“Help, what happened? I just went to bed early last night for a bit, how did Qin Group suddenly send out its prince?”

“Wasn’t my brother holding a concert last night? How did he end up going to Africa for aid work?”

“Help! Why did I wake up and the main character is going to Africa to stare at giraffes?”

Countless people wailed on the trending page, asking if anyone could summarize the story.

This trending topic confused not only the viewers who had no idea what had happened last night, but also Xu Feng fans who had just opened Weibo, wanting to vent their frustration.

After understanding the events of last night, the fans immediately put Xu Feng’s affairs out of their minds.

Idols confessing on stage had happened before, but this scandal was unprecedented!

Meanwhile, some people who had stayed up all night started summarizing the story for others.

“For those who don’t know what happened, check yesterday night’s trending page. Here’s the video link. Honestly, Qin Shi being sent to Africa is deserved.”

Others explained to people who knew a little but were clearly confused about the situation:

“Could it be that because he kissed his stepdad last night, today his real dad sent him to Africa?”

Xu Feng’s fans initially remembered wanting to scold him, but now they had completely forgotten about that. They only wanted to know everything that happened last night.

Xu Feng could resist a bit, return all his merchandise, or write a few complaint letters using templates. Right now, this scandal was the most important thing!

At first, Xu Feng’s fans posted frantically in the fan square, but gradually everyone became dominated by last night’s huge scandal, even alternating between anti-Weibo posts and gossip posts.

Others online knew what Xu Feng did last night, but since the confession failed and the object wasn’t identified, the resistance efforts by fans didn’t attract much attention.

The Qin family scandal was much more interesting.

“So, can someone organize a timeline? I want to see the full cause and effect! I really want to know why Qin Shi kissed his stepdad, and the love-hate relationships between CEO Ye and the Qin family!”

Netizens cried out across Weibo, hoping someone would make a timeline.

High-definition videos from last night exploded online. When people saw the footage of Qin Shi’s dad hitting him, they no longer thought of reporting it to the police.

“Honestly, if I had a son like this, not turning him into a rolling gourd would already be restraint. Now, CEO Qin just hit him and took his wife away. He really loves his son.”

Someone posted a thoughtful comment.

But soon someone replied: “Love him so much you send him to Africa? Have you considered that hitting your son into a rolling gourd is your harshest revenge? Meanwhile, he just hits once and takes his wife away, because afterward he can still send his son to Africa to see giraffes bare their teeth.”

“…I’ll take out a loan to deal with you!”

“Can you even pay it back?”

This sharp dialogue even made it onto marketing accounts’ repost pages, but most people were still eager to see CEO Ye’s romantic history.

Naturally, marketing bloggers spotted this traffic hotspot, producing endless speculations and gossip.

Due to their limited imagination, the gossip revolved around the usual theories: Daji theory, true love theory, inheritance theory.

Until a newly registered marketing account appeared, ending the other bloggers’ attempts to ride the trend.

This blogger, with near-academic thoroughness, presented a clear, data-driven gossip report.

From selfies CEO Ye posted abroad two years ago, to his unbelievable “how could he do this,” to a photo of his hands clasped on New Year’s a year ago, and the Valentine’s Day post “why them again?”

Even posts from twelve years ago on QQ space saying “how could he be this kind of person!”

The blogger gathered all of it. They even correlated it with posts from Ye Group and Qin Group employees at the time to infer what their moods had been.

The blogger made data tables, bar charts, and pie charts, aiming for anyone reading to immediately understand what had happened that day.

Once posted, the blogger outshone all the marketing accounts. The onlookers applauded online, shouting: “The world needs more data-driven gossip reporters like this!”

When people asked the blogger to write about the family’s inner thoughts, the blogger strictly replied: “I’m not involved, I can’t write it.”

The honesty won widespread praise. Marketing accounts always had the risk of guiding opinions, but this way, the data clearly spoke for itself.

Readers could infer the family’s situation themselves.

With this, audiences began speculating about the whole family.

CEO Ye seemed fine. Aside from having a consistent aesthetic, he only had three relationships after turning thirty, each separated by over six months. That was normal among normal people.

But the Qin family? That made people wonder what charm CEO Ye had to make the whole family fall for him completely, with no regrets, no turning back.

In the fan forums, fanfiction spread everywhere.

However, neither the Qin Group nor the Ye Group responded, and their collective silence made netizens realize that this matter might truly remain an eternal mystery.

Of course, the rumors didn’t just entertain netizens. The next day, the fluctuating stock prices of the Qin Group and Ye Group proved that investors’ confidence in the companies involved in such a scandal had started to decline.

This gave Liang Qing an opportunity.

The high-definition video uploaded on Weibo last night was posted under his instructions. The girl in the video wasn’t a fan of any artist, she was a professional paparazzo.

Liang Qing had initially worried that the girl might be threatened, so he had specially signed a contract with her.

Strangely, the girl wasn’t threatened, and the contract was never needed.

Although Liang Qing sensed something was off, seeing Shixing’s stock price drop, he chose to ignore it.

