Chapter 14
In the conference room, you could hear a pin drop, the only sound being the gentle hum of the projector fan. The neon lights of the city outside the window shone brightly, but they couldn't illuminate the bottomless pool in Qin Yu's eyes.
His finger pointed at the cold draft of the equity transfer agreement. His movement was light, but it was more than a thousand pounds heavier.
"Now," he said, "let's talk about my reward."
Gu Jing stood at the door, his heart tightening as if by an invisible hand, his breathing stagnant. He looked at Qin Yu, the man who had just crushed Zhou Liguang with overwhelming force, and now, like a business hunter, was demanding his "reward."
The sense of absurdity mixed with the cold reality washed over his nerves.
He walked into the conference room step by step, his leather shoes stepping on the carpet without making any sound. He stopped at the other end of the long table, and Qin Yu was separated from him by a smooth mahogany tabletop, as if there was an invisible abyss between them.
"Remuneration?" Gu Jing asked, his voice trying to remain steady, yet a hint of hoarseness still escaped him. "What does Mr. Qin want? Gu's shares? Control?"
His eyes swept over the draft agreement on the projection screen. The terms were complicated, but the core was clear - Qin Yu would become the second largest shareholder of Gu Group after him, and would have important decision-making power over several key subsidiaries.
It was a big appetite. But it wasn't entirely unexpected. There's no such thing as a free lunch in the business world, especially when someone like Qin Yu is involved.
Qin Yu didn't answer immediately. He walked around the conference table and slowly approached Gu Jing. His steps were steady, carrying the oppressive feeling of a large predator approaching. Finally, he stopped just one step away from Gu Jing.
The distance was so close that they could see the tiniest lines in each other's eyes.
"Shares? Control?" Qin Yu repeated, his tone tinged with a hint of subtle, almost playful sarcasm. "I want those things. There are plenty of ways to get them. No need to go through so much trouble."
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze as if real, locking onto Gu Jing's eyes.
"I don't do this for this little 'reward'."
Gu Jing's heart skipped a beat, and a worse premonition quietly grew: "What was that for?"
Qin Yu's gaze roamed over his face, as if examining a lost and recovered treasure, or calculating a game that hadn't yet concluded. He was silent for a few seconds, the air tense and almost breaking.
Then, he suddenly laughed very lightly. There was no joy in his laughter, only a cold, paranoid certainty.
"I want you," he said, his voice not loud, but every word was clear, hitting Gu Jing's heart, "willingly, stay by my side."
Gu Jing's pupils suddenly shrank, and he almost thought he had heard it wrong.
"Stay by my side," Qin Yu repeated, his tone unquestionable. "This isn't some hypocritical marriage. This is real, complete. From name to body and soul, everything will bear my mark."
He raised his hand, his fingertips almost touching Gu Jing's cheek, but stopped just a millimeter away, tracing his outline in the air, his eyes obsessed and crazy.
"For ten years... I've watched you, thought about you, and peered into your life like a rat in a gutter." His voice deepened, tinged with pain and a chilling obsession. "I watched you laugh for others, cry for others, and treat me as an irreconcilable enemy..."
"I'm done."
His fingertips suddenly tightened into fists, and veins bulged on the back of his hands.
"Who is Zhou Liguang? And who is the Gu family?" He stared at Gu Jing, a terrifying dark tide rolling in his eyes. "All I want is you."
"So," he pointed at the agreement, his tone suddenly becoming cold and realistic, as if the madness he had just flashed across his face was just an illusion, "sign it. It's a guarantee, and it's also... a token of allegiance."
Use the future of the Gu family to keep him by your side. Use the bondage of business to ensure that he has nowhere to escape.
Gu Jing's body went cold, his blood freezing. He finally understood. Qin Yu's rescue of the Gu family and his fight against Zhou Liguang weren't meant to help him, but rather to... clear all obstacles and then completely take him for himself!
In a way that he simply couldn't refuse!
"What if I don't sign?" Gu Jing heard his own voice asking, which was extremely dry.
Qin Yu looked at him quietly, without any threat in his eyes, but it was more suffocating than any threat.
"You don't have to sign," he said flatly. "Even though Zhou Liguang is bankrupt, the massive short-selling debt and mess he left behind are enough to bring down Gu's in a short period of time. Those vultures smelling blood will pounce soon. Without my subsequent financial support, Gu's won't last more than a month."
He paused and added, his voice as light as a feather, yet carrying a thousand pounds of weight.
"Of course, you can also try to find someone else. For example... my father? Or other rivals who are eyeing us covetously? See what conditions they offer. Will they be more merciful than mine?"
Every word was like an icicle, piercing Gu Jing's heart. Qin Yu had blocked all his escape routes. Ahead lay the abyss, behind him the cliff.
If he signed, Gu could survive, but he would completely lose his freedom and become a bird in a cage carefully crafted by Qin Yu.
If he doesn't sign, Gu and he will be destroyed together.
There is no choice at all.
A huge feeling of powerlessness and anger swept over Gu Jing. His fingers trembled slightly and his nails dug deep into his palms.
He looked at Qin Yu, at this handsome yet cold face, at those bottomless eyes filled with ten years of paranoia and madness. Hatred and an indescribable, intense tremor of possession intertwined, nearly tearing him apart.
The air was dead silent. The neon lights outside the window flickered, casting flickering shadows on Qin Yu's face.
a long time.
Gu Jing raised his hand very slowly and reached for the agreement on the table.
His movements were slow, and every inch seemed to exhaust all his strength.
Qin Yu's gaze remained on him without moving at all, as if he was waiting for a sacrifice that had already been destined.
Finally, Gu Jing's fingers touched the cold paper.
He picked up the pen that was ready beside him.
The tip of the pen hovered over the signature, trembling slightly.
He closed his eyes, and his father's last words, Uncle Lin's kind smile, and the faces of countless employees in the Gu Building flashed through his mind.
Then, he suddenly opened his eyes, and all the struggles and emotions in his eyes were forcibly suppressed, leaving only a desperate and cold determination.
The pen tip falls.
Swish—swish—
His name was clearly signed on the agreement.
The last stroke seemed to have drained all his strength away.
He put down his pen, raised his head, and looked directly at Qin Yu. His face was pale, but his eyes were like the surface of a frozen lake.
"Satisfied?" he asked, his voice flat.
Qin Yu looked at the signature he had just given him. The mad, paranoid undercurrent in his eyes seemed to subside a little, transforming into a deeper, incomprehensible satisfaction. He reached out, not to take the agreement, but slowly, with irresistible force, grasped the hand that Gu Jing had just signed.
His palms were burning hot, tightly wrapping around Gu Jing's cold fingers.
"Very good." He stroked Gu Jing's knuckles, as if confirming a lost and recovered property. His tone was low and affectionate, but with a frightening possessiveness.
"From now on, you are mine."
He exerted a little force and pulled Gu Jing towards him, so close that he could hear his breathing.
"The real young master..." he whispered, his eyes tracing Gu Jing's pale lips, "The fake young master..."
"None of this matters anymore."
His thumb stroked Gu Jing's lower lip with an unquestionable force.
"What's important is that from now on, every laugh and every cry you make will only be for me."
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