BF Chapter 30

After dinner, Zhan Shili saw Xu Zikang and Xu Shen into the car and told the driver to take them home.

 

“Nic, you should hurry home too,” Xu Zikang said. “Rest early tonight, don’t overwork yourself.”

 

“Mn,” Zhan Shili agreed, his gaze sweeping over Xu Shen, who was watching him with a faint, knowing smile beside them. He looked away, straightened up and stepped back, closing the car door for them.

 

As the car drove away, Xu Shen leaned back against the seat, stretched a little, and relaxed.

 

Beside him, Xu Zikang hesitated before asking, “Ah Shen, is Nic especially busy at the company these days?”

 

“Yeah,” Xu Shen said carelessly. “He’s a very busy man. In name, he’s the chairman’s assistant, but everything he does is basically what the chairman does. If Second Brother weren’t there, he’d practically be Zhaoqi’s regent.”

 

“…He’s only wholeheartedly helping Father and doing what’s best for the company.” Xu Zikang had probably picked up on the jabs in Xu Shen’s words and deliberately spoke up for Zhan Shili.

 

Xu Shen smiled and said, “I know, he’s Father’s confidant. Currently, Father trusts him the most. It’s really enviable.

 

Xu Zikang didn’t know how to respond, so he said nothing more.

 

Xu Shen took out his phone and casually sent a message to “Nicky.”

 

[I miss you. Want me to come keep you company tonight?]

 

Zhan Shili probably knew that Xu Shen had deliberately sent the message in front of Xu Zikang in the car and replied: [No need. I still have a document to review tonight, I don’t have time.]

 

Xu Shen: [Alright then, you workaholic.]

 

Xu Zikang hadn’t meant to peek, but Xu Shen was sitting right beside him, so with a slight turn of his head, he caught sight of the contents on Xu Shen’s phone screen and asked curiously, “Ah Shen, is your girlfriend also a career woman? She still has to work after going home this late at night?”

 

“Yeah,” Xu Shen nodded. “She’s extremely capable. She looks especially beautiful when she’s focused on work, I should really learn from her. She’s also helped me come up with quite a few strategies for work.”

 

“That’s really nice,” Xu Zikang sighed. “It must be wonderful to have someone who can share common interests with you and progress together with you in your career.”

 

Xu Shen smiled in agreement, his eyes glimmering as though he were truly in love: “Yeah, very wonderful.”

 

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At the end of the month, the daughter of one of the city’s wealthy families was getting married.

 

The family hosting the wedding had been family friends with the Xus for generations. Aside from Xu Shiji, who was feeling unwell, the entire Xu family attended the wedding banquet, and Zhan Shili, as his assistant, accompanied them.

 

Xu Shen rode in Zhan Shili’s car. Xu Zikang had caught a slight cold when he woke up that morning and said he wouldn’t be going, so they were the only ones in the car.

 

“My second brother didn’t look too happy just now. He seems pretty dissatisfied with this kind of family gathering, especially since my dad also asked you to come with us,” Xu Shen joked as the car left the Xu Family estate.

 

Zhan Shili said calmly, “Second Young Master is only unhappy because the boss asked me to keep an eye on him.”

 

Besides, after what had happened before, he could be considered to have thoroughly offended Xu Ziren.

 

Xu Shen said, “Everyone in the Xu family is pretty narrow-minded.”

 

Zhan Shili kept his eyes on the road as he drove and asked, “Does that include you, Young Master Shen?”

 

Xu Shen fired a question back, “What do you think?”

 

“More or less,” Zhan Shili said. “It’s not like I’ve seen you being particularly broad-minded either.”

 

Xu Shen laughed: “I’m narrow-minded, and you still like me?”

 

The car stopped at a red light. Zhan Shili side-eyed him: “You’re that confident I like you?”

 

Xu Shen took out his gold coin, tossed it into the air, caught it in one hand, and covered it with his other hand.

 

Watching his movements, Zhan Shili asked, “What are you asking this time?”

 

Xu Shen said, “Whether you’re saying one thing while meaning another.”

