DASFAM_49

The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the glass and scattered across the office.

Xie Qi submitted the final electronic bid to the official tendering portal of "Eaglet Cinema," and only when the words 'delivery confirmed' appeared on the screen did he let out a long breath, "Done."

An employee craned their neck and asked, "Assistant Xie, did the submission go through?"

Xie Qi nodded and immediately looked over at Bai Xu and Shang Yanxiao, who had stayed behind at the company, "No problems."

After securing qualification for the first round of bidding, they had further refined the details of the tender within the bounds permitted by the organizers.

Although there were still three days before the official on-site bidding and the submission deadline, getting it in early meant peace of mind. Once everyone confirmed the work was done, they all exhaled in unison without a word.

Because the project team had been formed too late, the time left to them had been extremely tight, nearly three months—

Whether it was the bosses, Bai Xu and Shang Yanxiao, or the employees, Xie Qi and Kailing, everyone had poured in an enormous amount of effort. The closer it got to the end, the more late nights and all-nighters became the norm.

For everyone at that moment, it felt like they had finally, at least for now, been set free.

Bai Xu glanced at Shang Yanxiao and spoke on their behalf, "Everyone has worked hard during this time. Regardless of the final outcome, Mr. Shang and I are truly grateful for your efforts. Every cent of overtime pay and bonuses owed to you will be paid in full."

"How about this—tonight, Mr. Shang and I will treat everyone to dinner. Here's to wishing our project a successful bid! And if we do win, the bonus pool for the entire project team goes up even more!"

Though Bai Xu was strict when it came to work, there was nothing to fault when it came to employee welfare. Those few words both inspired the heart and lifted morale.

Everyone on the project team seemed to light up all at once, breaking into applause—

"Great! Thank you, Mr. Bai!"

"Long live Mr. Bai!"

Kailing spoke up eagerly, "I know a great restaurant. Should I call now to reserve a private room?"

Bai Xu had no objections, "Sure, we'll go with your suggestion."

...

It was already past closing time. Everyone began packing up their things, getting ready to head out together for dinner.

Xie Qi finished packing his bag and looked over at Su Yang, who was still sitting at his desk in a daze, "Su Yang, what are you thinking about? Hurry up and get your things. We're going to eat."

Su Yang was one of the six employees they had brought on later. He was also a Chinese, and had an excellent academic record and work history.

Three years ago, Su Yang had come to Singapore with his girlfriend to build a career, but unfortunately the young couple's investment had failed, and they had even lost the money they had set aside to buy a home.

Left with no choice, the two returned to the respective fields they each knew best.

Before joining Zhouye Investment, Su Yang had just been laid off from his previous company. So after being admitted to the project team directly—skipping the internship period entirely—he had been especially hardworking and dedicated.

"...Oh."

Su Yang quickly turned off his phone screen, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face.

The gaze behind Xie Qi's lenses sharpened slightly, "What's wrong?"

"Assistant Xie, I think I'll skip the dinner tonight," Su Yang pressed his lips together, his expression carrying a vague unease, "My girlfriend and I have been arguing lately. We arranged to meet tonight, planning to have a proper talk."

Xie Qi asked with concern, "Nothing serious, I hope?"

Su Yang shook his head, "It's fine. We've been together for quite a few years. It's not our first argument. We just need to talk it through."

"Alright then, we're heading off. Call if you need anything?"

"Sure."

Xie Qi gave his glasses a light nudge and asked nothing more, then followed the others out with long, easy strides.

Su Yang watched his colleagues file out one by one. Once they were gone, he let out a quiet breath, typed in his password, and unlocked his phone again—

On the screen was the address of an upscale restaurant, a private room number, and the time they were set to meet that evening.

"......"

Su Yang stared at it for a moment, then drifted off again, lost in his own thoughts.

...

Underground parking lot.

The team members got into the cars in small groups of two and three, heading for the restaurant Kailing had reserved.

