to their eager eyes seeking an answer, Chen Linsan nodded.The crowd sighed in disappointment, murmuring in agreement as they dispersed. Indeed, Chen Linsan still didn't like Su Cen; she remained the o...Chapter 116: Internal Contradictions

What is true life This is a question. Sometimes, Su Cen would ponder whether it's the courage of a small man in 'The Shawshank Redemption' who endures humiliation and waits for his chance to shine, or the frail human body in 'The English Patient' that struggles against love and morality.

For someone like Su Cen who has been reborn, perhaps living without regrets is enough. There are no heroes or saints in this world; they exist only in epics and written books as idealized figures created by exaggerating certain aspects of a person's life for religious or political guidance.

In reality, everyone is just an ordinary person, depending on where one stands.

As someone who has been reborn, there are many things he can change. Aligning with the pulse of this era, Su Cen can use his memories to grasp many things and develop industries that allow him to smoothly enter the ranks of millionaires.

This kind of growth inevitably attracts attention; after all, leading in many areas will also draw industry focus. Competitors in business will emerge one after another, enemies never missing a chance to strike back. Moreover, as his territory grows and flourishes, these industries receive even more sensitive scrutiny.

Once an industrial chain has grown strong, Su Cen knows that generally no external force can shake him. Yet he also has weak spots; if someone notices the growing prominence of these industries with his influence behind them, a high school student owning such businesses from a background without any support will only raise suspicions.

So often, he would hide himself in the background of these industries.

The difference between "the youngest billionaire showing astonishing earning potential while still in high school" and "a fourteen-year-old acquiring millions within three short years," the media reports give two completely different impressions: one is awe-inspiring, the other filled with suspicion and conspiracy theories.

In summary, his power is not yet sufficient.

As long as he isn't powerful enough, any significant operation of authority could crush him.

Hence Su Cen always emphasizes hiding in the background.

Except for top management, he rarely makes public appearances at Dunhuang Mall; regarding external PR for Pineapple Media, he never allows himself to be the face.

This is ideal. Without seeing the original documents of these companies and industries, no one would know they are his, Su Cen's, creations.

And those who know about this also have Wang Bo, who believes this young man is a genius, overseeing the situation. From Wang Bo's position, he can see through the officialdom of Rongcheng as if looking at the palm of his hand. Therefore, Su Cen isn't worried that someone would take action against him from this angle; even if they did, there would be higher-ups to handle it.

This is why Wang Yue's Dunhuang has received a smooth ride in Rongcheng.

What Su Cen needs to do is not attract too much attention and keep his strength hidden for future use. He just wants to live a comfortable life, but he must learn to be humble yet ambitious, which would make such a life possible. He's merely a selfish rebirth who only wishes to protect himself and those around him unharmed.

In July, the college entrance examination concluded, and graduates across the nation entered their holiday waiting for the announcement of their future.

At this time, Dage Construction saw an intensification of internal conflicts. The company was dragged into an international dispute with Greece over a large-scale community construction project where the opposing Greek engineering firm unilaterally terminated the contract. The local Greek government has applied to the London Metal Exchange for arbitration and is seeking nearly $200 million in damages from Zhongsen Group, which has ties to Dage Construction.

The root cause of this issue stems back to 1998 when, to expand its overseas market, Overseas Affairs Company One and Three, Henan Engineering Limited Liability Company, Guangdong Construction Group Limited Liability Company, and the shareholders' units of Daluo Construction jointly established Zhongsen Architecture Group.

The registered capital was RMB 200 million, with each party holding an equal share. Since Overseas Affairs Companies One and Three belong to the same lineage, Dage Construction became the major shareholder in Zhongsen Architecture Group.

The large-scale ecological community project they partnered with Greek company Demons Group was of significant importance to the local government. However, at this point, internal reorganization within Dage Construction meant that Overseas Affairs Company Three, originally under Xu Jianchuan’s supervision, underwent a personnel reshuffle.

Mu Kai, as part of his power play at headquarters, replaced the original staff with his own people to manage Overseas Affairs Department Branch Three.

Thus, internal conflicts were now playing out on foreign soil.

The handover between Overseas Company One and Three experienced many gaps and conflicts. Coupled with technical issues in their cooperation with Demons Group, this led the already financially troubled Demons Group to unilaterally terminate the contract. This decision was also influenced by some breaches of contract that occurred after Branch Three’s takeover.

The entire situation is more complex than what's seen on the surface and involves not just external disputes but internal conflicts as well, including power struggles within Dage Construction headquarters.

During a high-level meeting in the company, there was almost an all-out argument. Mu Kai’s faction insisted that the biggest mistake did not come from them but rather from Xu Jianchuan and Su Licheng's handling of overseas affairs.

overseas

The directive pointed out that during the handover between two companies, there were concealment, obstruction, and even opaque information provision, leading to a situation where Company Three operated with asymmetric information.

