But starting this morning, several heavily invested projects on hand were suddenly halted, and the banks also began tightening credit.
This series of problems was what truly gave him a headache.
In just one short night, Company had walked straight into a predicament.
Right now, the liquid capital on Company's books was barely enough to maintain the group's basic operations.
So as soon as it got light today, he quickly flew from Pengcheng to Kyoto.
But he hadn't expected that as soon as these problems appeared, those collaborators who were previously so intertwined would catch wind of it from somewhere and avoid him like the plague.
At this moment, the person he hated most in his mind wasn't Xu Zhi, but Jiang Cheng!!
Xu Jiayin's fingers suddenly clenched tight.
His knuckles turned a terrifying ghastly white.
His nails were nearly embedded in the flesh of his palms, and even his breathing carried a hint of teeth-gritting ferocity.
It felt as if a fire was burning in his chest, scorching his internal organs until they ached.
If it weren't for Jiang Cheng fueling the fire behind the scenes, how could Company have fallen into such a besieged state?
He had been drifting in the business world for decades; what great storms hadn't he seen?
Yet only this time, he had been forced by Jiang Cheng to a point where there was almost no retreat.
Although the big shot behind him hadn't completely abandoned him yet.
They were also in a stage of non-interference.
This meant he had to find a way himself; if he could endure it, he would.
If he couldn't, he would be left to his own devices.
Thinking of his former glory, he gritted his back teeth so hard that his jaw tensed into a rigid arc.
Within the decadent aura surrounding him, a world-shaking ferocity suddenly surged forth.
However, hindered by being in public, he could only calmly maintain a facade of decency.
Inside the private booth, Lei Jun immediately began calculating in his mind.
He had met Xu Jiayin a few times and knew the weight of this mogul, but right now he was discussing matters with Jiang Cheng.
After a moment of hesitation, he decided to play dumb and throw the conversation to Jiang Cheng first to test the other's attitude.
A perfectly timed look of surprise appeared on his face as he turned to Jiang Cheng and said, "I didn't expect President Xu to be dining here today as well. I remember you know President Xu?"
Jiang Cheng naturally saw Xu Jiayin too, but the expression on his face didn't change at all; his fingertips were even slowly and methodically stroking the rim of his teacup.
Instead, it was Wang Yuyan by his side whose fingertips tightened imperceptibly. Her hand resting on the table edge curled slightly, and a hint of worry couldn't help but rise on her face.
The scene of Xu Zhi being brought to the door last night was still fresh in her mind.
Encountering the man himself, Xu Jiayin, at this moment, she couldn't help but worry that the situation would stir up trouble again.
Her gaze subconsciously flickered toward Jiang Cheng with a trace of subtle tension.
Seeing Wang Yuyan looking at him, Jiang Cheng looked up, a very faint, reassuring smile rippling in his eyes.
He calmly reached out and gently patted the back of her hand. The pressure was light, yet it was enough to put her at ease, silently signaling her not to worry.
"We don't really know each other, we've just had a meal together. I didn't expect President Lei's information to be so well-informed..."
Upon hearing this, Lei Jun immediately took the opportunity to back down, his face blooming into a smile.
"Haha, how is that well-informed! I just saw it while scrolling through moments a while ago; I can't even remember exactly who posted it—"
After saying that, he intentionally elongated his tone and lightly tapped his forehead twice, putting on a silly act of trying hard to remember.
"I just remember there were many old acquaintances from the circle in the photo, and sitting in the middle was a very energetic Handsome Guy. I remembered him at a glance, and looking at it now, isn't that you, President Jiang!"
These words both flattered Jiang Cheng and blurred the details.
Jiang Cheng smiled, not taking his words seriously at all.
He didn't acknowledge Lei Jun's flattery or offer much explanation, but simply glanced toward the door and took the initiative to call out in a flat tone, "President Xu~"
Xu Jiayin was originally about to leave, but hearing the voice, he looked over through the crack in the door.
With that look, the expression on his face instantly froze.
The ferocity all over his body was like being doused with a bucket of ice water.
He hadn't expected to run into Jiang Cheng here.
And Jiang Cheng even took the initiative to greet him.
