Fu Chen stood in front of the French window, looking at the traffic downstairs, with an unlit cigar between his fingers.
Su's money arrived and quenched his thirst, but it was not enough.
What he wanted was not just a break, but to take back everything he had and make those people pay the price.
Xu Zhiru pushed the door open and came in. Su Yao followed behind her, feeling a little restrained but also a little excited that she couldn't hide.
"Ah Chen," Xu Zhiru said softly, "Yaoyao is here."
Fu Chen turned around and looked at Su Yao with no expression on his face: "Sit down."
Su Yao sat down opposite him with her back straight, trying to act like an investor, but she still felt a little uncomfortable being looked at by Fu Chen like that.
"The money from the Su family came in time and helped us a lot. Thank you, Miss Su." Fu Chen spoke first, his tone flat.
Su Yao took over, but looked Fu Chen up and down and said, "I'm glad I can help you. If the Fu family is doing well, our Su family will also be able to do well."
Fu Chen didn't respond, but instead talked about the Fu Group: "Money alone is not enough. We need to let the outside world see that the Fu and Su companies are determined to cooperate, and the Fu Group's foundation has not collapsed."
Xu Zhiru chimed in, "Ah Chen is saying that we need to find an opportunity to change the opinions of those outsiders."
Fu Chen nodded. "I'm planning to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate Su's investment. It has to be a grand ceremony, to let everyone know that the Fu Group is still the same Fu Group, and with Su's help, it will only be stronger."
Fu Chen frowned slightly at Su Yao, and had already made a plan in his mind. He changed the subject and said, "Our two families alone are not enough. If we want to have momentum, we have to invite the most important people. Su Yao, do your Su family and the Jiang family have some dealings?"
Su Yao's heart skipped a beat, and the smile on her face was a little hard to hold.
Fu Chen continued, his tone refusing to allow for negotiation: "Mr. Jiang is a leading figure in the business world. If we can get him to cut the ribbon, that would be a different story. Not only would it silence the gossip outside, but it would also serve as a reminder to Jiang Tingchen."
He paused and looked directly at Su Yao: "You are the only one who can do this. You can only use the Su family's name or your own name. You must let the Jiang family send someone who can speak."
Su Yao's face turned pale. Not only did she join the Fu Group, but she also had to invite the Jiang family's boss to come along. She could imagine what Jiang Tingchen would look like when he knew about this.
He already had a grudge against himself because of Ning Nanxue's matter. If he used the matter of Su's investment in Fu's to curry favor with the Jiang family and wanted to ask Grandpa Jiang to support Fu Chen, wouldn't that be telling Jiang Tingchen that she, Su Yao, and Fu Chen were completely on the same side and were going after him and Ning Nanxue?
No, you can't do that.
"Fu Chen." Su Yao's throat was a little dry. "Isn't it too soon to invite the Jiang family now? Grandpa Jiang may not come. Besides, if the noise is too loud, will Jiang Tingchen be more wary of us?"
She wanted to find a reasonable reason. Although she was reluctant, she didn't want to ruin her relationship with Fu Chen and Xu Zhiru.
Fu Chen's face darkened: "Be on guard? Su Yao, every step we take now is aimed at Jiang Tingchen and Ning Nanxue. Do you think there is a way back?"
These words made Su Yao's heart ache.
"Don't go too far, Fu Chen. We cooperate for our own purposes. I brought in the Su family to invest in order to help you consolidate your position and leave Ning Nanxue helpless." Su Yao finally couldn't help herself and stopped pretending to be calm. "If Tingchen knew that I was helping, I wouldn't get any benefits. I can let the Su family come, or I can let them go."
Fu Chen's expression became increasingly ugly, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth.
Su Yao didn't say anything else, just snorted coldly, left a word and walked away.
The awkward atmosphere in the office hasn't dissipated yet.
After Su Yao left, Fu Chen didn't say anything else, and Xu Zhiru also wisely didn't mention the Jiang family's affairs, but just silently helped him organize the documents on the desk.
A few days later, one afternoon.
Xu Zhiru walked into Fu Chen's office with a gold-embossed invitation card, with just the right amount of joy on her face.
"Ah Chen, look, this is from Mrs. Li." She handed over the invitation, her voice somewhat brisk. "It's for an art appreciation banquet. I heard Mr. Li wants to bring out some of his most treasured pieces this time."
Fu Chen took the invitation and glanced at it.
The Li family is a long-established local industrial family. They usually don’t show off their status, but they are very prestigious in the financial and art collection circles.
The banquets hosted by Mrs. Li have always been gatherings of the city's leading figures.
"The Li family's banquet?" Fu Chen rubbed the dark patterns on the invitation with his fingers, pondering.
The Fu family has been in trouble recently. Although the Su family's financial situation has been temporarily stabilized, the outside world's wait-and-see and murmurs have not stopped.
They need an occasion to show themselves again and build relationships.
Xu Zhiru walked up to him and softened her voice, "Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Li rarely hold private banquets like this. It's not easy to receive an invitation this time. Also, I heard that the guests this time are quite influential. This is a good opportunity for us to expand our network."
Fu Chen looked up at her. He knew her little plan.
However, what she said made sense. Instead of going through the trouble of organizing the ribbon-cutting ceremony herself, it would be more logical to use the Li family's venue to contact those who should be won over and tested.
"You're right. This is an opportunity." He closed the invitation. "Let's go."
After receiving the promise, Xu Zhiru smiled even sweeter. "Great! Then I have to prepare well. Mr. Li is a big collector, and I don't know much about art. I can't embarrass myself and be laughed at." She tilted her head, a little coquettishly, "Ah Chen, you have to give me more advice when the time comes."
Fu Chen did not respond, but he had a vague plan in his mind.
Before the banquet began, Xu Zhiru asked Xu Zhao to find out for her what new collections Mr. and Mrs. Li had recently acquired.
Xu Zhao was quick and got the list of private collections for exhibition in just half a day.
"Sister, come and take a look."
Xu Zhao placed the photo on the table and couldn't help but wonder, "Sister, you only had a superficial understanding of art before. Aren't you afraid of being exposed at a professional exhibition like this?"
Xu Zhiru was not afraid, and even shook her head confidently.
"So what if I only have a superficial understanding? Mrs. Li won't be able to tell whether what I say is true or false. Even a slight understanding is enough to deceive these pretentious people."
After flipping through the photos, Xu Zhiru's eyes finally fell on a huge oil painting.
She suddenly smiled, and an idea already came to her mind.
On the day of the banquet, the entrance to the hall was brightly lit.
Xu Zhiru held Fu Chen's arm, and his dark suit made him look straight. He swept his eyes across the room without any warmth, and only paused when he passed Xu Zhiru beside him.
Xu Zhiru was wearing a champagne-colored long dress with a smile on her face. She was very thoughtful, but occasionally when she met some gazes, the angle of her smile would be more standard.
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