NOVEL NEXT Chapter 33 - Scumbag at the Crematorium (6)
He Dongchen, who had been hung up on, was completely baffled, a pang of unease striking his heart. Gu Huan’s attitude was very strange!
He quickly walked to his desk and opened his email. A new email popped up on the screen, and when he clicked it open, it was a news report.
[The wife of the president of the He Group had been coerced!]
Seeing this headline, He Dongchen’s forehead throbbed violently.
The system fanned the flames from the side, [Didn’t you divorce Xiao Tang, Boss? Who’s writing this nonsense?]
He Dongchen ignored it, his expression serious as he skimmed through the article.
The wife of the president of the He Group, Xiao Tang, had hidden her identity to mingle in the entertainment circle and was coerced. The second son of the He family had come to her aid, proving her identity. Former child star Si Manman showed up on the scene, suspected of being involved in the coercion…
There were also a few accompanying pictures; a disheveled Xiao Tang, a domineering He Guanyun, and a blank-faced Si Manman.
He Dongchen raised his hand to pinch his brow. Great, the male and female leads had caused trouble.
This report hadn’t been published; it was obvious that Gu Huan had intercepted it.
He had gone from being a pursuer to a married pursuer. Gu Huan managed to suppress her anger and chose to trap him; she was indeed very business-minded.
He Dongchen, both amused and exasperated, sent a message to his assistant to destroy the file, then grabbed his coat and strode out.
The secretary in the outer office quickly stepped forward to inquire, “What’s the urgent matter? How should we arrange things?”
“No need, it’s not a company matter.” He Dongchen didn’t stop walking, waving his hand as he turned into the elevator.
Soon, a low-key black Mercedes drove out of the He Group’s parking lot.
***
Anxin Building Materials Company Building.
Gu Huan was venting in the break room. She had taken off her coat, put on boxing gloves, and was punching a sandbag that swayed left and right with loud thuds.
A picture of He Dongchen was taped to the sandbag!
It was clear how angry Gu Huan was.
Thinking that her ambiguous partner for more than a month was a married man, Gu Huan was furious and couldn’t help but feel sad. Her mind automatically replayed the scenes of their recent interactions, so vivid and beautiful.
She stared stubbornly, her expression defiant.
At the door of the break room, Secretary Xiao Wang cautiously poked his head in and asked, “President Gu, President He of the He Group is here. He’s already in the conference room. Do you have time to see him now?”
Gu Huan stopped and turned around, her gaze sharp, “Who let him in?”
The secretary felt aggrieved. Our company collaborated with the He Group. Could we really turn away the president of such a big company?
Besides, wasn’t there a rumor that President Gu and President He were dating? Had they broken up?
Gu Huan realized she was taking out her anger on others, removed her gloves, and ran a hand through her hair. “Sorry.”
The secretary shook his head repeatedly and tentatively asked, “If it’s not convenient for you, should I ask the Vice President to meet him?”
“No need. Bring him to my office.” Gu Huan knew He Dongchen had come to see her, and she wanted to hear what kind of nonsense he would say.
Earlier today, during a meeting, a friend working at a media company had suddenly sent her an unpublished report and some materials.
Gu Huan didn’t know Xiao Tang, but she had met He Guanyun, the second son of the He family, years ago. If He Guanyun called her ‘sister-in-law,’ wasn’t she He Dongchen’s wife?
The outside world had never heard that He Dongchen was married! Gu Huan hadn’t thought much about it before, but now she felt foolish for being played.
Gu Huan originally wanted to tear into him directly, but after weighing the pros and cons, she decided to severely trap He Dongchen.
Love was gone, but she had to have money!
Gu Huan gritted her teeth and went to the attached bathroom in the break room to freshen up. 20 minutes later, she opened her office door, her black high heels clicking on the marble tiles.
***
He Dongchen heard the sound and turned to see the imposing and cold Gu Huan walk in, exuding an icy aura. Her face was tense, her lips pressed together, her chin slightly raised, and her expression frosty.
For some reason, He Dongchen suddenly felt like laughing.
As he thought about it, he actually laughed. His deep, magnetic laughter echoed in the office, completely ruining the serious atmosphere Gu Huan had created.
Gu Huan was furious. Good for you, He Dongchen! You still have the nerve to laugh after being caught doing something wrong!
Seeing that Gu Huan was about to explode, He Dongchen quickly stopped laughing. He stepped forward a few paces to calm her down and said, “You know how gossip journalists are. They’ll write anything for clicks. I want a chance to prove my innocence.”
Gu Huan stared steadily at He Dongchen’s earnest face, then walked past him, her voice icy. “I only have one question. Are you married?”
“Yes,” He Dongchen admitted. He saw her freeze and quickly added, “But I’m already divorced!”
Gu Huan turned to look at him, then smiled mockingly. “So, you’re a divorced old man?”
He Dongchen touched his nose, feeling a mix of amusement and frustration. “Just yesterday, you were praising me for being mature and stable. Now I’m an old man?”
Seeing Gu Huan’s expression soften slightly, though she was still angry, He Dongchen stepped closer and apologized, “Sorry, I should have told you earlier instead of letting you find out from others. You must have been really upset just now.”
Gu Huan took two steps back, avoiding his proximity, and crossed her arms with a slight sneer. “Remember to pay up.”
She had bought the report herself.
“Of course,” He Dongchen agreed. “I should thank you for this. How about I treat you to dinner as a thank you and an apology?”
Gu Huan looked at the handsome and steady man in front of her, her expression complex. After a long pause, she let out a breath and shook her head, saying, “Forget it.”
He Dongchen was not discouraged and pressed on, “Then how about we go sea fishing this weekend? You said before that you wanted to relax.”
