BL Ch137

Across the ocean.

Yu Jiangyue saw off the last batch of investigators from the Securities Regulatory Commission, standing in front of her company’s office building and letting out a long sigh of relief.

The temperature in the northern region in early October was already quite low. Jia Jin timely draped a warm shawl over her and asked, “Director Yu, do you need to book a flight back to China?”

Yu Jiangyue’s recent exhaustion and running around were all thanks to her own son. Now that she had finally settled this economic dispute that almost caused a catastrophe, she wanted nothing more than to grab Yu Duqiu and give him a good scolding: He used to bear the consequences of his own troublemaking, but now he was dragging his family into it. He was becoming increasingly worrisome.

Fortunately, there was someone in China who could control him at the moment, so she didn’t need to worry too much.

“Not going back yet, wait until Pei Xianyong’s case goes to trial…” Before she could finish, a message arrived on her phone. Yu Jiangyue, a busy woman, received dozens of calls a day and didn’t think much of it, glancing at it casually. But with just that one glance, her expression changed drastically.

Jia Jin was curious but didn’t dare peek at his boss’s message, waiting quietly for her instructions.

Yu Jiangyue carefully read the long message that filled the entire screen, her brows furrowing deeper with each line. Finally, she abruptly looked up and said, “Book a flight for tomorrow, we’re going back to China immediately.”

“Yes, Director Yu.”

Jia Jin rarely saw her so nervous. Even during the recent negotiations with the investigators from the Securities Regulatory Commission, Yu Jiangyue had always remained calm and composed. He worried that some棘手的 situation had arisen in China, requiring reinforcements, so he thoughtfully asked, “Which personnel do you need to accompany you back?”

Yu Jiangyue thought for a moment, “A psychologist, a relationship counselor, a wedding planner, a jewelry designer… that’s all for now, I’ll let you know if I think of anything else.”

Jia Jin: “…”

Are you getting divorced and remarried?

“…Alright, I’ll contact them right away.” He immediately turned and entered the office building.

Yu Jiangyue tightened her shawl and replied to the message with a voice note, her tone as gentle as a mother to a newborn baby, “Don’t worry, that child is just putting on a brave face. His grandfather and I will help you. Wait for me to come back.”

On the other side of the globe, night had fallen, but the lights in the No. 1 Palace conference room were still bright.

“Here are the materials you requested.” Zhao Feihua presented a stack of bound A4 papers, densely packed with information. “Worked overtime to get these within a day. Look at my haggard face, don’t I deserve a bonus?”

Yu Duqiu took the documents and flipped through them, exposing his lie without even looking up, “The company is suspended, you have nothing else to do. Besides, other departments helped you. Investigating this little bit of information wouldn’t take more than a few hours. It’s within normal working hours.”

His attempt to claim credit having failed, Zhao Feihua immediately dropped the pitiful act, revealing his true colors, “Heh, you have the nerve to mention it. Recently, the company has been gloomy and everyone is panicking. They all think the company is going bankrupt, that they’re going to lose their jobs, and the boss doesn’t care. At this rate, everyone will leave! This is your first company in China, isn’t it too embarrassing for it to end in bankruptcy?”

Yu Duqiu chuckled as if he’d heard a joke, unconcerned, and continued to look through the documents in his hand, multitasking, “You’ve been with me for so many years, how can you still not understand my financial resources? Even if a hundred small companies like this went bankrupt, it wouldn’t affect my assets. Don’t worry, I won’t let it fail. The Themis project is very important to me and my family. I’ll try my best to persuade the mayor to restart it.”

“Easy for you to say, I think you’ve already shifted your focus away from brain-computer interfaces and want to wreak havoc in other industries, right? Otherwise, why would you have me investigate CEO Luo’s information?” Zhao Feihua nudged the documents in his hand with his chin, “Luo Mao’s biopharmaceutical company is a long-established leading enterprise in our city, with deep roots and numerous patents. No matter how strong you are, you can’t surpass him in the short term.”

Yu Duqiu shook his head, “Who said I see him as a competitor?”

Zhao Feihua was puzzled, “Then why did you ask me to investigate his partners and network?”

“For some personal matters.” Yu Duqiu quickly scanned the names and establishment dates of each company, the names and ages of each related person on the paper.

The biopharmaceutical company Mu Hao had found had a history of more than thirty years, countless awards, and consistently ranked first among pharmaceutical companies in Pingyi City. Chairman Luo Mao, over seventy years old, had been in poor health in recent years and rarely appeared in public. Not many of the younger generation of entrepreneurs knew him.

