Chapter 139: Director Zhang Is Leaving!

"Beep."

Just as he was deep in thought, a car horn sounded from behind him. He turned his head and realized it was An Lan who had arrived.

"Lanlan?" Ye Wushang frowned, suspicious. "Why are you here?"

"Looking for you, obviously." An Lan glanced at the Huang family manor, her expression grave. "The Lan Group is in trouble. I came to pick you up so we can go take a look together."

"You didn't come home all night—were you here looking for Huang Pianruo?" Her tone was unfriendly, laced with jealousy.

Ye Wushang had no interest in indulging her. He asked, "I have some things to discuss with Chairman Huang; that is not the point. The point is, what exactly is going on with the Lan Group? Everything was fine—why would the head of the R&D department suddenly quit?"

"You're asking me? Who should I ask?" Seeing Ye Wushang dodging the real issue, An Lan's tone became even more displeased. She took a deep breath and urged, "Fine, get in the car. Let's go to the Lan Group together. Both families have already reached an agreement to cooperate, and I have reported this matter to my family. If any problems arise, my eldest uncle and the others will definitely use it as an excuse to cause trouble."

"Fine." Ye Wushang nodded. He got into the car and drove off.

In the car, both remained silent. An Lan was anxious about the situation with Lan Ruoxue, but even more troubled by Ye Wushang's failure to return home. The fact that he had been at Huang Pianruo’s house made her burn with jealousy, though she found it hard to express. Meanwhile, Ye Wushang was deep in thought. Connecting this to Xu Wei's earlier words, he felt more and more that the situation was suspicious. According to Lan Ruoxue, the head of the R&D department was a veteran of the Lan Group, always loyal; why would she suddenly quit? And even if she did quit, they could just find someone else—why was everyone so tense? He couldn't make sense of it.

Soon, they arrived at the Lan Group. As soon as they stepped out of the car, they saw a crowd gathered at the entrance. Besides senior executives and employees, there were some unidentified onlookers. Surrounding them were news media personnel, cameras on their shoulders and microphones in hand, tracking the story. How could the resignation of a single R&D director cause such a stir?

"Oh, isn't this President An?" A mocking laugh came from behind them just as they were about to go in and ask for information. The tone was dismissive and filled with obvious ridicule. Turning around, they saw Pei Huaide walking toward them with two assistants. He was dressed in a sharp suit, looking refreshed and gleeful, with an air of schadenfreude.

"President Pei." An Lan's expression shifted significantly upon seeing him. The two families already had deep-seated conflicts, and since Pei Huaide was a "smiling tiger," she had no love for him. However, as the eldest master of the Pei family and a man of great influence, she had to suppress her anger and said coldly, "You look so happy—could it be that today's events have something to do with you?"

"Haha." Pei Huaide laughed, his hands clasped behind his back, looking calm and indifferent. "President An, you really are a joker. How could your subsidiary’s cooperation have anything to do with me?"

"You can eat whatever you want, but you shouldn't say whatever you want." He glanced at the cold-faced Ye Wushang beside her, teasing, "I heard Mr. Chen is the supervisor for the An-Lan cooperation, right? It seems this new drug research was also your suggestion. That’s a heavy burden on your shoulders—you must handle it well. It would be a pity if the cooperation between the two families fails and drags everyone down..."

"Why are you here?" Ye Wushang said coldly. "I have important matters to attend to; I don't have time to waste on your nonsense. If you're trying to stir up trouble, then your son—"

"I came precisely for my son." Pei Huaide interrupted, taking a check from his assistant and waving it. "This is the 80 million you asked my son to pay. Return my IOU to me, and this 80 million is yours."

Hearing this, Ye Wushang took a closer look. It was indeed a check for 80 million. He had thought the other party would refuse to pay or use some underhanded trick, but he hadn't expected them to be so generous. Although he sensed something fishy, it was 80 million, after all, and money he was owed. He didn't waste any words, but just as he reached out to take it, Pei Huaide pulled it back with a feint.

"Don't be in such a hurry, Mr. Ye."

"What do you mean?"

"The meaning is simple. You're owed money, and I'm paying it back—that's reasonable. But it looks like you're in big trouble here, and I happen to have experience in handling these things. Tell you what, why don't you forget about this 80 million, and throw in another 300 to 500 million as compensation? Perhaps I can solve this for you."

