Chapter 18: Asia’s Most Powerful Marriage Alliance

Chapter 18: Asia's Most Powerful Marriage Alliance

"BOSS, that young master has been following us all the way. Do you need me to drive him away?" the bodyguard asked dutifully.

If he didn't do something soon, he'd probably be fired tomorrow, right?

Guan Minfeng glanced at him but didn't answer, silently watching the furtive He Xiangchen through the rearview mirror. The young man thought he was well-hidden behind an Audi, his lively eyes cautiously peeking over, like a little lamb lost in a crowd.

Dumb as hell, but still kind of cute.

The bodyguard couldn't figure out Guan Minfeng's intentions. For the sake of his job, he steeled himself and walked towards He Xiangchen.

"What are you doing?"

Seeing He Xiangchen suddenly step back in panic, Guan Minfeng growled at the bodyguard in dissatisfaction.

Oh no, the BOSS is angry.

The bodyguard froze in place, not daring to move.

Guan Minfeng found the big lug increasingly annoying and simply dismissed him, "Go wait in the car outside."

On the other side, He Xiangchen thought the bodyguard had spotted him and quickly hid behind the car. Seriously, that bodyguard was huge—no, more like a powerhouse. One punch from him, and He Xiangchen's frail body might not survive.

But when he peeked out again, the luxury sports car was already gone.

"He's gone..." He Xiangchen withdrew his gaze in disappointment. This time they parted ways, and who knows when they'll see each other again.

Just as he was feeling down, a low, menacing voice suddenly sounded behind him, "Why are you following me?"

He Xiangchen was startled. Turning around, he saw Guan Minfeng looking down at him, clearly the one who had spoken.

Why had he been following him? Should he tell him, "You were my lover in a past life"? Who would believe such nonsense?

The situation grew extremely awkward, with both of them silent. He Xiangchen instinctively stepped back, but his back was already against the car door, leaving him no room to retreat.

Guan Minfeng wasn't about to let He Xiangchen off the hook. He gave a meaningful glance at the parking spot not far away, where he and his car had been just seconds ago.

He Xiangchen quickly defended himself, "I'm not some creepy stalker!"

"Oh, really?" Guan Minfeng smirked, "So, tell me, why are you following me?"

The man's slightly husky voice lingered in He Xiangchen's ears, and his ears immediately turned red. He looked at Guan Minfeng in confusion, then suddenly had an idea, "I want to repay you for your kindness!"

"Repay my kindness?"

"Yes, I can't just accept ten million without giving something back!"

Guan Minfeng felt a pang of disappointment. He had seen too many people who went to great lengths to stay by his side. He Xiangchen wasn't the first, and he certainly wouldn't be the last. It seemed the young man was no different from those others.

Sensing the distance in Guan Minfeng's eyes, He Xiangchen knew he had probably messed up. Right, his behavior inevitably gave off the impression of being overly persistent.

He Xiangchen lowered his head, "Thank you... and I'm sorry."

With that, he fled in a panic.

Leaving Guan Minfeng standing there, utterly bewildered.

At that moment, the car window in front of Guan Minfeng suddenly rolled down, and the owner's voice, filled with frustration, floated out, "Dude, you're not going to win anyone over like this! I'm getting secondhand embarrassment just watching."

Guan Minfeng looked at the car owner in shock, "You saw all that?"

"Come on, what century are we living in? I'm not some old-fashioned prude," the driver said with the expression of someone who had been through it all. "That kid probably has a crush on you. Since you don't dislike him, why not chase him back?"

"I don't dislike him?" Guan Minfeng was puzzled, "What makes you say that?"

"If you disliked him, you would have left in the car long ago. Why stick around and chat him up?"

"..."

Having his thoughts exposed, Guan Minfeng glared fiercely at the driver, "You talk too much. Where’s your place?"

"Why do you ask?"

Guan Minfeng walked away, saying, "I’ll have someone wreck your place!"

The driver laughed heartily, "First house on Mount Akina—that’s me!"

Guan Minfeng didn't look back, but he thought to himself: The old pro from Mount Akina, living up to the legend.

...

He Xiangchen came home feeling down, only to find his elder brothers waiting for him in the living room.

"The young master’s home!" The butler cheerfully fetched slippers for He Xiangchen, "What’ll it be, Yang Yang? Uncle’s got you covered."

"Don't make anything for him, he's already eaten outside. Any more and he’ll pop!" An Heng said sarcastically.

He Xiangchen was immediately upset, "Second brother, can’t you just talk straight?"

"Talk straight? Everything I tell you just goes in one ear and out the other! How many times have I told you, that Zheng Biaolian’s a total scumbag, he's been cheating you out of food, drink, and money, and then he goes off to enjoy himself with his mistress. Haven’t you had enough of his crap?"

An Heng was about to explode with anger at his foolish brother!

He Xiangchen, scolded by his second brother, was a bit dazed and instinctively retorted, "You've been following me?"

"Follow you? Give me a break! Go online and see for yourself, the tabloids are already all over your dates with Zheng Biaolian!"

An Heng jabbed a finger at He Xiangchen, not caring how he looked. An Lie tapped the table, signaling the feuding brothers to shift their attention.

