“Huh?”

“Huh?????”

An Yang stood at the doorway, his mind completely tangled by the words he had just heard.

Wait, what was going on? What did he mean by “father would do something even worse”?

An Yang stood there in a daze, feeling as if his brain had shut down. The terrible mood from being scolded by his parents had already been thrown to the back of his mind.

—Those annoying parents could wait. What happened with President Ye was even more explosive.

An Yang watched as President Ye first pulled himself out of Chairman Qin’s arms, then pushed him away, his face full of shock as he questioned Teacher Qin on the other side.

Young Master Qin naturally explained everything clearly, and in doing so, An Yang and the others also found out what exactly Chairman Qin had done back then.

Years ago, President Ye and Chairman Qin had a falling-out because Ye discovered that CEO Qin had gone through his phone and secretly monitored his chat records. That led to a big argument and the end of their relationship.

However, judging by the two people President Ye later brought in, it seemed Ye still had feelings for Qin at the time and even felt guilty about their fallout, thinking he had been overly sensitive back then.

Now, it seemed he hadn’t been too sensitive at all.

Instead, his instincts had told him the truth.

Then young master Qin exposed his father’s dirty laundry, and naturally, Chairman Qin didn’t just sit there and take it. So, Assistant Cui, who had just been at the door, walked over under Qin’s commanding gaze, though clearly reluctantly.

Afterward, he revealed everything about Qin Qiu and Qin Shi.

Qin Qiu, needless to say, had acquired Ye’s company and, after President Ye left, also monitored his public movements—just like his brother.

Qin Shi, on the other hand, had disguised himself as his father to deceive President Ye. After Ye found out his real age, he had even tried to imprison President Ye.

—When Assistant Cui mentioned that, An Yang even felt that Qin Qiu crime wasn’t that bad.

At least he hadn’t tracked President Ye’s movements.

But when that thought popped up, An Yang figured his brain must have been broken by the earlier revelations.

Otherwise, why would such a thought even cross his mind?

President Ye, in contrast, was much clearer-headed than An Yang.

He looked at the three men in front of him in disbelief. His lips trembled, and his eyes were filled with shock.

In the end, he suddenly covered his face, his voice shaking as he spoke: “…I need some time to calm down. Don’t appear in front of me for now.”

An Yang watched as President Ye covered his face in pain while speaking.

Behind him, the three men stood there without daring to say a single harsh word.

The three of them, who had just been happily airing each other’s dirty laundry, now looked clearly panicked, completely unprepared for President Ye’s reaction.

Qin Qiu at least had the courage to step forward and open his mouth, but in the next second, he froze in place at the sight of President Ye’s tear-filled eyes.

Chairman Qin and Qin Shi, being father and son, looked like they were cast from the same mold—like two identical wax figures. Anyone unaware might’ve thought they were in Madame Tussauds.

Actually, An Yang thought that the reason President Ye hadn’t noticed earlier was because young master Qin’s sneaky look when watching President Ye was perfectly mirrored by Chairman Qin.

…He shouldn’t have cursed.

Sinful. Sinful.

An Yang thought with a wooden brain as he helped support President Ye, handing him off to the Ye family’s bodyguards at the door, who escorted him out.

The three still tried to follow him, engaging in a silent power struggle midway, but Ye stopped them cold with one sentence:

“Don’t push me to hate you…”

‘Actually, what President Ye needed most right now was just a quiet place to be alone.’

An Yang thought calmly while watching the devastated Ye.

When it didn’t involve himself, his brain was mostly quite clear.

But when he saw the three Qin men actually stay frozen in place, just watching President Ye leave without moving a muscle, An Yang was a little surprised.

In his eyes, these three seemed more like the type to take things by force, which better fit both their style and the image he had of people like them.

—Though his impression was based on Xu Feng.

After all, even when he knew Yun Cheng needed money and investment the most, Xu Feng insisted on his sense of romance, never giving Yun Cheng the investment he truly needed. He only sent flashy luxuries or romantic but cheap handmade trinkets.

But now it seemed Xu Feng didn’t represent all people like that.

An Yang thought.

Still, An Yang’s experience was lacking. In a situation like this, he didn’t immediately leave. Instead, he went downstairs to wait for the auction to end so he could collect the item that President Ye had just won.

—Then, he couldn’t leave.

When Sheng Hai came to his senses, the scene had already descended into chaos.

Chairman Qin’s younger son looked like he wanted to hit someone, but he was pinned down by his uncle and father. The three of them looked utterly grim, clearly revealing their shared bloodline.

But Sheng Hai realized immediately this was a great opportunity.

Otherwise, once those three were done bickering, he had virtually zero chance of getting away clean.