 

He revealed the answer: heads.

 

“See? I knew you liked me,” Xu Shen said smugly.

 

Zhan Shili looked away and stepped on the accelerator again after the light turned green: “Mn.”

 

The wedding banquet began after eight in the evening, and the venue was lively and filled with many prominent figures.

 

The Xu family arrived somewhat early. After they sat down, guests who arrived later came over from time to time to exchange greetings and pleasantries. Xu Ziren, his wife, and Qin Su handled the socializing, so Xu Shen didn’t have to do much, more than happy to take it easy.

 

Before the banquet began, He Mingzheng of Zhuosheng came over with Ma Shouliang, and Xu Ziren got up to deal with them.

 

He Mingzheng swept his gaze over everyone in the Xu family with the attitude of someone watching a good show: “What, Brother Ji didn’t come today? I thought I’d have the chance to have a couple of drinks with him. I really should thank him for being so generous and graciously handing Damega over to me.”

 

Xu Ziren’s face turned cold.

 

Of course, Damega wasn’t something they had willingly given up. He Mingzheng had simply beaten them to it, acquiring all of Damega’s assets from that widow for only 70% of what Zhaoqi had offered.

 

Seeing that her husband had been put on the spot, Lin Meina felt indignant: “Zhaoqi and Damega had originally been negotiating just fine. Chairman He suddenly stepping in like this… isn’t it a little unethical?”

 

He Mingzheng laughed disdainfully: “Since when does business have to follow a first-come, first-served rule? Besides, why did I hear the people at Damega say that they had never once considered selling the company to Zhaoqi? Since you want to talk about ethics, young lady, let me teach you something: wanting to swallow someone whole and even suck the marrow from their bones is what’s unethical. No wonder Damega chose Zhuosheng instead of Zhaoqi.”

 

Xu Ziren patiently said, “Business cooperation is a matter of mutual consent. If the terms couldn’t be agreed upon, then so be it. It’s not as serious as Chairman He is making it out to be.”

 

He Mingzheng looked completely unconvinced, having clearly seen through Xu Ziren’s attempt to save face and avoid looking like he had lost too badly.

 

Ma Shouliang was a scoundrel to begin with and spoke even more rudely, taking the opportunity to ridicule, “You Xu family members are used to underhanded tricks to scheme against others and you still want to talk about ethics? Chairman Li was right not to sell Damega to you. It’s not like everything can go your way every single time.”

 

When people had nothing agreeable to say to each other, even half a sentence was too much to bear, and so the two sides parted on bad terms.

 

After they left, Lin Meina muttered a few angry curses under her breath while Xu Ziren sat there with a livid expression and said nothing.

 

Qin Su, on the other hand, seemed quite pleased and commented sarcastically, “Ziren failed to beat someone this time and Zhuosheng got the upper hand, of course those people are going to be smug about it.”

 

Lin Meina lowered her voice and questioned whether she simply didn’t want to see the company doing well. Qin Su replied with an enchanting smile, “How could that be? I don’t concern myself with company matters anymore, but of course I still want the company to prosper. Although, I agree with what Shiji had always said: some positions are still better occupied by those who are capable.”

 

The atmosphere at the table was tense. Fortunately, the wedding ceremony began soon afterward, interrupting the two women’s verbal attacks.

 

Xu Shen, who had been watching the show from beginning to end with great interest, picked up a glass of champagne in the dim light and raised it to Zhan Shili, who was sitting across from him.

 

Zhan Shili stared directly at him. Xu Shen lifted the glass slightly, tilted his head back, and let the champagne slide down his throat.

 

Everyone else’s attention was on the newlyweds who had just entered, so no one noticed this subtle exchange between them.

 

As the wedding banquet was drawing to a close, Xu Shen got up to go to the restroom. He didn’t return afterward and instead walked out into the garden to get some fresh air.

 

He was a little bored, so he lit a cigarette on a whim.

 

Zhan Shili came out a few minutes later and, sure enough, caught him smoking there. He confiscated the cigarette, took a deep drag, and stubbed it out on a nearby trash can.

