Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 137: Unspoken Meaning

“Chu Ye Group!?” Zhou Tianxing stared at Chu Tianyu, exclaiming in disbelief. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he said, “Impossible, absolutely impossible! Although Chu Ye has grown steadily over the years and has Vice Chairman Han’s backing, in terms of strength and funds, they’re nowhere near capable of doing this—far from it!”
“Sigh, I only said the person who hired me is here. I didn’t say it’s Chu Ye Group!” Qin Nianran finally smiled a bit.
“What do you mean?” Under the continuous pressure from Chu Tianyu and Qin Nianran, Zhou Tianxing had long lost his composure. He no longer resembled a wise strategist who could plan battles from afar! He couldn’t think clearly and merely repeated Qin Nianran’s words subconsciously.
Chu Tianyu remained expressionless, while Qin Nianran looked at Zhou Tianxing with a pitiful expression.
Seeing that no one answered his question, Zhou Tianxing stared blankly for a while before seemingly calming down slightly and regaining some clarity. Pointing at Chu Tianyu, he said, “Is it because of him? Just because of that playboy? Some idiot used as a pawn by the Chu family? Haha, that’s absurd!”
Qin Nianran shook her head slightly and sighed softly, “Ah, how pitiful. You’ve reached this point yet still don’t know who brought down Tianxing Group. What a complete failure! All your scheming throughout your life, only to end up so confused that you can’t even identify your enemies. How ironic!”
Chu Tianyu, listening from the side, wasn’t sure what to think. It seemed Qin Nianran’s words were directed at Zhou Tianxing, but their underlying meaning seemed to target him as well.
However, Qin Nianran’s words finally awakened Zhou Tianxing. His grayish eyes finally lit up as he sized up Chu Tianyu, muttering to himself, “Hmm, not bad… No wonder… The true power of the Chu family… I see now… I was truly blind before…”
Only after taking his gaze away did Zhou Tianxing sigh in relief. He said to Chu Tianyu, “Heroes emerge from the young. Brother Fangshan is lucky—he has two excellent sons! Alas, as one gets older, one’s thinking becomes fixed. I should have been alert during that banquet, but I kept thinking… Enough about it…”

Faced with Zhou Tianxing’s sighs, Qin Nianran showed no sign of relaxing. “Elder Zhou, to be honest, even if you had known in advance, at most it would have delayed things by a few days—still the same outcome! If a lion wants to eat a chick, whether the chick is awake or asleep doesn’t change the fact that it will end up being fed!”
At these words, Zhou Tianxing’s eyes lit up again. Looking at Chu Tianyu with disbelief, he said, “A lion and a chick? What kind of immense power would be needed for such a comparison? Do you really possess such strength? And it’s just yours, not the Chu family’s? Incredible! Truly incredible! Could you explain it to me in detail?”
Zhou Tianxing’s questions no longer mattered whether they were abrupt or not. As Qin Nianran had said, if he didn’t even know who his ultimate enemy was, he was a complete failure!
Chu Tianyu didn’t answer his question but simply said, “Facts speak louder than words. Isn’t the outcome right in front of you?”
Zhou Tianxing was shocked. After thinking for a while, he finally let out a resigned sigh, closed his eyes, leaned back weakly in his chair, and said softly, “Yes, the outcome is right here. What’s the point of clinging to some so-called process?”
At the same time, Qin Nianran finally showed her final smile. “Elder Zhou, regarding the transfer of those last few companies…”
Suddenly, the office door was flung open. Zhou Kunwei, with bloodshot eyes, rushed in like a madman. Holding a silver pistol, he aimed it at Qin Nianran and shouted fiercely, “It’s you, you wretched bitch! It’s you who pushed us to this point! If I kill you, everything will be fine! Haha! I’m lucky I arrived in time. You brought this upon yourself—you deserve to die! Haha! Once I get rid of you, the world will be at peace…”
“Kunwei, Kunwei, you beast! You’ve gone mad! Put down the gun!” Zhou Tianxing didn’t expect him to appear at this moment.
“Shut up!” Zhou Kunwei roared at Zhou Tianxing. Zhou Tianxing was stunned, not expecting his usually weak and spineless only son to speak in such a harsh tone.
“Dad, I’ve listened to you since I was little. I’m already in my forties, yet you still want to scold and hit me whenever you want. Have you ever thought about me? Have you?” Zhou Kunwei demanded angrily.