The bodyguards at the door had gone to break up the fight, so Sheng Hai slipped out of the hallway quite smoothly.

Sheng Hai’s departure also woke Xu Feng and Yun Cheng from their daze. Seeing the three men still tangled in a mess, they decided to run too.

If they didn’t leave now and got caught, they’d be dragged in front of the parents to explain themselves!

However, due to their position, they didn’t see how President Ye had left, and were still wondering how he had disappeared.

As soon as they reached the stairs, they ran into An Yang.

Xu Feng instinctively tried to block Yun Cheng from view, but An Yang looked up, saw who it was, and gave them a polite smile.

“Brother Xu Feng, Brother Yun Cheng, you’re here too?”

Then he turned back to talk with the staff about the auction item.

He didn’t even glance again at Xu Feng.

For some reason, Xu Feng felt a little irritated. Meanwhile, Yun Cheng was eyeing An Yang’s outfit today with some suspicion.

An Yang had always been copying him—Yun Cheng knew that. But he had never cared before. After all, with An Yang’s looks, mimicking him just looked like a bad imitation.

But today, whether An Yang had finally figured it out or had simply gone off the rails, he had chosen a styling that enhanced his sharp features perfectly.

The suit he wore wasn’t one of those poorly tailored off-the-rack ones either—it was a handmade, master-level custom suit.

Yun Cheng frowned slightly at the sight. He didn’t know what An Yang was up to. Could it be a sense of crisis? Was he trying to win Xu Feng back? But judging by the way he didn’t look at Xu Feng, that didn’t seem likely.

Was he playing hard to get?

Yun Cheng decided to first stabilize Xu Feng, then turn and leave.

Xu Feng, being emotionally immature, always liked what he couldn’t have.

“Ah Feng, let’s talk about what happened earlier tomorrow. You should go keep An Yang company for now.”

Yun Cheng patted Xu Feng on the shoulder, his eyes showing a trace of sorrow. Xu Feng instinctively tried to stop him, but Yun Cheng walked too fast for him to catch up.

He turned to look at An Yang, who had just finished talking with the staff. His face took on an annoyed expression.

His earlier irritation, mixed with his current impatience, finally spilled into one sentence.

“…An Yang, why are you even here? Wasn’t I clear enough when I told you not to show up? I didn’t think you were the kind of person who clings so desperately.”

An Yang had just finished speaking with the staff and was about to pick up the auction item and leave. But Xu Feng’s words froze him in place.

He had only meant to say hello and leave. He hadn’t planned to interfere in Xu Feng and Yun Cheng’s relationship. As far as he was concerned, his connection to Xu Feng was nothing but one-sided clinging.

But…

That familiar feeling overwhelmed him again.

That suffocating sensation, along with Xu Feng’s look of disgust, slowly filled An Yang’s lungs.

He felt like a drowning person, unable to get any air.

He instinctively clenched the phone in his hand. Xu Feng’s voice continued to ring in his ears: “I told you I was bringing Yun Cheng here today. Didn’t you agree? Are you showing up now to act pitiful in front of my parents and make Yun Cheng look bad?”

“How could you come up with such a vicious idea? Did you also stir things up between me and Yun Cheng earlier? He didn’t say anything when he saw you, but you really dared to appear openly in front of me, huh?”

“If you keep this up, let’s get a divorce.”

As Xu Feng spoke, An Yang’s left hand—without the phone—slowly reached up to his neck. He wanted to relieve the suffocating feeling, but the more he gripped, the tighter it got.

Help, someone help me…

Admit you were wrong, just admit it and everything will be okay…

“Bzzz bzzz—”

Suddenly, An Yang’s phone vibrated twice.

He instinctively looked down.

It was a message from Assistant Cui:

“Looks like we’ll be busy for a while. Do you need to go home tonight?”

“If not, come to the office and work overtime. We need to coordinate.”

“It’ll be the two of us, plus Qin’s assistant and the young master’s assistant.”

“Our team’s priority for the next few months isn’t project supervision anymore—it’s basically being the diligent Bluebird keeping watch!”

“Oh, and President Ye approved this. As the most important Blue Luan, send him a message too.”

An Yang looked at the messages and instinctively wanted to type a reply. But once both of his hands were on the phone, he suddenly realized—

He could breathe again.

Still in shock, An Yang stood there while Xu Feng, noticing that he wasn’t listening, walked up and snatched his phone.

“I’m talking to you, didn’t you hear?”

He grabbed An Yang and tried to drag him away.

“Remember, when we see my parents, admit it was your idea to come—it had nothing to do with me. Don’t make them hate Yun Cheng.”

As he said that, he suddenly felt a force pull him back.

He turned, confused, and saw the phone taken from his hand by someone else.