Zhao Feihua, despite his flaws, was unmatched when it came to business news networks. Within just one day, he had listed all of Luo Mao’s major partners and important shareholders over the past thirty years. This was also Yu Duqiu’s request.

CEO Luo himself had no conflict with the Pei family, nor were their businesses in competition. It was highly likely that he was acting on someone else’s behalf.

Someone who could command the chairman of a prestigious company must be someone of considerable influence. Ordinary partners or employees below the director level wouldn’t have that kind of power.

But after quickly browsing through the information, Yu Duqiu didn’t see anyone related to the Du or Pei families.

Could they be overly worried?

“Did you find the information you were looking for?” Zhao Feihua, seeing him shake his head, added, “Since it’s a personal matter, why investigate his business affairs? There’s information about his family at the back, take a look at that.”

Yu Duqiu flipped to the page with Luo Mao’s family information, without much hope.

He didn’t think the real investor who donated one million to the orphanage was a member of Luo Mao’s family. Twenty years ago, the Luo family’s assets were dozens of times larger than the Yu family’s, a truly wealthy family. Although they couldn’t compare to the all-powerful Pei family, if they wanted to cause trouble for the Pei family, there were plenty of ways. There was no need to go through such a roundabout way, sending a wet-behind-the-ears boy to handle such a big matter. If exposed, it wouldn’t benefit their own family either.

Mu Hao shared the same view, so they concluded that the person who could persuade Luo Mao to invest in the orphanage must have been a close acquaintance, but not a member of Luo Mao’s family.

Yu Duqiu’s gaze skimmed over the family member information and suddenly landed on a somewhat familiar name: Luo Yuan.

But strangely, his impeccable memory malfunctioned. He couldn’t recall where he had seen this name before.

“Do you know this person?” Left with no other choice, Yu Duqiu had to seek outside help.

Zhao Feihua glanced at it, “I don’t know him personally, but I know of him. Luo Mao’s grandson, about your age, quite good-looking. He’s trying to make it in the entertainment industry, acted in a few flop TV series, currently a nobody actor. Didn’t use his family’s resources, quite individualistic. Oh right, seems to be gay.”

Upon hearing the last sentence, Yu Duqiu’s first reaction was, “Could he be one of my flings?” But he immediately dismissed the thought. Although he had many lovers in the past, he hadn’t reached the point of forgetting their names.

Perhaps he had just encountered someone with the same name elsewhere.

Finding no useful clues, Yu Duqiu flipped back to the first page, re-examining Luo Mao’s detailed information, and suddenly noticed a detail, “CEO Luo’s birthday is coming up… it’s his 70th birthday this year?”

Zhao Feihua took a look and it indeed was. Quick-witted as ever, he immediately understood his boss’s intention, “Usually, wealthy families hold birthday celebrations for their respected elders. I’ll make some inquiries and see if I can get you an invitation.”

Yu Duqiu tapped his glasses in satisfaction, “If you get it, your year-end bonus will be doubled.”

“!”

Zhao Feihua’s face lit up. As he pushed open the conference room door, he patted his chest and guaranteed, “I’ll definitely get it done for you! It’s just an invitation. Although I’m not familiar with the Luo family, according to the six degrees of separation, I… uh…”

He bumped into the man waiting outside the door and wisely shut his mouth.

The conference room’s soundproofing was excellent. Bai Zhao only heard that last sentence. He frowned and asked, “Which Luo family? What are you doing?”

Yu Duqiu, who followed him out, also saw him. He subconsciously opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly remembering his current persona, he swallowed his words, quickly put on a poker face, and walked past him without a word.

Bai Zhao grabbed Zhao Feihua, who was trying to slip away, and lifted him up by the collar, “What were you talking about?”

Zhao Feihua was shorter than him, with a thin and lanky build. In Bai Zhao’s hands, he looked like a pitiful chick, his feet dangling uselessly in the air as he cried out in terror, “Boss! Help!”

Yu Duqiu hadn’t gone far. Hearing the cry for help, he reluctantly turned back and scolded, “Let him go, have you no manners?”

Bai Zhao obediently let go. Zhao Feihua, almost choking, was red in the face and neck. He pushed up his crooked glasses and glared at him incredulously, “Bai Zhao, we’ve worked together for several months, how could you treat me like this?”

Yu Duqiu also joined the accusation, “Don’t even mention you, he’s not much better to me, scheming against me all the time, isn’t that right, you little beast?”

