DLRAS Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Surprisingly, without any aggressiveness

Two people lay on the boat, and before long, Chen Wengang rolled into Huo Niansheng’s arms.

In fact, the story told by Huo Niansheng was not made up. Looking back twenty years, there were still areas where gangs roamed the streets, and many underground industries hid in the gray areas. When Chen Wengang was young, he and Lu Chenlong often heard adults talk vividly about these things on the streets and alleys. That night, he even had a nightmare.

So they cuddled even closer. When Huo Niansheng woke up in the morning, he saw him curled up under his arm, breathing lightly.

This posture was like him sheltering Chen Wengang under his wings. Huo Niansheng counted his eyelashes, reluctant to let go, until the sun was high before getting up to go to the restaurant for breakfast. Others might think they had a brief spring night, showing ambiguous eyes.

Of course, the days of the gambling king were long gone. Wang Qiming had some background, but not enough to be so lawless. Through this trip, Chen Wengang only confirmed that he was indeed involved in some shady dealings at sea, exploiting legal loopholes. But with no one reporting him and with several uncles in his family holding official positions, he lived freely until now.

They didn’t encounter any storms at sea, and the sun was shining for several days in a row. After a week of fun, the cruise ship docked at the port.

Then it was back to normal working days.

Chen Wengang had been at the Huo Foundation for quite some time now. He had become familiar with his colleagues here. The atmosphere on the 19th floor was relaxed, and while most people were easygoing, they didn’t mind having another friendly colleague around. He had gained quite a bit of popularity here.

A few days later, at noon, Chen Wengang went to the staff cafeteria with Xiao Li and two other secretaries to eat.

There was a commotion at the entrance, and everyone turned to look. Leading the group was Second Uncle Huo, heading straight for the executive dining room.

Second Uncle Huo was dressed extremely stylishly, with his hair dyed pitch black without a trace of gray and slicked to the side. His leather shoes were shiny enough to almost serve as mirrors. However, his face was dark and stern, showing signs of anger.

Even Xiao Li dared not speak loudly at a distance and whispered, “What’s happening?”

Another colleague lowered their voice, saying, “Don’t you know? One of the executive directors of the group was arrested by the police. That’s unlucky enough, but within the company, it’s also considered a violation of the regulations. The board of directors will have to vote on whether to kick him out.”

Xiao Li exclaimed softly, “But it’s not Mr. Huo who got arrested. Why is he so angry?”

Chen Wengang replied calmly, “That director is his own person, so of course, he’s not happy about it.”

Since the death of Huo Kaishan, the two factions led by Second Uncle Huo and Third Uncle Huo have been constantly at odds, essentially vying for more control over the group. However, with Third Uncle Huo San occupying the position of chairman, Second Uncle Huo’s side had always been at a slight disadvantage.

He knew that, ultimately, money was the key to turning things around. If he wanted to raise and mobilize large amounts of capital, what quick ways were there to make money?

On the cruise ship, seeing Wang Qiming’s extravagant antics, Chen Wengang understood. If such indulgence was possible at sea, there must be corresponding opportunities on land. Huo Niansheng didn’t hide this from him either. Behind closed doors, they discussed how these were introduced to Wang Qiming by Huo Yingfei.

In addition to substantial annual tributes exchanged for the Wang family’s protective power, in recent years, Second Uncle Huo’s businesses hadn’t been entirely clean. Secretly investing in underground gambling dens and ** establishments, they profited greatly under this protective umbrella.

While Huo Kaishan was alive, he had somewhat restrained himself. However, after his father’s passing, Second Uncle Huo was eager to expand. Third Uncle Huo’s current stance was to sever ties early, dealing with this threat to himself. But they were wary, for airing family dirty laundry could lead to sensational headlines if the police made a high-profile arrest of his own brother, bringing about a public scandal.

As chairman, he naturally didn’t want the company to endure such turmoil. The dismissal of a director was a signal.

However, these were matters for the bigwigs. They, the small fry at this dinner table, couldn’t intervene.

Chen Wengang placed his tray in the recycling area.

