BIAC CH 40

Chapter 40: Someone Has to Pay the Price of Ruin and Disgrace

Just as Du Jianyou was trying to pull himself together to speak up in his defense again, someone in the venue stood up.

He was impeccably dressed in a suit, wearing a serious expression. He only began to speak once the room had quieted and all eyes turned to him.

“Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, good day. I am Wang Luo, legal counsel appointed by the Guangsheng Group. I am here today on their behalf. Regarding the accusations made by Mr. Du Jianyou just now, I believe everyone here has their own sense of judgment to weigh the truth. Our President Tang He has always valued and appreciated talent. His interactions with Mr. Du Jianyou were purely within the bounds of professional and friendly relations—nothing more.”

“Then could you explain what the magazine reported? It claims that President Tang frequently visited Mr. Du’s residence—and there are even photos. For ordinary friends, wouldn’t staying over at someone’s place that often be rather unusual?” a reporter suddenly asked, recalling that the magazine detailed Tang He’s car frequently coming and going from Du Jianyou’s apartment. It even listed the times—three to five visits per week, sometimes daily, and always leaving in the morning, two cars at a time.

“Exactly! Say something!” Du Jianyou perked up, finally feeling like a reporter was on his side.

“Tang He came to my place almost every day and stayed overnight in my room. How do you explain that? Now you all should believe me, right?”

“It’s true that President Tang frequently entered the building where Mr. Du lives,” Wang Luo responded with a small smile. “But as for whose room he stayed in, Mr. Du should know that better than anyone.”

He continued, “In fact, President Tang also owns a property in that very building. Here is the deed as proof.” Lawyer Wang reached into his briefcase and pulled out a stack of documents, holding them up for the crowd to see.

“The main reason President Tang purchased a unit in that building,” Wang Luo explained, “was because Mr. Du actively sought him out—inviting him over often for meals, drinks, and conversation. President Tang, being a sociable and generous person, found their conversations engaging and often stayed late into the night. Sometimes he’d had a drink or two, making it inconvenient to drive. After a few of these visits, he learned a unit in the building was for sale, and so he bought it—for the sake of convenience. Think about it: if President Tang and Mr. Du were involved in an improper relationship, wouldn’t it have been easier to just live together? Why go through the trouble of buying a separate unit in the same building, especially knowing paparazzi could still catch him coming and going? The answer is simple—because his conscience is clear. His conduct is upright and gentlemanly. He never thought such ordinary interactions needed to be hidden or feared.”

“He did enter and exit the building,” Wang Luo emphasized, “but the place he was entering was his own home.”

“Even if we take a step back,” he added, “President Tang owns multiple properties. If he truly wanted to hide someone, he absolutely could. Do you really think he’d allow himself to be photographed so easily?”

Some reporters began to nod in agreement.

If Tang He had intended to keep something secret, buying a unit in the same building as Du Jianyou made no sense. That level of openness implied there was no hidden motive. If there were, wouldn’t it be smarter to hide someone somewhere farther away?

Seeing that the reporters were starting to accept his explanation, Wang Luo pressed on. He intended to settle this once and for all—cutting any remaining ties between Du Jianyou and Guangsheng Group completely.

“So, the reason he was photographed this time,” Wang Luo continued, “was purely due to deliberate manipulation by someone with an agenda.” His gaze briefly lingered on Du Jianyou before turning back to the audience.

“As for why that person would go to such lengths—well, you’d have to ask him yourself.”

Du Jianyou watched Wang Luo’s every move with a calm, indifferent expression. He watched as Wang played a recording from a voice recorder, and heard his own shrill voice echo through the press conference hall.

“Fine! Since you’ve already seen through my game, there’s nothing more for me to say. What do I want from you? Just the perks—good food, good drink, money, fame. But after all this time, I still couldn’t get you. You really are something—not as easy to fool as my previous sugar daddies. But I’m no pushover either. Now that things have come to this, let me tell you: If I can’t have you, I’ll destroy you.”

