Rules of Civility - Chapter 7

Deng Su played a few rounds of casual mini-games.

The WeChat mini-program still featured several highly playable casual puzzle games. They required no downloads and no payments, and you could play them the moment you tapped in. The only downside was that you had to watch advertisements.

After finishing this round of casual games, Deng Su was just about to start another one to match wits with his opponent on the chessboard when he suddenly looked up and saw two figures emerging from inside. The person had accompanied Shao Yiqing all the way out to the underground parking garage.

Deng Su hurriedly stepped out of the car.

He walked over, folded his hands together, and called out, “President Shao.”

Shao Yiqing introduced him to Du Dezhong: “This is my driver and lifestyle assistant, Deng Su, Xiao Deng. And this beside me is the Chief Financial Officer of the Xiangjiang Financial Bureau. You can call him Uncle Du.”

“Hello, Uncle Du,” Deng Su extended a hand with a smile and said, “I had no idea who President Shao had been preparing to visit for days in advance, but now I finally understand.”

Shao Yiqing smiled, and Du Dezhong smiled as well. He shook Deng Su’s hand and said to Shao Yiqing, “This young man is so full of energy, just like you, President Shao, carrying such an aura of distinction.”

“I wouldn’t dare. President Shao outperforms me in every possible way from the inside out; I don’t have an ounce of confidence in front of him.”

Du Dezhong said, “Ah, don’t say that. You have one advantage that your President Shao will never catch up to.”

Deng Su looked at Du Dezhong in bewilderment.

“Youth!”

With that, all three of them burst out laughing.

“Right? No matter how striking your President Shao is, his age has caught up. Everyone is equal before the passage of time; you can’t refuse to admit that,” Du Dezhong looked at Shao Yiqing. “Do you admit it, Yiqing?”

“How could I not? My kid is almost as tall as I am. Why would I still try to live off my youth? I acknowledged old age long ago.” After saying this, Shao Yiqing instructed Deng Su: “Go get the car.”

Du Dezhong said, “Look at you. You really haven’t changed a bit since the first time I met you.”

“Not changed? Back in Beijing, what was I anyway? Just a wet-behind-the-ears punk.”

“Don’t put it that way. Back then, you were truly young, truly dashing, especially when you were seventeen,” Du Dezhong added earnestly. “Truly outrageously handsome.”

Shao Yiqing’s most unrestrained and glorious days would forever remain rooted in his seventeen-year-old self in the capital city.

“I had almost forgotten myself, yet you still remember my seventeenth year,” Shao Yiqing smiled. For a past that he was beginning to blur out, having someone else remember it on his behalf really called for a word of thanks.

Du Dezhong said, “How could I forget? I remember you better than I remember my own son.”

So dazzling, a true favored child of the heavens. Everything that other Omegas possessed or lacked, everything ordinary people did or did not have, had all been partially bestowed upon Shao Yiqing by God.

Deng Su drove the Kia out.

Catching sight of the vehicle, Du Dezhong asked, “Why are you driving this kind of car?”

Shao Yiqing looked puzzled. “Isn’t it pretty good?”

Du Dezhong said, “Keeping a low profile is fine, but it doesn’t quite match your status. You’d better drive something more imposing.”

“This isn’t Beijing anymore. It’s fine as long as it gets the job done.” Shao Yiqing stepped forward, turned around, and extended a hand. “Uncle Du, thank you for your help this time. Zhuocheng mentioned that you’ve recently taken an interest in live-action roleplay performances? When you have time, perhaps you can take me along to broaden my horizons.”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t be interested. Over here in Xiangjiang, those shows all start after four in the afternoon. Wouldn’t you and the others be busy by then?”

“A boss can slack off occasionally; you can’t just wither away in an office. Besides, I never had that kind of towering ambition anyway; life is just as important to work as far as I’m concerned.”

“You really should maintain that mindset, it’s great to keep it up. Why don’t we set a date for another time then?” Du Dezhong also belonged to the group of people who liked to fish in troubled waters. He never paid much attention to the affairs of the Financial Bureau anyway; after so many years, he had grown weary of everything. His guiding principle was simply to muddle through well enough so that those above wouldn’t find any faults.

