Chapter 33 — What Is This Scumbag Trying to Do
The kid had not even been led away before he turned around and went back into the Xie Group building.
And there, he met the legendary guardian.
The tall, lanky man was named Qiu Xiang. He trailed a handsome young guy all the way to the top floor. Hearing people greet the young man as “little young master,” he realized the brash chatterbox actually had quite the background.
They entered the vice president’s office. It was afternoon, the sunlight blurring the outlines of distant buildings. A man stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, dressed with scrupulous care, features carved like a blade, gaze cold and weighty enough to press through fog.
Head bent over documents, he emanated an innate chill that kept people at a distance.
That same spendthrift young man who had just blurted out he wanted to invest was leaning on the desk, chatting with him like it was nothing.
He rambled on with what sounded like a lot of trivialities, yet the busy man never once cut him off. His pen still flew over approvals, his other hand occasionally flicking to the stock ticker on his screen. He was clearly the kind of man who juggled ten thousand things at once, the sort who made you feel guilty for taking up even a second of his time.
And still he listened, with patience, to the young man explain how they had run into each other downstairs, and how he thought the proposal was a work of genius.
The thing was, the young man had not actually read the proposal seriously.
Even with that bald bluffing, the Xie president nodded now and then, face unchanged but somehow in a decent mood.
At last the young man got to the point. He wanted to invest, and he pointed at himself to make it clear who.
Hold on. Throwing out the word “invest” that casually, how could President Xie possibly humor you? Even if you are his brother, they are serious businesspeople.
Young man, why not let me explain our company’s direction and plan first so you can present something real to President Xie?
Now Qiu Xiang regretted coming on impulse. Mostly, he had never imagined a “little young master” would keep so low a profile.
Xie Ling finally lifted his gaze and flicked him a glance. Qiu Xiang straightened his jacket, tried to compose himself, and prayed to leave a decent impression. His nerves only wound tighter.
Anyone who followed finance news would know that the man in the top floor office was the person at the helm of the entire Xie Group.
The chairman, Old Master Xie, Xie Ling’s grandfather, had been in a care facility for years, largely unresponsive. Rumor said it was big medical bills that kept him going. Back when he was still healthy twenty years ago, he had named his grandson, not his son, as first heir. A decisive old man. The Xies would not be where they were without him.
As for Xie Zhanhong, most people remembered him for his never-ending romantic escapades. Everyone knew that though he held the title of president, he did not run things.
Which meant that even if Xie Ling’s title said vice president, in practice he was number one at the Xie Group.
Did I pick the most high-end target in the city to latch onto?
Xie Ling gave Qiu Xiang a once-over. In one quick trip downstairs his little brother had decided to crush Shengteng, then scooped up a tiny company on the verge of collapse. He was still a big kid, not yet set in his shape. Xie Ling remembered being like that himself when he was young, acting on a whim the instant it arrived.
He was pleased, though. At least this time, instead of wallowing because he could not act, Rong Jing had thrown himself into learning business.
The process had been suffocating to watch, but once someone starts learning, you encourage them.
After chatting a bit with Qiu Xiang, Xie Ling let Rong Jing go on playing the part of ornamental kid brother.
He glanced at his brother doing his best well-behaved face. Every time the brat did something outrageous, he put on that “please praise me” look.
Xie Ling guessed Rong Jing simply felt sorry for the guy. Two million was not much, but like Rong Jing had said, money does not blow in on the wind. If they were going to invest, the target had to have basic value. If it was a rotten asset, he would never let his brother throw good money after bad.
The shortlist he had given Rong Jing was filled with companies that had potential. If the Xie Group acted on impulse, they would not have survived to today.
As for the five million Rong Jing had tossed out, Xie Ling pretended he had not heard. Two million could buy sixty percent of that small company. With how much the founder cared, he probably would not part with that much anyway.
He told Zhou Xiang to run an evaluation on the business, confirm its financials and operations. They would sign after the due diligence came back clean.
Rong Jing looked like he wanted to speak. One sidelong glance from Xie Ling and he shut his mouth. He knew this already counted as Xie Ling giving ground.
