I'm Pregnant With My Arch-Nemesis's Child - Chapter 6

As soon as Lu Huai entered the room, his gaze collided with Chi Yuan’s. The emotion in the other man’s eyes was far too complex. Lu Huai froze for a few seconds before instinctively quickening his pace to mask his reaction.

Seeing this, the secretary immediately vacated the position directly facing Chi Yuan, yielding the spot of “person in charge” to Lu Huai.

Lu Huai sat down with ease, yet he noticed that Chi Yuan was still frowning and staring intently at him. When he looked back, Chi Yuan unnaturally lowered his eyes to look away. It was not at all like Chi Yuan’s usual personality.

He gave his secretary an inquisitive look, trying to figure out what had just happened, only to hear the Xinming representative begin to speak.

“Now that President Lu is here, should we proceed to the next step?”

Chi Yuan gave a faint hum of agreement. Ever since Lu Huai had walked in, he had felt uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because their auras simply clashed.

That is true, he thought with a trace of sarcasm. It seemed that for all these years, whenever they occupied the same space, the atmosphere turned bizarre.

Let it be bizarre. The two of them would likely never bury the hatchet in this lifetime.

Chi Yuan lifted his phoenix-like eyes and scrutinized Lu Huai, catching a glimpse of the man’s lingering paleness. Recalling the confirmation he had received while probing Lu Huai’s secretary earlier, he spent a long time deliberating on how to express his concern. However, the moment the words left his lips, they naturally transformed into a jab. “It is hard work for President Lu to be managing affairs while dragging a sick body around.”

Lu Huai’s lashes fluttered imperceptibly. He chuckled softly. “Compared to the exhaustion of President Chi’s daily laborious efforts in management, my condition is hardly worth mentioning.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the tension between them turned icy. They stared at each other, as if their gazes were infused with fire, ready for a confrontation.

Lu Huai held the standoff for a moment before noticing that Chi Yuan seemed to have realized something. The other man’s posture suddenly relaxed, and he withdrew his challenging gaze, looking quite unnatural as he pushed the file toward Lu Huai with his chin slightly raised.

“The latest proposal.”

Lu Huai watched Chi Yuan’s shift in attitude with surprise. A thank you sat on the tip of his tongue, but he hesitated to say it. He feared that given Chi Yuan’s awkward demeanor, the other man would interpret it as provocation, so he simply took the file with a restrained expression.

“Since that is the case, let us speak plainly.” The Xinming representative, fearing further complications and unwilling to bear the risk, wanted to end the meeting quickly. “Surely President Lu and President Chi can both see the development potential of this project. If managed properly, the profits will be immeasurable.”

The representative shifted in his seat nervously and coughed. “Xinming truly wishes to cooperate with both of you. We firmly believe that mutual benefit is the only way to go far, do you not agree?”

It all came down to this. Lu Huai found it laughable. Seeing the sycophantic expression of the Xinming side, he began to wonder if Chi Yuan had been pulling strings behind the scenes, or if someone had been too greedy and sought out Chi Yuan themselves. It was likely the latter.

If it truly was the latter, Lu Huai’s gloomy mood improved significantly. His initial state of malaise softened into something manageable. He glanced at Chi Yuan without a trace, a strange emotion stirring within him, before quickly looking away.

He had no intention of fighting for Xinming; letting it go to Chi Yuan was not a bad idea. He had just returned to the country, and Chi Yuan likely understood the market better than he did. Perhaps the project would yield better results under his direction, and besides, the Star River Entertainment project was already enough to exhaust his energy.

“I do not think there is anything left to discuss.” Lu Huai’s smile did not reach his eyes, making the representative tremble. He pointed to the profit margin in the draft proposal. “I believe this is the most appropriate figure.”

It was difficult to counter Lu Huai when he was in full control. Chi Yuan watched from the side, finding it hard to comprehend why Lu Huai’s famous affectionate peach-blossom eyes could turn into blades that chilled everyone to the bone.

Chi Yuan did not intervene or interrupt. He was not stupid; he could see what Xinming was trying to pull. His answer was the same as Lu Huai’s. He would not concede a single percentage point. However, Chi Yuan recalled Lu Huai’s words and curled his lips in a smile. He would probably have phrased it more tactfully.

Regardless, it seemed his act of stealing Lu Huai’s business was about to become official.

The Xinming representative wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking completely at a loss.

“This…”

Seeing Xinming turn their focus to him, Chi Yuan felt the other party was truly naive. If he had to sacrifice the Chi Corporation’s interests just to pry a deal away from Lu Huai, they had underestimated him. He had merely intended to rob the burning house from the start.

But he had not expected Lu Huai to be so cooperative.

Chi Yuan seemed to understand something suddenly, his eyes darkening. He interrupted the representative’s attempt to smooth things over, directing his gaze straight at Lu Huai.

“President Lu is truly more magnanimous than I imagined.”

Seeing the other man’s expression change, Lu Huai looked at Chi Yuan’s mocking smile and frowned. “What have I done to offend you now?”

His tone was tinged with a mild helplessness, sounding as if he were indulging a brat looking for trouble.

