The Popular/Charismatic Beta Always Thinks They Are Universally Disliked - Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Rivals Meet

This was the third time Gu Yansheng had seen Wei Yuzhi.

The first time he saw Wei Yuzhi, Gu Yansheng was thirteen, and Wei Yuzhi was sixteen.

The former was the successor designated by Gu Jinglin, considered powerful and omnipotent within his circle. Except for Wen Zhiyi, he had no truly equal friends; his gentle politeness was merely his social pass. He casually enjoyed his life, which had already reached its peak, and was certain he would only continue to succeed.

The latter was the former Wei family heir, who had lost both his father and mother. All Wei family members with even the slightest blood relation swarmed him like wolves, trying desperately to drag him down. The Young Master Wei, who was lauded by thousands the day before, was now being dragged down by countless ghostly hands clutching his ankles. He could only protect himself with a shell of silence and coldness, appearing expressionless and indifferent.

The Wei Corporation was a family conglomerate. The headquarters, which held absolute control over all subsidiaries, had its shares dispersed among Wei family members. Shortly after the deaths of Elder Mr. Wei and Wei Yuzhi’s father, the others negotiated a series of unfavorable agreements with external parties, and all Wei Yuzhi had to do was procedurally sign and stamp the documents.

In certain collaboration and investment projects negotiated between the Wei Corporation and the Beijing public sector, only a handful of people were allowed to be present at the meeting. Even Gu Yansheng, who accompanied Gu Jinglin, could only obediently wait outside the conference room.

He certainly didn’t envy Wei Yuzhi, who could enter the conference room; he knew what had happened to the Wei family.

This seemingly indifferent, tough, and immovable teenager was just a mascot, only able to be pushed by the elders to sell off everything he owned, then obediently vanish from this circle completely.

Gu Yansheng, carrying the rightful arrogance of a winner and a trace of odd contempt, glanced at Wei Yuzhi, who was walking towards the conference room.

Based on his unshakeable status and sense of security, he certainly had the right to look at Wei Yuzhi that way.

Wei Yuzhi walked straight ahead, looking aloof.

He did not look at anyone.

The hard, sharp, unignorable qualities in him still existed at that moment. He did not look at the Beta teenager even once, focusing solely on what was ahead.

Because there was no one or anything here that required his attention.

Since then, Gu Yansheng never cared about news of Wei Yuzhi again. This was normal; for him at that time, important people and matters were abundant, and he had no spare time to pay attention to a weakling destined to be cleared out of the social scene.

The second time he saw Wei Yuzhi, Gu Yansheng was twenty-four, and Wei Yuzhi was twenty-seven.

They met outside Wen Zhiyi’s home—one as Wen Zhiyi’s childhood friend and ex-ex, and the other as Wen Zhiyi’s soon-to-be ex-husband. The atmosphere between them was tense and volatile.

Their roles, however, had completely reversed.

Gu Yansheng was the successor of the collapsed Gu family. He had spent five years of hardship in the US, was shot in the thigh, and nearly spent his life in a wheelchair. Carrying boundless hatred for his enemies and an absolute determination to win back Wen Zhiyi, he returned to the city that had once stripped him of everything.

Wei Yuzhi was the true controller of the Wei Corporation, now holding full authority. After ten years of pain and humiliation, he had successfully reclaimed everything he desired. Those dark memories would at most only resurface in his dreams. He no longer harbored the hatred to destroy everything; he only wanted to spend a lifetime with Wen Zhiyi.

Only, this meeting also included Chen Que.

Strangely, both of them regarded Chen Que as the greater threat. A calm Beta and an arrogant Omega both viewed a powerful Alpha as the person Wen Zhiyi cared about most.

They attacked and resented each other, yet both seemed to tacitly agree that Wen Zhiyi loved Chen Que more.

Gu Yansheng saw Chen Que as the successor who helped Wen Zhiyi open his heart again after he left. Wei Yuzhi likewise saw Chen Que as an invisible ghost in his marriage with Wen Zhiyi.

That was why, at that time, he told Wen Zhiyi painfully and resolutely: Whether you love me or not is not important, as long as I love you enough.

As long as I love you enough, enough to compensate for the second love you couldn’t provide, we can spend a lifetime together.

Wen Zhiyi, of course, couldn’t accept this.

He found it utterly absurd.

A man with whom he had genuinely resolved to enter the marriage hall was telling him after two years of marriage, “Whether you love me or not is not important.” Wen Zhiyi couldn’t even be bothered to raise the thought of slapping him.

He was completely too lazy to retort.

In normal circumstances, Wen Zhiyi was a particularly gentle-tempered person, and in non-normal circumstances, he wouldn’t choose a hysterical breakdown either. His rejections were always silent, cold, and firm.

Before the third meeting, Gu Yansheng called Wei Yuzhi.

He Xin had already reported the caller’s identity to Wei Yuzhi when this private number was first given out.

Between the third and fourth rings, Wei Yuzhi unhurriedly answered the phone.

“…I won’t introduce myself,” Gu Yansheng’s voice on the other end was elegant and low, slowly spilling from his throat. Wearing his usual smiling mask, he said to Wei Yuzhi, “To be frank, even if I told you to stay away from Zhiyi with all your messy affairs, you would probably ignore it.”