Before Zhou Tianxing could respond, Zhou Kunwei continued, “Don’t you always say I’m useless? Today I’m going all in—risking one life for two; it’s only a gain, no loss! Dad, from now on, it’s up to you to take care of Chongyun…” Hearing this, Zhou Tianxing grew deeply distressed and sad, tears streaming down his face as his lips trembled. His emotions were complex, but he could say nothing more. At that moment, Zhou Kunwei’s attention was once again focused on Qin Nianran and Chu Tianyu. His gun trembled in his hands due to his excitement, and he spoke in a somewhat incoherent manner, “You forced me! Give me back my only son, give us back Tianxing Group…” Chu Tianyu and Qin Nianran exchanged a glance—without the slightest pity. The fate of the Zhou father and son left them only with sorrow. If they had known this would happen, why have they done what they did in the first place? With a “bang,” the gun fired, but the bullet hovered mid-air. The silver-white bullet head seemed to hang motionless in the air. “Bang… bang…” As Zhou Kunwei’s face twisted into a grotesque expression, he pulled the trigger repeatedly until all the bullets in the magazine were used up. Then, in horror, he stared at the twelve bullets neatly arranged in front of Qin Nianran… An electromagnetic wave pulsed through the air, as if enveloping the entire space! In fact, behind this electromagnetic wave, Chu Tianyu had already used invisible true energy to shield Qin Nianran, without her noticing. Qin Nianran acted as if nothing had happened, turning to Zhou Tianxing, who now had a complex expression on his face, and said, “Mr. Zhou, out of respect for you, I won’t press further. But under these circumstances, I think it’s time for us to leave!” She glanced at Chu Tianyu, as if seeking his agreement. Chu Tianyu simply shrugged indifferently, indicating his consent. “No, no need to see us off…” Zhou Tianshou managed to say. It seemed he wanted to say more, but his lips trembled, and he couldn’t utter another word. Qin Nianran seemed to understand his meaning and said, “Mr. Zhou, then we’ll send someone over this afternoon to discuss the details…” Zhou Tianxing nodded weakly, agreeing.

As Chu Tianyu and Qin Nianran disappeared at the door, the several warheads floating in the air seemed to suddenly lose their support and fell to the ground, emitting a series of “ding ding dang dang” sounds. Zhou Kunwei, like those warheads, also seemed to suddenly lose all his strength and collapsed to the ground, staring blankly ahead while murmuring about his son, the company…

Qin Nianran didn’t head back right away but stopped at a secluded place with Chu Tianyu, staring at him as if trying to discover something, without speaking immediately.

Chu Tianyu seemed to understand why Qin Nianran did this. He let her look, remaining silent as well, his gaze occasionally drifting outside the window.

After a long while, Qin Nianran couldn’t hold back anymore and said, “Don’t you want to ask why we still went to see Zhou Tianxing during this final stage?”

Chu Tianyu smiled, revealing his white teeth, and said, “Heh, didn’t you arrange everything well? I see you were well-prepared. Besides, didn’t we agree that you’d handle the business side? Why should I worry then?”

“Heh, you really are good at being a hands-off boss!” Qin Nianran said, unsure whether it was praise or sarcasm.

“Whether I’m open-minded or not, facts speak louder than words. The result is right there, isn’t it?” Chu Tianyu said leisurely.

Qin Nianran wasn’t expecting Chu Tianyu to apply that phrase to this situation. She snorted and said, “It seems our Third Young Master Chu is in a good mood today!”

“Not really. I just don’t feel anything special!” Chu Tianyu said abruptly.

“Have you developed some compassion?” Qin Nianran understood what Chu Tianyu meant—referring to the sense of desperation of the Zhou family.

