DCEO VS DCEO | Chapter 4

“Jingjing.”

Fu Yan’s voice was even deeper and more alluring after drinking.

The next moment, Yao Jing—who had been buried against his neck and thoroughly enjoying himself—suddenly found his wandering hand firmly restrained.

The grip was so strong he couldn't move.

Yao Jing froze.

Slowly, he raised his head.

The seductive voice now carried a chilly edge.

“I don’t like boys who are too forward.”

A wave of cold dread swept through Yao Jing.

It's over.

Fu Yan had sobered up.

And he was rejecting him.

In truth, Fu Yan was being relatively polite.

He wasn’t some fool who lost all reason the moment he saw a pretty face.

Although the group had spent the evening trying to get him drunk, and he had indeed accepted every drink, that didn’t mean he had lost his ability to think.

Fu Yan had originally studied mathematics before switching to business administration.

He loved mathematics—especially its rigorous logic.

That way of thinking had profoundly shaped him, making him more rational than most people.

The refined and well-mannered President Fu disliked assuming the worst about others.

Yet tonight, Yao Jing seemed completely different from the person he normally knew.

Usually, he was as innocent as a timid little rabbit.

Now he appeared calculating and worldly, like a fox spirit finally revealing its true form.

If this version of Yao Jing was the real one, then had all that pure and harmless innocence merely been an act?

Yet when Fu Yan looked into those reddened, watery eyes, his heart softened.

Perhaps he was overthinking things.

Perhaps he was unfairly suspecting someone genuinely vulnerable.

Deciding to be direct, he said:

“Jingjing, I liked you from the first time I met you in that bar. That’s why I approached you. We got along well that night.”

“Of course, there was a little interruption involving Gu Zhan.”

“I think I can help you.”

“You can come work at the Fu Group anytime.”

“No matter how powerful Gu Zhan is, even if he can stop you from livestreaming, he can’t reach into the Fu Group.”

Although Fu Yan didn't consider Gu Zhan’s behavior toward Yao Jing to be a real relationship, nor did he believe he was stealing someone else's partner, he couldn't help remembering the way Gu Zhan kept acting morally superior while

accusing him.

The thought irritated him.

It felt as though he was being smeared by someone deeply dishonest despite having done nothing wrong.

A gentleman avoided unnecessary entanglements.

He didn't want to become trapped in endless disputes with Gu Zhan.

And he had to admit something:

The reason he had suddenly regained his clarity when Yao Jing was making advances on him earlier was because, for some inexplicable reason, Gu Zhan's face had appeared in his mind.

That shameless face.

That irritating face that constantly seemed to need a lesson.

He wasn't a conservative person.

Under different circumstances, he probably wouldn't have rejected a boy he found attractive who was openly interested in him.

There would've been no reason to.

But this situation was different.

Perhaps he didn't want another ugly confrontation with Gu Zhan.

Perhaps he didn't want Gu Zhan getting hurt because of him again.

Though the man was infuriating, why did someone so annoying always manage to look pitiful when injured?

Regardless of what relationship actually existed between Yao Jing and Gu Zhan, Fu Yan hoped it would end cleanly first.

Only then would he seriously consider starting something with Yao Jing.

That was why he had offered him a job at the Fu Group.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

Yao Jing wasn't stupid.

It was obvious that Fu Yan had begun suspecting something.

The offer to join the Fu Group sounded protective on the surface.

In reality, it was also a request to sever ties with Gu Zhan.

Fu Yan's rationality was terrifying.

Even drunk, he had managed to piece together clues from the evening.

Weren't men supposed to think with their lower bodies?

Yao Jing was genuinely frightened.

He was terrified that Fu Yan would eventually discover the truth—that Gu Zhan had never forced him into anything.

That he himself had been the greedy, vain one trying to keep both men interested.

And if he stayed close to Fu Yan much longer, someone as intelligent as him would inevitably uncover everything.

What should he do?

How could he fix the lies he'd told?

Head lowered, Yao Jing sat there looking panicked and helpless.

He couldn't even bring himself to meet Fu Yan's eyes.

Seeing his frightened appearance, Fu Yan realized his tone had probably been too severe.

Perhaps he'd scared him.

There was still no definitive proof that Yao Jing had ulterior motives.

Maybe tonight's events were simply the result of immature friends fooling around.

If so, his reaction had been unnecessarily harsh.

Patting Yao Jing's shoulder, he softened his voice.

“I drank a little too much tonight. I'll take a shower first.”

“Think carefully about what I suggested.”

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

As water ran in the bathroom, Yao Jing’s thoughts became just as chaotic.

He couldn't accept Fu Yan's offer.

The seed of suspicion had already been planted.

If he got any closer to Fu Yan, the truth would eventually come out.

And once that happened, Fu Yan would discard a liar like him without hesitation.

But if he rejected the offer, that would effectively mean rejecting Fu Yan.

After everything he'd done, all the scheming and manipulation, was he really going to walk away empty-handed?

Yet even that wasn't the worst possibility.

Both the Fu Group and Gu Zhan operated in e-commerce.

Business inevitably brought them into contact.

If one day Gu Zhan learned how Yao Jing had distorted the truth and slandered him before Fu Yan...

Combined with the public slap.

Combined with the arm injury.

President Gu would undoubtedly blame everything on him.

And the consequences would be severe.

No.

He couldn't allow Fu Yan and Gu Zhan the opportunity to sit down and talk calmly.

He needed them to become enemies.

