Xu Feng had been a little distracted all evening.

Even though the person beside him was Yun Cheng—the one he had always cherished the most—and even though his parents didn’t object, and even the An family parents didn’t say anything when they saw him. In fact, they even greeted him and praised Yun Cheng.

They were the ones most entitled to be angry, yet they weren’t.

Everything was unfolding exactly as he had imagined.

He was able to appear in public with Yun Cheng openly and honorably. No one brought up An Yang. No one made him angry.

So why did he still feel bored?

Xu Feng thought about it.

“Ah Feng, what’s wrong? You seem a bit unhappy,” Yun Cheng’s gentle voice sounded beside Xu Feng’s ear.

Xu Feng instinctively gave a reassuring smile and said: “It’s nothing. I just don’t really like attending these kinds of banquets.”

Beside him, Yun Cheng was dressed in an all-white suit today, looking like a little prince.

And with that worried expression on his face and the specially applied makeup, he looked even more like the kind and gentle prince from a fairy tale.

That had always been Xu Feng’s type since he was young.

However, this gentle prince’s eyes dimmed after hearing Xu Feng’s words. A flash of jealousy crossed his face where Xu Feng couldn’t see, but when he looked up again, he appeared melancholic.

“It was my fault for troubling you.”

Just six short words, and Xu Feng panicked.

How could he have said something like that just now? Even though Yun Cheng had expressed interest in coming to the banquet, he hadn’t demanded to come. It was Xu Feng who had eagerly brought him. Saying things like that now would only make Yun Cheng feel guilty.

“No, no, it’s a personal issue of mine. Even if you didn’t come, I would’ve had to attend with my parents. It really isn’t because of you.”

Xu Feng hurriedly tried to comfort him.

“Besides, it’s also your parents issue. If they hadn’t gone bankrupt due to failed investments, you wouldn’t need to be running around at this banquet for the company.”

Hearing Xu Feng’s words, Yun Cheng clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging, but eventually relaxed and forced a gentle smile.

“I don’t blame them. They’re my parents, after all.”

Xu Feng looked at Yun Cheng’s pure and kind smile and felt his heart melt.

‘How did the Yun family deserve to have a son like Yun Cheng, who went around for the company and set aside his own pride?’

Xu Feng thought, momentarily forgetting the uneasiness he’d been feeling. He chatted and laughed with Yun Cheng, and the indifferent attitude of the Xu family members allowed them to become the subtle center of attention at the banquet.

Even Liang Qing, who had been chatting with others, couldn’t help but walk over and talk to Xu Feng.

When he found out that Yun Cheng had come in place of An Yang today, a meaningful look appeared in his eyes when he glanced at Yun Cheng.

But before Yun Cheng could show off his charm, Liang Qing effortlessly shifted the conversation to the recent events involving the Qin family.

They weren’t gossiping though—they were discussing which projects might get investment after the Qin incident, and whether they could get in on any of them.

Yun Cheng couldn’t contribute to that conversation at all. Even though he always appeared in front of Xu Feng in the posture of trying to save the company, what he really wanted was to latch onto someone rich and escape his parasitic family.

So he never understood any projects. Even when he mentioned some, it was only to fill out his persona. When it came down to it, he was just a pretty face standing by.

Yun Cheng was certain that Liang Qing did it on purpose to embarrass him.

A flicker of resentment crossed his eyes.

These spoiled rich second-gens had no idea what he had sacrificed to avoid falling down the social ladder.

And now, because they found it amusing, they wanted to ruin everything he had worked so hard to build—it was disgusting.

‘Forget it, I just need to get through tonight’ Yun Cheng thought.

As long as he could form connections with others at the banquet, he wouldn’t have to stay with Xu Feng any longer.

Yes, Yun Cheng said he was looking for investors at the banquet, but what he really wanted was a new target to latch onto.

Since Xu Feng got married, the money he spent on Yun Cheng had been decreasing. He said it was because he didn’t want money to taint their relationship.

When Yun Cheng heard that, he had wanted to grab Xu Feng by the neck and shake him.

‘Love hurts money—then just taint it with money already!’

But unfortunately, he couldn’t do that.

So he had to stand there like a decorative piece while they discussed the Qin family’s business.

Luckily, he finally found a point where he could chime in.

“…So President Ye had quite a colorful dating history?” Yun Cheng said with surprise.

Xu Feng shrugged and replied: “Who knows. Hopefully their personal drama won’t affect the concert in the second half of the year.”

He even made a joke.

“I really don’t want to be sent to some rural area to do livestreams promoting agriculture.”

