He's your son.
In the quiet and spacious conference room, a group of employees in uniform stood respectfully in a row, their eyes all looking at the only two people sitting at the conference table.
Facing the floor-to-ceiling window, the man in a silver-white suit stood with his shoulders straight, looking elegant yet stern. His slender fingers casually flipped through the proposal in front of him, and the sound of flipping pages became the only sound in the meeting room.
Tao Xingye looked at Liu Quan, unmoved as a mountain. He was confident that his company's proposal would win Liu Quan's favor. As expected, Liu Quan's face showed a subtle satisfaction.
"Very good." Liu Quan looked up and leaned back in his chair, tapping the table as if waiting for something.
Tao Xingye was puzzled and looked back following Liu Quan's gaze. Outside the frosted glass wall, he saw someone walking towards him.
The sound of leather shoes stopped, and the next second, the door was opened by the waiter.
After a second or two of silence, a tall and strong man walked out from the side. He had a smile on his face and fair skin, and looked somewhat similar to Tao Xingye who was sitting at the desk.
One person recognized Tao Xinghai first, exclaimed, then quickly shut his mouth and looked at Tao Xingye cautiously.
The two men's eyes met, one sharp, the other casual.
Tao Xinghai shook his shoulders, ignored Tao Xingye and walked straight towards Liu Quan, took the documents handed over by the assistant and placed them in front of Liu Quan.
The two documents were laid out side by side, with the same title.
"Are you here to steal my business?" Tao Xingye spoke each word clearly, almost gritting his teeth as he said the "I".
Tao Xinghai ignored him and took out a pen and handed it to Liu Quan. He sat down on the desk informally with his legs raised, and tilted his head slightly in a provocative manner, "Brother, you can't handle this business alone, right?"
"you--"
"Xinghai!" A powerful voice drowned out Tao Xingye's words, and the office returned to peace again. As a group of employees walked into the office, Tao Xingguo was surrounded by everyone and walked in.
"Dad." Tao Xinghai stood up and showed some respect. He blinked at Tao Xingye.
Everyone in the office stood up except Tao Xingye.
He remained motionless, his face expressionless, just staring at Tao Xingguo. His gaze was too direct, and Tao Xingguo looked away as if he was too lazy to pay attention to him. "Mr. Liu, my youngest son's plan is pretty good, isn't it?"
Tao Xingguo said as he sat down next to Tao Xingye, "Please forgive me if there are any mistakes. This is his first time doing a project."
The president of a group personally came down to support his son. If Tao Xingye was not present at this moment, other employees would definitely have the courage to praise the deep love between father and son.
However, there were no ifs and buts. Tao Xingye was indeed present at the moment. Even the project that originally belonged to him was intercepted by his biological father and his youngest son.
"Are you really going to sign them?" Tao Xingye stared at Liu Quan, his lips tightly pursed. Liu Quan seemed oblivious to the anger in his eyes, and continued chatting with Tao Xingguo.
It was as if everyone sitting at the table couldn't see Tao Xingye. They formed a solid barrier the first time they saw each other, and Tao Xingye didn't even have the qualifications to enter this barrier.
When had he ever been treated like this? Tao Xingye's ears burned red, and the looks from those around him were nothing but mockery. He used the last bit of his rationality to scold himself awake, shaking off the thought of falling out with Liu Quan from his mind.
Tao Xingye stood up and straightened the tail of his suit without saying a word. Others showed him no respect, but he wanted to preserve a last shred of dignity. He even managed a smile, albeit a creepy one. "Then you guys chat slowly. I'm leaving now."
He walked very fast, and in the windless environment, the hem of his suit was lifted up. Chu Yan felt something was wrong and quickened his pace to catch up with Tao Xingye, but he was still a step too late.
When the elevator door closed a crack, Chu Yan clearly saw the complicated look in Tao Xingye's eyes.
As the elevator descended, Tao Xingye finally caught his breath. His lips trembled unconsciously. There was no one around him, but he still didn't dare to vent any emotions, as if countless pairs of eyes were always on him.
He tremblingly touched his suit pocket, where was the cigarette? Yes, he wanted to smoke.
He fumbled for the cigarette box, but couldn't hold it steady. Before he could even smoke a cigarette, the box and the cigarettes fell to the ground, and the cigarettes rolled all over the floor at his feet.
Without thinking, he squatted down, picked up a cigarette and put it to his lips. At this moment, the elevator door opened.
As a burst of exclamations was heard, Tao Xingye's mind went blank for a moment.
Looking up, he saw many people waiting in the lobby. Their faces had varying expressions, but they all held cameras and microphones. After a sharp shutter click, Tao Xingye finally came to his senses. He sneered, stood up, and walked out.
Some reporters chased him, and they all wanted to shove the microphones in his face.
