Chapter 53: Male Fox Spirit

“So the conclusion is, we have to lower our heads, find a way to reconcile with them, and try not to end up in court. Attempting to counter-sue for the invalidity of their patents is basically like dreaming?” Ning Zhiyuan leaned back in his chair, absentmindedly turning the pen in his hand, asking casually.

The lawyer nodded affirmatively, “Exactly, my suggestion is if we can avoid litigation, we should. After all, their patent has already gone through three rounds of invalidity requests, including the one they initiated earlier this year. It’s evident they came prepared, and it’s practically impossible to make a case against them.”

“Why not give it a try? How do we know if we don’t try?” Ning Zhiyuan was skeptical. “Let’s just follow the normal procedure and initiate the fourth invalidity application. I’ll figure out a way regarding the evidence.”

The founder of the company on the side hesitated before speaking, “I’ve been sleeping only two or three hours a day this week, all for researching relevant literature. Cen An is really going too far. We’re such a small company, is it worth them launching such a massive public relations battle and pushing us to the brink?”

“What you’re working on is essential to them, so they want to eliminate any potential competition. Look at it from a different perspective. If Cen An is targeting you, it means you have potential,” Ning Zhiyuan consoled without much empathy.

However, the other party felt even more frustrated upon hearing this and didn’t feel comforted at all.

Ning Zhiyuan smiled; the speed at which this matter escalated was somewhat beyond his expectations. In just one week, news about it was overwhelming, and the pressure on them was indeed considerable.

Perhaps Cen An deliberately pushed for a public relations battle, but similar incidents had happened before, and this time, the attention was unusually high. It was nothing more than blending gossip into regular business news, turning it into a sensational drama for the public.

Yes, now everyone knew he had started his own business, and the first project he launched was sued by Cen An. Everyone was eagerly awaiting to see what would happen.

A message from Cen Zhisen just came in on his phone: “Are you going home to see Dad tonight? I’ll go with you. I’ll pick you up in ten minutes.”

Ning Zhiyuan replied, “Wait for me in the parking lot. Don’t come up.”

Cen Zhisen: “?”

Ning Zhiyuan: “Afraid that you will will be beaten up by someone.”

After finally sending away the founder and the lawyer, he leaned back against the chair, closed his eyes, and rested for a moment. Zhou Haocheng knocked on the door and reported on other project matters.

Finally, he asked, “Any progress on the lawsuit with Cen An?”

“Ah,” Ning Zhiyuan helplessly said, “The lawyer suggests it’s best to negotiate a settlement with them.”

“That could work too,” Zhou Haocheng reminded. “Cen An just wants to dominate. Why not negotiate directly with them to take over the company? Cen An should be interested in the projects they are working on. Even if we exit now, we won’t make a profit, but at least we won’t continue to struggle with them.”

“If there’s no other choice, we’ll have to do that,” Ning Zhiyuan probably already had a plan. After the company founder left, he spoke more bluntly, “But let’s take a closer look. Just handing it over to Cen An, won’t we be at a disadvantage?”

Zhou Haocheng chuckled, “With your good relationship with Mr. Cen, I thought you wouldn’t mind these things.”

“Even if the relationship is good, it doesn’t mean he won’t be ruthless,” Ning Zhiyuan smiled and casually opened a real-time comment section on a mobile news app, reading out some entertaining comments to him, “Listen to what they are saying here. They claim I’m a fake phoenix and compare me to a mountain chicken. They say dreaming of flying back to the branches is unrealistic. There’s even someone claiming to be an insider from Cen An, saying that my relationship with Cen Zhisen was bad in the past. One mountain can’t tolerate two tigers, and Cen Zhisen now wants to beat a drowning dog.”

“That’s a bit too much,” Zhou Haocheng felt that these netizen comments were exaggerated. “Don’t they know that Mr. Cen is also a partner of Zhiyuan?”

“They really don’t know.” Ning Zhiyuan shrugged. No one expected that the name “Zhiyuan” was given by Cen Zhisen himself, driven by his personal feelings.

“I’m actually a bit curious,” the old classmate gossiped, “I remember when we were in school, you occasionally mentioned your brother, and it seemed like a topic you didn’t want to delve into. Now, your relationship seems pretty good. When you injured your foot, he came to see you every few days. Okay, our location is quite close to Cen An, but I really haven’t seen many brothers at your age who have such a good relationship.”

Ning Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head, not wanting to say much. “Americans, you’ve seen too little.”

After a few jokes, Zhou Haocheng was ready to leave. When he stood up, Ning Zhiyuan suddenly asked, “What do you think love is?”

Zhou Haocheng was a bit surprised, “You’re asking me this kind of question?”

Ning Zhiyuan: “Just asking.”

This was the second time, no, perhaps the third time he had asked someone this question. In Hawaii, he asked others about the feeling of being in love. Each person could give different answers, but he found it challenging to find his own answer.

Zhou Haocheng thought for a moment and said, “I can’t explain it clearly, but I read a definition that I agree with. Love is an individual’s attitude toward a specific person, including intimacy, dependency, tendency to help, exclusivity, and possessiveness.”

