YA Ch76: Dalang
Zhao Yanqing’s mouth twitched. He didn’t respond to Lu Yu’s joke, knowing it would only put him at a disadvantage. Taking a deep breath, as if he’d just noticed what Hong Wuyang looked like, he exaggeratedly pretended to have a sudden realization: “Oh, it’s Wuyang! What are you doing here causing trouble? This is something for your older brother to discuss.”
This remark instantly hit a nerve with Second Young Master Hong. His chubby, baby-faced cheeks tightened, and he sneered, “President Ximen may not know, but for small projects under ten billion, it’s people like me who handle them.”
His words were laced with subtle artfulness, implying that projects under ten billion aren’t enough to mobilize the CEO of Hongxiao Capital. Only small-scale investment companies like Qingqu Capital would have their president personally show up and micromanage things.
Zhao Yanqing’s face stiffened.
Lu Yu was stunned. He hadn’t expected the number-one big brother to be this sharp with words. Using only his lips, he mouthed, “Big Brother, you’re awesome,” while secretly giving him a thumbs-up with both hands.
Big Brother, feeling proud, smirked and added, “Besides, you’re called Ximen Qing, and I’m called Wu Erlang, so we’re the perfect match facing each other.”1Ximen Qing and Wu Erlang (Wu Song) are both involved in the story of Water Margin (or Outlaws of the Marsh), one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. However, their connection is mainly through the infamous Pan Jinlian story in the novel Jin Ping Mei (The Plum in the Golden Vase), which is a spin-off from Water Margin.
In the story, Ximen Qing was Pan Jinlian’s lover who helps her conspire to murder her husband, Wu Dalang.
Wu Erlang (Wu Song) was Wu Dalang’s brother, a heroic figure who later avenges his brother’s death by killing both Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing.
After all that, the joke still hadn’t been let go.
President Ximen handed over a business card, gritting his teeth, and said, “My name is Zhao Yanqing. We’ve met before.” He deliberately emphasized his surname, stressing that he wasn’t named Ximen.
Hong Wuyang politely accepted the card and put it away. He rummaged through his pocket but only pulled out a small figurine of a demon girl, calmly putting it back, apologizing, “I don’t have business cards.”
Lu Yu took a chat software skin recharge card from Xiao Jiang and handed it to Big Brother. Big Brother immediately understood, taking the recharge card and saying to Zhao Yanqing, “I’ll add you later and send you an electronic business card with a Hua Wenyuan skin.”
President Ximen: “…”
Chat software, Hua Wenyuan skins, electronic business cards—none of these should have appeared on a business negotiation table in the financial investment world!
Ming Yan sighed helplessly, worried that if these two unreliable people kept talking, they’d make President Ximen so angry something bad might happen. He pulled out a chair and sat across from Zhao Yanqing, displaying a polite business smile: “We’ve only just started discussions with Hongxiao Capital. Why are you, President Zhao, making such a big fuss by coming here?”
Lu Yu, sitting next to Ming Yan, feigned surprise and said, “Qingqu Capital sure gets information quickly! Could it be you’ve planted corporate spies inside Hongxiao Capital?”
“We’re all in the same circle; there are no real secrets,” Zhao Yanqing avoided elaborating on the topic and stared directly at Ming Yan with an aggressive look. “I extended a helping hand when Shen Yu was at its most difficult. Now that your difficulties are easing, you’re leaving me behind. Isn’t that inappropriate?”
Lu Yu waved his hand in front of Ming Yan’s face, breaking Zhao Yanqing’s gaze: “Stop trying to guilt-trip us! Was that really a helping hand you offered? That was the stick beating the mandarin ducks apart, the golden hairpin splitting the Milky Way. It’s the first time I’ve heard of an investment coming with the condition that a couple must divorce.”
Hong Wuyang, growing impatient, also spoke up: “Stop trying to mislead outsiders. Investment and financing are about fair competition. Since Chenyu Tech didn’t accept your help back then, and now their valuation has risen, of course you can’t monopolize investment rights with the old price. We at Hongxiao are willing to invest, and so can you at Qingqu. May the highest bidder win.”
With this, he directly framed President Ximen’s actions as “trying to use moral manipulation to get a low price.”
Zhao Yanqing frowned and fell silent.
Behind him, a Qingqu Capital employee spoke up: “President Hong, you’re joking. We never intended to invest at a low price. We at Qingqu Capital do genuinely believe in Shen Yu, and we’ve come with sincerity. We hope President Lu doesn’t hold any hostility towards us.”
Another employee, working in sync, placed the investment proposal they had brought onto the table and invited Lu Yu to review it.
Lu Yu took the documents, spread his hands, and smiled: “No hostility here. We welcome all friendly investors. It’s just that your insistence on us divorcing delayed the process, and that’s why you missed the low-price window—nothing we can do about that.”
