After the car left the parking lot, Xia Zichen leaned against the passenger seat and looked at the scenery passing backward outside the window without saying anything.
It happened to be rush hour, so there was some traffic congestion. The silence inside the car became slightly awkward.
“What are you thinking about?”
Gu Xu was the first to speak.
“Nothing.”
Xia Zichen’s reply sounded somewhat perfunctory.
Although he had not heard everything just now, the girl had mentioned a proposal. Combined with the fact that she had previously appeared with Fan Jiayue, Xia Zichen felt that she was also trying to obtain investment from the Gu family.
He simply could not understand why.
Gu Xu had already made his position clear. Why did those people still refuse to stop bothering him?
“Then, do you have the mood to listen to my explanation?”
“Go ahead.”
Xia Zichen answered casually, but his attention had already shifted toward Gu Xu.
The corner of Gu Xu’s lips lifted slightly.
“She was the person who bribed the bartender at my brother’s birthday banquet and drugged you and my eldest brother.”
“What?”
Xia Zichen turned his head in surprise and looked at Gu Xu.
He had indeed seen that girl at the banquet. He still remembered that she had been sitting in the corner of the bar area at the time.
He never expected that she would be connected to that incident.
“However, although the bartender identified her, she refused to admit it. The transaction was also done in cash, so there was no evidence left behind.”
Gu Xu slowly moved forward with the traffic.
“My brother didn’t want to waste time entangling himself with her. Since nothing happened this time, we temporarily let it go.”
“After doing something like that, she still has the nerve to come talk to you about cooperation?”
Xia Zichen truly found it unbelievable.
If it had been anyone else, they probably would have felt too embarrassed and avoided them as much as possible.
“If she had even a little sense of shame, she wouldn’t have done something like drugging someone.”
Although Gu Xu had benefited from what happened, he had still been worried about Xia Zichen’s health at the time.
It was only after taking Xia Zichen for a full medical examination and confirming that the drug had not caused any harm to his body that he finally relaxed.
“Fortunately, nothing happened to my brother either. If that woman had really succeeded, things would have been much more troublesome.”
As for how his own elder brother had handled the matter afterward, Gu Xu did not intend to explain it in detail to Xia Zichen.
After all, that was Gu Yan’s own business. Telling him more might only make Xia Zichen uncomfortable.
“Actually, besides seeing that girl at your brother’s birthday banquet, I also saw her outside the nightclub before…”
Afterward, Xia Zichen told Gu Xu about seeing Fan Jiayue and that woman together that day.
Gu Xu slightly frowned.
“That woman is called Lei Lanying. She is the only child of this generation in the Lei family.”
“Two years ago, the old master of the Lei family started becoming seriously ill. For now, the family business has been temporarily taken over by Lei Lanying’s father, Lei Cheng, and her second uncle, Lei Xin.”
“As for how the Lei family will eventually be divided, that depends on the old master’s decision.”
“Although the Lei family’s business developed quite well under the old master’s management, it has also begun declining over the past two years.”
“Now everyone in the Lei family is thinking about finding Lei Lanying a good marriage partner, hoping that it can help the Lei family.”
“But this woman’s reputation outside has already become terrible. I estimate that not many men would be willing to marry her.”
After hearing Gu Xu’s explanation, Xia Zichen’s expression also darkened.
His brows were slightly furrowed, and he seemed to be thinking about something.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing that he did not speak, Gu Xu asked.
“Nothing…”
Xia Zichen came back to his senses and forced a small smile.
“I’ve heard of the Lei family before. Are they already struggling now?”
The Lei family’s foundation had always been in N City, so even if Xia Zichen had heard of them, Gu Xu did not find it surprising.
“Right now, the old master’s two sons are fighting fiercely over the family inheritance.”
“However, because the market has been sluggish recently, the two brothers have unusually joined hands to create this proposal.”
“But…”
Gu Xu paused.
“The Lei family may end up losing everything because of it.”
Xia Zichen remained silent for a moment before asking:
“How do you know their proposal won’t succeed?”
“It’s not that it won’t succeed.”
Gu Xu patiently explained.
“It’s that even if it succeeds, they will definitely lose money.”
“That piece of land is located in the eastern suburbs. The location is somewhat remote, very quiet, and transportation is not especially convenient.”
“Of course, these things are not actually problems.”
“The land was purchased by the Lei family. The Fan family and the Shen family invested in it. The three families are cooperating to build a high-end villa district there.”
“If the landscaping is done properly and the environment remains peaceful, it would indeed attract many wealthy people.”
“After all, compared to the noise of the city center, many people prefer living in an environment with fresh air and comfortable conditions.”