Time was what bothered him. Heaven’s rules in this world were not friendly to him. An evaluation would take days, and a lot could go wrong in those days.
Even so, this was as good as it would get. Rong Jing looked at Qiu Xiang like he was a fat, tender lamb. One he could see but not bite.
A little greedy and a little guilty.
Thinking of how, in the original story, the Xie Group slid downhill and got eaten from inside and out calmed the guilt.
The Wu family had not been keen on this project anyway.
Wu Hanqi had a far-sighted mind. He cast a wide net and invested in a school of little fish, believing that among them one would grow into a big one. In truth, the strategy had paid off.
In the original, Wu Hanqi was a character who hovered at the edges, like a receding tide.
What Rong Jing cared about now was whether he could steal any more plays from under them. But no matter how he tried to recall, it was like a sheet of mist kept settling over his memories.
Of course it would not be easy. The only reason he stole this one was because Qiu Xiang had come to the Xie Group in the book too and Rong Jing had happened to run into him. The other cheat-code companies belonged to those scummy leads. Poaching would not be easy.
The more he tried to force it, the more his head throbbed.
Maybe because it touched the main plot, or because the events did not naturally connect to the Xie Group, the world’s will simply would not let him break the storyline any further.
“Ge, I want a nap.” Rong Jing rubbed his temple, looking drowsy.
Seeing that he really was sleepy, Xie Ling pointed at a small lounge he never let anyone enter. He did not think there was anything odd about it.
Qiu Xiang’s jaw went slack. They were in the middle of a serious investment discussion and the kid was just going to sleep? And the guardian did not even say a word?
Xie Ling not only said nothing, he called the general office and told the secretaries to send in some snacks so his brother would not wake up hungry.
Saying goodbye to Qiu Xiang at the door, Rong Jing, worried the plotline might throw a fit again, pulled him aside to remind him: as soon as the evaluation was done they would sign at once; meanwhile, he should ignore all other offers. Even if someone came in with interest, they would not put up as much as the Xie Group. That was the key.
In short, when a fat duck has already flown into your mouth, you do not let it flap back out.
Qiu Xiang agreed on the spot. No matter what, the Xie Group would be their first investor.
Before leaving, he could not help lecturing Xie Ling. “You really should not spoil the kid like that. If he meets someone slick, he might get taken for everything.” Luckily, this time it was me.
Xie Ling thought of how Xie Jisheng could lose billions at a time. Compared to that, Rong Jing’s two million was…
Not even enough for a car. Spoiling? Please. It was pocket money.
Thinking of the undetectable poison in the champagne flute, Xie Ling felt that a brother who asked for an investment of two million and still fretted about it was too considerate.
Of course, that was not something to say to an outsider.
“Instead of worrying about what-ifs, hurry back and finish the app. If you cannot deliver, you can hand over everything you own to Rong Jing.”
Qiu Xiang jolted.
If the little brother was unreliable, the big brother was more than reliable.
If they failed, with the Xies’ status, they could bankrupt him in minutes.
Chief aide Zhou Xiang received him afterward, and the two drafted a basic term sheet for cooperation.
When Qiu Xiang walked out of the Xie building, it felt like a dream. Was it… really that easy?
They would not sign for a few days yet, but this was as good as done, right?
He had stumbled into an investor. Tell it and no one would believe you. The world had gone fantastical. A little earlier the sun had been too bright. Now it was warm.
He thought of Rong Jing’s fair face. What a simple, adorable, and wealthy lamb. He must not let this one get away.
At that moment, Gu Xi lay curled beneath his quilt, caught in a haze of a dream. It felt full of despair and collapse. Tears kept slipping from the corners of his eyes.
A shrill ringtone shattered the nightmare. Awake, he could not remember what he had dreamed. It was as if he had been to hell and back.
He wiped his face and huddled under the covers a moment longer.
When he had rushed in earlier, he had forgotten to turn off his phone.
He picked it up. An unfamiliar number. He had a guess. He steadied his voice into its usual tone. “Hello.”
