After that little incident, no one dared provoke Su Yanxi again. Everyone present treated her with the utmost respect.
At the banquet, Su Yanxi met Fu Linchen’s parents, a loving couple at the very pinnacle of power.
They were just like the people she had seen on the evening news: warm smiles, yet an imposing presence, with an air of dignity and nobility.
Under the brilliant lights, the crowd in the hall parted into two lines of its own accord, opening a broad path.
Fu Junchen radiated authority without needing to show anger. He carried the sharp, steady bearing of someone honed by years in the world of power and wealth.
Ye Lanqing held his arm. Her smile was gentle and composed; she was like a peony of peerless beauty, her hair and features exquisitely adorned.
Gu Yanze’s parents arrived alongside Fu Linchen’s. Throughout the banquet, they kept raising their glasses and actively making conversation with Fu Linchen’s parents.
Su Yanxi sat beside Gu Nanchu, quietly keeping the Old Master company.
There was a ball after the banquet, but Old Master Gu was advanced in years and left early.
Su Yanxi rose and supported Gu Nanchu with both hands as she walked him toward the exit.
Gu Yanze started after them. “Yanyan, I’ll take you both home.”
Gu Yanze’s mother, Ni Yushang, glanced at Su Yanxi and called to him, “Yanze, come back.”
Gu Yanze stopped.
Su Yanxi acted as if she hadn’t heard. Her expression remained calm as she helped Gu Nanchu leave.
As they reached the entrance to the hall, Su Yanxi sensed someone’s gaze fixed intently on her from behind, but she didn’t turn around.
The business car was waiting by the doors. Old Master Gu got in, and as Su Yanxi reached for the car door, a hand as elegant as a jade fan stretched across in front of her and opened it for her.
Gu Yanze stood beside her. “I’ll take you and Grandpa home.”
Gu Nanchu shot Gu Yanze a sidelong look. “Now that’s more like it.”
Su Yanxi bent to get into the car.
Gu Yanze placed his hand above the car door, and the crown of Su Yanxi’s head brushed his palm as she passed beneath it.
They sat side by side in the back. On the way, Gu Yanze fell asleep against the seat. His tall, handsome frame leaned toward Su Yanxi, his head resting on her shoulder.
Su Yanxi turned her head and saw his long lashes resting quietly against his pale, jade-like face, casting faint shadows.
It was as if time had rewound to when she was nine. The handsome boy with a basketball in his arms had smiled at her and said, “Little Kitten, don’t cry. Big Brother will look after you from now on.”
He really had looked after her. It was just the affection of a big brother for his little sister.
After taking Su Yanxi and Gu Nanchu back to the Gu Family Old Residence, Gu Yanze returned to the banquet.
When the banquet ended, he went back to the Gu Family Estate with Gu Yuanzhou and Ni Yushang.
Ni Yushang asked, “What did your grandfather say about your marriage?”
“Grandpa told me to marry Yanyan as soon as possible.”
Gu Yuanzhou asked, “What do you think? Are you willing?”
Ni Yushang watched Gu Yanze, her expression taut. She seemed even more nervous than Gu Yanze himself, the person actually involved.
“Dad, Mom, my feelings are simple: I don’t want to get married.”
Which young master in their circle got married before his thirties? Gu Yanze was only twenty-nine, yet he was already being pressured to marry every single day.
“Did you tell your grandfather you don’t want to get married?”
“I did.”
“And Yanyan?”
“I told her too. I’ve always thought of Yanyan as my little sister.”
After a pause, Ni Yushang lowered her voice and tentatively said to Gu Yuanzhou, “Should we find the right time to talk to Old Master and call off the wedding between Yanze and Yanyan?”
Gu Yanze’s chest tightened for some reason. It felt as though something vitally important were being torn from his heart. His hands clenched into fists.
“Do you think that’ll work?” Gu Yuanzhou said. “Old Master recognizes only Yanyan as his granddaughter-in-law. He’s so stubborn you couldn’t drag him away with eight oxen—and he could knock all eight of them flat with one punch.”