“Are you threatening me? I treated you as… and this is how you repay me? Do you even have a conscience?”

“Treated me like what? A friend? And you talk about conscience? How much is a kilo of that worth? Can conscience pay for my HERMÈS? Givenchy? Christian Dior? Jean-Paul Gaultier? Don’t be naive. In this matter—someone has to pay the price of utter ruin.”

Wang Luo calmly shut off the recorder.

“I believe everyone here now understands what really happened. President Tang saw Mr. Du as a friend. That something like this occurred is truly regrettable and heartbreaking for him. However, I am glad I’ve had this opportunity to clarify the situation on behalf of our company. Going forward, Guangsheng Group will no longer comment on this issue. Frankly, our company doesn’t have time to deal with this kind of filth.”

With that, he gave a slight bow and walked away with composure.

***

Du Jianyou’s malicious scheme was laid bare, while Tang He’s innocence stood in stark contrast. The entire scene became clear to the reporters.

Zhao Tiancheng also understood now—and he was so furious he could barely stand.

Back at Guangsheng Group, many employees who had been sneakily watching the livestream couldn’t hold back any longer. After hearing their lawyer’s bold and suave statement, they erupted in bursts of applause and cheers. Watching that disgusting Du Jianyou try to manipulate and exploit their president—only to be completely KO’d by Lawyer Wang—was immensely satisfying.

Back at the press conference, Du Jianyou sat pale and slumped in his seat. Just as a few reporters were about to press on with more questions, Wang Chongde answered a phone call:

“What? Someone’s threatening to jump from the rooftop of the Ritz Hotel? Alright, alright, I’ll go live from the scene immediately…”

Almost simultaneously, other reporters’ phones began ringing as well. Someone quickly guessed—it must be a company-wide alert about the rooftop incident. Without hesitation, the entire swarm of reporters grabbed their phones and rushed for the door, scrambling to get ahead of competitors for the best shots and angles.

As some reporters passed by Wang Chongde, they couldn’t resist patting him on the shoulder or giving a thumbs-up, saying things like:

“Nice job today,” or “Great work—really nailed it.”

It was their way of showing how impressed they were with Wang Chongde’s masterful muckraking performance today.

After all, the whole story was now clear—it was nothing more than a setup, a calculated trap. As entertainment gossip? Fascinating. As serious business news? Worthless.

Tang He had just been unlucky—mistaking a scoundrel for a friend. It was a private matter, unrelated to Guangsheng Group, and naturally had no real impact on the company. The stock market wavered briefly, but just like that, everything settled as if nothing had happened.

In the Ritz Hotel’s reception room, nearly all the reporters had left. The staff of Dream Advertising had also departed after hearing the recording—heartbroken, disappointed. Now, only three people remained in the room: Du Jianyou, still slumped in his seat, stunned; Zhao Tiancheng, shaking with rage; and Wang Chongde, who for some reason hadn’t rushed off to cover the rooftop incident and was quietly packing up his things.

Zhao Tiancheng didn’t know where to vent his fury. He stormed toward Wang Chongde, yelling furiously—still clinging to a sliver of hope.

“You bastard! I treated you like a friend. Just yesterday I let you have a private chat with Du Jianyou for the entire afternoon—and this is how you repay me? You went completely off-script just to grab the spotlight? Have you no sense of decency? Do you know this could kill someone?!”

Zhao’s eyes were red, his fist trembling, ready to strike—Until he saw the deep sorrow in Wang Chongde’s eyes.

Wang Chongde was truly heartbroken. He had just witnessed—and participated in—the complete destruction of a human being.

For one fleeting moment, he truly loathed his profession.

“He really loved him, didn’t he?” Wang Chongde looked directly at Zhao Tiancheng.

“Tiancheng, deep down you know—I didn’t go off-script. I followed the script exactly. The script Du Jianyou wrote himself. He’s a director. He directed this whole scene personally. And it looks like… he succeeded in protecting Tang He. Didn’t he?”

