SABA Chapter 67

Jiang Tiao didn’t notice Chu Xu looking at him; all his attention was focused on the wine glass in front of Huo Shen. When the drinks were being served, he was worried about Chu Qingchao. By the time he reacted, Huo Shen had already signaled the waiter that he wanted non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice.

Jiang Tiao watched the pomegranate-red liquid flow into the wine glass, and his heart felt like it had broken in half.

For the next half hour, he didn’t dare to relax for a moment. He was waiting for Huo Shen to finish drinking so he could seize the opportunity to switch Huo Shen’s drink. However, a full half hour passed, and his eyes were starting to twitch from constantly looking sideways. Huo Shen hadn’t drunk a single sip of the grape juice.

Could he even wait for Huo Shen to finish this glass of sparkling water tonight? Would it seem too deliberate if he just switched his glass for him?

Jiang Tiao silently finished his own drink and picked out a glass with a high alcohol content. He decided to give it a shot, placing it discreetly next to Huo Shen’s glass – not to force it, but to be prepared in case an opportunity arose.

…

On stage, Chu Hongzhen’s speech was drawing to a close. “Today, I want to introduce a very important guest to everyone. I’m sure you’ve already seen him when you arrived…”

Following Chu Hongzhen’s words, the spotlight shifted to Chu Xu in the audience.

Chu Xu was caught off guard and appeared flustered. He quickly masked the anger on his face. It didn’t matter if Xingtu Information Technology was in trouble; as long as he could get into the Chu family, he still had a chance to turn things around!

He took two deep breaths, stood up with an imposing air, straightened his clothes, and put on a proper smile. He moved unhurriedly with the spotlight, walked onto the stage, and stood beside Chu Hongzhen. The two spotlights merged, making them the focus of everyone in the banquet hall.

“Chu Xu,” Chu Hongzhen’s gaze swept over the people with various expressions in the audience. The laugh lines at the corners of his eyes spread like the rings of an old tree. His voice cut through the hushed whispers filling the room, “Anyone who pays even a little attention to the entertainment industry won’t be unfamiliar with him.”

“He is an important guest and also a special family member. I’ve never mentioned his identity in public before because he expressed a desire to forge his own path through his own abilities. I respect his decision, and his current achievements are enough to make me proud.”

“Starting today, he will join ELEGANT Group as the Fashion Director.”

“This is my decision, and it’s also the result of the board’s discussion.”

“Perhaps some people will think I’m playing favorites, but his resume convinces me that he is more than capable of this role.”

As Chu Hongzhen finished speaking, Chu Xu’s resume appeared on the screen behind him. However, it wasn’t a resume at all, but a series of paparazzi photos.

Chu Xu’s face was captured very clearly in the photos. Although the other person’s face was blurred, it was still obvious that it was a man. There were photos of them kissing passionately, going home together, and the most revealing one was taken in a car. The seats were reclined, the clothes were messy, and their bodies were intertwined…

The hall erupted in a uproar. Those who liked to gossip, those who were watching the drama unfold, those who were confused, and those who were curious… murmurs filled the air.

Chu Xu felt like the new emperor parading around, who suddenly realized he was naked. He stood frozen, his blood stopped flowing, his entire body ice-cold, so numb that he couldn’t even move a finger.

Chu’s father’s expression changed from one moment to the next. He looked at Chu Xu with eyes like a knife coated in venom, wishing he could chop this useless burden of a son, who brought him shame, into a thousand pieces.

“Wow!” Jiang Tiao’s attention was finally drawn away from the glass of wine. Such explosive and scandalous gossip was hard for anyone to ignore. From a table further outside, the sound of bowls and plates being knocked over onto the table could be heard. It wasn’t very noticeable amidst the hushed whispers, but it still caught Jiang Tiao’s attention. Jiang Tiao looked in the direction of the sound and saw emptiness and panic in Ye Qinghan’s eyes as he tried to maintain a calm facade.

“Could the other person be Ye Qinghan?!”

Huo Shen felt that Jiang Tiao was probably a little drunk, as he was leaning closer to his ear than usual. The warm breath unexpectedly hit his ear, causing all his sensory cells to betray his brain and migrate to his ear and neck. The rich, mellow aroma of wine inexplicably made him feel a little thirsty.

“They’re involved?” Jiang Tiao’s voice was filled with surprised and eager interest in the gossip. “Wow, how scandalous!”

