Chapter Seventy-Six: It Would Be Unwise to Make Enemies

Seeing the situation before her grow increasingly awkward, Pei Susu had already steeled herself to draw a clear line between them. But a scoundrel like Liang Wenru was unlikely to leave so easily.

“All right, today is the annual auction gala—let’s not make a scene here, shall we?” Fu Yanyue stepped forward. “This really doesn’t show much respect for the hosts. If we offend them, there could be trouble.”

She winked at Pei Susu, and Liang Wenru, hearing her words, hesitated for a moment. He knew very well that the organizers were not to be trifled with. If he were blacklisted by them, Xingye would surely be in for a storm.

With that thought, he stopped speaking, though he stubbornly refused to leave, instead taking a seat nearby.

Pei Susu ignored him completely, turning back to converse with the people beside her.

“Susu, your stomach isn’t in the best shape—try not to drink too much,” Liang Wenru tried to persuade her earnestly as she raised her glass again. Under his gaze, Pei Susu emptied her glass in one go.

“Sorry, but I don’t think this has anything to do with you.”

Her stomach had indeed been fragile in the past, but lately she had been careful with her drinking. If not for the sake of her company and its business, she would never have risked a bleeding ulcer and drunk so recklessly.

Sensing the tension, those around them did their best to ignore the sharp undercurrents between the two. After all, it wasn’t their place to comment on someone else’s domestic affairs. Besides, it was obvious at a glance that Liang Wenru was a tactless man, and being pestered by such a scoundrel… well, it was simply Pei Susu’s misfortune.

With that in mind, everyone became even more intent on ignoring Liang Wenru.

Realizing that everyone was treating him as invisible, Liang Wenru felt deeply embarrassed. Before coming today, he had promised himself that he would bring her back with him—never imagining Pei Susu could treat him with such coldness.

Pei Susu could feel his clinging, sticky gaze on her, and a wave of revulsion swept over her. Why, of all people, did she have to run into Liang Wenru after Fu Zhichen left?

She had had enough of his pestering; even in such a crowded place, she could hardly conceal her disgust.

Meanwhile, Fu Zhichen was on his way back to the company when he received a message from Fu Yanyue. His eyes grew icy.

“President Fu, we’ve been targeting Xingye for some time now. By rights, for the Fu Group, Xingye is just a moderately sized company—there’s no reason it should be able to hold out for this long.”

This did seem odd. The secretary continued, “The most likely explanation is that someone else, with resources and understanding of our company, is supporting Xingye. They’ve blocked all our attempts so far.”

“They’ve even gotten involved with our competitors—their recent projects are thriving.”

Someone who knew the Fu Group well, and could still side with Liang Wenru…

Fu Zhichen lowered his gaze, quickly settling on a name.

“Investigate Luo Yuan. Find out if she’s working at Xingye now.”

Although Luo Yuan had already been dismissed, she knew the Fu Group inside and out. Her tactics were more numerous than anyone imagined, and she was far cleverer than Liang Wenru or Chu Qingzhu. If she was behind this, well, that explained everything.

“Yes, President Pei. I’ll have someone look into it right away.”

Even before the investigation began, Fu Zhichen was almost certain it was Luo Yuan. Only she would have the leisure and ingenuity to help Xingye strategize.

Watching the scenery shift outside the window, Fu Zhichen’s expression darkened.

He had only been gone a short while, and already Liang Wenru had latched on like a leech. But just now, a batch of products at the company had run into trouble; he had to return and resolve the issue before he could come back.

Fortunately, Mo Qingyu and Fu Yanyue were still at the auction—they would make sure Pei Susu wouldn’t be wronged.

...

Pei Susu, for her part, made sure she suffered no disadvantage. Liang Wenru was no match for her—her sharp tongue was second to none.

Liang Wenru tried to interject at every turn, but Pei Susu deftly sidestepped him, leaving him entirely excluded from any conversation.

No matter how much he wanted to speak, he was powerless.

To everyone’s relief, the second half of the auction soon began.

Mo Qingyu, who had endured long enough, saw that the other collaborators had gradually drifted away, leaving only a few of them. She shot a mocking look at Liang Wenru. “You’re not trying to win Susu back at all. You’re humiliating her in public—you’re only thinking of yourself.”

“You don’t care about Susu. You just need her—need someone who once cared for you, but now refuses you—to salvage your fragile self-esteem.”

Mo Qingyu’s words were merciless, but Liang Wenru, face flushed, didn’t dare retort.

The reason was simple: he knew Mo Qingyu’s background well—he couldn’t afford to cross her, or he’d be inviting disaster for Xingye. Yet inwardly, he still bristled with resentment.

This time, he truly had woken up. Even if no one believed him, he really wanted to treat Pei Susu well. Sooner or later, he would win her back, and then everyone else would be left looking like fools.

“Let’s go, Susu. No point wasting time on someone like him.”

Pei Susu’s invitation was a black-gold one—naturally of the highest tier, since Fu Zhichen had arranged it. Liang Wenru couldn’t follow her and could only slink back to his seat.

Mo Qingyu, Pei Susu, and Fu Yanyue walked away together.

“Susu, we finally shook off that persistent barnacle,” Fu Yanyue breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought we’d end up wasting a lot of time on him—thank goodness he didn’t qualify for this section.”

Pei Susu couldn’t help but laugh.

In truth, Fu Yanyue had no real entanglement with Liang Wenru; she simply stood firmly on Pei Susu’s side. Was everyone in Fu Zhichen’s family like this?

“Don’t worry—even if he stayed by my side, he’d never get the better of me.”

The Pei Susu of today was no longer the one Liang Wenru remembered.

Fu Yanyue nodded.

Mo Qingyu added from the side, “I’m heading back to my seat. My old man asked me to bid for an antique for him—I’m here on a mission. If I don’t get it, he’ll be furious.”

Pei Susu quickly nodded. “Go ahead. I’m fine here.”

With a slight nod, Mo Qingyu departed, leaving only Fu Yanyue at her side. When Pei Susu turned to look at her, Fu Yanyue gave an awkward smile, then a hint of apology appeared on her face.