Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Originally, the departure time was set, but upon arriving at the airport, they were notified of poor weather conditions, causing a delay in takeoff. By the time they landed in Country D, it was already past 1 PM, and it would take another hour or so to reach the destination by car.

"Are we still going to City B?" Assistant Wang Yu asked. "At this time, it might be too tight for a round trip."

"Forget it, let's head directly to City F," Xie Ci said with some resignation. He sent a message to Gu Yufeng while sitting in the car, but by the time they reached the destination, there was still no reply.

It had been over two months since they last met. Gu Yufeng had been on a business trip to Country M and had squeezed out an hour from his packed schedule to sneak out and meet Xie Ci, only having time for a quick meal before leaving again.

This time, Xie Ci had come to Country D to attend the engagement party of a wealthy businessman's son. He had specifically set aside enough time to meet Gu Yufeng before the party, but now this unexpected delay had thrown a wrench in his plans.

By the time they arrived at the hotel, it was not yet 3 PM. Xie Ci sat at his desk, flipping through recent domestic and international economic news. He glanced at his phone occasionally, but there was still no reply from Gu Yufeng.

Wang Yu was sitting in the outer room, communicating with the secretary in English about work matters. After hanging up, he hurriedly went to report to Xie Ci.

"Just got the news that Sade Group and Rongyu Group have reached a preliminary cooperation agreement. Our side might be out of the game!"

Sade Group from Country T is one of the giants in the sensor field, considered top-tier in the industry.

The series of smart products they are currently developing rely heavily on various types of sensors. Sade's recently launched products have outperformed their competitors. While purchasing components is usually a minor matter that doesn't require the president's attention, Sade has been stringing them along for the past two months, making various stringent demands while getting closer to Rongyu Group.

Over the past two years, DR and Rongyu Group have been competing behind the scenes in the tech field. Sade is clearly aware of this, perhaps too aware.

Now that Sade and Rongyu Group have reached a cooperation agreement, it means they have lost this round in the battle for components. Sade's message is clear: either give up the purchase or offer a price far higher than what Rongyu Group is paying.

"This is just too much," Wang Yu said, still angry. "When we first approached Sade, their attitude was quite good. But as soon as Rongyu got involved, it changed immediately."

Xie Ci quickly browsed through the news reports on his computer screen and casually asked, "What did Sade say?"

Wang Yu replied, "They said the new product line has limited capacity, and production can't keep up, so they can only supply Rongyu Group for now."

In the fast-paced world of smart products, sometimes being just one step behind your competitor can mean losing the game.

"If that's what they're saying, then let it go. Let Rongyu have it," Xie Ci said without much emotional fluctuation. "Tell Xiao Ji to bring a few people from the Feng Hui Technical Department over. We'll look for suitable suppliers domestically."

"Domestically?"

Wang Yu was surprised. "None of the domestic manufacturers can compete. How can they compare to Sade?"

"That's not necessarily true," Xie Ci said, a faint smile appearing in his otherwise indifferent eyes. "I have a lot of confidence in domestic products."

Wang Yu was momentarily speechless and could only agree.

Perhaps the gap in their levels was too wide. Sometimes, he simply couldn't understand some of President Xie's decisions. For example, DR was doing well in Country M, but suddenly, Xie decided to set up a domestic branch, shifting resources toward the domestic market. In Wang Yu's view, it seemed like charity work.

By 4 PM, Xie Ci closed his laptop and prepared to leave for the engagement party at the manor.

In the car, Wang Yu reported the results of his communication to Xie Ci.

Xie Ci merely acknowledged with a sound and didn't give any further instructions regarding the Sade matter. He kept staring at the chat window with Gu Yufeng, his mind filled with images of the latter's angry face.

Gu Yufeng would also be attending the engagement party that evening, but in such a public setting, they could only pretend to be strangers for the time being. After the event, it was uncertain whether they would have time to meet privately.

Hearing a soft sigh, Xie Ci looked up and asked, "Why the sigh?"

Wang Yu snapped back to attention and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Xie Ci: "About the Seth matter?"

Wang Yu shook his head, wanting to say that such matters were not for a small assistant like him to worry about, but under Xie Ci's gaze, he braced himself and explained with difficulty, "My girlfriend and I started a long-distance relationship after graduation, but recently she has become somewhat distant. I might be getting broken up with."

Xie Ci's hand holding the phone tightened.

Wang Yu didn't notice Xie Ci's reaction and continued sorrowfully, "Being apart for a long time makes you get used to being alone. Maybe neither of us did anything wrong, but we just grew apart."

Wang Yu lowered his head, "Several of my classmates have already ended their relationships because of long-distance relationships, the longest lasting only a year."

Xie Ci: "..."

If a long-distance relationship can't last a year, wouldn't a five-year international relationship be completely over?

When Xie Ci arrived at the manor, the owner, Evander, personally came out to greet him.

Evander runs a pharmaceutical company and invests in many fields, making him incredibly wealthy. He was also a member of Xie Ci's son's circle.

In other words, Xie Ci was here today to attend his grandson's engagement celebration.

Evander was a witty elderly gentleman. As soon as they met, he smiled and said, "President Xie must be the most dashing grandfather ever. How do you feel about attending your grandson's engagement celebration?"

"Are you saying that to make me prepare an additional red envelope?" Xie Ci teased along with his words.

The two chatted as they walked, greeting some business leaders and investors who came over along the way.

DR had not been in the country for long, and most people in the circle were still relatively unfamiliar with Xie Ci. They only heard that this young man, only twenty-three years old, had a keen and accurate investment insight. In the early days of founding DR, he attracted a huge amount of capital, expanding rapidly at an exponential growth rate. Those who believed in him at that time had already amassed a fortune.

