Chapter 68 Insider Information
"Mr. Wang has just called. He said that none of our products has entered the shortlist. The three
companies that will be promoted are HL Group, Mu Group, and Fosun Entertainment Group. It''s not
surprising that HL Group and Mu Group have won. After all, they both belong to the top ten best
companies in the world. I am sincerely convinced that we have lost to them. But Fosun
Entertainment Group?"
Colby turned around and red at the senior executives who couldn''t utter a peep. He then
continued, "It''s just an entertainmentpany that handles models, actors, and actresses. But it
has not only seeded in transformation but also defeated us. Our HM Group is also one of the
companies in the Fortune Global 500. Shouldn''t our products reflect ourpany''s reputation?"
The moment he finished his words, the senior executives couldn''t help discussing with each other in
whispers. One of them said, "I''ve heard of Fosun Entertainment Group before. I didn''t know that
they have also ventured into the financial industry."
Another department manager added, "They won the bid in the government''snd development
projectst time. I was actually surprised, but I didn''t really think about it too much. I never expected
that they could..." He secretly took a nce at Colby first before he continued in a whisper, "I never
expected that they could defeat HM Group in this bid. It''s understandable that Mr. Zheng is upset
right now."
When he noticed that the senior executives were only whispering to each other, and no one had
even given him a satisfactory solution, Colby became more furious. He pounded the table with his
fist. The loud thud made everyone turn to him. He was about to say something when his phone
rang.
He took out the phone from his pocket to check who the caller was. Upon seeing the name on the
screen, a trace of impatience shed through his eyes. At first, he didn''t intend to answer it. But on
second thought, perhaps it had something to do with Mr. Wang''s project, so he answered it. "Hello?"
All the senior executives'' eyes were on Colby. None of them knew what the person on the other end
of the line was saying, but they could clearly see that the frown on Colby''s face gradually vanished.
He then said, "Ms. Song, are you saying that you have some insider information about Ezyhealth?
Okay. I''m in thepany, but I''m leaving on a business trip this afternoon. Can youe over right
now?"
After hanging up, Colby adjourned the meeting and hurried back to his office.
Before leaving the conference room, all the senior executives exchanged wondering nces. One
of them asked, "Who is Ms. Song? How can she have the insider information?"
"I have no clue either. But I''ve heard that when Mr. Zheng went to T Countryst time, he took a
woman named Ms. Song with him. I''m not sure if the woman who called him just now was the same
Ms. Song."
"Really?"
Inside his office, Colby sat and patiently waited for Maria to arrive.
Half an hourter, he finally received a call from the receptionist that a woman named Maria Song
wanted to see him. He calmly told his special assistant, "Go downstairs and wee Maria. I''ll wait
for her here."
"Yes, Mr. Zheng." The assistant then trotted over to the elevator.
Usually, Colby would only ask him to go downstairs and wee a guest if the guest was a VIP or
an honorable one. But today was an exemption. He was told by Colby to go downstairs and
personally wee Maria, who was an ordinary woman with no strong backing at all. It seemed
that she really had something important that could significantly impact HM Group.
A few minutester, Maria gracefully walked into Colby''s office in her white high heels. Today, she
looked totally different. Instead of her usual backless long dress, she was now wearing a pair of
ck and white striped suit. Her long hair that was usually hung loose on her shoulders was now
coiled neatly into a bun.
She didn''t look hot and enchanting today. The Maria that stood in front of Colby right now was a
neat and capable businesswoman.
Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Her sexy red lips moved as she opened her mouth. "Good day, Mr. Zheng. I apologize for the
sudden visit."
Colby motioned for Maria to sit down, took the cup of tea from his secretary, and put it in front of her.
He then kindly said, "Maria, try this green tea. This is made from the tea leaves that I personally
picked."
Maria sat down, picked up the cup, and smelled the tea. "This smells good. Xinyang Maojian tea,
isn''t it? This is one of the top quality green teas.
"It seems that you know a lot about tea. Do you like this one?"
Maria smiled and went straight to the point. "I know something about the bidding for Ezyhealth.
