Chapter Forty-Three: The One You Cannot Afford to Offend Has Arrived

Qin Guofu’s heart sank at those words. Just moments ago, as he waited in the conference room, he had been hoping that the mysterious Mr. Chen behind Huading Company might show some leniency, considering the many years of cooperation between the Qin Group and Huading.

But now he realized he had been far too optimistic, imagining a much prettier outcome than reality would allow.

A sense of frustration gnawed at him. He looked anxiously at Shen Donghua and pleaded, “Mr. Shen, could I meet Mr. Chen? I’d really like to speak with him face to face.”

Shen Donghua knew Chen Yang preferred to keep a low profile; he didn’t want anyone to pry into his affairs. Naturally, Shen Donghua had no intention of granting Qin Guofu’s request.

His expression was cold as he replied, “No. Mr. Chen is extremely busy and isn’t seeing anyone right now. You should go.”

Qin Guofu hurried over to Shen Donghua, grasping his hand, nearly apologizing, his face full of earnest supplication. “Mr. Shen, please let me see Mr. Chen. My elderly father has fallen ill from worry over this matter and is bedridden in the hospital. It was my mistake—I misunderstood you. But surely, such a small issue shouldn’t sever the partnership between our two companies.”

Qin Guofu was desperate to restore their cooperation with Huading. After all, half of Qin Group’s profits stemmed from that partnership. If Huading refused to continue working with them due to business issues, he could understand—but he couldn’t accept that his careless words had cost the Qin Group more than twenty million in business.

He was unwilling to let it go; he simply couldn’t.

But faced with Qin Guofu’s entreaties, Shen Donghua remained as cold as ever. “Accept reality. Go home.”

He shook off Qin Guofu’s hand and turned to leave.

As Shen Donghua walked away, Qin Guofu felt utterly defeated. He murmured in confusion, “Why? Why did it turn out like this?”

He had no idea that the reason Huading refused to continue cooperating was because Chen Yang wanted to teach him a lesson—and that Chen Yang was now Huading’s boss.

If only Qin Guofu knew this, he wouldn’t be so perplexed.

Soon after, Shen Donghua reported the renewed rejection of Qin Guofu to Chen Yang.

Chen Yang was very satisfied to hear it.

After all, when Chen Yang was delivering food, the Qin family had looked down on him, noses in the air. This was simply poetic justice.

With Qin Guofu’s matter settled, Chen Yang paid it no further mind. He focused his energy on the land in the northern suburbs.

Chen Yang intended to buy that land, oversee its development and sale, participating in every stage as a way to hone his skills.

It would be the first project he’d manage entirely on his own, so he was especially determined to do it well.

Ultimately, with the combined efforts of Chen Yang, Shen Donghua, and, covertly, Lin Qianyao, Huading Company successfully acquired the northern suburban plot. They began developing an integrated community of residential buildings, shopping centers, and schools.

This news sent shockwaves through the real estate circles of Linhai. Powerful companies began eyeing Huading, eager for a share of the lucrative project.

Everyone wanted a piece of the pie.

Chen Yang, unsurprisingly, was very busy these days. It was his first major project, so he approached every task with care.

He was new to the full process of real estate development, and there were things he didn’t understand yet. Fortunately, Shen Donghua supported him behind the scenes, and Chen Yang’s quick mind—which had been evident since high school—helped him learn rapidly.

Whatever he set his mind to, he accomplished.

Around three in the afternoon, Chen Yang was still hard at work in his office. Shen Donghua had gone to the conference room to deal with visiting company representatives eager to cooperate with Huading on the northern suburb development.

Chen Yang knew many companies were eager to work with Huading on such a large project. Still, he had no desire to deal with them himself, preferring to leave these negotiations to Shen Donghua or the company’s sales vice president.

He worked until after five o’clock, when his phone suddenly rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw it was Lu Baiming, a former classmate.

He was a little surprised—he hadn’t expected Lu Baiming to call him out of the blue.

Without overthinking, he answered. Lu Baiming greeted him cheerfully, “Yang, are you free tonight? Let’s get together, just the two of us.”