“Gu Xi, are you insane? You blocked me!” Agent Yang Qi was close to swearing, but he needed Gu Xi, so he tamped it down. “Forget the other gigs. You are in heat, I will not push. But the dinner the day after tomorrow is a must. Several big shots named you. Take two days to rest, then come dressed to kill. You only need to pour drinks. I know you will not do anything else. Be good and go, or it will be bad for both of us. You know I have plenty on you.”
Sweat-damp hair clung to his clean cheek. Outside, the city lights were coming on.
The room was dark. It was clearly his own bedroom, yet he still felt cold.
He looked at the white bandage on his hand and closed his eyes. “I will go—”
Before Yang Qi could cheer, he added, “You can go by yourself.”
Yang Qi laughed at him. “Fame got to your head? You think if you cross me, any other company will take you?”
Gu Xi knew Yang Qi held a lot of “dirt.” How much of it had the company spoon-fed to gossip sites to keep him controllable? Most of it was photo-led narratives, a carefully crafted image of a social-climbing butterfly.
They still had a bottom line. It stayed vague. They knew how much an Omega’s reputation mattered. If they really destroyed it, there would be no good price to “sell” him for.
If they wanted to hit hard, they would mix truth and lies and let the mob do the rest.
He was freezing. He slid down against the headboard and breathed through the heat burning under his skin. His tone was steady. “You rate Shengteng far too highly. If I announce I am free, plenty of companies will want me. As for your dirt, post it. I will see you in court. Even if I cannot nail Shengteng, I can certainly nail you. For example… coercing a minor into work.”
Yang Qi was a little afraid of pushing him too far, but years of menacing had become habit. “Do you want your little brother to graduate or not? He is still a student!”
Two years ago the kid had been working nights at a bar and nearly got dosed. After Gu Xi found out, he had behaved for a while, afraid they would go after his brother again.
Gu Xi exhaled against the heat curling through him. His voice was ice. “He already has a professor at M.I. looking out for him. You think you can still touch him easily? Do not make a fool of yourself. If your IQ balance is low, go recharge it.”
Sometimes he felt like something had been clapped onto him, a binding that told him not to resist and to obey whatever fate arranged.
The turning point had been that day at Maya Mall, when he met Rong Jing…
Without realizing it, he found himself wondering why he had not fought back before. He wanted to shake the shackles.
He cut the call and set the phone to airplane mode. As a top-line celebrity, the only time he used that function was on planes.
When the body would not allow it, work, money, the future… none of it mattered. He only wanted to rest.
He pressed a pillow over his face, trembling hand searching for something to distract himself.
An Omega in heat is nothing like usual. The desire for an Alpha’s comfort multiplies a thousandfold.
Dizzy, he thought he would put on a comedy and ride it out.
Instead his finger wandered to his photo roll, sliding through image after image like it had its own will.
It stopped on a photo he had saved from the campus forum. Rong Jing.
His finger stilled.
Yet this Rong Jing was not quite the one in his memory.
“Enough.”
He tapped the screen dark.
It was fully night outside. He buried his face in the pillow again and fell back into a restless sleep.
A few days later, Rong Jing called the police to ask about the case.
The night he filed, he had given them a sketch of the suspect. It had been dark and he had only seen the man a few times, so he was not sure how useful it would be.
Because he had provided a key lead, the police were friendly. They could not give him details, but if they caught someone, they hoped he would come identify the suspect. They would protect his privacy.
From the conversation he confirmed two things.
The suspect likely matched the information he had reported, possibly the driver from that night.
And the suspect was still at large.
He also made time to visit his university adviser, Professor Hu. He and his wife could not have children and had adopted a female Omega with developmental delays more than a decade ago. The Omega who had died was not their daughter, but the girl had been wearing their daughter’s clothes.
Which meant their daughter had likely been taken and might still be alive. The police were racing the clock. When Rong Jing visited, the couple had taken leave from work and were waiting at home, afraid to miss any call.
Seeing him at their door warmed them to the bone.
Teaching for so many years, to have a student show up when they were in trouble gave them the strength to keep doing the job.
