Chapter Nineteen: Stunned—He’s the One Sitting in the Boss’s Chair?

The commotion at the hotel entrance naturally drew everyone’s attention in that direction. They saw Wu Guangde stride into the lobby, flanked by two subordinates, a cold sneer on his face.

In truth, Wu Guangde was the major shareholder of the Peninsula Hotel where Han Qin was dining, making him the hotel’s true controlling figure. The sharp-featured, monkey-faced man was one of the hotel’s managers, brought in specifically to maintain order.

This man, Hou Tianbao, was startled when he saw Wu Guangde, but quickly composed himself and hurried over, asking in surprise, “Mr. Wu, what brings you here?”

Wu Guangde turned to Chen Yang. “This gentleman is a friend of mine.”

A friend?

Han Qin, Han Xiang, Qin Guoshan, and Su Xiaoling were all stunned. Wu Guangde looked every bit the successful businessman, clearly someone of significant status. And what was Chen Yang? Merely a food delivery man. How could he possibly be friends with someone like Wu Guangde?

Hou Tianbao paled. “A friend?”

“Yes, is that a problem?” Wu Guangde replied.

Hou Tianbao was shrewd—he immediately realized the gravity of the situation. He quickly turned to Chen Yang. “It was all a misunderstanding, a simple misunderstanding.”

“Mr. Wu, since things are settled here, I’ll take my family to the Delicacy Hall for dinner,” Chen Yang said, not bothering to waste more words on the likes of Hou Tianbao or Xie Renming.

Wu Guangde nodded, smiling. “Of course, the Delicacy Hall is at your disposal.”

“Good,” Chen Yang replied with a faint smile, then turned to Han Qin. “Mom, don’t just stand there—let’s go.”

Han Qin was still in a daze, as were Han Xiang and Su Xiaoling. Was such a major issue really resolved so easily by Chen Yang? How was he capable of this?

With her mind buzzing, Han Qin followed Chen Yang upstairs toward the Delicacy Hall.

As soon as Chen Yang left, Wu Guangde spun around and slapped Hou Tianbao across the face, then did the same to Xie Renming.

“Next time, open your eyes and pay attention,” Wu Guangde barked, furious. If he hadn’t learned in time that Chen Yang was in trouble at his hotel and rushed over, his men might have laid hands on Chen Yang. If they’d provoked Chen Yang, how could he possibly clean up that mess? The thought only made Wu Guangde more exasperated with his staff.

Meanwhile, in the Delicacy Hall, Chen Yang and his family had just sat down when Han Qin looked at him curiously. “Chen Yang, you have friends like that?”

“Of course, Mom. I have quite a few friends,” Chen Yang replied.

“If I’d known you were friends with such a big boss, I wouldn’t have argued with those people,” Han Qin said.

Chen Yang chuckled, saying nothing further. He knew that sometimes saying less was better.

At that moment, Qin Muxue, seated beside him, asked, “How did you become friends with someone like that?”

“Through Mr. Shen’s introduction,” Chen Yang replied with a ready smile, having prepared this answer in advance. Privately, he couldn’t help but think of how many times Shen Donghua had unwittingly shielded him from trouble.

“Well done, Chen Yang,” Han Xiang chimed in with praise.

Chen Yang remained modest. “It’s nothing, really.”

He soon fell into an easy conversation with Han Xiang, but Qin Muxue continued to watch him with a scrutinizing gaze. After all that had happened, she suddenly felt Chen Yang had become a stranger to her. He had changed so much recently, it was as if he were a different person entirely, and the feeling left her deeply conflicted.

After dinner, Qin Muxue deliberately asked Chen Yang to ride home with her. While driving, she said, “Honestly, you’ve changed so much lately that I hardly recognize you.”

“What do you mean? I’m still the same as ever,” Chen Yang replied with a laugh.

“I really think you’ve changed a lot. Is it really all because Mr. Shen has been looking out for you?” she pressed.

“Of course,” Chen Yang said lightly. “I’ve just been lucky that Mr. Shen appreciates me.”

“Is that really true?” Qin Muxue sounded unconvinced.

Chen Yang smiled wryly. “What’s gotten into you? Did you drink too much tonight? No matter how much I change, haven’t I been making you proud lately?”

After a moment’s thought, Qin Muxue said softly, “Whatever the reason, your change is a good thing.”

“That’s what matters. You’ve put up with five years of humiliation because of me. I won’t let anyone bully you again,” Chen Yang said resolutely.

She replied coolly, “Take care of yourself first.” Clearly, she still didn’t believe he was now capable of protecting her.

Chen Yang just smiled and said no more. Words were meaningless—actions spoke louder. He thought to himself, “Wife, your husband was never a worm. Just watch as I help you soar.”