 

Observing these series of actions, Xu Shen suddenly asked, “Nic, you’re actually the particularly picky type of person, aren’t you? Everything has to be done according to your rules, even controlling whether I smoke or not.”

 

Zhan Shili’s gaze returned to him: “You think so?”

 

“That’s the impression I get,” Xu Shen said. “Someone like you should have a pretty serious cleanliness obsession mentally, or rather, a strong sense of personal boundaries, like how you said you never let others leave things in your car. Although, some of these characteristics of yours are particularly contradictory: you don’t mind sacrificing your looks to achieve your goals, and you’re very good at using your own charm to deceive people, both clearly going against your true nature. Nic, which one is the real you?”

 

Zhan Shili scoffed, “You switched to studying psychology?”

 

“No,” Xu Shen said with a smile. “I’m answering the question you asked me last time, about whether I’m afraid of getting sick. I don’t think you’re like that. You’re very clean, and just like you said yourself, there’s no need for you to sacrifice that much. I’m your only exception.”

 

Seeing the smugness in his eyes, Zhan Shili reached out and gently touched his cheek: “If you think so, then so be it.”

 

“Let me ask you something else,” Xu Shen caught his wandering hand and pulled it down, changing the subject. “What kind of grudge does that He Mingzheng from Zhuosheng have against my dad? Why does he seem to have it out for Zhaoqi all the time?”

 

“It’s nothing much,” Zhan Shili explained generally. “The boss and those old friends of his, including He Mingzheng, are all members of the Hong Kong-British Association. The membership requirement is personal assets reaching the level of hundreds of billions, and it’s a status symbol for people in their circle. When He Mingzheng’s net worth first reached the threshold, the boss deliberately made things difficult for him because he disliked the way He Mingzheng conducted himself and didn’t want to let him join. Of course, he still got in afterward, but he’s held a grudge against the boss ever since.”

 

Xu Shen concluded, “They have too much time on their hands.”

 

After exchanging a few more words, Zhan Shili gestured to Xu Shen: “Don’t keep standing out here. The wedding banquet isn’t over yet, let’s go back first.”

 

They had just been about to head back when Xu Ziren’s driver hurried over. Seeing Xu Shen, he asked with a flushed face, “Young Master Shen, Second Young Madam just called and said Second Young Master spilled alcohol all over himself and asked me to get some clothes from the car for him to change into. I really need to pee right now and I can’t hold it any longer, could you please do me a favor…”

 

Xu Shen took the bag of clothes from his hand: “I’ll take them to Second Brother, you go to the bathroom.”

 

The man thanked him repeatedly and left in a hurry.

 

Xu Shen chuckled and said to Zhan Shili, “Come on.”

 

They then found Xu Ziren in the lounge, where Lin Meina also was. The couple probably had a brief argument, and both looked unhappy.

 

Xu Shen handed the bag of clothes to Xu Ziren and was about to leave when Xu Ziren stopped them and questioned, “About Liao Zhihong—Father clearly said at the time that he wanted to handle it discreetly, so why did it end up becoming such a big deal? What did the two of you do behind everyone’s backs?”

 

This Second Young Master seemed to be in an especially bad mood tonight. After being ridiculed by He Mingzheng and Ma Shouliang and then complained to by his wife just now, he was already in a bad mood when Xu Shen and Zhan Shili, the two people he considered the culprits, happened to walk right into his line of fire.

 

“Assistant Zhan, where did you get the original copy of that bid evaluation report? Were you the one who leaked the matter?” Xu Ziren’s tone had already become extremely rude.

 

Zhan Shili remained composed and answered him, “I already explained it to the boss before. Someone in the company anonymously reported the matter and mailed the document to my office. As for how the news got out, I can only speculate. Young Master Ma has been keeping a close eye on Zhaoqi because of what happened before, and as soon as Manager Liao was fired, I heard that Ma Shouliang went to contact him privately.”