These little bits of warmth were their greatest comfort while they searched for their daughter.
Professor Hu calmed himself. “Thank goodness for a good citizen who provided a sketch of the suspect. Otherwise who knows how long it would take. They say people who saw him do not remember him afterward, like he has a forgettable face.”
Good citizen Rong Jing smiled. “They will find her soon.”
“And your ‘Sovereignty’ audition?” He had braved criticism to recommend Rong Jing, but even he felt the odds were slim. That performance anxiety had dug deep.
The industry was overrun with handsome Alphas and beautiful Omegas. Nearly half had had minor work done. They just hid the pre-debut photos well.
He liked things unadulterated. He appreciated the untouched lines of Rong Jing’s face and his passion for acting, though after graduation the boy’s enthusiasm had been obliterated by a breakup.
He was happy to see more fire in him now. It made him quietly hopeful for his future.
Rong Jing did the math. It had been three days since the audition. No call.
He had expected it, but as a man who had two Best Actor trophies and one Best TV Actor under his belt, it still stung. Thank goodness his family in his previous life did not know. He would have nowhere to put his face.
Professor Hu patted his shoulder. “I have some connections…”
“Let me try on my own,” Rong Jing said.
The adviser had been mocked for years because of that stage accident, and now people were saying he was propping up a hopeless case by recommending Rong Jing.
“Besides, I might be busy for a while.” He still had a mission to burn through one hundred million. If he did not finish, his brother would not let him live it down.
The professor assumed he meant odd jobs to pad his acting dreams. Rong Jing’s poverty was well known across campus. Plenty of students came with actor dreams.
He did not know Rong Jing’s side gig was intercepting cheat-codes and racing to spend eight zeros.
Two more days, and Rong Jing had jogged his memory of most of the cheat-code companies.
He knew the world’s will would not let him remember easily. The first day he had almost given himself a stroke, and all he got were a few hazy names that might even be wrong.
So he took a dumb approach.
He reviewed every company in the country, big and small. Whenever a name gave him a particularly foggy feeling and a stab of pain behind the eyes, he marked it as a scumbag-lead cheat-code.
Even Heaven would not see that coming. So it's locked in.
Even if he missed, there was always Zhou Xiang’s valuation work to catch errors.
By coincidence, several overlapped with companies in the packet Xie Ling had given him, and a few others had already been scooped pre-plot by the scummy leads.
He did not mind. What remained would keep them busy enough.
He shadowed Zhou Xiang for five or six days. Only when a shy WeChat ping came in from Su Xi asking when he could visit did Rong Jing remember he had punted a beautiful, fragile Omega into the hospital. He had been there for days.
As the one who caused it, he should go say sorry.
Su Xi was in a single room. Many classmates had come by.
As one of the known beauties in the acting cohort, Su Xi had long been targeted by several rich heirs. The most notorious was Huang Jian, who had fancied the Omega from early on. Unfortunately, Su Xi showed no interest.
The less interest he showed, the more Huang Jian pushed, and the dirtier his tactics. Su Xi needed the bathroom, and Huang Jian insisted on helping, trying to shove past the nurse.
The look in Huang Jian’s eyes made Su Xi’s skin crawl.
He did intend to sell himself. If an Omega has advantages, why not use them? He was not stealing or robbing. But if he was going to choose, he would choose Rong Jing, who was manly and gentlemanly and stupidly handsome. That Alpha was the ultimate dream ticket. Worth it, even in the next life.
With Huang Jian looming, Su Xi had fired off a message to Rong Jing asking for help.
The hospital room was full. Only one of the visitors, dragged there by Huang Jian, sat by the window and had not fawned over the Omega: Wu Fuyu.
He idly toyed with his SQ1, a cube with advanced color-block patterns. His hands moved so fast they blurred.
He had grown up alone in a large house. While his father, Wu Hanqi, fought to seize power, the cube had been his only companion. He had collected all kinds of puzzle cubes and even won international trophies, only to learn that no matter how good he was, his father did not care.
Compared to his cleverness, his father liked elite businessmen like his cousin. For all he knew, this Rong Jing would win more approval than he ever would. Thinking of Rong Jing, Wu Fuyu’s expression soured.
