Chapter 16: The Lowliest of the Low

Chapter 016: Underhanded Tactics

“Miss Ximen, please wait here. Brother Yong will be with you shortly.”

After leading the two into a room resembling a reception lounge, the waiter quickly withdrew.

Ximen Lu glanced around the lavishly decorated room, her brows knitting tighter. Something felt off.

At that moment, the sound of a door opening reached her ears—not the one they had entered through, but a small inner door. Beyond it, there seemed to be a hidden chamber, perhaps a bedroom.

A tall, robust man emerged, somewhere between his thirties and forties, straddling youth and middle age. He wasn't exactly menacing in appearance, but he exuded an imposing, commanding air.

With his arrival, the atmosphere in the room seemed to grow heavy.

“You must be Miss Ximen Lu from Feilu Media?” He strode across the room, his gaze fixed on Ximen Lu with blatant admiration and desire, making no effort to conceal it.

Ximen Lu frowned again; the man's stare made her uncomfortable. She kept her composure and countered, “And you are?” The man before her hardly looked like someone to negotiate with; he seemed more like a gangster.

“My name’s Wu Yong, but everyone calls me Brother Yong. Today, I'm representing Seven Entertainment in talks with you.” Wu Yong grinned, his manner full of street swagger, his eyes still locked on Ximen Lu's alluring face.

Ximen Lu's expression darkened. Instinctively, she glanced at Chu Fei beside her.

Chu Fei offered a wry smile. Ximen Lu truly had a sharp tongue; on the way here, she’d joked about entertainment companies colluding with the underworld—and now, here they were.

“Here’s one hundred thousand. Please hand me Miss Li’s contract,” Wu Yong said, placing a bank card in front of Ximen Lu.

Ximen Lu took a deep breath, surprised by how matters had escalated. She asked in a low voice, “Where are the people from Seven Entertainment? I want to speak directly with their manager.”

“I’m the representative for these negotiations. What’s wrong? Are you looking down on me, Wu Yong?” The man suddenly turned his icy gaze on Ximen Lu.

Her face changed. She was a businesswoman—no matter how shrewd or bold, she was unaccustomed to such scenes. From the moment Wu Yong had introduced himself, she realized events had taken a turn beyond her expectations. Yet she was unwilling to concede. Faced with his intimidating presence, her heart quivered.

“If I were you, Miss Ximen, I’d take the one hundred thousand.”

Seeing Ximen Lu’s silence, Wu Yong smiled, revealing his teeth. “Since I accepted Seven Entertainment’s request, I’ll see it through. You’re such a beautiful woman, Miss Ximen; it’d be unfortunate if something happened to you while you were out, wouldn’t you agree?” His voice was calm, but the threat was unmistakable.

Ximen Lu’s face went pale with anger. Such brazen intimidation was clear as day. Furious, nearly out of her mind, she dared not lash out. She took another deep breath, looking at Wu Yong coldly. “If you want to terminate the contract, let Seven Entertainment’s manager come to me himself, or we’ll settle this in court. Chu Fei, let’s go!” With that, she turned and walked straight out.

“Miss Ximen, you’d better consider the consequences. Don’t regret your decision!” The man hadn’t expected such a reaction from Ximen Lu. His face darkened as he spoke sternly from behind.

“Mr. Wu, please relay this to Seven Entertainment: they can expect a lawsuit from my lawyer,” Ximen Lu said at the doorway, then strode quickly out of the nightclub.

—

In the parking lot, Ximen Lu took several deep breaths but still couldn’t calm herself. Her face was so grim it was almost frightening. She’d thought coming herself to negotiate with Seven Entertainment would lead to a breakthrough, but things had spun even further out of her control. What enraged her wasn't Seven Entertainment’s strong-arm tactics, but the use of such dirty tricks to threaten her. What was this supposed to be?

If Seven Entertainment had approached her politely about breaking the contract, she might have agreed. But now, her pride was ignited. Did they think a mere hundred thousand could buy her off, as if she were a beggar? According to the contract, Seven Entertainment owed at least one million two hundred thousand in compensation; a hundred thousand wasn’t even a fraction.

Threatening her—did they think a woman was easy to bully?

Ximen Lu was frightened, but she didn’t believe they’d really dare harm her—not in a society governed by law.

Turning, she saw Chu Fei watching her with concern.

His worry warmed her heart. Forcing a smile, she said, “I’m fine, just angry at Seven Entertainment’s behavior. Do they really think I’ll cave to a random thug’s threat? How naive!” By the end, her seductive smile had returned.

Ximen Lu’s mental fortitude was formidable.

“What do you plan to do?” Chu Fei asked.