Jiang Tiao didn’t know why he was fixated on the drinks tonight; he seemed restless the entire evening. Huo Shen watched him switch glass after glass, trying almost every alcoholic beverage at the banquet. Huo Shen tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on Jiang Tiao’s face. Jiang Tiao’s eyes, slightly glazed with alcohol, were brighter than usual, carrying a certain inexplicable excitement and joy.

Seeing Huo Shen’s face so close, Jiang Tiao realized they were too near. First, he subconsciously marveled at how handsome Huo Shen was. Then, he belatedly realized that he didn’t have a headache this time? Or, more accurately, the headache this time was not on the same level as previous ones.

Jiang Tiao carefully recalled every instance of his headaches and realized a similar situation had occurred once before. That day, he had successfully intercepted a project that Chu Xu was interested in, causing Chu Xu to lose a significant amount of money. That evening, he took Huo Shen out for a candlelight dinner. The atmosphere was very good then, and he experienced the same symptoms of a headache. But, like this time, the pain was significantly less severe compared to his usual headaches.

Could his headaches be related to Chu Xu?

Could striking a blow against Chu Xu alleviate his symptoms? The more unfortunate Chu Xu became, the milder his headaches would be?

What could be the reason for this?

However, he could experiment with this later.

He heard Huo Shen’s reply to his speculation and exclaimed “tsk” several times, “Brother Qingchao even blurred his face?”

He’s really soft-hearted…

“But how did these two get together?”

Huo Shen: “Sheltering under a big tree makes it easier to enjoy the shade. After all, he’s the ‘future’ Fashion Director of ELEGANT Group.”

Trying to latch onto someone influential? Jiang Tiao felt a rare surge of genuine admiration for Ye Qinghan. He was really willing to go all out! He wasn’t picky at all! How could he bring himself to do that?

After his moment of reflection, Jiang Tiao no longer focused on them. He hadn’t forgotten his true objective for the evening, and wasn’t this the perfect time?

Jiang Tiao picked up the wine glass in front of him, which he had determined to be the one with the highest alcohol content after tasting all the drinks. “I think this wine tastes quite good. Would you like to try it?”

This statement, both in its content and the timing of its delivery, seemed a bit abrupt. Huo Shen accepted the glass. He saw Jiang Tiao’s eyes darting around, looking rather mischievous, clearly plotting something with ill intentions. Huo Shen gently swirled the glass. The pale golden transparent liquid swirled along the rim of the glass, releasing a rich aroma of wine; it was clearly high in alcohol content.

“Did you lose a game?”

“Huh?” Jiang Tiao was stunned. After he reacted, he realized what he had missed! Yes! He could have simply said he lost a game and the penalty was for Huo Shen to drink! He had racked his brains all night for this! But his reaction just now clearly indicated it wasn’t a game penalty, and it would be difficult to backtrack now. Jiang Tiao mentally cursed himself and could only abandon such a natural reason, laughing it off, “How could that be.”

Huo Shen raised an eyebrow at Jiang Tiao’s clearly scheming expression: “What are you plotting?”

Jiang Tiao wore an innocent expression, as if to say, “Are you judging a gentleman by a villain’s standards?” “What am I plotting? I genuinely think it’s good and want to share it with you. Isn’t that what good friends do, always wanting to share good things with each other.”

Whatever. Huo Shen didn’t care what Jiang Tiao was plotting. As long as it was from Jiang Tiao, he would happily drink even hemlock. Huo Shen, looking at where Jiang Tiao had drunk from…

Jiang Tiao’s ears turned slightly red. Ever since he realized he had feelings for Huo Shen, many of his usual actions had inexplicably taken on a romantic hue. He knew Huo Shen probably wasn’t thinking much of it, but he couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild.

Huo Shen smiled faintly and downed the wine in the glass in one go.

“!” Jiang Tiao had only intended to coax Huo Shen into taking a sip, not to have him drink the entire thing. Although there was less than a third of the wine left, the alcohol content was still significant. Jiang Tiao’s eyes were full of worry, and all his plans were thrown aside.

“Are you okay? Do you feel anything uncomfortable?”

“Just a sip was enough, why did you drink it all!”

Seeing the obvious worry in Jiang Tiao’s eyes felt like a warm iron smoothing his heart, providing immense comfort. He debated whether to feign discomfort to get Jiang Tiao to fuss over him more. Worry was fine, but causing him to feel guilty would be bad, especially since the current situation made it inconvenient to do anything. “I’m fine.”

Jiang Tiao carefully observed Huo Shen’s reaction for a while. Seeing that he genuinely didn’t seem uncomfortable, he finally relaxed. Huo Shen drinking it like that made him hesitant to pour more. Forget it, he’d talk about it when they got home. With the Chu family in such disarray, he didn’t know what else might happen tonight.