Su Xi’s injury had drawn many visitors. By his instinct for sniffing out patrons, the man with the cube was the wealthiest in the room. The watch alone cost millions. Not your average sugar daddy. A solid gold mountain.
Delicate, paper-thin Su Xi was naturally pitiable, and he sneaked glances at Wu Fuyu. In the past, Wu Fuyu might have toyed with that type, but now he found these clinging, weak Omegas utterly unappealing.
An Omega like Gu Xi was better. Cool, aloof, an ice-beauty who melted only in bed and only for him. That would be satisfying.
This meek, dependent type did nothing for him now.
As the first scumbag lead to appear in the original, Wu Fuyu’s specs were maxed out. If he kept his mouth shut, sitting there quietly, he really was striking.
He wore that air of “the world beneath my feet” no one else could copy.
Rong Jing knocked and stepped in carrying a bouquet of sunflowers.
Every head turned.
Who is that? So handsome. So familiar.
Huang Jian jolted, then pointed with a shaking finger. “You, you, you—” Why will you not stop haunting me!
The lazy line of Wu Fuyu’s back straightened. He is here. Did he know I was here?
His eyes lit up. The prey he had long looked forward to had stepped back onto his field. Every thrill-seeker gene in him woke up. He was a Wu by blood, and he liked challenges, especially ones tagged impossible. Wildness was in his bones.
Rong Jing swept the room and paused a beat on the blond head.
Thinking of that day in the restroom, of beating the guy up and trussing him in a woven sack with his pants down, with half the staff at the Xie annex witnessing the show… Huang Jian wanted to die.
Worst part was, even though he knew it was Rong Jing, the Taizi (crown prince) had not pursued it. He had even invited Rong Jing into the circle, which Rong Jing had flatly refused.
What was so great about Rong Jing besides having Xie Ling’s favor?
Unfortunately, no one could afford to provoke him. Annoy the little one and the big one descends.
Huang Jian forced a greeting. Rong Jing ignored him.
He slid the sunflowers into a vase by Su Xi’s bed. “How is the injury?”
“Ah, oh, much better. The doctor says I can go home next week.” Su Xi had been praying for Rong Jing to show up to put fear into Huang Jian. He had not expected it to work so well and was a little stunned.
Rong Jing asked a few more questions, and Su Xi seized the moment to introduce some classmates.
Someone finally recognized him. “I, I know you, you are…”
Another cut in, “The man who lives on the school forum!”
The room went still.
There were plenty of candid snaps of Rong Jing on the forum. His looks could take a beating and still win, but that stage accident had nailed him to the pillory. Even after graduation he was still a recurring topic.
Some active users swore if he ever returned to acting they would livestream eating a keyboard. The threads were stacked sky-high. Even freshmen knew.
Su Xi did not know the history. The others were too polite to bring it up.
He had needed the bathroom for ages. He had refused to let Huang Jian help and had waited it out. Now he looked up at Rong Jing, pitiful. “Could you help me to the restroom?”
Rong Jing: … You are an Omega. Is that really appropriate to ask me?
Su Xi blushed to the ears and did not know how to explain.
Rong Jing figured he could help him in and step back out.
Before he could take Su Xi’s arm, another hand cut in.
Wu Fuyu, who had not said a word until now, spoke coolly. “I will take you.”
Since refusing to go to the “Sleeping on Snow” club, Rong Jing had not spoken to him again. Wu Fuyu had not sent another message either.
He did not look at Rong Jing. He looked at Su Xi. “What are you waiting for?”
Su Xi had not imagined two Alphas would fight over who took him to the bathroom. He went limp with fluster. “Y-yes.”
Rong Jing could not be bothered. As long as they did not poke him, he would not care.
He went to ask the attending doctor about Su Xi’s condition. On the way out he stopped at the cashier to pay the daily bill and winced at the numbers.
It was a private hospital, and an Omega. The best materials for everything. Just the daily nursing fee was in the thousands.
He sent a WeChat to Xie Zhanhong with a screenshot. “Please do not send people to me again.”