“A get-together? Sure,” Chen Yang replied immediately.

He knew Lu Baiming was an honest fellow. They’d sat together through their final year of high school; Chen Yang understood him well.

Though Chen Yang was now a billionaire, he didn’t flaunt it. He never liked acting superior, and he was always willing to help old classmates if they needed it.

The recent workload had been intense, so Lu Baiming’s invitation for dinner was timely—he could use a break.

“Alright, where should we eat?” Lu Baiming asked.

Chen Yang thought for a moment and said, “Leave it to me. Wait for my call.”

Given his current status, it wouldn’t be right to let Lu Baiming arrange the dinner.

Lu Baiming laughed sincerely, “Yang, you’ve made it big! I knew back in senior year you’d go far.”

Chen Yang smiled, “Alright, just wait for my call tonight.”

Lu Baiming quickly agreed, “Okay.”

At seven that evening, Chen Yang and Lu Baiming met at a Yipin Hotpot restaurant in downtown Linhai.

Both ate heartily, sweating from the spicy broth. Mid-meal, Lu Baiming set down his chopsticks, smiling, “Yang, seeing how successful you are now, I’m genuinely happy for you.”

Chen Yang put down his own chopsticks, looking at Lu Baiming with a smile. “Old Lu, what’s got you so sentimental tonight?”

Lu Baiming answered with a wry smile, “Look at you—you’ve got a career, wealth, a wife, everything anyone could want. I’m not so lucky. My mother’s in the hospital and I can’t come up with the one hundred thousand she needs for surgery. Compared to you, I feel so inadequate.”

Chen Yang saw Lu Baiming’s dejected expression. After a moment’s thought, he picked up Lu Baiming’s phone from the table and quickly transferred one hundred thousand to his bank account. “Old Lu, if you needed to borrow money, you should’ve told me sooner.”

Lu Baiming protested, “Yang, no, it’s not what you think—I’m not asking you for money. My mom’s surgery is already covered. Please take the money back.”

Chen Yang said calmly, “Keep it. Consider it a loan. Use it if you need to, and if not, just return it whenever.”

Lu Baiming’s gratitude was genuine, “Yang, you’ve made it big, and I’m truly happy for you.”

“Enough talk, let’s eat. Are you full yet?” Chen Yang smiled.

Lu Baiming nodded and took a few more bites, then suddenly remembered something. He looked at Chen Yang, “Yang, do you remember Ye Xiaorou?”

“Ye Xiaorou? Of course. What about her?” Chen Yang asked, a little puzzled. How could he not remember? Back in their senior year, Ye Xiaorou had been the class representative for literature. She’d approached him, and Chen Yang had felt a certain fondness for her. They’d shared a youthful, innocent affection that year, so his memories were clear.

Lu Baiming sighed, “Do you know where I saw her last? At Jinsheng KTV. Her father went bankrupt and owes a huge amount. To help pay off his debts quickly, she works at Jinsheng KTV as a hostess.”

“Really? That’s hard to believe,” Chen Yang’s brows furrowed.

Back in their senior year, Ye Xiaorou’s family was considered above average in the class. Her father was a small-time real estate developer and had made good money then.

Who would have thought that after seven or eight years, Ye Xiaorou’s circumstances would become so dire?

Chen Yang pondered. Jinsheng KTV? Wasn’t that Wu Guangde’s territory? She was his classmate—how could he let her work as a hostess?

He downed a large glass of soda and said to Lu Baiming, “After dinner, let’s go to Jinsheng KTV.”

At half past eight, Chen Yang and Lu Baiming arrived at Jinsheng KTV. Chen Yang didn’t alert Wu Guangde, preferring to check out Ye Xiaorou’s situation first.

After some inquiries at reception, he learned that Ye Xiaorou was currently hosting in Room 7. He and Lu Baiming made their way there.

At the door, they saw a short-haired, heavily made-up young woman being forced to drink red wine by a man in his forties wearing a red shirt.

Lu Baiming frowned at the scene.

Chen Yang, without hesitation, switched on the lights in the private room, strode up to the man, grabbed his wrist, and said coolly, “She’s my classmate. Let her go.”