President Wu took Wu Mei with him and, forget asking for anyone’s contact information—he kept his head down and drove straight home.
He would talk it over with his wife later.
And while he was at it, he would have someone check whether those promising young talents they had been eyeing had any… unexpected preferences.
What a pity.
Such a terrible pity.
Who the hell could have seen this coming?
The outstanding young man he had finally taken a liking to… President Yin had already claimed.
The more President Wu thought about it, the more he could not help sighing.
No wonder President Yin had built his empire so big.
The moment President Wu set his sights on someone, that person was already President Yin’s.
Truly worthy of President Yin.
Shaken to the core by this explosive gossip, President Wu completely forgot whatever had happened in the Dongfang family.
Some smaller tabloids, however, bold and reckless, swallowed their fear and published the story.
A scandal involving a wealthy family instantly drew countless netizens.
【Wait, did not Dongfang Group previously announce that the current head’s nephew was the future heir? Where did this son suddenly come from?】
【What a juicy melon. No wonder rich families are always full of drama. I suddenly have this image of an emperor naming a concubine’s son as crown prince first, just to shield the legitimate son from danger!】
【Are they raising venomous insects to fight each other? They have not even finalized the heir now. Does that mean they are going to battle it out behind the scenes?】
They really did start battling.
As soon as the banquet ended, Dongfang Lie, harboring motives no one could guess, handed DF entirely over to Dongfang Wan.
On the other side, Dongfang Feng had already secured ZWG.
Both sides now stood at the same starting line. With the Spring Split just around the corner, rumors spread from who knew where that they intended to settle things through competition.
Then something even more baffling happened.
BZ got dragged into it for no reason.
Both DF and ZWG sent invitations to BZ for scrimmages.
The official accounts of both teams released statements at the same time, tagging BZ. Netizens devoured the spectacle with delight.
【Fight! Fight! I love watching rich-family wars!】
【Wait a second… so now Dongfang Group’s internal war is going to be decided by President Yin’s team?】
【? The guy above has excellent reading comprehension. I did not even catch that!】
【Poor BZ. Somehow they got pulled into a rich family feud?】
“Are they idiots?”
Tang Chen could not help blurting out. He grabbed his hair, utterly bewildered.
“If the Dongfang family wants to tear each other apart, why the hell drag us into it?”
Zhang Taining silently rolled his eyes in agreement.
He thought it was idiotic too.
Xie Liu walked over and smacked each of them on the head.
Zhang Taining looked indignant.
“He swore, not me. Why hit me?”
Xie Liu shot him a look. “That eye roll of yours was louder than swearing.”
He was not blind.
Zhang Taining muttered, “The contract does not say I cannot roll my eyes.”
He was already forbidden from cursing. What was wrong with rolling his eyes?
“Enough fooling around,” Xie Liu waved a hand, returning to the matter at hand.
“The Spring Split is coming up. Are you playing these two scrimmages or not? I already asked President Yin. His response was…”
“You asked President Yin?”
Tang Chen and Zhang Taining stared at him in accusation.
Then why are you asking us?
Xie Liu continued expressionlessly.
“President Yin said, ‘You are already a mature team. You should learn to strive for the championship yourselves.’ So I am asking for your opinions. By the way, I am planning to choose one of you as captain. Anyone want to volunteer?”
“Let him do it!”
Tang Chen pointed at Zhang Taining.
“Let him do it!”
Zhang Taining pointed at Tang Chen.
Xie Liu: “?”
“You both do not want it?”
He was baffled. On other teams, people fought for the captaincy.
Tang Chen snorted. “Of course I want it. But being captain means responsibility, right? Too exhausting. I cannot handle it.”
Zhang Taining rolled—half an eye roll before forcibly stopping himself.
“Being captain sounds impressive. But I do not have as good rapport in the team as he does. It would not be as effective.”
“…You two are just wonderful.”
Xie Liu praised them without sincerity and felt a headache coming on.
“So neither of you wants to be captain?”
They exchanged a glance and nodded together.
Who wanted that burden? Leading by example was tiring.
Xie Liu’s scalp tingled.
These two brats were the ones he valued most, yet neither wanted the role. Who was he supposed to pick?
Tang Chen poked Xie Liu’s stomach lightly. “Brother Xie, why not let March do it? I think he is perfect.”
