Chapter 480 Masters Face Off

• “Since you’re here, come on in.” Hearing the praise he’d been expecting, Old Jiang spoke up, satisfied. Cao Yingsheng hesitated for a beat. After ten seconds or so, he put on a respectful face and stepped into the parlor. Then he obediently took his place at Old Jiang’s side, ready to serve him at a moment’s notice. That move alone made everyone present even more certain of Old Jiang’s trust in him—his abilities already stood out among the Jiang family, and with this round of flattery, his position was rock solid. Old Jiang wasn’t blind to the risk of hidden agendas. So no matter how much power he handed down in the company, the shares always stayed firmly in the family’s grip. That way, even if Cao turned the sky upside down, he couldn’t pull any real tricks. That was exactly what Cao Yingsheng resented. He’d climbed up smoothly, but as long as Old Jiang kept the shares, no amount of hustle would get him anywhere. “I heard this new energy launch is also led by President Cao,” Mr. Zhao, who oversaw Lumonburg’s new energy development, seemed quite interested in the son-in-law. After a few lines of chat, he steered things right back to Cao. Cao lifted his gaze and met his eyes… For some reason, he could feel something unfriendly in that look—hostility. It was their first meeting. They’d never crossed paths in business. A big-shot like Mr. Zhao shouldn’t be this prickly toward a newbie. Cao really couldn’t read the man. He forced a smile and played nice: “It’s my first time carrying the load alone. I’ll need guidance from my elders.” “Chairman Jiang is about to hand you half his empire. If you didn’t have real chops, he wouldn’t. Why bother being humble?” This guy’s a pro. Cao didn’t want to tangle with him, so he turned the floor over to Jiang Shiyuan. “You flatter me, Mr. Zhao. Chairman Jiang is generous, letting the younger generation train. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have the chance to grow.” But Mr. Zhao kept pressing. “Training is one thing. But to leap over the chairman’s two biological sons and become the Jiang family’s number two—that’s a skill most people can’t even dream of.” The moment that landed, every face in the room went stone-cold. Everyone knew the one thing you never brought up in front of Old Jiang: his own sons being hopeless. Mr. Zhao was poking the sorest spot on purpose. The room fell silent. Cao seized the moment and dug him a pit: “You might not know, Mr. Zhao. Chairman Jiang favors me simply because I’m older and can set an example for the two brothers. As for ability, you rarely visit the Jiang residence, so you only see the surface—no need to make comparisons based on that.” After that, the chill on Old Jiang’s face eased a bit. Just as everyone was breathing out, relieved at Cao’s neat save, Mr. Zhao pulled out his phone, his tone full of mockery: “President Cao is not only young and promising—his scheming and foresight leave the rest of us in the dust.” He flipped the phone around. A photo filled their sight—Cao Yingsheng secretly meeting with Zhuo Haoyan. What the two of them talked about, no one knew. The only thing people could link it to was the shocker of Zhuo’s bid failing. Could it be related? Before Old Jiang could make it out, Cao, standing right beside him, moved fast and pulled out his own phone. “Since you already know, Mr. Zhao, I don’t mind sharing the news with everyone early.” What?! The crowd was stunned. Mr. Zhao hadn’t expected the kid to come prepared. In a flash, he felt the heat—this was a threat. “What are you two bouncing back and forth about? Spit it out.” Before Cao could spin anything, Old Jiang growled, anger breaking loose. Right now, his fury was off the charts—he felt like a circus monkey, played by the two of them. Mr. Zhao knew. That was exactly his goal. Cao, though, didn’t give a damn. In the months he’d spent with the Jiangs, he’d learned Old Jiang’s temperament inside out and knew just how to handle him. So when the question hit, a counterplan snapped into place instantly.