Chapter 43. Friend. Female. ...

The day before, the first snow fell, and a thick layer of white snow covered the bare branches of the green belt, reflecting the glittering neon lights of the city in all directions.

There was no wind in the capital that day, and Jiang Nuanyu was barely warm in her coat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Liang Qi, dressed only in a suit, quietly escorting her there.

Walking up the slope in front of the club, Jiang Nuanyu glanced at the entrance, where Yu Miao was already waiting. Seeing her looking over, Yu Miao waved to her.

Jiang Nuanyu raised her hand in return, tilting her head slightly to the side. She didn't speak, but Liang Qi understood her thoughts perfectly. He slowed his pace, gradually creating a distance of two or three meters between them.

Yu Miao saw them from afar, her eyes darting back and forth between them. Only when Jiang Nuanyu got closer did she notice her red eyes.

"You, you're crying?" She subconsciously looked at the man who had stopped a few steps away.

Jiang Nuanyu glanced at Liang Qi and said to her, "I'm fine, don't worry about me."

Yu Miao clearly didn't immediately accept her explanation and was still looking towards Liang Qi.

Jiang Nuanyu didn't want to stand still at the door, so she said, "Let's go in."

Yu Miao paused for a moment before looking away and said, "Oh, okay."

After entering the room, Yu Miao turned back for a second and asked inquiringly, "Is he your boyfriend?"

Jiang Nuanyu paused, then shook her head.

Yu Miao blinked: "You two... had a fight?"

quarrel?

Jiang Nuanyu pondered this inexplicably intimate and ambiguous definition, unsure how to explain it, so she simply shook her head again.

Yu Miao pouted, wisely refraining from asking further questions. He gently put his arm around her shoulder and subconsciously patted her a few times to comfort her.

Outside the glass window, Liang Qi watched Jiang Nuanyu enter the elevator, then turned back to his car.

A flashy sports car passed by the porch and stopped at the entrance.

Zhao Nan got out of the car and handed the keys to the waiter to park it. He glanced at Liang Qi's retreating figure and called out uncertainly, "Liang Qi?"

Liang Qi turned halfway around, recognized Zhao Nan, and smiled: "Long time no see."

Zhao Nan, in his early thirties, was dressed like a dashing young master. He patted Liang Qi's shoulder familiarly: "How dare you say that? How long has it been since you last came?"

Liang Qi narrowed his eyes: "Busy."

Zhao Nan didn't mind his blatant excuse and half-pushed, half-embraced him as he walked towards the door: "No matter how busy you are, you can't leave now. Go upstairs and sit for a while."

Liang Qi couldn't dissuade him, so he went inside with him.

Once inside the private room, Zhao Nan took a glass and poured a small glass of whiskey for Liang Qi.

Liang Qi raised his hand to refuse: "Let's drive."

"Why are you driving yourself? Where's the driver?" Zhao Nan glanced at his wine rack, which was filled with expensive liquors, for a while, and said, "I don't have any tea here."

Liang Qi smiled and said, "No need."

Zhao Nan's private room was on the third floor; it was a suite with a very spacious interior. One wall of the room was entirely made of floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a direct view of the club's atrium at the entrance.

Liang Qi asked, "Is this glass one-way?"

"Good eye." Zhao Nan glanced outside and said, "You can't see inside from the outside. I, as the boss, also need privacy."

Liang Qi said, "Your place is nicely decorated."

“I say—” Zhao Nan sighed and chuckled, “It’s been almost two years since I renovated this place, and now that I hear you say this, it really feels like I’ve traveled back in time.”

Liang Qi shook his head and smiled, ignoring his teasing.

In the period immediately after he returned to China, he saw Zhao Nan and his friends quite often. In the last two years, he has indeed appeared less frequently.

Zhao Nan turned his head to look at him and said, "Ningning still comes here often after returning to China, but you two haven't been in contact since?"

Liang Qi glanced at him, his expression unremarkable, and didn't say anything.

Zhao Nan looked completely innocent: "You're all my friends, I was just showing concern."

Liang Qi didn't intend to say more about this topic. He put one hand in his pocket and turned his gaze back to the window.

"Alright, I've talked too much." Zhao Nan also realized that his questioning was pointless, so he waved his hand and dropped the subject.

