Chapter 764: Chapter 749: Dawn Before Darkness (Part 2)
Xu Renjie raised his glass to everyone: "Let me introduce you all. This is General Manager Liu, who has maintained a friendly trade relationship with us. Due to some objective reasons, he will now be living with us. Come on, everyone, raise your glasses to General Manager Liu!"
"Thank you, everyone. I apologize for intruding this time. This glass is my toast to all of you."
After both sides toasted to each other, as a formality, Old Lin said, "Alright, considering the recent unstable situation, let’s stop drinking for today. Xiao Wei, serve some drinks."
"Old Lin is right. Today, let’s temporarily substitute drinks for alcohol, and once the danger has passed, we’ll have a good drink together. Don’t just stand there; eat, eat!"
Liu Fugui smiled as he picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth, commenting with satisfaction: "Not bad, Old Xu, who made this dish? It’s even better than my professional chef’s cooking."
"Hey, Xiao Wei, getting such high praise from a gourmet like General Manager Liu is quite an achievement." Old Lin gestured towards Xiao Wei, indicating Liu Fugui as the creator of this dish.
"Ah, that’s impressive. So young, yet able to cook such excellent dishes. Whoever marries you in the future will be truly lucky!" Liu Fugui generously praised while also taking the opportunity to scold his son: "Yunpeng, you should learn from Xiao Wei. Look, he can cook for everyone at such a young age, while you? Stop playing around all day and behave!"
Being scolded by his father in front of so many people naturally made Liu Yunpeng unhappy. He replied in a drawn-out tone: "Got it."
The dinner was quite awkward, as everyone didn’t have a good impression of the Liu family father and son. Fortunately, Liu Fugui, with his versatile personality, kept chatting about his extensive experiences with Old Xu and others, keeping the living room atmosphere from being too oppressive.
Others like Wu Chao and Wen Quanxin, who had fought alongside Tang Qiang, seemed to have a bone to pick with Liu Yunpeng, as they would grab the dishes he intended to pick up, attacking like hungry wolves.
It felt like a battle, and both Old Xu and Old Lin noticed this, wanting to intervene but found it hard to say anything considering the circumstances that led to this situation.
Feeling exasperated, Liu Yunpeng could only nibble at the rice in his bowl, inwardly cursing the others as ignorant bumpkins, trying to ease his frustration.
Seeing his son being bullied, Liu Fugui couldn’t help but feel angry, but the situation didn’t allow him to stand up for his son. Moreover, he hoped his son could toughen up in such an environment; otherwise, Liu Yunpeng’s uncontrollable temperament could eventually lead to his downfall.
Thinking he could barely keep up appearances and finish the meal, Liu Fugui was surprised to find this was only the beginning.
Yang Xue, who never ate dinner in pursuit of weight loss, unexpectedly came downstairs during the meal, and bluntly asked, "Hey, Liu Yunpeng, why didn’t Li Huiru come with you? Didn’t she dump you?"
Yang Xue’s words shocked several people present, and Liu Fugui wondered if the heavens were testing his patience, as the name he most wanted to avoid kept appearing in his ears.
Liu Yunpeng looked down, his hand holding the chopsticks frozen, silent as if he had been struck by a nerve.
Seeing Liu Yunpeng’s dazed and sorrowful expression, Yang Xue felt a surge of inexplicable anger. Known for her straightforward personality, she said whatever came to her mind, disregarding the occasion. She goaded him, "Oh, dumped for real, huh? Serves you right. You’ll know the taste of karma. Humph!"
Regarding the earlier food incident, Liu Fugui remained silent due to circumstances, believing it could toughen his son. But now, Yang Xue’s blatant insult to his son was something he could not tolerate.
He slowly put down his chopsticks, looked at Yang Xue, and said softly, "Yang Xue, please take back what you said to my son."
Old Lin knew Liu Fugui was excessively indulgent towards his son, and Yang Xue’s words were indeed out of line. More importantly, Liu Fugui’s tone suggested he was trying hard to control his emotions.
Old Lin worried that if Yang Xue didn’t watch her words, it could bring unnecessary trouble to the villa if Liu Fugui lashed out. His and Old Lin’s position would then become regrettable.
In this tense situation, Old Lin quickly intervened, saying, "Xiao Yang, there’s something you don’t know. Li Huiru is dead. She was killed by those who kidnapped General Manager Liu."
"Dead?" Yang Xue looked incredulous. "Liu Yunpeng, didn’t that vile woman return to the factory after she left the villa?"
"Alright, Xiao Yang, this matter is complicated and can’t be explained briefly. This meal is a welcome for General Manager Liu and Yunpeng, so let’s not bring up this topic. If you want to know more, I’ll explain it to you after dinner." Old Xu tried his best to end the discussion, fearing Yang Xue’s inappropriate remarks might lead to further complications.
But Liu Fugui interjected because he was sure he heard Yang Xue say Li Huiru had been to the villa.
Yet until now, he had never heard the other party mention this. Looking at Old Xu, he asked, "Comrade Xu, did Li Huiru visit your villa?"
Alas, what’s meant to happen will eventually come to pass. Despite trying to avoid it, Old Xu sighed inwardly, hoping the issue wouldn’t be pursued further, or he’d be embarrassed for concealing facts from Old Lin and others: "Yes, Li Huiru indeed stayed at the villa for one night. She said she ran away in anger with Yunpeng, and considering her safety at night, we took her in."
"Oh, we intended to contact you, General Manager Liu, to send someone to pick her up, but Li Huiru repeatedly insisted not to inform you of her whereabouts; otherwise, she would leave by herself, leaving us helpless."
"Yes, considering it’s their own affair, we assumed they’d handle it themselves, so we didn’t inform you, General Manager Liu. Moreover, she promised she’d return to the factory the next morning."
"Sigh, had we not been preoccupied dealing with Yang Buwei’s group and short of manpower, we would have sent people to escort her. Had we done so, perhaps the ensuing tragedy wouldn’t have occurred."
Old Lin and Old Xu coordinated seamlessly, and after hearing them, Liu Fugui didn’t comment much and simply said, "A heart set on change will change eventually. Nevertheless, I hope she reflects on her actions wherever she is."
Yang Xue seemed confused about their conversation, but Li Huiru’s death made her feel delighted. She never wished for someone’s death as much as she did now.
Yet seeing Liu Yunpeng’s devastated demeanor irritated her. If possible, she would slap him twice and ask why that vile woman was worthy of his devotion. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com.)
