At such close proximity, he could catch the faint and elegant aroma of men’s cologne emanating from Chu Yan’s neck, sense the sudden disruption in his breath, and even catch a glimpse of the faint blush that slowly surfaced on his transparent and fair face due to his own proximity. Perhaps due to his exceptionally fair complexion, even the faint pink color wasn’t very pronounced, yet it was still easily discernible…
The teasing emotion in Shen Muchuan’s eyes dissipated, and his gaze gradually grew more serious. However, just a moment later, he slowly straightened up.
“So… I actually don’t want to see a situation like this either. But since my dear brother has always been unwilling to let go of these things, I have no choice but to handle it this way.”
The warmth beside his ear abruptly receded, causing Chu Yan’s long eyelashes to flutter gently. His breath remained slightly uneven, and after a brief moment of composure, he spoke, “Are you trying to acquire the shares in my hands?”
As Shen Muchuan watched Chu Yan’s expression gradually return to a calm and expressionless state, an inexplicable sense of regret flickered through his heart. It was as if his earlier behavior had been a mere illusion.
Thinking back to just now, Shen Muchuan raised an eyebrow and said, “That’s right, it was like that before.”
“Alright…”
Shen Muchuan stared into his eyes, his smile growing slightly as he interrupted, “However, I’ve changed my mind now, because I’ve realized that this alone is far from enough.”
Chu Yan’s gaze showed a slight hint of surprise, but he remained silent.
In his line of sight, Shen Muchuan took a step forward, directly placing a hand on his slender shoulder with a firm grip that made his veins pop out: “After all, my dear brother, what you owe me is far more than just that.”
His grip was strong, almost as if he intended to crush the person’s shoulder blade bones with his force alone.
Chu Yan let out a stifled groan from the pain and abruptly turned his head to look at Shen Muchuan. He saw an icy-cold expression on his entire face, and his eyes were filled with deep-seated hatred. For a moment, he found himself frozen in place.
As Shen Muchuan observed his pained expression, a sensation akin to venomous pleasure surged up from the depths of his heart. This feeling spread through his nerves in an instant, coursing through his entire body and marrow. Unconsciously, the taut muscles in his hand relaxed slightly.
Shen Muchuan slowly withdrew his hand, watching him calmly as he said, “I will personally retrieve each and every one of these things from you. So, dear brother, it’s not a matter of ‘wanting’ them, because… they already belong to me.”
…
Life in the detention center was plain and harsh, but fortunately, both of them understood that their stay wouldn’t be long. Consequently, they refrained from causing trouble for each other.
However, the food in the facility was so poor that it almost made him question if he had traveled back to the previous century. Breakfast consisted of steamed buns with rice porridge, and for lunch and dinner, they were served boiled cabbage with rice.
Well, it was a meal experience that made one question life itself…
Thankfully, bail was finally granted three days later. On the day of his release from the police station, his assistant, Lin Yu, came to pick him up.
Lin Yu noticed that his complexion wasn’t great, but he refrained from asking the questions that had crossed his mind. After all, Mr. Qiao wouldn’t be the kind of person to treat him like this over the years.
His emotions were telling him one thing, but his rationality was causing an inner struggle. Many people in the company had heard the rumors—back when Mr. Shen and Mrs. Shen were in a car accident, he was the only adopted son by their side, while Shen Muchuan, the biological son, didn’t show up until the funeral. Later on, Qiao Yue took over the Shen family. Although the family name was still Shen after all these years, did it really matter? Qiao Yue held the real power.
The hidden intricacies behind this were certainly intriguing and thought-provoking.
“Mr. Qiao, several directors in the company heard that you were released today. They’ve requested to hold a board meeting tomorrow. Also, Director Fang has been looking for me several times during your absence. He’s been trying to get me to hand over the project files directly to him, both overtly and covertly.”
“They certainly have their sources,” chuckled Chu Yan as he took the phone from Lin Yu. Turning it on, he confirmed that there had been many missed calls.
Lin Yu kept his composure and carefully asked, “I’ve been stalling them these few days. But that project has always been under your direct management. However, during this time…”
“Not giving them the files is the right decision. His ambitions are too grand and his abilities are lacking. This project is crucial for the company, and it can’t be left in his hands.”
Lin Yu nodded in agreement.
After replying to the emails, Chu Yan lowered his head to fasten his seatbelt. Then he lifted his gaze and calmly said, “However, I have been stretched thin these past few days. As for Mr. Gao’s side, you can continue to handle that.”
Hearing this, Lin Yu practically widened his eyes in disbelief and exclaimed, “Mr. Qiao, how can that be?”
Seeing his reaction, Chu Yan smiled and said, “Why not? You’ve been handling this project all along, and I believe you’ll do much better than him.”
Lin Yu’s lips moved, looking at Chu Yan, who was sitting in the passenger seat. He wanted to say something more, but in the end, nothing came out.
