บท 4: SOME INFORMATION IS CONFIDENTIAL
Han Changhong was at Han Co.'s building, at work, where he had just finished a meeting. The Vice President was on the way back to his office, but after settling down, someone had abruptly knocked on his door. "Come in," declared Han Changhong.
It was Assistant Tong. He swiftly opened the door, with no response, and entered the room.
Han Changhong sighed. "Oh, Tong it's you."
Assistant Tong didn't want to beat around the bush. "Vice President Han, have you thought of a plan?"
The company pressure was too heavy for Han Changhong to carry himself. Strands of his hair had turned white overnight because of overwhelming stress, and a shadow formed underneath his protruding eyes. As his forehead wrinkled, Han Changhong retorted, "I have decided to become the Acting President until Xiao Wei wakes up."
Assistant Tong had felt a fog of distress build in his chest. "Vice President Han, I see where you are coming from, but what about your work? Surely you cannot do all this work yourself. Overworking is not good for your health!" He blurted his thoughts out in one stream, but the assistant knew how hard it was for Han Changhong both mentally and physically. His superior's brother just had an accident and he could do nothing for him; no amount of comforting could bring him inner peace.
Han Changhong nodded firmly in agreement. He looked up at Tong with a face seemingly blank of emotion. "I know – that's why I have a request for you, Tong."
Assistant Tong started wondering what Han Changhong had in mind. He replied in a resolute tone, "You can ask me anything. You can ask me to do anything. If what I do helps President Han, I will do anything."
"Then become the Vice President." Han Changhong's face did not waver, with eyes completely fixed onto Tong's. His countenance was swathed in solemnity.
"Vice President?!" Assistant Tong cried. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. Never in a million years had he thought to hear these words. Tong followed Han Ying Wei because he believed he owed his life to him. If it wasn't for Han Ying Wei's selfless, kind heart, he wouldn't even be alive. He felt as though it was his purpose in life to serve Han Ying Wei unconditionally, and he promised to do so; promised to do so as an assistant. The very thought of becoming Vice President turned him cold. He thought that he was unworthy of the title "Vice President".
Han Changhong exhaled, seeming to understand Tong's dilemma. "I know that I'm asking a lot from you but, Tong, you are the only one I can trust." He let out a weak smile. "Xiao Wei would want the same thing."
Assistant Tong let out a shaky breath. He hesitated before replying, "Let me think… about it."
Han Changhong responded with a sense of growing urgency. "We don't have much time, Tong. The shareholders and Board of Directors are putting extra pressure on me that could be relieved." He softened his voice. "They want you to quit… don't you understand?"
The fog inside of Tong had cleared. He understood that he was loyal and wouldn't let anyone betray or harm the Han Corporation. That's why the Board of Directors wanted him to leave. Han Ying Wei was a strong-willed person, whose presence burned like the sun; no devotee could dare defy him. But Han Changhong was different. He was rather weak, like the moon trying to shine light through a legion of clouds. The shareholders and the Board of Directors could defy Han Changhong easily. They could even control him and use him as a pawn. However, Tong's obedience was an obstacle they had to remove if they truly wanted to put pressure on Han Changhong.
'Looks like I have to decide as quickly as possible,' thought Tong. 'But it's too soon and I don't want to make the wrong decision out of impulse...' Tong decided to briefly change the topic.
"I will give you your answer soon – oh yes! Did you speak with Inspector Zhao Jie?" Tong half-smiled, feeling slightly bad at his decision to change the topic.
To Tong's surprise, Han Changhong replied, "He said he would call me if he found something." There was a brief moment of silence until Han Changhong's cell phone suddenly rang. "Ah…! speak of the devil."
Assistant Tong decided that changing the topic wasn't so bad after all.
Han Changhong answered the call, "We were just talking about you, Zhao Jie! Did you find anything?"
Inspector Zhao Jie directly went to business." My team has been investigating for five days. It's clear that this was not an accident."
The superior and his assistant exchanged a quick worried glance with each other.
The Inspector continued, "Someone deliberately tried to kill President Han… or Inspector Qing Zheng. They must've had, and most likely still have, bad blood with them."
The police department would have found the Han Family's enemy without any problem if the criminal hadn't hidden their tracks. To an amateur team, the remains of the supposed accident looked so natural that they would think that it was a normal accident; but his team was made up of elite professionals. The minimal evidence they gathered already allowed them to be on the stairway to the truth.
Han Changhong pondered deeply. "Well… I… uh – I can understand if there is somebody out there who views my brother as their enemy. The Han Company's immense success puts us in a position to have spiteful competitors." He raised his voice slightly, as though he were trying to conceal his inner pain. "Some rivals wanted to take out the thorns in their sides. Maybe planning to kill the President was the only option." Han Changhong paused to reflect. Despite his words, he couldn't imagine who would feel so much envy that they'd go their way to kill his brother. "But my sister-in-law – was she investigating something?"
He realized that the potential murderer could've been Han Ying Wei or Qin Zheng's enemy. Perhaps they even had a common enemy. Whoever it was, Han Changhong wanted them to be punished in the name of vengeance.
Inspector Zhao Jie lowered his voice and stated, "She was in the Detective Department; therefore, I cannot disclose classified information. I apologize, Vice President Han."
Han Changhong clenched his fists. Memories of Qin Zheng's bloody face and little Luo'er's cries flashed through his mind. "She is our family. If that's the thing that got her killed, we have the right to know."
Inspector Zhao Jie was also aggrieved. Qin Zheng was like his younger sister. "I know how you are feeling, Vice President Han, and I do apologize. I can still investigate and try to find out who did this, but that is the most I can do."
"I understand. Please, do what you can." Han Changhong ended the phone call and sighed. "It has already been two days after Xiao Zheng's funeral. Most of us there probably thought they had died in an unfortunate accident, yet in reality, we have no clue who harmed them!"
Assistant Tong empathized with his superior. His heart raced when he heard that Qin Zheng's profession might be the cause of such a tragic accident. His body slightly trembled in fear.
Tong looked down as if he were thinking of something. Suddenly, he looked up with a gleam in his eyes. "Han Changhong, if you want me to become Vice President, I will agree to it, but only on one condition."
Han Changhong replied almost instantly. "What is it?" He will agree to Assistant Tong's request as long as it's favorable.
Assistant Tong proposed, "I want to teach Young Master Han and little Luo'er about the company. I want them to inherit the company later. Young master Han, being the next family head, means that this would be beneficial especially for him."
Han Changhong gulped in surprise. He understood the assistant's intention but was anxious about putting them in a position of vulnerability. "They are still children, Tong. Don't force unrequired pressure on them, especially after this incident."
Assistant Tong firmed up. He had his reasons. "They have to take responsibility, sooner or later. If we give them slack, they might grow up irresponsibly. We need to solidify Han Corporation. so that another incident like this does not come and attack us in the future!"
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