Chapter 300 - 212: The Most Powerful Woman (3)

’This gave him quite a scare. They say what you think about by day, you dream of by night, but I’ve never dared to even consider something like that. What’s going on?’

’The only explanation must be that I spent too much time thinking about the Xinyue Group yesterday. Since the Xinyue Group is one of the Zong Family’s assets, my mind must have linked them together. It’s a bit of a stretch, but I guess it’s a plausible enough excuse.’

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「Early in the morning. The top floor of a skyscraper on a man-made island in the Chinese Southern Sea.」

This was the global command center of the Zong Group. The island itself was a bustling metropolis with a population of several hundred thousand, all of them employees of the Zong Group and their families.

The Zong Group held controlling or minority stakes in numerous companies, spanning dozens of key sectors including commercial real estate, shipping, luxury hotels, and semiconductor manufacturing, to name a few.

In the Chairwoman’s office of the Zong Group, a symbol of power and wealth. It was situated in the northwest corner of the top floor—the "Qian" position, a place of power in Feng Shui. A 270-degree glass curtain wall offered a panoramic view of the city skyline, with her back to a wall of natural, ink-wash patterned marble.

A custom-made, curved walnut desk, its surface inlaid with an embossed family crest, paired with a high-backed Italian leather chair to form a throne of power. Behind the chair hung a massive abstract oil painting titled *Vortex of Power*. The painting’s background of flowing dark gold seemed to hint at the invisible hand manipulating the capital markets from behind the scenes.

A green jade Pixiu stood guard in the southeast corner, its presence complemented by a smart atomizing diffuser that released the scent of cedarwood. Crystal chain curtains cascaded from the ceiling, refracting light like a river of stars, while a dynamic projection of the corporate logo shimmered on the floor.

Morning light streamed through the Feng Shui arrangement in the northwest corner, gilding the tips of the woman’s hair with a golden, halo-like sheen. Her custom-tailored black suit was cut with sharp shoulder lines, evoking the silhouette of an imperial seal.

As she bent over her work, her lowered, phoenix-like eyes concealed a fraction of her formidable presence. The corners of her eyes were delicately shaded, like a fine-brush painting in sandalwood tones, evoking the King of the Kingdom of Women from the ’86 classic *Journey to the West* and her unspoken, heartfelt whisper of "Brother Yudi."

With a flutter of her eyelashes, the fractured morning light grazed the beauty mark between her brows—a mark a Feng Shui master had long ago prophesied was a vermilion seal, destined to ’command trillions in wealth.’

The office suite was laid out like a presidential suite, employing a three-tiered system of access: a reception hall, a secretarial office, and finally, the main office itself.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

The ajar red sandalwood door was pushed open, and a beautiful woman who appeared to be around thirty years old walked in.

"Eldest Miss." The woman approached the desk and stood before it, bowing her head respectfully.

Zong Wan, the Eldest Miss, tapped her fingertips lightly on the red sandalwood desk, her gaze locking onto the other woman, sharp as lightning. "Zong Lan, you’ve been back for over a year now, haven’t you?"

Zong Lan lowered her head, not daring to meet her gaze. Even as a member of the Eldest Miss’s secretarial team, she felt the woman’s imposing aura, which compelled a deep and heartfelt submission from all of them.

This imposing aura stemmed not just from her unparalleled beauty, but more from what they knew—and had even participated in. During the family’s power struggles, her methods were ruthless and her application of power was masterful, a textbook case of corporate warfare. It was no wonder that, in the ten years since being brought back as an estranged, direct-line granddaughter, she had managed to seize absolute control of the Zong Group, forcing the clan’s old guard to pledge their loyalty and submit.

The handful of successors who had previously been the most popular candidates were all defeated in their competition with her and had since been marginalized. After taking over the Zong Group, Zong Wan implemented several major reforms. In just one year, she increased the group’s revenue by 15%. More importantly, she used these reforms to replace the entire core leadership with her own people, solidifying her position within the family. It was said that nowadays, even the word of the Zong Family’s Old Patriarch didn’t carry as much weight as hers.

Of course, the enormous profits she had generated for the group over the past year had also convinced the Zong Family’s Patriarch to throw his full support behind her. As for his other grandchildren, the Patriarch’s verdict was blunt: if they couldn’t even win against a ’slip of a girl’ while holding every advantage, how could he possibly rest easy entrusting such a massive conglomerate to them?

’These thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.’ Hearing her superior’s question, she quickly and respectfully replied, "Yes, Eldest Miss. It has been one year and one month to the day since we all returned after ’the final battle.’"

"The final battle" was the most intense phase of their internal power struggle. It had embroiled over a dozen of the Zong Family’s industrial sectors, and in its aftermath, the senior management of nearly every major division was replaced. In the end, Zong Wan had used her overwhelming advantage to sweep away every last obstacle. She ascended to the throne as the ultimate authority in the Zong Family, becoming arguably the most powerful woman on Earth—all at the tender age of twenty-seven.

At the time, to deal with their powerful rivals, Zong Wan’s faction had recalled all members of its think tank. Zong Lan was one of them, part of a group of over thirty people who returned to help. She had stayed by Zong Wan’s side in the command center, gathering and consolidating intelligence from all fronts and offering strategic advice.

"A year has passed. They can’t cause any more trouble now," Zong Wan said. "I’m planning to send you to Qingzhou soon. You haven’t been in contact with your family for over a year. It must have been hard on you."

Zong Lan’s eyes fell, and her voice was filled with emotion. "The clan raised me, taught me everything I know. It’s a debt of gratitude I can never fully repay. I know that not contacting our families for the past year was for our own good. We were afraid they would be targeted by our enemies. Once we showed a vulnerability, it would have become the focal point of their attacks."

Zong Wan seemed to drift into a memory. After a long moment, she said, "Fortunately, the storm has nearly passed. They shouldn’t be harboring any more illusions. You can go home. And this time, I’ll see to it that you return in glory."

"Pack your things. Tomorrow you’ll take a flight to Qingzhou. When you go back this time, your official position will be General Manager of the Xinyue Group’s Qingjiang Region. You’ll also retain your role as my personal secretary, which will make it easier for you to coordinate resources within China."

Zong Lan’s expression filled with excitement. She gave a firm nod. "Thank you, Eldest Miss."