RMM – Chapter 17 Nowhere in Life Is Without Reunion

Su Ruo couldn’t help but feel emotional—what a small world. She had unexpectedly run into an “old acquaintance.”

The man looked anxious as he spoke on the phone. From where Su Ruo stood, she could only see his lips moving rapidly, and his frantic body language made it clear just how bad his mood was.

Instinctively, she walked closer, pretending to casually admire the street view while secretly perking up her ears to listen. The man was too absorbed in his phone call to notice that Su Ruo was eavesdropping.

After listening for a while, Su Ruo finally pieced together what was going on—enough to understand why a man she had always known as graceful and composed was now so out of sorts. Once she realized the reason, she couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated. The more she thought about it, the more she felt like her current fate was nothing more than a ridiculous joke the heavens had played out of boredom.

She knew this man. No—more accurately, Su Ruo knew him. He was her former boss in her past life, the CEO of Siqi Electronics—Xu Lihong.

In her past life, Su Ruo had studied marketing and worked in Siqi’s sales department for three years. Even at the time of her death, she had still been employed there. During those three years, she had gained a deep understanding of Siqi’s strength and Xu Lihong’s capabilities. Siqi wasn’t the leading company in the industry, but it was undoubtedly a strong competitor.

Hearing Xu Lihong’s current situation left Su Ruo both shocked and bewildered. She had only caught bits and pieces of his conversation, but it was enough to extract some key information.

Back when she had applied to Siqi in her previous life, she had thoroughly researched the company’s history, so she was quite familiar with its past struggles—especially the financial crisis that had nearly led to its bankruptcy.

That crisis had been a brutal one, sweeping through the economy and dragging countless companies into bankruptcy. Even Siqi, which had always maintained a solid reputation, couldn’t escape unscathed. At one point, it was teetering on the edge of collapse. However, Xu Lihong had proven himself capable—he had fought tooth and nail, implemented drastic reforms, and even resorted to desperate, last-ditch efforts. His extraordinary resolve had ultimately paid off, allowing Siqi to weather the storm. Though the company had suffered losses, it quickly recovered, and its comeback became a well-known success story in the industry.

But now, Siqi was once again facing bankruptcy—and this time, it wasn’t due to an economic crisis.

From what Su Ruo had gathered, Siqi’s performance had been poor for some time, and rumors of its impending bankruptcy had begun circulating. Seeing the company’s decline, a few unscrupulous shareholders—greedy old foxes—had been bribed by Siqi’s competitors, who had offered them massive payouts. With Siqi’s ongoing struggles, those shareholders saw an opportunity to cut their losses and sold off their shares.

Siqi’s stockholders, already nervous due to the rumors, panicked when they saw this mass sell-off. Panic selling ensued, and in no time, Siqi’s stock prices plummeted. Now, the company was on the brink of collapse. Xu Lihong had been running around desperately trying to secure loans and investments, but reality was cruel—when you’re down, no one wants to take a risk on you.

Xu Lihong ended his call with a disappointed sigh.

These heartless people—when the company was thriving, they had all acted like brothers, but now that disaster had struck, they had turned their backs on him. And those shareholders… They had no shame. Not only had they stabbed him in the back for personal gain, but they were also pretending to be uninvolved. If they hadn’t sold out to Siqi’s competitors, the company wouldn’t be in this situation!

The ever-rational and composed Xu Lihong couldn’t help but curse the heavens. Was there really no way out? How could he just stand by and watch the company he had built with his own hands go bankrupt?

Cursing under his breath, he turned to leave. He had to keep looking—maybe, just maybe, he could find a way to turn things around.

Su Ruo was startled. She had never heard the always-elegant and sharp-minded Xu Lihong swear before.

She was still in a daze when she realized he was already walking away. She couldn’t let him leave just like that.

“Sir! Excuse me, sir, please wait a moment!” she called out loudly.

Xu Lihong froze for a second. Was someone calling him? He turned around and saw a young, beautiful woman standing there. He assumed he must have misheard—surely, she wasn’t calling out to him.

Seeing that he was about to walk away again, Su Ruo panicked and ran toward him. “Sir, don’t go! I have something to say!”

This time, he finally stopped and turned to look at her.

“Sir, I overheard your phone call just now.”

Xu Lihong’s gaze instantly sharpened with wariness.

Sensing his hostility, Su Ruo quickly clarified, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop! I just happened to be standing there and overheard it by accident. I’m sorry—it really wasn’t intentional.”

She lied effortlessly, her expression completely natural. Internally, she was a little impressed with herself—her ability to spin lies with a straight face seemed to be improving.

Xu Lihong’s expression relaxed slightly, but he remained skeptical. “What do you want?”

“Sir, I think we should have a proper discussion,” Su Ruo said with a smile. “After hearing your conversation, I’ve become very interested in your company’s future. I’d like to offer my help, however small it may be.”

For a brief moment, something flickered in Xu Lihong’s eyes—was it hope? But he quickly suppressed it.

He studied the young woman before him. She carried herself with elegance, and her outfit was sophisticated, but in the end, she was just a rich young lady from a privileged background. What could she possibly do to help him, besides being intrigued by the novelty of it all?

Seeing the disappointment in his eyes, Su Ruo knew he didn’t believe her. And honestly, she didn’t blame him. She probably didn’t look like someone who could help.

She smiled knowingly. “I understand why you don’t believe me. I don’t have much credibility, after all. But what if the owner of Mu You were offering to help? Would you still think they lack the ability to assist you?”

