can say to refute, is there?" Xu Zheng sighed as he took the papers and picked up his mobile phone, calling up his assistant and arranging the process to be done in a short time. "The thing that matters the most is your will and desire. Qiqi, remember. You are Xu Jiaqi, our most beloved daughter. Even though we pamper you a lot, we know that you are already an adult. Your freedom is your choice, and all it takes for you to get out of our safety cage is just.. voicing out your needs."

"He is right, Qiqi. You have grown up. You have always been known as a little princess, but we know that you are actually a bright individual. You are capable. As your parents, we are very proud of you, we always have been." Li Jiayun added.

Facing these types of parents, who weren't frank with their love made Xu Jiaqi's heart combust with happiness. It felt so surreal. She was used to parents that wouldn't directly voice their feelings and would only imply their meaning through a roundabout manner, so this type of exposure made Xu Jiaqi flush up even in her acting persona.

"However, why does it have to be this company? There is so much other candidates. This one has been rotting away for long, the only reason why we didn't halt the funding was because the location of the company and its assets were rather profitable. It's basically just worth for its land now. Wouldn't it be better if you choose a better entity?"

Xu Zheng was a bit different from usual giant company heads. He was well aware of all of his branches and properly kept watch on all of them.

This particular company was already blackened to him.

"I have something to do with it. And.. don't you think it's time to tidy up some matters, father?" Xu Jiaqi smirked mischievously, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes.

"Qiqi- I know that you are already tired of hearing this, but be careful, honey." Xu Zheng lovingly looked at the woman, who was still just the same little girl he was able to carry in his arms years ago. "I don't want you to be hurt."

Xu Jiaqi was all smiles as she faced the helpless expressions of her two parents. "Of course I understand, father, mother. Then, I will be going now. I have some extra preparation that I need to do."

"Take care, Qiqi!" The two people were left behind in the breakfast table as they waved towards their leaving child.

_______

After leaving from the Xu home, Xu Jiaqi received a notification sound from her phone and found out that Qin Zicheng had sent a message to her, asking if a meetup was possible.

Xu Jiaqi smiled, replying that it was up to him to set the schedule up. The man asked what cuisine she liked to eat, and Xu Jiaqi lazily replied French.

In the end, Qin Zicheng booked a VIP room for the two of them in a fancy French restaurant for tomorrow.

Then, her mind was back on the work she had to do.

The company named Venus.

One of the reasons why this particular company wasn't able to flourish even though it was under the Xu family was because the higher ups did a lot of interference in the assets secretly. At first, thry only took a small bit out of the fortune, but their greed and confidence soon soared up after no one noticed their acts.

This place was already infested with leeches. Xu Jiaqi was here to burn all of them and start anew.

The basis of this company was pretty good. It was connected in three main businesses- a family restaurant chain, a coffee shop, and bakeries.

Food business.

To remodel the entire thing would take a long process. It was easier to destroy everything and start from the beginning.

Not only was the company assets touched, the shops were also tainted. The establishment of some shops were only attempts to divert and cover up their tracks. What they had in mind wasn't to do business, but to embezzle the funds.

The chunk they took out from the parent Xu company might not be astronomical, but it was still detrimental. This company was the worst of all the branches.

In the future, Xu Jiaqi planned to clean all of the dirt out from the Xu's business.

She stepped inside the company building. Due to its rather low scale impact, the building wasn't maintained all that well, and several employees were cut off in order to balance their cheating.

Nobody was there in the first floor when Xu Jiaqi stepped in.

Only after she mockingly dialed up her father's assistant's number did sounds of hurried steps ensue after several minutes.

A rather unkempt man came to greet her, seemingly quite annoyed at her arrival. He clicked his tongue.

"Xu.. Tsk. Miss Xu, right? Please come with me." The man spoke with a rough voice, turning his back on Xu Jiaqi right after that without looking back.

In the deserted place, Xu Jiaqi looked like a dazzling pearl who emanated a luxurious light as she walked beside the man.

Xu Jiaqi's eyes were cold as she observed the infested place. It might have been worse than she thought.

The man escorted her up to the higher floors, but his eyes never showed any positive attitude. Xu Jiaqi, too, did not want to make unnecessary interactions since she would later on do a 'test' anyway.

She hated cleaning, but she also hated dirty objects.

With a lofty aura, she arrived at the company head's office and entered the room.

"Hello, I am Xu Jiaqi, and you are fired."

A short and simple introduction that made the other person's face turn green.

Xu Jiaqi: Sometimes I admire my own frankness and efficiency.