After finishing, he put his hands in his pockets and burst into laughter. His two assistants looked on with amusement, like they were watching a clown. It was clear he was rubbing salt in the wound.

"Not interested!" Ye Wushang snorted, snatching the check with lightning speed. At the same time, he pulled out the IOU, and as the other man reached for it, he loosened his fingers and let it drop to the ground.

"Ye Wushang, you!"

"I will handle my own affairs myself. I don't need anyone's help, especially yours." Ye Wushang said arrogantly, "And after I settle this, I will track down exactly who is pulling the strings. When I do, I will show no mercy!"

He looked at An Lan and said softly, "Lanlan, let's go. No matter what happens, I can solve it; don't worry. No one will be allowed to destroy the cooperation between the An and Lan families!"

"Yes!" An Lan nodded firmly, instinctively taking his arm and walking forward.

"Bah." Watching their retreating figures, Pei Huaide spat, his gaze dark. "Not very old, but quite the mouth on him. Trying to resolve this crisis? A pipe dream! Trying to find the mastermind? Even more ridiculous! I'll let you enjoy your bravado for now; let's see how you cry in a while!"

After he finished, he snapped his fingers to summon his assistants. "Well, is everything arranged?"

"No problem, President Pei. The media is in place and knows how to stir the pot. The order clients have also been bribed and will put pressure on them. This time, with this double blow, there's no way the An and Lan families will get through this safely!"

Pei Huaide's lips curled into a smile. "Very good. Let's go to the Qifeng Tower and set up a banquet to celebrate!"

...

Soon, the two pushed through the crowd. At this moment, Lan Ruoxue, Xu Wei, and a group of executives and employees were surrounding a woman. This woman was about forty, dressed in a form-fitting suit, looking strong and capable, especially with her gold-rimmed glasses. In her left hand, she held a resignation letter; in her right, a handbag. Her expression was cold, and her mind seemed made up.

"Director Zhang, can you please not leave?" Xu Wei pleaded. "We have the medicinal materials now, and the online orders are in. Everything is ready—we just need you. You are the core of our Lan Group's pharmaceutical team and one of the best experts in the country. If you don't lead the way, we won't be able to develop this new drug at all."

The woman named Director Zhang shook her head and said coldly, "That has nothing to do with me, Zhang Yanhong. Once I learned that your source for medicinal materials was the Medicine King Pharmaceutical, my work at the Lan Group came to an end."

She stepped forward to Lan Ruoxue, bowed slightly, and said respectfully, "President Lan, this is my resignation letter. When I was hired, you promised that I could leave at any time without any red tape and that you wouldn't obstruct me. So, whether you accept this letter or not, I am leaving."

Looking at the letter, Lan Ruoxue looked miserable, not knowing what to do. Who could have imagined she had such a deep grudge with Xue Kaichen? She hadn't known beforehand, and now, with this sudden resignation, she was in a very passive position.

Especially since, right after she had obtained the medicinal materials, someone had leaked the news about the new drug development. With the prestige of the Lan Group and the backing of the An Group, the pre-order market had become extremely hot. In just one night, orders had exceeded five million, and that number was still skyrocketing. If they couldn't fulfill them, they would not only have to pay hefty liquidated damages but also suffer severe damage to the reputations of both companies.

"Director Zhang, please calm down." Lan Ruoxue took a deep breath and tried to soothe her. "First of all, I did not know you and the boss of Medicine King Pharmaceutical, Xue Kaichen, had a history. If I had known, I would have considered your feelings first and perhaps chosen a different supplier. But the contract is signed and the orders are in. You've worked at the Lan Group for so many years; surely you have some affection for the company. I hope you can consider our current situation—no matter what, please finish this batch of new drugs..."

"Don't talk to me about affection!" Zhang Yanhong interrupted coldly. "If you really cared about my feelings, you wouldn't have partnered with Xue Kaichen. In short, my mind is made up. I am leaving today..."

"I think, aside from the Xue Kaichen factor, there must be other reasons why Director Zhang is insisting on leaving, right?" Before she could finish, Ye Wushang suddenly interrupted, walking out from the crowd.