Chapter 917
If you can't help them, then don't help them.
On the top floor of the Century Tower, the private elevator to the president's office came to a smooth stop with a soft "ding".
The mirror-like elevator doors slid open silently, and Qian Youyou stepped out with steady steps, wearing delicate black high heels.
The air was filled with the cool, icy scent unique to top-tier office buildings, a mixture of cleaning agents, premium paper, and a faint hint of coffee.
She took a deep breath to calm herself.
The corridor leading to Lu Yang's office was spacious and quiet; the thick carpet swallowed the sound of footsteps, and only her own heartbeat could be clearly heard.
"President Qian!" The assistant in the outer room of the president's office saw her and immediately stood up, with a perfectly respectful smile on her face. "President Lu just finished a video conference and is currently in his office. Would you like me to inform him or take you there?"
Qian Youyou nodded slightly, a faint but distant smile curving her lips, her voice calm: "No need, you go ahead with your work, I can go by myself." Her tone was natural, carrying a familiarity and confidence that required no guidance from others.
The assistant immediately nodded, "Yes, Mr. Qian." He watched her walk straight towards the heavy, dark solid wood door that symbolized the core of the Century Group's highest power.
In private, she was Lu Yang's woman, bearing him children and sharing the most secret tenderness.
In public, she is the heir to the Qian Group across the street, the current president, and an important business partner with Century Group that is deeply intertwined in multiple fields.
This dual identity earned her the unspoken respect of everyone in the building, from top to bottom. No one dared to be negligent or show any curiosity or contempt in front of her.
Qian Youyou walked to the office door, habitually placing her hand on the cold brass door handle, preparing to knock.
However, the sensation from her fingertips made her pause slightly.
The door wasn't closed properly; it was ajar.
She paused for a moment, then gave a gentle push.
The door opened silently inward.
Inside the office, huge floor-to-ceiling windows let in the afternoon sunlight of Shenzhen without reservation, filling the room with golden radiance.
Lu Yang sat behind the large, heavy mahogany desk, his body sinking deep into the large executive chair.
He wasn't looking at the documents or gazing out the window. Instead, he stood with his arms crossed, relaxed, a knowing smile on his face, looking directly at her in the doorway.
It was as if they had been waiting for a long time.
"Here you are." Lu Yang's voice rang out, deep and gentle, like a cup of coffee at just the right temperature.
"Mmm." Qian Youyou responded, then gently closed the door behind her, completely shutting out the noise from the outside world.
She walked into the familiar yet oppressively stressful space, casually placed her expensive handbag on the single sofa in the reception area, then turned around, her gaze calmly meeting Lu Yang's smiling eyes.
Instead of going to the sofa, she walked straight to the desk, placed her hands on the smooth edge of the desk, leaned forward slightly, and stared intently into Lu Yang's deep and unfathomable eyes: "How did you know I was coming?"
Her voice carried a hint of probing and a slight questioning.
She didn't believe Lu Yang was unaware of what his brother Xiao Jun was up to.
The purpose of her trip was clear to both of them.
Lu Yang did not answer her question immediately.
His smile deepened, and he stood up gracefully, walked around the desk, and went to the top-of-the-line espresso machine placed against the wall. Instead of calling his secretary, he took matters into his own hands and skillfully began to operate it. The soft sound of grinding coffee beans was particularly clear in the quiet office.
"Try it." He had his back to her, intently fiddling with the utensils, his voice casual and homely. "These are Brazilian beans that a friend sent directly from the source. I think they're alright. I know you don't like things too bitter." He turned to her with a considerate smile. "I added some fresh milk and a touch of linden honey to balance it out and see how it tastes."
His movements were fluid and graceful, carrying a deliberate, showy tenderness.
Soon, a cup of coffee with a rich aroma, delicate milk foam, and an enticing color was handed to Qian Youyou.
Qian Youyou looked at the carefully prepared cup of coffee in front of her, then looked up at Lu Yang's handsome, smiling face.
She silently accepted the cup, holding it in both hands and feeling the comforting warmth. She didn't drink it immediately, but instead lowered her head slightly, gently blowing away the foam floating on top before taking a small sip.
The taste on the tip of the tongue is rich and slightly bitter, but it is quickly enveloped and blended by the silky smoothness of the milk and the sweetness of the honey, forming a wonderful balance.
It really suits her taste.
She nodded, her voice devoid of much emotion: "It's alright, thank you."