Gu Yanze’s fists unclenched.
“I’ve watched Yanyan grow up,” Ni Yushang said. “She really is a wonderful girl. She’s beautiful, good-natured, and has a good job. She’s never even dated anyone, from childhood to now. Her private life is spotless. She’s far better than those socialites who only know how to indulge themselves.”
“It’s just…” Ni Yushang trailed off.
“It’s just that her background is too poor. She has no parents and no family connections at all. She can’t help Yanze’s career in the slightest.”
As one of the few people who knew the truth, Gu Yuanzhou’s eyes grew shadowed. “Yanxi’s family background is not poor. Don’t look down on her.”
“You’ve said things like that many times,” Ni Yushang said, deeply puzzled. “But whenever I ask what Yanyan’s family background actually is, you refuse to tell me.”
Gu Yuanzhou’s expression was grave. “It’s not that I refuse. I can’t tell you.”
If something couldn’t be discussed, it was either connected to the government, the military, or the police. All of those things were classified.
Ni Yushang didn’t ask again.
None of the people currently at the very pinnacle of power had any connection to Su Yanxi, and she hadn’t heard that any of them had an illegitimate daughter. Even if Su Yanxi’s background was complicated, she wasn’t the daughter of royalty or nobility.
Ni Yushang was truly curious about what kind of background Su Yanxi had to make Gu Yuanzhou and Old Master Gu keep it so tightly under wraps.
Meanwhile, at the Fu Residence.
After the banquet, Fu Linchen stepped onto the balcony and spotted the red rose lying all alone on the ground.
She’d thrown away the red rose he’d given her?
Did she think he was beneath her?
If Gu Yanze had given her a red rose, wouldn’t she have been thrilled and preserved it in a frame for the rest of her life?
A cool smile took shape on Fu Linchen’s face.
Zhang Liuliu’s parents came to Fu Linchen again. “Young Master Fu, we’ve already apologized to Miss Su. Please don’t let this incident affect the cooperation between our families.”
“Of course,” Fu Linchen replied.
Overnight, every company refused to work with the Zhang family, and the banks refused to lend them money. The Zhang family’s cash flow collapsed, and their finances fell apart.
A month later, the Zhang family went bankrupt.
Su Yanxi heard about the Zhang family’s bankruptcy from her good friend, Qian Duoduo.
At a café, Qian Duoduo was like the head of an intelligence bureau, bringing Su Yanxi the latest gossip.
“Yanxi, big news! The Zhang family, who’ve been making waves in the capital, suddenly went bankrupt!”
Su Yanxi wore the same incredulous expression. “What happened to them?”
“I heard they offended the Crown Prince, so he brought them down in just a month.”
Qian Duoduo nudged Su Yanxi with her shoulder, looking thoroughly conspiratorial. “Do you think it was because Zhang Liuliu bullied you, so the Crown Prince went after the Zhang family?”
“With a flick of his finger, the Zhangs go bankrupt; with a laugh, they vanish into thin air. A domineering CEO come to life! No wonder he’s the Crown Prince. He’s freaking awesome. I ship it, I ship it!”
“Ship your feather duster!” Su Yanxi rapped Qian Duoduo on the forehead. “Have you read so many domineering-CEO novels that you’ve cast yourself as the best friend who gets to coast along with the universally adored heroine?”
“Zhang Liuliu ruined Fu Linchen’s welcome banquet, so Fu Linchen went after the Zhang family. That’s the more likely explanation, isn’t it?”
Su Yanxi hadn’t seen Fu Linchen once in the past month. She’d heard from Grandpa Gu that Fu Linchen had been very busy lately—
China’s private commercial rocket and spacecraft industry was still a blank slate.
The traditional model, driven by government research and development, required massive annual investment, yet lacked innovation and competitiveness.
The country’s top leaders wanted to strengthen innovation-driven growth and create a benchmark private space-exploration technology company.
The company would make innovation its path to profitability and independently develop and manufacture key equipment such as rockets and spacecraft.
It would provide the government and businesses with services such as space transportation and satellite launches.