With an expressionless face, Colby poured some hot water into her cup and said, "Let''s make
things clear here. You are Mr. Xi''s ex-wife. Why don''t you go to him and give him the insider
information?"
"Why should I do that? Like what you''ve said, I''m his ex-wife. I have nothing to do with him
anymore. After all, he is soon to be engaged to Alina Tang. What''s more, it was you who took me to
T Country. So whatever information I have right now, he doesn''t deserve to have it." Maria
answered Colby''s question frankly with a calm and honest look on her face. It was hard not to
believe her.
For a moment, Colby was stunned. But when he came back to his senses, he burst intoughter.
"Maria Song, you are really something. You''re such an interesting woman."
Maria grinned and said, "I''m just finding a way out for myself, Mr. Zheng. Do you know why I left HM
Group all of a sudden?"
Colby didn''t know what to say. He was too busy every day to pay attention to any employee''s
resignation. For him, it was such an insignificant thingpared to his other responsibilities in the
company.
Knowing that he had no idea, Maria exined, "James Xi has banned me in the business circle of
the entire H City. I had to leave HM Group. But since I want to stay in this ce, I have no choice
but to find a backer in the fastest and simplest way." Maria paused for a moment. She slightly raised
her eyebrows, looked at Colby, and tentatively asked, "Are you willing to be my backer?"
As a smart businessman, Colby was not easy to fool. So he only believed one-third of Maria''s
words. But then, he readily agreed, "Of course!" The truth was, he warned himself inwardly not to
offend James for a woman. It was not worth it.
Maria rested her elbows on herp and cupped her chin in her hands. She stared at Colby with
admiring eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Zheng," she said. But in fact, she also didn''t believe in his words. All
of a sudden, sadness shed across her eyes. She acted like she seemed to have thought of
something and said, "Mr. Zheng, I know that you are a married man. But don''t worry. I won''t expect
anything else from you. I just hope that you can save me when I''m in trouble. That''s all I want to ask
from you."
"Don''t worry. You cane to me anytime you need help." In Colby''s eyes, Maria was just any
other woman. She wouldn''t cause so much trouble at all. He assumed that she would only need
financial help at most.
"Well, thank you again, Mr. Zheng." Maria smiled at him gratefully. She then took out a document
from her briefcase and pressed it on the table. "Mr. Zheng, take a look at this document and tell me
if I''m worthy of the favor I''m asking from you. This is the insider information that I''ve got. But I hope
that this will only be between the two of us. Please, don''t tell anyone about this."
Something came to Colby''s mind. After he came back from T Country, Mr. Wang called him to
especially thank him for introducing such a stunning woman like Maria. Mr. Wang also said that he
enjoyed Maria''spany so much and he was satisfied with her. If possible, Mr. Wang wanted to
keep Maria in T Country all the time. Colby had an assumption that Mr. Wang and Maria had sex
after the dinner party.
He strongly believed that Maria had traded her body for the insider information of Ezyhealth. He
believed it was such a wise decision that he took Maria with him to T Country.
Proud of himself, Colby nodded in agreement. "Of course, Maria. This matter is just between us.
You trust me so much. I won''t betray you."
Maria choked with sobs. "I really appreciate that, Mr. Zheng. From now on, I have no one else to
rely on but you." Maria then pushed the document in front of Colby.
Instead of picking it up, Colby just nced at it. He wanted to show Maria that he was not in a hurry
to read it for her to believe that he really trusted her. He held Maria''s hand and said meaningfully,
"Maria, if this document is really helpful to HM Group, I want to do you another favor. You can move
into my three-story vi in the south of the city."
Looking down at his big rough hands that enveloped hers, Maria suppressed the rolling sickness in
her stomach. She held his hands back tightly and said with a graceful smile, "Thank you so much,
Mr. Zheng."
To avoid causing unnecessary trouble, Maria left HM Group right after she handed the document to
Colby. Colby didn''t stop her from leaving. He had nned to establish a closer rtionship with her
in some way, but it was not the right time yet.
When she was back in the car, Maria pulled out some wet tissues and wiped her hand that was
touched by Colby. The expression on her face was scarily cold. She didn''t stop until she had nearly
used up the whole pack of wet tissues.