Enemies who would never reconcile.

At this point, Yao Jing felt trapped.

He regretted ever trying to outsmart two CEOs who were older, more experienced, and far more capable than him.

It felt like lifting a stone only to drop it on his own foot.

Since things had already reached this stage, he decided to take a gamble.

Rather than waiting for his lies to be exposed, he would strike first.

A dark look flashed through his eyes.

Desperately grasping for a solution, he sent Gu Zhan a photograph he had taken earlier.

The photo showed Fu Yan shirtless, reclining on the bed.

One arm covered part of his face.

His expression was faintly troubled.

His appearance was undeniably attractive.

Yao Jing had originally taken the picture because he couldn't resist.

He had planned to admire it privately later—or perhaps show it off to his jealous friends.

Now it served an entirely different purpose.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

Meanwhile, Gu Zhan was at home.

Dressed in navy silk pajamas and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, he sat comfortably on his sofa reading a thick finance book before bed.

His phone vibrated twice.

As someone whose phone was effectively on call twenty-four hours a day, he instinctively checked it immediately.

The first thing he saw was the shirtless photo.

Fu Yan's cheeks were flushed.

His eyes were unfocused.

Clearly, he'd been drinking heavily.

Holy hell.

The sleepy Gu Zhan instantly woke up.

Was this really the elegant, refined President Fu?

Who would've guessed that beneath those layers of tailored suits was a body that looked like that?

Then he realized his attention had drifted.

Composing himself, he read the accompanying message.

𓉘 President Gu, Fu Yan got drunk and insisted on taking me to a hotel. 𓉝

𓉘 He's in the shower now. 𓉝

𓉘 What should I do? 𓉝

𓉘 I'm so scared… 𓉝

Gu Zhan immediately sat upright.

Not because he was outraged by Fu Yan's supposed misconduct.

Quite the opposite.

In his eyes, the fish had finally taken the bait.

He was excited.

He quickly replied:

𓉘 Where are you? 𓉝

Yao Jing immediately sent him the hotel's location.

Perfect.

President Gu had responded so quickly.

Surely he was coming to "rescue" him.

Yao Jing's goal was simple:

He wanted Gu Zhan and Fu Yan to tear each other apart.

Completely.

Beyond repair.

When Fu Yan emerged from the shower, he found Yao Jing sitting quietly at the edge of the bed.

He tried making conversation to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Yao Jing responded only with hesitant murmurs.

Head lowered.

Fidgeting with his fingers.

Looking nervous.

Or frightened.

Eventually, Fu Yan decided it was too late and everyone had been drinking.

This wasn't the right time for serious discussions.

He called the front desk and booked another room.

Whatever needed discussing could wait until morning when everyone was clear-headed.

A few moments later—

Knock. Knock.

Someone was at the door.

Assuming it was room service, Fu Yan walked over while drying his half-wet hair.

The instant the door opened—

A powerful force slammed into him.

Before he could react, two men dressed like bodyguards pinned him against the wall.

Then Gu Zhan strolled into the room in a perfectly tailored suit.

Behind him came several people carrying cameras and recording equipment.

Gu Zhan smiled.

The expression was amused and mocking.

“Well, well.”

“Who would've thought that President Fu enjoys taking other people's boyfriends to hotels?”

“President Gu.”

Fu Yan's expression darkened.

“Watch your mouth.”

He genuinely couldn't stand Gu Zhan's sarcastic attitude.

What exactly was this?

Was Gu Zhan acting like an outraged spouse catching a cheating partner?

He'd even brought a camera crew.

To catch them in bed?

The absurdity was unbelievable.

How could someone like Gu Zhan—a man who, in Fu Yan's eyes, abused his power and bullied others—have the audacity to act this way?

It was ridiculous.

Unhurriedly, Gu Zhan replied:

“If you're willing to do it, why be afraid of people talking about it?”

“I wonder whether the heir of the Fu Group could stop tomorrow's headlines if this makes the entertainment news.”

Fu Yan immediately understood.

Public opinion.

A scandal involving a wealthy heir would spread faster than celebrity gossip.

It could destroy reputations overnight.

More importantly, it could affect the Fu Group's stock price.

Yet despite the threat, Fu Yan didn't actually believe Gu Zhan would go through with it.

For Gu Zhan, cooperation with the Fu Group was far more valuable than conflict.

Surely someone as successful as Gu Zhan understood basic business realities.

“Gu Zhan!”

He struggled against the bodyguards, his face turning red.

“What exactly do you want?”

In reality, Gu Zhan had no intention of becoming enemies with Fu Yan.

The moment he learned that the fish had taken the bait, he'd contacted his public-relations department and several friendly media outlets.

The grand spectacle of "catching a cheating boyfriend" was merely a show.

His real goal was to obtain leverage.

Something he could use in negotiations with the Fu Group's heir.

The plan had always been simple:

First, knock someone down.

Then offer a helping hand.

Gu Zhan had already prepared the speech.

"Since the two of you genuinely care about each other, and things have already progressed this far, I'll reluctantly step aside."

"Let's consider it my gift to a new friend."

The groundwork for this scheme had been laid for a long time.

Everything was unfolding perfectly.

He was completely confident he could win over the heir to the Fu Group.

With a slight lift of his eyebrow, Gu Zhan signaled the bodyguards to release Fu Yan.

Then he stepped forward and casually straightened the front of Fu Yan's rumpled bathrobe.

A smile curved his lips.

“I'd like to have a talk with you, President Fu.”