“Alright, it’s a deal. I won’t disturb you any longer, as I still have some business back at the company.” Shao Yiqing bid farewell to Du Dezhong. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two parted ways in the underground parking garage.

Du Dezhong gazed at Shao Yiqing’s retreating figure. That Kia parked not far away was a decent car for an ordinary person, but for someone of Shao Yiqing’s status, it seemed rather lacking in prestige. Perhaps he really was falling on hard times. Back when he was radiant and dazzling, Du Dezhong couldn’t even touch a single hair on Shao Yiqing’s head, and it was only now when things weren’t going entirely his way that he could offer a helpful push and leave a deep impression.

After all, people universally spurn those who add flowers to embroidery, while praising those who deliver charcoal in the snow.

Secretly, Du Dezhong issued a strict command to himself: tomorrow’s matter had to be handled flawlessly.

The peeking in the rearview mirror was endless.

Shao Yiqing unfastened the silk scarf tied around his neck and tossed it beside him. His low-cut inner shirt revealed a large expanse of skin. He adjusted to a comfortable sitting posture and said in a low voice, “Ask whatever you want.”

Deng Su, who had been holding it in the whole way, finally let out a breath. “Nothing, President Shao, I just think you’re incredible.”

“What’s so incredible about it?”

“You’ve managed to step onto the Sheng family’s stepping stone.” Deng Su hadn’t even fully figured things out yet, but Shao Yiqing had already nailed the matter down. He couldn’t untangle all of Shao Yiqing’s connections and had underestimated his network, genuinely thinking this was a dead end. It seemed he needed to change his perspective.

“I haven’t actually met the person yet, so success isn’t guaranteed. I only have a seven-tenths certainty of success, so don’t go ahead and consume those seven-tenths for me in advance.” An upset could happen right at the final hurdle, and before the ball was kicked into the net, it was taboo to open the champagne at halftime.

Besides, his understanding of the Sheng family’s helm figure was still superficial, and assumptions about preferences could easily be off base, meaning there was still plenty of legwork to do. The conditions required for one hundred percent success were still lacking.

Hearing this, Deng Su agreed, “Right, I got too excited. Things aren’t over yet, so we shouldn’t celebrate too early.”

This car trip headed straight toward the company, where Shao Yiqing had an appointment. Upon returning to the company, a woman waiting there looked like she was sitting on pins and needles. The moment Shao Yiqing returned, he spotted her at the entrance of his office, and his secretary immediately hurried over to relay the message: “President Shao, she has been here for a long time, saying she’s from Lingrui.”

“I know,” Shao Yiqing said. “Bring two cups of coffee to my office, and tell Zhou Wenbin that the Menghai project is suspended; have their project manager come to my office in half an hour.”

The secretary nodded. “Understood.”

As Shao Yiqing approached his office, the woman caught sight of him and hurriedly stood up. Shao Yiqing glanced at the documents she was holding in her arms and said, “Come in and let’s talk.”

The woman looked around left and right, then pushed the door closed with light, cautious movements.

“I don’t know how Xu Mingfu talked with you, but at most, I can help Lingrui buy some time; it’s impossible to completely bring it back from the dead. As you can see, what I run here is just a small workshop, and I have no qualifications to go toe-to-toe with the Sheng family.” Shao Yiqing laid it out clearly, leaving no room for anyone to play dumb.

The woman was probably mentally prepared. Hearing Shao Yiqing’s words, she nodded repeatedly. “These are all the files on Lingrui that you asked for. Everything from these past years, decent or not, is right here.”

Shao Yiqing took the file bag and spread its contents out on the desk. The woman stared at him nervously. Not quite understanding why, Shao Yiqing told her, “Please sit.”

The woman sat down in a flurry, though she still couldn’t settle her mind, her gaze tightly tracking Shao Yiqing’s movements.

