DCEO VS DCEO | Chapter 1

Dusk settled in, and the city’s neon lights flickered to life.

Outside D·Bar, a sleek black coupe glided to a stop. A polished black handmade leather shoe stepped out first, followed by sharply creased suit trousers and a long, straight leg.

Gu Zhan adjusted the cuff of his shirt, fastened with diamond cufflinks, and strode into the lounge bar before him. He had arranged to meet Yao Jing there that evening.

Yao Jing was a minor internet celebrity. The two had met once at a club and exchanged business cards.

When Gu Zhan first saw him, he had indeed been impressed. Yao Jing was exactly his type—a clean-cut, innocent-looking young man. Besides, Yao Jing had made no effort to hide his interest, constantly trying to get close to President Gu.

Afterward, Yao Jing would “harass” him every few days, inviting him out for meals or movies. Gu Zhan had never accepted a single invitation. In truth, he wasn’t interested in becoming involved with an influencer who already had a certain degree of public exposure.

Within their circle, Gu Zhan’s sexual orientation was no secret, but it remained confined to that circle. To the broader public, he was simply the successful founder of a cross-border e-commerce company—a self-made entrepreneur who had achieved remarkable success in his early thirties. Few knew the secret hidden beneath that polished exterior.

He had no desire to become deeply entangled with Yao Jing. At least for now, he wasn’t ready for his business associates to learn about his unconventional orientation.

But tonight, Yao Jing claimed he had business to discuss. His livestream views and donations had been thriving recently, and he wanted to explore potential opportunities for collaboration.

When Gu Zhan heard this, he pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and smiled faintly.

Who knew whether the little “seducer” genuinely had business to discuss or had finally figured out, after repeated failures, that using business as an excuse was the best way to get close to him? After all, President Gu never turned down a chance to make money.

In any case, the little seducer had finally succeeded in getting his attention.

The moment Gu Zhan entered, his sharp eyes found Yao Jing seated in a booth in the corner. Then his brows lifted.

Yao Jing wasn’t alone.

Beside him sat a tall, handsome man.

The man wore a dark gray suit that accentuated his broad, well-defined frame. A corner of a burgundy linen pocket square peeked from his breast pocket. Every gesture radiated elegance and refined taste.

The two sat very close together. The man held Yao Jing’s hand affectionately, occasionally tracing patterns across his palm while chatting and laughing, as though reading his fortune.

Yao Jing lowered his head with a shy smile, repeatedly trying to pull his hand away. Whether he genuinely wanted distance or was simply playing hard to get was impossible to tell.

Gu Zhan stood watching for half a minute.

He had come dressed with particular care to meet the little seducer, only to find the seducer behaving intimately with another man behind his back.

The most irritating part was that this man seemed quite impressive.

Human instinct often makes people wary and uncomfortable when they encounter someone equally capable—or stronger—than themselves. For Gu Zhan, who was accustomed to dominating every room he entered, the feeling was especially sharp.

He casually picked up a glass of whiskey from the bar and walked over.

With a bang, he set the crystal glass down on the mirrored tabletop before them. The force was neither too heavy nor too light—just enough to create a crisp clink of glass without being rude, yet sufficient to disturb their peace.

Looking coldly at the man, Gu Zhan said,

“You’re sitting in my seat.”

The man looked up.

The first thing he noticed was the elegant stretch of neck visible above Gu Zhan’s crisp shirt collar. Under the bar’s dim blue lighting, it looked startlingly pale.

He hadn’t intended to stare, but from his angle he caught sight of a tiny cinnabar-colored mole near the tip of Gu Zhan’s collarbone. Like a red plum blossom blooming in snow, it was alluring yet restrained, partially hidden beneath the slightly open collar, lending him an unexpected air of abstinent elegance.

The man paused for two seconds before offering a polite gentlemanly smile.

In a deep, resonant voice, he said:

“Sir, have you mistaken me for someone else?”

Gu Zhan was momentarily stunned as well.

The man before him possessed sharp, sculpted features, yet his eyes were calm and gentle. Combined with the subtle warmth of his smile, he seemed dignified and composed, exuding the charm of a mature man.

Gu Zhan let out a short laugh.

“On the contrary,” he replied, completely unaffected by the man’s charm, “you’ve mistaken my person for someone else’s.”

The man followed Gu Zhan’s gaze to Yao Jing beside him, then looked back into Gu Zhan’s eyes.

Unhurriedly, he said,

“I hit it off immediately with this single person, Mr. Yao.”

Seeing the hostility in the newcomer, he deliberately emphasized the word single.

“We’ve had a wonderful conversation and intend to get to know each other more deeply.”

Then he lowered his head with a friendly smile and asked,

“Jingjing, do you know him?”

At that moment, Yao Jing was completely dumbfounded.

On one hand, having two such exceptional men competing over him was beyond flattering. He was still struggling to process it.

On the other hand, he felt guilty.

He had invited Gu Zhan first, only to be caught flirting with someone else. Granted, the other man had approached him first, but the truth was that he simply found it impossible to resist handsome men.

Sweat formed on his forehead as he nervously glanced between them, unable to answer.

Neither man looked easy to offend.

Either one alone could crush someone insignificant like him, let alone both together.

