Chapter 91#
The moment Ji Yang’s words fell, the person who had been speaking with veiled barbs just moments ago stiffened for half a second.
The other party’s original intent had been to mock him — the Ji family was gone, and yet he could still sit here so at ease. Who would have thought that not only did Ji Yang not get angry, but he even followed up by saying he was here precisely to kick people when they were down.
Watching the other party’s pinched expression, and the gazes of several people nearby who had pricked up their ears to enjoy the spectacle, Ji Yang continued, composed and open: “I don’t know if you’ve never seen the farce at Lan Hai Bay back then, or if you simply don’t care about gossip media, and therefore don’t know about the news that I cut ties with the Ji family long ago. Everyone knows how the Ji family fell, right? In short, anyone who speaks up for the Ji family, I consider an accomplice. Shall I file a complaint with the Chamber of Commerce and request your cooperation with an investigation?”
The other party’s face flushed red and white on the spot: “I was just joking! I have no dealings with the Ji family!”
Ji Yang: “So you think I do?”
The other party let out an awkward laugh or two, then promptly shut his mouth.
The moment the other party slunk away, those nearby saw there was no entertainment left to watch and began perfunctorily flipping through the program booklets on their tables.
Huang Kai whispered to him: “You’re still so good at drawing aggro. Don’t be fooled by how respectable everyone sitting in this hall looks — plenty of them are privately hoping the Ji family can’t get back up. And those companies that had close ties with the Ji family in the past all have their own hidden agendas. You’d better keep a low profile.”
Ji Yang didn’t need Huang Kai to tell him that — he already knew.
The ones in attendance today weren’t just people from the Chamber of Commerce. Basically every prominent figure in all of Fan Zhou had come.
After all, the Ji family’s collapse meant a reshuffling of resources and power across the entire Fan Zhou. Everyone was doing their calculations.
Families like the Lu family and the Qi family, who had been more deeply entangled with the Ji family in the past, were speaking at the loudest volume.
On one hand, they wanted to distance themselves. On the other, they naturally held hostility and skepticism toward Jian Yuan.
Their words were nothing but incitement: “Jian Yuan’s actual controller is unidentified — this isn’t good for the entire industry’s outlook. The risk is far too high.”
“All of you are enterprises rooted in Fan Zhou for many years. The Ji family certainly had problems, but entrusting the majority of future shipping to a group like this — would you dare cooperate with peace of mind?”
“That CEO Qi is just some tech guy. Targeting the Ji family, who knows what kind of dirty secrets are hidden behind it.”
Ji Yang listened, anger rising inside him.
Just at that moment, the ceremony began.
The head of the liquidation team read a run-of-the-mill statement, and a Chamber of Commerce representative delivered a grand but empty outlook.
Ji Yang leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed the entire time on the empty seat.
He had come to an occasion like this for nothing more than to go through the motions.
Looking at Jian Yuan’s current situation — besieged on all sides as well — but Qi Songqing was clearly someone skilled at surface appearances. Ji Yang didn’t doubt that he had prepared countermeasures in advance.
The proceedings moved along in a thoroughly official manner.
Just as the audience was murmuring to each other about why Jian Yuan’s representative hadn’t appeared yet —
The entire hall suddenly buzzed with commotion.
Ji Yang followed the direction everyone was looking toward. There was movement at the side entrance of the hall.
The security detail wore uniform dark suits, earpieces, with bulges at their waistbands. The sound of their footsteps landing was largely swallowed by the carpet.
Ji Yang had good eyesight — he immediately recognized the person walking at the very front: Deng Jiao.
Today she wore a well-tailored women’s suit, her hair swept back neatly. She tilted her head and murmured something into her earpiece, then stepped aside to clear the passage.
Ji Yang’s heart lurched.
It was as if some kind of premonition.
Right on cue, the host on stage announced: “Now, let us welcome the representative of Jian Yuan Group to come up and sign!”
The entire audience erupted.
Some people even stood up directly.
In Ji Yang’s final line of sight, all he could make out was a single figure stepping through the side door behind Deng Jiao — a brief flash before it disappeared.
His heart settled back down. It was indeed Qi Songqing.
As Qi Songqing walked forward along the passage, Ji Yang caught sight of him again. His pace was unhurried, neither fast nor slow, walking straight up to the stage.
Deng Jiao had already adjusted the microphone height in advance. All eyes locked onto him as he stood in position, then said with a beaming smile: “Greetings, everyone. This is Jian Yuan’s first time meeting all of you through such a public appearance. Jian Yuan is involved in many industries, and is committed to the principles of friendly cooperation and advancing the optimization of the industry environment. As the recipient of Ji Corporation Shipping’s assets, we will complete all transitional work in accordance with the agreement.”
Official could not possibly be more official.
Everyone’s eyes were locked on him. But then his very next sentence was: “Although I’m the one completing the signing ceremony today, Jian Yuan’s founder, Nathan, is also present here.”
A stone stirred up a thousand ripples.
Ji Yang froze as well.