Xie Qi strode quickly toward the car his boss was in, but instead of getting in right away, he knocked on the rear window, "Third Young Master, Young Master Bai."

Bai Xu rolled down the window, "Why aren't you getting in?"

Xie Qi glanced at Shang Yanxiao sitting on the same row, then spoke in a volume only those inside the car could hear, "Su Yang isn't coming tonight. He says he has something to sort out with his girlfriend."

"......"

Bai Xu immediately looked at Shang Yanxiao, one brow lifting slightly, "What a coincidence."

Shang Yanxiao caught the meaning beneath his words, "At a time like this, yes, quite a coincidence."

Chen Yufei, sitting in the driver's seat, also had a rough idea of the situation. He turned around and asked, "Third Young Master, how about the two of you head to the restaurant first? I'll go upstairs and quietly follow Su Yang. If anything does seem off, I'll let you know."

"No need. Tailing someone is never a good look. If he notices, it could easily damage the trust between us and our employee."

Bai Xu held his employees in the respect they were due. His gaze shifted slightly, and he offered a casual excuse, "I left something in the office. I'll head back up, give me a moment."

Shang Yanxiao understood his intention and said quietly, "Keep the phone call open."

One reason was so they could ensure Bai Xu's safety at any time. The other was that any recordings made along the way could serve as evidence when it mattered.

Bai Xu was, for once, unusually agreeable, "Alright. I'll do as Mr. Shang says."

...

The last desk lamp went out, and the wide office floor was plunged into darkness.

Su Yang made his way toward the exit in the dark, his hurried footsteps carrying an inexplicable tension. He was just about to push open the outermost glass door when, click—

The overhead fluorescent lights snapped on all at once, flooding the entire office floor with sharp, complete brightness.

"......"

Su Yang spun around toward the master switch, and his heart lurched, "Mr- Mr. Bai, wh- what are you doing here?"

At that moment, Bai Xu was leaning against the wall beside the switch panel.

He met Su Yang's visibly guilty gaze and pretended not to notice anything, "Su Yang, what are you up to?"

Su Yang's heart seized, "What?"

Bai Xu held his stare without blinking, the smile on his face carrying no real warmth, "I came back to get something from the office. You seemed so focused just now that you didn't notice me come in."

Su Yang struggled to hold himself steady, "Sorry about that, Mr. Bai. I didn't hear you."

"It's fine. Xie Qi already told me, if you can't make it tonight, there's always next time."

Bai Xu offered no challenge, no suspicion. His words, front to back, were wrapped in nothing but concern, "Don't let anything important with your girlfriend slip by. If you ever run into real trouble, just come to me."

"Thank you, Mr. Bai. I'll be heading off then."

Su Yang nodded quickly and pushed open the outermost glass door to leave.

"......"

Bai Xu caught a glimpse of his retreating figure as he hurried away. The coldness in his eyes gradually sharpened. Before he could make another move, the glass door swung open again—unexpectedly.

For reasons unclear, Su Yang had turned back. He stood there staring at Bai Xu, something caught between his lips and unsaid.

Bai Xu's expression shifted, just slightly, "What is it? Did you leave something behind too?"

Faced with his boss's question, Su Yang was silent for a long moment before finally forcing out the words, "Mr. Bai, I- I have something I need to tell you."

...

The decorative wall clock swayed to half past six.

The assistant fought to ignore the discomfort of the smoke-filled air and said to Chu Yuncheng, who was lounging on the sofa in the private room, "Mr. Chu, the agreed time has already passed. Do you think the other party got cold feet?"

The words had barely left his mouth when a knock came from outside the private room door.

Chu Yuncheng exhaled a ring of smoke, "What's the rush? Here he is now. Let him in."

The assistant opened the door, and sure enough, Su Yang was standing outside, visibly on edge.

Su Yang gripped the strap of his backpack, masking the unease within, "I'm here to see Mr. Chu. We had an appointment."