The look in that kid's eyes as he looked at him was even filled with mockery.
Instantly, Xu Jiayin felt a wave of humiliation surge into his heart.
At this moment, he wished he could step forward and kill Jiang Cheng directly.
But no matter how much he hated him, he knew he could only endure it right now.
The current Company hadn't reached a dead end yet.
His goal hadn't been achieved yet.
Xu Zhi and the others still needed him to support them.
Now was not the time to have a final showdown.
Having drifted in the business world for decades, he had long ago mastered the ability to control his emotions.
So what if he hated him?
In his dictionary, there were never permanent enemies, only permanent interests.
And Jiang Cheng might just be the straw that could pull him out.
In the next second, his clenched fingers slowly relaxed at a visible speed.
His tense jaw also gradually relaxed.
The surging hatred in his eyes was forcibly suppressed by him, so fast it caught people off guard. Only
a very faint, perfectly timed look of astonishment remained to flicker across his face.
"Oh, President Jiang!"
Xu Jiayin raised his voice slightly, forcefully turning that teeth-gritting hatred into perfectly timed surprise.
He paced his steps neither too fast nor too slow.
He even very naturally raised his hand to smooth the wrinkles on his suit collar.
Looking exactly like he was meeting an important guest.
Before he had even fully entered the room, his gaze first swept over the people in the booth.
When his gaze passed over Lei Jun, who stood up to welcome him, he nodded slightly with the familiar smile typical of a business veteran.
His gaze lingered more when it fell upon Wang Yuyan.
In this glance, there was a hint of imperceptible inquiry, but it was only for a flash, too fast to catch.
Finally, his gaze landed steadily on the seated and unmoving Jiang Cheng, and his smile deepened a bit more.
"President Lei is here too!"
Upon hearing this, the stone in Lei Jun's heart instantly dropped. He immediately sprang up from his seat, his smile warm yet appropriate.
He stepped forward to greet him: "Oh, President Xu! What wind blew you here? Are you also here to eat?"
As he spoke, he intentionally raised his volume.
Acting as if he hadn't seen the scene in the hallway just now.
Xu Jiayin didn't know if they had seen that scene in the hallway.
But since Lei Jun said so, he followed along: "Yes, I brought a client here for a meal and just saw them off. I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that our two booths are actually opposite each other~~"
Lei Jun smiled: "This is fate~"
"Indeed, it is a coincidence. Every time I come to Kyoto, I always run into President Jiang. I used to find it strange, but now, your words have reminded me—this is fate..."
Hearing Xu Jiayin's deliberate flattery, the photo Lei Jun had mentioned earlier—where Jiang Cheng was in the center—immediately reappeared in his mind.
It seemed it was just as he thought; that night, those few people were indeed revolving around Jiang Cheng.
Especially now, he and his female companion had already stood up to exchange pleasantries with Xu Jiayin, while Jiang Cheng and Wang Yuyan remained seated.
This completely gave off the feeling of not taking Xu Jiayin seriously at all.
What surprised him even more was Xu Jiayin.
Unexpectedly, not only was he not annoyed, but the smiling expression on his face didn't change either.
He took the initiative to reach out, his posture modest but not subservient: "President Jiang, a pleasure to meet you."
Jiang Cheng remained seated.
His fingertips carelessly brushed against the back of Xu Jiayin's hand.
He gave a light squeeze and then let go, the corners of his lips curling into a slight arc, his tone devoid of any ripples.
"President Xu, long time no see. If you're talking about fate, it seems you're right. By the way, yesterday near the Courtyard House where I live, I happened to run into Young Master Xu. I even specifically had someone invite him in for tea..."
Seeing Jiang Cheng bring this up proactively, a flash of ferocity quickly crossed Xu Jiayin's eyes.
However, it was gone in an instant.
This kid was doing it on purpose! Bringing it up in public was just because he felt he couldn't do anything to him, right?
Arrogant, so damn arrogant.
Once he had the chance one day, the first person he would kill would be him!
This trace of ferocity vanished in an instant, and he then forced himself to break into a hearty laugh, pulling out the chair next to him and sitting down.