Back in the office, he saw a message from Huo Niansheng asking what he had for lunch.

Chen Wengang smiled.

Scrolling through their chat history, most of it was just banter. Sometimes, these meaningless conversations could occupy him for half the day. Deep down, Chen Wengang knew the source of his anxiety. However, Huo Niansheng never showed any concern. If Chen Wengang wanted to chat, Huo Niansheng responded. Now, it seemed that Chen Wengang was starting to calm down a bit on his own.

Lawyer Zhu recommended that he undergo psychological counseling, which wasn’t a bad suggestion. It’s just that he definitely couldn’t spare the time lately.

The changes at the top level of Huo Corporation weren’t something Chen Wengang could easily meddle with, but he still had his own affairs to attend to. He had submitted the application materials for his graduate project to the school. Despite being in a different field, his undergraduate grades were solid, his future research direction was clear, and he had been in communication with the professor for a long time. He received an email confirming that his materials had passed and that he would soon receive an interview notice.

Additionally, Huo Zhenfei’s wife, Fang Qin, called to brief him on work. Among the regular funding projects of the foundation, there was an annual charity art exhibition for severe leukemia patients, usually held in late autumn or early winter. This year, the date was approaching.

Xiao Gao brought Chen Wengang the past year’s data and press releases for reference.

Fortunately, there wasn’t anything particularly difficult for him to do. Everything could follow the traditional procedures from previous years. The exhibition itself would be outsourced to a curating company and art gallery, with him basically just needing to get approval from Chairwoman Fang Qin for the budget and oversee the overall process.

However, when Chen Wengang saw the list of participating artists, he paused for a moment. “How were these artists chosen?”

“They’re all recommended by the Art Association,” Xiao Gao said. “Actually, we can’t get the really famous artists. They command high prices for their paintings, so they can support charities on their own without needing to participate in joint exhibitions like this. Most of those willing to donate their artwork for sale are small-time players looking for exposure but lacking avenues to do so. They can ride on the platform of the Huo family to gain some attention and win some reputation, which is more beneficial for them.”

Chen Wengang stared at the name “Mu Qing” on the list, deep in thought.

He suddenly remembered that he hadn’t seen the person for a long time.

It was something Zheng Baoqiu had mentioned before. Mu Qing, leveraging the resources of Qi Tongzhou’s family, had found a guide in the art world. For a while, he was indeed riding the wave of hype, with headlines dubbing him a teenage genius painter, almost a rising star visible to the naked eye. Until, unexpectedly, he was exposed by Li Hongqiong, and his fame collapsed overnight. Many of the olive branches that had been extended to him were withdrawn. It was said that he had even missed the opportunity to send his work to international competitions, and it all came to nothing.

Thinking back, saying that it had been a long time since they last met wasn’t accurate. They had seen each other at the engagement banquet.

Mu Qing had been very low-key then, barely making an impression. He had just politely greeted Zheng Bingyi and Huo Meijie in public, proving that their uncle-nephew relationship still existed. Until now, his reputation wasn’t good, but it wasn’t so bad that he was sentenced to death. It wouldn’t be appropriate to simply exclude him without consideration. The art world wasn’t exactly clean; there were plenty of artists with questionable morals, and drug use and scandals were not uncommon.

Xiao Gao didn’t understand: “Chen-ge, is there a problem with this person?”

Chen Wengang paused and said, “No, let’s just proceed according to the normal process.”

As a result, when he took the initiative to oversee the venue at the art gallery, he unexpectedly bumped into Mu Qing.

Mu Qing was wearing jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt, with the same cold and indifferent demeanor as before, but there was still something different about him. If Qi Tongzhou were present, perhaps he could tell. He and Chen Wengang didn’t look as alike as they used to when they lived together.

As they crossed paths in the hallway, Mu Qing took out the earphones from his ears first. “I heard you went out to sea with Huo Niansheng?”

Chen Wengang asked, “Didn’t you used to call him Huo-ge?”

Mu Qing smiled self-deprecatingly. “I’ve left the Zheng family. Who knows if others are still willing to let me call them that? Maybe I should call him Mr. Huo instead.”

