Translator – Ink Hub
Editor- Ms. B

Exceptional women are prone to developing hostility toward one another, especially when they are both formidable players in the business world.

The moment Xiang Dongqing saw Xu Aoxue, her expression shifted. Her usually stoic, unshakeable face now carried a trace of gravity and concern.

Xu Aoxue walked up to Xiang Dongqing and extended a hand, smiling. “President Xiang, I apologize for showing up uninvited. I hope you won’t take offense.”

Xiang Dongqing shook her hand and replied, “Not at all. Your presence brings light to my humble event, President Xu. I simply didn’t realize you and President Wang shared such a close relationship.”

The Xu Group was a name that carried as much weight as a thunderclap.

As she spoke, Xiang Dongqing couldn’t help but glance at Qi Dengxian. He had mentioned earlier that the Xu Group would be entering the fray. At the time, she had dismissed it as alarmist talk, but now it seemed he had been telling the truth.

Xu Aoxue and Wang Hu weren’t exactly friends. They were appearing together now simply because their interests aligned.

In this circle, everyone was a person of status who understood how the world worked. They didn’t go around tossing the word friendship about. The most stable relationship was, without a doubt, one built on mutual interest.

“I wonder what brings President Xu to Zhonghai?” Xiang Dongqing asked.

“To make money, of course!” Xu Aoxue laughed. “That’s a rather strange question for you to ask, President Xiang.”

Xiang Dongqing’s face darkened slightly. “President Xu, the money in Zhonghai isn’t that easy to earn. You should be careful not to fall into a pit you can’t climb out of.”

Xu Aoxue nodded. “I’ll keep your words in mind. However, you shouldn’t underestimate us outsiders, President Xiang. Especially an outsider like me, coming from the Capital.”

The Capital. It was the nation’s heart, a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers resided.

By saying this, Xu Aoxue made it clear she was determined to take a bite out of the Xiang Group’s cake.

Xiang Dongqing felt the pressure mounting. Wang Hu was right; even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. Even if she handed the company over to the two top financial experts in the world, it wouldn’t matter if her capital was frozen. Their skills would be useless without the necessary funds.

“I didn’t expect to see Mr. Qi Dengxian working at your company. What a coincidence,” Xu Aoxue said with a thin smile.

“President Xu knows him?” Wang Hu looked at Qi Dengxian, surprised.

Xiang Dongqing was equally startled. Xu Aoxue was from the Capital and a major power player. How could she possibly know someone like Qi Dengxian?

Xu Aoxue nodded and said, “Perhaps you all aren’t aware. Mr. Qi is the fiancé of our country’s War Goddess, Lieutenant General Yu Xiaolong…”

“What?!”

The moment those words left her mouth, every person in the room whipped their heads around, staring at Qi Dengxian in sheer disbelief.

Even Xiang Dongqing was stunned, her beautiful eyes wide with shock.

However, the crowd quickly found the idea preposterous. After all, wasn’t Qi Dengxian already married? His wife was the president of the Qiao Group, Qiao Qiumeng.

“Xu Aoxue, are you trying to start something?” Qi Dengxian asked coldly. He turned around, his face clouded with displeasure.

Hearing Qi Dengxian address Xu Aoxue so bluntly by her full name made everyone’s hearts skip a beat.

“This Qi Dengxian is actually Lieutenant General Yu Xiaolong’s fiancé? No wonder he’s so arrogant. With a background like that, he really can do whatever he wants!”

“My god, if that’s the case, then the Black Dragon Merchant Corps is nothing to him… With General Yu backing him, who does he need to fear?”

“Exactly! Lieutenant General Yu Xiaolong is peerless, a woman who puts men to shame! And the Yu family is a colossal, transcendent clan. Who would dare provoke them?”

The guests began to whisper among themselves, their hearts filling with awe and respect.

Xu Aoxue paused for a moment before flashing Qi Dengxian a smile. “Of course, he is only her former fiancé. General Yu felt that Mr. Qi was not a suitable match and had already broken the engagement. There is no longer any connection between them. Please, don’t get the wrong idea.”

“Whew—”

The crowd let out a collective sigh of relief. A sense of satisfaction washed over them.

They found Qi Dengxian’s arrogance loathsome. If he really were Yu Xiaolong’s fiancé, it would have been enough to make them burn with envy.

“I knew it! How could General Yu ever fall for a man with such a foul mouth and zero talent? He’s just a little prison guard, hmph!”

“Lieutenant General Yu Xiaolong is our nation’s War Goddess, a celestial maiden. I can’t think of any man in this world worthy of her. Qi Dengxian? He’s just dog shit!”

“That gave me a fright. I actually thought a toad could eat swan meat. General Yu is truly farsighted for kicking this trash to the curb, hahaha…”

After hearing the second half of Xu Aoxue’s statement, the guests couldn’t hide their joy, leaning in to gossip with one another.

Li Yunwan also stole a deep look at Qi Dengxian. His connection to Yu Xiaolong was truly staggering.

Qi Dengxian’s face darkened. He had only come to this banquet to eat some good food, kill some time, and then head home to rest. He hadn’t expected so much drama.

One wave had just settled, and now Xu Aoxue was intentionally dragging him into the spotlight again. It annoyed him to no end.

“You busybody,” Qi Dengxian snorted coldly.

The guests’ eyelids twitched at his words.

“Does this guy really think he hasn’t been dumped by General Yu? He’s still talking so big, even daring to insult President Xu!”

“President Xu and General Yu are close friends. Isn’t he afraid General Yu will beat him to death for talking like that?”

“It’s only because President Xu has a good temper and high standards that she won’t stoop to his level. Otherwise, she would have dealt with him long ago.”

The crowd looked on with disdain. They felt that Qi Dengxian had no skill and no background left, yet he still dared to be so brazen. It was repulsive.

Xu Aoxue’s expression soured. She said coldly, “You and Yu Xiaolong belong to different worlds. Are you still clinging to some fantasy?”

“You can’t even afford a decent suit for a banquet like this. You should face reality sooner rather than later.”

“Look at the way you’re dressed. Crude, pathetic, destitute, and spineless. It’s embarrassing.”

Qi Dengxian looked at her and asked, “Are you sick? I didn’t provoke you, did I? You’re coming at me like a total idiot.”

“You—” Xu Aoxue was visibly incensed.

“Let me tell you something. If you want to do business, go back to the Capital and do it there. Don’t think about reaching your hands into Zhonghai to split the Xiang Group’s cake with the Humen Group. If you dare reach in, I’ll break your hands all the same!”

“Don’t think that just because that woman Yu Xiaolong is helping you, I’ll have some reservations. It won’t matter even if you’re tied together.”

“I’m telling you, the reason I stood with the Xiang Group so quickly was to give that woman Yu Xiaolong a massive slap in the face.”

“I want to see if she’ll still dare to look at me with that arrogant face after this.”

Qi Dengxian stared at Xu Aoxue with cold indifference. “And you, you idiot, stop using my history with Yu Xiaolong to stir the pot.”

“You said I’m a crude man. If I truly get unhappy, I’ll pin you to the ground and beat you. I doubt your pride could handle that, could it?”

Qi Dengxian’s words caused a dead silence to fall over the entire hall.

Was this man… trying to provoke the heavens themselves?

—

Footnotes:
TN1: “Toad wanting to eat swan meat” (癩蛤蟆想吃天鵝肉) is a classic Chinese idiom for someone of low status pursuing someone far above them.

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