The employee who had spoken earlier looked embarrassed.
And so, President Ximen, who had come with the intent of holding them accountable, left with the burden of being labeled as acting in his own self-interest, his exit somewhat disheveled.
Once the people from Qingqu Capital were gone, Lu Yu immediately turned around and enthusiastically applauded the number-one big brother: “Awesome! That was like Wu Erlang fighting and killing Ximen Qing—it was brilliant! That line of yours, ‘For small projects under ten billion, it’s people like me who handle them,’ was so cool, so sharp! You completely embarrassed Zhao Yanqing!”
Hong Wuyang was also very happy. After being praised so much by Lu Yu, he was a little embarrassed and said, “Actually, I was bluffing. Hongxiao Capital invests regardless of project size. My brother will personally inspect some projects even under a billion. He doesn’t look down on any potential seed. Haha, that comeback was something my brother taught me.”
Big Brother explained that, in the investment world, he often encountered people who looked down on him and threw subtle barbs his way. His older brother had written a script of standard responses to prevent him from being bullied.
As he spoke, Hong Wuyang pulled out his smart device and showed Lu Yu the scripted responses his brother had written:
For small projects under ten billion, it’s people like me who handle them.
Hongxiao’s corporate culture is more refined. We never comment on other people’s lifestyles.
You’ve fallen so low as to talk to me? Clearly, you’re not as good as those around my brother. (For people who say sarcastically, “You’re not as good as your brother.”)
…
Looking at these carefully annotated lines for various occasions, Lu Yu marveled, “Your brother’s pretty good to you.”
Hong Wuyang scratched his cheek with one finger, feeling awkward, and said, “He’s alright, but I think he’s subtly praising himself.”
Lu Yu looked more closely. “It kind of seems that way.”
Talking about Hongxiao’s “refined culture” and how “you’re not as good as those around my brother”…
In Lu Yu’s mind, the image of Hongxiao Capital’s young and accomplished chief investment officer gradually took shape. He exchanged a glance with Big Brother, and the two of them burst into laughter.
Hong Ershao had won a decisive victory over Zhao Yanqing and couldn’t wait to rush out of the meeting room to share the day’s triumph with his older brother.
Lu Yu, still smiling, turned to Ming Yan, who was sitting in his seat, seemingly lost in thought. He leaned over the back of the chair, wrapped his arms around Ming Yan’s neck, and kissed his pale cheek: “What are you daydreaming about? Are you thinking of learning from Big Brother and writing me a Q&A template?”
“You write books yourself; do you really need me to teach you?” Ming Yan turned his head to look at him for a moment and then lowered his gaze, speaking softly, “Zhao Yanqing and I are just acquaintances, not even friends.”
“Why are you explaining this?” Lu Yu squatted down, placing both hands on Ming Yan’s knees, looking up at his expression. “Are you upset that I called him Ximen Qing? That, that was just a pun; I was supposed to call him Grass Thief instead. Who told him to covet you? Of course, I know you have nothing to do with him. How could I ever say you’re Pan Jinlian? Then what would that make me, Wu Dalang, the one who sells pancakes?”
Pan Jinlian hooked up with Ximen Qing and poisoned her own husband, Wu Dalang. If he really said that, it would be like cursing himself. Lu Yu believed that when Lu Dayu gave him that nickname back then, he never meant to involve Ming Yan; it was simply because he didn’t like Zhao Yanqing.
Ming Yan was amused by him and reached out to ruffle Lu Yu’s hair. “You squatting like that does look a bit like him.”
Lu Yu grinned, pouncing forward to nuzzle his head against Ming Yan’s chest, rubbing hard as he said in a silly voice, “Wife, the workday is over. Let’s hurry home to… do that cloudy rain thing, mm…”
Before he could finish speaking, Ming Yan covered his mouth.
At that moment, Hong Wuyang poked his head in from the meeting room door. “The workday’s over; I’m heading out.”
Lu Yu licked the soft palm in front of him. When Ming Yan withdrew his hand, Lu Yu stood up with a smile and said, “Let’s go, I’ll walk you downstairs.”
The skin coupon he had handed to Hong Wuyang earlier was a long-standing promotional product. Seeing that his big brother liked it, Lu Yu called Xiao Jiang to bring another box with all kinds of varieties as a thank-you gift for his brother’s hard work today.
Hong Wuyang happily accepted it, laughing and chatting with Lu Yu as they walked to the company’s first-floor lobby. At that moment, the Hong family’s driver had just pulled the car up to the entrance.
Lu Yu walked his big brother to the luxury car, which practically radiated the smell of money, when suddenly he froze in place, spinning 180 degrees on his heel as if he’d just been given a command to turn around like a soldier in training.
“What’s wrong?” Hong Wuyang was startled, nearly tripping, but the quick reflexes of the driver saved him from tumbling down the steps.
