Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 263: Not Rivals

Chu Tianyu’s current situation was by no means a simple showtime; he was fully immersed in this extraordinary experience. Especially with the enviable, speculative, and disdainful remarks from those around him, each sound only added to his sense of excitement. With the aura of being the center of attention, Chu Tianyu led several beauties to the Chu Group’s seating area. Facing his grandfather Chu Fangshan, his elder brother Chu Tianfeng, and other high-ranking members of the Chu family, he couldn’t help but smile charmingly and said casually, “Hehe, Grandpa, I’m not late, am I? For such a grand dinner, I’ve been prepared for a long time, afraid of being even half a minute late and bringing shame to our Chu family.”

Chu Fangshan rolled his eyes and scolded him irritably, “Hmph, you’re not late, but you’re usually nowhere to be seen. Yet you’re so diligent on occasions like this. It’s really hard for you!”

“Of course, that’s what I should do!” Chu Tianyu replied nonchalantly.

After hearing this, Chu Fangshan showed an expression of helplessness and frustration, turning his head aside. Just then, an old acquaintance came over, and he took the opportunity to step forward and say loudly, “Brother Fang, why are you here too? Didn’t you hand over all the business to my eldest nephew? You don’t know how capable he was this afternoon—he really put our Chu family under pressure!”

“Haha, Brother Chu, it’s because you have two excellent grandsons who are keeping your Chu family thriving.”

“Two?” Chu Fangshan was stunned for a moment before realizing and smiling bitterly. “One is passable, but the other…” He glanced at Chu Tianyu, surrounded by beautiful women, shook his head, and looked speechless.

“Hehe, Brother Chu, each of the nine sons of the dragon is unique. Your Tianfeng goes without saying, but this third young master here also seems extraordinary. At least he’s quite skilled at winning over girls, haha. In my opinion, regardless of anything else, just look at the girls around him. Before Nianran was even born, your elder brother seemed to have prophetic abilities by bringing such a business genius as a granddaughter-in-law. Then, with the close cooperation between your Chu and Qin families, Chu Group has truly gained a huge boost, taking its development to a new level. It’s a miracle that such an already massive business entity could make such astonishing progress!”

“Where, where, Young Fang, you’re overpraising me. The development of our Chu family is only possible thanks to the support of many old friends. How can this be compared to children’s engagements or love affairs? You’re really flattering them!” Chu Fangshan said, laughing insincerely.

Young Fang gave Chu Fangshan a meaningful look and said, “Oh, then what about that girl from the Ouyang family? And those Xue sisters standing by him—pick one from these girls, and she’ll be the center of attention, with a powerful background. The man they’re after is also a top talent. I believe not many people have such a background as Chu Tianyu. Moreover, with their situation of having three wives and four concubines, look at them—so confident, with affection evident in their eyes. It doesn’t seem like they’re putting on a show or acting.”

“Sigh, with today’s kids, who knows what’s in their minds? They just play games of getting together today and parting tomorrow. It can’t be taken seriously…” Chu Fangshan still insisted stubbornly.

“Brother Chu is right. But I heard that you’ve already handed half of Chu Family’s management rights to that girl, Nian Ran. And it seems that famous star Xue Feifei is also planning to retire from the music industry at the request of her grandson. As for Ouli Jia Bao Group and Tianyu Company, they seem to have extensive cooperation with Chu Family. I really envy you, brother!”

Facing Young Fang’s last remarks, which seemed conciliatory but were actually filled with speculation, Chu Fangshan could only shrug his shoulders, stop answering, and offer a half-hearted smile that seemed to imply mutual understanding.

On Chu Tianyu’s side, he greeted Second Grandpa Chu Fangwei, Elder Brother Chu Tianfeng, Cousin Chu Tianao, and others one by one, introducing the beautiful women beside him. Except for Qin Nianran, whom they already knew, Ouyang Ziyi and the Xue sisters were meeting them in such a public and formal setting for the first time.

However, they handled this situation effortlessly. As Chu Tianyu introduced them, they all flashed charming smiles and greeted each other without any awkwardness or restraint.

On the other hand, the members of Chu Family were momentarily at a loss for words when faced with those beautiful and graceful women, especially with two famous stars among them. They could only nod in response while muttering a few words.

At this moment, even Chu Tianfeng, who had always had ulterior motives, couldn’t help but shake his head with a bitter smile. In his heart, he admired Chu Tianyu’s “skills” on one hand, while feeling helpless on the other. He never expected that a playboy could reach such a level—it was simply astonishing. After all, Chu Tianyu had been disciplined since childhood and, as he grew up, he had set strict demands on himself for the sake of the family’s interests. Now, he was even more cautious, taking every step carefully, especially when it came to matters of romance, fearing any mistake that might displease his grandfather.