“However, unfortunately, the N City government has decided to begin constructing a small industrial area about two hundred meters away from that piece of land starting in the second half of next year.”
“This news will not be announced until around the middle of next year.”
“Originally, it would have been a perfectly good high-end villa district. But if there is a factory right next door, the air quality will definitely become a problem.”
“Besides, who with money to spare would buy a villa next to an industrial area?”
“Considering the investment from the three families, the villa prices will definitely not be low. Looking horizontally at the market, there are already many villa districts in N City at the same price range.”
“Some areas already have mature development. There will not be major changes in the short term, and daily life as well as transportation are convenient.”
“So it will be very difficult for the Lei family’s land to make money.”
“Or rather…”
“It is basically destined to lose money.”
“If you know this information, wouldn’t the Lei family know too?”
If the news was certain, then no matter how foolish the Lei family was, they would not have bought such a piece of land.
“That piece of land was purchased by the Lei family last year. At that time, they directly bought it from a real estate developer.”
“The government did not have any plans to build a factory district then.”
Gu Xu explained:
“We received this information around March this year. After operating for so many years, the Gu family naturally has many channels for obtaining information like this, and the sources are definitely reliable.”
“However, the government is still negotiating with the company involved, so in order to prevent competition from other cities, the matter is temporarily kept confidential.”
“It is normal that the Lei family does not know.”
“Besides, the villa district is about to begin construction. Judging from the Lei family’s plans, they intend to complete most of the construction before starting pre-sales.”
“By then, when the news about the industrial area is announced, there will probably still be people who want to buy.”
“Fortunately, there were sources for this information. Otherwise, if we really invested, it would have become troublesome.”
Xia Zichen smiled faintly.
No wonder Gu Xu’s attitude had always been so firm.
It turned out he had already received the information beforehand.
Thinking about it, it was fortunate that he had not agreed to help Shen Yicheng back then. Otherwise, things would have become even more troublesome.
“Actually, even without this information, my brother would not have invested.”
Gu Xu said:
“The Gu family has already analyzed which pieces of land in N City have investment value. We would never rashly invest in places with uncertain prospects.”
“Your planning really goes far ahead.”
“When the family business is large enough, you always have to think ahead and prepare for unexpected situations.”
Gu Xu smiled.
Xia Zichen sighed inwardly.
He really wondered what kind of expression Shen Yicheng would have if he knew this news.
Once the villa district began construction and the funds were invested, there would be no way to stop halfway.
“You can remind Shen Yicheng if you want.”
Gu Xu said.
“After all, construction has not started yet. Even if there are losses, they won’t be too serious.”
“Do you think he’ll listen to me?”
Xia Zichen asked with a half-smile.
The Lei, Shen, and Fan families had already decided on this project.
Compared with Xia Zichen’s words alone, especially when the matter was still confidential, Shen Yicheng would never believe him.
He might even think that Gu Xu had instructed Xia Zichen to deliberately sabotage their project.
Besides, this matter had nothing to do with him.
He did not want to get involved.
“If it were me, I would listen.”
Gu Xu answered seriously.
“Unfortunately, he isn’t you.”
Xia Zichen understood the Shen Yicheng he knew.
He was confident, even somewhat arrogant.
His decisions would not change or waver because of others.
Everything was based on profit.
And right now, what Shen Yicheng could see was exactly the profit after the villa district was completed.
The huge initial investment was something he would naturally overlook.
“Actually, if that land were developed into an ordinary residential community with reasonable housing prices, it would not be bad.”
Gu Xu rarely expressed his own opinions.
“Right now, there are many people who need homes. However, housing prices in the city are high, so many people would choose to buy somewhere slightly farther away.”
“Once the residential area was completed, the city’s planning department would naturally consider transportation improvements. It would also become a viable option.”
“But when the Lei family bought that land, they did not negotiate for a lower price. The purchase cost was extremely high.”
“If it was really developed into an ordinary residential area, the profits probably would not be very high.”
“Yeah.”
Xia Zichen nodded.
Although Gu Xu’s idea was good, others were not necessarily willing to do something with low profits.
“Although I don’t have much interaction with Shen Yicheng, consider this my thanks to him for taking care of you before.”
Gu Xu continued:
“If you have the chance, reminding him once is fine.”
He knew that although Xia Zichen was not someone who easily softened his heart, he was not selfish either.
He remembered kindness shown to him very clearly.
“Let’s see.”
Xia Zichen smiled and changed the topic.
The matter ended between the two of them there.
Over the following days, Xia Zichen continued living his usual three-point routine life: work, home, and the company.
It was peaceful, yet never without enjoyment.