Just as the standoff reached its peak, a young man reeking of alcohol staggered over and shoved Gu Zhan.

“Who the hell are you?” he slurred. “How dare you steal someone from President Fu?”

His eyes were unfocused and his cheeks flushed red. Clearly drunk, he failed to move Gu Zhan with the shove.

Undeterred, he raised his hand and slapped Gu Zhan across the face.

Smack!

The sound rang loudly through the bar.

People at nearby tables turned to look. Conversations quieted. The entire bar fell into an awkward silence.

Gu Zhan pressed his tongue against the inside of his burning cheek and stared coldly at the reckless youngster before him.

Has he lost his mind?

Someone in Beijing actually dared to hit Gu Zhan?

Meanwhile, the man in the booth still wore the same calm smile, as if nothing inappropriate had happened—or nothing worth making a fuss over.

That indifferent acceptance felt like a blatant provocation.

A faintly amused smile curled at Gu Zhan’s lips, but he did not lash out.

He was long past the age of acting on impulse. President Gu was not an emotional man. A drunken nobody wasn’t worth dirtying his own hands over.

“President Gu, it’s all a misunderstanding!”

Another man hurried over from the crowd with a smile. He clearly recognized both Gu Zhan and the “President Fu” the drunk had mentioned.

“President Gu, I’m terribly sorry. We rarely get together like this. My little brother drank too much and offended you. Completely out of line.”

As he spoke, he began slapping the drunk man repeatedly.

Gu Zhan had seen enough of the world to recognize the act immediately.

The slaps looked fierce, but most of the force vanished before contact. Ten such slaps probably wouldn’t hurt as much as the single one Gu Zhan had received. It was all for show.

By now, more people had gathered to watch, and some had even started recording videos.

The situation had already become ugly.

Continuing the confrontation would only make things worse.

Years in business had taught Gu Zhan the value of patience.

President Fu, is it?

I’ll remember that.

He shot the man in the booth a meaningful look before leaving in frustration.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

Back home, Gu Zhan alternated between cold and warm compresses to ensure the swelling wouldn’t be too obvious the next day.

Afterward, Yao Jing called him several times and sent countless messages—explaining, apologizing, even acting cute.

Gu Zhan ignored every one of them.

A man like him cared deeply about his pride. Being slapped in public for no reason was humiliating and infuriating.

Fortunately, he had more important matters to deal with.

Running a company kept him so busy that he scarcely had time to dwell on such trivial annoyances.

Yet although he had no intention of seeking trouble, trouble came looking for him again.

Three days later, at a technology networking banquet, Gu Zhan held a glass of champagne and wore his standard professional smile while mingling with guests.

“Brother Gu! Busy as ever. Haven’t seen you in ages.”

The speaker was a tall, well-dressed man in his fifties: Fu Hongping, one of the city’s most distinguished entrepreneurs and chairman of the Fu Group.

The Fu Group’s businesses spanned e-commerce, finance, logistics, real estate, and more. It was an industry giant.

Though Gu Zhan’s company held a significant position in cross-border e-commerce, compared with the Fu Group, it was merely a firefly beside the moon.

A titan like Fu Hongping was someone Gu Zhan viewed as a lifelong role model.

What made him even more admirable was that despite his immense success, he rarely put on airs, maintaining the straightforward and generous personality typical of northeastern Chinese people.

Gu Zhan immediately stepped forward to shake his hand.

“Chairman Fu, you’re harder to find than a dragon. I’ve wanted to consult you about several cloud logistics issues, but every time I contacted your secretary, I was told you were too busy. Today I finally managed to catch you in person!”

“Haha, you kid really know how to flatter me.”

Fu Hongping patted his hand.

“Oh right, let me introduce someone. My son. He just returned from the UK.”

He pulled forward the handsome man standing beside him.

Looking at Gu Zhan, he said,

“This is President Gu of Slungshot, one of the most promising cross-border business companies around. Young and accomplished. If I remember correctly, you two are about the same age. Take a look at him. You should learn from President Gu in the future, understand?”

The moment Gu Zhan’s eyes landed on the man beside Fu Hongping, he froze.

The two stared at each other for several seconds.

Clearly, neither had expected this encounter.

The world was indeed small.

President Fu?

Then again, how many President Fus in Beijing possessed such overwhelming presence and authority?

Gu Zhan had long heard that Fu Hongping had a son who lived abroad. Highly educated, but uninterested in the family business. Because of that, Fu Hongping rarely mentioned him.

Yet today, for the first time, he had brought his son out to meet business associates.

Apparently, the old man had finally decided to bring his son into the business world.

Understandable.

Gu Zhan glanced at Fu Hongping’s neatly slicked-back hair. Even from a distance, strands of gray were visible.

Managing an empire like the Fu Group required tremendous energy.

Fu Hongping needed reliable younger blood.

Gu Zhan extended his hand first, smiling faintly.

“Gu Zhan. Zhan as in ‘to spread one’s wings and soar.’”

The man shook his hand.

Immediately, he felt pressure from Gu Zhan’s grip—not rude or excessive, but deliberate enough to make a point.

Gu Zhan was reminding him:

He had not forgotten the slap at the bar.

Interesting.

The man smiled lightly and introduced himself.

“I'm Fu Yan.”