…

On stage, under the spotlight, Chu’s father was furious, his face covered by dark clouds as if hiding rolling thunder. He glared fiercely in Chu Qingchao’s direction, his eyes burning with uncontainable rage. While Chu Xu was certainly deserving of condemnation, Chu Qingchao’s actions made him even angrier.

Chu Qingchao had many ways to expose this matter to him, but he specifically chose this occasion, right after he publicly announced Chu Xu’s identity. He wasn’t trying to deal with Chu Xu; he was trying to publicly humiliate him and make him lose face!

Chu Qingchao meticulously wiped the red wine stains from his hands with a piece of paper. The wound from the broken glass shard throbbed faintly. He stood up elegantly, wearing the same composed smile he used when facing interviews.

“Dad, look at me. I haven’t given you any gifts before. I wonder if today’s appetizer meets your expectations?”

Chu Hongzhen’s face was so dark it seemed like water could drip from it. He took a moment to compose himself and find a way to save face, “I know you’re not happy with my appointment of Chu Xu…”

Chu Qingchao let out a laugh, interrupting Chu Hongzhen: “Actually, I prepared another appetizer, but it involves another woman, so it’s really not suitable for displaying on the big screen.”

Chu Qingchao took a stack of documents from his assistant and walked forward a few steps, standing at the edge of the stage. Chu Hongzhen reached out, finding the distance too great. With a grim expression, he walked down and took the documents from Chu Qingchao—they were all correspondence, chat records, and intimate photos between his newly hired secretary and Chu Xu.

What future do you have with that old man? How many more years can he live? Do you think he’ll marry you?

In a few years, when he gets tired of you, you’ll end up like his other lovers.

If you’re willing to help me, I can give you thirty percent of the Chu family’s assets.

What if I want you to marry me?

That’s not impossible either.

…

Chu Hongzhen’s face was contorted with rage as he clenched the papers in his hand, gnashing his teeth fiercely.

Watching Chu Hongzhen’s reaction, Chu Qingchao’s smile widened. “Don’t rush. There’s more to come. I told you, these are just appetizers.”

Chu Hongzhen’s face was gloomy. He skimmed past the indecent photos and chat logs and turned to the later pages. There was a financial statement detailing the financial misrepresentations he had manipulated over the years and the circular transactions made through related parties to artificially inflate revenue.

Chu Hongzhen’s expression was dark and grim. He hadn’t expected Chu Qingchao to have collected all this. Had someone from his core team defected to Chu Qingchao?

“So what?” Chu Hongzhen knew that Chu Qingchao cared about ELEGAN more than anyone else. He was confident, “Do you dare to publicize it?”

If this information were released, ELEGANT’s stock price would be halved.

Chu Qingchao smiled, “I said, ELEGANT was founded by my mother. The reason I’ve put so much effort into it and don’t want to see it decline under my watch is because I want people to remember its founder when they mention ELEGANT.”

The deceased are gone, and all the living can do is ensure her brilliance is not erased and her name lives on forever.

“ELEGANT without the name Ji Yuxin is worthless to me,” Chu Qingchao’s pupils were deep, like an unfathomable Styx, looking unsettling, “If that’s the case, I might as well let it perish early from the stage of history.”

This way, in the future, when people study fashion history, they will remember the brilliance of its founder and lament her early demise.

Chu Hongzhen watched Chu Qingchao’s calm expression betray a hint of madness with a pounding heart. He had no doubt about the truth of Chu Qingchao’s words. The more devoted he was when he cared, the more decisive he was when he let go. Ji Yuxin’s arrangements before her death had prevented him from escaping her shadow even now. Twenty years have passed, and he is still constrained by the things she left behind. If he hadn’t had Ji Yuxin’s two children as her weakness, he believed Ji Yuxin would have dragged him and ELEGANT down with her before she died. And Chu Qingchao was the most like his mother.

“This…”

“Director Chu…”

At such a grand birthday banquet, many members of the board of directors were naturally present. At this moment, a commotion erupted from their table. They were whispering to each other, all looking at their phones with serious expressions, and even a few exclamations could be heard.

Chu Hongzhen’s heart sank slightly. His assistant quickly handed him his phone.

“ELEGANT: 3 Billion Yuan Revenue Capital Fraud Scheme”

“Trust Fund Shares of Chu Corporation Being Sold Off”

…

Countless pieces of information, true and false, flooded into the US stock trading market. The real-time fear index soared, and even dark pool trading had established five times leverage short selling in advance. No one could imagine how ELEGANT’s stock price would crash when the market opened.

