Where on earth was he supposed to put his crown prince pride? He grabbed the wine glass on the table, wanting to smash it right over.
Fu Chi said calmly, “The purple jade is yours.”
The wine glass felt a bit sticky in his hand. Actually, he was not entirely devoid of manners. Setting the glass down properly, he crossed his legs and put on an imposing aura.
“Now you know to be scared? Don’t tell me you were just too drunk earlier. Explain yourself.” Ji Chen pointed at his own neck.
Fu Chi turned his face slightly, completely exposing three bloody scratches: “Does this explanation satisfy you?”
At the time, he had bolted the moment he finished scratching without even looking back. He had no idea the marks were this long and conspicuous, and Ji Chen curled his puppy eyes in considerable satisfaction.
“This young master can hit you, but you cannot raise a hand against this young master. Different identities, different statuses. Does this basic survival rule also require this young master to teach you?”
Fu Chi sat down beside him, sitting very close, and curved his lips: “No teaching needed. Didn’t you say the purple jade counts as compensation? You don’t want it?”
The smile vanished from Ji Chen’s face: “I want it. Fine, send the purple jade to Liuguang tomorrow, and we’ll call this square.” He stood up to leave, but Fu Chi grabbed him and pulled him back down.
“Beishan is a doctor. Let him help you treat your wound.”
Cheng Qu was observant enough to pull out his phone and have someone bring over a medical kit.
Ji Chen had originally intended to leave, but seeing that the kit had already been brought up and his neck genuinely hurt, he sat back down with a stinky expression, letting Beishan disinfect and treat the wound.
The clean-freak man covered in the scent of disinfectant and the peach-blossom-eyed playboy were both acquaintances of his. They were Fu Chi’s close friends who had helped Fu Chi screw him over countless times in his past life, yet they were also the only two who stood firmly by Fu Chi’s side.
Too many people had chosen to kick him while he was down simply because he targeted Fu Chi.
Later on, when Fu Chi’s true young master identity was exposed, those people naturally regretted it to no end. If Fu Chi hadn’t kept him under house arrest, he wouldn’t have survived once he left that man’s side.
As for the people who had offended Fu Chi because of him, would Fu Chi ever let them off easily?
When it came down to it, the only person who knew Fu Chi was not a child of the Fu family was Fu Chi’s mother. He had to figure out a way to make that woman disappear from the capital.
Under the scrutinizing gazes of Beishan and Cheng Qu, Ji Chen spoke up: “I heard that the sales department of the Fu Corporation is entirely managed by your younger brother, Fu Xi, and the marketing for the new emerging brand he recently launched has been doing quite well.”
Fu Chi maintained a neutral expression: “It is indeed not bad.”
At this stage, Fu Chi probably still held a great deal of respect for his mother. If he bluntly stated his intention to deal with that woman, it would likely arouse suspicion.
Ji Chen continued to probe: “You are the eldest son of the Fu family, yet everyone outside is whispering that the successor is Fu Xi. Aren’t you resentful at all?”
Fu Chi stared into those puppy eyes that were trying to lead him on, and in turn asked, “Even if I am resentful, what of it? Does the little young master want to help?”
Ji Chen’s face turned dark: “I told you not to call me little young master. It’s not that I can’t help, but you have to beg me to try.”
Cheng Qu couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. Beishan, having finished treating Ji Chen’s wound, was disinfecting his own hands when the spray nozzle skewed at the sound, nearly misting right into Cheng Qu’s mouth.
Both men watched closely for Fu Chi’s reaction.
Surprisingly, Fu Chi didn’t get angry. With a meaningful tone, he said, “You can answer this question separately next time, and I’ll give you my answer then.”
Ji Chen sneered: “Next time? We won’t have many opportunities to see each other. Once the purple jade business is settled, this young master won’t be seeking you out.”
“Oh, the purple jade can only solve the problem for one client. Liuguang’s new seasonal product line requires a massive amount of jade raw materials. Since you refused the cooperation with the Fu Corporation and your friends can’t help you out, you’re ultimately left with only one path.”
“And that is to go straight to the jade source in the Golden Triangle. Unfortunately, the waters in the jade industry run extremely deep. Since you are just getting started, the probability of getting scammed is one hundred percent. If you don’t believe I’m telling the truth, just ask Liuguang’s vice president, Cheng Ming.”
Ji Chen sneered: “Are you implying that I have to turn around and beg you for cooperation?”
Fu Chi raised an eyebrow: “I wouldn’t dare. I’m planning to take a trip to the Golden Triangle in the next few days to negotiate a batch of raw stones. The little young master can come along; I can help introduce you to some connections, which will save you a lot of detours.”
