The ancient war between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in a wealthy family

The family meeting finally came to an end, my second uncle's conspiracy was exposed, and he was expelled from the family business. I thought that the matter was over, and I could finally breathe a sigh of relief and spend some peaceful time with Zhan Yu.

However, reality gave me a heavy blow.

A few days after the family meeting, Zhan Yu noticed a shift in the company's internal dynamics. Some planned projects were suddenly shelved, while some investments he hadn't been optimistic about were approved thanks to the support of a mysterious shareholder.

"It's obvious someone is targeting us." Zhan Yu frowned and slammed a document on the table. "I rejected this project before because the risk was too high and the returns were unstable. But now it's approved?"

My heart sank, and I felt a vague sense of unease. It seemed that the Second Uncle incident was just the beginning, and the real mastermind behind this had yet to be revealed.

"Could it be that the shareholders have something against us?" I asked. "After all, my second uncle has been running the company for many years. They might..."

"Impossible." Zhan Yu shook his head. "Those old shareholders have watched me grow up. Even if they have opinions about us, they will tell me directly instead of doing these little tricks behind my back."

There must be something wrong when things are abnormal. Zhan Yu and I both realized that things are far more complicated than we imagined.

To get to the bottom of things, Zhan Yu began attending company meetings more frequently, trying to identify the manipulators. I wasn't idle either. I began using the Bai family's connections to secretly investigate the backgrounds of those mysterious shareholders.

However, before we could find any clues, new problems arose. Rumors about Zhan Yu and me began to spread within the company. Some said we were using our status to suppress other family members, while others said we had no business sense and were only interested in reaping the benefits...

These rumors became more and more outrageous, and even reached the ears of the elders of the Zhan family.

"Is there something uneasy in the company recently?" One night, Zhan Yu's father suddenly called us to the study and asked in a serious tone.

"Dad, you mean..." Zhan Yu asked calmly.

"I heard there have been some rumors about you and Miss Bai in the company recently." Father Zhan sighed, "They said you were ostracizing other family members and not giving them opportunities?"

I sneered in my heart. It seemed that the other party wanted to use public opinion to isolate us.

"Dad, you know that I have always kept my public and private affairs separate, and would never..." Zhan Yu wanted to explain, but was interrupted by his father.

"I know, I believe you." Father Zhan waved his hand, "But, after all, those children are still young and easily provoked. You should also pay more attention to their emotions."

When I left the study, I noticed that Zhan Yu looked a little unhappy.

"It seems that someone is deliberately inciting those young people." I whispered, "We must find the mastermind as soon as possible, otherwise..."

Before I could finish my words, I saw Zhan Yu's phone screen light up. It was an unread message from the company's internal group chat.

Zhan Yu clicked on the message and his face instantly turned ashen.

"What's wrong?" My heart tightened and I asked quickly.

Zhan Yu didn't say anything, just handed the phone to me.

I took the phone and saw a message on the screen. The sender was a young project manager in the company. The content was:

"I heard that Mr. Zhan has been in a bad mood recently? Maybe it's because someone is hindering the development of the family business?"

Attached to the message was a photo of Zhan Yu and I standing side by side at a family meeting... A surge of rage shot through my head, and I gripped my phone tightly, my fingertips turning white. These young Zhan family members, usually so polite and refined, had actually learned to take advantage of others' misfortunes and fan the flames!

Zhan Yu took a deep breath, tried hard to control his anger, and whispered, "It seems that someone wants to muddy the waters and fish in troubled waters."

In the following days, the company seemed to have become a huge quagmire, and Zhan Yu and I were like trapped beasts in it, and every step we took was extremely difficult.

Those younger students, relying on their elders' favoritism, began to make things even harder for us. They deliberately delayed work progress, were vague in project reports, and even made unreasonable demands in important meetings, trying to embarrass us in public.

"Mr. Zhan, I have revised this project plan three times according to your requirements. Do you think we can..." The project manager pushed the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, with a subtle provocation in his tone.

I sat next to Zhan Yu and looked through the plan in my hand. I had seen this plan two days ago. There were no substantial changes at all. It was clearly a deliberate delay.

Zhan Yu put down the pen in his hand and asked in a cold tone, "Do you think there is anything else that needs to be revised in this plan?"

"This..." The project manager was obviously stunned and stammered, unable to speak.

"Since there is no such plan, then we will carry it out according to this plan." Zhan Yu did not give him any more chances and made the decision directly.

Similar things happen almost every day. Zhan Yu and I are exhausted from dealing with them, but we are never able to solve the problem fundamentally.

"We can't go on like this. We have to take the initiative," I said to Zhan Yu. "We have to find out the identities and intentions of those mysterious shareholders."

Zhan Yu nodded, and we decided to meet with those mysterious shareholders directly to talk.

However, when we arrived at the company of one of the shareholders, we were told by the front desk that the other party was not in the company.

"We have already made an appointment in advance." I explained patiently.

"I'm sorry, our chairman is not in the company today." The receptionist had a professional smile on her face, but her tone was cold and distant.

We tried to contact several shareholders again, but the responses we received were all the same, either "not in the company" or "no time".

It's obvious that the other party is deliberately avoiding us.

"It seems that we are completely isolated." After coming out of the last company, I sighed helplessly.

"No, things haven't reached the point of despair." Zhan Yu held my hand, a gleam in his eyes, "Since they won't see us, then we will force them to show themselves!"

He took out his cell phone and dialed a number. His tone was low and firm: "Help me find out who has been secretly acquiring shares in our company recently..."

I don’t know what the person on the other end of the phone said, but Zhan Yu’s expression became more and more solemn.