—His most important goal now was to buy a large amount of Shixing shares during the price drop, while smaller shareholders sold their stocks.

“Although I feel sorry for Xu Feng, he didn’t follow professional ethics himself, so these shares are mine to take.”

Thinking about finally obtaining what he deserved made Liang Qing extremely excited, and he ignored the unusual circumstances.

Liang Qing had suffered setbacks comparable to Xu Feng’s.

Xu Feng had only gone through a divorce, but Liang Qing’s project had been truly targeted by the Qin family. If he hadn’t acted decisively and relinquished part of the profits at that time, it was uncertain whether the project would still be in the Liang family’s hands.

His parents also lost confidence in him due to this incident. During this period, Liang Qing couldn’t secure any new projects aside from the one he already held. Even if he wanted to work in the company, his parents persuaded him otherwise.

Liang Qing could only set aside his ambitions and reluctantly redirected his focus toward Shixing.

At first, he planned to act against President Ye, as Ye Group’s steel pipe business operated only overseas. If he could coordinate with domestic steel manufacturers to pressure Ye Group slightly, he could strike at Shixing.

But unexpectedly, Ye proved to be a formidable opponent. It wasn’t that Liang Qing’s business strategies were useless. His initial short-selling of Ye Group stocks, along with spreading false news to encourage shareholders to sell, did cause some disturbance.

—But Ye Group had the Qin family backing them.

His short-selling tactics were neutralized by the Qin family within a couple of weeks, almost costing him the rare funds he had.

Later, the Liang family company suffered a severe blow from the Qin family in the business world.

Only when the Liang family obediently released a statement promising to avoid the Ye family did the retaliation finally stop.

However, Liang Qing outwardly appeared obedient while secretly never giving up on Shixing.

Fortunately, he encountered this rare scandal, and he directed his online supporters to stir trouble, causing investors to lose confidence in both companies’ stocks.

His target remained Shixing, not the Qin or Ye families. As long as they were distracted, he could act against Shixing. This restrained ambition allowed him to acquire many shares.

Liang Qing initially planned to stop after benefiting, but the online discussion he had guided was pushed further by someone, turning in a direction unfavorable to the Ye family. When Liang Qing investigated, he discovered that Ye’s steel exports had conflicted with the interests of a local steel company in City A.

Although they wouldn’t actively sabotage Ye, pushing the matter further now was natural.

Liang Qing happily took the chance to short many Ye shares, planning to use the funds to buy Shixing shares.

Thus, the original gossip incident turned into a business event. Although the Ye family had the Qin family’s backing, netizens enjoyed watching this corporate struggle while eating the scandal.

They didn’t care who had the upper hand, they just wanted to witness everything clearly.

But Qin Shi and Ye Group employees cared.

An Yang also paid attention.

Seeing the company’s stock decline continuously, An Yang grew worried. Seeing President Ye staying in the office without returning home made him even more anxious.

That day, when An Yang saw Qin Shi traveling to Africa for aid, he laughed along with others, but he never expected that day’s incident would escalate so much.

Even though he knew that in business, few offer help and many take advantage of misfortune, he hadn’t expected so many to capitalize on the situation.

Even Liang Qing, who had previously hung out with Xu Feng, joined in, not sparing Xu Feng’s dignity.

Although orders continued, the company’s stock and President Ye’s prolonged absence caused employees to lose confidence, and the company atmosphere became restless.

Although An Yang tried some measures, he could only barely stabilize the company’s atmosphere.

But the stock price was out of his control.

An Yang sat in his seat, troubled for a long time. Even Xu Feng’s behavior at the concert, An Yang barely glanced at before moving on.

“Probably to confess to Brother Yun Cheng. Poor those fans.”

An Yang’s thought flashed through his mind, and then he anxiously started checking the company’s stock price and financial news reports.

The more he looked, the more anxious he felt. After all, he wasn’t the kind of experienced assistant who had faced every situation. Just seeing President Ye’s tired eyes, he ultimately didn’t speak and could only fret over these issues at his workstation.

However, An Yang couldn’t find a good solution. Just as he was about to sigh and shut down his computer, a video call suddenly popped up on his WeChat.

The contact name showed only one word: “Dad?”

Ten minutes later.

“…What kind of joke are you guys playing?!”

An Yang yelled at his parents in a nearly scolding tone for the first time.

“I just divorced Xu Feng. He finally freed himself to pursue Yun Cheng, and you actually went to threaten him? And you even got Aunt Xu involved to help you?!”

An Yang spoke in disbelief.

He had divorced Xu Feng a month ago and had already informed his family. At first, the family had reacted strongly, but as time passed, things had gradually calmed down.

He had thought it was all over, that everyone would move on peacefully, so why did they suddenly want to pair him with Xu Feng again?

Hearing An Yang’s voice, his parents instinctively glanced at him, then realized that this An Yang was no longer someone they could control. They softened their voices.

“It wasn’t us who threatened him. Xu Feng, this good young man, finally realized who was truly best for him. He wanted to confess to you at the concert, but his fans stopped him. He’s turned over a new leaf. An Yang, you should give him a chance.”