That evening after dinner, Gu Xu was washing dishes in the kitchen while preparing coffee.
Xia Zichen opened his computer and entered the game.
Recently, the game had not released any new instances. The daily tasks were still the same ones.
Repeating the same things every day had made Xia Zichen feel somewhat bored.
However, the people in the game were still as lively as ever. Watching them gossip and chat whenever they had nothing to do was also a kind of fun unique to gaming.
After the map loading finished, the familiar interface appeared.
Xia Zichen originally planned to collect his messages while waiting for Gu Xu to finish his chores, then run the daily dungeon together.
But the repeated announcements flooding the world channel made him stop moving.
World Channel [Explosive Gossip]:
“Chen Xi is a disgusting shemale! He cheats people out of money and refuses to pay it back. He even seduces other people’s men. He’s the biggest piece of trash in the game! Anyone who knows him should stay away, or you’ll get scammed too! Chen Xi, if you still have any shame, get out of the game yourself. Don’t wait until people force you to quit!”
World Channel [Expose Scammer]:
“Chen Xi is a disgusting shemale! He cheats people out of money and refuses to pay it back. He even seduces other people’s men. He’s the biggest piece of trash in the game! Anyone who knows him should stay away, or you’ll get scammed too! Chen Xi, if you still have any shame, get out of the game yourself. Don’t wait until people force you to quit!”
…
Xia Zichen frowned.
He found it both annoying and ridiculous.
Who was so bored that they came into the game to falsely accuse him?
Private Message [Deep Night Sneak]:
“You’re here? What’s going on? They’ve already been spamming for a while.”
Private Message [Chen Xi]:
“I want to know what’s going on too…”
Private Message [Deep Night Sneak]:
“Where’s Gu Xu?”
Private Message [Chen Xi]:
“Washing dishes.”
Private Message [Deep Night Sneak]:
“Hahaha, as expected, the two of you are becoming more and more like a married couple living together.”
World Channel [Sunflower]:
“Damn, are you guys done yet? If you’re going to slander someone, at least make it believable. The ‘trash’ and ‘scammer’ you’re talking about are obviously yourselves, right?”
World Channel [A Season’s Bloom]:
“Exactly. We ignored you and you actually became even more shameless.”
World Channel [Bloodthirsty Obsession]:
“You really are asking to be cursed at. After being scolded earlier, maybe they still didn’t feel satisfied.”
World Channel [Sunflower]:
“I’ve seen shameless people before, but I’ve never seen anyone this shameless!”
World Channel [Expose Oddity]:
“How dare you say Chen Xi isn’t a shemale?!”
World Channel [Three Encounters of Love]:
“Another idiot who came out looking for insults. Hurry up and take some brain medicine. Although I doubt it can save you.”
World Channel [Expose Scammer]:
“Chen Xi is a disgusting shemale! He cheats people out of money and refuses to pay it back. He even seduces other people’s men. He’s the biggest piece of trash in the game! Anyone who knows him should stay away, or you’ll get scammed too! Chen Xi, if you still have any shame, get out of the game yourself. Don’t wait until people force you to quit!”
World Channel [A Season’s Bloom]:
“Everyone already knows Chen Xi is a shemale, right? Are you seriously digging up old news? Besides, what’s wrong with being a shemale? How does it affect you?”
World Channel [Sunflower]:
“Exactly. If Chen Xi really scammed people, then report it to the police. Why are you shouting nonsense in the game? Are you afraid people won’t know you’re here just to smear him?”
World Channel [Wind and Rain]:
“Wasn’t Chen Xi together with Great God Can Mo? How did he suddenly become a scammer?”
World Channel [Heart’s Desire]:
“Exactly. I see them together all the time. Their public displays of affection are annoying enough already!”
World Channel [Rotten Matchmaker]:
“A lot of people know Chen Xi. What kind of person he is, those who know him already understand. You random people who appeared from nowhere are making up nonsense for no reason.”
World Channel [Charming Light Blue]:
“Maybe someone is jealous and deliberately came here to smear him.”
…
The world channel continued scrolling endlessly.
Xia Zichen watched it helplessly.
“Coffee is ready.”
Gu Xu walked into Xia Zichen’s study carrying two cups of coffee and placed one beside him.
“Thanks.”
Xia Zichen leaned back in his chair, took a sip of coffee, and kept his attention on the world channel.
Seeing that he seemed distracted, Gu Xu walked closer.
When he saw the messages attacking Xia Zichen in the world channel, his originally gentle expression suddenly darkened.
His brows furrowed, and anger appeared in his eyes.
Xia Zichen reached out and patted Gu Xu, joking:
“Could it be that another woman failed to get your attention and came after me again?”
