BIAC CH 38

Chapter 38: Accuse Tang He? Two words for you: Suicidal Mission.

The elevator descended directly to the underground parking lot. Du Jianyou resisted the urge to run—that would be too childish. He simply walked quickly toward his car, got in, and locked the doors. As if some monster was chasing him. A monster born from Tang He’s rage. A demon made of Tang He’s suspicion. A whip forged from Tang He’s lack of trust, lashing at his soul over and over again.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, Du Jianyou panted heavily, wiping at his disheveled self with a pack of wet tissues, all while trying to figure out how to execute his next move.

He didn’t let himself think about Tang He. He couldn’t.

Just like the Little Prince ^[1]shielding his rose with a glass dome, trying to guard it from the wind and rain, he too had to encase himself in cold steel for protection. But what he didn’t know was, under that dome wasn’t a pulsing, lively heart—it was a bleeding wound, where the heart had already been torn out.

In short, it was untouchable.

There was no time to wallow in heartache—he was a grown man, and crying on someone’s doorstep wasn’t his style. At most, he’d just curse Tang He’s mom a couple times and be done with it.

He took a deep breath and focused—his plan was already taking shape.

He grabbed his phone and made a call. His voice sharp and high-pitched, he screamed into the phone at Zhao Tiancheng:

“Tang He is a total bastard—an absolute scumbag. I’m holding a press conference tomorrow. Call up Fat Wang from Stellar Weekly and set up a meeting. Tell him I’ve got an exclusive for him. Right now. Move your ass. I’ll see you in the private room at Misty Wave Teahouse in thirty minutes.”

Du Jianyou finished yelling in one breath and hung up before Zhao Tiancheng could even react.

Zhao Tiancheng had just barely fallen asleep when Du Jianyou’s yelling over the phone nearly blew out his eardrums and left him completely dazed. Before he could even ask what exactly made Tang He such a bastard, the call was already cut.

Scratching his groggy head, Zhao Tiancheng quickly got up and called Wang Pang.

Wang Pang^[2]’s real name was Wang Chongde, but because of his slightly chubby build, everyone just called him “Fat Wang,” and the name stuck. With his good temper and honest nature, he even found the nickname kind of endearing.

As soon as he got the call from Zhao Tiancheng, hearing that Du Jianyou personally wanted to give him an exclusive, he was over the moon. He had just belatedly caught wind of this major news story, and other media outlets had already sent people swarming around Guangsheng Group, First Dream Advertising Agency, Du Jianyou’s house, Tang He’s house, and… Tang He’s other house. And the other one. What could he do—Tang He had several homes!

Wang Pang was spinning in circles, wondering where to stake people out. But now, the man at the center of the storm was personally reaching out, offering him an exclusive. This had to be the reward for all the good karma he’d racked up in his past life—burning incense, donating to charity, and helping ants cross streams.

Thrilled, Wang Pang rushed off to Misty Wave Teahouse.

Compared to Wang Pang’s excitement, Zhao Tiancheng felt an ominous unease. Something didn’t sit right with him—like disaster was brewing.

When Zhao Tiancheng arrived at the teahouse and found Du Jianyou, Wang Pang hadn’t arrived yet.

He immediately pulled Du Jianyou aside, bombarding him with urgent questions: What happened? Why was everything so different from what they’d agreed? Wasn’t Guangsheng Group supposed to hold a press conference to clarify things? Why was Du Jianyou suddenly the one hosting it? And what the hell did he mean by Tang He being a bastard?

But Du Jianyou didn’t answer any of those questions. He simply asked, “First, tell me—how’s the company doing?”

“From what the assistants are saying, there are several media outlets camped outside the building trying to ambush you. Some reporters even tried to rush the filming set, demanding interviews from the team, asking them to tell the story of your love affair. I don’t think you’ll be setting foot in the office anytime soon.”

“So it’s already that chaotic, huh? Then what about the stuff I asked you to do? The share transfer? The change in listed company head?” Du Jianyou asked, clearly dissatisfied.

“Was it really that urgent? I mean, maybe this has nothing to do with our company at all—what are you so worried about?” Zhao Tiancheng snapped back, finally losing his temper.

“What am I worried about? I’m worried that Guangsheng Group is going to come after us. We’re just a little shrimp—how can we go up against a whale like that?” Du Jianyou replied in a flat tone.

