Chapter Seventy-Five: The Curtain Rises Gently

“You’ve got some nerve, skipping work right after taking the position. Do you think that now you’re in charge, no one can keep you in check?” Sitting upright in her swivel chair behind the desk, Tan Xue fixed a frosty gaze on Chu Dong, who burst in drenched in sweat.

“Heh, that's not it at all. Dedication to my job has always been my guiding principle. There was just an unexpected situation today.” Chu Dong searched for water as soon as he entered. Without his own cup, he grabbed the one in front of Tan Xue and drank deeply.

“How annoying! Who said you could use that?” When Tan Xue snatched her cup back, it was already empty. She shot him a glare, hugging the cup. “Did your situation have anything to do with the company?”

“How could it not?” Chu Dong sat down. “Even if I wasn’t working overtime last night, I was at that cocktail party for the sake of the company, wasn’t I?”

“So what happened?” Tan Xue didn’t understand where he was going with this.

“That’s just it.” Crossing his leg, Chu Dong looked pleased with himself. “Because I went to the party, my car got stolen. Early this morning, I got a call from the Development Zone Police to retrieve it. Tell me, isn’t that a reasonable excuse?”

“That’s your own carelessness—what does that have to do with the company? The deposit you paid for previous fines is used up, so pay up for today, and quickly,” Tan Xue let him off the hook since he had a plausible reason. “Now, what’s this business you mentioned yesterday? Come on, out with it.”

“You’ll know when you need to. No point asking now. Just focus on keeping tabs on whether I’m late. If you find out too much, you won’t sleep well, and that’ll ruin your perfect skin,” Chu Dong deflected. “Where did you get the water? Give me some more.”

“Don’t try to change the subject. Out with it,” Tan Xue pressed, unimpressed by his evasions.

“Fine, you’re forcing me to talk. But first, give me some water.” Chu Dong, feeling smug now, started showing off—he’d always been like this since he was a boy.

“Xiao Xie, bring me some more water.” Her large eyes shot daggers at Chu Dong. Pressing the speaker button on her desk phone, Tan Xue gave her instructions.

Soon enough, Xie Yaomei, who had tipped off Chu Dong earlier at Tan Xue’s request, came in carrying a large crystal glass filled with ice water. She refilled Tan Xue’s cup and then left.

“How decadent. Seriously decadent,” Chu Dong muttered, smirking. “There’s chilled water from the dispenser, isn’t there? Why the need for ice?”

“Are you going to drink it or not?”

Chu Dong hurried over, picked up the glass, and downed it in one go. Satisfying—it really was better than water from the dispenser.

“No more nonsense—talk,” Tan Xue demanded, her curiosity fully piqued.

“All right, I’ll talk.” Refreshed, Chu Dong tapped a rhythm on his knee with his fingers. “You know about my family’s bankruptcy…”

“You mean your family!” Tan Xue corrected, annoyed by how Chu Dong always tried to take liberties with his words.

“My family, my family. Here’s how it went. When the Chu family fell into that trap set by Madoff, we lost a fortune. That loss was fatal for us. One big shake, and we’d face a cash flow crisis. Then the financial crisis hit, and we went down fast.”

“I know all that. But what does that have to do with Silver Dragon?” Tan Xue might not care about Chu Dong, but she was well aware of the Chu family’s affairs.

“Why are you in such a hurry? I’m just getting to the part you don’t know.” Chu Dong grinned. “It wasn’t just the Chu family—Silver Dragon got caught too, even deeper than us.”

“Nonsense! If Uncle Chu went under, why is Silver Dragon still standing? The Chu family was stronger than Silver Dragon. If they got hit even harder, how could they still be fine?” Tan Xue really thought Chu Dong was making it up.

“Heh, see? If I don’t explain, you won’t settle down. Should I go on or not?” Chu Dong feigned helplessness.

“Enough with the jokes. Speak,” Tan Xue snapped, slapping her hand on the desk.

“All right, but don’t interrupt or I’ll stop.” Chu Dong lounged on the sofa. “When the Chu family first sensed trouble, I talked things over with Uncle Tan. If nothing changed, both families were finished. Better to save one and keep hope alive. So I convinced my father to sell off some of our better assets as fast as possible, plugging the gap in Silver Dragon’s finances. As for Chu Group, we let them seize and auction it off. That’s how the Chu family collapsed just as the financial crisis began.” He glanced sidelong at Tan Xue, who sat stunned and speechless in her chair, and fell silent for a moment himself.

“If that’s true, why would Silver Dragon transfer you shares later? Weren’t you already the main shareholder?” It took Tan Xue quite a while to recover. She’d always lived a sheltered life, assuming everything was smooth sailing, never realizing her family had weathered such upheaval.

“What’s it got to do with me? Saving Silver Dragon was a desperate measure—if we hadn’t, none of us would have a chance for a comeback. Besides, sacrificing Chu Group to save Silver Dragon was about the deep friendship between my old man and your father. I just helped things along. What good are shares to me?” Chu Dong sat up and stretched. “But now, I’ll finally get my shares, and then it’ll be my time to shine.”

“As if! With me here, don’t even think about running wild,” Tan Xue retorted, used to butting heads with Chu Dong and finding it impossible not to argue with him.

“By the way, it’s still a bit early to tell you all this. Just pretend you don’t know, and keep being your spoiled self. As long as you don’t fine me for being late, everything else can go on as usual.” For once, Chu Dong dropped the banter and spoke seriously.

“Why?” Tan Xue sensed something was coming and felt a bit uneasy.

“It’s simple. If there hadn’t been someone working against us from the shadows, the Chu family wouldn’t have been caught so off guard when the crisis hit, nor would we have fallen so hard.” Chu Dong took a deep breath, his voice growing heavier, but then he looked up at Tan Xue’s wide eyes and grinned. “Also, I really just can’t get up in the morning.”

“If you had the chance, would you really be content to live like a pig?” Tan Xue scoffed at his excuse.

“Even if I could live like a pig, no one can be as happy as a pig,” Chu Dong said, gazing out the window, his tone carrying a wistfulness that was hard to define.

Seeing that touch of loneliness in Chu Dong’s expression, Tan Xue, for once, didn’t mock him. She walked over to the window and gazed out in silence.

On Zhongshan Square, doves of peace rose and fell, while the endless flow of traffic bustled with busy lives…