“I heard that President Fu of the Shengjan Group is going to make an appearance today, too. That man has always operated with extreme mystery, why would he suddenly decide to attend a social gathering like this?”
“Showing his face will probably open doors to even more opportunities, right? He was still studying earlier, so keeping a low profile back then makes sense.”
“He really is a prodigy. At eighteen, he seized the wave of the internet boom to make his first pot of gold, and afterward, whatever industry he touched became the hottest trend as if he possessed the ability to foresee the future.”
A crowd of people chattered away, discussing this mysterious President Fu. Listening nearby, Shen Congjin found his mood souring slightly.
The moment he heard that President Fu was attending, everyone’s attention seemed to be siphoned away from him. Shen Congjin felt things shouldn’t be this way; after all, the undisputed protagonist of this networking gala ought to be him.
“Shen-ge?” Tang Tang handed him a glass of water, asking with concern, “Are you feeling unwell?”
“Tang Tang,” Shen Congjin gripped Tang Tang’s wrist tightly and abruptly posed a question: “You’ll always stay by my side, right? No matter what happens, you’ll always support me?”
“Um… of course I will.” Tang Tang offered a faint smile.
Though Tang Tang said those words aloud, a trace of hesitation lingered in his heart. Ever since Xia Zeyu finished speaking to him that day, he had begun seriously mulling over those questions.
The person who had truly treated him well appeared to be Chi Feng, who had consistently stood by his side. Yet no matter how wonderfully Chi Feng treated him or how many obstacles he helped him overcome, his own gaze remained stubbornly fixated entirely on Shen Congjin.
His two grueling years of specialized study abroad were clearly undertaken for the sake of his dreams, yet the moment he returned to China and ran into Shen Congjin by chance, he had inexplicably burned with the desire to snatch him back, presenting Shen Congjin with one design draft after another purely to win his favor.
It felt as though an invisible pair of giant hands kept yanking him back the moment he was on the verge of escaping a sea of suffering, trapping him in an endless, churning vortex of agony.
Tang Tang glanced sideways at Shen Congjin’s profile, suddenly feeling that the man before him was somewhat unfamiliar. Had Shen Congjin ever… exhibited this kind of slightly jealous expression in the past?
He harbored a vague intuition that the world around him was undergoing a subtle shift, though he lacked concrete proof.
Just as the crowd was buzzing with chatter, two bodyguards suddenly stepped forward to shove open the venue’s main doors. All eyes snapped toward the entrance, followed immediately by a collective gasp of awe.
A man of breathtaking, otherworldly beauty, clad in an impeccably tailored luxury suit, walked in with a confident, poised stride. The very second he made his entrance, it felt as though all surrounding colors dimmed by comparison.
What caused even greater astonishment was that walking right beside him, step for step, was Xia Zeyu.
Enduring the waves of stunned gazes, the two walked in together and approached the grand piano stationed in the center of the hall. The man considerately pulled out a chair for Xia Zeyu to take a seat before stepping up onto the stage to settle himself before the keyboard.
“Who on earth is that? I’ve never seen him before.”
“Is he hired to perform?”
“Does he look like a hired performer given that outfit?”
Ignoring their murmurs entirely, Fu Dongyan raised his hands and pressed down on the keys.
Franz Liszt’s La Campanella to be frank, it wasn’t particularly suited for a social gathering of this scale, but listening to it strangely filled Xia Zeyu with a sense of soothing comfort. He fixed an attentive, thoughtful gaze on Fu Dongyan.
Fu Dongyan wasn’t a primary storyline character, nor even a named supporting cast member, yet he was able to sit in this venue and play the piano with utter impunity. This man named Fu Dongyan was not only problematic, but immensely intriguing.
Could it be that he was also an arrival from another world? Perhaps even one who had arrived much earlier.
[Host, no. Currently, you are the sole extraterrestrial entity in this world.]
“Oh, is that so…”
On stage, the man flawlessly executed the final notes of his performance, gently closed the piano fallboard, and stood up to bow toward the assembly.
Only after straightening back up did he begin to speak.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Due to pressing business commitments at my company, I arrived slightly tardy. I would like to seize this opportunity to introduce myself to everyone.”
“Who the hell does he think he is? Why are there always attention-seekers crashing the scene?” a mocking voice jeered from the crowd.
Fu Dongyan curved the corners of his lips, his tone remaining unhurried and level: “I am the Executive Chairman of the Shengjan Group Fu Dongyan.”
“What?!”