“What? Guangsheng Group is coming after us? What kind of move is that? That Tang He has completely lost his damn mind! Instead of going after the person who leaked the photos, he’s going after you?” Zhao Tiancheng was shocked and furious—it made no sense.

“He is going after the person who leaked the photos. He thinks that person… is me.” Du Jianyou said quietly, laying out the gravity of the situation.

“What!?” Zhao Tiancheng’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“That bastard! You two were in this relationship together, and now that something’s happened, he just washes his hands of it completely? Doesn’t even try to find the real culprit and just dumps all the blame on you—how convenient! If he wants to break up, this isn’t the damn way to do it! You, leak the photos? What would you even gain from doing that? Is his brain made of pig fat? Think it through, dumbass! What Tang ‘Big Crocodile’? More like Tang ‘Big Hog’!” Zhao Tiancheng was so furious he nearly coughed up blood.

“So, tell me—shouldn’t I get ahead of him and hold a press conference first? One to accuse Tang He of starting things and then heartlessly abandoning me?” He continued, “Oh, and make sure Little Peach gets the red banner ready when we’re back—those four characters ‘始亂終棄’ (start recklessly, abandon cruelly) need to be huge. Hmph! Does he think Du Jianyou is someone he can just trample over? You think I can just let this go?”

“Of course not. Yes! Yes! YES! You’ve finally come to your senses!” Zhao Tiancheng exclaimed.

“We’ll hold that press conference tomorrow—we have to beat them to it. This is way too much. I’ll contact the media right away, and I’ll get Little Peach on it too. I’m gathering everyone in the company to back you up. We’re not scared of him! So what if he’s rich! Xiao Du, don’t be afraid—we’re all behind you!” He was already dialing as he spoke, pacing anxiously while trying to comfort Du Jianyou at the same time.

Seeing how fiercely Zhao Tiancheng defended him made Du Jianyou’s chest ache. He couldn’t bear to look at him. Right now, he couldn’t accept even the smallest act of warmth. For what he was about to do, he had to bury himself in a blizzard, harden himself like ice. He turned away, letting the image of Zhao Tiancheng pacing and flailing about blur behind him—then ignored it.

In the midst of Zhao Tiancheng’s curses and chaos, Wang Pang arrived.

Du Jianyou gestured for Zhao Tiancheng to leave the private room and continue working on the press conference preparations. He also reminded him several times to immediately handle the company ownership transfer.

Zhao Tiancheng, phone still pressed to his ear, waved at Du Jianyou and Wang Pang before turning to leave, closing the door behind him—leaving the two alone to discuss the contents of the press conference.

***

Meanwhile, in Tang He’s office…

Under Su An’s instructions, the cleaning staff had quickly and quietly restored the president’s office to its spotless state, returning to CEO Tang a bright and orderly space. But Tang He now sat alone, and in contrast to his earlier fury, what remained was utter defeat. He buried his face in his hands, thinking:

Where did it all go wrong? Was I not attentive enough? Not sincere enough? Is that why he had to drag our hidden love into the sunlight, announce it to the world in such an extreme way—just to force my hand? Or was I just stupid? Blind to who he really was?

To Tang He, going public wasn’t supposed to be a tactic—it should’ve been the natural conclusion. But now, it felt like a weapon. He’s here to destroy me.

But… why?

Was he sent by a rival? Or was this the work of some faction inside his own company?

That “honey trap^[3]” tactic—beautifully executed, and brutally effective.

Du Jianyou’s betrayal had torn Tang He apart, inside and out. Now, he doubted everything about himself—his intelligence, his emotional intuition, his judgment, his behavior… even his masculinity.

Even if Du Jianyou had approached him under orders, with an agenda—After months of being together, could he really not have fallen in love with me? Not even a little?

He knew he should pull himself together. Use a heavy hand. Do what he always did—shut things down, erase the threat.

Cruel thoughts swirled in his mind, thoughts that would crush Du Jianyou. But no matter how he tried to steel himself, the image that always surfaced was still—Du Jianyou: Clear eyes. Gentle smile. Whining one moment, sweet-talking the next.

Tang He couldn’t connect that person with the villain in front of him.

Could it be… that Du Jianyou was being forced to do this?

Tang He shook his head.

Enough. Stop making excuses for him.

He stood up and walked wearily toward the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing outside. Thinking about what he had just said:

“I’m going to destroy you.”

“I’ll ruin your name and reputation.”

With words so vicious… shouldn’t they be enough to kill whatever feelings he had left for that man?

