Chapter 154: Letting Wen Xiu Be Chen Luo's Deputy

"Wen Xiu, come out."

A figure stepped out from behind the curtains near the window. It was none other than the Fifth Young Master, Wen Xiu, who had previously been defeated by Wen Wan and ignominiously banished to the Northwest market.

"Sixth Sister, I honestly never expected that you would take the initiative to contact me."

"What? You don't want to kill me anymore?"

Wen Xiu was dressed in casual wear, and his skin was noticeably tanned, making it clear that he had truly suffered a great deal during this period.

"No, I still want to kill you, purely because of that stunt where someone was sent to kidnap Chen Luo. Unfortunately, the old man is protecting you, so I can't make a move for now."

Having spent some time tempering himself in the northwest, Wen Xiu appeared a bit more composed than before. He unhurriedly sat down opposite Wen Wan and lit a cigarette.

"Puff... You're not the type to play meaningless games. Since you didn't trick me here just to kill me, you must have something you want to cooperate on."

Wen Wan raised an eyebrow slightly, a sharp gleam flashing in her eyes.

"It seems the northwest really is a good place. In just a few short days, your temperament has improved this much."

"Alright, Sister, stop mocking your brother."

Wen Xiu finished one cigarette, drew another from the pack, and prepared to light it.

"I am merely a defeated opponent of yours, and now I'm even a discarded pawn of the family. To you, my value shouldn't be very high anymore. If you have something to say, just spit it out."

"Click!"

The sound of a lighter echoed as a flame flickered to life, igniting the cigarette.

A look of utter astonishment appeared on Wen Xiu's face, making him momentarily forget to breathe.

Wen Wan is lighting a cigarette for me? This crazy woman is actually lighting a cigarette for me?

If I remember correctly, not even the old man has ever received such treatment, right?

"To me, you indeed hold virtually no value anymore."

Wen Wan put down the lighter, showing no sign of finding her behavior inappropriate.

"However, to Chen Luo, you hold immense value."

Hearing this, Wen Xiu understood immediately, a hint of ambiguous amusement crossing his features.

"It seems you truly love that little lover of yours to the very core, even willing to put aside your hatred for me."

"As long as he can be happy and achieve his dreams, I can cast away anything."

Here, Wen Wan paused slightly.

"Including my own life!"

Hearing these words, the look Wen Xiu cast at Wen Wan was filled with a contradictory mix of unyielding devotion and a sense of absolute inevitability.

"I really don't understand you. Perhaps that's why I've never been able to beat you."

Wen Xiu scratched his head and let out a wry smile. "Fine, tell me straight how you want me to help Chen Luo."

"Good, straightforward."

Wen Wan didn't beat around the bush any longer, laying out her intentions directly.

"I want you to become Chen Luo's deputy and one of his key strategists to help him win this battle."

"In return, as long as this succeeds, I will secretly return half of your assets in the Southeast to you. How does that sound?"

Wen Wan was not acting on a whim; she had previously thoroughly investigated the kidnapping incident involving Wen Xiu.

Indeed, Tang Xiwei had acted on her own accord, which led to that outcome. Moreover, Wen Xiu had already received his punishment—it was no exaggeration to say he had been driven to financial ruin, with all the territory he had cultivated over many years swallowed up by her.

Setting all that aside, Wen Xiu undeniably possessed capability; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to control the Southeast for so many years, holding his ground against Yelena without falling too far behind.

Now banished to the northwest, where there were virtually no assets to speak of, he was essentially a discarded pawn of the family. If such a seasoned and experienced individual could be enlisted to assist Chen Luo, Chen Luo's growth would accelerate even further.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Xiu's eyes widened sharply.

It wasn't because he felt humiliated at the prospect of serving as Chen Luo's deputy; rather, Wen Wan's promise to return his assets carried implications far too profound to ignore.

"Hiss!" He took a deep drag of his cigarette, letting the smoke fill his lungs, which instantly cleared his mind.

"Are you planning to take me under your wing so we can vie with the eldest brother for the succession?"

From Wen Xiu's perspective, Wen Wan might truly be willing to pour everything she had into Chen Luo, but returning his assets—and doing so in secret—added a layer of immense complexity.

Once he chose to accept, that news would inevitably leak. In the eyes of their eldest brother, Wen Shao, he would truly be considered part of Wen Wan's faction, standing in direct opposition to him.

While helping Chen Luo grow, she was simultaneously laying out the groundwork for the succession struggle. What a brilliant strategy of killing two birds with one stone.

"You guessed half of it right."

"And the other half?"

"The other half is, of course, for Chen Luo's growth."

Hearing this, Wen Xiu couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

"I never would have imagined that I, the dignified Fifth Young Master of the Wen family, would be reduced to serving as a deputy and strategist for a college student. How fickle fate can be."

"You understand Yelena, that old rival of yours, better than anyone else. That's why you are the best candidate."

"Or are you planning to refuse? Or do you genuinely intend to let this opportunity slip away?"

Wen Xiu put out his cigarette, raised his head slightly, and revealed a meaningful expression.

Did he truly have a choice? In reality, he had no choice at all. Ever since he became a discarded pawn, could he ever return to the capital?

"Fine, I accept."

Wen Xiu let out a long breath, as if a heavy stone finally fell from his heart.

"From now on, I will honestly serve as your little lover's deputy. But don't screw me over—though, frankly, I don't have much left for you to ruin anyway."

"Great, then many thanks, Fifth Brother. From now on, we are on the same side."

Wen Wan shook hands with Wen Xiu, a smile finally gracing her lips.

"Next, I must trouble Fifth Brother to step into your new role immediately. A major battle is imminent, and everything will depend on you."

"Sister, you really are a ruthless taskmaster. You make me get to work the moment I arrive—how utterly devoid of humanity."

Grumbling complaints all the way, he walked out of the conference room.

Wen Wan covered her mouth with a hand, smiling as she slowly followed behind.

...

Yelena Group, President's Office.

The double doors remained wide open, with a steady stream of people coming and going. The entire conglomerate was operating at high speed.

"Director Ye! The stock price of the education subsidiary under Wanluo Group has dropped by 1%."

"The video view count has already surpassed twenty million, and traffic boosting has been increased; it's about to hit a new high."

"Our offline educational institutions have gone all out on all fronts, and we've discovered some of their operatives canvassing grassroots schools. We have already intercepted them."

Listening to the various reports, Yelena calmly handled the multifaceted situation, issuing the most precise directives for the current moment.

"Spare no effort to intercept and strike down their grassroots propaganda teams! We found out last night that they started infiltrating early on. We must stem this momentum and prevent them from undermining our foundation."

"From here on, this is our top priority. Go execute it immediately!"

"Understood, we're on it right away!"

Several assistants hurried out. Yelena raised her head to continue staring at the stock market data, fully aware that she had to be on high guard against a counterattack from the opposition.

At that moment, her phone rang.

Gazing at the computer screen, Yelena answered the call without checking the caller ID.

"Hello, Director Ye? This is Wen Xiu. It's been a while."

"What? Wen Xiu!"