"Don't thank me." Lu Yang had already sat back down in his seat, his posture relaxed and in control again. He gently tapped the smooth mahogany tabletop, making a soft, rhythmic sound. "You're too kind. We're family."
In this context, the phrase "family" carries a profound meaning, offering both reassurance and an undeniable reminder.
Lu Yang leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharpening, and his voice lowering as he got to the point: "Your brother is impatient and can't hold his temper. If it weren't for investing with me and Lao Mou all these years, with us backing him up and steering the ship, he probably would have gone bankrupt countless times by now. How could he be as successful as he is today?"
He paused, observing Qian Youyou's reaction.
She held a coffee cup, her eyelashes lowered, casting a small shadow under her eyes, making it impossible to discern her expression.
Lu Yang continued, his tone carrying a calm analytical quality: "This time, he did indeed make a lot of money by investing in Sina, this Chinese portal website, and tasted the sweetness of success. But the desires in people's hearts can never be satisfied. They always want something better, especially..."
His voice carried a hint of self-deprecating sarcasm, "Especially in his own mind, he stubbornly believes that the reason he 'sold out' the Little Prodigy's stock and missed the subsequent surge was entirely due to my 'wrong' advice."
"He probably had a lot of calculations going on. He figured that if he didn't listen to me and continued to hold onto the Little Prodigy stock in the next ten or twenty days, not only would the market value of his stock holdings increase by tens of millions of US dollars, but his position as president of Little Prodigy would also become more secure due to the continued rise in stock price, making him sit firmly in his seat and unshakeable."
Lu Yang's tone was as if stating a ridiculous fact, "But what about now? He followed my advice and reduced his holdings. And what was the result? Not only did he 'earn less' a large sum of money on paper—of course, this is just his perception of 'less'—but also, with the completion of my Century Group's large-scale reduction of holdings, Little Prodigy is no longer a core subsidiary of the group. His position as president of Little Prodigy has lost the strong backing of the group's resources, and now he is naturally teetering on the brink of collapse."
Lu Yang leaned back in his chair, clasped his hands in front of him, and looked at Qian Youyou with a half-smile, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate her calm: "Guess what, with your brother's pathetic mindset and fiery temper, will he swallow this insult? Will he feel he's been wronged and come to settle accounts with me, the 'culprit,' demanding an explanation?"
Qian Youyou remained silent. She didn't answer immediately, but simply lowered her head, holding the cup of coffee that was no longer piping hot in both hands, and sipped it slowly.
The liquid in the glass was slowly decreasing, as if she was using this action to conceal the turmoil in her heart and the words that were about to come out.
Lu Yang didn't urge her, but waited patiently for her with a knowing smile.
The only sounds in the office were her soft sips and the faint urban noise coming from outside the window.
Finally, the coffee in the cup was gone.
Qian Youyou gently placed the delicate bone china cup on the desk in front of her, making a soft, crisp sound.
She pulled out a tissue, elegantly wiped her mouth, then looked up to meet Lu Yang's gaze, and sighed softly. That sigh contained too many complex emotions—helplessness, disappointment, a trace of protecting family ties, and deep weariness.
“That’s just how he is.” Her voice was clear and cold, with a resigned air. “Impulsive, easily angered, short-sighted, always thinking only of the immediate consequences, acting entirely on impulse without considering the long-term effects. If it weren’t for…”
She paused, seemingly considering her words, her gaze unfocused as if lost in some memory. "Actually, my father did consider having him take over the Qian family business back then. Although he wasn't my father's biological son, he had grown up in the Qian family and had been carefully nurtured for so many years. And what about me, his biological daughter?"
She gave a self-deprecating smile. "My dad probably just wanted me to live a carefree life as a rich girl, enjoying the huge fortune I had, without having to deal with the cutthroat competition in the business world or the mental and physical strain of managing a company."
Her words carried a deliberate sense of insincerity, and even sounded somewhat false and idealistic.
But Lu Yang believed that what she said was true.
Based on his deep understanding of the shrewd, capable, and extremely controlling patriarch of the Qian family, if his stepson Xiao Jun, whom he had raised, had even half the composure and ability, the patriarch would very likely have handed over the position of president of the Qian Group, which required real ability, to Xiao Jun.
The reason is simple: hiring a professional manager is the same as hiring a stepson, and having a stepson you know well and are closer to emotionally to help you manage the company is also the same.
As for the company's shares, the vast majority will naturally be firmly held by his biological daughter, Qian Youyou.
