Li Yueting received a set of photos showing intimate moments of Pei Yan and Fu Huaizhou watching fireworks side by side.
There were even private shots of Fu Huaizhou holding Pei Yan’s chin while she stuck out the tip of her tongue.
The shooting angles were extremely tricky, making the scenes appear ambiguous.
Li Yueting glanced at the tableware on the dining table and recognized it as a high-altitude restaurant.
Though marketed as upscale, it was actually quite ordinary, frequently visited by many internet celebrities.
He had even taken other women there himself.
The night view was exceptional, especially the fireworks display over the river.
The paparazzo had likely used a drone.
What puzzled him was why they were targeting Pei Yan.
Suppressing his anger, Li Yueting waited a moment before his phone rang again.
He counted to three before answering, his face dark.
“Mr. Li?”
A middle-aged man’s voice came from the other end.
Li Yueting: “What do you want?”
“Naturally, to discuss a deal with you. I assume you wouldn’t want these photos to be exposed, right?”
Li Yueting knew exactly what the man meant. He could easily claim he had already broken up with Pei Yan.
But even if they had broken up, once the photos were exposed, Pei Yan would be thrust into the spotlight.
Accusations of “overlapping relationships” and “playing the field” would be hurled at her like dirty water.
This would also harm her career—her work hadn’t even been released yet, but scandals would already be swirling.
His previous reluctance to let the media photograph Pei Yan was for these very reasons.
Although he had initially been with Pei Yan for additional support, they had grown up together since childhood.
Li Yueting clenched his fist: “Name your price.”
“15 million.”
The man was asking for an exorbitant amount, though it was already a “friendship discount.” After all, Li Yueting wasn’t a male celebrity who could have his career ruined by a single scandal.
Li Yueting: “Deal. But if you take my money and still leak the photos, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
“Don’t worry. As long as the money arrives, this matter will never see the light of day.”
The middle-aged man sounded somewhat smug, assuming Li Yueting was trying to protect his reputation from the embarrassment.
Li Yueting handled the matter overnight. As he looked at the photos he had bought for 15 million, a seed of doubt took root in his heart.
The next morning, Pei Yan received a message from her parents: their flight back to Spring City was delayed due to weather, and they might return a day later.
Though she felt a bit disappointed, the feeling quickly passed.
After all, it was just one day.
Surprisingly, Pei Ying was still home this morning, and Pei Yan enjoyed a warm breakfast with her sister.
Pei Ying looked up and said, “Tomorrow evening, Grandpa, Grandma, and Mom and Dad will be back. Wu Ke is also coming for dinner. Don’t argue with him anymore—he’s still your brother-in-law, after all.”
Pei Yan nodded: “Who knew you two were playing the field? I thought you were deeply in love with Wu Ke. Otherwise, why would you put up with him and your mother-in-law’s nonsense?”
Pei Ying: “Put up with whose nonsense?”
Pei Yan pouted: “Your mother-in-law puts up with yours.”
Pei Ying: “…As long as she doesn’t provoke me, we coexist peacefully. Why should women make things difficult for each other? But she just doesn’t get it, thinking her son is some kind of treasure.”
Pei Yan: “Then why don’t you get a divorce?”
Pei Ying: “It’s a union of two powerful families. Why would I divorce?”
Pei Yan pestered, “Sis, aren’t you curious about what it feels like to be in love? It seems like you’ve never been in a proper relationship either, right?”
“Not curious,” Pei Ying elegantly wiped her mouth. “I have money. As long as the money is there, I can get any feeling I want. The young man I’ve been keeping recently is quite good—very sweet-tongued.”
Pei Yan nearly choked again. She sighed regretfully, “We’re born from the same parents, so why can’t I be as carefree as you?”
Pei Ying said calmly, “Though we share the same parents, I’m the one who raised you. It’s my fault for bringing you up too innocent.”
Pei Yan said enviously, “When I’m your age, I’m going to keep a young man too.”
Pei Ying: “…”
In the car on his way to the company, Fu Huaizhou sneezed several times in a row.
Lu Qianshan frowned with concern. “President Fu, are you catching a cold?”
Fu Huaizhou shook his head. “It’s nothing. Where were we?”
Lu Qianshan: “President Gao of Tianyu heard you declined the dinner invitation and has been calling me repeatedly. He wants to schedule a meeting this afternoon and come to your office in person to discuss matters.”
Fu Huaizhou thought for a moment and said, “Take him to the second reception room. Let him wait for half an hour.”
“Yes.”
The black business car came to a smooth stop in front of the Yi Xing building. Fu Huaizhou adjusted his suit slightly while still seated inside, then stepped out.
Lu Qianshan followed closely behind, the two occasionally exchanging words as they walked.
The moment Fu Huaizhou’s cold expression appeared, the lobby reception area seemed to plunge into an icy tundra.
It wasn’t until Fu Huaizhou entered his private elevator that the two receptionists finally dared to breathe deeply.
One of them, Xiao Chu, had just graduated, while the other, Sister Lu, had been at Yi Xing for two years.
Xiao Chu patted her chest. “So intimidating! How can someone who always wears such a stern expression still be so handsome? Which window did God actually close for him?”
Sister Lu chuckled softly. “Probably the window of unrequited love.”
Xiao Chu: “Unrequited love? President Fu? Sister Lu, you must be joking! A man like him can’t get the woman he wants?”
Sister Lu: “Shh, this is just a legend at Yi Xing. I only heard it through the grapevine.”
Xiao Chu: “Suddenly I feel more balanced.”
Sister Lu: “…”
Pei Yan spent another busy day at her studio. Just before getting off work, sudden commotion erupted outside her office door.
“Young Master Li, you can’t go in there.”
Pei Yan frowned and stood up to pull open her office door, locking eyes with Li Yueting.
Not wanting to argue in front of her employees, after a brief standoff, she allowed Li Yueting to enter her office.
“Speak. What do you want?”
Li Yueting threw a stack of photos onto her desk, restraining his anger as he said, “Pei Yan, are you doing this to get back at me?”
Pei Yan didn’t understand what he meant. Picking up the photos to look, she immediately flew into a rage. “You had someone follow me and take pictures?”
“Me? Have someone follow you?” Li Yueting nearly laughed in frustration. “These damn photos cost me 15 million. Two paparazzi accidentally captured you with Fu Huaizhou. Knowing about our relationship, they came to blackmail me with these photos.”
Pei Yan sneered, “What relationship do we have? You could have just said we broke up. Why waste that money?”
Li Yueting: “Waste money? Do you realize what exposure of these photos would mean? All kinds of dirty accusations could be thrown at you. Just look at how ambiguous this particular photo of you appears.”
Pei Yan’s face turned ashen as she stared at the photo Li Yueting was pointing at.
Ambiguity is but a veiled expression. In the photo, she extended the tip of her tongue slightly, her chin still cupped in Fu Huaizhou’s hand, her cheeks flushed and her brows slightly furrowed. At first glance, the image gave off an impression of sensuality.
Pei Yan: “What about those two paparazzi? I’m not a public figure—I could sue them into oblivion, believe me?”
Li Yueting snorted coldly: “By the time you’ve sued them into oblivion, these photos would have long been leaked. Do you plan to never collaborate with industry insiders again? If your scandal overshadows your work, you know the consequences.”
Pei Yan fell silent. She truly couldn’t afford to gamble with her jewelry career.
As the office reached a stalemate, He Tiantian’s voice sounded from outside again:
“Mr. Fu, please wait a moment. Sister Yan has a guest with her right now.”
Pei Yan: “…”
Perfect. The protagonist of the photos had arrived as well.
What a true deadly showdown!