Chi Yuan’s expression soured further. Having been rivals for so many years, Chi Yuan considered himself familiar with Lu Huai. The man was competitive; if he were even slightly weaker than Chi Yuan, he would not have fought for so many years without ceasing. Chi Yuan had imagined many ways Lu Huai might handle this. He had expected to expend great effort in maneuvering, yet he never imagined Lu Huai would just throw the deal to him so lightly.

Lu Huai must have a contingency plan.

Chi Yuan concluded inwardly. So, he had come in person just to put on a show with him? This man was truly as vicious as ever.

Feeling irritated, the unpleasant memories of his recent encounters with Lu Huai resurfaced. How could he forget that in their first meeting since reuniting, he had been forced to dance a hot dance? Although he had returned the favor with a glass of wine, they were even.

The look he cast toward Lu Huai grew even more heated. Chi Yuan thought to himself, I was actually worried about his health just a moment ago. He responded with sarcasm: Who does Lu Huai think he is, to deserve my concern?

Lu Huai noticed the shifting emotions in Chi Yuan’s eyes, emotions he could not quite decipher, and felt a pang of disappointment. He pressed his lips together, guessing that Chi Yuan had realized the situation.

But he never confirmed unresolved matters, and he was exceptionally good at keeping his composure until everything was set in stone. He stared steadily at Chi Yuan’s face, thinking bitterly that this attitude was likely the same in every aspect of their relationship.

The two were occupied with their own ulterior motives, guessing each other’s inner thoughts, which left the Xinming representative in a state of terror. He had spoken with Chi Yuan over the phone previously and assumed achieving his goal would be easy. After offending Lu Huai and seeing his subtle signals being intentionally ignored, he finally realized he had been trapped.

Dividing the profits was a small matter now. If the project were to be interrupted because he failed to secure a partnership with either the Lu or Chi Corporations, the consequences would be dire.

He could not let this happen on his watch. Just as he grew anxious, he heard Lu Huai speak, though not to him.

“A gentleman promotes the success of others. Besides…” Lu Huai paused slightly. “I have indeed been negligent. Consider it losing a bet.”

The words were true. If he had not been nursing his pride and drinking, he would not have ended up in the hospital, and the contract would have been signed long ago, leaving no room for Xinming to think he had other considerations and flip sides. But more deeply, Lu Huai lowered his eyes to hide his emotions. He simply did not want Chi Yuan to continue pestering him. His matters with Star River required careful handling; if any clues were revealed, running into Chi Yuan would only invite trouble.

Regardless of the reasoning behind Lu Huai’s words, the phrase “losing a bet” left Chi Yuan stunned. He sensed a hint of submission, but how could Lu Huai ever submit? Had the past two years changed him?

Although Chi Yuan did not believe Lu Huai was genuinely admitting defeat, he had to admit he was pacified by those words. It was like finally having something he had been brooding over placed in his hands; even if he did not understand why, he was happy to hold onto it without letting go.

Furthermore, Chi Yuan studied Lu Huai’s face. He could see that the “negligence” behind those casual words was the result of the man being hospitalized after he had poured wine on him. Calculating the timeline, it was the day after the incident. Chi Yuan unconsciously rubbed his nose. He guessed it still had something to do with him. Perhaps he had grown soft after two years of not clashing with him. He actually felt a little guilty.

But it was only a little guilt. Chi Yuan did not respond to Lu Huai. He turned his sharp, phoenix-like eyes toward the ignored Xinming representative. “Did you hear that clearly?”

He smiled, but his words were absolute. “It seems Xinming will have a hard time cooperating with the Lu Corporation this time. As for me, I have suddenly had some new thoughts. Why do we not discuss this in detail in a few days?”

The Xinming representative realized this was the worst-case scenario. He panicked completely but had to maintain his composure. He stood up straight and managed a strained smile. “Very well. We will wait for President Chi to decide before we continue.”

Watching them disappear, Lu Huai, preoccupied with the Star River deal, prepared to leave. He looked toward Chi Yuan, torn between whether or not to say goodbye.

“I…”

“Wait.”

Both spoke at once, then stopped simultaneously.

Their respective secretaries were shocked by the bizarre scene, glancing at each other and recalling previous rumors, fearing that Lu Huai and Chi Yuan would suddenly find each other intolerable and start a fight.

They moved closer, hoping to clean up the aftermath immediately.

Lu Huai had not expected Chi Yuan to speak. His naturally bright peach-blossom eyes sparkled with an indescribable, flattered delight. Chi Yuan stared, momentarily losing his focus.

“Lu Huai, thanks.”

Unlike his previous barbed remarks, this thanks sounded strangely stiff. Lu Huai found it amusing, but seeing Chi Yuan’s stubborn gaze, he knew it was sincere.

The thanks was rather unprompted, and the others in the room looked confused by the reversal. Weren’t they supposed to be rivals?

But Chi Yuan knew Lu Huai would understand.

Lu Huai had cut off Xinming’s escape route, leaving him room to seize the profits. Others might not understand, but Lu Huai certainly did.

Sure enough, Chi Yuan saw Lu Huai smile at him, accepting the gratitude calmly.

“You are welcome.”

It was just that he did not want the man to be in a bad mood once he finally discovered the truth.