Fang Tianzhuo's life turned into a nonstop battle. Even weekends were swallowed by emergency meetings, and Xu Yanran was busier than ever—her dinners constantly interrupted by calls, half the time she didn't come home to eat at all.
The Japanese partner was a lost cause. Donghua's marketing team had thrown out every collaboration plan imaginable, shareholders upping the stakes with sweeter terms, but the Jap was already in Zhengyang's pocket, impervious to temptation. Worse, he'd bribed officials to rewrite zoning laws, swapping their planned commercial street for luxury villas. Overnight, Donghua's dreams of a bustling amusement park and sports complex—all dependent on foot traffic from the street—crumbled. In two months, marketing heads were replaced faster than you could blink. Luo Minghao's temper grew shorter by the day, leaving the entire department walking on eggshells.
Bribing Chinese officials—typical Jap move. Donghua had no dirt on them, and with hundreds of millions already sunk into demolition, they were legally obligated to finish the project. The pressure was suffocating.
Months passed, and as the Jap's villas rose, Luo Minghao's patience snapped.
"Is this the best you idiots can do?" he roared at the marketing team, his eyes bulging.
Fang Tianzhuo snapped. For months, he'd refused to stoop to studying the Jap's petty whims—he hated them, refused to grovel. He wanted to make that bastard choke on his own greed.
"Chairman, I have a plan." He stepped forward.
"Spit it out." Luo's eyes lit up.
"It's sensitive. Can we talk privately?"
In Luo's office, before Fang Tianzhuo could even sit, the chairman pressed, "Well?"
"Sir, we can't back out of the amusement park or stadium now—that'd be catastrophic. We need to force the Jap to revive the lakeside street."
"Obvious! How?" Luo snapped, impatient.
"Zoning laws mandate a road 500 meters from Tianfu Fairy City—that's done. But the road inside the complex, leading to the lakeside plot? That's ours. No specific plans for it. Right now, it's a straight shot—they're using it to haul materials for their villas." Fang Tianzhuo's voice was steady, confident.
"You want to… reroute it?" Luo's eyes flickered.
"Wipe it out. Completely."
"Wipe it out? That road's critical! We planned sightseeing trams! The entire project revolves around that street and road!" Luo leaned forward. "What's the point if we destroy it?"
"Our old pitch was 'convenience.' Now? 'Leisure.' Scrap the main road—replace it with winding footpaths. Dig a river where the road was, feed it from the lake, and loop it around their villas. Make their project an island. They're halfway done—no road, their investment's worthless. They can't ship materials by boat forever, and even if they finish, who'll buy villas you can't drive to? We'll squeeze them into ditching villas for the street."
"But their villas are half-built! Why would they raze them for a street?"
"The street doesn't need to be a straight line. Renovate the villas, link them with walkways, and turn them into shops. Unique, charming—shoppers can browse and enjoy lake views in a villa. It'll be a selling point."
"Genius!" Luo's hands shook. He summoned the board, Fang Tianzhuo laid out the plan, and it was greenlit on the spot. By nightfall, construction crews were tearing up the road, with police on standby to prevent clashes.
Within days, trucks loaded with materials backed up outside Tianfu Fairy City like a 长龙. The Jap and Zhengyang's Wuhan team folded, scrambling for official help—but the zoning loopholes were airtight. Luo's scowl finally lifted, and they waited for the Jap to come crawling.
Fang Tianzhuo was elated. He'd saved the company billions, dealt the rival a crippling blow. But… what about Zhengyang? Wang Shaolong? That company was no pushover—massive projects in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, deep pockets. They wouldn't take this lying down. This was war, after all.
He grinned sheepishly. His plan was underhanded, but desperate times… Zhengyang had started it.
Back home, Yanran was still out. Lately, he only saw her when he rolled over at midnight. She was working herself to the bone. This plan's gonna make her life hell, he thought, a twinge of guilt hitting him.
What was Zhengyang up to? Gao Tianwei worked for their boss—he'd know. Fang Tianzhuo wasn't fishing for intel; he just needed to know Yanran was okay.
"Tianwei, why's your company been so crazy? Yanran's barely home."
"Blame Donghua! You idiots dug up the road—our joint project with the Japs is frozen. Millions down the drain. The CEO is in town now—gangster type, mean as hell. I'm his bodyguard. Take some time off, okay? Don't get caught in this…" Gao Tianwei's voice was low, urgent—genuine concern.
Gangster CEO? Fang Tianzhuo's blood ran cold. Would a giant like Zhengyang really resort to thugs? It seemed so—nothing else could break the deadlock now. He worried for Tianwei, stuck guarding a criminal. And Yanran? What was she doing in the middle of this? She was out of her depth.
From past chats, he knew Wang Shaolong was single—and very attentive to pretty women. Yanran was stunning, magnetic. A cold sweat broke out. He hated the doubt, felt dirty even thinking it, but ever since seeing Wang, the thought gnawed at him.
He'd been neglecting her. Maybe talking—really talking—would chase these shadows away. He decided to surprise her, pick her up, and take her to a fancy dinner.
The taxi pulled up to Zhengyang's central China headquarters. Before he could get out, his phone rang—it was Yanran.
"Tianzhuo, I'm working late. Probably won't be home till dawn. Eat without me, sleep early, okay?" Her voice was soft, sweet.
As he opened his mouth to reply, a silver Cadillac—rare in Wuhan, rarer than a Benz or BMW—glided out of the underground garage. He'd recognize it anywhere: Wang Shaolong's car from Longxiang Hotel.
And in the passenger seat? Xu Yanran.
Fang Tianzhuo's heart plummeted. "Okay," he said, hanging up. He told the driver to follow, keep a distance. Please, just be a short drive, he prayed.
But the Cadillac turned into the Asia Hotel, a four-star nearby.
He watched them walk into the lobby, disappear into an elevator. Courage evaporated. He slumped into a corner of the lobby, his mind a storm.