Socializing
Chen Chao had a social engagement in the evening, and after work, he rushed to a secluded club in the city center.
The southern incident, which had occupied his main focus for the past few days, had finally come to an end. Although they had paid a considerable price, the results were also quite remarkable. They could breathe a sigh of relief there for the time being, but the undercurrents at home had become even more treacherous.
Chen Chao raised the partition between the front and rear seats of the vehicle, and a person curled up in the back seat, rubbing their temples wearily.
He was really tired.
The Special Security Council has three deputy ministers, each responsible for domestic and international affairs. Domestic affairs are divided into three regions: East, Central, and West; international affairs are divided into three regions: South, North, and West. Chen Chao is responsible for the eastern part of the domestic affairs and the southern part of the international affairs.
When the Special Security Agency was first established, its main task was espionage against foreign countries. This included stealing the latest research and development data from other countries, spying on enemy countries' geological information and strategic reserves, and protecting highly skilled personnel to return home.
Back then, the Tehran regime had almost no domestic affairs to deal with. But now, with economic development, the time they need to spend domestically is almost equal to, and even showing a tendency to surpass, international affairs.
With the opening up of society and the improvement of technological capabilities, individuals with ulterior motives have gradually emerged in various fields, seeking to profit by selling state secrets. The eastern region, under Chen Chao's jurisdiction, is economically developed and industrially advanced, making it a prime location for foreign espionage.
This is also the root of his busy schedule.
Moreover, as the heir of the Chen family and the next head of the family, he has more to worry about than just Te'an's affairs.
Maintaining relationships with the upper class, managing and balancing various factions, and predicting and considering the overall development of society... the tasks that the heir must undertake are no easier than those of Tian.
Under the double pressure, he seems to be losing control of his emotions more and more lately.
He wasn't unaware that exhaustion could ruin his mind and repression could erode his thinking. But he was helpless.
He sits in the position of the family heir, and he has to bear the consequences.
Chen Chao leaned his head back against the headrest in the back seat and let out a heavy sigh. For some reason, he suddenly thought of the punch he received yesterday.
The emotions deliberately provoked him, and he unleashed them without holding back; he truly felt exhilarated the moment he threw the punch.
Steve really made him happy yesterday.
But he also understood that such a thing must never happen again. He had to maintain self-control in front of his subordinates; he absolutely could not lose control in their presence.
What he carried on his back were their lives.
The car smoothly entered the underground garage of the private club. Before Chen Chao lowered the partition, the driver wisely did not get out to open the door.
Chen Chao composed himself in the darkness, and once he was certain he was invincible again, he lowered the partition between the front and back seats. Only then did the driver finally get out of the car to open the door for him.
Chen Chao doesn't like to bring bodyguards when he goes out. He finds it troublesome to be followed, and he is used to maintaining a perfect image in front of strangers. Bringing bodyguards would prevent him from relaxing and would only increase his fatigue.
The club he came to this time is owned by the Song family, and today's gathering was organized by Song Zifeng, the heir of the Song family.
Song Zifeng recently acquired a batch of cultural relics that had been lost overseas and is very proud of them. He said he wants to show them to everyone before donating them to a museum.
Chen Chao didn't really like these kinds of occasions. A bunch of second-generation rich kids getting together was nothing more than bragging, drinking, and clubbing—a chaotic mess that gave him a headache. But as heirs of the six great families, he couldn't refuse to give them the face they deserved. Besides, they had recovered lost cultural relics, a meritorious deed, so he had to support them.
Chen Chao arrived late today; by the time he went upstairs, most of the people had already gathered. Among this group of second-generation peers, Landpopov had officially taken over as the head of the Popov family and no longer associated with them. The heir of the Rabino family was far away training troops on the frontier and couldn't come either. So, although it was a gathering of second-generation members, only six people showed up in total.
The He family's He Tianyu and He Tianqi brothers,
Valena Voncinjevich of Voncinjevich
Chen Chao and his sister Chen Xi,
Add Song Zifeng himself.
As soon as Chen Chao stepped into the room, Chen Xi greeted him: "Brother, why are you so late? Are you working overtime again?"
"Yeah, I've been pretty busy lately." Chen Chao looked at Chen Xi with affection. "You're here early."
"Am I a free person?" Chen Xi said with a smile.
"Chen Chao, you're the one who's suffered the most among us, so why bother? Before you officially take over the family, you should enjoy yourself while you can. Once you're in charge, you'll be busy all the time, won't you?" Song Zifeng came over with a bottle of wine to greet Chen Chao.
Chen Chao took a glass of dry white wine from the tray of a waiter and clinked glasses with Song Zifeng: "How can I be as free as you? Three auctions in two days, how extravagant!"
Song Zifeng's face showed a smug look: "It took a lot of effort from finding out about it to arranging it and taking action, but the result was quite smooth. Take a look?"
Chen Chao nodded.
Song Zifeng led Chen Chao to the glass case. Chen Xi had already seen it and wasn't really interested, so he said goodbye and went to play with Valena.
The He brothers were admiring the glass display case when they saw them coming over, and they raised their glasses to greet Chen Chao.
"A journey through the landscapes of the Xia Dynasty? Zifeng, you're something else." Chen Chao wasn't really into calligraphy, paintings, and antiques, but he did have some basic knowledge. He knew how valuable this painting was, and his eyes lit up. He was very happy that this lost national treasure had returned to China.
