Chapter 41: Xu Liwei's Comeback Attempt
The early morning light spilled across the polished glass walls of the Liwei Corporation headquarters, reflecting a city still stretching awake. Inside, the boardroom was a storm of tension, the air thick with ambition and desperation. Xu Liwei stood at the head of the table, his tailored suit sharp, his hair perfectly in place, but the subtle tightness around his eyes betrayed the truth: his empire had taken a hit, and the pressure was mounting.
"This quarter's projections are... underwhelming," muttered one of the senior executives, adjusting his glasses nervously. "Even with the new investment push, our market share continues to slip. Competitors are aggressive—our liquidity is constrained. If we don't move decisively, we risk losing major stakeholders."
Xu Liwei slammed his hand onto the table, the sharp sound reverberating across the room. "I am aware!" His voice was polished, commanding, but there was a tautness, a hunger to reassert control. "Enough with excuses. I want solutions, not reminders of failure."
He paused, scanning the room, his gaze landing on the youngest analyst, who shifted under his intensity. "Liang Yue is still out there. Every move we make... she watches. She anticipates. She predicts. And we are one step behind because of her. We must be smarter, faster, more ruthless."
The boardroom fell silent. Xu Liwei's ex-wife, Liang Yue, was already an untouchable figure in the city's elite circles. He remembered the sting of her last public victories—the way she had outmaneuvered him in investments, the way she had publicly asserted her intelligence, her foresight, and her dominance. The humiliation was still fresh, simmering beneath his carefully controlled composure.
Unbeknownst to him, Liang Yue was observing all of this from across the city. From the corner office she had temporarily rented for this purpose, she watched the familiar scene unfold, her eyes narrowing slightly. Xu Liwei was predictable—arrogant, prideful, and prone to underestimating her intelligence. Every twitch of impatience, every clipped word, every faltering assumption was a thread she could exploit.
Her phone buzzed softly on the polished desk. She picked it up, reading a brief update from one of her private associates embedded within his financial network. "Funding streams are weak. Stakeholders nervous. Xu Liwei pushing risky acquisitions to regain image."
Liang Yue allowed herself a faint, deliberate smile. "Risky acquisitions," she murmured under her breath. "Predictable. Impulsive. Exactly the weaknesses I remembered." She tapped her fingers against the desk, already formulating her strategy.
Back in the boardroom, Xu Liwei's tension was mounting. "If our competitors outmaneuver us in the next three months," he snapped, pacing, "we will be in real jeopardy. I will not have our company humiliated by the same woman who... who..." He paused, the name heavy in the air, unspoken, like a forbidden word. "Liang Yue."
One of the senior executives swallowed hard. "Sir, with respect, her influence is formidable. But perhaps—if we adjust our approach—"
"Adjust?" Xu Liwei barked, spinning on his heel. "I do not want adjustment. I want domination. I want leverage. And most importantly... I want her blindsided. She has been given too much credit, too much space. No more."
He slammed a fist onto the table again. "We will orchestrate a new series of acquisitions, target volatile markets, and publicly announce strategic partnerships. Make them look enticing, but funnel resources into failing sectors subtly. If she notices the pattern too soon, we are lost. If she underestimates it... perhaps we regain some advantage."
The room fell into nervous silence. Everyone understood the stakes. Xu Liwei's personal vendetta against Liang Yue now dictated the company's actions—rationality intertwined with obsession, strategy twisted by emotion.
From her corner office, Liang Yue observed the patterns already emerging. Her pulse remained steady, her expression calm. She had seen this before—the arrogance, the overreach, the subtle miscalculations. And she had lived through it. She could predict every misstep before it was even fully conceived.
Her assistant, Mei Lan, leaned forward. "Miss Liang, he's planning aggressive acquisitions. He's using limited funding to make bold moves. Stakeholders are nervous, and some are already hesitant to support these ventures."
Liang Yue's fingers drummed lightly against the desk, her mind racing through the possibilities. "Good," she murmured, voice calm, measured. "Fear, overextension, and desperation are predictable. We'll create subtle ripples to destabilize him further."
Mei Lan raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to begin planting information leaks? Investors? Media?"
Liang Yue shook her head slightly, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Not yet. Let him reveal his hand fully. Let him orchestrate his own downfall through overreach. Once the cracks appear, we'll exploit them... precisely, surgically, without leaving any trace that ties back to us."
She paused, her gaze lingering on the building across the skyline—the nerve center of Xu Liwei's ambitions. "And we will do it quietly," she added. "No public confrontation. Let him believe he has maneuvered cleverly. Pride will be his undoing."
Back in the Liwei boardroom, tension had reached a peak. Xu Liwei's voice grew louder, sharper, more demanding. "I will not be outmaneuvered by her again. She thinks foresight alone gives her the upper hand—but we will dictate the pace. We will control the narrative. We will... win."