"Huh?" He suddenly realized something. "What brings you here today?"

"I'm bringing a friend over," Liang Qi said.

"Your friend?" Zhao Nan raised an eyebrow. "You should have said so earlier, I would have given him a free meal. What's his name?"

Liang Qi glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Zhao Nan was stunned, blinked, and sensed something was amiss: "A woman?"

Liang Qi ignored him and turned to walk towards the door: "I'm leaving now, I'll come back to support you next time."

"Hey—" Zhao Nan knew he couldn't stop Liang Qi from leaving, so he caught up with him in a few steps. "You, I'll see you off."

He escorted the person all the way to the club entrance before stopping. After Liang Qi left, he returned to the private room, muttering to himself, "A friend? Or a woman?"

"Tsk..."

*

Yu Miao's friends are mostly her age, both men and women, about ten people in total. When they see Jiang Nuanyu, they all greet her warmly, calling her "Hello, sister" one after another, which makes her a little embarrassed.

On the table in front of her was a stainless steel ice bucket containing several bottles of drinks. A layer of condensation had formed on the outside of the ice bucket. After sitting down, she wiped away a small patch with her hand and checked her appearance in the reflection.

Thankfully, this eyeliner is waterproof enough; after a good cry, the eye makeup is still passable.

"Sister." The boy next to her patted her on the shoulder.

Jiang Nuanyu turned around and smiled at him.

“Sister,” the boy turned his chair around to face her and sat down, taking the initiative to start a conversation, “Yu Miao said you work at a fashion magazine?”

Jiang Nuanyu nodded: "Yes."

The boy laughed: "That's just as I imagined."

"What?"

“People involved in fashion are all good-looking.” The boy looked at her, his eyes sparkling.

Upon hearing this and seeing the expression on his face, Jiang Nuanyu's radar went off immediately.

The boy in front of her was tall and sturdy, looking like a mature man, but the eagerness in his eyes was either deliberately obvious or simply a sign of his immaturity and inability to fully conceal it. In any case, it lacked appeal for Jiang Nuanyu.

But she didn't have the habit of trying to embarrass people right away. She smiled and said, "My colleagues will be quite happy to hear you say that."

The boy was taken aback and couldn't immediately respond. Her response was a gracious acceptance of his compliment, not at all aloof, but it still made her seem distant.

Although the boy was rebuffed, he felt more favorably toward Jiang Nuanyu and was about to continue the conversation when Yu Miao pushed two drinks toward him.

"Sister Nuanyu, which one do you want to drink?" Yu Miao asked.

Jiang Nuanyu glanced at the two drinks in front of her, one with bubbles and one without. She didn't really want the bubble drink today, so she pointed to the other one: "This one, please."

"Sister, that one contains alcohol," the boy immediately reminded her kindly.

“It’s okay, I’ll drink,” Jiang Nuanyu said.

Seeing how readily she chose her wine, the boy felt a little embarrassed.

He had also dated older women, who, though a few years his senior, were always the ones he controlled during their interactions. Jiang Nuanyu was different. Her calm and mature demeanor made him inexplicably feel inferior.

The boy sensed that he couldn't win Jiang Nuanyu over, so he gave up and didn't try to talk to her anymore, lest he not only fail to get close to her but also annoy her.

Jiang Nuanyu doesn't initiate conversations with anyone. When others talk to her, she listens with a smile, replies with a sentence or two, keeping the conversation lively but not saying much more.

Most of the time, she listened to Yu Miao and the others' conversation, but her mind was elsewhere.

She finished the glass of sweet wine that Yu Miao handed her in a few gulps, but felt it wasn't quite right, so she ordered one with a higher alcohol content.

She was unhappy and the more she drank, the more tipsy she became, and the more she wanted to drink. In the end, she stopped because she thought it wouldn't be good to get too drunk since it was her first time meeting her friends.

As the party was drawing to a close, she suddenly realized that such a gathering wouldn't have been paid for by just one person. After all, everyone present was a university student, and she remembered that the average cost per person in Tangwan was not low.

She asked Yu Miao in a low voice, "Who organized this gathering today?"

Yu Miao thought for a moment: "There's probably no one else..."