Yun Cheng laughed and said: “No way! You have a concert to prepare for in a few months. You’re the main star, our little pop king!”

Xu Feng smiled a little shyly, while Liang Qing raised an eyebrow.

He didn’t expect Yun Cheng to so quickly pull the conversation back to himself. No wonder he could hang around Xu Feng for so long without being exposed. Aside from Xu Feng being truly clueless, Yun Cheng did have some skill.

And just as they were talking about the Qin family, speak of the devil—they arrived.

There was a commotion at the door. The three of them instinctively looked over and saw the very people they had been discussing walk in.

Chairman Qin was still in his usual dark-patterned black suit, with broad shoulders that showed off his imposing build.

What was even more striking was his chest—whether due to the designer’s tailoring or the fact that Chairman Qin, nearing forty, still worked out regularly, many people gasped.

The tall man beside him, President Ye, was just as striking.

His navy-blue suit made his skin look porcelain-white, and the tailored fit perfectly outlined his slim waist.

His slightly full thighs didn’t look bulky thanks to his well-proportioned legs. Instead, it gave off a certain indescribable allure.

Very attractive.

—At least Xu Feng noticed Chairman Qin staring at his partner the whole time.

Their arrival instantly stole the spotlight from everyone else at the banquet.

No one cared anymore about what was going on between the Xu and An families. Whether out of business interest or curiosity, everyone wanted to get close to the two of them and learn something—or get an investment.

But after greeting the host, Chairman Qin immediately took his partner and sat down, even resting his hand on President Ye’s shoulder like he didn’t want to let go.

President Ye, however, seemed a bit uncomfortable. After being held for a while, he leaned in and whispered something to Chairman Qin. Once he nodded, Ye got up and went to speak with one of Ye Group’s partners.

Only then did the banquet return to its previous rhythm. People resumed their conversations and investment talks. No one dared to approach Chairman Qin rashly.

His assistant, Assistant Cui, was known for being an expert at dodging questions.

Xu Feng, seeing the excitement die down, turned his gaze away and began chatting with Liang Qing again.

He happened to miss the team of Chairman Qin’s bodyguards walking by, mingled with President Ye’s assistants.

Among them was a familiar figure calmly managing the tasks.

Xu Feng didn’t notice, and neither did Yun Cheng. He was still watching President Ye socializing and laughing, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes.

Look at that goal, then look at his own.

Sometimes the gap between people was even greater than between a person and a pig.

If not for this banquet, Yun Cheng wouldn’t even dare consider switching targets.

Right now, Xu Feng was the best person he could reach. Ever since his family went bankrupt, Xu Feng had been the only one around with a decent background.

Even though Xu Feng’s grandfather had seen through his schemes at a glance, Xu Feng—being the fool he was—still genuinely defended him.

But Yun Cheng still felt unsatisfied. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to this banquet.

Of course, President Ye’s achievements had also stirred his ambition.

If Yun Cheng had never seen Ye Wangxing’s track record, that would’ve been one thing. But now he had seen someone string along an entire wealthy family, with money practically spilling out of his hands—it made Yun Cheng determined to try harder.

And this charity banquet was the result of that effort.

According to the guest list he had managed to obtain, aside from the usual second-gens, the participation of the Qin family’s chairman had attracted numerous heirs and top-tier eligible bachelors and bachelorettes.

But Yun Cheng had even greater ambition. He didn’t want to limit himself to just heirs.

He wanted to aim even higher.

—For example, the younger brother of Chairman Qin, who had only caused a scene at his sister-in-law’s wedding and hadn’t been involved in any scandals with him since.

Qin Qiu.

It was unclear whether the Qin parents had predicted what kind of troublemaker he would be when they named him that, but Qin Qiu was the top of the second-gen pyramid at this banquet.

Unmarried. Though he had some ambiguous relationships and an unclear past with his sister-in-law, he hadn’t had any recent scandals.

And he was generous—everyone in the entertainment industry knew how much he spoiled his male and female partners.

Though he hadn’t done that lately, didn’t that just mean he was heartbroken from his ex becoming his sister-in-law?

If he could be there to comfort him now…

Yun Cheng’s eyes lit up.

Actually, Qin Shi was also a great target, but based on what Xu Feng had told him, that one was still hung up on his stepfather. If Yun Cheng approached now, with his bad temper, getting humiliated would be the best outcome.

And as if someone had heard Yun Cheng’s thoughts, just as he was fantasizing, another stir came from the door.

Qin Qiu and Qin Shi had arrived together.

