Chapter 90

Chapter 90

After hanging up the video call with Xie Ci, Gu Yongnian called his secretary Lin Ying in to handle the domestic online news.

"I just saw some anti-gay organizations stirring up public sentiment."

Lin Ying found the relevant content and handed the tablet to Gu Yongnian, "They are threatening to protest with banners in front of the DR building."

Gu Yongnian skimmed through the content, frowning. The language used in these posts was radical, even to the point of inciting violence.

"Investigate who's behind this."

Lin Ying glanced at him, "Are you suggesting someone is deliberately using these organizations to target President Xiao Gu and President Xie?"

Gu Yongnian returned the tablet to her, "Xie Ci has only been back in the country for a short time. He's barely recognized in public, let alone Xiao Feng. For these people to make such a fuss over a news story of dubious authenticity, there must be benefit involved."

Lin Ying nodded in agreement, from Gu Yongnian's demeanor that he already knew who was taking advantage of the chaos, and she also had some guesses.

In the next office, Gu Yufeng sat behind his desk, intently staring at the computer screen. The main interface was open with photo editing software, and several chat windows on the right displayed recent internal developments of Derson Bank.

Robertson stood in front of the desk, updating on the progress of several projects and the upcoming schedule for Gu Yufeng.

"Just received news that Feihong has approached Rongyu Group."

After the second offer, they hadn't received any contact from Feihong.

Gu Yufeng propped his chin on his hand, quickly sliding the mouse with his right hand, "Tell Feihong that Qingfeng's offer still has room for negotiation, and they shouldn't make a decision so quickly."

Robertson was shocked.

They had already offered ninety-nine times, and now they were going to increase it even more? What if the other side just walked away?

"But we've already made an offer, wouldn't submitting another offer violate the rules?" Robertson asked cautiously.

Gu Yufeng, "Just do as I say, why all the questions?"

Robertson didn't dare to say more, took out his phone to dial, and then heard Gu Yufeng instruct, "Send someone to Feihong Group to speak with Lei Qiliang in person."

"Understood." Robertson selected a few burly men in the work group, the objective might be lost, but the momentum must not be lost.

"I've sent you a few photos, find someone skilled in crafting stories from images, make it compelling and publish it."

Hearing Gu Yufeng say this, Robertson curiously opened them, his eyes lit up, "Wow, exciting! I can write this kind of content, I'll do it!"

Robertson returned to his position and started typing with passion.

Gu Yufeng closed the software, his gaze sweeping over the new messages in the chat window, reviewing today's stock market trends.

After a while, the icon in the lower right corner flashed, it was Xie Ci messaging.

Xie Ci, "Are you free this weekend, come home and spend it together?"

Gu Yufeng, "Taking a risk?"

Xie Ci, "Just having a meal, not doing anything."

Gu Yufeng, "Then I’m not coming."

Right after sending it, Xie Ci's call came through.

Gu Yufeng answered, "Isn’t it bad to slack off at work?"

Xie Ci walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the Gu Corporation building not far away, and spoke earnestly, "Work’s been exhausting; I just wanted to hear your voice."

Laughter came from Gu Yufeng’s side of the phone.

"What kind of voice are you after? I’ll give you what you want."

Xie Ci thought to himself, who could be more flirtatious than you? He calmly continued, "I just picked up a few recipes from my dad and want to cook for you. You sure you’re not coming?"

"Your dad can cook? Don’t mess with me."

At this point, Gu Yufeng suddenly thought of Xiao Fang, "Haven’t seen it in ages; wonder if it still remembers me."

Xie Ci: "I’ll take you to see it soon—it’s packed on more weight. Better keep in shape, or it’ll knock you flat."

Gu Yufeng: "You’re the only one who can knock me down and keep me there."

Xie Ci: "Keep it professional at work."

Gu Yufeng: "Oh, you’re gonna fly over here to lecture me?"

Xie Ci: "I’ll save it for the weekend and take my time teaching you."

Gu Yufeng: "Well, now you’ve got me excited."

