Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 443 Killing two birds with one stone

After finishing their meal, Liu Yifei and Shu Chang chatted for a while.

According to their usual practice over the past two years, they would usually find a quiet place to have a few drinks and chat. However, today, they parted ways early, just after eight o'clock.

Liu Yifei drove herself back to Ziyu Villa. The car was a newly bought Porsche, and she had taken advantage of Porsche's special discount for its global ambassadors, saving hundreds of thousands of yuan, almost as if there were no customs duties.

When they drove into the villa and saw the mansion lying in the darkness by the lake, like a giant beast, without any lights, Liu Yifei was immediately disappointed.

She parked her car, went inside, made a cup of coffee, sat on the sofa in the living room, took a sip, picked up the remote and turned on the TV, aimlessly flipping through channels until she saw a familiar face, at which point she stopped.

The TV series shown on screen is called "Symphony of Destiny," and the female lead is one of her old friends.

She and Yang Mi met on the set of "The Return of the Condor Heroes." They were about the same age, and with Chen Nuo's connection, they often hung out together. Especially after he finished filming, their relationship was quite close. However, not long after filming wrapped, they gradually lost contact.

At the time, she thought everyone was just too busy and didn't take it to heart. But now, looking back, Liu Yifei vaguely feels that perhaps it's not that simple.

She stared at the TV, and gradually, drowsiness crept in, and she unknowingly fell asleep.

When I opened my eyes again, it was almost 11 p.m.

The house was still empty; the man hadn't returned.

She felt a surge of unease and picked up her phone to make a call, but after hesitating several times, she ultimately didn't dial.

She held her phone and finally opened Weibo, intending to glance at it and distract herself. But as soon as she entered, she saw familiar names and keywords on the trending topics list. Her fingertip paused, and her heart tightened suddenly.

"Chen Nuo has dinner with a mysterious beauty."

what happened?

Liu Yifei clicked in and saw that several familiar entertainment accounts were forwarding the same message. It had already garnered many likes and comments in a short time.

The Weibo post was just one sentence: "Reporters on the scene reported that Chen Nuo has secretly returned to Beijing and had dinner with a mysterious woman at a high-end restaurant."

Attached below was a blurry, candid photo. Liu Yifei recognized his profile immediately. He was sitting under dim lighting, with a long-haired woman sitting opposite him, her face obscured.

Liu Yifei stared intently at the blurry photo, her fingers clenching slightly. Her chest felt tight, as if something was blocking it, making it hard to breathe.

——Who is this?

What is your relationship with him?
Didn't he say he was going to have dinner with Han Sanping today? Then who is this woman?
Is he lying?

They haven't gone home yet, could it be... they're still together?
Countless thoughts churned in Liu Yifei's mind.

How could he... how could he do this?

But just then—the sound of a door opening rang out.

Liu Yifei turned around abruptly and saw the man in the photo walking in with his head down.

I looked up and saw her, quite surprised: "Why aren't you asleep yet? What are you doing? Wow, what are you doing? Wait, why are you crying?"

Liu Yifei didn't know what was wrong with her either.

In short, the moment he walked in, her heart sank, but she couldn't hold back her tears.

She turned her head, wiped her eyes, sniffed, and asked, "Where did you go?"

"Having dinner with Han Sanping. Didn't I tell you?"

"But...but..."

"But what? What's wrong with you?"

Why do I see news on Weibo saying that you... are with someone else?

"Huh?" Chen Nuo was taken aback and walked over. "Let me see, what news is it?"

Liu Yifei handed over the phone, and Chen Nuo frowned as he looked at it for a while.

Then he raised his head and shouted, "Fuck!"

Liu Yifei was startled and asked, "What's wrong? Who is this woman?"

"Who is it?! It's President Han's daughter!"

"what?"

Indeed, Chen Nuo hadn't expected that President Han Sanping would bring his wife and daughter to the banquet.

