"Mr Gu, long time no see." Fu Dong said, one of the men in front of them.
Gu Yuxuan stayed silent.
"You don't ever attend these kinds of events, what brings you here?" Hai Ming asked. "Why are you so quiet? Did something happen?"
Zimo looked at Gu Yuxuan, who remained quiet in the presence of the most well-known business men in the country. He thought back to the name list he took. All of these men were at the top of that list.
"Rong Minghao", Gu Yuxuan finally spoke, looking at the man who was standing idly in the back. "Why are you hiding from my gaze?"
"Mr Gu, what are you talking about?" He asked, blinking his eyes more than necessary.
"We just came to greet you. Do you think we're unworthy of that?" Li Guang asked and they all smiled arrogantly.
"Why would the greatest business men be unworthy?" Gu Yuxuan asked with a smile. "Even trash is worth something nowadays."
"You!" Fu Dong shouted under his breath. All the man looked at him with fury eyes.
Zimo looked at him, his eyes smiling from surprise. Satisfaction heating over his chest.
Gu Yuxuan didn't feel the slightest intimidation from them. And that's what made them burn with dislike.
"You're still young." Rong Minghao said, but in a way so that the men doesn't take his words to heart. "You don't understand how the world works."
"And you know?" Gu Yuxuan asked, sarcastically. "Rong Minghao. You should be more careful" Gu Yuxuan said, slightly widening his eyes with a head tilt, letting the words fall straight into his face.
Rong Minghao swallowed hard and looked away. All the men exchanged glances. Trying to escape the conversation, but Gu Yuxuan's energy made it hard for them to move an inch.
Wang Lihong, who had been staring at Zimo since they arrived, suddenly asked, "Why is this person with you, Mr Gu?"
Gu Yuxuan looked at Zimo, seeing his hardened expression and twitching eyes.
"Wang Lihong, do you know him?" Gu Yuxuan asked. And all the other men seemed curious too.
Zimo looked Wang Lihong straight in the eyes without saying anything. And Wang Lihong looked back at him with a pulled up mouth.
"The event is about to start. Let's go." Wang Lihong said, keeping his gaze on Zimo as he walked away.
The others finally felt free to also leave and didn't stay there for another second.
Zimo's face relaxed again and his clenched fist opened.
"It's the first time seeing you like this. Do you know these people?" Gu Yuxuan asked.
Zimo looked at him and his lips curved into a smile. "I was right about you." He said.
"Oh, what were you right about exactly?" Gu Yuxuan asked with curiosity.
"You're the first person I saw who could intimidate the biggest names ever known. You're really something." Zimo said, his eyes twinkling with pride."
Gu Yuxuan looked over to where they went to stand.
The men were still whispering to each other.
"He's just bluffing, right? Li Guang whispered.
"He doesn't have the power to go up against us. He'll give up before even starting." Fu Dong smirked while looking back at Gu Yuxuan.
"Don't underestimate him." Rong Minghao said, feeling Gu Yuxuan's gaze on him. The distance between them was unable to quell the tense air.
Zimo looked at Gu Yuxuan, his face muscles slightly tightening, thinking, "I came to you with ulterior motives. Is that also the look I'll be getting soon?"
Whatever happened at the event, no one really paid attention to. But when the host announced the following: "We would like to thank Mr Gu Yuxuan, founder and CEO of Gu Holdings, who has donated Ten Billion Yuan in respect to our project." Everything went quiet. And people's attention spans somehow stretched significantly.
And whatever happened afterwards was but vague as the thick air covered the place for a long time.
"Didn't Gu Liang say he wouldn't be able to build anything on what was left? That he's already in a hopeless situation, losing money everyday? What's going on?" Rong Minghao asked nervously.
The other men were too speechless to utter any word. Complete shock struck their bodies.
And Gu Yuxuan… he watched them slowly go into panic mode, like he had been waiting for that moment for a long time. His smile said everything. What he went there for, had succeeded.
After the event ended, Gu Yuxuan and Zimo found themselves in the car. Quietly driving back to the hotel through the dark streets, lit up by the car's lights.
Zimo glanced at Gu Yuxuan in the rear mirror. He was staring at the road ahead, his thoughts far away.
"You attended the event for those people?" Zimo asked, breaking the silence. "Did they do something to you?"
Gu Yuxuan looked back at him in the mirror. "Why do you ask?"
"You seem to hold a deep grudge against them"
"And you seem to have a connection with Wang Lihong."
"I don't know him." Zimo said in an off tone.
The car went quiet again until they reached the hotel.
They both went back to their respective rooms without saying a word to each other.
Zimo went to lie down on his back, staring at the ceiling. The earlier events played in his head with a focus on Wang Li Hong's face, which poked the anger in his eyes.
Soon his phone rang and he turned it on speaker. For a few seconds no one spoke, then a deep and calm voice broke.
"What got into you to attend that event? … Do you have any idea what Mr Wang will do to you? … Quit acting tough. You don't want to come home and even do stupid things like this. Fine. You're on your own now. I won't bother you again.
The call ended.
Zimo just remained on the bed, till there was a knock on the door and he stood up. The time on the wall clock hit 11 pm.
A worker at the door handed him a small, white box. And he politely said "Thank you" and closed the door again.
He then got changed into something more comfortable. After a few minutes he walked out with the box in his hand and knocked on Gu Yuxuan's door.
Gu Yuxuan opened. Both their faces were neutral, showing no emotion at all, as if they've both had a long day.
Their quiet gazes waited on one another to say something first.
After a few seconds, Zimo held the white box out to him and said, …
"Happy Birthday"