Chapter 28
Xiao Yi woke up early in the morning from an incredible dream and hurriedly ran to the bedroom to check.
Luckily, he was still in bed, and the dream was real.
Fu Yu was sleeping soundly, with long eyelashes and slightly red lips, giving his peaceful and serene face a touch of intriguing color.
Xiao Yi didn’t dare to look too long and gently closed the bedroom door before heading to the kitchen to make breakfast.
To avoid arousing suspicion about their current relationship, Xiao Yi had driven a car he rarely used when he dropped Fu Yu off at the company that morning.
However, once at the company, the observant female subordinates immediately noticed something was different but didn’t dare to discuss it openly in front of Fu Yu. They whispered in their own offices:
“Did you see it? Mr. Fu has a strawberry mark on his neck!”
“Yes, and his lips seem a bit swollen?”
“What’s going on? Could it be that he’s really with Mr. Xiao now?”
“It can’t be possible. Mr. Xiao hasn’t been around for a long time; it’s probably not a thing anymore.”
“Hey, they were so close a while ago, I thought they were really together, but it seems not.”
“It’s all because Mr. Fu is too charming…”
…
Of course, Fu Yu couldn’t hear any of these conversations. Since it was late the night before, he had stayed at Xiao Yi’s house, and since the spacious villa didn’t usually have guests, the guest rooms were dusty and unused, leaving only one bedroom.
He didn’t mind sharing a bed with Xiao Yi; after all, Xiao Yi’s bed was large enough for two. However, Xiao Yi seemed to be uncomfortable with the idea and insisted on sleeping on the sofa.
Before going to sleep, Xiao Yi had come to the bedroom to say goodnight. However, in the midst of their conversation, they got closer, entangled for a long time, and Xiao Yi even bit his neck hurriedly before saying, “I’m going to take a shower,” and fled, shutting the door behind him.
He had clearly already taken a shower; it was strange.
The hotel jointly invested in by the Xiao family and Fu Yu was under construction in an orderly manner, and other new projects were progressing steadily. Every day, there were many documents that needed Fu Yu’s review, and he spent the morning dealing with company matters. In the afternoon, it was time for his scheduled appointment, and his secretary called him on the internal line to inform him that Chen Shaoguang had arrived.
Fu Yu took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, made sure he looked composed, and then calmly received him.
As soon as Chen Shaoguang walked in, he greeted Fu Yu with a smile, feeling that their relationship had become closer after what happened yesterday. His tone was more relaxed.
It was truly unpredictable. Overnight, Fu Yu’s perception of Xiao Yi and Chen Shaoguang had completely reversed. While their friendship had never been as intimate as the one he had with Xiao Yi in the past, Chen Shaoguang had been one of his closest friends for these past years. However, now that he knew the truth, he would never be soft on Chen Shaoguang.
“What’s the matter?” Fu Yu calmly asked the man in front of him.
Chen Shaoguang smiled and said, “Can’t I come to see you for no reason?” He knew that Fu Yu didn’t like beating around the bush and wasting time, so after making a joke, he explained the purpose of his visit: he came to borrow money.
Chen Shaoguang’s family company, Light Universe Media, was involved in various fields, including movies, TV dramas, music, the internet, and games. While it couldn’t compare to the largest entertainment company in the country, the Xiao family’s Supreme Entertainment, it was still one of the top companies in City A. They had nurtured quite a few popular actors and actresses. In theory, they shouldn’t have had money problems.
After listening to Chen Shaoguang’s explanation, Fu Yu finally understood the situation. Light Universe Media had planned to produce a top-notch domestic blockbuster film to boost its influence. They had spent a fortune hiring a renowned Hollywood director and special effects team, and the male lead was a famous domestic actor. The production cost from filming to post-production had reached five to six billion yuan. Initially, it could have been profitable, or at the very least, not a significant loss. However, shortly before the film’s release, the male lead actor was exposed in a drug scandal. Chinese audiences had zero tolerance for such matters, and apart from a small group of die-hard fans trying to boost the box office, almost no one went to see the movie. In the end, despite the hundreds of millions invested, the film only made a dismal tens of millions in the box office, leading to a huge loss for Light Universe Media.
Fu Yu didn’t pay much attention to the entertainment industry, so he was unaware of this situation. However, based on what Chen Shaoguang said, it had been half a year since the incident, and Light Universe Media hadn’t gone bankrupt. They were still in operation, and there was no apparent financial crisis. So why were they coming to borrow money now?
Chen Shaoguang awkwardly explained the reason, “Actually, our company wanted to produce another big film recently. However, after that incident, we suffered heavy losses and can’t come up with so much money anymore.”
Fu Yu was puzzled, “Do you have confidence in making a profit, or why take such a big risk?”
Chen Shaoguang chuckled, with a hint of distress on his face, “You don’t know; in recent years, it’s been tough for entertainment companies in our city. Supreme Entertainment plans to establish a branch here and has systematically been acquiring these smaller companies, including ours. If we don’t want to be taken over, we have to make a name for ourselves and resist them. Otherwise, not only are our employees scattered, but several of our artists have already been poached. If this continues, being swallowed up is only a matter of time. I have no choice but to take this risk.”
Fu Yu could empathize with Chen Shaoguang’s predicament. If he were in a similar situation, he wouldn’t want to hand over the company his parents had built from scratch, no matter how tempting the acquisition price might be.
“How much do you need?” Fu Yu asked.
Chen Shaoguang gestured, and Fu Yu saw, “Three billion?”
“Yes, currently, we need a total of around six billion. Our company can barely come up with three billion, and there’s no other way…”
Fu Yu lowered his head in thought, and seeing his hesitation, Chen Shaoguang quickly said sincerely, “Regardless of the outcome, I will definitely return the principal and interest to you. If it weren’t for being pushed into a corner, I wouldn’t have come to you. You can only blame the Xiao family for being too ruthless!”
However, Fu Yu, who already knew the truth, didn’t care about Chen Shaoguang’s attempts to sow discord. He simply found his face even more repulsive.
“I need to consider this. I’ll give you an answer in three days,” Fu Yu finally gave this response.
After Chen Shaoguang left, Fu Yu immediately called Xiao Yi and told him about the situation.
Xiao Yi responded with a cold smile, “Well, let me handle him.”
Fu Yu was somewhat worried, “Don’t go too far.” Sometimes, Xiao Yi could be impulsive, and once he started something, it was challenging to stop him, like an unstoppable force.
“Are you still defending him now?” Xiao Yi’s tone was slightly sour.
“No, someone like him isn’t worth your time. Don’t involve yourself too deeply,” Fu Yu advised.
Xiao Yi seemed unconvinced and still held a grudge about the incident when Fu Yu had fought with him because of Chen Shaoguang, “If I really fight with him, whose side will you be on?”
Fu Yu sighed, “Of course, I’ll be on your side. After all, you’re my boyfriend now. But it’s better if we avoid fighting. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while before a response came, “I understand.” Xiao Yi’s voice sounded like he was complaining, but underneath, there was an unmistakable hint of happiness.
Xiao Yi’s mood seemed unusually good, “Let’s not talk about this anymore. Do you have time on Saturday?”
Fu Yu asked, “Yes, what’s going on?”
Xiao Yi chuckled, “Let’s go on a date.”