Ji Chen’s eyes were full of suspicion: “Are you really that kind-hearted?”
“Naturally, it’s not out of kindness. As compensation, the little young master just needs to help me suppress Fu Xi, so my father has no choice but to hand the company’s sales department over to me.”
Ji Chen visibly let out a sigh of relief. As long as there was an agenda, that was fine; as long as he wasn’t plotting against him personally, anything went.
“Alright, it’s a deal.”
Fu Chi handed a glass of wine to Ji Chen, signaling with it: “Happy cooperation.”
Ji Chen didn’t think much of it, took it, and drank. It was just a glass of wine, and he never imagined for a second that it was the exact glass Fu Chi had already used.
The two onlookers took in the entire scene with utter disbelief. Was Fu Chi playing for real, or had he lost his mind? Was this kid’s background something you could just mess around with? Weren’t they afraid of digging their own graves?
Cheng Qu and Beishan also clinked glasses with Ji Chen, considering it a formal introduction.
Given that he had just wrapped up a major cooperation with Fu Chi, Ji Chen gave face and drank. This time, he had no intention of drinking enough to feel miserable, so after three cups, he prepared to leave. Fu Chi offered to drive him home.
Ji Chen glanced at him sideways: “Didn’t you drink as well?”
Fu Chi swirled his full glass of wine and replied, “Not a single drop. I am fit to drive.”
Ji Chen went downstairs, speechless. What a rare specimen—the person who initiated the toasts hadn’t even drunk a drop. This guy really was shameless.
After giving Fu Chi his address, Ji Chen curled up in the passenger seat to take a nap. His alcohol tolerance wasn’t great; he had been fine back in the nightclub, but the moment he stepped out into the cold wind, a wave of dizziness hit him.
Fu Chi remained quiet the entire ride, making Ji Chen increasingly drowsy.
Half-asleep, he still mumbled one last sentence: “Fu Chi, if you harbor any warped thoughts toward me, I advise you to cut it out early. You’ll just walk into a dead end. If you don’t, consider it my rambling.”
Fu Chi didn’t answer. A long while later, hearing Ji Chen’s even breathing, he let out a soft chuckle and murmured, “You really are quite sensitive.”
The car lingered near the villa for nearly half an hour while Fu Chi kept watching the little young master’s sleeping face. With those captivating puppy eyes closed, Fu Chi found that his hidden intentions hadn’t faded in the slightest.
Staring at lips that looked even more supple in the warm glow of the dashboard lights, Fu Chi thought about the nightclub wine and wondered if he had truly tasted its flavor yet.
The person in his sleep shifted uncomfortably, feeling as though breathing had suddenly become a bit difficult. He furrowed his brows a few times and drifted back to sleep.
Before long, a voice called out, “Little young master, wake up.”
Ji Chen opened his eyes to find they had arrived home. Rubbing his face, he pushed open the car door: “You can drive my car away; there are no vehicles to catch around here. You can return it to me later.”
Fu Chi seemed in an exceptionally good mood. The corners of his remarkably vivid lips lifted as he nodded at him: “Get some rest early.”
The moment Ji Chen stepped into the villa, the taillights of the car behind him pulled away and drove off into the distance.
As soon as he stepped inside, Ji Chen smacked his own forehead. Why on earth had he been so polite to Fu Chi? They were enemies, for crying out loud!
Yet, looking at it from another angle, as long as Fu Chi’s true young master identity remained unexposed, he posed no real threat to him.
Once Fu Chi secured his position as the eldest son of the Fu family, nobody would ever dig into his background. That way, no one would ever trace things back to the Ji family. Whichever way he looked at it, helping Fu Chi take over the Fu family was the most cost-effective move.
That was what Ji Chen thought right before falling asleep. But after drifting off, his sleep was haunted by a relentless stream of little young master ringing in his ears like a magic spell. Waking up the next morning, Ji Chen still felt he couldn’t let Fu Chi off the hook. That guy was just too outrageous!
He was practically developing trauma.
Once the purple jade was in hand, Ji Chen deliberately steered clear of Fu Chi. The man called several times saying he wanted to return the car, but Ji Chen either brushed it off by saying there was no rush or told him to just leave it right at the entrance of Liuguang before hanging up on him.
Whenever he saw Fu Chi’s calls coming in afterward, he purposely ignored them, threw himself into his work, and quietly started chipping away at Fu Xi, starting right with that decent-looking emerging brand.
Yet, he never in his wildest dreams expected that someone would brazenly barge into Liuguang in broad daylight and abduct him.
Seeing the direction the vehicle was heading, Ji Chen’s face darkened. To be honest, aside from Fu Chi, there was one other person in this plane he least wanted to see.
The very executioner who created the whole fake versus real young master tragedy.