One of the executives dared a caution. "Sir, with all due respect... the last two quarters have shown that her influence is not only social, but financial. Investors respect her. They trust her predictions. Any aggressive moves from us may backfire if she decides to counter."
Xu Liwei's eyes narrowed, the anger and frustration simmering beneath his polished exterior. "Backfire? Perhaps. Or perhaps she underestimates the desperation of a man who has been wronged, the hunger of someone forced to rebuild from failure. Either way... we move forward. Step one: destabilize her current investments subtly. Step two: manipulate stakeholders' perceptions. Step three: present our acquisitions as brilliance... while quietly siphoning away liquidity to weaken her support."
A younger analyst ventured, hesitantly, "And what if... she anticipates it? What if she sees the pattern before we execute?"
Xu Liwei's lips pressed into a thin line, a flash of recognition passing briefly. "Then she sees the genius in simplicity," he muttered almost to himself. "But she will not anticipate everything. She cannot anticipate... everything."
He exhaled sharply, pacing once more. "We must move quickly, and without hesitation. Confidence will mask the gaps in our resources. Boldness will hide the instability. And when the first ripple appears, we will strike again—before she can respond."
The executives nodded nervously, scribbling notes, preparing for the directives. Every move was calculated, yet every directive was imbued with personal vendetta, giving the strategy an unpredictable, almost reckless edge.
Across town, Liang Yue tapped a finger against her desk. "He believes he controls the game," she said softly. "But pride blinds him. Desperation sharpens mistakes. Every step he takes is visible, every overreach marked."
Mei Lan looked at her, eyes wide. "Miss Liang... do you really think we can counter all of this? His network is massive."
Liang Yue's expression remained calm, her eyes cold and focused. "Yes," she said simply. "Because we do not fight blindly. We fight with memory, foresight, and precision. I remember the patterns that led to his downfall before. Every decision, every investment, every miscalculated assumption... we exploit them. Quietly. Efficiently. Irrevocably."
She rose from the chair, walking to the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city. The early sunlight glittered off the high-rise buildings, reflecting off glass facades like tiny stars. "And when this is done," she added, voice low, almost to herself, "he will realize that even a man of his wealth and influence cannot rewrite history. The past is always a teacher, and I... I am its master."
Mei Lan's lips pressed tight in a mixture of awe and understanding. "So... we let him orchestrate his own collapse, while we merely observe?"
Liang Yue turned, her gaze piercing. "Exactly. Let him believe he is rebounding, believe he is reclaiming control. Let him manipulate, bluff, and overextend. And when the time comes, we act with precision. One move, one calculated strike... and his empire, his influence, his credibility... will crumble without anyone suspecting we had planned it from the beginning."
A faint smile tugged at her lips. "He does not know it yet, but he has already begun the dance... and he is leading himself into a trap of his own making."
Back at the Liwei boardroom, Xu Liwei outlined the initial steps of his supposed comeback. "Secure the acquisitions in the West District. Use the media to build perception of strength. Approach investors directly, highlighting aggressive expansion. By tomorrow, we will appear unstoppable."
One of the senior executives raised a hand hesitantly. "Sir... we are spreading resources thin. Some of these markets are volatile. If she counters..."
Xu Liwei cut him off sharply, slamming the palm of his hand against the table. "She cannot counter. She cannot possibly anticipate every single move. We are bold, calculated, and decisive. If she responds... she responds too late."
And as he spoke, Liang Yue's phone buzzed again. Mei Lan passed it to her quietly. "Initial response from stakeholders shows concern. Liquidity tightening in the West District acquisitions."
Liang Yue's lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "Exactly as expected," she murmured. "Pride. Overreach. Impatience. These are predictable. The chaos he sows himself will be the instrument of his downfall. No public confrontation, no visible maneuvering... just observation, timing, and inevitability."
She leaned back, watching the early morning sunlight strike the city skyline, the perfect reflection of opportunity. "Let him believe he is rebounding," she whispered softly. "But every misstep, every desperation-driven move, is already a mark on his collapse. And when the time comes... we will execute, quietly, flawlessly, and irreversibly."
The game had begun. Xu Liwei believed he was leading. Liang Yue knew she already controlled the board. And the city, the investors, and the elite circles would soon witness the inevitable: the untouchable, brilliant strategist had not only survived but was about to orchestrate her ex-husband's complete undoing—without ever lifting her hand publicly.
The chessboard was set. Every piece had a purpose. Every observer was unaware. And in the quiet of her corner office, Liang Yue allowed herself the faintest glimmer of satisfaction. She was not merely watching the game unfold—she was the force guiding it, unseen, unstoppable, and untouchable.
And Xu Liwei, for all his wealth, ambition, and desire for revenge, would soon realize that the past was never truly past. It had returned, sharp, calculating, and lethal.