Wang glanced behind Zhao Tiancheng and gestured with his chin.

“That boy.”

Zhao turned and saw the trench coat model. He had changed back into his own clothes and returned the trench coat to Du Jianyou. He gave Du a hug, then pulled his suitcase and walked away.

“That’s Du Jianyou’s friend. He was scheduled to fly abroad tonight anyway, so the media won’t be able to find him later. By the time he finishes school and comes back, everyone will have forgotten this. That’s why he agreed. And the person threatening to jump from the rooftop? Probably already down by now. Just drunk, throwing a tantrum—nothing serious. All of this… was orchestrated by Du Jianyou. Even Guangsheng’s lawyer—he was contacted by Du himself. If you don’t believe me, go check.”

Zhao Tiancheng continued to tremble—angry, anxious, terrified. He kept taking deep breaths, but still couldn’t calm down.

“Xiao Zhao, calm down. There’s no point being angry at him now. He’s either destroyed—or he’s gone mad. I don’t know how he’ll face what’s coming next. If you don’t help him, he won’t make it through alone.”

Wang Chongde patted him gently.

In that moment, he didn’t know who needed comfort more—Zhao Tiancheng or Du Jianyou. He looked at the young man who had completely lost his soul, and felt a deep, helpless sorrow.

Shaking his head, Wang Chongde walked away.

Zhao Tiancheng, who still clung to a shred of hope—that Du Jianyou hadn’t truly gone off the deep end—had that hope utterly crushed. Wang Chongde’s words confirmed his worst fear.

Du Jianyou had gone mad. He had destroyed himself with his own hands.

Zhao Tiancheng stood rooted in place, trying desperately to control his breathing. Trying not to charge forward and beat him to death.

He slowly walked over to the table and stood beside Du Jianyou. Gone was the man from yesterday—furious, full of spirit, vowing not to let that bastard off the hook. In his place was a lifeless shell of a man, slumped and barely breathing.

Once, he was so proud, radiant, full of energy and charm. And now… he was gone.

Zhao Tiancheng reached out gently and removed Du Jianyou’s oversized sunglasses. What he saw were dark circles from two sleepless nights, and eyes bloodshot, utterly dull—like the soul had been drained out of him. Even his breathing was faint and shallow.

Seeing him like this, Zhao Tiancheng couldn’t muster any anger. He gave him a soft shake—so gentle, as if afraid that shaking him any harder would cause this man to shatter into pieces, his bones collapsing into dust and blood.

Finally, Du Jianyou spoke. In a weak voice, he asked:

“He’s okay now, right?”

Zhao Tiancheng’s chest tightened with grief and rage. A sharp sourness rose up to his nose.

Damn it, he’s okay? You’re the one who’s not okay! You’re in deep trouble, do you even realize that?

Zhao Tiancheng stood beside him and pulled the slumped Du Jianyou into an embrace. Du didn’t move, just remained still in Zhao’s arms, still refusing to give up. He tugged on Zhao’s sleeve and pressed again:

“So… he’ll be okay now, right? He will, won’t he?”

His tone was hushed, but desperate.

Zhao Tiancheng couldn’t bear it. He comforted him like a child, gently patting his back—again and again:

“Yes. He’s okay now. You’ll both be okay. Come on. Let’s go home.”

As Zhao Tiancheng looked at Du Jianyou’s lifeless face, tears welled up in his eyes.

And he wasn’t the only one crying.

In the conference room, Su An, who had just finished watching the entire absurd press conference unfold, was already crying as well—her face streaked with tears. So this… this was Du Jianyou’s solution.

Swift, effective. Deep understanding of human nature. If the nest falls, the eggs will be shattered. If one burns, both will turn to ash.

This was what Du Jianyou had meant when he said:

“Someone has to pay the price of utter ruin.”

That “someone”… was him.

In less than half an hour of chaos, he had successfully destroyed his own name and future.