Xu Feng stared in shock at An Yang, as if he had just seen a doll come to life.

But An Yang showed a smile more painful than crying.

“Brother Xu Feng, I’m not going… I have work tonight. I won’t be seeing Uncle and Aunt.”

An Yang spoke in a trembling voice, his steps slowly retreating, and his hand gradually moved away from Xu Feng.

Xu Feng instinctively wanted to grab the hand that An Yang was pulling back, but An Yang was faster, quickly removing his hand from Xu Feng’s grasp.

“Smack.” A light pat sounded—An Yang’s reflex to push Xu Feng away.

He stepped back quickly, leaving Xu Feng’s side for the first time when Xu Feng was present.

Xu Feng watched An Yang’s retreating back, inexplicably feeling as if he had lost something.

But the next second, he realized that An Yang had truly gone mad this time.

“An Yang, you dare treat me like this!”

Hearing Xu Feng’s voice, An Yang didn’t stop walking. Instead, recalling Assistant Cui’s words, he headed toward the nearby security.

“This gentleman is the Xu family’s second young master. Please inform him where the Xu family members are. He seems a bit drunk, so please take care.”

The security guard looked at President Ye’s assistant holding the work ID, then at the Xu family’s second young master in the distance.

His face flushed (from anger).

He staggered as he walked (legs numb from crouching upstairs eavesdropping).

Good, fully drunk.

The security guard patted his chest, promising to deliver the second young master to his family.

An Yang exhaled in relief, resisting the urge to turn back and apologize to Xu Feng, and walked toward the place to collect the auction item.

Actually, An Yang didn’t know why he had the courage to escape from Xu Feng’s side. A small voice in his heart still urged him to apologize.

He shouldn’t have done that.

His parents would be angry.

He would get scolded.

But…

‘…your parents are the only stain on you.’

An Yang recalled Assistant Cui’s words, and his steps quickened.

Seeing the work files sent by Assistant Cui and remembering how President Ye had decisively left, as well as how he had glared at the three men earlier, he felt even more at ease.

Yes, truly loving someone wouldn’t treat them like a pet trapped at your side.

Even if Chairman Qin and the other two couldn’t control their actions, they never dared let President Ye know.

And with just one word from President Ye, they would stand still, never forcing his will.

—True love only behaves like Chairman Qin and the others: even if some actions are extreme, they stop anything that would offend the loved one when told.

An Yang slightly calmed his breathing, feeling as if a small stone had been lifted from his heart.

Although…

He would never accept those three bribing him or speaking well of them in front of President Ye!

Everything had to be decided by President Ye himself!

With a resolute expression, An Yang ignored the assistants’ sugary suggestions and solemnly walked to the auction collection point, holding the item as if in reverence.

The staff who knew it was just the jade “Peaceful Imperial Green Plaque” thought: “…”It really was just a normal piece of jade, not consecrated. No need to carry it away like a Buddha statue.

An Yang left the auction. Xu Feng, meanwhile, was still dazed as the security guard escorted him to his family.

Seeing Xu Feng being brought back, the Xu family was startled, thinking something might have happened to him.

“…No, no, no. He just got drunk. Someone from President Ye’s team saw him and, being kind, had me escort him back.”

The security guard explained hurriedly as the Xu family showed shock and slight anger.

This made the Xu family feel a bit embarrassed.

Seeing Xu Feng’s flushed face and unsteady steps, it really did look like he was drunk.

They quickly had the guard support Xu Feng and wanted to thank the security guard, but he waved them off and left.

He didn’t want to get involved with these wealthy families, the Xu family had looked terrifying just moments ago.

‘As expected, besides the Ye family, none of these wealthy families are easy to deal with.’

The security guard quickened his pace.

The Xu family watched him leave and, returning to their seats, looked at Xu Feng’s still flushed face, feeling exasperated.

They were watching the post-auction performance, surrounded by A-city socialites and wealthy elites.

Seeing the Xu family’s youngest being supported back, they didn’t pay much attention, assuming he had drunk too much, at most staying to eavesdrop a little.

“Where’s Yun Cheng? You got drunk, so why didn’t he bring you back? Did he run off halfway?”

Xu mother’s voice was cold and sharp.

Xu father frowned at his youngest son. This child had been spoiled by his grandfather and couldn’t judge people properly.

He had opposed Xu Feng associating with Yun Cheng. It wasn’t only about cunning, the main concern was that his foolish son couldn’t outplay Yun Cheng.

If Yun Cheng had enough ability to influence his eldest son, he wouldn’t mind having such a daughter-in-law: intelligent, ambitious, unconcerned with men’s antics, cautious, and even if he had previous relationships, they had ended openly. Even occasional use of connections was normal networking.

