The dimly lit room was filled with the sharp smell of alcohol and smoke.

Chu Shangluo, holding a bottle of wine, slumped despondently on the sofa. His face, flushed from the alcohol, still couldn’t mask the exhaustion between his brows. Ren Jiaoming stood there, watching Chu Shangluo, who was completely drunk, without moving.

Chu Shangluo was too tired, too sleepy. He wanted to sleep so badly. He tried to numb himself with alcohol, but he remained in a semi-conscious state, unable even to forget everything for a brief moment with a good sleep.

In a haze, he felt someone standing in front of him. Chu Shangluo struggled to open his eyes. It was that hateful face. He shakily straightened up and lunged at the figure. He grabbed Ren Jiaoming’s collar and, in agony, cursed, “Get out… get out of my dreams! You scumbag, colluding with the Wen family to deceive me, you don’t deserve to appear in my dreams! You don’t deserve!”

Drunk, Chu Shangluo’s heated body pressed against Ren Jiaoming’s. He had no strength left, and all his support was leaning on Ren Jiaoming. His hot breath sprayed against Ren Jiaoming’s neck. Ren Jiaoming’s neck felt like it was on fire, the pulse beneath his skin beating strongly. Chu Shangluo suddenly became quiet, as if he had fallen asleep.

Ren Jiaoming grasped Chu Shangluo’s hand, intending to help him to the sofa. But Chu Shangluo opened his eyes and forcefully pushed Ren Jiaoming’s hand away, shouting, “Don’t touch me! You disgust me!”

Ren Jiaoming froze, his hand falling to his side. Chu Shangluo lost his balance and stumbled backward, his leg knocking into the coffee table, causing a wine bottle to fall and shatter with a loud crash. His legs gave way, and he started to fall backward. Ren Jiaoming acted without thinking, his arms wrapping around Chu Shangluo’s waist to catch him. The force of the fall was strong, and the two of them toppled onto the coffee table, where sharp glass shards lay. Skin touching the fragments would surely leave cuts. In that crucial moment, Ren Jiaoming stretched out his right hand and pressed it onto the table, just inches away from the glass shards. His right hand sank into the glass, and blood slowly oozed from his palm.

Chu Shangluo began to regain some clarity. He suddenly shoved Ren Jiaoming away, shouting, “Get the hell out, you cold-blooded, heartless bastard!”

Ren Jiaoming was pushed back two steps. Chu Shangluo, in a daze, collapsed onto the sofa, then flipped over, half of his body sliding off the edge, slowly slipping down. Ren Jiaoming lowered his gaze and walked over, lifting Chu Shangluo back to the center of the sofa. Chu Shangluo suddenly grabbed Ren Jiaoming’s injured right hand, causing him to gasp in pain.

With his eyes closed, Chu Shangluo muttered in his sleep, “You teamed up with Wen Yan to betray me. All of you bastards, I won’t let this go…”

Ren Jiaoming looked at the weary Chu Shangluo, paused for a moment, and then spoke, “Whether you believe it or not, I never teamed up with the Wen family to deceive you. Zhou Ying was indeed someone I arranged to come in, but it was only to take back my family’s antique shop. The problem is, Zhou Ying secretly allied with Wen Yan, and took 60% of Chu Corporation’s shares.”

Chu Shangluo seemed to have heard something. He gripped Ren Jiaoming’s hand tightly, but his eyes remained closed, unsure whether he was asleep or awake.

Ren Jiaoming’s right hand was in intense pain, the sharp sensation spreading through every nerve. He wanted to say something, but still said nothing. He wasn’t good at explaining things, and besides, with the current situation, explanations wouldn’t change anything. Ren Jiaoming withdrew his hand, wiping the blood from his palm. His wrist was swollen beyond recognition. The old injury from the last time he jumped out of an airplane to save Jiang Jia had flared up again. It always hurt on rainy days. Before coming here, he had just dealt with Zhou Ying, the traitor, and hurt his wrist in the process. Then, when he had pressed his hand on the coffee table earlier, it had gotten twisted, and now he couldn’t move it at all.

“Damned thing! Lying about the antique shop and making me have hope for this relationship! Why don’t you just get hit by a car when you go out?” Chu Shangluo mumbled in his sleep, frowning.

Ren Jiaoming stayed silent for a moment. He had never intended to deceive Chu Shangluo emotionally. From the very beginning, he had just wanted to retrieve the Ruan family’s belongings. He never wanted to get entangled with Chu Shangluo, but Chu Shangluo’s feelings had become a fiery, all-consuming force. Ren Jiaoming had tried to avoid it, not wanting Chu Shangluo to fall deeper. But many things had happened unexpectedly.