"AA?"

Yu Miao nodded: "Mm."

Jiang Nuanyu understood and said, "Count me in."

Yu Miao was taken aback: "Sister Nuanyu, I didn't call you here so you could embezzle money."

"I know," Jiang Nuanyu said, "but I've taken advantage of your party today, so I'll be too embarrassed to go out with you next time."

Her implicit acceptance of "there will be a next time" relieved Yu Miao's psychological burden considerably.

Yu Miao readily agreed: "Okay."

As everyone dispersed to the entrance, Jiang Nuanyu looked at the spot where Liang Qi had parked his car when they arrived, and her heart clenched painfully.

In the car, Liang Qi's cruel analysis, relentless questioning, and accusation of "playing hard to get" pierced her heart like sharp blades. She knew he was truly angry with her.

Her later words, perhaps in another way, completely ended this relationship that hadn't even begun.

At three in the morning, Jiang Nuanyu still couldn't fall asleep.

After returning home, she drank quite a bit more by herself. She lay in bed, her head throbbing, but her mind remained clear.

When it comes to drinking, whether you get drunk or not sometimes really has nothing to do with your alcohol tolerance; it's beyond your control.

She took out her phone again, staring blankly at Liang Qi's number. This had become almost a habit for her in recent days.

She memorized the string of numbers on the screen almost after seeing it only once.

That windy night, downstairs at her house, the moment he handed her his phone, that feeling felt as distant as a dream.

As her thoughts began to drift, she mustered her last shred of consciousness and turned off her phone screen.

*

In the days leading up to the winter solstice, the capital city was overcast, and even in the morning light, the sky still appeared gloomy.

Liang Qi looked out the window at the skyscrapers hidden in the haze, his face somber.

The phone on the desk rang, and the secretary announced, "President Liang, President Yao has arrived."

"Okay." He had just hung up the phone when the office door was pushed open.

Jingyao stood at the door, met Liang Qi's gaze as he looked up, and then slowly raised his hand to knock twice.

Liang Qi calmly sat back down in his chair, showing no annoyance at his provocation: "Please come in."

Jingyao sat down in the middle of the sofa and leaned back: "President Liang, it's rare for you to call me. What's up?"

Liang Qi didn't rush to speak. He rested his elbow on the armrest and stared directly at Jing Yao on the sofa across the desk.

Finally, Jingyao couldn't hold back any longer. He narrowed his eyes, turned his head, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Liang Qi said unhurriedly, "Jingyao, there seem to be some things in your sub-project that haven't been explained clearly."

Jingyao raised an eyebrow to avoid his gaze and looked ahead: "Am I not at the point where I need to report everything to you?"

Liang Qi remained silent, his gaze deep and sharp.

Jingyao felt uncomfortable under his gaze and decided to strike first: "What's wrong? The financial report of the sub-project was just fully disclosed at the group's meeting last week, and you can't sit still?"

Liang Qi smiled calmly, no longer bothering with further conversation: "I know what you're doing, and I know where the numbers on your financial statements come from." He paused, then said, "Stop."

Jing Yao smiled, revealing a set of white teeth and an innocent look, then turned to look at him: "I thought President Liang had some amazing tricks up his sleeve, is this all?"

Liang Qi turned his chair to face the gloomy view outside the window, but his next words seemed to dispel the thick fog.

"Your 'celebrity betting' feature is quite good. It uses social events to discreetly observe clients' betting point tendencies, screen out clients with high betting potential, and provide them with one-on-one customized cross-border betting projects." He turned to look at Jingyao. "Am I right?"

Jingyao's smile froze, but he still insisted, "So what? As the service provider, if the client has this need, I'll find out the need through my own means and satisfy it. Besides, we went to legal areas; it was a consensual matter. What's the problem?"

Liang Qi remained unmoved and said, "Even with all the effort you put into concealing it, over 80% of the revenue from your sub-projects actually comes from the so-called 'cross-border customized tourism value-added service module.' Just from service fees?" He curled his lip in a mocking smile. "Do you think your clients are fools, or do you think I'm a fool?"

Jingyao listened coldly, remaining silent for a moment.

