Chapter 928 - 894: A Lawsuit Arrives

Xu Chunliang laughed and said, "Grandpa, times have changed. There’s not so much forever and no more absolute loyalty."

Xu Changshan’s face hardened, "You brat are talking nonsense. I knew the problem was with you. You’re full of trickery. Did you get found out for being two-faced?" Actually, he knew this wasn’t the reason; his precious grandson was just saying this to make him feel better.

The grandson has good character; even when breaking up, he never speaks ill, still taking all the responsibility on himself.

Xu Chunliang said, "Grandpa, you can’t blame me for this. You need to trace the root cause and find the fault in the genes. I reckon it was a problem from my dad."

Xu Changshan snorted, "Your dad, he’s no good at all, he passed down bad genes..." at this point, he realized he was caught in his grandson’s trap. The grandson’s bad genes come from the son, don’t they? So the son’s bad genes were surely inherited from him? Tracing the roots directly leads back to himself.

Xu Changshan laughed and cursed, "You little rascal, do you believe I’ll smack you with my shoe sole?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Then hurry up and smack me. I’ll help you soak your feet afterward."

Xu Changshan was just talking; he couldn’t bear to actually do it. He waved his hand and said, "No need, you came all the way from Dongzhou and are tired. By the way, how long are you planning to stay this time?"

Xu Chunliang estimated at least a week, to reassure his grandfather to stay a few more days and then go back with him after finishing his business.

Xu Changshan, however, decided to leave tomorrow.

Xu Chunliang was really amused by this decision. As soon as he arrived, his grandpa decided to go. Others might think they had some conflict.

Xu Changshan had his reasons. Though it’s nice for the grandson to come to Capital City and meet the grandfather, he understood that Xu Chunliang came here to learn. If he stayed, Xu Chunliang would feel obligated to care for him, so it’s better to hurry back to Dongzhou and not let his precious grandson be distracted.

So Xu Chunliang said that grandpa considered him in every matter.

Xu Changshan missed home too. No matter how good the outside is, it’s not as good as home. It’s not far from Capital City to Dongzhou; taking the high-speed rail, he could have Zheng Peian pick him up at the station, a morning’s affair at most.

Seeing his grandfather determined to leave, Xu Chunliang didn’t try to keep him.

The biggest gain Xu Changshan had from this trip to Capital City was meeting Elder Ye’s family. Feeling sentimental, he said, "Honestly, when Elder Ye took you as his adopted grandson, I was a bit uneasy, worried if we were overreaching. But now I realize, Elder Ye is really a down-to-earth person."

Xu Chunliang knew his grandpa was surely comparing Elder Ye with Elder Qiao. It’s not that Elder Qiao is bad, but Elder Qiao is more discreet and introverted. Xu Chunliang could understand that families like theirs must consider various factors for the interest of their own, definitely not like ordinary families.

Xu Chunliang said, "Grandpa, don’t worry. I have some pride; I won’t be like certain people who try to squeeze their way into the upper echelons."

Xu Changshan said earnestly, "Whatever the time, you must do your best, have no guilty conscience, live up to justice and integrity, and stand proudly in front of anyone. We doctors must always stand tall wherever we go."

Xu Chunliang replied respectfully, "Grandpa, I remember."

At this moment, his phone rang. Xu Chunliang answered, and someone asked, "Is this Mr. Xu Chunliang?"

Xu Chunliang said, "That’s me!"

"I’m Chen Yuan, an attorney for Renhe Hall, here to discuss the trademark issue of Renhe Hall with you."

Xu Chunliang vaguely remembered dealing with this person once, back when Zhou Yiwen’s attorney planned to sue him for inheritance but backed off when realizing they had no chance.

Xu Chunliang took the call in the study, "What is there to discuss? The will is clear; the Renhe Hall trademark is mine. What qualifies you to represent Renhe Hall?"

Chen Yuan said, "Mr. Xu, frankly speaking, you only hold 30% of Renhe Hall shares. According to our information, Mr. Zhou Renhe violated many trademark laws when registering the Renhe Hall trademark. Simply put, his Renhe Hall trademark is illegal. We’ve formally applied to revoke your inheritance use of the Renhe Hall trademark."

Xu Chunliang was amused and angry, "What’s wrong with you? You’re a lawyer and I don’t have a lawyer? When Mr. Zhou made the will, Fang Wenzheng, the lawyer, witnessed it. Everything was within legal procedures. Who are you trying to fool?"

Chen Yuan said, "If you refuse to negotiate, then we’ll see you in court."

Xu Chunliang said, "Who’s afraid of whom?"

Chen Yuan said, "By the way, you might not know yet, Zhou Yiwen and Zhou Yi Wu have officially transferred their Renhe Hall shares."

Xu Chunliang cursed in his heart. Zhou Yi Wu is still serving time, and Zhou Yiwen has been affected by the Nine-Turns Annihilation Needle. These brothers probably wouldn’t dare face him directly anymore, so they transferred all their shares to others. It’s undoubtedly Mingde Group. Huang Youlong, that old schemer, is truly relentless. Let’s see what tricks they try.