Gu Huan raised her hand to stop him and looked into his eyes seriously. “I mean, let’s end this. It’s over.”
He Dongchen wasn’t a scumbag who would cheat while married, but the fact that he had been married, had lived with another woman day and night, made Gu Huan uncomfortable whenever she thought about it. She could accept that He Dongchen had ex-girlfriends but not an ex-wife.
She was in her prime, wealthy, and beautiful. Why should she settle for a divorced man?
Her pride wouldn’t allow it.
Or perhaps she didn’t like He Dongchen that much.
So, the flirtation ended here.
He Dongchen, being very perceptive, immediately sensed Gu Huan’s resistance. Adhering to his principle of resolving misunderstandings quickly, he explained, “I had reasons for my secret marriage with Xiao Tang. As you may know, a few years ago, my parents had a car accident. My Dad died on the spot, and my Mom barely survived but became emotionally volatile and paranoid. Xiao Tang was the nurse taking care of my Mom.”
“My Mom knew Xiao Tang liked me and pushed us together, even threatening to cut ties if I didn’t marry her. At that time, the company was in chaos, and I was overwhelmed. I thought my Mom only had a few years left, so I married Xiao Tang to please her. Before the marriage, I made it clear to Xiao Tang that it was just a sham marriage, and she agreed.”
Gu Huan hadn’t expected this backstory and frowned. “Mrs. He passed away two months ago.”
He Dongchen nodded and spread his hands. “So, I got divorced.”
“Gu Huan, no matter how I explain it, the fact is I was married, but I am clean,” He Dongchen said, taking a step forward and tentatively holding Gu Huan’s hand. He spoke earnestly, “Xiao Tang and I were only nominally married. We had no emotional or physical relationship. Please give me another chance, okay?”
Gu Huan looked into his affectionate eyes, feeling a tumult of emotions. She pulled her hand back and took a few steps away, saying, “Let me think about it.”
“Okay, take your time,” He Dongchen responded, not pressing her further. He sensibly took his leave.
***
After exiting the building, He Dongchen’s expression turned cold. He picked up his phone and made a call. His assistant had already gathered all the information and reported the entire sequence of events.
He learned that He Guanyun not only helped Xiao Tang out of a predicament but also provided her with housing and planned to start a studio with her.
He Dongchen sneered. Since He Guanyun had so much time and energy to meddle, he would make him busy. He ordered his assistant to spread the word that no resources should be provided to He Guanyun and also froze several of He Guanyun’s supplementary cards.
He Guanyun’s main talent was in music, and he knew nothing about business. Without money or backing, with just his savings and a few properties, what could he possibly achieve? Unless he sold his shares.
With that in mind, He Dongchen instructed to keep an eye on all of He Guanyun’s actions. If there was any sign of him selling his shares, they should secretly buy them.
Actually, He Guanyun didn’t hold many shares. When he came of age, he received 5%. Later, after their father’s sudden death, He Dongchen inherited the company and the majority of the shares to stabilize the situation.
When their mother passed away, her 5% went to He Dongchen, while her jewelry, antiques, and real estate went to He Guanyun.
One became the heir to the group, and the other just needed to live a life of luxury. There was no question of fairness.
If the shares were divided equally, that would be a real problem.
***
Just as He Dongchen finished giving his orders, He Guanyun called.
But it wasn’t to confront him about the situation. Instead, he came to plead for Xiao Tang.
“Big Brother, it’s one thing that you divorced right after Mom passed away, but how could you make Sister-in-law leave with nothing? That’s too much!”
He Dongchen held the phone away, listening to He Guanyun’s tirade. After a while, he coldly replied, “He Guanyun, it seems you ignored what I told you. Xiao Tang and I divorced a long time ago. Yet you keep calling her ‘sister-in-law’ and even acknowledged her identity in public today. Do you know there were reporters present? Do you have any idea how much I spent to buy that story?”
He Guanyun, who had been very agitated, paused and muttered, “It can’t be that serious, can it? If it gets out, so be it.”
“Heh, you think it’s that simple? Wasn’t Si Manman also there? Do you know how the reporters wrote about her? They said she was involved in casting couch scandals.”
“Nonsense!” He Guanyun was furious. “Man Man was with me the entire time. What casting couch! It’s all baseless…”
He Dongchen interrupted him, “Enough. How you compensate her is your business. Even if you want to marry Xiao Tang, I have no objections. But don’t do it under my or the He family’s name.”
“Big Brother! What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly marry Sister-in-law?!” He Guanyun was in disbelief, feeling as if he’d been struck by lightning.
He only felt sorry for her, thinking his brother was too harsh. Marrying her? That was ridiculous!
He Dongchen replied meaningfully, “Perhaps.”
He then hung up the phone without hesitation and instructed his assistant to transfer some money to Gu Huan.
Thinking about Gu Huan’s evasive attitude, He Dongchen rubbed his forehead.
The system popped up, gloating, [Looks like you still need to woo her.]
Then, several screens of products appeared, featuring beautiful dresses, dazzling jewelry, and essential beauty and slimming products.
[Boss, buy, buy, buy! There’s nothing a gift can’t fix! If there is, it means you haven’t bought enough!]
He Dongchen flicked it away with one finger.
The system pouted briefly but quickly revived with full energy; [Boss, boss, do you want to buy an elimination card? After using it, you’ll appear as if you were never married!]
He Dongchen’s eyes flickered, and he nodded for the system to continue.
It turned out that the so-called elimination card could only erase the marriage record from the official files, blaming it on an administrative error at the civil affairs bureau.
Upon learning that, He Dongchen immediately felt it was pointless.