Liang Qi got up and walked to the window, one hand in his pocket, and said bluntly, "You establish a partnership with casinos in the legal district of □□. You send them high-end customers and then take a commission or a direct share from their spending." He turned to look at Jing Yao, "You know exactly which form it takes."

Jingyao's face stiffened when he realized he had been seen through, but his eyes showed resentment.

Liang Qi met his gaze and said, "These clients you've carefully selected are all wealthy and willing to gamble. Spending hundreds of millions, even billions, in casinos is nothing to them. You don't need to worry about them being unwilling to spend money. However... I don't know if your clients are aware of your operations."

He slowly walked to his desk and leaned against the edge: "However, the customers are not the most important thing. Whether the regulatory authorities are aware of this is what you should be more concerned about."

Jing Yao's expression changed, but he forced himself to remain calm and argued, "This is just normal business practice. A high return on a project doesn't mean it's unreasonable. Customers' spending in the [redacted] area is entirely their own business, and the sub-project is not responsible for their actions." He spread his hands, "All procedures are legal and compliant."

“Jingyao, you’re not three years old,” Liang Qi said coldly. “If we really go through legal procedures, your little tricks will be useless. Even if sending clients to casinos is legal abroad, it can still be treated as organizing or assisting gambling in China. If it’s proven, it’s a criminal issue.”

Jingyao retorted sarcastically, "That's none of your concern."

“Don’t misunderstand, I have no interest in worrying about you,” Liang Qi said. “Even if you have extraordinary legal means to get past the censorship, once this operation is exposed and exposed by the outside world, the credibility of Yun Jing and Tian Qi will be severely damaged and their foundations shaken.”

He warned, "Tianqi is not a gambling company, and Yunjing's core business is not playing these kinds of thrilling games. Neither my grandfather nor Tianqi ever does anything risky."

Jingyao was thoroughly provoked by his attitude. He suddenly stood up, walked to his desk, and pressed his hand on the character "Liang" on the nameplate.

He suddenly lifted his hand and glanced at the brand name: "You said it yourself, whether it's Grandpa or Tianqi, those are things that people surnamed Jing should consider. What right do you have to point fingers? Or are you trying to use this opportunity to report me and suppress me? Are you threatening me now?"

Liang Qi looked down at the brand name tag and nodded. Indeed, Tian Qi's surname was Jing, while his was Liang.

Perhaps this is why, ever since he became involved in Tianqi's affairs years ago, he has endured unwarranted hostility from Jing Yao. Of course, he has never been lenient with Jing Yao in business competition. But the idea of ​​using legal means to bring down Jing Yao has never crossed his mind since he learned about it.

He walked back to his desk and sat down, looking up at him with a condescending posture: "If you want to play, I'll play along, but the rules of the game have changed."

*

That afternoon, Liang Qi, in his capacity as CEO of Yunjing Group, froze the relevant accounts of Jingyao's sub-projects and, citing data privacy protection, cut off Jingyao's access to customer information.

In addition, he instructed the public relations department to develop contingency plans overnight to ensure that the group could respond accurately and promptly should sensitive content of the project be exposed, minimizing damage to the brand image.

That evening, he unusually took the initiative to go back to Jing Chengming's place and personally explained the matter to him.

Upon learning of this, Jing Chengming was furious and demanded an immediate halt to the relevant projects, and also revoked Jing Yao's control over the sub-projects.

In a very short time, Jing Yao plummeted from the heights of success to the depths of despair. Not only was he unable to prove his abilities through the success of the sub-projects, but Jing Chengming also suspended him from his key position in the marketing department of Tianqi Group.

Liang Qi's decisive and public decision to suspend the sub-project caused Jing Yao to lose face among the group's senior management. For the next few days, Jing Yao did not appear at Tianqi's headquarters.

Everyone sighed at Liang Qi's ruthless methods. While admiring his courage, they were also very wary of his hypocritical behavior of repeatedly letting go of Jing Yao's old friends on the surface, but then crushing them at the crucial moment. They also had some complaints in secret.

Faced with various discussions within the group, Liang Qi remained calm and indifferent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

On the day of the winter solstice, although it was a Saturday, Liang Qi still went to the company to handle official business.