An uncontrollable rage flickered in Chu Hongzhen’s eyes. He hadn’t expected Chu Qingchao to actually go this far. His face was full of anger, his nostrils flared, and he took a deep breath, raising his bronze walking stick, “You beast, if I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have let you grow to this point.”

Chu Qingchao’s light brown pupils were filled with the sight of Chu Hongzhen’s furious rage. The image of the loving father from his memory, who taught him to ride horses and play ball with a gentle smile, seemed to be just a one-sided beautiful dream.

Seasons change, but old feelings do not; rather, old feelings are easily changed. Perhaps Chu Hongzhen’s heart had never changed; perhaps he had always been this way.

Many exclamations echoed through the hall. Seeing the bronze walking stick about to strike Chu Qingchao’s head…

“Brother—”

Chu Yanhao, who had just entered and witnessed this scene, had tears in his eyes. He rushed over. But before him, Jiang Mingyan was faster. He caught the bronze walking stick that was about to hit Chu Qingchao’s head and smiled with a chilling lack of warmth, “Talking is fine, but resorting to violence is rather undignified.”

Chu Hongzhen looked at Jiang Mingyan, who was a head taller than him, his wrinkled face turning a liverish color with anger.

“Yes, yes,” the board members quickly came out to mediate. They could ignore the infighting within the Chu family or the acknowledgment of illegitimate children. But now that it was affecting stock prices, their own money was at stake! They couldn’t sit idly by any longer. Who wanted to watch family drama? What they wanted now was an explanation! A solution!

Chu Qingchao seemed to have just woken up from a dream of self-mutilation. In his dream, he clearly watched himself use a knife to cut open flesh, digging out the rotting rotten meat. He patted Jiang Mingyan’s arm, signaling him to move aside, and grabbed the walking stick that was about to be thrown at him.

Time was relentless. No matter how well Chu Hongzhen maintained himself, his strength was ultimately no match for Chu Qingchao, who was in his prime. The walking stick slipped from his grasp and was casually tossed into a corner by Chu Qingchao. The crisp sound of bronze hitting marble seemed to strike everyone.

“Let’s go,” Chu Qingchao said with a laugh, glancing at the red-faced Chu Hongzhen and the anxious board members. “I’m sure you don’t want to hold a shareholders’ meeting here, do you?”

Regardless of taking sides, no interest was as real as profit. The board members followed without hesitation.

The host, arranged by Chu Qingchao to continue entertaining the remaining guests, forced himself onto the stage to smooth things over. Anyone who could reach this level was a shrewd individual. No matter what they were thinking on the inside, they wouldn’t show it on the surface. The events that had just transpired seemed to be forgotten by everyone. Everyone smiled graciously, as if this were a banquet where hosts and guests were all pleased. The pop girl groups that were scheduled to perform later were immediately brought onto the stage. The lively K-pop music, with its energetic singing and dancing, swept away the last bit of superficial awkwardness in the atmosphere.

After enduring the abridged banquet, the guests could no longer sit still. With such significant events happening in the Chu family, ELEGANT’s stock was bound to fluctuate significantly. The world bustles; all for profit. The world surges; all for profit. Whether they were there to gossip or to profit from the chaos, the guests all had their own intentions.

Jiang Tiao had only gone to the restroom. When he returned, the once lively hall was now sparsely populated with servers packing up.

They sure are fast, Jiang Tiao shook his head in amazement. But what surprised him was, why wasn’t Huo Shen there?

Jiang Tiao immediately felt a sense of worry. Although Huo Shen hadn’t shown any signs of discomfort all evening, the alcohol content was significant, and it was foreign liquor, which could have a delayed effect. The Chu family was in chaos tonight, and the rules and order of the service and security personnel had long been abandoned. Huo Shen, with his poor tolerance for alcohol, might be in trouble.

The unknown is always frightening. The more you care, the more you are swayed by emotions. The more Jiang Tiao thought about it, the more anxious he became. After making several calls, he remembered that he had set his phone to silent for the banquet. After asking a few waiters, Jiang Tiao finally found Huo Shen around a corner in a corridor.

However…

If he wasn’t mistaken, the other person was Chu Xu.

Just as Jiang Tiao was feeling bewildered and curious, he saw Chu Xu acting like a rabid dog, about to attack Huo Shen.

Damn it!

Jiang Tiao was furious.