Chapter 043: Rivalry and Internal Discord

This story is entirely fictional.

When Lu Jiahui looked over, he saw that the newcomer was none other than Dai Yunjian, the favored confidant at President Gao’s side. Sensing trouble, he immediately called a halt. “Let go, everyone! Mr. Dai has told us to stop—didn’t you hear?” Dai Yunjian’s demeanor changed at once. “Everyone, disperse and get back to your business.”

Hearing Jiahui’s order, the underlings immediately ceased their actions.

Xiao Yi, seeing that it was the “uncle” who had arrived, couldn’t conceal her excitement; her eyes lit up in astonishment. Emboldened by her drunkenness, she threw her arms around Dai Yunjian’s neck and cooed, “Uncle, I finally get to see you.” With that, her head drooped, whether from genuine intoxication or feigned sleep, it was hard to tell.

Dai Yunjian, confronted with the overwhelming smell of alcohol on the girl’s breath, felt unsettled. Waving away the fumes, he addressed the henchmen, “Take this girl to my room. Let her rest for a while, and once she’s recovered, send her away.”

Lu Jiahui’s men glanced at him, uncertain whether or not to comply. Jiahui understood at once. “Hurry up and take her to Mr. Dai’s room! Don’t you even know the hierarchy around here? President Gao is our boss now, and Mr. Dai comes second—do you get that?”

“Yes, yes, we’ll do as you say.” The henchmen then carried Xiao Yi off toward Dai Yunjian’s suite.

~~~~~~

Chi Zhaoming massaged Dujuan for a while, and she felt much relieved.

“Earlier, when I went to tuck our son in, I noticed he might have been dreaming. He was probably dreaming about us buying a house—he was smiling in his sleep. I’ve rarely seen him so happy, which shows just how much he longs for his own space, a place that will foster his learning and growth. We have to do everything we can to fulfill this wish for him. Honestly, in our circumstances, it’s rare to find a family with a child his age who still doesn’t have his own room. That’s why I’m so scared—scared that this great hope of his might be dashed by our shortfall. If that happened, he’d be so disappointed.” Dujuan’s voice was slow and gentle, quite unlike her usual self.

Zhaoming knew how deeply Dujuan cared about their son’s wish. Her words were moving, and they carried him along with their sentiment. He listened attentively, nodding in agreement with each sentence.

“So what should we do? I know you never ask for help from anyone. Even if you really want something but can’t afford it, you won’t spend irrationally, and you certainly wouldn’t ask others for help to satisfy a desire. Whether it’s relatives or friends, you can’t bring yourself to do it. So, let’s simplify a complicated problem.” Zhaoming suggested.

“How do you propose we simplify it? Tell me.” Dujuan shifted her body upright against the headboard, eyes shining with hope as she turned to Zhaoming.

“My idea isn’t anything special—there’s really only one place we can turn to for help, only one.” Zhaoming emphasized his point, holding up his index finger.

“Where?” Dujuan nudged Zhaoming’s arm. “Don’t keep me in suspense! I’m dying to know, dear!” she said coquettishly.

“I’ve thought about it—if there’s any hope, it’s with your family. They’re the only ones with the means to help.” Zhaoming replied.

~~~~~~

When the henchmen brought Xiao Yi to the hotel room, Dai Yunjian didn’t return with them; he stayed in the bar, watching the guests.

After escorting Xiao Yi to Dai Yunjian’s room, the henchmen returned to Lu Jiahui.

Lu Jiahui seethed with resentment, blaming Dai Yunjian for ruining his plans. He was so angry, he could have killed Dai Yunjian on the spot.

Sensing his boss’s fury, one henchman tried to please Lu Jiahui. “Boss, just say the word—how do you want to vent your anger? That guy only just arrived at our company and he’s already so favored. None of us can accept it! What makes him deserve to be second-in-command? Our Mr. Leng, poor guy, has admired President Gao for so long, but never got so much as a scrap, and now he’s got nothing but trouble for his efforts. We all feel for Mr. Leng.”

“Who’s talking behind my back?” Leng Junfeng suddenly appeared before the henchmen. “I heard you mention my name—are you bad-mouthing me?”

“We wouldn’t dare! We’re actually standing up for you, sir.” The henchmen quickly replied.

“Oh? And how exactly are you standing up for me?” Leng Junfeng asked with a smile.

