Teahouse, in a certain VIP private room, two rich young masters stared at each other in silence.
"So, it turns out…"
"My cousin used to… have it that miserable?"
After watching the entire live broadcast, Tang Chuan's expression was a bit complicated, and he was moved.
He had heard about Lin Xuan's family ordeal before, but back then he thought the rumors were exaggerated…
Plus, the two families were at odds at the time, so Tang Chuan hadn't paid it much mind.
Now, looking at Lin Xuan's tearful, helpless accusations on the stream, Tang Chuan couldn't help feeling sympathy.
......
'As for why my cousin became so stubborn back then…'
'It seems the family atmosphere messed up his mind and made him bipolar?!'
'Sigh… if I'd cared a bit more back then, would cousin not have ended up so tragic?'
'Unfortunately, it's all too late…'
'No matter what, once cousin did those filthy things like peeping at Xiao Rou bathing and even stealing her underwear, the relationship between us was doomed to be irreconcilable.'
'Even if I wanted to, Dad, Mom, and big brother would never agree either, eh…
......
Tang Chuan sighed inwardly.
But to protect his sister Tang Rou, he still decided to draw a clear line with Lin Xuan.
At his side, Huo Qichen's dark eyes narrowed slightly, his face a shade gloomy.
Never in a million years did he expect…
He'd thought the Su Group would be crippled if not dead, yet Lin Xuan "talked" them back to life with his silver tongue. It wasn't just escaping a PR crisis—it massively boosted their fame.
After skimming online sentiment, Huo Qichen's face grew even uglier.
He knew full well…
The Su Group had hit the jackpot this time, and their stock price would skyrocket further.
And Lin Xuan's image would be accepted and recognized by the public, drawing lavish praise.
Thinking of this, storm clouds gathered over Huo Qichen's chiseled, knife-hewn face.
As the saying goes: you hate to see a brother suffer, and you also hate to see a brother driving a Range Rover.
Let alone that this was his enemy—watching the other side's money flow in and life get better and better was ten thousand times more painful than losing money himself—!!!
Huo Qichen was already itching to make a move against Lin Xuan, Su Fan, and the others, but he was constrained by his elders at home.
He had to first obtain inside information about the "project" before he could mobilize the family's power.
The key lay in…
He glanced at Tang Chuan beside him and found that, after Lin Xuan's strenuous performance, sympathy and reluctance had actually appeared on the other's face?!!
'That idiot! How can he be this easy to hoodwink?'
'As an actor, did he really not see… that kid Lin Xuan is acting?!'
'Empathize my ass! With acting like his…'
'If he weren't backed by the Tang family and that pretty-boy face, forget becoming a traffic-star—he'd barely land a bit-part cannon-fodder role.'
......
The domineering CEO's mouth twitched, and he kept roasting the famously low-IQ Tang Chuan in his heart.
He used to think the guy's lack of smarts was an advantage—making him easy to fool.
Now it seemed… well, a double-edged sword.
To prevent the Tang and Lin families from reconciling, Huo Qichen hurriedly tossed out a new lure to draw Tang Chuan's attention.
"Xiao Chuan! I've already contacted [L] privately in my own name and asked him to write a theme song for your drama."
"Brother Qin, for real for real?"
"For real! Don't worry! I think for the sake of my face… [L] will give it to me."
"......."
A hint of smugness appeared on Huo Qichen's chiseled face.
Though he'd never met [L], given the Huo family's current prestige, he was 95% certain [L] would still give him this face.
After all, the more friends you have, the more roads you can take…
Even a three-year-old understands such a simple truth—what reason would [L] have to refuse him?!
Moreover, he could leverage [L] to rack up some goodwill with Tang Chuan, increasing the success rate of his future plans.
This plan… was downright perfect!
????乛?乛????
"Waa~ Thanks (?ω?) Huge thanks to my Brother Qin—Brother Qin is badass 666~~~"
Hearing that his idol [L] might write him a song, the diehard fan Tang Chuan was thrilled and laid it on thick with flattery.
"A trifling matter, no need for that."
Facing Tang Chuan's worshipful gaze, Huo Qichen waved casually, coolly showing off.
"For me, it's just a lift of the hand."
Ring ring—
Just then, Huo Qichen's phone rang.
He picked it up and, seeing the screen, a smile surfaced on his face. He raised the phone and waved it at Tang Chuan.
"My secretary. Looks like [L]'s side is settled—your drama's theme song is in."
"If there's a chance, I'll also see if we can arrange for you to meet [L]."
Hearing this, Tang Chuan's eyes lit up, ?(?＞?＜?)? nodding vigorously in excitement.
To better showcase the Huo family's might, Huo Qichen even deliberately turned on the speaker before answering the call.
He wanted Tang Chuan to know that the only reason [L] agreed to write the song was entirely out of respect for Huo Qichen's face.
"Hello (#`O′), how's it going?"
"M-Mr. Huo, we've contacted Ma Yingzhe of the Lin Group. He's replied. But…"
Swaggering, Huo Qichen cut his secretary off before he could finish, looking utterly confident of victory.
"Mm, nicely done. Then set a time and urge them to get the theme song finished quickly."
"And… ask [L] when he's free. I've got a friend who wants to meet him—hope he'll give me that face."
Secretary: "........"
With the domineering-CEO lines delivered, an eerie silence fell on the other end of the phone.
Sensing something off, Huo Qichen frowned and pressed.
"What's going on? Why so quiet? |_?) Did they set some harsh terms?"
"(òωó?) Uh…"
"M-Mr. Huo, the Lin Group actually didn't make any demands."
The secretary gulped, then braced himself and answered truthfully.
"I see! Looks like my face counts for a lot—[L] chose to write the song for me for free to cozy up to me."
A smug curve tugged at the edge of Huo Qichen's chiseled mouth; to make a mysterious genius singer of [L]'s caliber willingly forgo profit to curry favor with him…
Even a high-handed, see-no-one domineering CEO like him felt a bit lightheaded with triumph at this moment.
Catching sight of the growing adoration in Tang Chuan's eyes beside him…
The curve of the CEO's mouth unconsciously stretched even wider.
"Ahem…"
"You misunderstood, boss! What the Lin Group said was…"
'Go take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror—see if you're even worthy of them giving you face…'
Huo Qichen: "凸(艹皿艹 )!!!!!!!"