Wei Yuzhi sat in his large executive chair, facing the Yue Business Building two blocks away. From his angle, he could clearly take it all in. This distance was negligible for two equally massive skyscrapers.

He listened to Gu Yansheng finish without expression, then impatiently stretched his knuckles and tapped the edge of the desk: “Speak plainly.”

Gu Yansheng wasn’t angry. He had better manners than most people, especially since Wei Yuzhi was a man with less manners than most people.

“I can help you with the matter you’re investigating. I will send people to protect Zhiyi during this time. If you have also arranged personnel, you should notify your subordinates in advance, lest they misidentify friends as foes.”

Across the signal, Gu Yansheng’s voice remained steady and composed, devoid of any discernible emotion.

Wei Yuzhi chuckled, saying with a hint of interest: “You want me to accept your help?”

Normally, if this Omega’s smile wasn’t for Wen Zhiyi, it would mostly appear cold and mocking—in the period right after he met Wen Zhiyi, this mocking smile was even aimed at Wen Zhiyi.

“…Do you think I want to help you?” Gu Yansheng’s voice instantly dropped lower. He still maintained his smile, but a vein on his forehead slowly bulged and pulsed. “Until you resolve the person behind this, Zhiyi’s safety will not be guaranteed for a single day. If it weren’t for Wen Zhiyi, who cares who died in your family.”

Honestly, Gu Yansheng felt nauseous.

Extending an offer of cooperation to a person he desperately wished to see drop dead was disgusting enough. What was more disgusting was that he had to persuade this arrogant and overconfident Omega, appealing to his reason to accept the proposal.

The Gu family had retained a forensic report and the defendant’s confession regarding the Wei family incident. At that time, Gu Jinglin was the head of a certain department in Beijing, and keeping a confidential copy was an easy, casual thing for him. So, even though the archives of the court of trials later accidentally caught fire, something was still left behind.

Given some time, Gu Yansheng could find these several volumes of records.

Gu Yansheng suppressed his urge to vomit and went back and forth with Wei Yuzhi for over half an hour. The Gu family members who had already established contact with him immediately raised doubts the moment he hung up the phone.

The Gu family hadn’t been completely wiped out. Through their efforts, Gu Jinglin’s case was successfully sent back for retrial. In short, they hadn’t given up during the five years Gu Yansheng was exiled, but the current situation forced them to question the Beta’s decision.

At a critical moment when everything was in ruins and needed rebuilding, getting involved in the Wei family’s old case was completely out of character for Gu Yansheng and certainly not their immediate priority.

“This is the immediate priority,” in Gu Yansheng’s eyes, this was it.

Self-sacrifice was never his style; he excelled at deprivation, expulsion, and annexation. But now, Wen Zhiyi needed a safe and stable environment. He could see the worry beneath the other person’s calm exterior and naturally had to solve it for him, even if it meant helping Wei Yuzhi.

With over a decade of being childhood friends, Gu Yansheng saw through Wen Zhiyi’s emotions as clearly as he saw his own heart.

He arranged a meeting place with Wei Yuzhi, ensuring it would absolutely not be at Zhongcheng or his home. Both locations had the possibility of Wei Yuzhi running into Wen Zhiyi. He would personally go to the Wei Corporation Tower.

With this thought, Gu Yansheng ran into Wei Yuzhi at the entrance of the residential complex.

“…?”

It was normal for two distinct vehicles to meet outside the main gate of this complex, which opened onto a road. Gu Yansheng was driving an extremely low-profile Mercedes, while Wu Cheng was Wei Yuzhi’s driver. He wasn’t in his iconic silver sedan but had also switched to a black car.

Wei Yuzhi’s usual car would have been too conspicuous in this complex.

This was their third meeting, completely unexpected by both.

“Since you’re divorced, show some self-awareness. What did someone say before? A qualified ex should be like they’re dead. Truly worthy of CEO Wei, you can even play zombie after death.”

Gu Yansheng casually turned the steering wheel, entering the driveway gate first, leaving a black car rear end for Wei Yuzhi.

Wu Cheng, having just learned the terrifying financial authority he held with the set of cards from Wei Yuzhi, naturally had to speak up for his boss. He stepped on the gas, directly hitting the Mercedes in front of him. With the turbocharger pushed to the limit, he shoved Gu Yansheng’s car forward for more than ten meters.

Both cars were heavily modified, and a minor collision caused no injuries to anyone.

Gu Yansheng, feeling the extreme pushback, turned back with a dark expression to look at Wu Cheng.

The latter offered him a deliberately innocent smile.

Such a smile on anyone’s face would incite Gu Yansheng’s urge to beat them to death, except for Wen Zhiyi. But Wen Zhiyi didn’t need to feign innocence; he was always innocent in Gu Yansheng’s eyes.

Wei Yuzhi’s phone chimed.

He lowered his gaze to the notification. A message from Gu Yansheng was clearly reflected in his indifferent blue-gray pupils.

“My apologies, CEO Wei. I forgot to tell you that since returning to the country, I’ve been living downstairs from Zhiyi. I even went back to Uncle and Auntie’s house for dinner with Zhiyi a while ago.”