His wife's surname is Liu. She is a very kind aunt. From his interactions with her, Chen Nuo can tell that she is a gentle and virtuous middle-aged woman with the characteristics of Xichuan. She should be similar to his mother, Pan Chengrong.

Mr. Han's daughter has a rather unique name: Han Jianu (Han Family Girl). Born in 80, she's a few years older than him. She's quite good-looking. She originally studied English in college, but after working for a few years, influenced by Mr. Han, she developed an interest in film and retook the postgraduate entrance exam, finally being admitted to the Directing Department of the Beijing Film Academy in 2011.

The photo that was taken by paparazzi and went viral online shows Chen Nuo talking to Han Jianu alone in the restroom after dinner when Mr. and Mrs. Han went there.

Although they didn't talk much, Chen Nuo sensed that things weren't quite as he thought. Han Jianu really did have that so-called "intellectual" quality, similar to the impression he got from Zhang Yiyi, Li Yu, and others, quite different from the other second-generation rich kids he knew.

Ultimately, through a private request from President Han, he agreed to give Han Jianu an internship at Huanxin Film Industry's Beijing headquarters, so that she could have the opportunity to work with the directing team and learn some real skills.

Chen Nuo didn't believe the paparazzi hadn't taken other photos, but he chose this one to post, which is truly despicable.

"That's too much!" Liu Yifei was also very angry after hearing Chen Nuo's explanation. "These paparazzi are going too far. They make up stories and spread rumors all the time. They are really despicable."

Chen Nuo sighed, shook his head, and remained silent.

Liu Yifei glanced at him cautiously and whispered, "What's wrong? It's not that I don't trust you, I was just asking, I don't really suspect you of anything."

Chen Nuo took her hand, patted it gently, and said softly, "In our line of work, we're already often apart, so trust is the most important thing. If we really take those things online seriously, how can we live our lives? From now on, just ignore these kinds of things and don't believe them, okay?"

"Okay, I understand. I won't do it again." Liu Yifei nodded obediently.

Seeing her meek and submissive demeanor, Chen Nuo smiled. Not bad, it could be considered a blessing in disguise.

"And then what happened?" Liu Yifei suddenly asked curiously, "Didn't President Han mention anything else to you? Didn't he ask you for any help or anything?"

"No."

Chen Nuo shook his head, his tone tinged with emotion.

Throughout the entire banquet, President Han only spoke briefly about him, spending almost the entire time talking about the Han family's daughter. The feeling... Chen Nuo had also read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms comic book.

In his view, this was clearly entrusting his orphan to someone else.

……

……

"Yes, that's true. Hehehehe, just a little get-together."

"Haha, I didn't really want to go, but Xiao Chen insisted on treating me to dinner, saying that he hadn't seen me in a long time and wanted to chat with his uncle. I really couldn't refuse, so I went, hehe."

Sunlight streamed down from the azure sky above, illuminating the pothos and monstera plants on the balcony, where water droplets reflected a crystal-clear light.

Han Sanping was watering the camellias in the yard with a watering can in one hand and holding a phone between her fingers in the other. She said cheerfully, "What's going on? How did that little thing from last night reach Director Zhang's ears? You really have eyes and ears everywhere, nothing can be hidden from you, hahaha."

"Contradictions? What contradictions? Oh dear, that's all just what outsiders say. How can you believe it?" "It's all just rumors made up by reporters who want to stir up trouble... Haha, yes, yes, that's roughly the idea."

"That's settled then. Director Zhang, have a great weekend too."

After hanging up the phone, Han Sanping casually placed his phone on the stool. He noticed a withered branch sticking out crookedly from the flower bushes, which was quite an eyesore. So he put down the watering can, picked up the scissors next to him, and with a snip, trimmed the unsightly withered branch away.

"Old Han, Old Han!" His wife's voice came from inside the house. "Come help me!"

Han Sanping originally wanted to prune two more branches, but now she had no choice but to put down the shears and turn around to go into the living room.

