Chapter 274: The Xiaoye Clan's Revenge

"I've never thought about that." Chen Qingdi shook his head. "I don't like all the scheming and infighting. The business world is a battlefield, and the waters run deep. One careless misstep and you'll fall into a trap. The best way is to do business with integrity, to stand tall, and to make money through legitimate means. That's the only way to ensure you don't easily fall into a trap."

At his words, a strange glint flashed in Shen Mingyue's eyes, but she concealed it so quickly that Chen Qingdi didn't notice.

"In any case, you can rest assured. I will never use such methods to get ahead. The title of Mrs. Chen will always be yours, and there will never be another woman by my side."

But even as Chen Qingdi was making his promise to Shen Mingyue, a conspiracy against them was already taking shape…

The Xiaoye Clan was a prominent family on the Outer Island, and they had always taken great pride in their wealth.

Two months ago, Patriarch Xiaoye Erfu had proposed a marriage alliance to Chen Qingdi, hoping to form a partnership. However, Chen Qingdi rejected the offer without a second thought. To the Xiaoye Family, this was a grave insult.

The memory still filled Xiaoye Erfu with rage. How dare that young man be so audacious! He simply didn't know what was good for him!

In Patriarch Xiaoye's eyes, the Xiaoye Clan was a true financial dynasty, while Chen Qingdi was, at best, a newly minted upstart. They had taken the initiative to extend an olive branch, only to be rebuffed. It was a complete and utter loss of face.

Patriarch Xiaoye let out a cold snort. "That damn Huaxia man," he said in a low voice, "dared to spurn my offer. This matter will not be dropped so easily."

Xiaoye Erfu's son nodded. "I agree with you, Father. A man like Chen Qingdi must be taught a lesson. He needs to learn just how powerful the Xiaoye Clan is."

Patriarch Xiaoye said coldly, "The two of you will watch Chen Qingdi's every move. See if an opportunity presents itself. I want to see what he's really made of, daring to disrespect me like that. He's utterly clueless."

Through their investigation, Xiaoye Erfu learned that Chen Qingdi hadn't just rejected them; he had turned down marriage proposals from numerous other powerful families. Now, all those families hated Chen Qingdi with a passion, gnashing their teeth and wishing him dead.

To Xiaoye Erfu, this Chen Qingdi was just an inflexible fool. If he wanted to defy him to the bitter end, then Xiaoye Erfu would make him disappear completely. He would learn the consequences of offending the Xiaoye Clan.

Xiaoye Erfu's son thought for a moment. "Father," he said, "we could hire an assassin. It wouldn't be the first time we've dealt with someone who didn't know their place."

Hearing this, Patriarch Xiaoye frowned. "No, that's not right. Killing him would be letting him off easy. We should join forces with the other families he rejected, crush the Mingyue Group, and make him come crawling to us, begging for mercy."

Those families already felt slighted by Chen Qingdi's rejections. If they could use this opportunity to push him into an abyss from which he could never recover, countless families would likely jump at the chance to join in. Then, the Xiaoye Family could simply sit back and reap the rewards.

"Enough. Let's set this aside for now. I've already arranged for men to monitor Chen Qingdi's every move. We will take immediate action at the first sign of trouble."

Chen Qingdi was unaware that he was already in the Xiaoye Clan's crosshairs. Upon returning to the office, he immediately summoned all the senior executives to the top floor to discuss the company's future strategy.

The main topic on the agenda was a new project investment plan for the upcoming shareholder meeting. Although his subordinates would be the ones representing the company at that meeting, Chen Qingdi still needed to make the final call on the specific details.

Chen Qingdi went through the documents, analyzing each phase of the proposed investment. Afterward, he had his secretary distribute the files to each of the executives present, telling them to study the details carefully.

After the meeting concluded, Chen Qingdi walked to the door, ready to leave. Just then, a series of urgent knocks echoed from the other side.

Immediately, a man hurried in. With a frantic look on his face, he said, "President Chen, we have a huge problem."

Chen Qingdi frowned slightly. "What is it? Why the panic?"

The man was panting. "President Chen, the project department just sent word. Many of our partners are suddenly threatening to terminate their contracts. And it's not just one or two—it's companies from all over the country. They're being incredibly adamant, like they're determined to fight us to the bitter end."

Hearing this, Chen Qingdi's eyes narrowed. He instantly realized this was no simple matter.

"What exactly is going on? Have you figured it out?"

Chen Qingdi's voice was low. He had clearly run into a serious problem.

"I've already sent people to investigate, but…" The man hesitated. "There's definitely something strange about this."

"Oh? What's so strange? Explain it to me in detail," Chen Qingdi said.

"Based on my assessment, the companies' sudden change of heart means there has to be someone pulling the strings from behind the scenes. And this mastermind must be someone familiar with how the Mingyue Group operates—or someone who knows you personally." The man paused to think, then continued, "What's more, whoever is behind this clearly knows our weaknesses."

"Go on," Chen Qingdi said calmly. 'He couldn't imagine who had this kind of power, or what their motives could be.'

The man continued, "If this is the work of a rival, we're in big trouble. After all, these partners are deeply entrenched, and they control a large portion of our client base."

Chen Qingdi nodded, his expression grave. He knew full well how much power these partners held. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they represented half the foundation of the Mingyue Group. If they all turned against the company, the losses would be catastrophic.

After a thorough investigation, Chen Qingdi finally discovered who was behind the sabotage: the Xiaoye Clan. He never would have expected them to go so far for revenge, spending three times the normal rate to buy out their partners.

Consequently, many of the partners couldn't resist the temptation of such a lucrative offer and defected to the Xiaoye Clan's side.

But now, the problems facing the Mingyue Group were far from over. There was much more to come.

The withdrawal of these partners would cause severe delays in product sales, leading to massive losses.

Furthermore, the Mingyue Group's stock price plummeted, breaking its all-time low. Shareholders were dumping their stock in a panic, sending the company's share value into a freefall.

In that instant, Chen Qingdi felt as if a mountain had come crashing down on his head, the pressure and pain unbearable.