"Regardless of whether Yang Yang's dates with Zheng Biaolian are true or not, and regardless of whether someone is deliberately causing trouble behind this, the fact is that the media has already exposed it. The priority now is figuring out how to handle the bad press, and strive not to further damage the An family's reputation."

An Lie's words made He Xiangchen fully understand why An Heng was so angry. Not only because he had secretly met with his ex-boyfriend without telling them, but also because his actions had made the company's situation even more difficult.

"I... I didn't expect it to be like this."

He Xiangchen stepped forward and handed the check to An Heng and An Lie, "I just wanted to help out the company."

An Lie took the check and first noticed the amount of ten million.

"Where’d you get your hands on that much cash?" An Lie was shocked, "Did you cut some deal with Zheng Biaolian?"

Unless it was some shady deal, he couldn’t see why Zheng Biaolian would lend He Xiangchen a dime.

Before He Xiangchen could speak, An Lie shot to his feet, his usual calm completely shattered, "Guan Minfeng signed this?"

"What’s the problem?" He Xiangchen had planned to dig into his lover’s past once he got home, but seeing his elder brother's reaction, it was clear he knew Guan Minfeng.

Looks like he doesn’t need to dig anymore.

An Heng grabbed the check and took a look, equally dumbfounded. But seeing his brother's eager expression, he went on to explain, "Guan Minfeng, the current patriarch of the Guan family, is an enigma. He inherited the Guan family's business at a young age. His methods are ruthless, a business genius, keeping his brothers and uncles firmly in check, preventing them from vying for the immense wealth he controls. The enterprises under the Guan family span the globe, covering dozens of industries including electronics, dining, cosmetics, and more, each a leader in its respective industry."

"...Second brother, do you realize you sound like a pyramid scheme salesman right now?" He Xiangchen couldn't help but tease.

An Heng's mouth twitched, "A simpleton like you could never grasp the power of the Guan family. Simply put, economists estimate that the Guan family is likely the wealthiest in all of Asia."

As he spoke, he looked at He Xiangchen, using the most vivid analogy he could think of: "Five hundred million to him is probably like five bucks to us. To Guan Minfeng, money is just a series of numbers. If it's his money, then I believe it."

After all, who cares about tossing a beggar a few cents?

This realization was quite a blow.

Deeply affected, He Xiangchen didn't even bother to shower, just wandered back to his room.

He lay on the bed, unlocked his phone, and with his fingertips on the keypad, entered the series of numbers he had memorized.

Meanwhile, at the seaside villa.

Guan Minfeng swept his hand across the table, sending all the documents flying to the floor!

In front of him stood three middle-aged men, hardly daring to breathe.

"The Guan family pays you handsomely, and this is how you perform? The reports you submit are sloppy, and you can't answer the questions I ask you? With such an attitude, I seriously question how you even got into the Guan family's enterprises!"

He stood up and paced like an angry tiger.

"From now on, you three are no longer in charge of Snowfield Hotel, you're fired!"

"I disagree!"

The man in the middle stiffened his neck and said, "Why fire us? We haven't made any mistakes, and our performance hasn't declined. Are you firing us just because the reports aren't well written?"

"Customer information is incomplete, customer disputes are not resolved promptly, is this what you call no mistakes?" Guan Minfeng's icy gaze was like a physical force, "The Guan family has no use for irresponsible employees like you! And I'm not here to discuss this with you."

"Either leave on your own, or I'll have someone escort you out, your choice."

Guan Minfeng always meant what he said.

The three men exchanged glances and finally left in disgrace.

"BOSS, the documents you requested."

The bodyguard cast a sympathetic glance at the three who had been reduced to rolling on the floor. Offending anyone but Guan Minfeng is a bad idea. Everyone knows Guan Minfeng has a short fuse, and his subordinates are always on edge, fearing they might lose their cushy jobs.

Guan Minfeng raised his hand to dismiss the bodyguard and began to flip through the document himself.

The title page of the document clearly read: "An Yang's File."

The more Guan Minfeng read, the more irritable he became. Especially when he saw that An Yang had once dated Zheng Biaolian and was later dumped, the newly replaced pen broke again!

Just as he was getting angry, his phone rang inappropriately again.

He picked it up, there was no caller ID.

Guan Minfeng immediately thought of a certain ostrich-like little rascal.

"Hello?"

"Good evening."

He Xiangchen was a bit nervous, his hand, clutching the bedsheet, was sweating. "It's indeed a bit forward to disturb you so late, but I have something I need your help with."

"Ask for my help?" Guan Minfeng's voice was deep. "Asking for my help comes with a price."

"But I may not have enough money to tempt you."

"I don't want money. Problems that can be solved with money aren't real problems. You can owe me first, and pay me back when I think of something. But first, tell me what you need help with."

He Xiangchen hesitated for a moment, then agreed. "Alright, then Mr. Guan, please help me clarify with the media about the dating scandal with Zheng Biaolian. As for the price, as long as I can do it, Mr. Guan can name his price."

Guan Minfeng suspiciously typed a few keywords into the browser, and soon, a flood of sensational reports popped up.

He randomly picked one to read.

Then, furious, he hurled his phone to the ground. The computer screen reflected Guan Minfeng's furious face, with a fiery glint in his eyes!