It wasn't a big deal; it was just that the kitchen cabinet door was a little stuck. Han Sanping helped his wife pry it open, and with a push, it closed smoothly.

"Oh ho, you're pretty strong, aren't you? Why did you make excuses last night when I asked you to put in some effort, saying you couldn't do it or your back hurt? I think you just didn't want to put in any effort for your old lady, did you?"

"You're spouting nonsense all day long!" Han Sanping said irritably, then turned and walked out.

"Ha, if you had spoken as defiantly as you do now last night, I would have laughed myself awake in my sleep. Come here, Han Sanping, I haven't finished speaking yet, who told you to leave?"

Han Sanping remained expressionless, ignoring everything.

With his hands behind his back, he walked around the living room and returned to the kitchen doorway, saying impatiently, "What else is there? Tell me quickly, I still need to water the flowers."

"Why did you receive so many phone calls this morning?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think? Stop playing dumb with me. Do you think you can keep your position?"

Han Sanping frowned uneasily and asked, "Why are you asking this?"

"What are you doing? You arranged for the paparazzi, didn't you? You were the one who told me to go to the bathroom yesterday, weren't you? I saw the photos of Chen Nuo and Nv Nv online this morning, and I knew you did it on purpose..."

"Shh! Shh!" Han Sanping was startled. "Keep your voice down!" After saying that, he quickly walked to the front door, opened it abruptly, and peeked out to look around. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was in the apartment building.

He turned around and saw that his wife had already walked out of the kitchen, looking at him with a cold smile.

Han Sanping walked over and pulled the woman into the bedroom, whispering, "How did you know?"

"Heh, what's it to you? I'm just asking you, isn't that right?"

Have you told anyone else?

"Do you think I'm as stupid as that vixen? I haven't even mentioned 'girl' to her!"

Han Sanping breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. Remember, you're not allowed to tell anyone about this, understand?"

"Nonsense! I don't need you to explain. I just want to know what happened! Why did you ask me and my daughter to go to dinner with Xiao Chen? If you wanted to have someone secretly film you for publicity, why didn't you film yourself? Why did you have someone film your daughter and Chen Nuo? What exactly are you planning?! Let me tell you, Han Sanping, I don't care what underhanded tricks you use to protect your official position, but if you dare to harm my daughter, I..."

"Shut up!" Han Sanping roared angrily. "What do you take me for? Isn't Jia Nu my daughter? Would I, ah, harm her?"

"Then tell me now! Why did you send Jia Nu to create a scandal with Chen Nuo? Are you planning to sell your daughter for personal gain?"

"You're absolutely incomprehensible!" Han Sanping exclaimed angrily, then turned and left.

Two minutes later, Han Sanping sat on the sofa in the living room and calmed down completely.

Aside from a faint handprint and a few red marks on his dark face, nothing serious happened, which was quite fortunate.

Han Sanping said with great distress, "Why can't you understand? I'm killing two birds with one stone! Think about it, even if I can stay in this position, how many more years can I hold on? Once I step down, how many of those people who used to greet us with smiles will still genuinely help us? Who can we rely on?"

"But now that this has happened, who in the whole country doesn't know that Jia Nu and Chen Nuo have a close relationship?"

"Especially where is she studying now? Beijing Film Academy, that's his territory, the place where Chen Nuo's words carry the most weight! I paved the way for her and got her in, but that's just the beginning. What happens after she gets in the school?"

"You need to understand, a place like the Beijing Film Academy's directing department isn't something you can just get into with a bit of talent. Besides, she's already missed four years of undergraduate studies, so she has to start from scratch. Do you understand what I mean? Huh? What about her thesis? How will she write it? She needs someone to look after her, otherwise I'm worried she won't even get her diploma. Do you understand?"