“Don’t let Zifeng’s usual idleness fool you; he’s been secretly working on something big where we don’t need to exert ourselves.” He Tianyu’s gaze lingered on the painting for a long time. “This painting truly deserves to be called a rare treasure; every brushstroke is perfectly natural.”
"Brother He is knowledgeable. If I acquire any good items next time, I will definitely send them to you." Song Zifeng was very happy that someone recognized his value.
"It's a deal." He Tianyu was very happy.
"Then can I try some of the latest varieties of melons from your research institute?" Song Zifeng continued.
“Sure, we’ll all try them together then. It’s just a matter of saying the word,” He Tianqi chimed in. “Not only do they have melons, but the latest batch of cherries is also quite good. I’ll organize the party.”
"Okay, okay, it's settled then."
The conversation drifted off into unrelated topics, and after a few drinks, everyone became more relaxed. Song Zifeng asked someone to call for companions, and soon elegantly dressed handsome men and beautiful women entered the room.
Valena whistled, hooked her arm around the neck of a handsome young man, and said to Song Zifeng, "The main reason I came to your party is because you're the most beautiful person there."
"What, does Valena think I'm not pretty?" Chenxi pretended to be jealous and leaned against Valena, acting coquettishly.
Valena lowered her head and kissed Chenxi's forehead, comforting him, "Of course you're beautiful. You're the main course, and the others are just dessert, something to balance things out."
"My sister is just flattering me again." Chenxi said this, but a smile had already appeared on her face. After saying that, she also hooked a little boy over, "Then I'll do what my sister does and have a dessert too."
Everyone laughed at Chenxi's antics and chose their own desserts.
Chen Chao pointed to a girl who looked rather aloof. After the girl sat down, he said to her, "You're only responsible for pouring the drinks. You don't need to do anything else, especially don't touch me."
The girl nodded to indicate that she understood.
The escorts who can get to places like this are all highly emotionally intelligent; they understand perfectly what they should and shouldn't do.
It was late at night when the party ended. Chen Chao returned to the villa and opened the door, only to find the living room lights on. For a moment, he even thought he was hallucinating from being drunk.
"Boss, you're back." Steve stood in the living room, looking at him innocently.
Chen Chao sobered up considerably immediately. He composed himself and asked angrily, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm not comfortable with you not having bodyguards yet."
"so?"
"I want to be responsible for your safety until the bodyguards arrive."
Chen Chao felt a headache coming on. Time and time again, why couldn't his subordinate understand human language?
He was always strict in his work and his orders were strictly enforced. He had never been disobeyed by his subordinates like this before.
"I told you my security is none of your business."
“But…” Steve wanted to argue.
"You think I wouldn't dare do anything to you, don't you?"
Chen Chao was already exhausted and his self-control was weakened. The alcohol further suppressed his rationality. At this moment, fueled by anger, he rushed forward and grabbed Steve by the neck.
Steve's hands hung limply at his sides as Chen Chao choked him, offering no resistance. He gradually felt suffocated, but his eyes remained devoid of any fear or panic.
After about twenty seconds, Chen Chao released his grip and coldly ordered, "Wait for me here!"
After finishing his sentence, Chen Chao quickly went upstairs to the master bedroom.
In the master bedroom's bathroom, Chen Chao washed his face with cold water, and the alcohol completely wore off.
Although he didn't receive professional training in alcohol and anesthesia resistance like special agents, he did have training in being drunk, since the consequences of people like him saying the wrong thing while drunk could be very high.
Normally, the alcohol he drank today wouldn't have been enough to make him lose control.
But he just lost control.
For some reason, he always seemed to lose control easily in front of Steve.
Steve's eyes always seemed to easily break down the high walls he had built with reason.
Why?
Steve stood in the living room and saw that his eldest son had changed his clothes when he came out again.
Chen Chao's newly changed suit was impeccably tailored without a single wrinkle. He walked down the stairs step by step, his gaze deep and unwavering, his face utterly expressionless.
Every movement he made was imbued with Chen Chao's calm and restrained demeanor, leaving no room for criticism.
Under such an atmosphere, Steve stood even straighter, and he suddenly had the illusion of giving a mission briefing in the top-floor office of the Special Security Bureau.
Chen Chao sat down on the sofa in front of Steve, but didn't offer Steve a seat. He glanced coldly at Steve and spoke slowly, "You said yesterday you wanted me to vent my emotions on you?"
"Yes." Under the oppressive aura of Chen Chao, Steve unconsciously adopted a tone of reporting a mission.
"On what grounds are you making this request?"
"What's his identity?" Steve was confused. He was Chen Chao's subordinate.
Seeing Steve's confusion, Chen Chao added, "There's only business between a superior and subordinate. My personal feelings are not within your job scope. This is something I need to handle myself, and you don't need to worry about it."
“But…” Steve wanted to say something, but Chen Chao gestured for him to be quiet.
"I don't talk to my subordinates about my emotions unless I have a closer personal relationship with them."
Steve instantly understood what Chen Chao meant. He stared at Chen Chao with wide eyes, finding it unbelievable.
"What? You don't want to?" Chen Chao continued, as if he had anticipated Steve's reaction. "Then don't show up here without permission anymore, and don't concern yourself with my personal feelings, understand?"
Chen Chao, satisfied, dismissed the guests and got up to go upstairs.
But to his surprise, halfway up the stairs, he heard Steve's voice behind him: "What if I wanted to?"
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