Chapter 5
The news of the collaboration between the Xiao Corporation and Dongjian quickly spread throughout the industry, causing envy and jealousy among some.
On this day, Fu Yu was in his office when an old classmate, Chen Shaoguang, called him. They had been classmates in high school and had maintained contact since then.
Chen Shaoguang’s family owned Guangyu Media, a company in the entertainment industry. While it was not small, it was nowhere near the scale of the Xiao Corporation, which was led by the wealthy and influential Xiao Yi.
Chen Shaoguang was a friendly person who often engaged with Fu Yu during high school. After graduating from college, he took over part of his family’s business and frequently introduced valuable resources to Dongjian.
He called to discuss the collaboration between Dongjian and the Xiao Corporation, and after some pleasantries, he got to the point: “I heard that Xiao Yi is in charge of this project for the Xiao Corporation?”
Fu Yu confirmed, “Yes.”
“So, have you met him already?”
“Yes.”
“How is he now?” Chen Shaoguang’s tone sounded hesitant.
“He’s still the same as before,” Fu Yu replied.
“Do you have any personal interactions with him?”
Fu Yu found this question quite intrusive, but he answered honestly, “No, we haven’t had any contact since high school. This collaboration is purely for business purposes, as you should know.”
Not only Chen Shaoguang, but their entire class knew that Fu Yu and Xiao Yi had a falling out over something during high school. Nobody knew the exact reason behind their rift.
Chen Shaoguang sighed in relief, “That’s good. He’s not a good person.”
“I know,” Fu Yu replied, his understanding of this fact deeply rooted.
The two continued to chat, discussing a recent project that Chen Shaoguang had introduced to Dongjian. Despite the company’s main focus on the Xiao Corporation’s hotel project, they were also working on several smaller architectural design projects simultaneously.
This particular project, a design for an office building, was for Huaao Group, a significant real estate conglomerate in A City. It would serve as their new headquarters.
Fu Yu knew that Chen Shaoguang was trying to build a relationship with Huaao’s CEO, considering that Xiao Yi’s corporation dominated most of A City’s real estate. Smaller companies had to rely on networking to thrive.
Chen Shaoguang sought Fu Yu’s advice on the design fees for this project. Fu Yu gave him a discounted price as a way to show appreciation for their years of friendship.
However, this project turned out to be more challenging than expected. Huaao Group’s CEO, Hua Fuqiang, was a demanding and meticulous individual. He requested countless revisions to the design, and even attempted to negotiate the fees. While Dongjian had a strong reputation and didn’t necessarily need this project, Fu Yu agreed to it as a favor to his old classmate.
Their conversation continued until Fu Yu’s office phone rang again. It was a call from the front desk.
“Mr. Fu, there’s a guest waiting downstairs, claiming to be here to see you.”
Fu Yu checked his schedule and realized he didn’t have any scheduled appointments for the day.
“What’s the guest’s name?”
“He said his name is Xiao Yi, and he’s here to deliver project documents for the Xiao Corporation’s hotel.”
Fu Yu was taken aback by this unexpected visit. What kind of documents were so important that they couldn’t be sent via email or handled by his subordinates? He couldn’t refuse, so he said, “Let him come up.”
A minute later, Xiao Yi swaggered into the office from the elevator. He noticed Fu Yu waiting at the elevator entrance and greeted him with a confident smile.
“Mr. Fu, you’re quite polite, personally welcoming me.”
Fu Yu observed Xiao Yi, dressed casually in designer clothing, holding only a file bag. He wondered about the purpose of this visit.
He led Xiao Yi to his office, passing by the workstations of his employees. Some recognized Xiao Yi, while others did not. As soon as the office door closed behind them, the employees began gossiping about the unexpected guest.
“Wow, who’s that handsome guy?!”
“He’s Xiao Yi, the young master of the Xiao Corporation! He’s in charge of the hotel project. I saw him at our recent dinner!”
“So, he’s a real rich and handsome guy, huh?”
“I heard he’s quite a playboy, changing girlfriends every day.”
“With his looks and wealth, I’d be his girlfriend for a day!”
“Stop daydreaming! Have you finished the report yet?”
Fortunately, Fu Yu’s office had excellent soundproofing, and he couldn’t hear the gossip.
Xiao Yi didn’t behave like an outsider at all. Upon entering the office, he looked around and asked, “Is there a secret meeting room in there?”
Fu Yu replied, “No, it’s my resting room. Sometimes, I stay overnight at the office.”
Xiao Yi chuckled, “Mr. Fu is really dedicated.”
Their conversation flowed smoothly for a while until Xiao Yi brought up a topic that seemed to cast a shadow over their interaction: “By the way, I have a question for Mr. Fu.”
“Go ahead,” Fu Yu said.
“Your phone was occupied the whole time. Who were you talking to?”
Fu Yu didn’t expect this question and felt irritated by Xiao Yi’s intrusive behavior. However, he replied, “That’s my private matter.”
Xiao Yi, seemingly unfazed, teased, “Well, if you don’t tell me, I might just snatch your phone and take a look.”
Fu Yu had no doubt that Xiao Yi would actually do it. He held his phone tightly and didn’t appreciate this intrusion. “It was a call from Chen Shaoguang, our classmate from high school.”
As soon as the topic of high school was mentioned, a brief and awkward silence hung between them. The atmosphere became somewhat tense.
Fu Yu didn’t want to dwell on the past and felt that they had both matured over the years. As long as Xiao Yi didn’t cross any boundaries, they could work together professionally. However, returning to their friendship from before was impossible.
Xiao Yi broke the silence, as if recalling the name: “Is he the sports committee member? He doesn’t seem like a good person.”
Fu Yu replied without hesitation, “My impression of him is the same as yours.”
The silence returned, and both men seemed lost in their thoughts. Xiao Yi’s mind wasn’t filled with remorse or guilt for their past; that wasn’t his nature. Given his behavior during their college years, he couldn’t genuinely regret their falling out.
After a brief moment, Xiao Yi suddenly remembered something. “I have a question for Mr. Fu.”
Fu Yu focused his attention. “Please, go ahead.”
“Just now, your phone was occupied for a long time. Who were you talking to?”
Fu Yu was surprised by this question once again. He never expected Xiao Yi to be so curious about his phone conversations. “It was Chen Shaoguang’s call. You know him; we were high school classmates.”
Xiao Yi didn’t react to the mention of high school, but he had a mischievous smile. “Your relationship seems quite good.”
After about an hour, Xiao Yi was eventually “politely” escorted out of Fu Yu’s office.
As soon as Xiao Yi left the building, he dialed a number on his phone.
“Ali, help me look up someone named Chen Shaoguang.”