"I understand." He hung up the phone, a cold look flashing in his eyes. "It seems that someone is more anxious than we thought..."

My heart tightened and I asked, "Who is it?"

Zhan Yu didn't answer directly, but pulled me towards the car parked on the side of the road, and whispered, "It's the Lu Group."

The Lu Group, a renowned business giant, is renowned for its ruthless business practices and vast financial resources. I felt a chill run through my body. If the Lu Group was truly behind all this, then Zhan Yu and I were in real danger.

"Why is it the Lu family?" I suppressed my inner uneasiness and asked in a low voice, "Why are they targeting the Zhan family?"

"It's not clear yet." Zhan Yu shook his head solemnly, "But one thing is certain, this time the opponent is very powerful, we must be doubly careful."

In the following days, it seemed as if an invisible net tightly surrounded Zhan Yu and me, making it hard for us to breathe.

The company lost several important clients one after another. Each client's departure was unexpected, yet it seemed pre-planned. We sent someone to investigate and eventually found that these clients had switched to companies under the Lu Group.

"Damn it!" I slammed the documents in my hand onto the table, shaking with anger. "These people have absolutely no moral integrity. They actually use such despicable means to snatch customers!"

"Calm down, this is not the time to be angry." Zhan Yu held my shoulders, his tone a little tired, "We must find a way to deal with it as soon as possible, otherwise the company will be dragged down sooner or later."

As time went by, rumors began to spread within the Zhan family. Some people began to question the abilities of Zhan Yu and me, saying that we were too young and inexperienced, which led to the company's problems.

"I heard that the reason the company suffered such heavy losses this time was because the young mistress offended someone she shouldn't have offended..."

"That's right. I heard that he's a tough guy. I'm afraid the Zhan family will..."

"Ah, what a misfortune for our family..."

These rumors, like poisonous snakes, quietly eroded the unity within the Zhan family, doubling the pressure on Zhan Yu and me.

"Don't pay attention to these rumors and just focus on our own thing." Zhan Yu seemed to have anticipated such a situation and his tone remained calm.

I knew he was trying to comfort me, but I was growing increasingly uneasy. I realized this time the difficulties were even more daunting than before, and we seemed to be trapped in an elaborate trap. I didn't know how to break free, and the road ahead was filled with uncertainty.

"Knock Knock Knock-"

There was a sudden knock on the office door, and Zhan Yu's assistant walked in panicked, saying in a hurried tone, "Boss Zhan, something bad has happened..."

"What happened?" Zhan Yu stood up suddenly, a hint of anxiety in his tone.

The assistant took a deep breath and said in a trembling voice, "The Financial Director... The Financial Director absconded with the money!"

I suddenly felt dizzy, my vision went dark, and I almost lost my balance. The CFO was a veteran employee of the company, having worked at Zhan's for over a decade, always diligent and dedicated, deeply trusted by Zhan Yu's father. How could he suddenly...

"Quick, call the police immediately!" Zhan Yu acted decisively, quickly putting on his coat while making the call. "Also, notify the company's legal department, freeze all accounts, and do everything in our power to recover the losses!"

I held onto the table to steady myself, trying to stay calm. I knew this wasn't the time to panic; the more critical the moment, the more I needed to keep a clear head.

Watching Zhan Yu busy at work, I was filled with worry and anxiety. These events had happened one after another, one after another, as if an invisible hand was manipulating everything from behind, pushing us into a desperate situation step by step.

Who is it? Who is behind this deliberate plot against us? Could it really be the Lu Group? What is their purpose?

A series of questions swirled in my mind, but I couldn't find the answers. I felt unprecedented powerlessness and confusion, as if I had fallen into a huge quagmire, and the more I struggled, the deeper I sank.

"Madam, are you okay?" Zhan Yu's assistant asked with concern and handed me a glass of warm water.

I took the cup, shook my head slightly, and suppressed my uneasiness and asked, "How is the company doing now?"

The assistant sighed and said in a heavy tone, "The situation is not optimistic. The CFO has embezzled a huge amount of funds, and the company's accounts are almost empty. Now the suppliers are demanding payment, and the bank loan is due. If we can't raise funds quickly, the company may..."

He didn't say the rest of the sentence, but I understood what he meant. The Zhan Group, a family-owned enterprise with a century-old history, was now standing on the edge of a cliff, and could fall into the abyss at any time.

Just then, the office door was knocked again, and a familiar figure walked in. It was Zhan Yu's uncle, Zhan Jianguo, the second largest shareholder of the Zhan Group.

"Zhan Yu, what's the situation now?" he asked anxiously as soon as he entered the door, with a hint of gloating in his tone that was difficult to conceal.

Zhan Yu looked at him coldly and said nothing.

"Hey, it's already this late, and you still have the energy to be so disgruntled?" Zhan Jianguo frowned in dissatisfaction. "Such a big thing has happened to the company now. As the company's president, shouldn't you give everyone an explanation?"

"An explanation?" Zhan Yu sneered, "What do you want to explain?"

"Of course..." Zhan Jianguo was about to speak, but was interrupted by me.

"Uncle, the company needs unity right now, so please don't cause more trouble." I stepped forward and said calmly, "I believe Zhan Yu can handle this matter."

Zhan Jianguo looked at me deeply, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he turned and left the office.

As soon as he left, my heart sank. I knew this was just the beginning and that bigger storms were yet to come.

"Ma'am, don't worry, we..." The assistant wanted to say something but was interrupted by me.

"I know." I took a deep breath, a hint of determination flashing in my eyes. "Go gather all the old employees of the company. I have something to say to them..."