"Boss Tao, could you please say a few words?"
"Mr. Tao, is it true that you and the Tao Group have parted ways?"
"Mr. Tao..."
"They are coming!" There was an exclamation. As the elevator door opened, everyone turned around and rushed back to the elevator. Across the crowd, Tao Xingye stood at the door and lit a cigarette.
Tao Xingguo walked in front, followed by Liu Quan and Tao Xingye.
The reporter was stopped by other bodyguards, and a wide passage appeared before the three of them. Tao Xingye held the cigarette between his fingers. Reason told him to get out, but his legs were unable to move.
He watched Tao Xingguo take the initiative to embrace Tao Xinghai, and watched Tao Xinghai being pushed out by his father. The man with a "kind" face smiled and said to the reporter, "This is my son. You must take good care of him."
His son, the cigarette fell from Tao Xingye's hand and shattered into pieces in an instant.
The lobby was filled with cheers, and some employees had even prepared fireworks in advance. One after another, the fireworks exploded in the air and fell down.
All the cameras were pointed at the father and son, how touching.
Tao Xingye smiled and stared at them. He should applaud them, applaud them, Tao Xingye thought, and raised his hand. His applause was insignificant, instantly drowned out by the clamor of the waves in front of him.
He stepped back step by step, his heart seemed to be grabbing and falling.
The noise in his ears gradually faded away, and Tao Xingye finally left the lobby.
He was separated from the crowd by only a glass door.
Tao Xingguo suddenly looked at him with a smug smile on his face. Tao Xingye felt nauseous, and slowly, the surroundings were dyed with color again.
"Mr. Tao." Chu Yan chased out.
"Any cigarettes?"
"Huh?" Chu Yan was stunned for a moment and quickly began to search his pockets. He hadn't brought anything with him today. "Boss Tao, wait for me to buy it for you."
"Get in the car." Tao Xingye walked towards the driver's seat with a serious face. Chu Yan's heart was in a state of tension. He signaled the driver to get out with his eyes. After giving instructions to the others, he bravely got on the passenger seat.
Before he could fasten his seat belt, he felt a huge recoil and the car instantly launched onto the road.
"Tao, Mr. Tao." Chu Yan turned his head and wanted Tao Xingye to calm down. However, there were more and more vehicles around, and Tao Xingye did not slow down at all. The black car shuttled through the traffic swiftly and agilely. There were even a few moments when they almost hit other cars.
But even so, Tao Xingye showed no intention of stopping, and even sped up. Chu Yan didn't dare to breathe, fearing that he would distract Tao Xingye and then he would die with Tao Xingye.
With a drift and a sound of scraping the ground, Tao Xingye stepped forward.
This is a very shabby old street, with nothing of note, not even a decent shopping mall nearby. An old house, which shows its age, stands quietly.
An old woman was sitting at the door of the convenience store. She was obviously frightened by the scene and looked over here curiously.
Even if I left for more than ten years, this area might not change. Everything would be the same as I remembered it. Tao Xingye leaned against the car and asked, "How is this house?"
He pointed at the old house, the windows on the second floor tightly shut. He remembered his foolish look as he stood guard at the door, then he remembered Lin Yu sticking his head out, and he called out half-doubtfully, "Tao Xingye?"
Tao Xingye stared at the window, his tone cold yet firm, "Chu Yan, I am expelling you from today. From now on, you have nothing to do with me, Tao Xingye."
He spoke clearly and looked at Chu Yan meaningfully. That look contained a lot, and in the dim light, Chu Yan understood what Tao Xingye meant.
Chu Yan took the card handed over by Tao Xingye and watched Tao Xingye leave.
A truck whizzed past Chu Yan, covering Tao Xingye's black car and raising a cloud of dust.
Chu Yan coughed for a long time, spit out the dirt in his mouth, walked to the store, and took a pack of cigarettes. He tore open the package, took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and squatted next to the old woman. "Excuse me, I want to ask you about the owner of that house..."
The black car drove onto the national highway and slowly slowed down to normal speed. Tao Xingye was the only one left in the car. His cell phone rang. It was Tao Xinghai.
Tao Xingye took a look and didn't hang up, letting the phone ring.
After about a minute and a half, the person on the other end got discouraged and hung up. Tao Xingye sneered. Tao Xinghai would never be so slow.
The only one who pursued me so relentlessly was that person—
"Hit me again!" Tao Xingguo slammed the table, the scenery outside the window moving rapidly, "I don't believe he won't give in to me this time."
"Dad!" Tao Xinghai threw the phone away. "If you want to fight, go ahead and do it yourself. My brother's company depends on this order to survive. We're going to kill him!"
"I didn't crush him to death and left him with a breath, which is considered my righteousness!" Tao Xingguo was furious. "I raised him to be a talent, not to turn against me when he grows up!"
