Xu Chen took out his phone, lowered his eyes to the number written in the information file, and dialed it without hesitation.
The line rang only twice before it was picked up.
A woman's voice came from the other side, lazy and casual, as if she had all the time in the world.
Xu Chen straightened unconsciously. His tone became formal and steady, carrying the calm confidence of someone who had long been used to representing Huo Corporation outside.
"Hello, this is Xu Chen. I'm calling from Huo Corporation."
He paused briefly, then continued in a polite and formal tone.
"May I ask if this is Mingxiao Security? I'd like to discuss a business matter with your company."
The other side was silent for two seconds. Then a soft "yaaawn" came through the phone, followed by a woman's lazy voice.
"What Guo Corporation?".
Xu Chen's mouth twitched slightly
He had clearly said Huo Corporation.
But before he could speak, the woman went on in the same lazy tone.
"Why are you calling my number? What business does your Guo Corporation have with me? And what Mingxiao company? I've never heard of it."
Xu Chen's face stiffened.
He opened his mouth, intending to correct her, but the woman did not give him the chance.
Her tone changed in an instant, turning sharp and hostile.
"You piece of shit. If you wake me up again, I'll skin you alive. Don't disturb my sleep."
Click.
The call was cut off without hesitation.
The busy tone rang harshly in Xu Chen's ear.
For a moment, he stood there holding the phone, his expression turning uglier by the second.
He already knew who had answered the call
That voice, that deliberately provocative tone, and especially that childish way of twisting other people's names on purpose just to annoy them—it could only be Shen Yueran.
It was obviously a very immature method, Yet every single time, it succeeded in making people furious.
The moment someone heard their company name or family name intentionally distorted, irritation would rise straight to their forehead.
Xu Chen took a slow breath and suppressed the anger climbing up his chest. Then he lowered his head and flipped through the information booklet in his hand, searching for another contact number under Mingxiao Security.
There were not many numbers listed.
He picked the next one and dialed again.
The call connected quickly.
Before Xu Chen could even finish saying, "Hello—"
The same voice came through the line.
"So you still dare to call?"
Her tone was even more unfriendly than before, and then a storm of scolding rained down mercilessly. She cursed him from head to toe, and when that was not enough, she even dragged in his ancestors, greeting his seven generations with a level of fluency that made his face turn green on the spot.
Xu Chen had lived for so many years and had worked under Huo Corporation for so long, but never in his life had he been scolded like this.
By the time the other side finally hung up again, his hand holding the phone had tightened so much that the veins on the back of it were visible.
He almost vomited blood from anger.
On the other side, Shen Yueran tossed the phone onto the desk and leaned back in her chair, smiling so widely that her eyes narrowed into crescents.
Her mood was obviously excellent.
She crossed one leg over the other and let out a faint scoff.
"You didn't even apologize for the commotion you caused in my territory, and you attacked my people too."
"Now you want to talk business with our company? Who would believe you?"
She tapped her fingers lightly against the armrest, her gaze cold and mocking.
"Do you people think my brain is made of mud?"
"You're practically plotting against me in the open, and you still expect me to cooperate with you. Are you all stupid, or do you think I'm stupid?"
The more she thought about it, the more amused she felt.
Did they think she had no temper?
Shen Yueran snorted and immediately pressed the internal line.
Very quickly, a few company staff members came over.
The playful smile on her face faded, replaced by a tone that left no room for disobedience.
"Pass my order down immediately."
Everyone straightened at once.
"If anyone call or comes mentioning Huo Corporation or the Huo family, don't let them in."
Her voice was light, but the pressure in it was unmistakable.
"I don't care who they are. Don't listen to a single extra word. The moment you hear 'Huo,' send them away."
She paused, then added coldly, "Make sure everyone knows."
"Yes, boss," the staff answered at once.
The order spread through Mingxiao Security faster than the wind.
Meanwhile, on Xu Chen's side, after repeated phone calls failed, he gritted his teeth and changed tactics.
Since calls could not get through, he directly arranged for people to go to Mingxiao Security in person.
He thought that no matter how arrogant Shen Yueran was, she could not possibly stop the entire company from doing business.
But reality struck his face very quickly.
The moment the people he sent arrived at Mingxiao Security and mentioned the word "Huo," the expressions of the staff there changed immediately.
They did not even give them a chance to finish.
Some were blocked outside before even entering the door. Some were coldly told to leave. A few were driven away so quickly it was as if they were carrying a contagious disease.
The reaction was so direct and so uniform that it was almost ridiculous.
It was as if Huo Corporation had been completely blacklisted.
Xu Chen listened to the reports coming back one after another, this was the first time he had ever experienced something like this after joining Huo Corporation.
Usually, it was Huo Corporation that blacklisted other people.
Usually, it was others who were shut out and forced into helpless frustration.
But now, the situation had reversed completely.
For the first time in his life, Xu Chen personally tasted the pain of being blocked at every turn.
No matter what method he used, no matter how he tried to make contact, there was simply no opening at all.
There was not even the slightest room left for negotiation.
Elsewhere, Liang Zhen was still busy working like an ox, running around in other areas and overseeing various matters. He knew nothing about the chaos happening at the company.
He also did not know that the devil sitting comfortably inside the company had not forgotten to create trouble for him at all.
Since Shen Yueran usually was removed from her young leader position , she did not involve herself much in company matters, but she still lived in the private bedroom attached next to her office.
More importantly, many business contacts still came through that office line first.
As long as she was there, any message trying to reach the company still had to pass through her.
If Liang Zhen knew what she had done right now, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood on the spot.
On Xu Chen's side, he still refused to give up.He pulled every favor he could.
He asked around through connections.
He tried to find another path to reach Mingxiao Security.
But no matter what he did, every road was blocked dead.
Only now did he finally understand the meaning of Shen Yueran's words that day.
"My words are law here in my territory. No one can change them."
At the time, those words had sounded arrogant.
Now, Xu Chen realized that they were not empty words at all.
Xu Chen slowly put down the phone again, his face dark and ugly.
He stayed silent for a long moment, then stood up at last.
Since he could not finish what he had been ordered to do, there was no other choice.
He could only go back and report the result.