Jing Chengming told him to go back that evening. Before he left, Peng Ze came in and said, "Mr. Liang, the old man also invited President Yao tonight."

Liang Qi looked up at him, and Peng Ze asked, "Are you still going over there?"

Liang Qi closed the file, stood up, and buttoned up his suit jacket: "I'm not the one who should be hiding."

*

When Liang Qi arrived, Jing Chengming was frowning as he studied a bamboo slip in his hand. He glanced at Liang Qi and then lowered his eyes without saying a word.

Liang Qi sat down on his own and turned to see Jing Yao dressed in casual black clothes, leaning back in a single sofa. He didn't seem as devastated as the rumors suggested.

The two exchanged a glance, but neither spoke.

The small hall was quiet for a moment. Jing Chengming slowly put down the bamboo scroll, took off his reading glasses, and looked at Liang Qi: "Did you go to the company today?"

Liang Qi nodded: "Yes."

"How have the follow-ups on the sub-projects been handled these past few days?"

"Everything is currently under control," Liang Qi said.

Jing Chengming turned his gaze to Jing Yao: "What have you been thinking about these past two days?"

Jingyao sat up straighter: "Grandpa, even if there are any problems with the sub-project, it's still the result of my full effort. And the project is profitable." The implication was that he didn't want to relinquish control of the sub-project.

Jing Chengming didn't immediately express his opinion, but instead asked, "What does Liang Qi think?"

Liang Qi said, "The target customers of the sub-projects are mostly elite groups with a certain status and influence, which is indeed highly compatible with the resources that Jingyao has accumulated over the years, and there are quite a few potential customers."

Upon hearing this, Jingyao's expression shifted, unsure of his intentions.

However, Liang Qi changed the subject: "But precisely because these clients have social influence, in addition to providing top-notch services, it is even more important to leverage their secondary dissemination to continuously strengthen YunJing's absolutely positive social perception."

The words "absolutely positive" immediately struck a nerve with Jing Yao. Before Liang Qi could finish speaking, he turned and interrupted, "Those clients all have their privacy protected. Who would bother to check this?! Their spending a little money at the casino won't affect Yun Jing's brand image at all!"

Jing Chengming stopped him in a deep voice: "Jing Yao!"

Jingyao gritted his teeth and shut his mouth, suppressing his anger, while Liang Qi remained silent for a moment.

After a moment, Jing Chengming said to Liang Qi, "Go on."

Liang Qi nodded: "The dispute resolution services for the sub-projects are indeed highly customized and private, and theoretically there is room for them to be carried out secretly. But everyone has loopholes, and I think it is too risky to rely on all relevant parties to keep the secret."

His words seemed to be a response to Jingyao's earlier interruption, and Jingyao listened, his teeth practically grinding to dust.

“Currently, the vast majority of Cloudview’s services are still geared towards the mass market, and people have almost no tolerance for illegal activities involving the black market,” Liang Qi continued. “Once such a sensitive issue is exposed, it is very difficult to reverse public perception. The public is averse to getting involved with these things.”

Jing Cheng listened to him but remained silent, neither agreeing with his point of view nor denying the accusations in his words.

Liang Qi glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and said, "I was mainly busy with the cooperation project with Conti recently, and there were some oversights in the supervision of the sub-project. This was my mistake. Jingyao has been in charge of this project, and apart from the risk factors, it has been progressing smoothly. If the group decides to let Jingyao continue to be in charge of the sub-project, I have no objection."

Jing Chengming's eyes flashed—retreating to advance, not bad.

He gave Liang Qi a meaningful look and said, "If that's the case, then let's do it that way."

Liang Qi lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, saying nothing more.

After the conversation ended, Liang Qi did not linger and left before dinner.

As he was leaving, Jingyao stopped him in the lobby.

"You pretended to be magnanimous in front of Grandpa, but actually you wanted me to manage the project completely under your nose," Jingyao sneered. "Do you think you're so great?"

Liang Qi glanced at him and continued walking forward, clearly not wanting to argue with him any further.

"You care so much about the company's image?" Jing Yao turned around and said expressionlessly, "It seems you are very confident in your image."

Liang Qi sensed a hidden meaning in his words and paused. He turned his head slightly, but ultimately said nothing and left without saying a word.