A few minutes later, Shao Yiqing raised his head from the documents. His sharp gaze pierced across the desk, and as the secretary entered to drop off the coffee, he posed a question to the woman sitting opposite him: “Ms. Xu, are you certain this is every single profit breakdown for Lingrui? I should have made myself clear yesterday. I want all of Lingrui’s income reports, including those hidden revenues.”

“No, there’s only this. It’s all here, all of it.” The woman’s eyes didn’t meet Shao Yiqing’s. Uninterested in playing games of charades with her, Shao Yiqing closed the folder and pushed it back across to her.

“If you feel you can’t trust me, you didn’t have to make this trip. You can’t expect me to bail you out while refusing to lay your cards on the table.” Shao Yiqing’s eyes carried a fierce edge. Much of his alluring charm stemmed from those captivating eyes, which, when slightly lowered, possessed absolute authority. However, getting someone to spill their bottom line in just a few words was impossible. Whether Lingrui could actually be saved depended on the sincerity of both parties.

Xu Mingfu was inexperienced and still just a kid in this smoke-filled competitive arena. At the most perilous moment for his entire family, someone had suddenly stepped forward claiming they wanted to help. Free lunches don’t come without traps, and the other party was bound to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The Xu family harbored deep suspicions toward this sudden interloper. With the threat of prison hanging over the old man’s head, if they really handed over all their hidden revenues and the other party turned out to be an agent of the Sheng family, their entire family would be finished.

Refusing to make things public meant there was definitely something shady going on. Shao Yiqing knew this, which was why he wasn’t in a rush. After all, the person whose hair was burning wasn’t him. Sipping his coffee, he said, “You can take your time to think about it.”

The woman closed her eyes and thought. Who else could they rely on now? Those who commit many injustices will inevitably destroy themselves; Lingrui had acted tyrannically for years and had long since offended plenty of people. With the Sheng family employing underhanded tactics, using coercion and enticement, who would dare lend Lingrui a hand? Besides, with the evidence exposed by the secretary who had been with the Xu family the longest, the police had already secured a certain amount of criminal evidence. Even if Lingrui could escape this calamity, it would never return to its former heights.

There was no one left, no one else to trust.

Xu Mingfu wouldn’t deceive his own family, but this man sitting across from her…

“I think I still need to think it over,” the woman stood up, still unable to reach a final decision. “Please give me some more time.”

With that, she grabbed her bag and turned to leave.

At that moment, a cold voice rang out from behind her: “I can give you time, as much as you want. But who goes out of their way to wade into muddy waters? I’m just afraid the Sheng family won’t leave you any time. The contract signing is set for the day after tomorrow, a complete buyout, and Lingrui will never have a chance to rise again.”

The woman’s steps stiffened.

She turned back. The man sitting behind the office desk was staring right at her like an underfed wolf. Perhaps it was inappropriate to describe such a strikingly handsome man so crudely, but in Xu Wenhui’s eyes, everyone right now had transformed into a wolf, eagerly waiting to tear into them and feast.

How long that silence lasted, she had no way of knowing. Finally, Xu Wenhui made a move. Lowering her head, she unzipped her shoulder bag, walked back to the office desk, and handed a new set of documents to Shao Yiqing.

So compliant, so helpless. Fighting with her back to the wall, this was her only remaining option.

As Shao Yiqing scanned the documents, his frown deepened. It was a financial ledger that could never be made public, the methods by which Lingrui made its fortune, a blood-stained devourer of gold hidden in the shadows.

“I don’t care about anything anymore,” Xu Wenhui said with a look of fatalistic resignation. “My husband is going in; consider it retribution for all these years. Right now, I just want to protect Lingrui. After all, that’s the only asset I can leave for my son.”

“He must be a pampered young master.”

“It shouldn’t fall to his generation to become a penniless beggar.”

“He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

In Xu Wenhui’s eyes lingered an unshakable obsession: “I don’t know why you’re helping us, but Lingrui is a bottomless blood pit. Anyone who delusional attempts to swallow Lingrui whole will never meet a good end.”

“Benefactor, please don’t try to pull wool over my eyes.”

She smiled, a smile of sheer helplessness, yet laced with craftiness.

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