Lu Yu didn’t dare look back and said to Secretary Jiang, who had followed them, “Xiao Jiang, take a look at the plaza. Are those Lu family people?”
Everyone looked up and saw a group of people gathered in the distance by the parking lot, blocked by security from getting closer.
Xiao Jiang quickly walked away, circling around the group from the side. After a quick lap, he ran back and whispered, “Yes, it’s your foster parents, along with a few reporters.”
From the few words Xiao Jiang overheard, it seemed like the Lu family parents were negotiating with the reporters to take more photos later.
Lu Yu urged his brother to leave quickly before being caught in a strange tabloid photo, and then ran back upstairs to find Ming Yan. “Xiao Jiang, you need to tell President Ming that I didn’t even glance at the Lu family!”
Xiao Jiang adjusted his glasses. “Understood, you didn’t see the Lu family at all. I was the one who saw them and immediately alerted you to turn around.”
Lu Yu gave Xiao Jiang a thumbs-up in approval.
Ming Yan had just finished a meeting with the art department and was stepping out the door when he saw a panicked Lu Yu rushing towards him. “What happened?”
Xiao Jiang repeated the story, adding, “They’re likely hoping to take a photo with President Lu to improve their public image.”
Last week, Lu Yu had caused some trouble for the Lu family during a live stream by explaining the difference between his and his brother’s names, so Xiao Jiang’s guess made sense.
Ming Yan pressed his lips together, feeling that the Lu family’s behavior was a bit strange. “Ignore them. We’ll leave through the back, take the emergency stairs, and catch a taxi home.”
Since the other party came prepared, whatever their motive, avoiding contact was the best solution.
“They’re trying to morally guilt-trip me, making it seem like we’re still one big family? Pfft! The whole family’s got a theatrical personality,” Lu Yu spat fiercely. “When I was a kid, they treated me well, but once my younger brother came along, everything changed. But even then, they still loved to show off to others how good they were to me. Even when the neighborhood security guard passed by, they had to put on a little performance.”
That tactic really disgusted him. He remembered when he first had a falling out with the Lu family, relatives and friends all scolded him, calling him an ungrateful wolf and a disrespectful son. One acquaintance who worked in the media even self-righteously published a news article with pixelated images, sarcastically remarking:
*”An adopted son from a wealthy family, dissatisfied with the family’s distribution of assets in favor of the biological son, turned his back on his foster parents after getting into college. Raising someone else’s child is risky; no matter what, a wolf cub never becomes tame.”
The more Lu Yu thought about it, the angrier he got. He spun around in frustration, then opened his smart device and directly posted the recording of Lu Shuangcheng on social media.
The threats he made to Lu Ershu that day weren’t just fabricated. He had recorded the conversation with the clever assistance of his son, Lu Dongdong, who had been eavesdropping. Now, he was going to release the audio, edited to highlight the key points.
[Han Di Ba Yu: Don’t ever come looking for me again. I’m a normal person, not a beast, unworthy of being in the Lu family’s genealogy.]
Below was an attached audio clip.
Curious netizens immediately clicked to listen:
“Divorce Lu Yu and convince him to marry Zhenni. That way, we’ll still be one big family… Lu Shuangcheng, are you disgusted? Cousins can’t marry, don’t you know that?… You and Zhenni aren’t even blood-related, what are you afraid of?… If you really hate Zhenni, then your brother is fine too!”
A conversation that defied human ethics and morality was laid bare for thousands of netizens to hear, instantly causing a firestorm on social media, sending it to the top of the trending topics.
Ming Yan couldn’t stop him in time. By the time he realized what Lu Yu was doing, the social media app had crashed. Ming Yan sighed, raising a hand to turn off the light screen in front of Lu Yu, looking at him with concern.
Lu Yu, however, was calm. “Why should I be the one sneaking around? Let’s see who really can’t show their face. Hmph.” The last sound he made carried a smug tone.
Ming Yan chuckled helplessly, seeing that everything seemed fine now. “Let’s go before more reporters arrive.”
Lu Yu raised a hand, signaling Ming Yan to wait, then reached out with two fingers to smoothly pull off the pretty blue polka-dot tie around Ming Yan’s neck. He tied it tightly around his own eyes in a neat bow, then clung to Ming Yan’s back, using an exaggerated tone like a melodramatic TV drama heroine. “Yan-ge, I can’t see anything. Don’t let go of me, I’m so scared.”
Ming Yan was stunned for a moment, speechless. He knew Lu Yu was trying to protect his own interests by covering his eyes to avoid seeing the Lu family, but this was a bit too much. Glancing at Xiao Jiang, who was pretending to look away as if he hadn’t heard anything, Ming Yan patted the big head nuzzling into his neck and suddenly laughed, speaking in a gentle voice: “Don’t be afraid, Dalang, drink this medicine, and you’ll feel better.”
Footnotes:
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