The online gossip storm was still raging, but the two at the center of it couldn’t care less. However, some people who knew them were shocked, and the long-dormant alumni group started to buzz again.

Someone shared the news link in the group, asking if it was true, and it instantly brought out the lurkers.

Lao Fang: "It’s gotta be fake—if it were true, I’d know."

Wei Wei: "My mom mentioned she bumped into Lao Xie recently, and he told her he’s got a girlfriend and is planning to marry."

Qiu Ya: "Wait, Xie Ci’s got a girlfriend? @Wei Wei, DM me."

Jiang Ye: "What’s this nonsense in the news? Sure, Lao Gu’s open-minded, but he’s straight as an arrow—straighter than me!"

Chuan Chuan: "Fake news—I just saw Lao Xie recently. Probably some competitor’s dirty trick."

Jiang Ye: "You met Lao Xie and didn’t call me? When was this?"

Chuan Chuan: "Weren’t you swamped?"

Xie Ci glanced at it and casually replied, "It’s not true."

Soon, Gu Yufeng replied below, "He’s telling the truth."

Everyone: "...?!!!"

They’re personally debunking the rumors?!

At the law firm, Zhang Ruochuan used his lunch break to chat in the group. The news even brought out some old high school friends.

Suddenly, a drink appeared on his desk. Zhang Ruochuan looked up and was surprised to see Lin Bin.

"You haven’t done much corporate work, right? If you’re stuck on anything, just ask me." Lin Bin smiled warmly.

Zhang Ruochuan gave a nonchalant reply, watching him head back to his desk, mildly amused.

Ever since the news about Lao Xie hit the internet, Lin Bin’s attitude toward him took a complete 180-degree turn, probably because he found out they were high school classmates, and now he’s trying to suck up to him.

"Hey, Ruochuan," Lin Bin turned to ask, "You’re tight with President Xie from DR, right? Have you asked him if he’s still hiring legal consultants?"

Zhang Ruochuan thought to himself, here it comes.

"I didn’t ask. Does a boss really deal with that stuff?"

Lin Bin: "Ask him next time. Hiring is just up to him, isn’t it?"

Zhang Ruochuan: "I’m not that close with President Xie yet."

After saying this, Zhang Ruochuan barely caught Lin Bin muttering something like he was useless.

He ignored it, logged into the online platform, and continued to help debunk the rumors.

Meanwhile, over at Feihong Group.

After Hou Dong and Lei Qiliang finished discussing the acquisition, they stepped out of the office and saw someone from Qingfeng had arrived, saying they could raise the offer again. They started arguing, practically ready to point fingers and curse each other out.

At Rongyu Group’s headquarters in Country D, Esther received the news with a serious look on his face.

The hundredfold markup was way over budget, and he was actually very hesitant. But with Qingfeng eyeing the prey, hesitating for even a second could let the competitor snatch it up.

He called his secretary and urged Hou Dong to speed up the acquisition process and not to stir up any more trouble.

The secretary agreed, hesitantly asking, "There’s some dirt on you trending on MM. Have you seen it?"

Seeing his secretary’s uneasy expression, Esther casually opened the MM social platform and was so mad he could hardly catch his breath.

He took up four of the top ten trending spots.

#Rongyu President Esther secretly wears a wig because he’s bald#

#Shocking! Rongyu President likes to wear high heels naked at home#

#Esther’s sexual orientation is a mystery#

#Esther mixes coffee with soy sauce#

He randomly clicked on one and found that the ridiculous posts even had photos. He was standing by the pool in his villa wearing swim trunks, photoshopped with stockings and high heels.

This news totally overshadowed Gu Yufeng’s scandal, and the comments were full of people roasting him, with words like "sexy," "cross-dresser," and "weird taste" dominating the screen.

Secretary: "The photoshop job is top-notch, no signs of editing."

Esther was furious: "Who the hell wears this to swim?"

The assistant brought over a cup of coffee and placed it on the table, then thought about it and asked, "Should I grab you a bottle of soy sauce?"