"Just because my brother didn't marry according to your wishes? He is your son after all." Tao Xinghai had never felt so strange towards his father. "Stop the car!"
The driver didn't listen to him and continued driving on the road.
Tao Xinghai kicked the car door in frustration and slumped back into his seat. He suddenly admired his brother, who was willing to give up everything to go against his father. On the other hand, he only complained at best, but when would he dare to actually go against his father?
"Humph." Tao Xingguo snorted coldly and looked at his youngest son, "You have finally entered the circle. Don't embarrass me in the future!"
Shame, shame, shame! His father is only thinking about whether he will be embarrassed or not, right? Tao Xinghai held his breath, neither speaking nor speaking, "Okay."
"Try making another call." Tao Xingguo's voice sounded again.
Tao Xinghai picked up the phone and was about to pretend to make a call to fool the person, but the screen suddenly lit up. The caller ID showed who else could it be but Tao Xingye?
Damn it. Tao Xinghai hurriedly caught it, but before he could say anything, two cold words came from the other side - "Give it to him."
"...Ah?" Tao Xinghai practiced Tai Chi, trying to pretend that he didn't understand.
"Give it to him!" Tao Xingye's voice became even sharper.
Tao Xinghai had no choice but to hand over the phone. After turning on the hands-free function, Tao Xingye's voice rang out clearly in the car.
"Hello."
Tao Xinghai saw a smug smile on his father's face, but it froze immediately afterward because Tao Xingye suddenly changed the subject and said very directly, "This has made me even more determined to go it alone. Dad... No, Tao Xingguo, you can do whatever you want to me, but I'm putting it here. I will never go back unless—you die."
The ending tone of the word "death" was like a dagger, which traveled through space and was pressed directly by Tao Xingye from the other end of the phone, piercing through the screen and severing the last connection between Tao Xingguo and him.
The call ended abruptly. Tao Xinghai didn't dare to look at his father's expression. After half a minute of silence, Tao Xinghai bravely tried to ease the atmosphere, but Tao Xingguo suddenly raised his hand and flipped over the phone.
The phone rolled around and landed at Tao Xinghai's feet. Tao Xinghai glanced at the shattered screen and thought, what a sin! The great gods fought, and in the end, he, a little devil, got hurt.
"Didn't his company fire two employees a few days ago?" Tao Xingguo's calm voice rang out beside him, and Tao Xinghai shuddered as he heard it. "Dad..."
Tao Xingguo sneered and tapped his fingertips, his eyes filled with cruelty, gloom and experience. Tao Xinghai withdrew his gaze and suddenly felt a wall appear between him and his father.
He felt like he had something stuck in his throat and couldn't say anything. On one side was his father, and on the other was his brother.
"Do you really want to fight with my brother?" He stared at the surface of his shoes and his voice fell lightly.
"Fight?" Tao Xingguo said with disdain, and said only one word without saying another.
Tao Xinghai laughed, which was more like a snort. "My brother's company is small, so it's really not worthy of the word 'dou'."
He took a deep breath and looked at the person beside him expectantly, "But he is my brother, after all... he is still your son." Why did it come to the point where father and son were scheming against each other?
"Son?" Tao Xingguo turned around and sat there motionless. "Xinghai, in the business world, he and I are both businessmen."
Tao Xingguo looked straight ahead. "Why do you think I had to force him to come back? Whoever his wife is is just icing on the cake for him. The company he founded while in college is enough to give him a place in Jincheng. Tell me, how can I not interfere?"
So, from the beginning, the marriage was just a trigger? Was it his brother's talent that made his father feel threatened? And because his brother refused to use his talent, his father was so cruel? Even ignoring the fact that Wu Ming Jian Sheng was his brother's hard work?
"...How could this happen?" Tao Xinghai was breathless. "Stop the car! Stop the car!" He slammed the car door, regardless of anything, looking a bit crazy.
Tao Xingguo's face was stiff. "Open the door for him and tell him to get out!"
Tao Xinghai paused, opening his mouth to say something but not a single word came out. He guessed his father was probably thinking that he wasn't even half as good as his brother, and that if he could deal with his brother, he could easily deal with him as well.
He opened the car door and ran toward the sidewalk against the flow of traffic.
Where to go? It seems like there is nowhere to go.
Tao Xinghai felt a sense of frustration from the bottom of his heart. He had never felt more like a parasite than now.
After leaving the Tao family, his brother still had a place to stay and something to do.
As for himself, he is a waste, he is nothing, nothing...
Tao Xinghai knocked on Luo Youqiong's door, and it quickly opened. Luo Youqiong's smile froze, but she still cautiously opened the door to let him in.
Youqiong was afraid of herself. Tao Xinghai reached out and touched her cheek. Yes, she thought he still had her video. How could she not be afraid? It seemed that he was not only a failure, but also a scumbag.