The “something important” Nie Xu had mentioned — he really came here?
The entire venue was buzzing with chatter. Ji Yang was also looking around in every direction. Just at that moment, Ji Yang felt someone sit down in the empty seat to his left.
The presence was so strong that ignoring it was impossible.
Ji Yang slowly turned his head and looked at the man sitting beside him — jacket open, expression as calm as ever — and went blank.
Huang Kai on the other side was the first to greet him: “Mr. Nie? We meet again.”
“President Huang.” Nie Xu nodded at him.
The lighting below the stage was actually quite dim. Sandwiched in between, Ji Yang heard Huang Kai strike up familiarity, leaning past him to continue talking with Nie Xu: “I wonder who this Nathan really is. Mr. Nie, you’ve been with the Ji family for years — have you ever met him?”
Nie Xu raised an eyebrow: “Does President Huang want to meet him?”
“Who wouldn’t! This CEO Qi is too good at whetting people’s appetites.” Huang Kai rubbed his bald head.
Ji Yang nearly covered his face. Still drawing on the verbal sparring he’d dealt with from Peng Jiaying, he interjected: “There’s really nothing to see. He’s just an employee.”
Huang Kai was incredulous: “You’re calling the person who single-handedly built up Jian Yuan and masterminded the acquisition of the entire Ji Corporation’s assets — an employee?”
Ji Yang: “For all we know, he’s been working a day job for the past ten-some years.”
Huang Kai clearly felt they had nothing to talk about.
Ji Yang had already recovered from the shock of Nie Xu’s appearance.
Listening to Qi Songqing whet everyone’s appetite to the fullest before finally saying: “It’s just that Nathan has always been low-profile in his conduct. He doesn’t like appearing in front of the public, and the more core contracts are signed privately by him with the various parties.”
Then someone asked loudly: “Did Nathan only recently return to the country?”
“Of course not.” Qi Songqing replied with a smile: “In fact, what’s been circulating online isn’t true. He did spend time abroad, but in recent years he’s been based domestically.”
Someone else asked: “Industry insiders previously analyzed that the Ji family’s downfall didn’t look like a sudden event — Jian Yuan’s targeting intentions had always been quite obvious. Could this be understood as Nathan choosing not to appear in front of the public due to circumstances he had no choice about?”
Qi Songqing shook his head: “Quite the opposite. Nathan says he doesn’t mind me revealing things about him on stage. So what I can tell all of you is this — there is indeed a personal grudge between Nathan and the Ji Corporation. He also doesn’t mind being dug up. That is, if you’re able to dig anything up.” Facing a wave of uproar, Qi Songqing shifted his tone: “However, the reason he’s come to the venue today is to represent Jian Yuan’s attitude from top to bottom. That is — the transfer of the Ji Corporation’s assets has never been a game of passing assets from the left hand to the right. Jian Yuan’s journey to where it stands today is the result of countless people’s collective effort, and it does not exist to target any one person. Nathan says he hopes that one day, when everything is laid bare before the public, and the public traces back to the very first day Jian Yuan stepped into the spotlight, they won’t have to pay the price for his personal actions.”
Qi Songqing then shrugged and spread his hands: “Although I always say he carries too much responsibility, having dwelt in the mire for so long without a single stain — that was Jian Yuan in the past, and it will always be.”
The audience gradually quieted down, though small murmurs of discussion never fully stopped.
Most of them focused on the so-called personal grudge.
The signing ceremony on stage was underway. Amid the flashbulbs of mainstream media, shutters clicked incessantly. On stage, documents were signed, exchanged, and signed again.
Only now did Ji Yang have time to look at the person beside him.
“Was what Qi Songqing said true?” Ji Yang asked.
Nie Xu looked at him and chuckled softly: “Half true, half false. All I can say is that he’s a very skilled orator.”
Ji Yang frowned: “Like what?”
“For example, I’m not nearly as official as all that.” Nie Xu tilted his body and leaned in an inch closer: “If I were really that official, I’d be sitting backstage right now, not down here in the audience.”
Ji Yang shifted back slightly, studying him: “When did you spot me?”
“Before I even arrived.” Nie Xu straightened up and said: “You forgot Han Biao has been following you?”
Ji Yang gritted his teeth: “He sold me out way too fast.”
Nie Xu smiled.
The signing ceremony was completed smoothly.
The latter portion of the event was left to the attendees to mingle freely or accept media interviews.
Nie Xu accompanied him through the signing. At a previous Chamber of Commerce banquet, Nie Xu had made a public appearance by Ji Yansong’s side, so there were people here who recognized him. However, given the Ji family’s current situation, that attention and curiosity simply dissipated.
The only reason that still drew a bit of attention was that Ji Yang — who had declared before the event opened that he was here to kick people while they were down — was making no effort to distance himself whatsoever.
It was only when Ji Yang noticed cameras pointed at him that he reined it in a couple notches, not leaning in too close to talk.
Fortunately, Nie Xu still had work to handle, and the media ended up getting nothing out of him.