Esther: "Get the hell out!"

On Thursday night, Xie Ci finished a business cocktail party and got into the car driven by his assistant Wang Yu, heading back to his dad’s studio.

Gu Yufeng wasn’t there, and he didn’t want to stay alone in that big house. Staying at his father’s place, at least Xiao Fang was there to keep him company at night.

Passing through a commercial street, Xie Ci caught sight of a group of young guys brawling on the side of the road. Six or seven men were pulling and kicking one person, trying to pin him down.

The man being beaten was bare-chested, with only a short down jacket draped over him. After recognizing his face, Xie Ci's expression darkened: "Wang, pull over."

Wang Yu, confused, seized the opportunity to pull over.

On the roadside, Jiang Chenyu took a few steps back to dodge the punches. Seeing someone rushing over to grab his wrist, he immediately threw a punch.

"Back off! I’m calling the cops!"

"Call the cops? You’re the one who wanted to play, so what’s with the cops?"

"Is the police station your family’s business? You’ve got that much free time?"

"President Xie offered you a drink—don’t be ungrateful. Apologize now, and we’ll act like tonight never happened."

"Do you still want that southside project?"

"If you walk out tonight, I’ll ruin you in this industry!"

Jiang Chenyu staggered, barely staying upright, and leaned against a roadside tree for support. Pale-faced, he fumbled for his phone, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

Just as he switched to the call log, his phone was snatched away, and he was met with the jeering laughter of the men.

The man waved Jiang Chenyu's phone in front of him, taunting: "You can’t even hold your liquor, and you’re out here doing business? At the first sign of trouble, you’re running to Mommy and Daddy. Are you still a child?"

Another wave of jeering laughter broke out around them.

"Give it back!" Jiang Chenyu lunged to grab it but was restrained by others, who dragged him towards the shop entrance. "Get off me! Let go!"

The man sneered as he trailed behind. Suddenly, his phone was snatched by someone else. He turned around, only catching a glimpse of a sharp profile before being kicked to the ground, the pain overwhelming everything else.

Xie Ci grabbed Jiang Chenyu's arm, pulling him back with some force, and gave a warning look to the five young men, two of whom he recognized as the rich second-generation followers of Xie Jinyan.

"What do you want?"

Jiang Chenyu swayed before regaining his balance. Seeing Xie Ci, he seemed to have found a lifeline: "Old Xie?! What are you doing here?"

Xie Ci observed his expression: "Were you drugged?"

Jiang Chenyu gritted his teeth: "These guys are all fucking perverts! They spiked my drink, and when I woke up, my clothes were off, and one of them was on top of me, sucking... Ugh!"

Midway through his explanation, Jiang Chenyu couldn't help but start retching.

"Playing the innocent?" one of the men sneered. "Weren't you the one who insisted on coming tonight?"

Jiang Chenyu retorted: "It was because you said Xie Jinyan could help me secure the project in South City that I came! Who knew you'd play so dirty!"

While they were talking, the others were sizing up Xie Ci.

He wasn't unfamiliar to them; five years ago, he was just an ordinary high school student, and now he was the head of a multinational corporation.

Another man in a leather jacket, somewhat wary of Xie Ci, softened his tone: "President Xie, this has nothing to do with you. I advise you not to meddle."

Xie Ci glanced up at the club's sign and asked Jiang Chenyu: "Can you hold on?"

Feeling a sense of security, Jiang Chenyu belatedly realized he was cold and wrapped himself tighter in his down jacket: "My head is a bit dizzy, but I'm okay."

Xie Ci: "Do you remember which room you came out of?"

Jiang Chenyu suddenly understood what he meant and widened his eyes in surprise.

Is Lao Xie here to settle the score for him?!

A bunch of guys were planning to take Jiang Chenyu back, but now with Xie Ci here, they had a sinking feeling.

On the way, someone tried calling Xie Jinyan, but unfortunately, he didn’t answer.

At the door, Xie Ci gestured for the leather-jacketed guy to open it.