It would also plan ahead for space manufacturing and space tourism, leading a new era in commercial aerospace.
Fu Linchen had earned dual degrees in economics and physics at university, and received A+ grades in every subject. A science genius who understood economics, he was revered as a top scholar.
He had learned programming at seven. At eleven, he represented the country in the International Mathematical Olympiad and won a gold medal. At thirteen, he casually developed a game that swept the nation. While other children his age were still crying over their homework, he had already earned his first fortune: three million dollars.
Beyond his high intelligence and abilities, Fu Linchen came from a prominent family. He had power and money, and he was ruthless in his methods. He could effortlessly secure connections others couldn’t manage, and casually spend money others could never afford.
The country’s top leaders had chosen him to establish and lead its private space-exploration technology company.
Su Yanxi couldn’t help wondering, “Young Master Fu is so busy. How did he find the time to deal with the Zhang family too?”
“Why would Young Master Fu have to get his hands dirty with something like ruining someone?” Qian Duoduo said. “He only has to say one casual word, and a whole crowd will fight to serve him hand and foot.”
“When you’ve got money, you’re surrounded by dogs; when you’ve got none, you can’t take a step. As long as the money’s right, you could work your kidneys to dust.”
Su Yanxi nodded. “That’s true.”
“I’m broke as hell. If I could get in good with Young Master Fu, I’d eat shit for him if he paid me. I could eat him into bankruptcy!”
Su Yanxi took a fifty-yuan note from her wallet and placed it in front of Qian Duoduo. “Here’s your money. So, miss, when are you planning to eat shit?”
Qian Duoduo picked up the fifty and waved it around. “A promise is a promise. I said I’d eat shit, so I’ll eat shit. I’ll do it right now!”
Ten minutes later, she stood in front of Su Yanxi holding two chocolate poop cakes.
“Share the good times, share the poop. A bestie who won’t eat poop with you isn’t a real plastic bestie.”
The poop cakes were shaped exactly like the pile on top of Arigato Lazy Sheep’s head.
Qian Duoduo shoveled them into her mouth, one spoonful after another. “All I can say is: delicious!”
After finishing the poop cakes, Qian Duoduo wore an expression that was eager for gossip, shamelessly nosy, and yet a little embarrassed.
“Ahem. Yanyan, there’s something I’m not sure I should ask. Even if I shouldn’t, I still want to.”
“Go ahead. I’m worried that if you keep holding it in, you’ll give yourself a brain clot and make your already-not-so-bright brain even worse.”
“Um… Since you’re a woman who’s slept with Fu Linchen, I’m curious: what was the eldest Young Master Fu like?”
A barrage of questions came flying at her—
“Was Fu Linchen good? Did he perform? How good? How well? Did you enjoy it? Did you like it? Do you want to do it with him again?”
“With that many questions, should I write you an eight-hundred-word post-sex review?”
Qian Duoduo’s face lit up. “Yes, yes!”
Su Yanxi carefully thought back over that night, weighed her words, and then replied, “I don’t think Fu Linchen… was very good.”
Qian Duoduo was stunned. “Holy crap! He looks so well-built, but he can’t perform? Is he all show and no substance? So Fu Linchen’s like a towering tree with chili peppers hanging from it. Wow, that’s disappointing! All that testosterone-packed physique for nothing!”
The café door swung open from outside, and a gust of cold air blew in. Qian Duoduo looked toward the entrance and saw Fu Linchen.
In an instant, Qian Duoduo’s vision went black, and she saw her great-grandma, who’d been dead for thirty years.
“Wh-what… Um… Something just came up. I have to go…”
Qian Duoduo sprang to her feet and bolted for the back door.
A good friend’s duty, when danger strikes, is to leave the other behind and run as fast as she can.
Even during the university eight-hundred-meter fitness test, Qian Duoduo had never run that fast!
Su Yanxi was about to ask why she’d suddenly left when Fu Linchen came to a stop in front of her.
“So I heard I’m no good?”
Two huge, bold words appeared in Su Yanxi’s mind: I’m doomed!