Chu Shangluo was still grumbling, cursing Ren Jiaoming, and when he turned over, he almost rolled off the couch. Ren Jiaoming carefully moved him to the other side of the sofa and said slowly, “I don’t want to owe you anything. The shares you gave me, I’ll return them. But with the Chu family’s empire about to collapse, the shares are already useless. I think you know that you could use those shares to turn things around.”

Anyone with clear eyes could see that the Chu family could no longer be saved. It wasn’t just about who held the majority of the shares, but rather that their opponents had carefully planned and ensnared the Chu family step by step. Ren Jiaoming was unaware of the behind-the-scenes tactics of the Wen family, and even if he vaguely sensed something, he hadn’t focused on it.

Ren Jiaoming stood up and walked towards the door, knowing that once he left today, he would never step foot here again. He should have already severed all ties with Chu Shangluo, but for some reason, his feet felt heavy as if burdened with a thousand pounds. There were also some questions that had fleetingly crossed his mind just now—he had obtained the antique shop in the first week he came to Chu Corporation, so why was he still entangled with Chu Shangluo? Was it just because of the jade pendant? Ren Jiaoming reached for the door handle. At this point, thinking about it was pointless.

“Actually… the antique shop… you said…” Ren Jiaoming paused for a moment, listening carefully to what Chu Shangluo would say. Chu Shangluo mumbled in his sleep, his voice muffled and seemingly on the verge of tears, “You said, and I’ll give it to you…”

Ren Jiaoming’s entire body stiffened, and the pain in his hand suddenly intensified, spreading throughout his body. He felt a bit dazed, pushed the door open, and left in haste, almost running away.

The next day, when Chu Shangluo woke up, he realized that at some point, someone had draped a coat over him. He propped himself up with a groggy head and froze when he saw the blood on his hands.

“Damn… did I just spit blood?”

Chu Shangluo immediately had a moment of despair, thinking that if he was bleeding, so be it—better if it was stomach cancer, and he could just die. Perhaps, if he died, his parents might return to see him one last time. He gave a sarcastic laugh, then noticed the broken bottle on the table, now covered in blood as well. He froze, his face growing increasingly grim. He kicked the coffee table out of frustration, quickly washed his hands, and called the property management to change the lock immediately.

When Chu Shangluo arrived at the company, there were still a lot of people blocking the entrance. He had lost money and they were reluctant to leave. It wasn’t hard to guess who was behind it. He lowered the brim of his hat and entered through the back door, which was originally a fire exit, but today it served a different purpose.

Inside the office, as soon as Chu Shangluo entered, Lin Zhi walked over, hesitated for a moment, then looked at Chu Shangluo and said, “Ren Jiaoming contacted us.” Chu Shangluo’s face darkened. “What does he want?”

“He transferred his shares to us.”

Chu Shangluo understood that Ren Jiaoming wanted to sever ties with him completely, but it wouldn’t be so easy. Without returning the antique shop, there was no way Ren Jiaoming could break cleanly from him. The accounts between them were far from settled.

“I know,” Chu Shangluo muttered, clenching his fist as he sat on the sofa and lit a cigarette. Looking at the people in the room, he said, “I plan to agree to the Wen family acquiring Chu Corporation.”

Lin Zhi and Chu Zong exchanged glances. Lu Wen smiled and placed a cup of coffee in front of Chu Shangluo. “It’s all up to you.”

In the end, Chu Zong and Lin Zhi didn’t say anything more. Despite their reluctance, this was the best way to minimize Chu Shangluo’s losses.

Chu Shangluo sat by the window, watching the empire his family had built over a lifetime crumble. He thought about what his father had said: he wasn’t as good at business as Chu Shangyue, and he was indeed not cut out for it.

After finishing the cigarette, Chu Shangluo called Wen Yan. “I’ve agreed. The Wen family has been eyeing the Chu family for so many years. From the beginning, all you wanted was Chu Corporation. After all this plotting, you’re offering only 300 million? You’re really good at business. Also, now I have 15% more shares.”

Wen Yan immediately understood that Ren Jiaoming had returned the shares he gave to Chu Shangluo. His jealousy grew, and he showed a smug expression. “Chu Shangluo, now you’re begging me because you can’t hold out anymore. You should be grateful I’m giving you 300 million. If I didn’t care about my reputation, I wouldn’t give you a single cent.”