Xu Chunliang asked, "To whom? Not even notifying me as a shareholder."

Chen Yuan said, "You’ll know when you receive the summons."

Xu Chunliang hung up the phone and called Fang Wenzheng, the lawyer. The phone rang for a while before Fang Wenzheng answered, telling Xu Chunliang that he had already immigrated to Australia and was no longer practicing law.

Xu Chunliang mentioned that Chen Yuan was commissioned to sue him over a trademark case, but Fang Wenzheng expressed his lack of knowledge about the matter, stating he no longer planned to return to the country, effectively bidding farewell to his past legal career. If needed, he could introduce a familiar lawyer to Xu Chunliang.

Xu Chunliang began to feel something was amiss. Initially, Zhou Renhe had Fang Wenzheng draft a will, and Fang Wenzheng had dutifully performed his lawyer duties throughout the process, ensuring justice and the execution of the will for Elder Zhou.

Xu Chunliang thought that the matters concerning Renhe Hall had ended, but now there were new disturbances. The Zhou Brothers had transferred their shares, and Fang Wenzheng quietly chose to immigrate.

If the opposing party did not have a certain level of assurance, they wouldn’t dare to challenge him. Xu Chunliang pondered a very bad possibility: could Fang Wenzheng be part of the problem? Was Elder Zhou mistaken in trusting the wrong person? Although this lawyer didn’t assist the Zhou Brothers, could he be intentionally creating confusion? If so, the plot was deeply woven.

Upon returning, Xu Chunliang did not reveal this matter to his grandfather, so as to avoid making the elder angry.

Finding out whom the Zhou Brothers transferred their shares to was not difficult, and Xu Chunliang managed to discover that evening that the Zhou Brothers transferred 70% of their shares to Shennong Pharmaceutical Group, whose chairman is Cao Bingyi.

Xu Chunliang initially thought they had transferred their shares to Mingde Group. Upon confirming this news, he felt it was somewhat strange—were other forces involved?

This Shennong Pharmaceutical Group is located in Northern Hubei Shennongjia, a private company that integrates herbal cultivation and processing, with considerable strength.

Xu Chunliang wasn’t familiar with the herbal medicine industry but had connections in this field, such as Dongzhou Enheng Group, and even closer ties with Qiaocheng Mulan Group.

Xu Chunliang called Xiahou Mulan that evening.

Xiahou Mulan answered the call with a touch of aloofness: "What’s up?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Just wanted to check in on you; hasn’t that monk been bothering you?"

Xiahou Mulan replied, "Thanks, I’m fine."

"Are you in good health, too?"

In her heart, Xiahou Mulan felt her body was generally fine, but she was too embarrassed to mention the minor issues, internally cringing because this guy didn’t understand how to be gentle; she was still unsteady on her feet till now.

She answered reluctantly, "Pretty good!"

"Then I’m relieved."

Hearing him proactively call to express concern, Xiahou Mulan felt a bit warmed: "Do you have any other matters?"

Xu Chunliang said, "There’s a small issue."

Instantly guarded, Xiahou Mulan suspected his motives weren’t pure—was he trying to manipulate her again into going far and putting her through another test? She was determined not to easily agree this time; Xu Chunliang was a big liar! Previously, he said he’d only performed half of the "Yin-Yang Cultivation," but that ’half’ was barely anything; it was more like an ordeal than cultivation.

Holding her phone, her face flush and her heart racing, Xiahou Mulan said, "Speak openly, I might not be able to help."

Xu Chunliang chuckled, "You’re still so cautious with me; I’ve been completely transparent and open with you."

Xiahou Mulan felt him flirting with her and flushed in embarrassment, retorting, "There’s no one slicker than you."

Xu Chunliang responded, "You’ve personally experienced that aspect, so of course, you have the right to speak."

Feeling overly hot, Xiahou Mulan tried to steer the conversation away, "If you don’t say something, I’ll hang up."

Xu Chunliang said, "Hold on, have you heard of Shennong Pharmaceutical Group?"

Xiahou Mulan said, "There are many companies with that name; I know of three."

Xu Chunliang said, "The one in Shennongjia, where the legal representative’s surname is Cao."

Xiahou Mulan said, "Cao Bingyi!"

Realizing she identified the name immediately, Xu Chunliang knew he’d contacted the right person: "Yes, that’s the one."

Xiahou Mulan said, "He’s a veteran of the Gate of Fatigue, sharing the same generation as Wu Yuanyi. So? Do you have beef with him too?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Not really." Without needing to hide from Xiahou Mulan, he revealed that Shennong Pharmaceutical Group had acquired 70% of Renhe Hall Group’s shares.

After hearing his explanation, Xiahou Mulan immediately asked, "What do you want me to do?" She realized she was too eager and quickly corrected herself, "I don’t know him that well, but I can probably reach him." She was determined to help if Xu Chunliang asked; after all, blood is thicker than water.