Although these cunning tactics couldn’t outmatch his eldest son, they were still considered a merit.

Xu father looked at Xu Feng, whose face was flushed, frowning.

Facing his mother’s scolding, Xu Feng immediately said: “This has nothing to do with Yun Cheng! It’s all An Yang’s fault!”

Even the most doting Xu patriarch wanted to step forward and hit Xu Feng.

“What are you saying? An Yang didn’t even come to the banquet today. He stayed home quietly and properly, serving as your assistant. How can you blame him?”

“And wasn’t the one who just left with you the boy you care about most? How can it not concern him!”

Xu patriarch spoke angrily, while Xu father watched his own father so enraged that he was about to strike Xu Feng.

But just as his hand reached out, he heard Xu Feng shout furiously: “What home! What quietly! He hasn’t been my assistant for a long time! President Ye took him away. He’s now someone else’s personal assistant. Tonight, it was President Ye who brought him here!”

Xu family: “…Which President Ye?”

The surrounding guests fell silent, wanting to know as well.

It couldn’t be the one they were thinking of, right?

Xu Feng shouted: “Which President Ye could it be! My new direct superior! The Qin family chairman’s wife!”

Xu Feng grew angrier as he spoke, recounting how An Yang had not listened to him, had made excuses about work, and had left him behind. He exaggerated the story further.

“…An Yang must have told Yun Cheng something, otherwise Yun Cheng wouldn’t have treated me like that.”

Xu Feng felt increasingly certain this was true, otherwise, Yun Cheng had been fine earlier tonight, so why the sudden change?

He was so angry that he temporarily set aside the gossip he had just witnessed. With Yun Cheng treating him that way, he had no thoughts left for the previous events.

Xu father and mother first frowned at Xu Feng’s words, then felt a growing sense of foreboding.

According to Xu Feng, An Yang had somehow been transferred to President Ye’s side and became his assistant.

And tonight, An Yang had refused Xu Feng because of company overtime—something that would have been impossible before.

The Xu family reflected on the atmosphere in their circle and their own behavior…

—Could it be that President Ye had taken a liking to An Yang?

Xu father and mother exchanged a glance, shocked, but considering it carefully, it wasn’t impossible.

They knew how neglected An Yang had been. Previously, to control him, they had never shown him too much favor.

If anyone treated him as a normal person, it wouldn’t be impossible for An Yang to gratefully run off with them.

The possibility was indeed high.

Their expressions darkened, and the anger in their eyes toward Xu Feng grew. If Xu Feng had treated An Yang slightly better, it wouldn’t have escalated like this.

Otherwise, their Xu family would be embarrassed.

The An family had long been a joke in the circle, a little doubt was fine, but the Xu family had always maintained a kind and good reputation.

Now even Xu Feng’s eldest brother couldn’t hold back. Angrily, he said: “Are you sure An Yang was avoiding you for work, and not because he finally got clear-headed and decided to follow President Ye instead of staying by your side as a slave?”

Xu Feng, furious, shot back: “What slave? He went willingly! Besides, President Ye just discovered the true faces of Chairman Qin and the other two upstairs. He’s probably crying in the car now—how could that have anything to do with An Yang?”

Eldest brother shouted: “So now he’s clear-headed and doesn’t want to stick to you as a slave—doesn’t that make sense? Wait, what true faces of Chairman Qin? President Ye crying in the car?”

Eldest brother looked confused. They had just been watching the post-auction performance and networking for half an hour—what had happened upstairs?

Meanwhile, as the Xu family argued, everyone nearby stopped talking, listening intently to their table. Whenever the music paused, the Xu family noticed the silence.

Xu Feng didn’t hear his eldest brother’s last words clearly, all he focused on was: he’s clear-headed now, he doesn’t want to stick to you as a slave.

By logic, Xu Feng should have felt happy—now he could be with Yun Cheng. Although the divorce would take three months, he and Yun Cheng could wait.

But Xu Feng still felt uneasy.

Even when he and Yun Cheng had rejected each other, he hadn’t felt this upset.

He didn’t like An Yang, he only liked Yun Cheng, right?

Xu Feng’s already not very sharp mind fell into a daze.

When asked by his family what had happened upstairs, he stared blankly and, in front of everyone, recounted everything that had occurred.

“…The three from the Qin family were exposing each other upstairs. Chairman Qin monitored President Ye. Qin Qiu went to the places President Ye conducted business. Qin Shi didn’t monitor, but he had pretended to be Chairman Qin since age eighteen to deceive President Ye into a relationship, and when discovered, still wanted to keep President Ye by his side.”

Xu family: “…Ah?”

Voices drifted over from the next table.

“Ah???”

 

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