Rebirth: The Time-locked Girl
Chapter 592 Stunned! The World as a Chessboard! [2 more - s]

Chapter 592: 592 Stunned! The World as a Chessboard! [2 more Chapters]

Before he arrived, Ye Wanlan had already added an extra chair by her side, and Darian "slapped" down onto it.

The moment he sat down, Darian began to complain, "Ah, Sister Lan, you have no idea, I never attend the entertainment activities hosted by the Heritage Center just because I really dislike the dinners they prepare—they are so unpalatable!"

Normally, he is so busy that he would rather prolong his life with nutritional supplements than touch those hard-to-swallow foods.

During his years studying at Shenzhou University, he had become quite particular about the Shenzhou cuisine.

"It’s Sister Lan who understands me, I love barbecue the most." Darian rolled up his sleeves and casually grabbed a skewer of grilled meat, "Delicious, truly delicious."

"..."

His was the only sound of chewing at the entire table; everyone else seemed to have turned into statues, and even time had stopped.

The director always felt that encountering too many unfriendly people today had led to his mental daze.

Otherwise, why would he see Darian Stuart, the youngest vice president at the World Cultural Heritage Center, here?

He must be hallucinating!

Unable to resist, the director shivered and turned his head, "Old, Old Liu, give me a slap, let me see if I’m dreaming."

However, Producer Liu was also dumbfounded, staring blankly at Darian who was relishing his meal.

Dreaming.

He was dreaming.

After Darian finished a plate of barbecue, he noticed everyone was still motionless, just staring at him, which gave him the creeps.

He rubbed his arms, "Eh? Aren’t you all hungry? Eat, eat, we’re all friends here, no need to be polite."

That statement finally snapped the director and the others back from their trance.

But the words "we’re all friends here" shocked them again.

They had seen how obsequiously Andrew Karl had acted when Darian appeared at the banquet.

Darian, somewhat confused, turned to Ye Wanlan for help, "What’s their deal?"

"You scared them," Ye Wanlan raised an eyebrow and calmly said, "Birds of a feather flock together, we all like to scare people."

"Cough, cough, cough!" Darian choked, "Sister Lan, you can’t include yourself in that too."

"Director, Producer Liu, this is Darian Stuart, vice president at the World Cultural Heritage Center," Ye Wanlan nodded, "and a sworn friend of mine, he’s one of us, no need for formalities."

The director finally couldn’t help but gasp, "Mr. Darian, hello!"

"The director of ’Treasures of The Divine Land,’ I’ve heard about you," Darian shook his hand, "Your directing skills are very strong, I’m really looking forward to the premiere on August 1st."

The director was so elated he nearly fainted.

Producer Liu disdainfully glanced at him, "What a character!"

But when it was his turn to shake hands with Darian, he too felt extremely happy.

The director thought to himself, Ye Wanlan even knows such people, yet she never talks about it, she’s too humble.

If it were someone else, they would have been bragging, "I’m good friends with Vice President Darian, what do you make of that?"

Such temperament, he had great respect for her indeed.

Soon, under Ye Wanlan’s adjustment, the atmosphere became lively again.

"Don’t mind that fool Andrew, he’s always just looking for a sense of presence from others," Darian snorted, "I’ll deal with him properly when I get back."

Looking down on Ye Wanlan was like looking down on him, and he remembered that!

"Let’s drink, let’s drink." After saying that, Darian called out, "When I’m free, I must visit Shenzhou."

"No problem!" the director perked up, "Just come, and I’ll be your tour guide."

Darian smiled, "Then I’m truly looking forward to experiencing the charm of the Shenzhou Land Continent."

**

The Global Ceremony smoothly concluded after two days, of course, this was also largely due to MN Group’s coordination with various forces to prevent any action against Pulling the Sky Company.

Even though MN Group intended to suppress the news of Brad Carter’s kidnapping, his absence at the Global Ceremony had sparked considerable debate.