The assistant did his best to conceal the flicker of contempt in his eyes, "Mr. Chu has been waiting for you for a while now. Come in."

The private room door swung shut again.

Su Yang looked at Chu Yuncheng on the sofa and asked, cautiously and more than once, "Mr. Chu, if I hand the material over to you, you'll really pay me the two hundred thousand as we agreed beforehand?"

"Of course. Do I look like someone short on money?"

Chu Yuncheng spread his hands wide, then pointed at Su Yang with the fingers holding his cigarette, "As long as you hold up your end of the deal, every cent of what's owed to you will be there."

The look he gave Su Yang carried the arrogance of someone accustomed to looking down, "If I remember correctly, your girlfriend is waiting on that money for a down payment on a house, isn't she?"

"......"

Su Yang said nothing in reply. He simply held out the memory card he had been clutching tightly in his palm, "Everything I could get my hands on is in there."

"The project team's divisions are very clear. Every section feeds back to Team Leader Xie at the end, some of it was never in my hands to begin with. There was no way for me to get it."

"No way to get it?"

Chu Yuncheng's brow furrowed with dissatisfaction. He gestured for his assistant beside him to check the contents.

"I know what you need most. I managed to sneak a look—" Su Yang forced the guilt off his face, choosing each word with deliberate care, "The individual price estimates and the final pricing ceiling. I memorized them. They're in there too."

The assistant did a quick check before handing the tablet over to Chu Yuncheng, "Mr. Chu, there is indeed data on here."

Chu Yuncheng, cigarette in hand, looked over the most critical pricing figures.

It was somewhat lower than he had expected, but he knew well enough that the numbers were close enough to the real thing.

Even so, Chu Yuncheng put on an air of doubt, "How do I know you're not just pulling a fast one on me?"

Su Yang caught his breath, "Mr. Chu, what I want is money... what would I gain from cheating you? And now that I've done this, if it ever comes to light, which company would ever take me again? Why would I have come all this way for nothing?"

Chu Yuncheng let out an amused snort, "Just messing with you. Don't get worked up."

He handed the tablet back to his assistant and gave his instruction, "How about this, wire him twenty thousand as a deposit first."

Su Yang's eyes went wide the moment he heard the amount, "Mr. Chu, what is that supposed to mean?"

Twenty thousand against two hundred thousand—that was no small gap!

Data this sensitive, this close to the core. It was never something that could be measured in money to begin with!

"I don't mean anything by it. But business isn't charity."

Chu Yuncheng drew another slow drag from his cigarette, exhaling the smoke with unhurried ease, "Wait until the pricing and bidding results are announced on-site in three days. Only then can I verify whether what you've given me is genuine."

"As long as it checks out, I'll have someone send you the remainder."

Su Yang's chest heaved. His face flushed red with barely contained anger, "Mr. Chu, you're going back on your word! I need that money for the down payment on our home! You can't do this to me!"

Cash up front, bidding data in exchange—that was what they had agreed on from the start!

He and his girlfriend had known each other since university. By now, they were long past the age when talk of marriage and settling down was only natural. He had wanted, in his heart, to give her the very best—and that was what had driven him to take this risk.

Faced with Su Yang's angry protest, Chu Yuncheng remained wholly unmoved.

He rose slowly to his feet and blew a lungful of smoke directly into Su Yang's face with open contempt, "Here, I am the rules. Either you take the deposit and go quietly, and I send you the rest when it's done."

"Or, when it's done, I make sure you can never show your face anywhere in Singapore again."

"......"

Su Yang choked on the smoke, his face draining to a deep, livid shade.

"Of course, you could also choose to tell Bai Xu about all of this, and then watch the project team spend the night overhauling their pricing data because of your mistake. I'd like to see whether they'd still have any room for you after that."

Knowing Bai Xu's temperament, Su Yang wouldn't dare breathe a word even after what he'd done.

Chu Yuncheng ground out his cigarette, "Two options. Choose."

Su Yang had no other way out, "The first."

"Tch. Why couldn't you have just said that from the start instead of making such a fuss?"

Chu Yuncheng dropped the cigarette butt at his feet—used up and discarded, "Alright. You can go. The deposit will be transferred to your account."

"......"

Su Yang had now seen the true face of Chu Yuncheng—the face of a man who wielded money like a weapon and answered to no one. He was so strangled by it that even his neck had gone red. But someone like him, an ordinary worker with nothing to his name, stood absolutely no chance of fighting back.

However unwilling, Su Yang walked out without a word.

The private room door swung shut once more.

The assistant quietly used a separate private account to complete the transfer, then turned to Chu Yuncheng, "Mr. Chu, can we trust what he gave us?"

"Trust it or not, our original pricing already had the edge over theirs."

Chu Yuncheng let out a derisive snort, "Whether it's Bai Xu or Chu Yate, they all carry themselves like they have everything figured out. And yet, this is what their real capabilities amount to?"

Just looking at the pricing, their profit margin had likely already been squeezed as far as it could go.

Chu Yuncheng drained the last of his red wine, "Right, what time was the meeting with Mr. Sweet from the tendering party set for?"

The assistant answered plainly, "Seven thirty."

The assistant knew what Chu Yuncheng truly had in mind for that meeting and couldn't help but speak up, "Mr. Chu, haven't we already obtained Zhouye Investment's bidding materials? At a moment like this, is there really any need to arrange a meeting with Mr. Sweet?"

Before official bidding began, private meetings between the tendering party and any of the bidders were simply not permitted—that was an understood rule of the industry.

And if such a private meeting involved financial dealings that couldn't be spoken of openly, it crossed into outright illegal conduct, a malicious bid manipulation.

"What do you know? Chu's isn't just competing against Bai Xu and his lot."

Besides Zhouye Investment, there was also an outside investor coming in with considerable momentum—one that couldn't be ignored.

The Eaglet Cinema project was tied directly to who would hold the chairman's seat at Chu Group going forward. Whatever means it took, whatever it cost, he had to make sure that seat ended up in his hands.

Chu Yuncheng slanted a look at his assistant, "Do your job and keep your mouth shut about things that don't concern you. Once I've pulled this off, a promotion and a raise won't be far off for you either."

A small shadow fell across the assistant's lowered lids. He played along with practiced neutrality, "Understood, Mr. Chu. Shall I call the driver now?"

"Go ahead."

...

Tuesday afternoon arrived in the blink of an eye.

As the largest foreign project bid Singapore had seen in nearly two years, the Eaglet Cinema tender had drawn public attention from the very start.

The bidding event was held at the Galanz Hotel. Officials from relevant government departments, journalists from major media outlets, and a considerable number of people from both inside and outside the industry had come of their own accord to witness the final outcome in person.

Inside the elevator, Shang Yanxiao put his black mask back on.

Though this particular event was not being livestreamed, the recording cameras positioned on-site could still sweep across the seats below at any moment.

Under the circumstances, it was still necessary for him to exercise caution.

Shang Yanxiao watched the floor numbers climb, "Today is all on you."

Given that his true identity could not yet be made fully public, Shang Yanxiao was not in a position to sit in the lead seat for Zhouye Investment. He could only blend into the crowd toward the back of the venue.

Today's bidding was attended by Bai Xu, Xie Qi, and Kailing. The most critical part—the project presentation and the representative's address—was entirely in the hands of the first.

Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one else in the elevator, Bai Xu gave the back of Shang Yanxiao's hand a light pat, "Leave it to me without worry. You've already put in more than enough in the earlier stages. It's my turn to bring things home. You trust me, don't you?"

Shang Yanxiao looked at his composed, unhurried expression and let a small smile through, "Of course I trust you."

Ding!