Sheng Hai looked at his flamboyant boss ahead of him with despair in his eyes.

Dark green suits were hard to pull off—especially with such a cynical air. Worn wrong, one could look like a clown.

The kind that fights Batman.

But his boss pulled it off flawlessly, with a unique aura. He looked cynical, yes, but the tailored suit and faintly visible muscles made him look like some kind of dashing rogue.

—But the thought that his boss had dressed like this just to steal his brother’s lover made Sheng Hai utterly hopeless.

After seeing his boss’s eldest nephew in a black suit, broad shoulders, and long legs—practically a one-to-one replica of his father—Sheng Hai wanted to flee the banquet in three steps.

If they started fighting along with the bodyguard team behind them, wouldn’t it affect him too?

He had actually been relieved yesterday when he hadn’t received an invitation to the charity banquet.

After all, his boss had been strangely well-behaved lately—no outings with male companions, no outings with female companions, not even checking entertainment news.

He had been so disciplined he could be called a model of propriety.

—He barely even spoke to his eldest nephew!

This had been impossible in the past!

But perhaps it was also related to the personality of his eldest nephew.

His junior fellow apprentice was so silent that sometimes Sheng Hai wondered if the person standing there was even human.

For Sheng Hai, his impression of his boss was that he would definitely make everyone uneasy over this matter. But now, his boss hadn’t said a word, making him feel that this time, a big move was being held back.

As someone who had suffered greatly at the last wedding, Sheng Hai had a feeling that if his boss intended to cause chaos again, he wouldn’t escape it.

But until yesterday morning, he still hadn’t received any summons from his boss, which relieved him.

—Then that afternoon, the relief evaporated.

His boss had brought the entire image design team to the company.

And naturally, Sheng Hai couldn’t escape.

While dressing Sheng Hai in an extremely flashy way, his boss also styled his junior fellow apprentice to look as if he were the company’s real boss.

—Black suit, black vest, only a decorative chain to look younger. The rest of the outfit didn’t make him look old but gave a much steadier impression.

At that time, Sheng Hai didn’t realize what this implied—until he came to the scene today and saw his junior apprentice’s father, the chairman.

‘Holy…’

Sheng Hai thought numbly.

He had expected them to stir things up today, but he hadn’t imagined they would go all out, face-to-face.

Sheng Hai had some connections in Shixing, after all, they were in the same circle, and collaborations were normal, so he knew a little about what had happened that day.

But it was only a little—like the rumors of Chairman Qin’s son trying to stage a coup against Ye and being kicked out of Shixing by President Ye.

Now it seemed, a coup probably hadn’t happened, but a sharp confrontation was possible.

When he saw the two head straight to Ye but being intercepted by Chairman Qin’s assistant and sent to Chairman Qin, Sheng Hai made a life-saving decision.

He turned his steps, not following his boss, and went straight to a familiar face he had just seen.

“Xu Feng! Long time no see, you’re at the banquet too?”

Sheng Hai greeted Xu Feng enthusiastically, noticing his gaze still fixed on the Qin family members.

Xu Feng was so startled by Sheng Hai’s demeanor that he stammered, not noticing the person who shouldn’t have been at the banquet standing near the three men, looking like he wanted to cry for help.

“Ah, y-yes, Senior Sheng, you’re at the banquet too?”

As soon as the words came out, Xu Feng wanted to slap himself—what was he saying?

But it wasn’t Sheng Hai’s fault for startling Xu Feng. Sheng Hai and Xu Feng had only collaborated on a few songs, at most acquaintances.

Xu Feng hadn’t expected Sheng Hai to approach him so enthusiastically today.

Fortunately, Sheng Hai didn’t blame him and continued warmly.

“Yes, I didn’t expect to see someone I know here.”

Sheng Hai said this, found a topic, and started chatting. Xu Feng, dazed, followed along.

Since they were talking about entertainment industry topics, Yun Cheng and Liang Qing couldn’t join in.

This frustrated them both.

Yun Cheng thought that even if he couldn’t get close to Qin Qiu, having a movie star as a backup wasn’t bad.

Liang Qing was simpler—he only wanted to ask Sheng Hai about a possible collaboration, seeing if Sheng Hai approved of his project.

Unfortunately, Sheng Hai seemed unusually enthusiastic today. After chatting with Xu Feng, he turned to other entertainment bosses, speaking to them individually. They didn’t even know how to interject.

When they finally diverted their attention from Sheng Hai, they noticed the three had already separated.

Perhaps by Chairman Qin’s orders, Assistant Cui was continuously helping the entertainment bosses meet Qin Qiu and Qin Shi.