…
The next day, the shareholders’ meeting was held. Director Fang not only aimed to take control of the project in the southwestern region through this opportunity but also proposed to re-elect the members of the board of directors. His intention behind this move was essentially to weaken Chu Yan’s control within the board of directors and seize the chance while Chu Yan was preoccupied to remove him from his position.
After the meeting concluded that day, as Chu Yan walked out of the conference room, he bumped into Lin Yu, who was waiting at the door.
Lin Yu seemed to have rushed over and hadn’t caught his breath yet: “Mr. Chu, your office…”
After waiting for a while and still not hearing an explanation from Lin Yu, Chu Yan furrowed his brows and bypassed him, striding towards his office.
The office door was slightly ajar. As Chu Yan stepped in, he felt a rush of wind coming towards him. Before he could even see clearly, he was forcefully slammed against the wall behind him.
“Ugh—”
Shen Muchuan pressed up close, covering his mouth with his hand, and spoke in a low, hoarse voice with a malicious smile. His tone carried a hint of warning, “Don’t make a sound, unless you want everyone outside to hear.”
Chu Yan grabbed his wrist and pulled down forcefully, thinking it would take a lot of effort, but surprisingly, the grip was released easily.
After catching his breath for a moment, Chu Yan raised his eyes and looked at Shen Muchuan coldly, asking, “What do you want to do?”
Shen Muchuan smiled and calmly used his hand to fix Chu Yan’s disheveled hair from their struggle. His expression and tone carried a hint of innocence, “What do I want to do? Of course, I just wanted to see my brother, so I came to check on you…”
For a brief moment, Chu Yan seemed lost in thought. Then, he cleared his throat and lowered his head, his voice carrying a hint of indistinct meaning, “Do you believe what you just said?”
After uttering these words, Chu Yan pushed him aside and walked around him to the desk, bending down to pick up the documents that had fallen to the ground.
Shen Muchuan leaned against the door, his gaze falling on Chu Yan’s back and waistline, which appeared particularly graceful due to his bent posture. It was a truly elegant curve.
Thinking along those lines, Shen Muchuan stood up straight, walked over to the leather sofa on the opposite side of the desk, and took a seat.
Chu Yan placed the documents on the desk and then turned his head to see Shen Muchuan sitting on the sofa, gazing at him with a casual and composed look.
At that moment, a knocking sound came from the door. Lin Yu entered the room and was quite taken aback by the harmonious scene before him. He even doubted whether he had misheard something earlier, as the commotion inside had been so intense that he thought the two individuals had almost started fighting the moment they met. He was actually considering whether or not to call security.
“President Shen,” Lin Yu said as he placed a cup of coffee on the coffee table in front of Shen Muchuan.
Shen Muchuan picked up the coffee from the table and took a sip, then complimented, “Not bad.”
Although he was giving a compliment, his tone sounded chilly and oddly sarcastic.
Lin Yu was momentarily taken aback.
Chu Yan gestured with his hand to signal Lin Yu to leave the room first.
Inside the office, only two people remained, and the air seemed to be on the brink of stillness due to the silence.
Shen Muchuan appeared to be genuinely focused on drinking his coffee, but his gaze swept around the office.
However, a sense of mockery couldn’t help but rise in him. It was fortunate that he was willing to pretend for so many years in front of him, all for the sake of this.
Chu Yan retrieved a document from the desk, stood up, and walked to the side of the sofa, bending down to place it in front of Shen Muchuan.
In his gaze, Chu Yan slowly spoke, “Transferring fifty-five percent of the shares, including a list of my personal assets, real estate, and bank accounts. If you have any questions or doubts, you can directly consult my lawyer.”
Shen Muchuan flipped through the document and chuckled, “This doesn’t seem like your style, elder brother. How come you’re getting scared after just a few days in detention?”
Chu Yan neither confirmed nor denied, looking at him calmly, “Is there something wrong with me being cautious?”
“Right, what’s wrong with being cautious?” Shen Muchuan closed the document and smiled, “I just said earlier that I came today purely to see you, nothing more. As for these matters…”
“I think it’s better to wait for the trial and let the court make the judgment directly…”
Just doing this isn’t enough, right? If he didn’t have absolute certainty, he probably wouldn’t have done it like this. After all, he has never felt he’s done anything wrong. His current state is merely driven by fear.
Fear… Shen Muchuan suddenly found it ironic. A person who has done so many bad things, who has been ruthless to the point of cruelty, could actually feel afraid?
Seemingly, he meant that he wasn’t going to withdraw the lawsuit. Chu Yan fell silent for a while, seemingly unsure of what else to say.
Shen Muchuan tossed the documents onto the coffee table, gazing at Chu Yan. The smile in his eyes held no warmth, “Brother, do you have time to have a meal together later? After all, it’s been a whole five years since we last met…”
His tone was highly sarcastic, yet it was surprising that Chu Yan either didn’t catch on or reacted differently. Unexpectedly, his expression didn’t turn angry due to those words. Instead, it appeared deeply complex.
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