Han Sanping rattled off a long explanation, and his wife's expression gradually softened until she finally gave an embarrassed smile and said, "Uh... Sanping, why didn't you say so sooner? If you had said so earlier, this wouldn't have happened. Come on, let me see, did it hurt?"

"Ouch! Be gentle, it hurts!"

"It's alright, it's alright. You're thick-skinned. Before... right? It only took a few days to heal. This little injury won't stop you from going to work tomorrow. Come on, continue."

Han Sanping said, "What else is there to say?"

"No, I'm just a little puzzled. Doesn't Xiao Chen call you every day? Logically speaking, everyone should know that you two have a good relationship, right? How come, this morning, I heard you taking calls from your company, your superiors, and even the CEOs of those securities companies? They all seemed to be hearing about it for the first time. What's going on? Do they all think you two don't get along?"

Han Sanping's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm as he said nonchalantly, "Yes, there are some rumors circulating outside. I can hardly distinguish them myself. If I were to tell people that Xiao Chen treats me like a close uncle and asks me about everything, big or small, where would that leave Xiao Chen's face?"

"So you arranged for someone to take photos and release the news, killing two birds with one stone, helping Jia Nu and also dispelling the rumors about you?"

"Correct."

"Will it be of any use? Do you even have a chance to keep your position as chairman?"

Upon hearing this, Han Sanping's lips curled into a mysterious smile.

Recalling the information he had inadvertently discovered last night, and the reaction of Sun Yi, the general manager of CITIC Securities, when he pretended to accidentally leak it over the phone—that was the managing director of a state-owned investment bank, and even he couldn't keep his composure on the phone, asking him again to confirm whether he was sure.

Hey,

Now, the credibility of his fabricated story about why he gave up investing in "Inception" should be greatly increased—the internal review was too slow, the process was stuck, and there were temporary problems with the funding arrangements, all of which are plausible explanations.

After all, if it were really as rumored, that Old Han was shameless, dedicated to internal strife, and untrustworthy, how could the other party possibly have told him such a secret message?

In this way, the voices questioning his leadership abilities and making judgment errors from superiors, subordinates, and outsiders should be greatly reduced. Consequently, his position will naturally become more stable again.

Han Sanping and his wife slowly analyzed the reasons behind it, and then he suddenly remembered that there was still one crucial thing he hadn't done.

"Wait a minute, I need to send a text message to Xiao Chen."

After saying that, he picked up his phone, tapped Chen Nuo's name, and began composing a text message.

"Xiao Chen, the dinner we had last night was exposed by the media, which has attracted a lot of attention. There's something I need to apologize for. You told me that Huanxin is preparing for its IPO, and I inadvertently mentioned it to Mr. Sun from CITIC on the phone. I don't know if this will have any impact on you. I hope you can be magnanimous and forgive me. When we meet another day, I will definitely punish myself with three drinks."

While he was typing, his wife came over to take a look. After reading it, she smiled disdainfully and said, "Han Sanping, you're such a sly old fox. If Jia Nu could inherit half of your skills, I bet she could be a great screenwriter, even if she couldn't be a director."

Han Sanping pretended not to hear and pressed the send button.

Just as he was about to put his phone back on the table, a text message notification rang. He was taken aback, not expecting a reply so quickly, and his heart skipped a beat—could it be that the other person was really angry?

He quickly opened the text message he had just received, not even caring that his wife was leaning over to look at it with him. He clicked on the screen and saw that the message from the sender, Chen Nuo, read:

"Godfather, you sent this to the wrong person, hehe."

The short sentence struck Han Sanping like a bolt from the blue, leaving him completely stunned and bewildered.

Before I could even react, a furious roar exploded in my ears:

"Old Han! What is this!?"

Han Sanping's heart skipped a beat, and blood rushed to his head.

He opened his mouth abruptly, wanting to make up a story to explain, but all that came out was a series of hoarse sounds. The next second, he felt a chill and numbness on the left side of his body, and his body involuntarily went limp and fell to the side.

(End of this chapter)