Gu Xu held his hand.
“Recently, there hasn’t even been a single woman around me. You know that.”
After saying this, Gu Xu left Xia Zichen’s study and found his phone to make a call.
World Channel [Hundred Herbs]:
“Who is so bored that they’re making up nonsense to smear Chen Xi? Chen Xi has always been with Can Mo. Who exactly did he seduce? Can Mo is also a devoted person. Aside from Chen Xi, there has never been anyone else beside him. So your claim about him ‘seducing someone else’s man’ is complete nonsense.”
World Channel [A Season’s Bloom]:
“Deputy leader Hundred Herbs has spoken. Now this is a statement with credibility!”
World Channel [Hundred Herbs]:
“As for scamming money… If he wanted to scam someone, he would have to scam Can Mo. Can Mo himself never said he was scammed, so why are you here acting like a victim? If you’re sick, go get treatment. The psychiatric hospital welcomes you.”
World Channel [Sunflower]:
“Deputy leader said it well!”
World Channel [Gossip Squad]:
“Look! The people who were insulting Chen Xi are hiding inside Luoyang main city and don’t dare come out. Everyone hurry over and watch!”
World Channel [Jian Lang]:
“The people insulting Chen Xi: one kill costs 10,000 gold. Take screenshots and collect the reward.”
As soon as Jian Lang finished speaking, a group of people who loved excitement immediately rushed toward the main city to hunt down those players.
Although killing people inside the main city would increase their hostility value, and too much hostility would send them to jail, the temptation of 10,000 gold was still stronger.
Gu Xu finished his phone call and walked back in.
His expression was still not good.
“I had them investigate. Those accounts were all using proxy IPs, so they’re difficult to trace.”
“Forget it. It’s not like there was any real damage.”
Xia Zichen smiled indifferently.
Gu Xu touched his hair.
“I’ll have them keep watching this matter. If we investigate further, we should be able to find some clues.”
Although many people knew Xia Zichen was a shemale, recently there were not many people who could have any connection with them.
In the game, they only ran dungeons with members of their guild.
In reality, the only unpleasant incident recently was when Lei Lanying came to the company seeking cooperation and, after being rejected, threatened them with the fact that they were a same-sex couple.
Thinking of Lei Lanying’s relationship with Fan Jiayue, along with the fact that Lian Fei’er had always been at odds with Chen Xi, the possible suspects gradually became clearer.
Although there was no evidence, at least they now had a direction.
“It’s fine.”
Xia Zichen shook his head and pushed Gu Xu.
“Go turn on your computer. We’ll do the daily dungeon later.”
Seeing that Xia Zichen was not affected much, Gu Xu did not say anything more.
He carried his coffee back into his own study.
Private Message [Deep Night Sneak]:
“There are really too many bored people nowadays. Don’t take it to heart.”
Private Message [Chen Xi]:
“I know.”
Private Message [Deep Night Sneak]:
“By the way, Yicheng and that Lian Fei’er seem to have been having some problems recently.”
Private Message [Chen Xi]:
“Hmm?”
This surprised Xia Zichen.
After all, the two families were still cooperating. There was no reason for them to have conflicts at this time.
Private Message [Deep Night Sneak]:
“I don’t know the details. Recently, I noticed Yicheng hasn’t been calling her as often. Yesterday after class, when I returned to the dorm, I heard Yicheng arguing with Lian Fei’er on the phone.”
Private Message [Chen Xi]:
“Just pretend you don’t know about this. Shen Yicheng cares a lot about his pride. Don’t ask too much.”
Private Message [Deep Night Sneak]:
“I don’t care enough to interfere. I’m just a little curious.”
Mentioning Shen Yicheng reminded Xia Zichen of something.
He minimized the game temporarily, opened QQ, and saw that Shen Yicheng was online.
After thinking for a while, he sent a message.
“You should reconsider your proposal carefully.”
Originally, Xia Zichen did not want to get involved.
But even though he and Shen Yicheng were no longer friends, they were not enemies either.
Since Gu Xu had told him about the government’s plans, although he could not explain the whole matter directly, he felt he should at least give Shen Yicheng a reminder.
Whether Shen Yicheng listened or not was no longer his concern.
After a while, Shen Yicheng replied.
“If you can’t help me, then forget it. The Shen family’s matters have nothing to do with you. I’m busy.”
Xia Zichen gave a mocking laugh.
He closed QQ and returned to the game interface.
Since Shen Yicheng did not even want to listen to him, why should he make things difficult for himself?
Sometimes, even if you acted out of goodwill, others might not appreciate it.
In that case, remaining silent was better…