The leather-jacketed guy hesitated, torn between stopping him and fearing Xie Ci’s wrath: "President Xie, it’s all just a misunderstanding tonight—"

"You wanted to bring my friend back to play, didn’t you?"

Xie Ci interrupted him, "Can’t I join in? What, am I not invited?"

The leather-jacketed guy froze, speechless.

"Open the door," Xie Ci’s voice hardened, "Don’t make me repeat myself."

Even though they were the same age, Xie Ci’s commanding presence cowed the whole group.

When the door opened, the stench of alcohol, perfume, and something foul hit them, and the scene inside was a mess of debauchery.

Xie Jinyan and his crew finally noticed the commotion and turned to see Xie Ci, dressed in a suit, standing at the door, looking down at them with a cold and disdainful gaze. They scrambled to their feet, yanking up their pants.

"What the fuck is this? Just letting anyone in?!" Xie Jinyan, embarrassed and angry, slapped the man in the leather jacket.

"I tried calling you," the leather-jacketed guy muttered, head down.

Xie Ci’s gaze swept over the group of naked men and women, including Gu Churan: "Why stop now? Weren’t you all having a blast? Drugging, threatening, and dragging people back after they left."

Xie Jinyan flushed with embarrassment, his tone sharp: "I didn’t provoke you, stay out of it!"

"I don’t care how you want to play."

Xie Ci looked at him indifferently, "But you messed with my friend, and that’s not something I’ll let slide."

Xie Jinyan looked at Jiang Chenyu behind Xie Ci and gritted his teeth: "What do you want?"

Xie Ci tilted his head slightly and asked Jiang Chenyu: "Who drugged you, who touched you?"

Jiang Chenyu, with a foul expression, pointed at the man in the leather jacket: "He lured me here and slipped me a spiked drink."

Then, he pointed to another man in the room: "He groped me!"

Xie Ci said to Wang Yu, who had followed: "Call the cops."

Wang Yu: "Yes."

When they realized he meant it, their faces fell.

They weren’t scared of Jiang Chenyu, but with Xie Ci’s clout, they knew they were outmatched.

If such a scene tonight were to be exposed, it wouldn’t look good for these rich second generations, especially since two of the participants were popular idols.

Those who followed Xie Ci back started to mediate, even apologizing to Jiang Chenyu in person and offering to cover the medical expenses.

"Screw off!" Jiang Chenyu snapped, "You think I need your damn money?!"

Seeing that Xie Ci was unmoved, Xie Jinyan became anxious.

Xie Ci dealt with his friend in front of so many people, which was no different from stepping on his face.

"How about this: I’ll have them kneel and kowtow to apologize, guaranteeing they'll never provoke Jiang Chenyu again."

Xie Jinyan tried to settle privately, asking Xie Ci, "If you still feel unsatisfied, you can beat them up, how about that?"

"Taking the law into your own hands is illegal," Xie Ci said without any fluctuation in his tone.

Seeing this, Xie Jinyan grabbed the leather-jacketed man and another man who was only wearing underpants and beat them brutally, smashing two bottles, leaving them bleeding and wailing on the ground.

Jiang Chenyu was stunned.

That Xie Jinyan, who used to dominate the circle, was actually so afraid of Lao Xie that he actively crippled his own people just to make Lao Xie stop and let them go, almost like begging for mercy.

The others were pale with fear, but Xie Ci blocked the door, and they couldn't run away.

"Are you satisfied now, President Xie?" Xie Jinyan panted heavily.

Xie Ci seemed amused: "Whether you beat them or not, what does it have to do with me?"

Xie Jinyan walked up to Xie Ci, his face dark and teeth clenched: "Don’t push it!"

As the situation was at a stalemate, Gu Churan stormed over, fuming, and glared at Xie Ci: "What are you acting all high and mighty for? Everyone knows you're good at playing around, and you're a homosexual. The news with my brother is still hanging online, putting on airs bigger than anyone else, but what's the difference between you and us?"

"What the hell are you talking about!"

Jiang Chenyu retorted angrily, "Don’t even compare Lao Xie to you—you’re not on his level! He's not a homosexual either!"