The responsibility lies entirely on Xu Jian and Su Licheng.

Both sides argued vehemently. High-level debates began, each side using evidence to attack the other, nearly losing their composure. After all, if they were held accountable for this matter, it would be catastrophic for any faction involved.

Mu Kai and others have deeper implications behind their actions. Calling for intervention from the municipal economic and trade commission and provincial foreign affairs office clearly indicates that this confrontation is a direct clash, with hidden intentions aimed at Xu Laotaiye (the Elder).

Xu Laotaiye has reached an age where he should step down. Even though he's still formidable like a tiger, his influence wanes. If this situation could force Xu Laotaiye to retire and severely damage Xu Jianchuan, Mu Kai would essentially skyrocket to the top position of Grand Construction Engineering, securing a deputy department-level post at the young age of forty.

Mu Kai's plans were well thought out.

In this era, with a trend towards knowledge-based cadres in national administration, globalization accelerating, and the gradual arrival of an information society, the government increasingly demands higher educational standards for officials. Against this backdrop, practical and scholarly officials with international perspectives and strong professional skills are easily promoted and given important roles.

During the era when "studying mathematics, physics, and chemistry leads to success everywhere," officials were often selected from corporate leaders, who in turn were chosen from among technically skilled engineers. As the country shifted its focus to economic construction, more officials were chosen from management and market departments within corporations.

The state still emphasizes selecting cadres from large enterprise leaders and prefers those with leadership experience to promote regional economic development.

Given this trend, Mu Kai is making a decisive move to climb the ranks to deputy department-level positions. This is his chance to achieve the leap from corporate leader to a powerful government official, even using the high-level political influence in Chengdu to challenge Xu Laotaiye directly until he falls.

The most direct impression this matter left on Su Cen was that everyone in the headquarters knew there were disputes at high-level meetings. People like Zong Jianjun, Su Licheng, Xu Jianchuan, Mu Kai, Yang Kaifu, and Li Yuhe, all of whom would rather see each other dead.

When Su Licheng returned home looking troubled every day, it was obvious that something significant was happening.

Zong Jianjun sometimes dropped by to visit. The two would chat in Su Licheng's study, where Su Cen would eavesdrop secretly. Zong Jianjun wasn't optimistic about the current situation and public opinion trends in Chengdu and at the provincial level either.

Mu Kai had been holding back, but this time many forces were pushing him forward. Such large-scale state-owned enterprises often involve the interests of a lot of people in the city's official circles, achievements, face-saving projects, and their respective political ideals are all intertwined. The divergence of factional opinions is also an important cause of internal conflicts.

Such factional power struggles in one place are not uncommon; unfortunately, Da Xiang Construction became the venue for this confrontation.

Xu Jianchuan had also come to their house. He patted Su Can's head and discussed the current serious situation with Su Licheng in the study room. This time, Xu Jianchuan was different from his previous visits. It seemed that he had some good news: "I have already investigated Mu Kai’s actions overseas, and I will handle this matter. How can he think he won't be caught The clues left by him will eventually lead to his downfall! You need to hold your ground for me and give me some time."

"How is the elder doing"

"He's still the same, suffering from his old ailment. His lung was injured in a grenade explosion before; now with the company in chaos, his illness has flared up again. He fainted for a while two days ago but later regained consciousness. Now he’s being accompanied 24/7 by special attendants. How can the elder feel any relief until Mu Kai and those scoundrels are eliminated."

The content Su Can heard from outside was intermittent. Thinking of that elderly man with a booming voice who used to walk with a cane, in one year and a half his robust figure never seemed to diminish, but now seeing him often sitting on a wheelchair with white hair made Su Can feel sad.

Heroes eventually grow old.

Where there are people, there is contention. Su Can had always expected that as his father embarked on another path of career success, he would inevitably face greater challenges and life wouldn't be smooth sailing.

The current situation at the parent company was such that Su Can couldn’t do anything about it; he couldn’t change his father’s career trajectory either.

Sometimes when he saw Su Licheng standing by the window, Su Can wanted to walk over and say, "It's okay. If necessary, let Mu Kai take over. It’s not like there’s much for a vice president to do anyway. I can provide capital so you can be your own boss. Wouldn’t it be great when father and son work together"

But Su Can knew that even if Su Licheng smiled, it would only be a relieved smile; it couldn't change the fate of Waterloo.

I finally managed to write another chapter and am releasing it immediately. I’m nearly done with this volume, and a new one will soon start.

The World Cup won’t interfere with updates, so please support me by voting for my work!down his dark case on the sales desk. “I’m buying a car.”In fact, he felt heartache at spending such a large sum for something that was necessary but still painful.But to catch the big fish, you have...