Li Ming locked eyes with him before letting out a low, dry chuckle. “A climber, is it…?” He rasped, taking a slow sip of his liquor. “You Thai are certainly quick-witted and fond of your metaphors.”
Adisorn sipped his drink with a fluid, lethal grace, his gaze never leaving the cunning old dragon. He had reached his limit of playing nice; if the blow dealt to him was heavy, the retaliation would be twice as devastating. “I intend to fulfill the promise you once asked of me, Chairman...” He paused, meeting the powerful man’s eyes with a hauntingly hollow stare. “I will place Mr. Wenjie on the throne as the Chairman of CLS.”
Li Ming lowered his cup slowly, a chillingly calm smile gracing his lips. “I thought you had forgotten.” He let out a harsh laugh. “How interesting… you appear subservient, yet your spirit suggests otherwise.”
Adisorn set his cup down. “I am a man of my word. Even when forced, it is better than being a venomous snake that bites the hand that feeds… or perhaps, I am more of a serpent than I care to admit. But I am no coward who strikes from the shadows.” He spoke with a challenging intensity, while the old Chairman’s face remained frozen, save for a slight twitch of his lip.
“Before Mr. Wenjie takes the helm at CLS as you desire, the Thailand Sandbox must succeed first,” Adisorn said, glancing at the yellow liquor trembling in his cup as a breeze swept through. Li Ming’s lip curled in a silent sneer.
“With you backing him… everything should go smoothly, shouldn't it?” the Chairman remarked. Adisorn merely offered a cold smile, his eyes fixed.
“However, I have a condition,” Adisorn said, his gaze searching the Chairman’s as if testing the very core of his pride. “If I successfully install Mr. Wenjie as Chairman of CLS, I want Ms. Meiling promoted to Director of the Hydrogen Project replacing Gawin.”
Li Ming frowned, his gaze intensifying. Adisorn’s move was forcing him into a defensive posture. “What exactly does that mean…?”
Adisorn’s lips curved upward. “It means I will not be the strategist for Mr. Wenjie.”
The words sent a jolt of silence through the pavilion. Li Ming’s hand, resting on his knee, tightened instinctively. “Mr. Wenjie came to me. He asked me to be the architect of his ascension to take your place as the head of CK Group,” Adisorn revealed with a face of perfect stone.
“He wants the position while CK Group is at its peak. In fact, you should be proud that your son is so eager to secure your legacy at this moment,” he added.
Li Ming stared, his eyes plunging into the depths as if searching for a trap. “And why refuse him? If that is what he wants, and he is the future heir… or has Lu Rong made you an offer that turned your support toward Meiling instead?” Li Ming’s voice was sharp, demanding.
Adisorn remained serene, his figure blending into the flickering shadows of the trees. “Because… Ms. Meiling is the one who will truly succeed you. Not Mr. Wenjie.” He offered a ghost of a smile.
Li Ming erupted into a scornful laugh. “It seems you’ve misunderstood. Wenjie is the sole heir I intend to place in my stead.”
Adisorn gave a faint smile, his eyes piercing through the facade. “Is it not because you have no real intention of letting go of your throne to your son at all?” The retort was delivered softly, yet the sheer accuracy of it caused Li Ming’s smile to vanish instantly.
“Paranoia often causes those upon the throne to stumble… believing they can hold the world in their grip forever.” Adisorn looked up at the old man, who was now visibly shaken by his cold prophecy. “But the one who truly reads your heart is the one who dominates the game. They see that your missteps will pave the way for your future collapse.”
Li Ming had kept his darkest thoughts buried in the deepest reaches of his soul, but now this man had exhumed them and laid them bare upon the table.
“Handing a knife to someone who knows not how to use it is a death sentence… yet withholding it only invites others to destroy you. It is a double-edged sword; regardless of the path, it draws blood, does it not?” Adisorn asked, his eyes gleaming with the predatory brilliance of a demon who saw through every move. “You know well that Mr. Wenjie lacks the caliber to sustain CK Group. The moment he gains absolute power, everything you have built will crumble in an instant.” Adisorn’s gaze flared like a fox eyeing cornered prey. “And trusting those who whisper sweet loyalties in your ear… that is a far greater threat than those who never speak a word of devotion at all, isn't it?”
Adisorn’s icy smile sent a wave of numbness through Li Ming’s chest. The warmth of the rice wine evaporated, leaving only the bitter chill of the truths Adisorn had just served.
Being forced to choose between a bloodline-driven catastrophe or yielding power to an adversary left Li Ming paralyzed with indecision. Meanwhile, Gawin was destined to be purged by Adisorn soon a cold-blooded move to extinguish the fire at its source.
“But do not worry,” Adisorn said, raising his now-cold cup once more. “Mr. Wenjie will become the Chairman of CLS with the Board’s full blessing… you have my word on that.” He offered a final, razor-sharp smile.
The reflections of the two men upon the water were a picture of deceptive stillness the quiet before the onset of a catastrophic storm.
Adisorn stepped out of the wooden pavilion. As he traversed the arched stone bridge, the tall, imposing figure of Wenjie approached. They exchanged a brief, formal nod.
“My father must have summoned you here,” Wenjie remarked, aware that his father was orchestrating a move.
Adisorn inclined his head slightly. “And I presume you are here to see the Chairman as well?”
“No,” Wenjie replied, a faint, meaningful smirk playing on his lips. “I am here to see you.”
Adisorn met his gaze, a cold smile lingering as he glanced back at the pavilion in the center of the lake, where Li Ming still sat motionless amidst a haze of drifting smoke.