The crowd below instantly erupted into chaos. Amidst the din of commotion, Xia Zeyu quietly applauded Fu Dongyan’s musical performance.
Fu Dongyan continued smoothly: “Everyone, I am planning to host a product networking exhibition at the beginning of next month, open to the public with zero admission barriers. If you harbor any interest in our group’s industries and products, you are warmly welcomed to drop by for a visit at any time.”
“He’s Fu Dongyan?”
“He’s actually this young? And strikingly handsome on top of that?”
“Which window did God decide to leave wide open for him?”
As the crowd buzzed with discussion, those with sharp reflexes had already raised their wine glasses and rushed forward to offer toasts to Fu Dongyan. In the span of mere minutes, the undisputed protagonist of this networking gala had shifted to Fu Dongyan.
Xia Zeyu cast a stealthy sideways glance at Shen Congjin, observing the man glaring furiously at Fu Dongyan.
How does it feel to have your protagonist halo snatched away? Not particularly pleasant, right?
Xia Zeyu felt an urge to laugh, though he managed to suppress it.
“President Fu, how is it that you walked in alongside Young Master Xia just now?”
Someone raised their voice to ask the question, causing all eyes to pivot back toward Xia Zeyu some of the gazes laced with undisguised mockery.
Walking up beside Xia Zeyu, Fu Dongyan handed him a glass of champagne before offering an explanation: “He is a friend of mine whom I hold in high regard. Since he recently stepped into his family’s enterprise, I’m eagerly looking forward to future collaborations with him.”
Accepting the champagne, Xia Zeyu took a small sip without offering verbal elaboration, merely flashing a faint, ambiguous smile.
Bringing gifts for no reason meant harboring ulterior motives either a thief or a traitor.
With Fu Dongyan publicly vouching for him, the guests found it improper to continue whispering gossip, swiftly pivoting their conversational focus back to business networking and partnerships.
Taking advantage of the moment while Fu Dongyan was occupied fending off well-wishers, Xia Zeyu slipped away quietly and retreated back to the dessert bar.
He hadn’t tried that taro mashed-potato shell pastry yet.
Just as he prepared to pop the treat into his mouth, Xia Zexing sidled up beside him once more with a sinister aura.
“I was wondering how you suddenly grew the spine to break off your engagement with Shen Congjin. Turns out you hitched your wagon to Fu Dongyan.”
“Xia Zexing,” Xia Zeyu dropped the honorifics and pinned him with an icy glare. “Because you’re incompetent and can only live off the family’s past laurels, you assume everyone else is just clinging to men for survival? I stated clearly that I intended to make a change, and I had the guts to step into that fighting ring. I pulled in sixty million in less than twenty days to plug the family’s financial black hole could you ever do that?”
“Y-You—what does that even prove? Can brawling in a fighting ring compare to running a business?”
“At least I took action. I had the guts to step inside that octagonal cage—did you?”
Setting his plate down, Xia Zeyu closed the distance step-by-step. Though he stood several centimeters shorter than Xia Zexing, the oppressive aura radiating from him forced Xia Zexing to back away in retreat.
“If you’re useless and cowardly, keep your mouth shut and focus on doing actual work,” Xia Zeyu threatened in a low hiss. “I despise posturing trash more than anything else. If you flap your gums one more time, I’ll figure out a way to turn myself into an only child.”
Xia Zexing swallowed hard, lacking the courage to offer a single word of rebuttal genuinely convinced that Xia Zeyu would follow through on his threat.
After treating himself to a satisfying feast, Xia Zeyu decided it was time to head home, only to discover that his cowardly brother Xia Zexing had already slipped away ahead of time, leaving him no choice but to hail a taxi.
Like an elderly citizen fumbling through a ride-hailing app for the very first time, he scrolled through the garish, overly complicated interface for ages, utterly bewildered as to how one actually booked a ride.
“Damn it, are they out of their minds? Booking a ride forces me to sit through three consecutive advertisements—who the hell wants to watch these? I hope every single one of you goes bankrupt.” Xia Zeyu couldn’t help cursing out loud.
Two light pats suddenly landed on his shoulder. Lifting his head, Xia Zeyu found himself staring directly into Fu Dongyan’s striking eyes.
“Would you like me to drop you home?” Fu Dongyan asked.
Silently deliberating for a moment, Xia Zeyu countered, “President Fu, what exactly are your intentions?”
“I already told you that I hold you in high regard, which is why I wish to befriend you.”
“What is there about me worth holding in high regard?”
“A pretty face, fists that strike terror into the hearts of men, and a cold, rational temperament—every single one of them draws me in.”
