Chapter 4: A High-Society Party and a Counterattack

On Friday night, the Yunding Hotel was ablaze with light.

Lin Qian arrived in an elegant black dress, her hair in a high bun, her makeup light. She didn’t need to try to attract attention. Her position as heir to the Lin Group was enough to make plenty of people take notice.

The moment she walked into the hall, she saw Lu Xi.

He was standing beside Bai Lian, chatting with a few investors. As soon as he spotted her, he broke off mid-conversation and came over.

“Lin Qian, you finally came.”

She glanced at him.

“You seem happy to see me.”

“We need to talk.”

“Sorry, my schedule is full.”

Lu Xi lowered his voice:

“How long are you going to keep this up? The Lu Group is in trouble. If you’ll stop pulling your capital, I can let what happened that night go.”

Lin Qian laughed.

“Are you confused about something? You’re the one in debt, and I’m the creditor. Why does it sound like I’m the one who’s supposed to apologize?”

Lu Xi ground his teeth.

“Don’t think having money means you can do whatever you want.”

“You should say that to yourself. Without the Lin family’s money, would you even be standing here talking to me in that tone?”

A few people nearby turned to look.

Bai Lian came over at once, her eyes red.

“Sister Qian, I know you’re still angry with me. If you want to blame someone, blame me. But please don’t hurt Xi’s business.”

Lin Qian looked at her.

“Do you know what the funniest part is?”

Bai Lian blinked.

“You’re always stepping up to take the blame for others, but you never once say clearly what you’ve done.”

“I don’t understand what you mean…”

“That’s all right. Song Ning’s lawyer will explain it to you if the matter goes through official channels.”

Bai Lian’s smile froze instantly.

Lu Xi’s face changed.

“Are you threatening her?”

“No. I’m informing her that copyright issues will be settled with evidence, not with tears.”

Bai Lian bit her lip, her eyes welling up.

Then, suddenly, she dropped to her knees.

“Sister Qian, I’m sorry! Please stop pushing me!”

The crowd stirred at once.

Lu Xi hurried to hold her up.

Lin Qian didn’t step forward or touch Bai Lian. She only calmly called over a member of staff.

“Would you please make a note of this? If she’s unwell, call the medical staff.”

That answer caught everyone waiting for a show off guard.

Lin Qian didn’t get angry, didn’t argue, and didn’t let the other side drag her into their performance.

She simply turned away.

“Lin Qian!”

Lu Xi roared.

She stopped and turned her head.

“What else?”

“You’ll regret today!”

Lin Qian smiled.

“Maybe. But at least I’ll never regret that I stopped spending money on you.”

She walked toward the area reserved for VIP guests.

At the far end of the hall, a man stood by the window.

He wore a charcoal suit. His face was cold, his eyes deep and sharp. Not many people dared to start a conversation with him, but everyone who walked past greeted him respectfully.

Gu Yichuan.

Lin Qian walked over and offered her hand first.

“Mr. Gu, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Gu Yichuan looked at her for a few seconds, then shook it.

“I hear Miss Lin has just ended a relationship that lasted many years.”

“News really does travel fast.”

“I also hear you’re investigating some of the Lin Group’s investments.”

“News about my work travels even faster.”

The corner of Gu Yichuan’s mouth curved slightly.

“You’re not going to ask how I know?”

“No need. If you meant to use that information against me, we’d have nothing to talk about. And if you want to work together, I think we should talk about the project.”

Gu Yichuan looked at her a little longer.

Over the years, he had met plenty of people who came to him begging for investment. Most tried hard to seem clever, but a few questions about risk were enough to expose their weaknesses.

Lin Qian was different.

She wasn’t trying to win him over.

“The Haifeng Port project has legal and funding problems,” he said. “Why do you still want to pursue it?”

“Because a project with problems isn’t necessarily a project without value. If the cause is poor management, we can change the team. If it’s financial, we can restructure. And if there are violations that can’t be fixed, I’ll stop.”

“And you won’t regret the money you’ve already put in?”

“Of course I will. But I’d regret it even more if I kept throwing money into a pit just because I couldn’t bear to lose what I’d spent.”

Gu Yichuan laughed.

“Fine. Tomorrow, send me a plan for restructuring the project. If the numbers are convincing, we’ll talk further.”

Lin Qian nodded.

“Deal.”

Not far away, Lu Xi watched the entire conversation.

He had prepared so many words to persuade Gu Yichuan to rescue the Lu Group. But Gu Yichuan hadn’t even given him a chance to pitch.

Meanwhile, Lin Qian had barely arrived and had already been handed a chance to prove herself.

Lu Xi tightened his grip on his glass.

For the first time, he realized that the woman who had always stood behind him could really walk away.

And, more frightening still, she could become his rival.