The next morning, as usual, Chen Yang set off for work on foot at eight o’clock. The office he was heading to wasn’t just any job, but Huading Corporation.

Before his mother’s passing, she had urged him to manage Huading Group well and show the Chen family in Yanjing, who had driven them out all those years ago, that he was no worm, but a dragon—always had been, always would be.

As he walked, his phone suddenly rang. Seeing that it was Shen Donghua, he quickly answered, “Hello, what’s up?”

Shen Donghua chuckled. “President Chen, are you on your way to the office?”

“Yes, I’m on the way. What’s going on?” Chen Yang asked.

Shen Donghua replied, “Here’s the thing—Song Kuohai, President of Changsheng Corporation, wants to come by today to discuss a potential partnership. I thought you might like to handle this opportunity. Didn’t you say you wanted more experience negotiating with collaborators? This is a great chance.”

“Absolutely, I’d love that,” Chen Yang replied at once. But then he paused, frowning. “Wait, who did you say is coming?”

“President Song, from Changsheng Corporation,” Shen Donghua explained. “They’re quite an established player in Linhai, mainly in textiles, but they’ve been trying real estate these past two years.”

“Oh? Him?” Chen Yang smiled knowingly.

Sensing something, Shen Donghua asked curiously, “President Chen, do you know him?”

“No, nothing like that. I’ll hang up now, we can talk at the office,” Chen Yang said.

“Alright,” replied Shen Donghua.

Chen Yang hung up, a cold smile curling his lips. He thought to himself, “If Shen Donghua knew I was actually the president of Huading, I wonder how he’d react?”

He continued on his way, unhurried, toward Huading Corporation.

As chance would have it, midway there he saw Song Kuohai sitting in a Mercedes, flanked by two bodyguards. Song Kuohai spotted Chen Yang as well and, after a moment's thought, told his driver, “Xiao Liu, pull over.”

The chauffeur slowed to a stop at the curb. Song Kuohai, with his bodyguards in tow, stepped out and called out, “Hey! You there!”

Chen Yang heard someone calling and stopped, turning to see Song Kuohai. His eyes glinted with amusement.

“Come here,” Song Kuohai beckoned.

Normally, Chen Yang would never approach someone he disliked, but he was curious what Song Kuohai wanted to say to him, so he walked over with a smile. “What a coincidence. What’s up?”

Adopting a senior’s tone, Song Kuohai admonished, “Young man, weren’t you a bit out of line the other night?”

“What night? You mean the night you disrespected my wife?” Chen Yang replied.

Song Kuohai said, “Listen, never act on impulse. You’re lucky it was me—if it had been someone less forgiving, you’d be in serious trouble.”

Chen Yang laughed lightly. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Song Kuohai continued, “To be honest, President Qin looks a lot like my current wife. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said she reminded me of my first love. Both are outstanding women, but I’ve given my wife a luxury car, a mansion, a life of privilege. What have you given President Qin?”

“Happiness,” Chen Yang answered without hesitation.

Song Kuohai laughed derisively. “Happiness? Do you really think she’s happy? What can you offer her on a monthly salary of five or six thousand?”

“How do you know my salary is only five or six thousand?” Chen Yang countered.

Song Kuohai sneered. “Does it matter what you earn? My point is, you impulsive young people never think things through, so you’ll never make real money. It’s a shame when good women spend their lives with men like you and end up living in poverty.”

He flashed his gold watch. “See this? A million. This car? Over a million as well. Can you give your wife any of this?”

“What I’m telling you is, with your temperament, you’ll run into trouble sooner or later, and you can’t give her anything but pain. Nothing else.”

Chen Yang just sneered in silence, finding the conversation pointless.

Song Kuohai patted Chen Yang’s shoulder. “Work hard, son. Don’t dream of getting rich overnight. If you stay poor and your wife runs off with someone else, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”

With that, Song Kuohai gave Chen Yang’s right shoulder a couple of forceful pats, then climbed back into his luxury car and drove off.

Watching him go, Chen Yang shook his head with a wry smile and muttered, “Song Kuohai, do you even realize you’ll be negotiating with me soon? Won’t you feel awkward when you see me again?”

He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Even if he said he was the president of Huading, Song Kuohai probably wouldn’t believe it, so why waste his breath?

Finally, Chen Yang arrived at the chairman’s office at Huading.

Unbeknownst to him, Song Kuohai and his entourage had already been waiting in the conference room for over half an hour.

At last, someone informed Song Kuohai that President Chen had arrived. Song immediately stood up and hurried to the chairman’s office—only to freeze in shock when he saw Chen Yang sitting in the chair.