“I’ll sue Seven Entertainment for breach of contract. I refuse to believe the law can’t punish them. If they want to terminate, they’d better hand over the proper compensation,” she said, gritting her teeth like a stubborn child. She even referred to herself as “old mother,” clearly furious.

Chu Fei frowned. Ximen Lu was clearly rattled and acting a bit irrational. After a pause, he said, “You should head back first.”

“What are you going to do?” Ximen Lu was momentarily taken aback, then realized his intent. Her expression changed. “Chu Fei, don’t do anything foolish. Money can always be earned back. If we lose the company, we can start over. But you—”

“When have you ever seen me do something reckless?” Chu Fei smiled, then reached out to pinch her soft cheek. “Be good. Go back to the office. I’ll have another talk with them. Bullying people like this is unacceptable.”

“But…” Ximen Lu looked at Chu Fei anxiously, oblivious to the fact he’d taken liberties.

“Trust me,” Chu Fei said gently, interrupting her.

Ximen Lu bit her lip, refraining from further persuasion. She seemed to know it was useless to argue. She gazed deeply at Chu Fei, then obediently turned and slipped into her BMW, driving away.

Watching the red BMW vanish down the long street, Chu Fei finally turned back toward the nightclub, his eyes now icy cold.

As he’d just said, this sort of injustice couldn’t be tolerated.

Moreover, Chu Fei felt something was off—this seemed like a conspiracy.

—

“That woman really doesn’t know what’s good for her,” Wu Yong cursed loudly at the door, then turned to look at the small inner door. A cultured-looking man in his forties was emerging.

“Mr. Liu, things didn’t go as planned. That woman is too stubborn.” Wu Yong spoke respectfully to the refined man, his tone embarrassed. What he’d expected to be a simple matter had gone awry, and he was at a loss.

“No matter. Young Master Liu anticipated this outcome,” the man replied calmly, handing Wu Yong a check. “Here’s the promised five hundred thousand—every cent. Please check it.”

Wu Yong hesitated. “Things didn’t go well. How can I accept Young Master Liu’s payment?”

“Take what Young Master Liu gives you. Save your breath,” the refined man said, frowning slightly.

“Thank you, then.” Wu Yong no longer protested, taking the check, glancing at it, and pocketing it. He looked up, knowing things wouldn’t be so simple. Money never comes easily.

As expected, the refined man smiled lightly. “I’ll need your help with something else, Brother Yong.”

“What is it? Just say the word, Mr. Liu.” Wu Yong nodded, no surprise at all.

“Since Ximen Lu refuses to show respect—not even for you, Brother Yong—shouldn’t she be taught a lesson?” the refined man asked.

“Of course. That woman’s far too arrogant, I—” Wu Yong stopped mid-sentence, uncertain, looking at the refined man. “What exactly do you want me to do?” He wasn’t stupid; he quickly caught the man’s drift.

“She offended you, not me. Why ask me what to do?” The refined man frowned.

“How about I have someone rough her up, so she remembers this lesson?” Wu Yong ventured, trying to gauge the man's intentions.

“Young Master Liu is quite taken with Ximen Lu lately. If you rough her up, how am I supposed to explain it?” The refined man shot Wu Yong a look.

“Then, maybe I should capture her and deliver her to Young Master Liu?” Wu Yong continued.

“Capturing her is fine, but there’s no need to deliver her. Young Master Liu will come to her rescue himself,” the refined man replied.

“I understand.” Wu Yong nodded quickly. He now understood perfectly: he was to kidnap Ximen Lu, setting up Young Master Liu to play the hero. He cursed inwardly. These rich folk really have too much time on their hands. Wouldn’t it be more exciting to just take her by force?

Of course, he dared not say so. Though many viewed him as untouchable, he knew that in the eyes of true wealth, people like him could be crushed at will. This was why he treated Mr. Liu with such respect. It wasn’t this man he feared, but the master behind him.

After glancing at Mr. Liu, Wu Yong hesitated. “Mr. Liu, things are a bit tense in Kun City lately. Kidnapping isn’t easy—if anything goes wrong…”

“I believe in your abilities.” Mr. Liu cut him off, looking at Wu Yong meaningfully. “Don’t worry. If you pull it off, you’ll be well rewarded. Young Master Liu won’t forget you.”

“Heh, thank you, Mr. Liu. Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to get Ximen Lu kidnapped as soon as possible…” Wu Yong grinned broadly.

Just then, a cold voice sounded from the doorway.

“Young Master Liu? Which Young Master Liu? Is it Liu Fengkai, that spoiled brat?”

Wu Yong and Mr. Liu spun around. The door had somehow opened, and a young man stood there with a grim expression—the same youth who’d accompanied Ximen Lu. In the corridor outside, several bodyguards lay sprawled, the doormen defeated.