 

Xu Ziren sneered, “Why has Ma Shouliang been keeping such a close eye on Zhaoqi? Isn’t it precisely because the two of you handle things too aggressively? Doing business is one thing, but to take advantage of someone’s mistakes and send them straight to jail when there was no grudge between you two? No wonder people call the two of you pieces of shit.”

 

Zhan Shili said calmly, “Ma Shouliang misunderstood. The Securities and Futures Commission investigating Ma Shide had nothing to do with Young Master Shen or me.”

 

“Give it a rest,” Xu Ziren said disdainfully. “Stop putting on airs in front of me. Do you really think you’re somebody important? At the end of the day, you’re just a dog my father keeps around. You’d better recognize your place.”

 

Xu Shen, who hadn’t spoken until then, coldly interjected at this moment, “Second Brother, even if he is a dog, you still have to consider the owner before hitting it. Aren’t you disrespecting Father by targeting Nic like this?”

 

“And you!” Xu Ziren turned his gun towards him. “I really couldn’t tell you were this capable. You managed to charm Father so easily in such a short amount of time, I guess you learned quite a bit from that vixen of a mother of yours.”

 

Xu Shen’s expression turned completely icy.

 

Xu Ziren was about to continue lecturing them when Lin Meina interrupted him: “Enough, enough. Did you drink too much? Say less, you’re getting more and more out of line, and Father-in-law will be angry if he finds out.”

 

Xu Shen no longer paid them any attention and said to Zhan Shili, “Let’s go.”

 

Zhan Shili raised a hand and gently pressed it against his back soothingly.

 

Stepping out of the lounge, Xu Shen said, “Let’s leave first.”

 

“Where to?” Zhan Shili asked.

 

Xu Shen looked at him and said, “I want to go to your place.”

 

Zhan Shili nodded: “Let’s go.”

 

The car drove out of the hotel and slipped into the darkness. Xu Shen took a piece of candy from the armrest compartment, unwrapped it and put it into his mouth. Leaning back in his seat, he turned to look at Zhan Shili who was focused on driving, looking for something to say: “You were just called a dog. Why do you seem completely unaffected? Aren’t you angry?”

 

Zhan Shili said lightly, “Let him curse if he wants. He cursed you too.”

 

“Mn,” Xu Shen made no attempt to hide his displeasure. “I’m quite angry, and I don’t want to just let it go like this.”

 

Zhan Shili said, “Nothing has been going his way lately, he’s already unlucky enough. Young Master Shen, work a little harder and replace him as soon as possible and consider that a way to vent your anger.”

 

“That’s all in the future,” Xu Shen said. “I told you before, didn’t I? I like using simple and direct methods to get revenge on people.”

 

Zhan Shili reminded him, “Second Young Master isn’t that easy to deal with.”

 

“I know,” Xu Shen scoffed. “But why bother dealing with him? There’s already someone easy to deal with who can still make him miserable right there.”

 

Zhan Shili understood almost immediately: “Xu Tianlang?”

 

“Yeah,” Xu Shen said languidly. “That brat drinks, gambles, sleeps around, and even does drugs. I’m just doing a public service.”

 

Zhan Shili said, “The boss is going to start resenting his descendants for being so useless and go pray to the gods and Buddha again.”

 

Xu Shen laughed—he hadn’t expected Zhan Shili to actually have a bit of a sense of humor.

 

“You called me bad last time,” Zhan Shili said unhurriedly. “You’re an uncle who would even bully a nephew who’s never offended you. You’re no good either.”

 

Xu Shen asked, “So?”

 

Zhan Shili’s fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel and continued, “I like bad ones too.”

 

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t/n: Yay, another fun/interesting title (that doesn‘t get referenced in the chapter unfortunately)

So, what the raws call it is “沆瀣,” from the idiom “沆瀣一气,” which translated into the English saying “birds of a feather.” However, this one means birds of a feather in a negative connotation, whereas the English saying might not necessarily always mean it in a bad way. This is also why the chapter is called Birds of a Feather, but I also felt the need to explain that it’s 100% a negative description of the two.

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