Some big shots in the business circle had a deep-seated respect for this young man, as close as old friends, and facilitated opportunities for collaboration, leaving them puzzled for a while.

Xie Ci kept an eye on the entrance, and when he saw a Bentley stop, his gaze unconsciously fell on the car.

The back door opened, and long legs clad in light gray suit pants stepped out, followed by Gu Yufeng's face with its sharp features. His beautiful eyes appeared even paler and slightly aloof in the sunlight.

Having shed the baby fat from when he was seventeen, his facial lines had become more angular, but compared to when he was thirty-five, there was still a hint of boyish charm in his eyes.

Xie Ci watched Gu Yufeng get out of the car, nonchalantly adjusting his cuffs. His gaze followed his movements and soon noticed something seemed amiss.

This guy was wearing a ring on his left middle finger.

Over there, Gu Yufeng had only taken a few steps before his eyes met Xie Ci's from a distance. They held each other's gaze for two seconds, then he nonchalantly averted his gaze and greeted the people around him.

Xie Ci unexpectedly thought of Wang Yu's comments about long-distance relationships and suddenly felt a sense of crisis.

"President Xie, do you know President Xiao Gu from Qingfeng?" Evander asked curiously beside him.

Xie Ci snapped back to attention and calmly replied, "No."

Evander smiled, "Really? The way you looked at him, I thought he was also your 'son'."

Xie Ci: "...No."

He's my wife.

"Was my look at him different?"

Seeing Evander nod, Xie Ci chuckled, "Maybe because his appearance aligns with my aesthetic preferences?"

Evander and the people around him were taken aback.

"Do you like men?"

Xie Ci noticed Gu Yufeng approaching, but the other didn’t even glance at him. He casually replied, "As long as they fit my taste, it doesn’t matter if they’re a man or a woman. For example, someone like Young President Gu—I wouldn’t care if they were a man."

He made no effort to lower his voice, so Gu Yufeng, who was passing by, must have heard it. Yet, he feigned ignorance and walked right past to engage with someone else.

Xie Ci: "..."

He’s being difficult.

"He’s notoriously hard to approach," a middle-aged man nearby shook his head and sighed. "In recent years, Qingfeng has been developing strongly. Young President Gu is young, but his methods are even more ruthless than his mother, Catelyn. He’s wrested a lot of resources from Rongyu Group."

"After all, he was taught by Catelyn herself."

"My niece is quite taken with him, but she hasn’t even managed to exchange a word with him."

"Right? He doesn’t seem the least bit interested in women."

"In terms of private life, Catelyn and her son are completely opposite."

While Xie Ci listened to them discussing Gu Yufeng, Gu Yufeng was also listening to some people around him talking about Xie Ci.

"Evander and President Xie of DR are so close? I’ve never seen them interact much before."

"I heard they bonded over gaming."

"Gaming? You mean those social games with mixed groups?"

"President Xie doesn’t discriminate between men and women. He’s clearly a player. But someone so charming, even knowing he’s a player, makes you want to give it a try."

"Shall we sound him out later?"

Gu Yufeng’s expression darkened, and he couldn’t help but glance at Xie Ci, who was chatting happily with a group of middle-aged men and women.

"President Gu, are you acquainted with President Xie of DR?"

Hearing this annoying voice, Gu Yufeng turned around and saw it was indeed Esther, the CEO of Rongyu Group.

In recent years, the rivalry between Qingfeng and Rongyu Group had never stopped. He and Esther were practically at each other’s throats—they were not in a position to have a casual conversation.

"Who I associate with is none of your concern," Gu Yufeng replied indifferently.

Esther didn’t seem to mind his attitude at all and smiled, "President Gu seldom lets his guard down in public. It seems your relationship with that President Xie over there isn’t shallow?"

"Some people are best avoided. They’re annoying at first glance."

Gu Yufeng said, looking at Esther, "Just like the first time I met you, it was the same feeling."

Esther watched Gu Yufeng leave, his smile fading ever so slightly. He turned to look at Xie Ci thoughtfully.

It’s quite likely that Young President Gu of Qingfeng is acquainted with this rising business star. How come he never received this piece of information?

For the two main figures, today’s cocktail party was an engagement celebration, but for others, it was a large-scale social event.

Xie Ci aimed to expand his operations in Country D, so it was necessary to build good relationships with these people. With Evander as the go-between, it was far smoother than his clumsy efforts in his past life.

Along the way, his gaze couldn't help but search for Gu Yufeng in the crowd, only to force himself to look away moments later.

After a few drinks, he had met almost everyone he needed to, and the rest was just meaningless small talk. Xie Ci was too lazy to deal with it, so he excused himself to go out for a smoke and left the banquet hall.

Xie Ci stood by the railing on the terrace, taking a cigarette from the pack, lighting it between his fingers, thinking about how to make things right.

The cigarette was halfway burned in his hand when he heard familiar footsteps behind him. He turned around, and sure enough, it was Gu Yufeng.

Their eyes locked, and for a moment, neither of them said a word.

This wasn’t the place for personal conversations. Xie Ci's gaze swept over the ring on Gu Yufeng's middle finger, not wanting to admit he was also uncomfortable, even though he knew the meaning behind the ring was false.

Xie Ci averted his gaze, extinguished the cigarette in his hand, and prepared to return to the hall.

"What, after all this time, you can’t even greet me?" Gu Yufeng blocked the doorway, his tone slightly cold. "Done something wrong and can't face your ex-boyfriend?"

Xie Ci: "..."

What’s he up to now?