“Is that a description of me?” Xia Zeyu teased. “Aren’t I supposed to be an infamous good-for-nothing? Shen Congjin’s certified lapdog?”
“You aren’t anymore, are you?” Fu Dongyan narrowed his eyes as he looked down at him. “If you told me you were transmigrated from another life, I’d believe you.”
Xia Zeyu maintained an unreadable expression: “Read too many fantasy novels, have you? How could such a thing possibly exist in reality?”
“Fair enough,” Fu Dongyan changed the subject smoothly. “So, after all that conversation, will you allow me the honor of driving you home?”
Before Xia Zeyu could formulate a reply, a rough hand clamped down aggressively around his upper arm. Reacting with lightning reflexes, Xia Zeyu seized the wrist of the intruder and twisted it with brute force, instantly eliciting a shrill shriek of agony from Shen Congjin’s lips.
Intentionally dragging out the delay by a few seconds before releasing his grip, Xia Zeyu turned his head to glare impatiently at Shen Congjin: “What is your problem?”
Glaring daggers with bloodshot eyes, Shen Congjin hissed through gritted teeth, “Xia Zeyu! How long has it been since you broke off our engagement, and you’re already spreading your legs for another man?!”
“How long?” Xia Zeyu glanced at an imaginary wristwatch. “If you had died back then, you’d already have crossed the Bridge of Forgetfulness and reincarnated by now. Did you expect me to build a mourning shrine and wear white robes for you?”
“You!”
Shen Congjin lunged forward to grab Xia Zeyu again. Anticipating the move, Xia Zeyu prepared to counter, but a strong arm swept around his shoulder, seamlessly pulling him into a warm, protective embrace.
Xia Zeyu froze stiff. For a fraction of a second, he had zero idea how to process the physical contact, having never encountered such a gesture before.
Interposing himself between Xia Zeyu and Shen Congjin, Fu Dongyan lifted his chin slightly, a flash of displeasure coloring his gaze as he snapped: “President Shen, kindly refrain from laying hands on my person.”
Xia Zeyu: ???
A tempest of question marks raged inside his mind, though the presence of Shen Congjin prevented him from interrogating the claim on the spot.
Pointing a trembling finger straight at Fu Dongyan’s nose, Shen Congjin roared: “Who the hell do you think you are? Let me tell you, your arrogance is temporary. I’ll step on your head sooner or later. You will never be the protagonist of this world!”
Xia Zeyu could feel the arm resting across his shoulder tightening, exerting enough pressure to cause a mild ache, yet Fu Dongyan’s expression remained completely unperturbed.
“President Shen, do you genuinely believe you are the protagonist?” Fu Dongyan chuckled softly. “In this world, every single individual is the protagonist of their own life, possessing their own unique story, family, and friends. Perhaps their tales lack the flamboyant drama of a novel, but those are their genuine, lived realities not stepping stones meant to be crushed beneath the protagonist’s boots.”
Shen Congjin let out a cold laugh, pivoting his gaze back to fixate on Xia Zeyu with malicious mockery: “Following him, you’re going to live to regret this. Don’t come crying back to beg for my mercy later.”
“Get lost.” Xia Zeyu’s patience had officially evaporated.
Shooting him one final, venomous glare, Shen Congjin spun on his heel and stormed off.
His persistence wasn’t rooted in lingering affection for Xia Zeyu; rather, it was driven purely by twisted impulses of conquest and possessiveness.
“President Fu, can you let go now?” Xia Zeyu asked.
“My apologies.” Fu Dongyan released his grip immediately.
“I dislike physical contact with others, and furthermore…” Xia Zeyu heaved a sigh, “phrases that invite misunderstandings like the one you just used please refrain from repeating them.”
“Are you referring to when I called you my person just now?”
“Mm.”
“Technically speaking, that wasn’t entirely inaccurate. In a sense, you really are my person,” Fu Dongyan murmured, leaning down to speak right beside Xia Zeyu’s ear in a low register. “Did you really think that underground fighting arena manages to sustain operations solely on spectator betting revenue?”
“Huh?” Xia Zeyu lifted his gaze to study him. “You’re the owner?”
“You could say that.”
“Have you been watching me this entire time?”
“Virtually every single match.”
“Well, that explains it.”
“So, I’m not a strange individual after all. May I escort you home now?”
After a brief moment of hesitation, Xia Zeyu gave a slow nod.
Even if Fu Dongyan harbored malicious designs, Xia Zeyu was fully confident he could beat him flat into the dirt anyway.