But compared to the third brother, who led a carefree life and seemed to have his grandfather’s tacit approval, upon further thought, having such women of high status and background, each beautiful as fairies, by his side was not only a sign of his own carefree lifestyle but also a tremendous asset and immeasurable potential strength for the entire Chu family. Even if there were eight or ten such women instead of just four, the grandfather wouldn’t interfere or blame the third brother for his actions!

Someone had once suggested to the grandfather that giving the third brother half of Chu Family’s control rights was hasty, and since the third brother was often absent, the power ended up in the hands of Qin Nianran from Fudu Industrial. But the grandfather dismissed this with just one sentence: “I don’t care whether it’s Tianyu who holds the power or his wife; I only care about results. If you’re capable, you can take a long leave and let your wife take charge!”

Moreover, recently, Oulijia Bao Group and Tianyu Company have clearly sided with Chu Tianyu. Several major cooperation projects have been successfully launched, and Tianyu Company even declared that they would focus solely on advertising and representation for Chu Family in the coming period, secretly injecting substantial funds into Chu Family’s capital, thereby giving Qin Nianran more power.

So, at this moment, as Chu Tianfeng watched his third brother with a smug expression, what else could he do but shake his head and smile bitterly?

Chu Tianyu didn’t stay long with the women. Following their plan, they took advantage of this public appearance to expand their social connections. Of course, they didn’t expect much in return; it was merely a gesture—a seemingly performative act with hidden intentions. This plan was devised on the spot by Chu Tianfeng, based on what Chu Tianyu had accidentally overheard.

Firstly, it’s to use Chu Tianyu’s striking behavior to gain an advantage from the start. Secondly, building on that, leveraging Feifei and Ning’er’s star appeal to spark conversations. I believe that every month, including those business tycoons, must be curious about the ambiguous relationship between Chu Tianyu and them—especially since the star effect, when utilized well, can have immeasurable impact.

Moreover, just these four stunningly beautiful women alone are enough to dazzle and overwhelm those people, not to mention the rest. I’m sure for the eldest brother, facing such a scene, no matter how many trump cards he has, at least the bitter taste of being at a disadvantage on the surface won’t be easy to swallow!

As announcements kept being made from the center of the hall, stating that before the banquet officially began, Miss Xue Feifei and Miss Xue Ning’er would perform songs to entertain everyone, Chu Tianyu led the women over, causing unprecedented excitement. Wherever they went, they became the focus of the entire hall and the center of the noise.

“Wow, Grandpa Li, you’re here too! Grandpa was looking for you—he said he wants to have some gongfu tea with you after the meeting…”
“Hey, Uncle Wang, you’re here! As Nianran mentioned, we’ll be collaborating in the renovation industry going forward. This is a big plan for our Chu family, and it’s also an honor for us… Hehe…”
“Oh, Classmate Gu Yu, what a coincidence! We meet again. Hello, hello—this must be Uncle Gu…”

With such greetings along the way, Chu Tianyu was in high spirits. Whether he knew someone or not, it never hurt to say hello. He was especially enthusiastic toward those whom Qin Nianran considered potential partners or existing trade allies and strategic partners of Chu Family. But this was limited to greetings only—once business discussions started, Chu Tianyu would wear his most charming smile and point at Qin Nianran, saying, “Hehe, I’m not an expert in this area, but you can ask my wife; she’s more qualified.”

However, Chu Tianyu’s good mood didn’t last long, as it was interrupted by a silver-bell-like voice that cut through the noise. Not far ahead, a girl in a white dress with a graceful figure was shouting and approaching.

It was called an interruption because the girl wasn’t addressing Chu Tianyu but rather “Sister Zi Yi”…

For the girl was none other than Ning Shuang, whom he had met at the bar that night—the one who had shown a strong preference for Zi Yi and held deep resentment toward Chu Tianyu!

But it wasn’t her who changed Chu Tianyu’s mood; it was someone walking beside her—a girl dressed in a modified light purple gown that covered her body tightly. Though she had an ordinary appearance and no expression on her face, she stood in sharp contrast to Ning Shuang. The moment Chu Tianyu saw her face, his body trembled instantly, and the emotions that surged within him were beyond description. A phrase came to mind: “It’s only when enemies meet that they clash!”