After receiving a message from Nie Xu asking him to wait so they could leave together, Ji Yang sat back in his seat, bored out of his mind.
The reporter who had been photographing him earlier walked straight up to him.
“Fourth Young Master.” The other party shouldered a camera and greeted him: “Can we do an interview?”
Ji Yang looked up: “Interview me? If you’re going to ask me about future outlooks or career plans, I can’t help you there.”
The reporter laughed, quickly saying: “We’re not asking about that. We’re actually at a loss for something entertaining — let’s just chat about daily life, borrow the Fourth Young Master’s popularity for some buzz.”
Ji Yang: “Looking at you, you’re clearly not a legitimate media outlet.”
The other party loudly protested that all the media present today had been vetted and wouldn’t report wildly. But everyone was the same, so they just wanted to find some fresh topics.
“Fresh topics, huh?” Ji Yang placed his phone on his knee and thought for a moment. “I don’t think I have any fresh topics to offer.”
The other party shouldered the camera: “How about I ask, and you answer?”
“Sure.” Ji Yang was bored anyway, so he said, indifferent.
Reporter: “Have you eaten?”
Ji Yang: “…I can tell you’ve been restricted. Yes, I’ve eaten.”
Reporter: “How does it feel today?”
Ji Yang nodded: “CEO Qi spoke very well. I suggest he speak more next time.”
The reporter burst out laughing: “Was that sarcasm? I heard you two know each other. Looks like you’re on pretty good terms.”
Ji Yang: “I’m a very sincere person. No sarcasm there.”
Reporter: “Since you know each other, then you must know Nathan too?”
Ji Yang finally realized that every previous question had been a trap.
He blinked, then broke into a brilliant smile: “You guess.”
So much so that once this interview segment went out from the venue, it was reposted countless times.
Under the dark blue-black lighting, the young master lounged in his chair in a casual suit, that “You guess” dissected endlessly by all.
[He definitely knows him.]
[I’m not so sure — it might be a hook to draw traffic. He’s “One Yang” on social media, right? This kind of tactic is second nature to him, and it does no harm.]
[Everyone’s discussing how much the stock price rose after the signing ceremony, but all I care about is how beautiful the young master looks under this kind of lighting.]
[He really does have a vibe. So relaxed and composed. Feels different from before somehow.]
[I have a feeling — he has a boyfriend!]
[So is he saying he was a virgin before?]
[Folks, aren’t we supposed to be discussing who Nathan is? Classic — even if the world’s richest man went bankrupt, ordinary people only care about how many wives he has…]
“Are they insane? I’m the virgin?” Ji Yang dodged the media while staring at his phone, making a beeline for the restroom.
He had just turned the corner when he was yanked into a room off the corridor.
Ji Yang looked up at Nie Xu.
He shook his phone and explained: “I really didn’t mean to.”
Denying knowing Nathan — he couldn’t bring himself to. Saying he knew him — that wouldn’t work either.
Who would have thought the more ambiguous his answer, the more the media felt they could dig something out from him, using him as a breakthrough point.
“I know.” Nie Xu glanced at his phone.
Ji Yang leaned against the doorframe, reached out and tugged on his tie, murmuring softly: “I’ve worked this hard to keep your secret. Shouldn’t you repay me?”
Nie Xu reached out and pulled his tie away. Ji Yang frowned in displeasure, grabbing hold and refusing to let go.
Ji Yang: “What? You don’t want to?”
At that moment, Ji Yang heard a cough from inside the room, followed slowly by: “I’d guess — he’s probably asking you to show some restraint.”
Ji Yang was stunned.
He tilted his body and made eye contact with the five or six people sitting on the sofa area on the other side of the room — everyone except Qi Songqing.
Dead silence.
Ji Yang said slowly: “Repayment comes in many forms. I was talking about money.”
He didn’t recognize anyone else in the room, but most appeared to be Nie Xu’s peers. One by one, their smiles were barely concealed, though without any ill intent.
“Brother Xu, aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“That’s right — the illustrious Fourth Young Master of the Ji family. Meeting you is truly a pleasure.”
“Little Yang, don’t be flustered. We’re all good people here.”
Being told they were “good people” short-circuited Ji Yang’s brain. Nie Xu cupped the back of his neck and guided him a step forward.
Nie Xu spoke to him first: “Don’t mind them. They’re friends from business — sensitive backgrounds, so you’ve never met them.”
Ji Yang nodded and let Nie Xu guide him down onto the sofa.
Only then did Nie Xu formally introduce him: “Ji Yang. He’s my…”
“Family member.” Ji Yang finished the sentence for him. Sensing the relaxed atmosphere, knowing the people here truly fell within the range of “good people,” he shook his head helplessly — still nursing a grudge about the earlier scare — propped up his chin and twitched the corner of his mouth: “The kind who’s perfectly legal and legitimate in his fondness for handsome men.”
Nie Xu shoved a piece of cantaloupe into his mouth.
Amid a burst of roaring laughter: “Alright, got it. Stop talking.”