Chapter 23: The Guy Who Values Love Over Friends!

Gu Zhiyan didn’t want to discuss Jian Yao with other men. He finished the wine in his glass in one gulp, casually placed the glass on the table, and his shimmering black eyes glanced at the group of people who were swaying back and forth.

“Are they free these days? Why are they all here at once?”

Pei Yi glanced at Gu Zhiyan, picked up the wine on the table and poured himself another glass, filling Gu Zhiyan’s glass as well. He leaned lazily on the sofa.

“If you could spare even a little of the attention you give Jian Yao to the club, you wouldn’t even know they’re here for the live stream event.”

It was their studio, after all. Why was he the only one who was worried about everything?

Gu Zhiyan gave him a cold look.

Years of tacit understanding allowed Pei Yi to instantly understand Gu Zhiyan’s meaning: Are you the one who mentioned Jian Yao’s name?

Pei Yi made a gesture of zipping his mouth shut, speechless. He raised his glass towards Gu Zhiyan.

Gu Zhiyan slowly straightened the tie he had loosened in the car. “I’m not drinking anymore. I’m afraid my wife will worry.”

“You guys continue drinking. Put it on my tab.”

Pei Yi: …

Leaving already?

If he wasn’t afraid of getting beaten, he would have punched him twice.

Seeing Gu Zhiyan already getting up to leave, Pei Yi quickly spoke up, “The partner’s side means they hope we can participate in the live stream event with Hongmao. What do you think?”

Back when he and Gu Zhiyan hadn’t retired, they were fixed teammates with Hongmao, known as the Three Musketeers.

After graduating from college, they focused on Yao Guang, and after retiring from the club, only Hongmao, the youngest, took on the responsibility of leading a group of young players to continue competing.

It had been a long time since they played games together. Their Weibo would often have fans clamoring for them to return.

Although a return was impossible, it would be good to give their old fans some benefits through this event.

Gu Zhiyan paused as he was about to leave. He suddenly flashed back to the self-study room in college, where Lu Chengze and Wu Yue were playing games, blaming Jian Yao for her terrible skills, and Jian Yao’s timid appearance. A pang of pain flashed in his eyes.

“I might be busy these days. I don’t have any plans for now.”

“Ugh!”

Pei Yi watched the man’s back as he left, silently rolling his eyes.

He had rolled his eyes more today than in his entire life.

He shook his head and swayed, mimicking Gu Zhiyan’s tone, sarcastically, “I might be busy these days…”

They were in the same company. How could he not know if he was busy or not?

He was fooling him!

He’s busy going home to coax his wife!

What a guy, valuing love over friends!

An hour later, Jian Yao came out of the bathroom with her hair still damp.

The sun was just right in the sky.

She didn’t use a hairdryer to dry her hair. Instead, she took a book and prepared to go to the balcony to read and let her hair air dry.

The phone, casually thrown on the bed, lit up, popping up a message from an unknown number.

She casually picked up the phone, opened the message, and walked towards the balcony with a book in hand.

The message was sent from an unknown number, with only a short sentence and a picture.

“Do you like the new necklace that Brother Lu gave me?”

The photo didn’t show her face, only her neck, revealing half of her chin and delicate collarbone, and a sparkling six-pointed star diamond necklace around her neck.

It was obvious that it was sent by Liu Yiyi.

She had blocked Liu Yiyi’s WeChat last time. This time, she simply used an unknown number to send a message.

Jian Yao snorted, “She’s really a persistent ghost.”

She didn’t bother to pay attention to Liu Yiyi, the green tea, and exited the message interface. She habitually opened WeChat and saw a message from Assistant Lin an hour ago.

“Miss Jian, there’s a problem with the Lu Corporation and Li Corporation project. Could you please ask Mr. Li to take my call?”

The Lu Corporation and Li Corporation project?

Jian Yao frowned.

She had been in charge of the Lu Corporation and Li Corporation project. Everything was fine when she saw Uncle Li at noon today. What could have gone wrong?

Jian Yao tapped her phone. “What happened?”

Lin, the assistant, seemed to have been waiting for her call. Almost as soon as she sent the message, he was typing.

But the “typing…” message flickered a few times, and finally only a single sentence came through.

“Just a small problem. You just need to have Mr. Li take the call.”

Jian Yao pursed her lips.

This meant he wasn’t willing to tell her.

She opened the company’s large group chat, which was full of peace and harmony, with everyone slacking off and chatting.

Obviously, Lu Chengze had concealed this matter.

Something that would make Lu Chengze go to such lengths to protect, even keeping it from her.

Jian Yao could probably guess who it was.

Liu Yiyi, under Lin’s watchful eyes, had been making small moves, but she hadn’t touched any big projects in the company.

Most likely, it was her useless brother who had caused trouble.

Liu Yaozong was the warehouse manager. Jian Yao’s heart sank.

The position of warehouse manager wasn’t big, but if he really wanted to make trouble, he could really cause a big disaster.

Jian Yao clenched her phone. Thinking that Lu Chengze was still trying to protect Liu Yaozong, her desire to leave Lu Corporation became even more urgent.

Lin, the assistant, didn’t get a reply from her and sent another message.

“Miss Jian, are you still there?”

Jian Yao took off the towel from her head, tapped the screen with her fingers, “Since it’s a small matter, I’ll deal with it when I go back to the company after my vacation.”

With that, she dodged Lin’s question, muted her phone, and settled back in the lounge chair to read.

He wanted her help, but didn’t want her to know the truth.

What kind of good deal was that in the world?

Anyway, looking at Uncle Li’s face today, it seemed that Li Corporation wouldn’t be hurt, so let Lin and Lu Chengze figure it out themselves.

Wasn’t the slogan pretty loud when Liu Yaozong joined the company?

Now that something has happened, let him take the responsibility himself.

On the top floor of Lu Corporation’s president’s office.

Lu Chengze stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking towards the east through the glass.

That was the direction of his and Jian Yao’s apartment complex.

The cigarette he held in his hand was about to burn out. The scorching heat came through his fingertips, but he didn’t move, as if he couldn’t feel the pain.

Lin, the assistant, stood behind him, his gaze sweeping over the flames on his fingertips. He pursed his lips. “Mr. Lu, our company’s current available funds are not enough to cover the gap on Li Corporation’s side.”

Half a year’s worth of goods, eight hundred million, plus the penalty.

Even if they broke down the east wall to make up for the west wall, they were still short by half.

He didn’t know why, but Li Corporation’s attitude was very firm this time. Wang, the usually mild-mannered secretary, suddenly turned against them, refusing even to give them a few days’ grace, saying that three days was three days.

Three days later, if Li Corporation didn’t get the money, they would make public the scandal of Lu Corporation’s substandard goods and sue them.

Once this news got out, other partners would definitely attack Lu Corporation.

At that point, it wouldn’t be a matter of returning a few hundred million yuan in goods.

Their reputation would be ruined, and any company that wanted to cooperate with Lu Corporation in the future would have to think twice. It would be difficult to turn things around.