"You, why are you crying!" Luo Youqiong was frightened and reached out to touch Tao Xinghai's cheek in disbelief, and found that there were actually tears.
"You deserve it!" Luo Youqiong closed the door, "You don't know..."
Without waiting for her to finish, Tao Xinghai kissed her lips.
The lips were so hot that the warmth of his tears was transmitted to Luo Youqiong. She subconsciously wanted to push him away, but when she thought of the video, she held back.
Tao Xinghai suddenly stopped kissing. He looked at Luo Youqiong as if he was out of breath, and leaned against the cabinet behind him in a daze. In the narrow entrance, the two stood close together.
Tao Xinghai's hands hung at his sides. He tilted his head to look at Luo Youqiong. "No more." He lowered his head and tried to stand up. His feet slipped and his back slammed against the wall. He was completely exhausted and sat down on the ground. "Give me a cigarette."
"What's gone?" Luo Youqiong didn't move.
Tao Xinghai sneered, "What else, Youqiong, the video is gone." He narrowed his eyes and suddenly felt a little regretful that he had let Luo Youqiong go. Without the video, he and she would probably lose all contact again.
"No cigarettes..." Tao Xinghai said disdainfully. He stood up and opened the door. "Let's go."
The door was suddenly closed with great force, and a hand stretched out from behind his waist and circled him.
Without any hesitation...
He turned around, and Luo Youqiong stood on tiptoe. They put their hands on each other's bodies, undressing each other, and before they even reached the bedroom, their clothes were already scattered all over the floor.
Luo Youqiong leaned forward and put her arms around Tao Xinghai's neck, "It's right here."
Tao Xinghai's sweat fell drop by drop on her body. Luo Youqiong remembered that he wanted to smoke, so she reached out for the cigarette box, picked up a cigarette and put it in Tao Xinghai's mouth.
His mind was completely on her, and he just followed her movements and held the cigarette in his mouth.
It wasn't until Luo Youqiong lit a match, the light stinging his eyes, that he could finally focus his thoughts. The match glowed orange, the flame flickering, so close to him and her, they were both feeling the heat of the same match.
Luo Youqiong lit the cigarette in his mouth, and Tao Xinghai took a puff. His veins popped out in the smoke, making him look particularly sexy. Luo Youqiong took the cigarette out of his mouth, put her arms around his head and kissed him.
After an unknown amount of time, they finally finished. Luo Youqiong lay on top of Tao Xinghai, who was holding him while lying on the sofa, staring at the ceiling and smoking.
"Light another one." Luo Youqiong was too lazy to take the cigarette, so she took the cigarette from his mouth and started smoking it herself.
Tao Xinghai stared at her, watching her red lips hold the cigarette, her movements expertly. His fingertips rubbed the corners of her mouth, as if he couldn't get enough of it. They were both covered in sweat, and her short hair stuck to her face, making her look as beautiful as a mountain ghost.
Tao Xinghai suddenly got angry and slapped her butt, "Why don't you let me see your fiancé?"
"Get out!" Luo Youqiong was unhappy that he mentioned Xiang Zhihuan, so she stood up and sat on the other side of the sofa, huddled in a corner and quietly shook off the cigarette ashes.
"Do you think I should put a cigarette mark on you? That way, when your fiancé sleeps with you, he'll ask who did it." Tao Xinghai leaned over and took the cigarette. "I'll put one on you too."
As he spoke, he pressed his lower abdomen, and the cigarette flame went out instantly.
"You're crazy!" Luo Youqiong held his hand and wanted him to lift it away, but Tao Xinghai laughed without realizing it. He even pressed it back and forth, and the cigarette butt moved away, leaving a shallow dent on his lower abdomen.
The wound was not big, but very scary. The flesh around it was glowing red and swollen like a volcano. The middle was even redder, with blood and flesh mixed with ash. Luo Youqiong saw with her own eyes that a small blister had formed there.
"Do you want it?" Tao Xinghai didn't feel any pain at all. He leaned his head on the backrest and smiled innocently.
It was really crazy. Luo Youqiong kicked away the remains of the cigarette and stood up to get the medicine box, but Tao Xinghai took the lead and went into the bathroom.
"Are you crazy? It will leave scars." Luo Youqiong held him back.
"I just want to leave a scar." Tao Xinghai rubbed Luo Youqiong's face, "Do you want to press it? Let's get a couple's version. Oh, no, it should be a mistress version." His tone was sarcastic, and in order to mock Luo Youqiong, he even cursed himself.
"I'm not married to him yet." Luo Youqiong shook off his hand and let him into the bathroom. She shouldn't have meddled in other people's business. She should have watched his wound fester and then chosen a grave for him.
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