“We were just saying how that Dai Yunjian—he’s stolen your thunder ever since he joined Dahe. We can’t figure out why President Gao relies on him so much. Business clients, lucrative deals—they all go to Dai Yunjian now. You used to be second only to the boss, but now Dai Yunjian gets all the benefits. We just can’t understand why you seem unfazed by all this. Sure, you might let money matters slide, but he’s taken your woman and now he’s even claimed a girl I liked for himself. Just now, a sure thing was snatched away by him too, sent straight to his room. That guy really wants to have his cake and eat it too.” One of the henchmen tried to curry favor with Leng Junfeng.

~~~~~~~

When Zhaoming suggested that Dujuan ask her parents for help, she spoke with a hint of irritation. “Why don’t you ever mention your own family? Whenever there’s trouble, your family just stands back and never offers to help. When we got married, they only bought a TV—all the rest of the dowry was from my family. Even the renovations were handled and paid for by my father. Your family did nothing. Have you forgotten all that? Now that we’re in need, you don’t even tell them what we’re going through. Instead, you want me to go to my family for help? Isn’t that a bit much, darling?” Dujuan rattled off her grievances at Zhaoming.

Zhaoming smiled at her. “You know how it is—our family is dirt poor, barely scraping by in a remote village. My parents are old and frail, with no real income.” There was a note of resentment in his voice as he described his hometown’s poverty.

“Yes, yes, your village is poorer than the mountains themselves. It took years just to get electricity. If I still had any hopes for your family, I’d be delusional. But that doesn’t mean you should turn to my family!” Dujuan shook her head in disapproval. “Besides, haven’t you heard the saying? A married daughter is like water poured out—my parents are getting old, and they have no obligation to keep supporting us with both money and effort. Your sister only took care of Xiyu for a little while before she ran back home. The nannies we hired never lasted, and Xiyu was always falling ill. My parents really did the heavy lifting raising him, through thick and thin. Now that you finally look after him yourself, you want to ask them for money? Have you no gratitude?” Dujuan grumbled on and on, venting her frustration.

“I was only suggesting a possible solution—why get so worked up? It’s just an idea, not a demand. You could at least talk to them; maybe it’ll work out,” Zhaoming replied, still gentle and patient.

Dujuan realized she might have been too harsh. Yet Zhaoming remained cheerful and gentle, never losing his temper. Reflecting on her son’s wish, she thought perhaps her husband’s idea was worth a try. After all, it was easier to ask her own parents than outsiders; at least it wouldn’t be so humiliating. “Alright, I’ll go talk to my parents first thing in the morning. We’ll see what they think before making a decision,” she finally agreed.

~~~~~~

“What’s going on? You said a girl was sent to his room? When did this happen?” Leng Junfeng asked, anxious to know the details.

“Just now—we took the girl to his room. From what we saw, she seems to like Dai Yunjian, and with such a good opportunity, he won’t let it slip by,” the henchman emphasized.

In truth, Leng Junfeng was well aware of Dai Yunjian’s relationship with President Gao. He recalled the information he’d gotten from Ghostface’s surveillance that night—Dai Yunjian was President Gao’s lover, brought over from MC, and they lived together in a secret villa in Hexi, spending their days in sweet seclusion.

Every time he thought of this, Leng Junfeng’s anger flared, and he’d been looking for a chance to get even. Now, finally, the opportunity had arrived.

He reasoned that, given the current situation, Dai Yunjian probably wouldn’t dare touch the girl. But then he thought, what if he twisted the truth and reported otherwise—how would President Gao react?

With a sly smile, he whispered something in Lu Jiahui’s ear, then left the bar.

Meanwhile, in Gao Yating’s office, she was on a call with Will from headquarters. The conversation revolved around problems that had arisen during the first matches of the World Football Championship in the HZ region, including issues at Dahe. Just recently, the police had raided a betting spot in a garden and arrested several customers. Will instructed Gao Yating to contact Ma Shengwei to pull some strings and get those people released. She listened attentively, nodding as she took in Will’s instructions.

As soon as she hung up, Lu Jiahui appeared before her. “Shouldn’t you be overseeing the venue? What brings you here?”

“President Gao, I have a report—Mr. Leng sent me. He’s currently in Dai Yunjian’s hotel room, discussing how to handle some issues at Dahe. He wants you to join them if you’re available.”

Dai Yunjian had been sitting in the bar for quite a while; everything seemed as calm as usual. At that moment, his phone rang—it was the hotel front desk.

“Mr. Dai, there’s a disturbance in your room—someone’s breaking things. Please come up immediately to check for any safety issues.”

“I’ll be right there,” Dai Yunjian replied.

When he reached his room, he found the girl who had been brought in earlier in the midst of a drunken rampage, smashing things so loudly the whole hotel could hear. He strode forward and grabbed her wrist, but at that moment her legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor, with Dai Yunjian nearly falling on top of her.