When his father spoke, his mother echoed with a gentle smile, the same kind of polite smile they used with business partners.

Xu Feng’s parents also spoke gently, wearing respectful smiles that An Yang had never seen before.

“We already taught Xu Feng a serious lesson. His divorce from you was only because Yun Cheng confused him. An Yang, we know you’ve always been a good child and liked Xu Feng. For my sake, could you give him a chance to pursue you?”

Xu Feng’s mother spoke graciously, giving him face without demanding a remarriage like An Yang’s parents did. She only asked him to give a chance.

Not only did she say this, but she also gestured to the somewhat disheveled Xu Feng to speak.

“An Yang…”

Xu Feng called out tenderly.

He looked much more haggard than before, with pronounced dark circles under his eyes—clearly he hadn’t slept well recently.

An Yang knew part of the reason: the incident at the concert when Xu Feng tried to confess had angered fans, causing him great mental stress.

However, An Yang didn’t feel pity as before. Instead, seeing Xu Feng’s worn appearance, he felt annoyed.

This situation was caused by Xu Feng himself, and he had hurt his fans. If Xu Feng wanted to remarry him now, it would be a second injury to the fans.

—Wait.

An Yang suddenly had an insight.

Could it be that Xu Feng wanted to use him as a shield to prevent Yun Cheng from being exposed and attacked by fans online?

Such things had happened before.

Moreover, with Ye Group now in a precarious situation, if they could use this opportunity to reveal Xu Feng’s past matters, the Xu family wouldn’t need to fear retaliation from the Qin family.

The more An Yang thought about it, the more convinced he became. His current position gave him more information than before, naturally sharpening his instincts.

Before, he might have agreed. But now…

An Yang looked at Xu Feng with genuine disgust.

Xu Feng didn’t know what An Yang was thinking. He greedily looked at him, licking his dry lips, ready to make a heartfelt confession, but An Yang interrupted immediately.

“An Yang, I just want to confess to you, but—”

“Xu Feng, you don’t need to tell me anything. We’re divorced. If you want to use me as a shield for Yun Cheng, I can clearly tell you: that’s impossible. We’re adults. Didn’t you think about the consequences of your actions?”

An Yang said coldly.

Xu Feng’s family and An Yang’s family froze.

They hadn’t interacted with An Yang properly for six months. The last time they had a serious conversation was at An Yang and Xu Feng’s wedding.

Back then, An Yang had been timid, ready to give everything for Xu Feng. But now…

“Sorry, Aunt Xu. I won’t be Xu Feng’s shield. And I never really liked him, it was just an illusion.”

An Yang laid everything out, ignoring Xu Feng’s increasingly desperate gaze.

“My parents are like that. Xu Feng was just the only person who could talk to me properly, so naturally, I felt I liked him. But that was wrong. He treated me better than my parents did, which is completely different from how a normal person treats others.”

“Lastly, Ye Group’s situation is relatively stable. Aunt Xu, you’d better take Xu Feng to sincerely apologize to Chairman Qin.”

Seeing the boy on the video call hang up coldly, both Xu Feng’s parents and An Yang’s parents couldn’t help but wonder:

—Who was this person?

Was this really An Yang?

That day, a fierce shouting match erupted at the Xu family’s villa.

An Yang didn’t know what the Xu or An families were thinking. He turned his mind back to company matters.

But just as things had stabilized, the situation suddenly worsened.

Business partners began to hit the Ye family. While materials still arrived on time, they delayed wherever possible, and minor sabotage kept emerging.

At first, An Yang didn’t understand what was happening.

Until old acquaintances in the industry secretly informed him that the Xu and An families were targeting Ye Group behind the scenes.

Although Ye Group wouldn’t collapse, with the Qin family stretched thin, only what was actually in hand counted.

An Yang trembled with anger, while Ye Wangxing breathed a sigh of relief—what had to happen finally happened.

The task was only three percent from completion, meaning Xu Feng would definitely cause more trouble.

Ye Wangxing had previously worried about what trouble that might be, but seeing it was just this, he relaxed and said to 19: “19, the report letter can be sent out. Since it’s the end of the year, let’s boost the tax bureau’s performance. Before that, call the fire department and check their store’s fire safety measures.”

In fact, Ye Wangxing didn’t sit idle. He knew the Xu and An families were scheming, and that Liang Qing was also involved.

But his opponents weren’t just the three families—they were the threads of fate. Now that fate was struggling, Ye Wangxing could finally act.

The tax bureau had a new leader at year-end. The previous one had been disciplined, and the new leader was in the phase of implementing reforms. With the Xu and An families already in turmoil, the timing was perfect.

Ye Wangxing had even prepared more devious moves—legal but ruthless business tactics to use in future bids.

But… plans couldn’t keep up with change.

Before the tax report could get a response, Ye Wangxing saw himself on the news.

Not a scandal.

—But his steel pipes had reached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“XX government army protests Ministry of Foreign Affairs over X country selling weapons to rebels.”

Ye Wangxing recognized the image in the news, looked at the pipes his company produced, and slowly typed a question mark: “Me? Selling weapons?”

 

 

Support translation: