When investors came, they had to be entertained.
Director Ren had the assistant director book the best hotel in the town, inviting Liu Lianzhou to enjoy the evening, with several of the main actors and assistant directors accompanying him. Hu Xiaoyu was naturally included in this.
Liu Lianzhou came from a prestigious family but was very approachable. He quickly got along with everyone in the room.
He kept talking, occasionally fondling the piece of jade, unwilling to put it away, even when it was in his pocket.
Hu Xiaoyu didn't say much. He just listened to some gossip from the industry, smiling along with the others.
Just as they were in the middle of an animated conversation, the door to the private room suddenly opened.
Everyone looked over to see a tall, fair-skinned man standing in the doorway. His appearance was striking, but the coldness in his gaze was enough to make people overlook his looks.
Director Ren recognized him, thinking this must be Hu Xiaoyu's friend.
Hu Xiaoyu said, "Yu Tan?"
He had never seen Yu Tan like this—wearing a trench coat, boots, and long pants, looking neat and sharp, almost as if preparing for battle.
Liu Lianzhou said nothing, but his previously warm expression toward the group immediately chilled.
Yu Tan's gaze fell on Hu Xiaoyu for a moment, then shifted to Liu Lianzhou, especially noticing the piece of jade in his hand. His expression immediately changed.
What happened next was a bit chaotic.
Yu Tan's presence was imposing, and except for Hu Xiaoyu, no one dared to speak.
Everyone watched as this terrifyingly handsome man walked over, first ruffling Hu Xiaoyu's hair, saying something completely out of place with his intimidating aura: "You haven't lost weight. Good."
Hu Xiaoyu pushed Yu Tan's hand away. Yu Tan didn't get angry; instead, he smiled, lifting his chin toward Liu Lianzhou, his gaze lingering on the jade in his hand. "Where did you get this?"
Hu Xiaoyu felt something was off about Yu Tan but couldn't pinpoint it exactly. He only said, "I gave it to him."
Yu Tan's throat moved, as if he was trying to suppress something, and he didn't look at Hu Xiaoyu. "Liu Shao, shall we step outside and talk?"
Liu Lianzhou smiled lightly. "Sure."
The two had been rivals for many years and knew this wasn't just a casual conversation.
In the end, when Hu Xiaoyu stepped in front of Liu Lianzhou, Liu Lianzhou's lips bled, his clothes disheveled, and the jade that was originally safely tucked in his pocket was now snatched by Yu Tan.
Yu Tan fiddled with the small piece of jade, looking at the boy who was blocking Liu Lianzhou, his eyes darkening with hostility. "Xiaoyu, you're standing in the wrong place. Come here."
His voice was gentle, but it sent chills down the spine of anyone who heard it.
Hu Xiaoyu frowned. "Yu Tan, what do you want?"
Yu Tan lowered his gaze, as if trying to suppress the disgust in his own eyes from the contempt he felt.
He had refrained from appearing for so many days, thinking that the gap between them would fade. But upon hearing that Liu Lianzhou was in the area, he immediately followed. He never expected to see the one thing he least wanted to.
He couldn't bring himself to be angry with Hu Xiaoyu, though.
But something still hurt deeply. With one last shred of hope, he asked, "Did you give it to him?"
Wasn't there only one piece? And here it was, in his possession.
For this one and only piece, even though it disturbed him with its unclear origins, he treasured it like a precious thing, hanging it around his neck every day. He never thought that...
Hu Xiaoyu glanced back. Liu Lianzhou had gotten up after being kicked to the ground. Fortunately, he didn't seem too badly hurt.
Still, Hu Xiaoyu felt guilty. Liu Lianzhou had helped him a lot, and now he had to endure such humiliation.
"Brother Liu, please don't come over," Hu Xiaoyu said, his eyes meeting Yu Tan's darkened gaze. "So what if I did? It's mine. I'll give it to whoever I want."
In the next moment, Yu Tan casually tossed the jade aside.
The hotel in the small town wasn't like the ones in Shengcheng, with carpets everywhere. The cement floor and the jade made a sharp, clear sound when it hit, and then it cracked into pieces.
Liu Lianzhou's face went pale with anger. "Yu Tan!"
Hu Xiaoyu's breathing grew rapidly, a mixture of shock, anger, and regret.
The jade was alive with spiritual energy, and now that it was shattered, all of its power had dissipated with the wind. It was gone, forever.
Yu Tan didn't pay him any mind. His gaze remained locked on Hu Xiaoyu, who was standing there motionless. Yu Tan grabbed the fine silver chain around his neck and yanked it off. The jade, nearly the size of his palm, was gripped tightly in his hand. "So what's this?"
His brow was furrowed deeply, and his dark eyes seemed to want to consume the boy in front of him, like a suffocating black fog.
Hu Xiaoyu didn't speak. If it wasn't for worrying about Liu Lianzhou being hurt again, he would have left by now.
Yu Tan studied the boy's passive indifference. He didn't get angry but smiled coldly. "You're too disgusted to even speak to me? Fine, then take this back. We're even!"
Slowly, he extended his arm, holding the jade in his open palm in front of Hu Xiaoyu.
The jade glowed with ethereal light, dragon carvings flickering within it—any demon who saw it would gasp in awe at this treasure.
Hu Xiaoyu was afraid that Yu Tan would shatter this one too. He reached out to grab it.
However, before he could touch it, Yu Tan quickly clenched it in his fist, pulling it back.
Yu Tan, whose pale face had turned an almost cold white from his recovery, now had veins bulging on his forehead. In his mind, one thought persisted: Was he really that eager to sever all ties with him?
The hand gripping the jade, along with his arm, bulged with frightening veins, showing the strain.
In the dead silence, Hu Xiaoyu heard a soft, crisp crack. It was so faint it could easily be missed.
When he saw the look of shock and sorrow on Hu Xiaoyu's face, Yu Tan's heart, which had nearly exploded from tension, finally began to calm down.
With a sense of both innocence and satisfaction, he extended his hand forward, saying, "It's just street trash. Take it."
In his palm, the jade that had once been smooth and lustrous was now shattered into three pieces, mixed with blood from his palm that dripped onto the floor, stinging the eyes of those watching.
If one looked closely, the once vividly alive dragon carvings on the jade were nowhere to be seen.