The elevator doors slid open.

In the grand tiered hall on the hotel's tenth floor, well over a hundred people had already gathered. The sheer scale of it carried a weight that was hard to put into words.

Bai Xu walked up to the registration table and signed his name with easy, unhurried strokes.

"Young Master Bai."

Xie Qi and Kailing came forward at once, both deliberately sidestepping any acknowledgment of Shang Yanxiao's presence.

Bai Xu looked at his two capable employees and cast a quick, alert glance around them, "All taken care of?"

Xie Qi and Kailing had arrived two hours early, having been entrusted with an important task.

In response to Bai Xu's question, Xie Qi dropped his voice deliberately, "All taken care of. Just as you said, we resubmitted part of the bidding materials in the final half hour before the deadline."

Bai Xu's lips curved with satisfaction, "Good. Has anyone from Chu's shown up yet?"

The words had barely left his mouth when a familiar, grating voice rang out, "Mr. Bai, it's been a while."

Speak of the devil.

Bai Xu and the others turned as one to find Chu Yuncheng wearing the look of a man who had already won, "I hear Zhouye Investment has been exceptionally busy these past two months, all for the sake of this bid."

Bai Xu's expression didn't flicker, "Same could be said of you."

"Well, of course—"

Chu Yuncheng's attitude toward Bai Xu remained as unpleasant as ever. The words came easily, "Getting into this bid at all wasn't simple. Think of it as showing your face, even for a small company like yours, just making it here is already a win, isn't it?"

Faced with that kind of barbed, pointed remark, Xie Qi and Kailing were the first to reach their limit.

Who hadn't built their way up from the ground, one step at a time? Would Chu Yuncheng himself have had any of this so easily without his family name to lean on?

Before either of them could get a word out in reply, Chu Yate stepped out of the elevator in a red suit that was impossible to miss, "Well, well, everyone's gathered at the entrance? Looks like I've arrived at just the right moment."

Chu Yuncheng caught sight of the approaching figure and found the red immediately grating on his eyes.

The ease that had been on his face moments ago gave way to a flash of open distaste, "What are you doing here?"

Since their argument in the company office the last time, neither had spoken to the other since.

More pressingly, Chu Tian had already made a public announcement that he would be stepping down from the chairman's position at the end of the year, and the rivalry between the two brothers had grown fiercer with every passing day.

Chu Yate offered Bai Xu a smile in greeting, then turned and fired back at Chu Yuncheng without missing a beat, "That's an interesting thing to say, brother. This is a public bidding event. As someone in the industry who takes an interest in these matters, isn't it perfectly natural for me to come and have a look?"

Chu Yuncheng's displeasure showed, "I'm warning you. At an occasion like this, don't you dare stir up trouble and make a scene on Chu's behalf."

Chu Yate maintained the same easygoing, couldn't-care-less air as always, "At an occasion like this, I'm here for one thing– to watch the show."

The last few words carried a faint edge to them, bitten off with deliberate weight.

"......"

Chu Yuncheng didn't bother with a reply.

Bai Xu and Shang Yanxiao caught the emphasis Chu Yate had placed on those closing words and exchanged a quiet, knowing glance.

It seemed there was a 'show' in store today that even they hadn't been told about.

Fortunately, a five-minute countdown announcement sounded from inside the hall at just the right moment, bringing the barbed exchange to a natural close.

Bai Xu and Chu Yuncheng led their respective teams toward the reserved front-row seats, while Shang Yanxiao and Chu Yate, now an unlikely pair, made their way to the back and found two empty seats together.

The bidding event began promptly at two in the afternoon.

As required by procedure, a representative from each competing company was to stand and deliver a brief address. The order began with Chu Group at the top of the list and went down one by one, leaving Zhouye Investment for last.

Given the size of the bidding hall, the organizers had thoughtfully set up a large projection screen, displaying the front-row proceedings in real time for those further back.