“March?”
Xie Liu was surprised.
Tang Chen nodded eagerly. “Yes! He is such a warmhearted guy. Perfect for captain! He cares about teammates, trains seriously, and does not talk much. Think about it—he is practically born for it!”
Whether he was born for it or not, I cannot say.
But you definitely do not want it.
Xie Liu stared at Tang Chen for a while, then at Zhang Taining, who clearly agreed. Finally he nodded.
“All right. I will observe him. If it fits, it will be him.”
Tang Chen and Zhang Taining were the two biggest troublemakers on the team. He had hoped making one captain would cut his workload in half.
But if both supported March, he would not object.
“Oh right,” Xie Liu added, “what about the scrimmages? ZWG and DF are waiting for BZ’s response. Play or not?”
Being dragged into a rich family feud was annoying, but they did need practice.
Tang Chen and Zhang Taining exchanged another look and answered in unison.
“If they are offering themselves up, of course we play!”
“They said that?”
Yin Chen signed the last document, pressed the speaker button, and stretched.
Coming back to work after the New Year really was exhausting.
“Yes,” Xie Liu replied. “If that is the case, we will just play. But President Yin, will this really not affect us? The internet is full of analysis about the Dongfang family. Is it really fine for BZ to step in?”
He did not want to get entangled in wealthy family grudges. He was just a team manager.
“Do not worry.”
Yin Chen walked to the window and looked down. His gaze suddenly fixed on something. He paused for a second before continuing.
“Just arrange the matches. I will keep an eye on the rest.”
Xie Liu felt reassured and hung up.
Yin Chen stared downstairs for a while before dialing the internal line.
“Do I have any other appointments today?”
Assistant A-Mao checked. “Yes. There is a meeting at two in the afternoon.”
“Move it to tomorrow. I have something to handle this afternoon. I am leaving.”
He grabbed his coat and hung up neatly.
Assistant A-Mao blinked.
Had not President Yin seemed especially motivated today? He had processed half the documents already. Why leave suddenly?
“No sound? Why are you still holding the phone?”
The male secretary leaned over, confused.
Turned to stone?
Assistant A-Mao set down the receiver.
“President Yin called, asked about his afternoon schedule, postponed it, and left.”
“So what? Got a problem with that?” the secretary scoffed and walked back—then froze mid-step.
“Wait. He postponed the afternoon meeting?”
Assistant A-Mao nodded slowly.
“And?”
“You are asking ‘and’? That meeting is with President Zong!”
They stared at each other.
Had not President Zong and President Yin gotten together?
Then why would President Yin…?
They silently returned to their desks.
Perhaps knowing too much really was dangerous.
“You said President Yin postponed the meeting to tomorrow?”
Zong Cheng, buried in work, looked up sharply.
The assistant nodded carefully. “Yes. His assistant just called. They are asking if we can adjust.”
Zong Cheng thought for one second and waved a hand. “If President Yin wants to postpone, then postpone.”
That was it?
The assistant studied him, then left.
The moment he was gone, Zong Cheng set down his pen and began pacing.
Why had Yin Chen postponed the meeting?
Was it because of what he had said after the banquet?
But he only wanted to know everything about Yin Chen—good or bad.
Was that not normal honesty between partners?
He was still spiraling when the assistant suddenly pushed open the door.
His expression was strange.
“President Zong… President Yin is here.”
Zong Cheng blinked. “Did he not postpone the meeting?”
“Yes… but perhaps you should go down and see for yourself?”
“All right.”
Zong Cheng headed downstairs immediately.
Halfway down, he realized something was off.
Why were so many people gathered? Why were they holding up their phones?
He walked toward the front desk.
Seeing a familiar back, he was about to call out when he stopped.
Yin Chen sensed him and turned slowly.
The bouquet of roses in his arms was vibrant and fresh, yet against his pale skin, he looked even more radiant than the flowers.
Zong Cheng’s pupils contracted.
His ears flushed hot.
Only then did he realize the crowd was filming Yin Chen.
Before he could speak, Yin Chen laughed softly.
“You are not seriously planning to spend today in a meeting, are you, boyfriend? It is Valentine’s Day.”
The moment he finished speaking, sharp gasps rose in perfect unison from every corner.