After Rebirth, I Married the Great Demon King-Chapter 345: Dare Not Underestimate Him

This inexplicable crisis caught him off guard.

At the same time, it made Mu Chengzhu realize that it had to be someone who knew him behind it.

After all, in this lifetime, apart from his own changes, nobody else had changed. If things had developed as they did in his previous life, this situation wouldn’t be possible.

For now, though, the crisis needed to be dealt with.

But his own career hadn’t yet started. How could he deal with the predatory ambitions of the Xie Family?

Mu Chengzhu decided to meet the Xie Family members face-to-face. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The Xie Family had been selling goods below cost prices to push for this takeover. Without hidden assistance, given their finances, they wouldn’t have lasted this long.

The Xie Family also had intentions to buy out his family’s business. Now, meeting him was the head of the Xie Family, Xie Yuqiang, in his forties.

When Xie Yuqiang saw Mu Chengzhu, he smiled warmly and said, "Chengzhu, long time no see."

The last time they had met was at a banquet.

Nowadays, Mu Chengzhu had begun to take over the Mu Family’s business. Xie Yuqiang had vaguely heard of it.

Mu Chengzhu had a great personality and solid academics. It seemed a matter of time before he inherited the Mu Family.

Still, at such a moment, sending Mu Chengzhu directly to negotiate caused some surprise to Xie Yuqiang.

After all, they were currently discussing acquisition plans.

"Uncle Xie," Mu Chengzhu took his seat across from Xie Yuqiang, "I’ve seen the exceptional determination you’ve shown lately, Uncle Xie. It’s genuinely impressive to someone younger like me."

"Where is your father?" Xie Yuqiang asked.

"I chose to come speak with Uncle Xie myself."

Xie Yuqiang narrowed his eyes slightly. For some reason, he suddenly felt that the young man in front of him wasn’t just a twenty-year-old university student, but someone who had weathered countless business trials.

He didn’t dare to underestimate him.

"Oh, then what do you want to discuss today?"

"How about collaboration? Uncle Xie, I know you’ve recently acquired several South City companies in one swift move. But sudden expansion—can you handle it? Our family has no intentions of becoming competitors with Uncle Xie, but neither do we want to be swallowed up like this. Why not work together for mutual benefit?"

Mu Chengzhu had already seen through the strained underpinnings of Xie Yuqiang’s rapid expansion.

Although he didn’t know exactly what had made the Xie Family so aggressive all of a sudden, in his previous life, the Xie Family had always developed steadily and without much flair in his impression. Taking a step back, it was clear someone was actively pushing things behind the scenes, aiding Xie Yuqiang’s rise. That person might have had enough resources to finance his expansion and crush competitors.

But they couldn’t possibly interfere directly in his company’s interior;

nor would Xie Yuqiang’s personality allow external meddling in his business.

That’s why Mu Chengzhu dared to put forth this proposal.

Unexpectedly, Mu Chengzhu hit right on a nerve that had been troubling Xie Yuqiang lately, making him reassess the young man before him.

He had always felt that his rapid development in recent times was bound to bring problems to the surface.

But the person behind him had reassured him to take his time, resolving issues later.

Yet he knew that no one could achieve success overnight, and if the Mu Family wasn’t willing to be acquired while Mu Chengzhu extended an olive branch instead, it could be worth considering.

Thus, he softened his stance: "I didn’t expect Chengzhu’s foresight to rival your father’s. It seems the Mu Family is primed to surpass even its previous heights! Since you’re unwilling to be acquired, we don’t necessarily have to force the issue. We’ll talk more later."

As he said this, he stood up.

When Mu Chengzhu saw Xie Yuqiang preparing to leave, he couldn’t help but say, "Uncle Xie, please consider what I’ve just said."

Xie Yuqiang nodded.

After Xie Yuqiang left, Mu Chengzhu remained seated for a while.

In truth, he had wanted to ask who it was behind Xie Yuqiang, helping him.

But he couldn’t voice the question. While Xie Yuqiang’s business acumen was limited, he had polished his skills through years in commerce. Asking such a question might prompt him to retaliate harshly—after all, being overly insightful could become a threat.

Yet Mu Chengzhu couldn’t help but speculate: who was supporting Xie Yuqiang? Was it Cheng Lie?

Mu Chengzhu decided to have his contacts in Beijing investigate further.

The current Cheng Lie seemed to be growing even more formidable, gradually turning into the influential figure he remembered from his previous life.

A revolutionary giant.

But so what? Could he surpass me?

Mu Chengzhu sipped the tea on the table, then stood up and left.

During this time, Yun Sisi felt deeply shocked upon hearing about the Mu Family’s crisis and Mu Chengzhu’s involvement in handling company affairs.

She had been quite convinced before that everything from her dream was real.

But now, she wasn’t so sure.

Because in the book’s storyline, there had been no crisis at the Mu Family. Everything had gone smoothly, with Mu Chengzhu bringing the Mu Family straight to the top of the industry after taking over, becoming an aspirational figure beyond reach.

So why had the Xie Family suddenly appeared now?

...

With Mu Chengzhu no longer bothering her, Qin Yumo had disappeared to who-knows-where as well.

As for Yun Shifei, she was enjoying an idyllic and joyful university life.

She spent her days attending classes, hanging out in the library, studying with Professor Chen, and going out with her roommates to eat and drink—life couldn’t be sweeter.

And Cheng Lie—after sitting next to her a few times, and with Mu Chengzhu occupied with other concerns and unable to mind her for the time being—Yun Shifei grew bolder for some reason.

One day, after class, she took a few candies from her pocket, pretended to casually place them on Cheng Lie’s desk, and quickly left.

As Cheng Lie packed up his books, he noticed the colorful candies on his desk and couldn’t help but chuckle.

He didn’t need to guess who had left them there.

Cheng Lie stared at the candy for a moment and shook his head. She really had a consistent taste—always liking the same few kinds.

Such a young girl, yet so set in her preferences.

Thinking about this, Cheng Lie chuckled again.

The girls around him saw Cheng Lie smiling at the candies, and their eyes practically sparkled.

Most of them had never seen Cheng Lie smile, and after hearing stories of how he quietly rejected several bold girls who tried approaching him romantically, few had dared to even talk to him.

But now he seemed fond of candies; some of them resolved to play to his preferences.

Yun Shifei never expected her casual action to inspire a wave of imitation in the class.

When she next attended the same class as Cheng Lie, she saw several girls placing candies on his desk and suddenly felt something was off.

She wanted to ask Cheng Lie about this.

But when she glanced at Cheng Lie, engrossed in his book, she mustered no courage to speak.

Ugh, their current relationship was so awkward!

Better take it slow. Besides, she still had some concerns about Mu Chengzhu, though she’d heard he was wildly busy these days, working to save the Mu Family. That gave her some peace of mind.