Chu Shangluo tossed the cigarette butt into the overflowing ashtray and spoke calmly, “Don’t act like you’re being generous. Without acquiring Chu Corporation, how will the Wen family achieve your dream of monopolizing the industries in the capital?”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, then Wen Yan sneered, “You’re right, but it’s only 300 million. I’m not giving you a single cent more.”

“Fine. Come sign the contract this afternoon.” After saying that, Chu Shangluo hung up.

Lin Zhi looked worriedly at Chu Shangluo. “Boss, if we don’t count the shares, the value of the land and buildings alone has long exceeded 300 million.”

Chu Shangluo poked Lin Zhi’s furrowed brow with a finger and smirked. Lin Zhi immediately realized there was something fishy going on.

That afternoon, Chu Shangluo signed the contract and received the 300 million. Wen Yan, who usually kept a mild smile, showed the widest grin he had ever had. Before leaving, he said to Chu Shangluo, “Do you know? For all these years, people in the industry have compared us. They said I was inferior to you, but I wanted to prove I’m better than you. And the thing I hate the most is you…”

Chu Shangluo held a cigarette between his lips. “I’m not interested in hearing your bullshit reasons. If you hate me, so what? There are plenty of people who hate me. Just remember, Wen Yan, the road is still long. Don’t speak too soon.”

After finishing his words, Chu Shangluo walked out of the office with large strides.

Wen Yan clenched his fist, determined to make sure Chu Shangluo would never rise again.

As Chu Shangluo walked out of the Chu Corporation, he couldn’t describe the feelings swirling inside him. He only knew that from now on, he wouldn’t have to constantly worry about making money. That day, many people came to see him fail. The outside of the building was packed with media, and Wen Yan was declaring his victory to the world.

Chu Shangluo put on his sunglasses, hands behind his back, still looking cocky. Among the crowd stood Ren Jiaoming. When Ren Jiaoming saw Lu Wen standing protectively next to Chu Shangluo, he clenched his bandaged hand tightly. The pain reminded him to suppress his frustration.

Chu Corporation’s defeat in the business battle with the Wen family became huge news in the business world. When people thought that the Chu family was finished, employees of Chu Corporation began resigning one after another, leaving the building empty. The seafood poisoning incident that had been suppressed before resurfaced, and the stock prices, which had already hit a limit down, plunged again. Wen family had just acquired Chu Corporation when this happened, and they were left dumbstruck.

Now, those spoiled rich kids who used to dislike Chu Shangluo were starting to look at him with new respect. On the one hand, they admired how Chu Shangluo managed to make all the employees quit, and on the other hand, they were impressed by how he had, despite losing everything, managed to hurt the Wen family. It was a move that hurt both the enemy and himself, and only Chu Shangluo would dare to pull it off.

At this moment, in the Wen family, Wen Zhengyang was angrily scolding Wen Yan: “You’re too clever for your own good! Who told you to be so smart and try to acquire shares? We could have suppressed Chu Corporation without acquiring a single share! And why didn’t you think of using public opinion? Chu Shangluo would have!”

Wen Yan’s face turned pale, his eyes filled with twisted hatred. He wanted to argue, but Wen Zhengyang threw the document at him. “You take a look yourself and see if we really gained anything!”

The more Wen Yan looked, the colder his heart became. Although Chu Corporation had a market value of billions, after the tug-of-war between him and Chu Shangluo, the shares had plummeted and were now almost worthless. On top of that, with a large number of Chu Corporation’s employees leaving, the company could no longer operate, and its profits had stagnated. Even worse, the valuable land and property had already been sold by Chu Shangluo. He had signed lease agreements with the buyers, committing to paying 50 million in rent every year.

Wen Yan’s headache was unbearable. Winning this battle hadn’t been satisfying at all. He put down the documents, took a deep breath, and glanced at Ren Jiaoming, who was sitting quietly aside. He thought about what Ren Jiaoming had previously warned him: he might not be able to swallow Chu Corporation. “Did you expect this would happen?” Wen Yan asked.

Ren Jiaoming took a sip of tea, his face expressionless. “No, I didn’t think of anything.”

Wen Yan’s gaze fell on Ren Jiaoming’s bandaged hand, and he gritted his teeth. Wen Zhengyang, however, remained silent for a moment, his eyes shifting between Wen Yan and Ren Jiaoming. After a while, his cunning old eyes narrowed, and he said, “Xiao Jin, the corporate seal of Chu Corporation should still be with Chu Shangluo. Without the seal, it will be difficult to proceed with anything. You’re familiar with him, so why don’t you go and ask for it?”

Ren Jiaoming paused for a moment, then gave a faint, nonchalant “Mm.”