Xu Lihong was stunned. His gaze instinctively drifted toward Mu You, the glittering establishment before them, its dazzling lights nearly blinding him.

Of course, he knew Mu You—everyone in B City did. He had even conducted business meetings there before. Precisely because he was familiar with Mu You, he knew just how powerful and wealthy it was.

Though he had often visited, the true identity of Mu You’s mysterious owner remained unknown. From the moment it opened, the business had flourished without a hitch. No competitors dared to challenge it, no troublemakers ever stirred up issues—such influence wasn’t something ordinary people could wield.

Xu Lihong turned back to the young woman before him, eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

If the owner of Muyou were to invest a substantial amount of capital into Siqi, it might not completely turn the tide, but it would undoubtedly help the company get through the current crisis.

Thinking of this, Xu Lihong scrutinized Su Ruo, noticing the confident smile on her lips and the self-assured glimmer in her eyes. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of connection this woman had with the owner of Muyou that made her speak with such confidence.

Letting Xu Lihong assess her as he pleased, Su Ruo saw his growing skepticism and smiled, saying, “No need to guess. I can tell you the reason, but I’m afraid you won’t believe me.”

“The owner of Muyou is me.”

Su Ruo’s smile was both confident and bold. At that moment, she truly felt how wonderful it was to have wealth and power—her words carried undeniable weight.

Xu Lihong was clearly stunned by Su Ruo’s revelation. He truly couldn’t believe it. The owner of Muyou was actually this young and beautiful woman?

Who would believe it? Who would dare believe it?

Yet, as he looked at the confident and assertive woman before him, Xu Lihong found himself drowning in doubt.

Su Ruo could tell that he didn’t quite believe her but wasn’t entirely dismissive either. She decided to push further. She knew Siqi and Xu Lihong well enough to understand that as long as they survived this crisis, they would have immense potential. And given her knowledge of the company’s future, how could she pass up such a golden opportunity? She already had Muyou and more money than she could spend, but if she could take this chance to acquire Siqi’s stock, why not? After all, no one ever complains about having too much money. Besides, she had worked at Siqi for three years in her past life—she had some emotional attachment to the company. If she could help, she would. She couldn’t just stand by and watch such a promising enterprise collapse.

Before she could say more, her phone rang. Seeing He Wen’s name on the screen, she stuck out her tongue. She had been outside for so long that she had completely forgotten about He Wen and the others. They must be worried sick after seeing her leave and not return.

“He Wen,” Su Ruo quickly answered.

“Damn it, Su Ruo, where the hell did you go? You’ve been missing for so long! Are you trying to pull a disappearing act on us?” He Wen’s anxious voice came through the phone.

“No, no, I’m downstairs. I’ll be right up.”

After hanging up, Su Ruo turned to Xu Lihong and said, “I know it’s hard for you to believe me, and I understand that. But does your company have the luxury of waiting while you hesitate? You’re already at this point—rather than sitting back and waiting for the inevitable, why not take a leap of faith? Maybe, just maybe, you can turn this crisis around. What do you think?”

Su Ruo didn’t have time to gauge his reaction. She had to head upstairs. She handed him a business card and continued, “This is my number. Think it over. If you decide you want to work with me, give me a call. I hope to hear from you soon. I have to go now—goodbye.”

With that, Su Ruo felt she had done all she could. If Xu Lihong still refused to believe her, there was nothing more she could do. She had laid all her cards on the table. If he still doubted her, then perhaps Siqi was doomed, and there was no saving it. But based on her understanding of Xu Lihong, she was confident he would give her a satisfactory response.

Xu Lihong watched Su Ruo walk into Muyou, his brows furrowed in deep thought. For the first time, he didn’t know what decision to make. The idea that the young woman was the owner of Muyou still seemed implausible, but the sheer confidence in her demeanor made it difficult to doubt her.

With a heavy sigh, Xu Lihong slowly turned and walked away. His steps were hesitant, carrying an air of weariness—so different from the energetic and ambitious man he once was.

Upstairs, Su Ruo was informed that her friends were already on the fourth floor in their usual spot.

Usual spot? That must be the same private room as last time.

She hesitated briefly before pushing the door open. Familiar voices reached her ears, reassuring her that she had found the right place.

She was immediately bombarded with complaints, and knowing she was in the wrong, she softened her tone and admitted her mistake. But they weren’t truly angry—just worried about her. Seeing that she was safe and sincere in her apology, they quickly let it go and resumed their lively banter.

By the time she got home, it was already 10:30 p.m.

Su Ruo assumed Xi Yuechen had already gone to bed, so she quietly opened the door, only to find the living room lights still on.

Had Xi Yuechen forgotten to turn them off?

She looked over in confusion and saw him sitting in the living room, flipping through a magazine. He hadn’t gone to sleep yet.

Hearing the noise, he glanced up at her before lowering his head again and saying, “You’re back?”

Su Ruo felt a bit guilty but was also puzzled. It was so late—why was he still up?

“Yeah. You’re still awake, Commander?”

“Going to sleep now.”

After exchanging greetings, Su Ruo hurried to the bathroom to wash up. Whether or not the Commander had gone to bed was none of her concern—she was exhausted and just wanted to sleep.

When she came out, she saw that Xi Yuechen had already gotten into bed and was now lying down with his eyes closed, seemingly fast asleep.

She pouted slightly before climbing into bed herself and quickly falling asleep.