"How come Brad Carter wasn’t seen at this year’s Global Ceremony? Could he have been fired by MN Group?"

"That’s impossible, absolutely not. If MN Group fired Brad, Catika and Freya Yinnide would definitely employ him at a high price, and then the fashion world would see some significant movement."

"Um, rumor has it the reason Brad Carter didn’t attend is because he’s missing, nobody knows who kidnapped him, and MN Group is preparing the ransom."

"What?! I recall Brad’s security system being very robust, how could he possibly be kidnapped?"

"Ssss... if Brad is gone, the fashion world would really be turned upside down."

With the conclusion of the Global Ceremony, Fang Qingli, following cues from Ye Wanlan, arranged a negotiation location with MN Group.

This place is very close to the Extreme Path Headquarters, right under the eyes of Extreme Path.

Besides Fang Qingli, two other executives from Pulling the Sky Company were also present.

When the chairman of MN Group entered the room, he glanced around and politely inquired, "May I know which lady I spoke with over the phone?"

"The lady you spoke with on the phone?" Fang Qingli was a bit surprised, "Mr. Cyril, you only heard her voice and did not see her face, how can you be sure she is not here?"

The full name of MN Group’s chairman is Cyril Mitchell, who was also a rare handsome man at the Global Center in his younger days, which is why he could succeed in taking over MN Group, a vast fashion empire.

Cyril smiled faintly, "Though I only heard the voice, I could hear from the voice that this lady has a dragon hidden in her bones, and her voice commands respect, so at a glance, I knew she isn’t here."

He paused, then smiled again, "Of course, Miss Fang, you three ladies are also phoenixes among people."

Fang Qingli felt a chill in her heart, she pretended to brush her hair but actually tapped her earpiece.

"I heard it," Ye Wanlan’s voice came through clearly from the earpiece, she also chuckled, "Such an old fox in the business world, if he didn’t even have this bit of discernment, he wouldn’t qualify to be the chairman of MN Group. Don’t be nervous, just follow what I said."

Hearing this, miraculously, all the unease and anxiety inside Fang Qingli were smoothed over, she raised her head, "We are here, but before handing over the person, doesn’t MN Group have anything to say about this kidnapping incident?"

"Miss Fang, although you appear to have been in charge from a young age, I regret to inform you that you still lack sufficient experience to know how tough it is to survive at the Global Center," Cyril shrugged, "It’s true we were at fault this time, but even without us, there were others targeting you, your ability to retaliate was unexpected on our part."

Fang Qingli scoffed.

Such attitude, indeed just as Ye Wanlan had anticipated.

Cyril continued, "May I know what terms your boss has set?"

"Boss said to return the person, that’s fine, but there are two demands," Fang Qingli stated as per Ye Wanlan’s instructions, pausing between her words, "First, Seres brand under MN Group must apologize for the insult towards Shenzhou four years ago, publicly and globally."

This first condition alone had already made several senior executives of MN Group blanch.

Getting them, these proud individuals, to lower their heads and apologize to Shenzhou in public was more unbearable than death.

Someone couldn’t help but argue, "It’s all from four years ago, things that should be forgotten are already forgotten, and—"

Cyril raised his hand, gesturing him to stop, "Alright, we accept the first condition."

"Boss said you always like to backtrack, so we need you to issue the apology announcement now," Fang Qingli said flatly, "Not just on Shenzhou’s social media platforms, but most importantly at the Global Center."

These foreign brands are accustomed to double dealing, some apologies are merely limited to Shenzhou Land Continent and actually carry no genuine regret.

Clearly, making a public apology was somewhat unacceptable for Cyril.

Yet, to save Brad Carter’s life, he had no choice but to agree.

Cyril asked coldly, "What’s the second condition?"

Ye Wanlan clasped her hands, watching every person’s movements on the screen, accurately capturing every twitch of muscle on Cyril’s face.

The whole world is a chessboard, and all beings, mere pawns.

She, intended to be the sole Chess Master.

"Tell him—"