At the start, I tricked the school beauty, and ended up with twins?

[Don't worry, old man, I've already guessed as much. The problem isn't big.]

Sitting on the bed, Chen Tian heaved a sigh of relief as he looked at the message that Gu Yu had replied to via the instant messaging app.

He gazed at the firmly locked door, a trace of sorrow showing in his eyes.

He had never imagined that he would be put under house arrest by his own son; it was something he had not foreseen.

"Qiao, oh Qiao, you've truly disappointed me."

Chen Tian slumped against the headboard, his face etched with worry, seeming to age more than a decade in a blink.

After resting against the headboard for a while to calm his emotions, he picked up his phone again, hesitated for a moment, and dialed a number.

The phone rang for less than three seconds before being answered.

"Hello, Chairman? Why have you suddenly decided to call me?"

A middle-aged man's voice came through from the other end.

Chen Tian swallowed hard, then said in a weary voice, "Old Dong, I've let you all down."

"What's wrong, Chairman? What's happened to you?"

The voice on the other end became noticeably more panicked.

"I... ah, I fear my unfilial son might be about to make a move against you guys, be careful."

Chen Tian wanted to explain, but when he began, he found himself unable to state the reason.

He only gave Old Dong a warning.

Old Dong had been an employee for nearly twenty years and was now a top executive at Shengda Group; he probably knew the company better than Chen Tian himself.

In truth, Old Dong didn't need an explanation to understand his words.

"Understood, Chairman, I'll be on the alert. I'm about to go into a meeting now, take care of yourself!"

Old Dong's voice had taken on a somewhat deeper tone, clearly indicating that he understood what Chen Tian was saying.

Shengda Headquarters Building.

The executive office assistant went to Dong Huaimin's door and gently knocked on the glass door.

"Come in."
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Dong Huaimin knew it was time for a meeting just by the sight of her approaching.

As expected, as soon as the office assistant opened the door, her first sentence was:

"Mr. Dong, the Chairman has called an emergency board meeting. Please prepare to head to the meeting room within half an hour."

"Yes, I'm aware. I'll be there shortly," Dong Huaimin answered gravely, having just finished a phone call about the board meeting.

Chen Qiao's actions were swift as the wind.

Dong Huaimin looked at a photograph on his office wall of him and Chen Qiao together, shaking his head with a smile.

That smile was ambiguous, indistinguishable between a bitter smile and one of remembrance.

Resting in his chair with his eyes closed for a moment as if he was prepared, he stood up, walked into his office wardrobe, and began to straighten his attire.

He meticulously checked every shirt button to ensure it was fastened properly and that his collar was symmetrical and neat.

The actions, filled with a sense of ceremony, were like those of a warrior about to enter the battlefield.

After adjusting his sleeves, Dong Huaimin stepped out of his office.

He didn't know what news he would hear next, but he had essentially foreseen his own end.

Others were also making their way to the meeting room, and it was only then that Dong Huaimin realized that he didn't recognize many of the new faces amid Shengda's executive team.

Where old colleagues once sat, strangers now occupied their places.

"Good day, Mr. Dong!"

Some greeted him cheerfully as they saw him.

But Dong Huaimin didn't recognize them and could only nod and smile in return.

"Old Dong, this must be our last meeting."

As Dong Huaimin slowly made his way to the meeting room, an executive of about his age caught up with him from behind.

"Haha, Old Fu, it feels like it's been so long since I've seen you," Dong Huaimin greeted Fu Jiangxin with a jovial laugh. Fu Jiangxin had joined the company two years after him, but was also someone brought up under Chen Qiao's tutelage.

The two shared a deep friendship, having worked together as old friends for over a decade.

Fu Jiangxin gave a wry smile: "There's no need to feel that way; indeed, you couldn't have seen me recently, as I've been sent on a two-month-long business trip, tasked with a market project at a subsidiary in Yunan."

Surprised, Dong Huaimin furrowed his brows, "Aren't you the head of marketing? Why would you need to be away on a business trip for so long?"

Logically, for an executive at Fu Jiangxin's level, there would be hardly anything within the company that would require his personal attention.

Let alone necessitating his personal absence for two months to oversee a subsidiary's project.

It was highly unusual, but the fact that it had been arranged made Dong Huaimin aware of what was happening.

This was an evident move to shift Fu Jiangxin away from the center of power within the company, slowly excluding him from corporate high-level decision-making.

Aside from him, the only person capable of maneuvering Fu Jiangxin in such a way was the incumbent Chairman, Chen Qiao.

Dong Huaimin heaved a silent sigh. He hadn't expected that Chen Qiao had begun to dismantle the old management team as early as two months ago.

Everything had happened too quickly, too unexpectedly; even he wasn't prepared mentally.

"You're right, this is probably the last time we'll have a meeting together."

Dong Huaimin was silent for a while and then looked at Fu Jiangxin with a smile.

Fu Jiangxin too returned the smile: "Haha, we've occupied these positions for too long. Perhaps it's a good thing, providing an opportunity for the younger people."

"Yes, now the entire group's management is so chaotic. Its cohesion and capabilities don't come close to those early days when we first started the venture with old Chairman Dong."

Dong Huaimin nodded and felt somewhat reconciled just by walking such a short distance.