***

Su An quietly entered the CEO’s office and saw Tang He standing rigidly, staring out the window. His back was stiff, his whole frame still brimming with unresolved rage. The sight of it made her furious as well.

Look at this idiot. Still standing there, all proud and angry.

And yet, this so-called mighty “Tang Big Crocodile” was no match for a little spotted deer.

Now that wide-eyed, innocent little deer had already sprinted off, running with all his strength through a mountain full of thorns, trying to find a way out. Tang He didn’t help him. No—he dragged him back and bit into him hard.

That little deer, even if not dead, was left half-alive.

Right now, Su An wanted nothing more than to shake this senseless, angry, grieving man and scream at him: You’re a damn fool. A complete bastard. You’re about to lose the person you love most.

But she said nothing.

At a moment like this, she couldn’t say a thing.

Emotionally, she wanted to march up and slap him across the face—to wake this man up and push him to chase after Du Jianyou before it was too late. But logically, she knew—as long as he stayed angry, he wouldn’t go running after Du Jianyou, and he wouldn’t act out any more recklessly than he already had.

Anger brings control.

And what they needed now was Tang He’s composure, to stabilize Guangsheng as it faced the storm ahead.

So all she could do was wait. Wait—against her better judgment.

Wait for the crisis to pass before slapping him into reality.

For the sake of Guangsheng Group’s future, and for Tang He’s public reputation, everything had to wait.

“I can’t stand myself. I deserve a slap too.” Su An thought bitterly.

Then she remembered: there was still something she had to do.

To prove Du Jianyou’s innocence, she needed more than empty words like “I believe you.” Out of guilt toward him, Su An was determined to dig deep, uncover the mastermind behind all of this, and give Du Jianyou a flawless, indisputable vindication.

It had to be done.

So, she quietly exited the office once more, leaving Tang He alone to stew in his own torment—even if that torment wasn’t even a fraction of the suffering he’d caused others.

***

Du Jianyou and Wang Pang had been discussing in the private room of the Misty Wave Teahouse all afternoon. At first, Du Jianyou talked, and Wang Pang listened—stunned, speechless. But the longer he listened, the more unsettled he felt.

“Hold on, hold on—Director Du, let me get this straight. You really intend to accuse President Tang He of Guangsheng Group of leading you on and then dumping you? You’re serious?”

Wang Pang couldn’t believe this man in front of him was about to throw himself headfirst into such a dangerous mess.

“Yes, I’m absolutely accusing him of that. Is there a problem?”

“I’ve already told you so much behind-the-scenes info and drafted tons of questions. When the time comes, you know exactly how to rip that wound open, don’t you? This is your chance to make headlines—don’t screw it up. Or are you scared?”

Du Jianyou raised his brows and stared Wang Pang down.

“Scared? I’m not scared. What I’m afraid of is you…”

“Aren’t you afraid that doing this will leave you with nowhere to go? This whole stunt—you’re just digging your own grave.”

Wang Pang frowned and shook his head. He couldn’t understand why Du Jianyou was doing this.

Accusing Tang He…? Two words: suicide mission.

“Don’t worry about me. Just focus on tomorrow’s press conference and don’t let me down. And keep your mouth shut.”

Du Jianyou instructed him carefully.

Wang Pang stood up and gave him a nod.

“Alright, you can count on me tomorrow. But I still think you should reconsider. Blowing this up won’t end well for you. Even if Guangsheng Group lets you off, public opinion will drown you in spit. If you change your mind… I’ll pretend we never met today.”

Wang Pang had always been a good-natured man. He’d known Zhao Tiancheng for years, watched their company grow, and helped whenever he could by pushing out stories here and there. He’d also watched this frail young man in front of him rise from obscurity to build his own name.

He had once held such high hopes for him.

Now, he couldn’t imagine what kind of chaos would erupt after tomorrow’s press conference. And yet… he still smiled? Where on earth did this boy get the guts to go up against Guangsheng Group, to challenge the weight of all of society?

Du Jianyou said nothing. The proud smile on his lips still lingered faintly.

He waved Wang Pang off in farewell.

Now, he was alone again. Somehow—He truly felt it this time:

He was completely, utterly alone.

Only him.

His eyes stung…

No, not yet… he reminded himself.

And still, on that proud mouth, a nearly broken smile held on.

(To be continued…)

T/L: I wanna cry… poor Jianyou :’( Tang He, you bastard!