Apart from wanting to give his younger brother an assist, the more important reason Han Gui was in a rush to meet Shen Kui was that he had learned from Zheng Qi that the nephew of old man Li from the company had gone to the film crew to pester Tangtang again.
He was the exact same person who had instigated Tangtang to go to the Shenxing Clubhouse last time!
He was like a lingering ghost!
Li Fan was the main instigator stirring up trouble and playing power games within the company, making him a nuisance in every sense of the word.
It was bad enough that he acted like an elder milking the company for status while secretly stirring up trouble behind the scenes, but even his nephew couldn’t stay out of trouble. The nephew had actually brainwashed his younger brother into thinking that Han Gui wanted to usurp his position and steal everything belonging to Tangtang!
Had it not been for him, even if Tangtang wouldn’t get close to him, he at least wouldn’t have treated him like a class enemy!
Fearing that this person might pull another stunt to harm his younger brother, Han Gui had no choice but to make arrangements as quickly as possible.
There weren’t many people who could get close to Tangtang and barely earn his trust.
Shen Kui barely counted as one. After all, the other person had saved Tangtang at the clubhouse, and judging by recent rumors, it seemed the other person might actually have romantic intentions toward Tangtang.
For a moment, Han Gui didn’t know whether to feel happy for his younger brother or feel a pang of heartache that Tangtang liked so many people yet refused to like him as an older brother.
When Shen Kui arrived upon invitation, the sight that greeted him was Han Gui’s distorted expression, a conflicting mix of bittersweet fondness and heartbreak, which gave him plenty of food for thought.
Because the discussion involved sensitive personal matters, Han Gui had booked a private dining room. Hearing the sound of Shen Kui being led through the door by a waiter, Han Gui snapped back to reality:
“You’re here.”
Han Gui greeted him with a smile, yet his gaze was as sharp as a blade, scanning Shen Kui from top to bottom.
He looked like an emperor surveying a subject, attempting to see right through him, or as if he had already figured out his hidden thoughts, waiting for the other person to make a voluntary confession so he could grant clemency.
Under normal circumstances, anyone subjected to Han Gui’s piercing gaze would inevitably feel restless and start second-guessing whether they had done something wrong, even if they had nothing to hide. Yet Shen Kui remained completely unfazed.
Acting as though he couldn’t see Han Gui’s hyper-penetrating gaze, he simply offered a polite response: “Yes.”
Following that, Shen Kui took the initiative to ask: “Did President Han invite me here today to talk about voiding our cooperation?”
Even though he had obtained Su Li’s permission to step out, he didn’t have much time to spare.
Han Gui wasn’t surprised that the other person knew about his previous attempts to target him, as it wasn’t exactly top secret.
What surprised him was the other person’s attitude.
There weren’t many individuals who could maintain their composure and keep complete control over the conversational rhythm under the heavy pressure he deliberately exerted.
In his heart, Han Gui felt both satisfaction and vigilance toward Shen Kui.
Tangtang’s eye for picking a boyfriend was as accurate as ever, though his eye for picking friends left much to be desired.
After mentally giving Shen Kui a passing grade and to ensure the upcoming conversation went smoothly, Han Gui explained his previous considerations to him:
“Not at all. On the contrary, I want to deepen our cooperation with you…”
Shen Kui had come with a clear purpose today, so while Han Gui was speaking, he was multitasking. Shen Kui noticed that whenever the other person mentioned the youth, the expression in his eyes would unconsciously soften, and the affection within them could not be faked.
Furthermore, inside a private sealed room, the other person had no reason to expend energy putting on a heavy act of pretense in front of a minor celebrity whom he could crush with a flick of his wrist.
He prided himself on having a good eye for people, yet he had to admit that he seemed to have misjudged the situation this time around.
Moreover, a lingering sense of certainty bloomed within Shen Kui, telling him that this person could never possibly harm the youth.
This feeling had no source and no basis, yet it felt like an established fact rooted deep within his heart, faintly stirring up his irritability.
Unwilling to watch Han Gui continue talking endlessly about the youth, Shen Kui interrupted: “I agree to your request, but I want to modify the terms of our cooperation.”
Even without Han Gui, he would never stand idly by and let the youth be bullied.
He had originally thought the dangers surrounding the youth solely stemmed from family business struggles involving Han Gui.
Yet he never expected that while family business struggles did exist, they had nothing to do with Han Gui whatsoever. Instead, he himself had inadvertently become one of the sources of danger for the youth.
Regardless of whether it was due to his inner genuine feelings or external responsibility, he couldn’t allow the youth to be harmed by others.
Han Gui never expected Shen Kui to be so greedy.
He actually wanted equity in the Han Corporation!
He was already plotting against Tangtang’s assets before even marrying into the family, and God only knows what he’d pull if he actually married in!
However, a subsequent remark from Shen Kui quickly suppressed his inner anger and made him agree to the other person’s demands.
Even so, he kept a card up his sleeve. This precaution ensured that even if the other person betrayed him in the end, they would still walk away empty-handed.
Han Tang, who stayed behind with the film crew, woke up bright and early only to find that Shen Kui was nowhere to be seen.
Initially, he assumed the other person simply hadn’t woken up yet, until he checked today’s shooting schedule and discovered that Shen Kui had actually requested a full day off.
Han Tang immediately sought out Su Li, only to discover that it was his older brother who had asked Shen Kui out!
Han Tang’s eyes lit up instantly.
Especially upon learning that the location of their meeting was a notoriously famous couple’s restaurant, the gleam in Han Tang’s eyes rivaled a desert traveler finally spotting an oasis.
It must be because he had pestered Shen Kui day in and day out until the other person couldn’t take it anymore and poured his heart out, exposing the fact that he had stolen the credit for getting Shen Kui into the crew!
Was his older brother finally going to realize his hopeless nature and decide to play the hero saving the beauty?
The fantasy was wonderful, but reality is harsh.
Soon, a Weibo trending search topic smashed right through Han Tang’s illusions with a crisp snap.