“I didn’t scheme against you.” Bai Zhao defended himself, slowly walking towards him, “I made some necessary plans to protect your safety. It’s okay that you’re angry with me, but if you’re going, you must take me with you.”

Yu Duqiu raised his hand and placed it against his chest, preventing him from getting any closer—lest this guy take the opportunity to “sneak attack” him.

The little beast’s sneak attacks were far more frightening than real guns and bullets. A hug and a kiss could make him disarm and give up all his efforts. He had locked the bedroom doors and windows last night to prevent someone from sneaking in and using their charms to disrupt his plans.

The palm against his chest could feel the body heat and muscles beneath. Yu Duqiu resisted the urge to caress him and said disdainfully, “Nice words. The crisis is over, what business do you have with me attending a birthday banquet? Don’t forget you’re still a suspect. How embarrassing would it be for me to bring a suspect? If you want to go with me, prove your innocence first.”

Bai Zhao, his advance blocked, still didn’t give up, leaning forward earnestly, “How am I embarrassing? Are you saying this deliberately, to provoke me?”

Zhao Feihua, standing to the side, had intended to slip away quietly while they were arguing. Unfortunately, their positions blocked his path, and he could only be forced to watch the soon-to-be-engaged couple bicker. After hearing Bai Zhao’s words, he suddenly realized that Yu Duqiu might not be as angry as he appeared.

Yu Duqiu caring about face? That was probably the biggest joke in the world. When had he ever cared about face?

Young Master Yu, a superb actor and exceptionally intelligent, couldn’t even pretend to be angry convincingly in front of his partner, his words full of loopholes, revealing his soft heart. That was embarrassing… Zhao Feihua thought sadly, as expected, love makes people stupid.

Yu Duqiu also clicked his tongue inwardly. He’d accidentally overdone it, letting this shrewd guy see through his act.

But it didn’t matter, as long as he didn’t budge, Bai Zhao couldn’t do anything about it.

Just then, his hand was suddenly grabbed and pressed down. Then, Bai Zhao leaned in without any resistance.

Yu Duqiu thought he was going to kiss him forcefully and was about to retreat when Bai Zhao stopped less than half a step away, staring at him intensely, “I don’t care what you’re planning, you have to take me with you.”

Yu Duqiu froze. Realizing that he was being fierce with him, his feigned anger turned into genuine annoyance. He retorted, unwilling to show weakness, “What if I don’t? You’ve gotten bold, haven’t you, laying your hands on my subordinates, even threatening me?”

Zhao Feihua cowered behind the two, trembling, thinking, he really is bold, last time in this conference room, you were the one being pressed down, Boss.

“Without my permission, you’re forbidden from stepping out of No. 1 Palace,” Yu Duqiu said, not giving Bai Zhao a chance to retort, directly laying down the law, “If I find out you left without my permission, you’ll get out, live outside, and the engagement will be postponed until I’m no longer angry.”

Zhao Feihua: “…”

This is the harshest warning you can come up with?! Where is the Young Master Yu who threatened to break people’s legs?!

Bai Zhao retorted unflinchingly, “If you don’t take me, I’ll find my own way. In any case, I won’t allow you to go to the Luo family banquet alone.”

He turned and left after saying this, leaving Yu Duqiu and Zhao Feihua exchanging bewildered glances.

“Does he have a grudge against Luo Mao?” Yu Duqiu asked.

Zhao Feihua shook his head like a rattle drum, “I didn’t find anything. There’s a generation gap between them. Luo Mao retired when Bai Zhao was just born. What kind of grudge could they possibly have?”

Yu Duqiu stroked his chin, gradually calming down, “The little guy’s… mood seems to be off today.”

Bai Zhao wasn’t seen as a kind person by outsiders, but he had never laid his hands on one of their own before.

Zhao Feihua’s throat, which had been choked by his collar, was still a bit tight. He said, still shaken, “Could he really be a criminal in hiding? Now that he has you as his powerful backing, he’s starting to reveal his true colors…”

“You’re quite the guesser.” 

Yu Duqiu reached out and condescended to smooth out the wrinkles on his collar, smiling in a way that made his scalp tingle, “If you keep guessing like this, I’ll cut out your tongue and make teppanyaki.”

Zhao Feihua instantly shut his mouth tightly, hiding his eloquent tongue for dear life.

Young Master Yu’s ability to threaten people hadn’t diminished, it was just that he was particularly lenient towards one person.