Xie Ci simply replied: "At least I wouldn't drug anyone."

Gu Churan sneered, then turned and beckoned to a male companion: "Come here, take care of President Xie. Once he's calmed down, tonight's matter will be over."

The companion was a popular idol, stunning, with an androgynous beauty.

He walked naked to Xie Ci, but he showed no sign of humiliation; instead, he was quite enthusiastic.

He had noticed Xie Ci as soon as he entered.

Compared to Gu Churan and his group, Xie Ci controlled more resources and could be more helpful to him.

He watched Xie Ci look him up and down, thinking he had it in the bag.

But Xie Ci's gaze remained calm, even with a hint of disdain. The man felt as if he had been humiliated, his smile stiffened, and he was overcome with humiliation.

The buzz of a phone shattered the tension.

Xie Ci took out his phone from his pocket, answered the call, and walked out the door, his stern expression softening, a slight smile on his lips, and a hint of amusement in his eyes, as if the ice had melted in an instant.

Jiang Chenyu didn't know who he was talking to, but had a hunch it might be Gu Yufeng.

Back in high school, Xie Ci always had this very happy expression whenever he was with Gu Yufeng.

With Xie Ci gone, no one in the room dared to move, and the scene became very awkward.

Jiang Chenyu saw it all and thought to himself that these young masters, who usually acted recklessly and trampled others underfoot, were all cowering in front of Xie Ci, utterly insignificant.

Until the police arrived, Xie Ci hung up the phone and asked Jiang Chenyu to explain what happened.

In the end, everyone in the room was taken away by the police, the two injured men were rushed to the hospital, and Xie Ci went with Jiang Chenyu to the hospital for tests.

Xie Ci watched as the doctor extracted a tissue sample from Jiang Chenyu's chest and asked, "They didn’t mess with you, did they?"

"No, I was so scared that my adrenaline was pumping like crazy, and I just knocked them over and bolted."

Jiang Chenyu pointed at his chest, cursing, "This part just got all swollen."

Xie Ci couldn't bear to look: "Cover up, it’s an eyesore."

Jiang Chenyu: "..."

Lao Xie is really straightforward.

That’s how a normal person would react.

While waiting for the test report, Jiang Chenyu and Xie Ci sat on a row of chairs in the corridor.

Jiang Chenyu had taken some medicine and felt much better. He held a cup of hot water, looking a bit out of it: "I’ve pissed off that whole crowd, I’ll probably be out of business."

Xie Ci, hearing him mention the southern city road construction project, was puzzled: "You’d have better luck with Wang Wei than Xie Jinyan. Her mom’s the mayor, and you guys used to be close, right?"

Jiang Chenyu shook his head and said in a low voice, "Asking Wei Wei for a project would put her in a tight spot. She’s a friend, not just a contact."

Xie Ci wanted to scold him for being naive, not tapping into such a great resource and just making things harder for himself.

But the words reached his lips and he swallowed them back. He couldn’t help but remember the high school kid who always looked out for him in his own way, saying "It's the first day of school, let's be happy," and using some flimsy excuse to buy everyone a meal.

In the business world, it’s all about interests, not friendships. Being too naive can easily get you into trouble and scammed.

But Jiang Chenyu is only twenty-three, not exactly a smooth operator when it comes to dealing with people.

In Xie Ci's view, staying true to yourself is worth more than any amount of cash.

"You should stick with me from now on," Xie Ci said lightly, "That little clique, offending them is no big loss."

Jiang Chenyu was stunned and turned to look at him: "...What?"

Xie Ci: "Not willing?"

Jiang Chenyu couldn't help but straighten up and looked at Xie Ci intently: "Lao Xie, don't lie to me, I'll cry."

Xie Ci found it somewhat amusing: "When have I ever lied to you?"

Jiang Chenyu's eyes flickered, his heart pounding with excitement.

Out of the blue, a bad break turned into a lucky one, and he ended up latching onto Lao Xie’s golden ticket.