They had only added each other in the past few days. Xie Zhanhong had set him to special notifications and replied at once. You unfilial brat. Do you know how much work it took to find someone that beautiful and clean? You never think of your elders.
How about you think of the kid for once.
Xie Zhanhong: Do not forget an Alpha’s needs are strong. Hold it in too long and it stops working.
Rong Jing: If I want someone, I will find them myself.
Xie Zhanhong: You would not take someone that pretty? Picky, just like your b*****d older brother. I want to see what kind of fairy you find. Heh.
Rong Jing: Worry about big brother’s marriage before mine. Respect your elders.
Xie Zhanhong: Makes sense.
Two words, and somehow they carried the ring of sudden enlightenment.
Rong Jing grimaced. Had he just dug a pit for Xie Ling?
Typing the reply, he passed the emergency stairwell. A hand shot out of nowhere, slammed him into the wall, and an Alpha pressed him down.
The door clanged shut. The Alpha’s grip was so tight the veins stood out on his forearms.
“If you are sick, see a doctor,” Rong Jing said, ice-calm.
Wu Fuyu’s breathing was rough. His eyes bored into Rong Jing.
From the moment he had seen him, the dead cells from the last week had sprung back to life.
After he realized Rong Jing might be secretly into him, he had stewed for a week. Every day thinking, this damned gay, disgusting.
He wanted to warn Rong Jing not to like him. Then Rong Jing had pulled the ultimate move to get his attention. He had blocked him.
All week, his mind kept replaying that cool face, that long leg cutting through the air when he kicked a man, the mostly calm gaze that occasionally flashed a blade of light. It was a series of forbidden currents zapping his skull.
Alongside the disgust was a thread of excitement.
A terrible thought sprouted. If the Alpha was like this one, maybe it was more exciting than those delicate flowers.
His gaze slid down the sharp jaw, the cool, pale lips. He swallowed. With supreme confidence and a lordly tone he said, “I am asking you. Are you in love with me?”
Rong Jing’s three views of life shattered at once.
In love? What exactly do you have that is worth my love?
Is he crazy, or am I?
Why is this five-blessings fish getting closer and closer? What is this scumbag trying to do?
Does he want to keep that third leg or not?
Days passed and agent Yang Qi still could not reach Gu Xi.
The usual threats failed. Gu Xi was clearly dead set on defying them.
With the contract expiry date closing in, Gu Xi had even made arrangements for his younger brother. They had nothing left to hold him with.
Letting this cash cow walk for free? How could they swallow that. With Gu Xi on their roster, Shengteng Entertainment had snagged multiple major investments and even lured stars to jump ship. His presence mattered too much.
Whatever it took. They would find another way. Best if it could break him completely.
Recently, Xu Shengteng was riding high. The loan from Longhua Bank would land soon and ease their debt crisis. It would not solve it, but it would give them time to sell. Even better, they could be acquired. Second Young Master Xie Jisheng had offered above market. Thus, free money from a fool.
Either way, he would fill his pockets.
If, before that, he could make Gu Xi more obedient, even better.
Yang Qi brought Xu Shengteng to Gu Xi’s place. Surely he could not refuse the boss.
He used the spare key, only to find the door locked from the inside. So Gu Xi was guarding against him like a thief.
Seeing Xu Shengteng’s patience thinning, Yang Qi called a locksmith.
When the door opened, Yang Qi, a Beta, felt nothing, but from the crack of the bedroom door came a trace of a scent that hit Xu Shengteng like a drug. It was so enticing any Alpha would go mad. His eyes went blood-red.
He shoved Yang Qi aside and barreled at the bedroom.
The handle would not turn, so he threw his body into it. The wood buckled and rattled with each hit.
It was the sixth day of Gu Xi’s heat, the hardest final stretch.
In the haze, he felt something pressing down on him, a beast sniffing him all over. Heavy smoke, male musk, so thick he could not breathe.
It made him sick. Who is it?
He fought his eyes open to see the beast above him, on the verge of tearing something, pupils red.
Cold sweat poured off him.
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