Ning Zhiyuan pondered, “Really? How do you distinguish between pure attachment and possessiveness and love?”

Zhou Haocheng replied, “It depends on who the specific person is. If it’s family, there surely won’t be such doubts.”

Ning Zhiyuan fell silent for a moment, then smiled, “I thought you would say it’s the influence of hormones.”

Zhou Haocheng shrugged, “Well, who knows.”

Ten minutes later, Ning Zhiyuan went downstairs, and Cen Zhisen was already waiting for him in the parking lot, sitting in the car and looking at his phone.

Ning Zhiyuan opened the car door and got in. Cen Zhisen, who was still staring at the phone screen without looking up, fastened his seatbelt. “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing, let’s go.” Cen Zhisen turned off the phone screen and started the car.

As the car left the underground parking lot of the building, he asked Ning Zhiyuan, “Did you meet with the lawyer again today?”

“Yeah, thanks to Cen An, I’ve been busy with this every day recently,” Ning Zhiyuan complained.

Cen Zhisen was well aware of it. Except for two lunches this week when he took the time to eat with Ning Zhiyuan—ordering takeout in the office—they couldn’t find time to meet. Ning Zhiyuan was indeed busy, all thanks to Cen An’s actions. It was his responsibility.

“Have you figured out a way to deal with it?” he asked.

Ning Zhiyuan replied, “No comment.”

Cen Zhisen nodded, chuckled, and didn’t press further.

His gaze shifted to the front of the car, and he reminded Ning Zhiyuan, “It’s raining.”

Ning Zhiyuan looked out the car window. The afternoon, which was still clear, had started to drizzle, and it would probably rain heavily later.

For them, the words “rainy day” were like triggering some kind of taboo. Thinking of the same thing, the corners of their mouths both lifted slightly.

They arrived at Cen’s villa around 6:30, and as soon as they entered, dinner was served.

At the dinner table, Xu Lan intentionally or unintentionally brought up the news that had been making waves outside, asking about their situation. Cen Zhisen casually dismissed it with a brief mention of “company matters.”

Xu Lan felt dissatisfied and said to Cen Shengli, “Although it’s a company matter, it also involves our family affairs. Every time I go out these days, someone asks me about it. Isn’t this making us a laughingstock?”

Cen Shengli furrowed his brows without saying anything. After finishing dinner, he called Cen Zhisen and Ning Zhiyuan to the study, asking for detailed reasons for the incident.

Cen Zhisen explained the whole story, deliberately not mentioning that he didn’t know the company was invested by Ning Zhiyuan. Even if he knew, Cen An would still file a lawsuit. Ning Zhiyuan and he had an unspoken understanding about this – there was no need to expose everything.

After hearing the explanation, Cen Shengli fell silent for a moment and said to Cen Zhisen, “Maybe we should just drop it. Don’t let outsiders laugh at us.”

This time, Ning Zhiyuan spoke first, “Dad, it’s just a business competition strategy. If I were Cen An, I would do the same.”

Cen Shengli sighed, “But this is the first project you invested in…”

“Whether the investment makes money or loses money is not predetermined. There are many ways to resolve this matter, and I may not necessarily incur losses. I don’t need Cen An to take the initiative to compromise on this matter,” Ning Zhiyuan insisted.

Cen Shengli remained skeptical and looked at Cen Zhisen.

Cen Zhisen nodded, “I agree with Zhiyuan.”

Seemingly wanting to say more, Cen Shengli hesitated and finally didn’t express it, saying, “Forget it, handle it yourselves.”

He signaled Ning Zhiyuan to stay, letting Cen Zhisen leave first, claiming he wanted to have a private conversation with Ning Zhiyuan.

Cen Zhisen still had some work matters to attend to, so he left the study first, giving Ning Zhiyuan a meaningful look before departing. Ning Zhiyuan remained calm, lifting an eyebrow.

Cen Shengli didn’t notice the exchanged glances between them. After Cen Zhisen left, he asked Ning Zhiyuan again, “Are you really okay with this?”

“No, Zhiyuan reassured him, Cen Shengli wasn’t usually like this, but with his declining health and the chaotic events at home, he seemed to be getting softer. “Really, Dad, even if we lose the lawsuit this time, and that company can’t continue and goes bankrupt, I’ll only lose one project. In venture capital, there’s always a risk, just consider it a lesson and gain some experience.”

Satisfied with his response, Cen Shengli changed the subject, “Regarding your brother’s matters… Do you know if he has anyone close to him?”

This topic made Cen Shengli somewhat hesitant, but he couldn’t avoid asking.

Ning Zhiyuan calmly asked back, “What do you mean by someone close?”

With a sigh, Cen Shengli said, “I noticed he’s wearing a ring, even though it’s on his little finger. I’ve never seen him wear such accessories before. It must mean something. He mentioned liking men before, and I suspect he might have found someone. If he’s just playing around, it’s fine, but now that he’s wearing a ring, doesn’t that mean he’s settling down?”