When it came time for Bai Xu to stand and speak, a low ripple of murmuring broke out among the crowd in the back rows—

"What's the story with Zhouye Investment, anyway? Never seen them before."

"Probably just here to make up the numbers. I'm still putting my money on a homegrown company like Chu's this time around."

"Word is it's a small company from China, but the registered capital listed on their official website is surprisingly high. Makes you wonder if there's some bigger backer behind them."

"Who knows. Could be a shell company, set up to launder assets that can't see the light of day."

All manner of chatter, going every which way.

Then someone else in the back rows, swept along by the gossip, chimed in, "That said, the boss looks pretty young, doesn't he? And he's holding himself together quite well up there."

"Oh, this Mr. Bai—young, capable, easy on the eyes too. I wonder if he's taken? My niece is still single, you know. Maybe I could arrange an introduction?"

"......"

Shang Yanxiao heard those words, and a faint ripple crossed the composure of his eyes.

He turned toward the two company executives who had been whispering behind him and said, without warning, "He's married."

The two behind him hadn't expected to be caught in the act. They trailed off, a little flustered.

Chu Yate caught a glimpse of Shang Yanxiao's towering possessiveness and shook his head with a quiet, inward laugh.

Even so, he turned and put in a word for his ally, "That's right. Mr. Bai is a friend of mine. I can vouch for it."

"Oh, Second Young Master Chu is here as well?"

The two executives recognized Chu Yate and had little choice but to concede, "Married is good too, really. Start a family first, build a career second."

Shang Yanxiao, satisfied that they had put the idea out of their heads, turned back without expression and returned his attention to the front.

The main proceedings of the bid followed a set format—one that could even be called dry. Yet for Bai Xu and the others, as competing parties in the same room, it demanded complete focus. Keeping track of every figure raised during the event, taking part in the small portion of open bid reading. It was a draining thing to sit through.

The minutes passed one by one.

At last, Sweet, the official presiding over the tendering process, rose from his seat, "Ladies and gentlemen, please take a ten-minute recess."

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues on the tendering panel, he announced, "We will be moving into the final bid opening shortly. Thank you."

Sweet's gaze drifted downward, exchanging a brief, guarded glance with Chu Yuncheng in the front row before quickly looking away. He then gathered a stack of documents and made his way backstage.

Bai Xu caught the small, fleeting exchange between the two. His brow drew together with quiet alertness, "Something's off."

Xie Qi startled, "What do you mean?"

Kailing grew tense in turn and lowered her voice, "Mr. Bai, what is it? Didn't you already anticipate that Chu's would try something underhanded?"

And on top of that, they had already taken the necessary precautions. Could there still be a gap they hadn't covered?

"......"

Bai Xu didn't voice his suspicion aloud. His guarded gaze drifted, almost on its own, toward the table diagonally across from them.

As if by coincidence, Chu Yuncheng had just stood to stretch and happened to look over at the same moment.

Their eyes met across the room. After three seconds, Chu Yuncheng was the one who closed the distance.

He walked up to Bai Xu's table and rapped the surface with his knuckles, brazen and self-assured, "Mr. Bai, why don't you leave early? Save yourselves the unpleasantness when the results don't go your way."

Swaggering and imperious, as though afraid the world might not know he already considered the project his.

Bai Xu's smile fell away, "Mr. Chu is that confident?"

Chu Yuncheng leaned down slowly, his arrogance sharpening, "Bai Xu, I believe I've told you more than once. Whatever I have my eye on, don't even think about touching."

Bai Xu's competitive spirit ignited, "You have said that. But it means nothing. It's almost laughable."

"You—"

Chu Yuncheng gritted his teeth, then thought better of it and swallowed the unnecessary anger back down, "Fine. The results are coming any moment now. I want to see exactly what expression you'll be wearing when you lose the bid."

Bai Xu's composure didn't yield an inch, "Is that so? I'm looking forward to it too."

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