His tone was sarcastic, but Chen Wengang pretended not to notice, nodded, and was about to leave.

Mu Qing spoke from behind him, “Do you know how I found out? Your boat seemed to have no paparazzi, but journalists are well-informed. They can find out anything they want. This time, you and Huo Niansheng made it public, and your little romantic story is enough to write about for a while. You want to be noble, but you can’t. As long as you’re with him, no one will think you’re equals!”

Chen Wengang inexplicably turned to look at him. “Then write about it. I don’t care. If it gets too much, I’ll just send a lawyer’s letter.”

Mu Qing stared at him meaningfully.

The atmosphere between the two of them became somewhat tense. A well-dressed young man approached, appearing like a rich second generation, and stood attentively by Mu Qing’s side, glaring at Chen Wengang as if they were enemies. Chen Wengang was taken aback, a little surprised, and not quite sure about the relationship between these two.

In the evening, Zheng Baoqiu said over the phone, “I was surprised too! Nobody knew he liked men before, right?”

Chen Wengang couldn’t help but be curious, not having heard a whisper of it even in his past life. “You didn’t know before either?”

“I really didn’t know,” she said. “Of course, there are two possibilities: either he always had this orientation but didn’t dare to show it in front of dad before, or he felt that your relationship with my cousin was too good and couldn’t resist trying to emulate you in this aspect too.”

Chen Wengang chuckled, telling her not to talk nonsense.

During the preparation period for the art exhibition, Chen Wengang found it interesting and often went to the gallery to observe, sometimes even lending a hand with the work.

Naturally, Huo Niansheng also became a frequent visitor here. Chen Wengang tried to put Mu Qing’s matter aside but still encountered him and the rich second generation several times. Whether the other person was a pursuer or already in a relationship with Mu Qing, they were quite enthusiastic toward him. Every time they saw Chen Wengang, they had a hostile attitude. It wasn’t until they discovered he was related to Huo Niansheng that their attitude suddenly took a 180-degree turn.

Once, Chen Wengang went to the service corridor to move things and heard the two of them arguing. He silently retreated.

After being busy for over a month, the art exhibition was successfully held, and the proceeds from the charity sale were donated to leukemia charities. The final press release was sent to the media, and Fang Qin, as the chairwoman, was very pleased. She called Chen Wengang to say that this year’s work had been very successful.

She meant to go out and relax together, and with her son Huo Yuxiang’s insistence, they decided to go clamming on a weekend.

The weather was getting colder, so clamming in early winter had to be done during the low tide period from noon to afternoon.

Fang Qin’s belly had become much more noticeable, and she was afraid of falling, so she just sat in the car parked on the side of the road and waited. Therefore, it was Chen Wengang and the others who took Huo Yuxiang down. He was ecstatic, wearing thick clothes and high boots, carrying a small shovel and a small bucket, and squatting on the sandbank to dig clams. Oysters grow on rocks and need to be separated with a small hammer.

Jiang Cai also wore rain boots, standing behind with a disdainful look on her face. She had skipped class to go home, but Chen Wengang caught her red-handed and forcibly brought her to participate in the family activity. If it weren’t for Chen Xiangling studying hard, she should have been happily present at the scene.

Chen Wengang squatted on the ground, wearing nylon gloves, and moved aside a stone to find a crab.

Huo Yuxiang exclaimed in admiration, “Wow!”

Jiang Cai couldn’t help but glance a few more times. “How did you find this crab? Why can’t I catch any?”

Chen Wengang stared at the ground. “Well, crabs are usually under the rocks. You have to look for their footprints.”

Jiang Cai leaned on her knees, frowned like a shrimp, and looked down at the ground. Suddenly, she turned her head, and Huo Niansheng appeared silently behind them.

Jiang Cai was taken aback, seeing him bathed in sunlight, surprisingly not showing any aggressiveness at this moment. Huo Niansheng also looked at the ground, occasionally turning his head to gaze gently at Chen Wengang’s face. Chen Wengang moved the stone aside and threw the crab into the bucket he was holding.

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