“Dad, he’s in his thirties. Even if he’s found someone and wants to settle down, it’s not surprising,” Ning Zhiyuan tried to console him. “He should be able to handle it himself. Dad, don’t worry too much.”

He didn’t want to lie to Cen Shengli, but both he and Cen Zhisen were rebellious from the beginning, never considering others’ opinions, including their father’s.

However, Cen Shengli still expressed concern, “He can’t keep doing this. Even if it’s a man, once he’s wearing a ring, shouldn’t he bring him home for me to see? I don’t know who he found, and I don’t want others to investigate my son. Zhiyuan, can you keep an eye on him for me? At least let me know what kind of person he found.”

Ning Zhiyuan slowly rubbed the tail ring in his pocket, even though he wasn’t wearing it. “Okay,” he agreed.

On the second-floor balcony, Cen Zhisen finished a phone call and checked the time. It was almost ten.

Turning around, he saw Ning Zhiyuan with a cigarette in his mouth, leaning against the wall on the balcony, gazing upward, seemingly observing the late-night rain outside.

Sensing Cen Zhisen scrutinizing him, Ning Zhiyuan’s gaze shifted to him.

They silently locked eyes for a moment. Cen Zhisen walked over, took the cigarette Ning Zhiyuan had been holding in his mouth, took a deep drag himself, extinguished it on the windowsill, then turned to kiss him.

Ning Zhiyuan cooperated, parting his lips.

It was a somewhat urgent kiss, with the acrid smoke lingering between them. The rain outside was accompanied by a continuous tapping sound, mingling with the heartbeat.

When their tongues tingled, they had to separate. Ning Zhiyuan licked his lips, moistened by the saliva that had been pulled out, and whispered, “We might be seen.”

Although he said that, his gaze remained calm, leaning against the wall without bothering to move, showing no signs of nervousness.

Cen Zhisen tilted his head to look at the corridor behind him. There was only dim lighting.

At this hour, the household staff and butlers had already finished work, and the two younger ones had gone to bed early. Their father had retired to his room, accompanied by his stepmother, ensuring that no one would be watching them.

“What did you talk to Dad about for so long?” Cen Zhisen asked, his fingers lightly brushing across Ning Zhiyuan’s reddened lips.

“Nothing much,” Ning Zhiyuan replied. “I had a cup of tea with him and chatted casually.”

“Really?” Cen Zhisen seemed unconvinced.

“Do you really want to know?” Ning Zhiyuan looked at him for a moment, smiled, and spoke the truth, “Dad asked me to keep an eye on you, to act as his informant and see what kind of ‘male fox spirit’ you’ve hidden around.”

The surprise in Cen Zhisen’s eyes lasted only a moment. “You agreed?”

“I had no choice,” Ning Zhiyuan lifted a finger and circled it lightly around his Adam’s apple. “Dad brought it up, and I couldn’t refuse.”

Cen Zhisen’s hand stopped on Ning Zhiyuan’s back, then slid down, firmly kneading his waist and ass. “I’ll go tell Dad you’re the male fox spirit.”

“Forget it,” Ning Zhiyuan said. “Let Dad have some peace of mind.”

Cen Zhisen asked, “Really don’t want to?”

“No,” Ning Zhiyuan affirmed.

Cen Zhisen stared into his eyes, and Ning Zhiyuan remained calm. Cen Zhisen sighed slightly, “Alright then.”

“Are you going back?” Cen Zhisen lowered his voice.

Ning Zhiyuan asked, “Back where?”

Cen Zhisen said, “To my place.”

This statement was already a clear suggestion. Ning Zhiyuan hugged him around the neck with both hands, leaned in, and planted a kiss on his lips.

Then, he slightly turned his head, and with a smile in his voice, he whispered into Cen Zhisen’s ear, “Dad mentioned that it’s raining heavily. He suggested we stay here tonight and have breakfast with him tomorrow. I agreed.”

Cen Zhisen’s hand had already slipped into his suit pants, reaching into his underwear, firmly kneading his ass. “Not leaving?”

“No,” Ning Zhiyuan reminded him, “If we sneak away in the middle of the night, Dad will suspect something.”

Cen Zhisen’s breath became heavy, stopping at Ning Zhiyuan’s neck for a while. He laughed and scolded, “Little rascal.”

They both returned to their rooms. It was a rare night, and Ning Zhiyuan went to sleep early. However, he didn’t sleep well. Upon waking up and checking the time, it was only a little past one in the morning.

He had only slept for a little over two hours.

Turning on a reading light, he sat up and stared into space for a moment. A message from Cen Zhisen came in on his bedside table phone: “You’re still awake? I noticed the light in your room.”

Ning Zhiyuan swiped the phone screen a few times and casually replied, “Just woke up. You’re not asleep either.”

Zhisen: “Can’t fall asleep.”

A new voice message came in, and Ning Zhiyuan opened it. Cen Zhisen’s slightly hoarse voice said, “Zhiyuan, come over.”