Everything he had worked for over the past decade—gone in an instant.

While she had been consumed with protecting Guangsheng Group, protecting Tang He, wasn’t that ultimately to protect herself too?

But what had Du Jianyou chosen to protect?

He chose to protect a bastard who cast him aside the moment trouble came knocking.

That fool. He had thrown himself into ruin without hesitation. His once-pristine wings of self-respect and dignity—now trampled, soiled, and shredded. In her mind’s eye, she saw bloodstained feathers scattered across a muddy field.

Su An never imagined that after being so deeply hurt by Tang He, Du Jianyou would still make such a selfless sacrifice for him.

At that moment—awkward, humiliating, and full of betrayal—Du Jianyou had already made up his mind. He had intentionally let the lawyer record him saying those words—those self-incriminating lies that doomed him beyond redemption. And those weren’t just words spoken in anger. It was calculated. Du Jianyou had personally cut out his own heart, sealed off every possible escape, all to protect Tang He. He had meticulously planned his own downfall—leaving himself no way out.

This man… truly was worthy of Tang He’s deepest love.

But Tang He? What was he worthy of, in return? What could he possibly offer in exchange for Du Jianyou’s innocence?

Letting Du Jianyou hold that press conference came at such an unimaginable cost. Su An now understood: the first wave of crisis for Guangsheng Group and Tang He had passed. All that remained was to stabilize things.

But they had lost Du Jianyou in the process. Was it worth it?

If she had known from the beginning what the true cost would be… Would she still have let him go through with it?

She closed her eyes and bit her lip. Disgusted with herself, she realized: Yes. She still would have pretended not to know. She would have let him go ahead with it.

For that ugly thought, I deserve another slap in the face.

Su An wiped away her tears. Just as she stepped out of the meeting room, she heard shouting from the CEO’s office:

“What did you say?!”

Then came the sound of things being knocked to the floor.

She rushed over and pushed open the door. The office was a mess—papers and office supplies scattered everywhere. Tang He was frantically pounding away at the keyboard, clearly panicked and agitated.

“Tang, what happened? What’s going on?” Su An asked anxiously.

“Lawyer Wang just called,” he said, eyes bloodshot and furious. “He told me he’d just left Du Jianyou’s press conference. Du Jianyou held a press conference accusing me!?”

His anger flared like fire. He looked straight at Su An, eyes narrowing.

“You knew, didn’t you? The ‘seduced and abandoned’ press conference—you knew, didn’t you?!”

His final words exploded from his lungs like a flood bursting a dam. He was losing control. Hands trembling, he typed the words 「始亂終棄」 (“seduced and abandoned”) into the search bar, striking the keys so hard it nearly broke the keyboard.

When the press conference video popped up, showing the flamboyant Du Jianyou standing beneath that enormous red banner reading “Seduced and Abandoned”, Tang He nearly smashed the laptop in rage.

Su An quickly darted over and slammed the laptop shut.

“Stop. This isn’t the time to be watching that. The board meeting is in just over a month. You have only this short window to stabilize Guangsheng. If you fail, the board will deal with you themselves.”

She avoided addressing the real issue.

At this moment, having just sacrificed Du Jianyou, the cost was already too high. She had to make sure his sacrifice wasn’t in vain. Tang He must not see the full video—not now.

With his impulsive nature, he would destroy everything they had so carefully orchestrated. And then, even Du Jianyou couldn’t be saved.

First things first: Tang He must stabilize Guangsheng. As for Du Jianyou, Su An would find a way.

What she didn’t expect was this:

By the time she uncovered the full truth… Du Jianyou had already vanished.

(To be continued…)

T/L: I am crying. I am angry. I am so frustrated. :’(

Watching Du Jianyou completely break himself just to protect Tang He—after everything—is beyond heartbreaking. He didn’t deserve this.

I just want Tang He to find out the truth soon and give us a chasing arc so satisfying he kneels, pukes blood (jk), and cries his heart out.