President Ye, meanwhile, seemed calm with the cooperating and business owners, appearing unaware that Qin Qiu and Qin Shi had arrived.

Whether he actually knew was anyone’s guess.

This wasn’t Xu Feng’s concern, after introducing Yun Cheng to several bosses and seeing him satisfied, he cheerfully took him to the small garden to relax.

“The air in there is too stuffy, let’s go outside and see the night view,” Xu Feng said naturally.

A staff member glanced at the ventilation system: “…” maxing it out like a tornado is the only way to satisfy you, huh, crazy master?

Xu Feng and Yun Cheng, of course, didn’t know what he was thinking. Yun Cheng nodded at Xu Feng’s suggestion.

Even though he disliked Xu Feng introducing him to business bosses—middle-aged men in their forties or fifties—he went along.

Yun Cheng felt like a new mother taking care of a child: the kid finally did a bit of work, but after two or three tasks, he ran off to play.

Yet he couldn’t scold him or show displeasure.

Yun Cheng thought with a headache, still smiling, following Xu Feng.

Fortunately, Liang Qing was there too, so he didn’t worry about Xu Feng acting out.

Liang Qing achieved his goal for the night and didn’t mind much.

They didn’t notice that shortly before they left, the two men who had been the focus of the crowd had quietly departed.

Liang Qing followed Xu Feng, talking casually, but felt a twinge of jealousy.

Both were second sons, but Xu Feng, despite having an elder brother inheriting the family business, hadn’t been abandoned by his family.

They had even worked hard to get him next to the Qin heir to debut as a duo.

That was the only Qin heir!

Even if he had a rebellious phase two years ago and debuted at his peak, later returning behind the scenes to earn through talent, his resources were unmatched.

Yet the Xu family had managed it.

And him?

Even a few hundred thousand in investment was tightly restricted.

Just thinking about the disparity between him and Xu Feng made Liang Qing feel naturally jealous.

Not to mention the Xu patriarch who doted on Xu Feng—no matter how he was tricked by a green tea, nothing worked.

The patriarch had intervened, connecting with the An family, securing positions to prevent Xu Feng from rashly invalidating certificates with Yun Cheng.

Given how fast two people could marry with just IDs, and the civil affairs office in the mall, it was possible.

While thinking, Liang Qing’s eyes wandered aimlessly.

He spotted a familiar figure.

Liang Qing stopped unconsciously, surprised.

Xu Feng immediately noticed the figure, pointed at the scenery outside to Yun Cheng, and quickly led him down the corridor.

“Ah Feng, what’s happening?” Yun Cheng asked, puzzled, thinking Xu Feng had a sudden whim for romance.

Only Liang Qing knew what Xu Feng had seen.

—Why was An Yang here?

On the other side, An Yang was shocked too.

—He had avoided Xu Feng, so why was he here?

But An Yang’s long-standing habit made him first reflect on how he could act this way toward Xu Feng.

He hadn’t greeted him tonight and had concealed that he was now President Ye’s chief assistant—he felt terribly guilty.

But while he stood frozen, Xu Feng, like a gust of wind, led Yun Cheng away, without even glancing at him.

An Yang first exhaled in relief, then wondered if he should feel disappointed.

When he entered the banquet, he had wanted to greet Xu Feng, but the complex relations between the Qin family and Ye kept him busy, forgetting Xu Feng entirely.

By the time he realized, the pair were happily conversing with various bosses.

So An Yang didn’t approach—after all, they were mutually affectionate, what was his role in this feudal-like arrangement?

‘After the charity banquet, I’ll talk to Xu Feng properly,’ An Yang thought.

But he quickly dismissed the thought— CEO Ye had just received a message and left the banquet hurriedly. He initially felt nothing, but when he saw the gold-haired Qin disappearing, he felt as if he’d been hit by a hidden blow.

He was no longer the An Yang who had entered CEO Ye’s office before, now he knew Qin’s disappearance was definitely related to Ye.

And indeed it was.

Seeing Qin pin his boss against the wall, hand gripping his face to prevent him from turning, An Yang almost fainted.

He wanted to shout: “Let go of our President Ye!”

But the words that came from there made him instinctively hide in a corner.

“…We broke up six months ago.”

Ye struggled to say this while being held by the man.

“Six months ago?”

The blond man smirked, looking slightly down into CEO Ye’s eyes.

“You mean the breakup where everything seemed normal the day before, even celebrating Valentine’s Day, and the next day you vanished from bed?”

 

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