Chapter 68: Desert Villa (2)

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The Prodigal Son – Chapter Sixty-eight: Desert Villa (2)

Everyone exchanged glances, uncertain and bewildered. Unlike Otney, these people were not so bound to Will that they couldn’t be separated—his loyalty was forged through broken bones and blood, impossible to sever.

Although Xiao Tianci’s words just now were infuriating—so much so that Will was left spitting blood—they were undeniably the reality. Xiao Tianci held absolute authority over the company. As some began to leave, the rest followed suit.

Watching Otney and his group surround Will, Xiao Tianci barked, “Hey… what are you doing? Hurry up and take him to the hospital.”

Otney sprang up, ready to curse Xiao Tianci for his games—posting guards at the door and saying such things. But as he rose, before he could speak, he caught sight of Fang Meng, who seemed never to have left Xiao Tianci’s side. He glanced toward the door; besides the doors themselves, there was nothing else.

No one blocked their way. They carried Will out, not even bothering to close the door behind them. Xiao Tianci, diligent as ever, went himself to shut it and returned to his seat, sighing, “I think at Meihua, besides normal operations, we need to address issues of conduct and character. Look, these are all high-level executives, yet none know to close the door behind them. No manners at all—quite disgraceful!”

Everyone bowed their heads; now they truly felt helpless. What kind of person was this new head of the Xiao family—was he clever or mad? Could he be so clever that he’d become insane? None now doubted Xiao Tianci’s intellect—within less than a day, he’d already stripped the strongest opponent of dignity and even made him cough up blood.

Zhou Ao secretly rejoiced that he hadn’t backed Will, though he knew Will wouldn’t let things rest so easily. Yet the Xiao family’s power was far too formidable. Without absolute strength, how could a man like him, using such lowly tactics, bring down an old fox like Will?

It seemed that sometimes, with absolute strength, one didn’t need fancy tricks—the simplest, even clumsy methods, when backed by power, could prove overwhelming.

“Dong… dong…” Xiao Tianci tapped the table, and everyone looked up at him. Satisfied, he nodded. “That’s right, why are you all acting like mourners? We’re in a meeting! You are Meihua’s finest talents; together, we will create tomorrow, so lift your spirits.”

Several began to voice their agreement, nodding, while most remained noncommittal, waiting for what would come next—after such a commotion, surely it would be even more dramatic and lively.

“All right, let me say this: the Taklamakan Desert is the largest desert in the country, the second largest in the world, and the world’s largest shifting desert—covering 230,000 square kilometers. The largest fixed and semi-fixed desert in China is the Gurbantunggut Desert in Xinjiang. My goal is to build the most luxurious villa complex in this world’s greatest shifting desert. This will become the most extraordinary and unique human landscape in history, a symbol of wealth and status. When the time comes, everyone will take pride in owning a Meihua-built villa in the desert. It will be a landmark, a signature architectural group representing Meihua.”

Mentioning this again, everyone’s faces turned ashen. One veteran, who seemed to have nothing left to lose, spoke up, “Chairman, I believe…”

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“Wait…” Xiao Tianci interrupted him. “Don’t call me ‘Chairman’ or ‘Mr. Xiao’—I dislike those titles. From now on, just call me ‘Boss,’ like Chief Steward Lin Jian does. Go ahead, continue.”

The man hesitated, surprised by such a trivial demand. “Well… Boss, even if you dislike hearing it, I must say it. I am one of those who founded Meihua with your father; in two years I’ll retire, so I have no need to stick my neck out. But I think your idea of building villas in the desert—if it’s just for a fleeting purpose, it’s fine, but if it’s a real Meihua investment, it’s impossible. Because this simply cannot succeed.”

Compared to his earlier arrogance, Xiao Tianci now seemed like a completely different person, nodding humbly and gratefully. “Well said—why wouldn’t I want to hear it? As the saying goes, ‘bitter medicine is good for illness, honest advice is good for action.’ Even ancient emperors valued counsel and learned from others; how much more should we, a business group? As your boss, I truly thank you for your words—they show you genuinely care for Meihua.”

Everyone was stunned—was this another act? Zhou Ao silently calculated; surely Xiao Tianci wasn’t seriously planning the desert villa. That was merely a spark to ignite the powder keg against Will. Now, his open-minded attitude was meant to win hearts—yes, that must be it.

Given Xiao Tianci’s wild swings in attitude, the others were cautious, each wanting to wait and see before speaking. The elder, whom Xiao Tianci knew as Li Yueshan—though not old, only fifty-six—was a founding minister of Meihua.

Li Yueshan, having spoken, was unafraid—whether Xiao Tianci listened earnestly or not, he continued, “Earlier, General Manager Zhou outlined the grand plan, which was set at the start of the year. Though we have some reserved funds, they are insufficient for this project. Moreover, these desert villas lack a solid selling point. Most importantly, if we pursue this, it will severely damage Meihua’s reputation and cause the stock price to plummet.”

Zhou Ao thought he’d seen through Xiao Tianci’s intentions—now was the moment to offer him an exit. He spoke, “Actually, Boss’s idea is indeed an unusual and creative one—no one has thought of it before; though extreme, it might yield unexpected results. But perhaps it lacks research and concrete data. If we shelve it for now and revisit it later, the effect could be better.”

Some understood Zhou Ao’s words, some didn’t; some thought they understood but didn’t. Nevertheless, all chimed in, agreeing that the plan was good but not suitable for now, better in the future.

Now, Xiao Tianci appeared the wise, open-minded leader, entirely different from the rogue he had been moments before. Once the discussion settled, Xiao Tianci spoke sincerely, “From your words, I feel your support and care for me. Here, I express my gratitude.”

“Oh, Boss, you’re too kind…”

“Boss, you flatter us…”

“Yes, this is what we should do…”

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Everyone was friendly again, laughing and yielding to one another. For a moment, all believed the matter resolved.

Xiao Tianci turned to Zhou Ao. “Especially, I want to thank Zhou Ao. Though I’ve been at Meihua for only a very short time, I can tell that Meihua’s development is inseparable from your contributions. With your help, I believe we will lead Meihua into a new century.”

Zhou Ao hadn’t expected such praise from Xiao Tianci—lavished to the skies—which left him a bit unaccustomed, but more than that, wary.

“Heh… Boss overpraises me. Truly, Meihua owes its success to old Mr. Xiao’s hard work, and to the joint efforts of all present. I’ve been at Meihua a short time and have yet to contribute.”

Xiao Tianci laughed heartily. “Modesty, such modesty! Modest people are good people. All right, let’s not waste time here with modesty and flattery.”

Step by step, his plan was unfolding. Though his demeanor changed constantly—now one mood, now another—his heart remained clear.

Wind, rain, thunder, lightning—two with weak hearts were already taking medicine. Most, though, kept silent, watching except for the occasional flattering remark.

The struggle between Xiao Tianci and Will had seen Xiao Tianci gain the upper hand, but everyone expected Will would not let matters rest—what would his next move be?

After speaking, Xiao Tianci fell silent, even closing his eyes for about twenty seconds. Every gesture drew everyone’s attention.

“What I want to say now is that the desert villa project—I am determined to pursue it. What you have seen is only phase one; there will be much more. Before you speak, let me finish: you probably haven’t thought about how this project can make money. So your first thoughts are that it’s impossible. But in this world, there are countless things once deemed impossible that became possible. You all have high degrees—examples and reasoning I’ll skip. Let me tell you, practically, how these desert villas can be profitable.”

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