In the old man's view, this arrangement might truly be a win-win situation for everyone.
"It is indeed a bit of a pity." Lu Yang shook his head in agreement with her words, his tone carrying a hint of regret for the old man's plan failing.
But his gaze remained fixed on Qian Youyou's face, conveying both reassurance and a clear sense of boundaries: "But Youyou, don't take this too seriously. Putting aside other relationships, your brother and I have been friends for many years. His little quirks, his complaints, his strange remarks—why would I really take them to heart? I'm not that petty."
He abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming businesslike, even carrying a hint of cold scrutiny: "However, business is business, and private is private. You and I have both seen how well he's held onto his position as president of Little Prodigy over the past few years. To be honest, it hasn't been very good. To a large extent, he's only barely maintained his leading market share thanks to the continuous resource allocation, channel support, and brand endorsement from our Century Group. Now, Century Group has completed a large-scale share reduction plan, and Little Prodigy is no longer our core subsidiary. In the future, regarding resource allocation..."
Lu Yang tapped the table lightly with his fingers again, making a clear warning sound. "Of course, it is still up for discussion. In fact, it can be said that it will definitely be greatly reduced. Whether he can still hold onto his position as president and how long he can hold it will all depend on his own abilities and whether his true abilities as president match the identity and position he occupies."
Lu Yang's words were clear and calm, devoid of any personal emotion, yet they were like a cold judgment, declaring that Xiao Jun's future as the child prodigy would be full of challenges, and might even take a sharp turn for the worse.
Qian Youyou opened her mouth, a complex emotion flashing in her bright eyes, as if she wanted to say a few words in defense of her brother, or ask Lu Yang to give her some more support out of consideration for their relationship.
But in the end, looking into Lu Yang's deep, calm, and unwavering eyes, all the words stuck in her throat.
She knew this man in front of her all too well.
When it comes to core interests and principles, no one can easily change his decision, especially after her brother has already shown such an accusatory attitude of "ingratitude".
She didn't say anything.
She silently picked up her handbag from the sofa, straightened her back, turned around, and walked step by step toward the office door in her slender high heels.
The crisp sound of heels striking the ground was exceptionally clear in the quiet space.
When her hand gripped the cold doorknob again, she stopped. She didn't turn around, but her voice rang out clearly, cold and decisive, carrying a sense of finality:
"Okay, I understand."
“You’ve already helped him more than enough, you’ve done everything you could. You don’t need to worry about my feelings. He’s a grown man now, and whether his future is good or bad, it’s up to him to walk his own path.”
She turned the doorknob, and the door opened a crack.
Just as she was about to leave, her voice softened again, carrying a tenderness that belonged to a mother and lover: "Remember to come home for dinner tonight. You haven't seen our son in a long time. Today, Xiao Hao's private tutor praised him. He recognized all the English letters and could even write them from memory. He misses you a lot. You should praise him properly."
Upon hearing his son's name, the hard lines on Lu Yang's face instantly melted.
He immediately stood up, quickly walked around the desk, and reached Qian Youyou in a few steps.
The moment she opened the door, he reached out, grabbed her wrist, and with a slight pull, drew her lithe body into his arms.
Qian Youyou's body stiffened slightly, but she did not struggle.
Lu Yang held her tightly, his warm breath brushing against the top of her head.
He lowered his head and placed a tender and precious kiss on her smooth forehead, then gently patted her slender back with his strong hands, carrying a soothing power.
"I'm sorry you've had to go through all this." His voice was low and full of apology as he whispered in her ear, "You've raised our child all by yourself and done such a good job. You've worked so hard, Youyou." He loosened his embrace slightly, cupped her face in his hands, and gazed at her with undisguised tenderness and promise in his deep eyes. "Don't worry, I'll definitely come over tonight and spend some quality time with you both."
Looking into the sincerity in his eyes, Qian Youyou's tense heartstrings seemed to loosen a little, and a hint of tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed them.
She nodded, gave a soft "hmm," broke free from his embrace, and quickly walked out of the office without looking back.
The sound of high heels quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Lu Yang stood at the door, looking at the empty corridor, the warmth on his face slowly fading.
He returned to his desk, picked up the encrypted satellite phone, and dialed his subordinate Chen Fan's number across the Pacific Ocean. "It's me. The time is ripe. Starting tomorrow, we'll crash the market."
"Yes, BOSS." (End of Chapter)