Chu Tianyu looked into Qin Nianran’s eyes and said coldly, “Not exactly. No matter how ten times worse their situation becomes, it still doesn’t deserve any sympathy!”

“Then you…”

“Nothing. I just suddenly had an indescribable feeling. Maybe it’s true what people say—reaching a goal, what’s wonderful is the process, not the result…” Chu Tianyu mused.

Before he could finish expressing his thoughts, Qin Nianran interjected quietly, “Heh, you have the nerve to talk about pursuing a wonderful process. It seems like everything is done by the people below, and all you do is carry a bag and check the results!”

Seeing Qin Nianran speak so confidently and calmly, Chu Tianyu could only say helplessly with a mix of laughter and tears, “You’ve knocked him down in one swing—how unjust! Actually, I…” At this point, Chu Tianyu thought carefully and realized he really hadn’t done anything; not that he hadn’t done anything at all, but rather that none of those things posed any challenge to him… Qin Nianran didn’t press further but looked at Chu Tianyu knowingly, her expression half-smiling! Seeing this, Chu Tianyu’s face finally turned red, and he quickly changed the subject, saying, “Hmm, hmm, this visit—was it ‘intentional’? From what you said, it seems like you wanted to win effortlessly…” “Obviously, from the results, you achieved your goal! I heard you’ve basically given up everything for Tianxing Group these days. Hehe, do you feel a great sense of accomplishment now?” Chu Tianyu added. Qin Nianran didn’t answer his question but suddenly said, “Weren’t your actions for this visit also ‘intentional’? Those ID badges must have been prepared in advance. If I hadn’t proposed to visit yesterday, trying to see Zhou Tianxing today would probably mean saying goodbye to his body!” By the time Qin Nianran finished speaking, Chu Tianyu had nothing left to say. A mutual understanding arose between them; both seemed to sense something similar, looking at each other—one intentional, the other deliberate. The situation spoke volumes! After a long silence, Qin Nianran broke it by asking, “Why did you change your mind again?” Chu Tianyu knew she was referring to his decision to spare Zhou Tianxing’s life, so he smiled and said, “What do you think is the most important form of punishment for a person?” Before Qin Nianran could answer, he continued, “It’s not just life or wealth. It’s about taking away a person’s most precious things or destroying their most steadfast pursuits and beliefs…” “You mean making life worse than death?” Qin Nianran understood. “Exactly. But what I didn’t expect was that I didn’t even need to take further action. Just a few words from you were enough to completely break him down, both physically and mentally…”

After a pause, Chu Tianyu suddenly spoke in a questioning tone, “By the way, did you really take over all the loans and debts of Tianxing Group with the bank? As far as I know, that amount is astronomical. Not to mention Tianxing Group’s own borrowing capacity, even the several international conglomerates behind it pledged all their funds and assets—those are absolutely the lifelines of Zhou Tianxing. You see, everyone else is in debt; if something happens to him, who will they turn to for that money? That’s also why no one dares to mess with him easily!”
“Did I say I took it all over? I didn’t do anything at all. I just gave those bank managers a heads up in advance to ignore any calls from Tianxing Group these days. And when I talked to Zhou Tianxing, I only asked if he had any premonitions—nothing more! Hehe, for such matters full of truth and falsehood, there’s a saying in books: ‘Deception is never a bad strategy!’” Qin Nianran winked at Chu Tianyu, smiling slyly.
“What a clever use of deception! Brilliant!” Chu Tianyu exclaimed excitedly, slapping his thigh.
Chu Tianyu couldn’t help but admire this genius girl once again. She had orchestrated everything with precision, delivering successive blows to Tianxing Group to create a sense of dominance. Then, using that dominance, she made her opponent feel utterly helpless. The most ingenious part was that at the last moment, she still leveraged that dominance and Zhou Tianxing’s existing sense of frustration, using a few ambiguous words to shatter all of his beliefs and his desperate resolve to fight to the death. Truly, she was extraordinary!
Qin Nianran also smiled faintly, perhaps feeling a hint of satisfaction at her hard work lately, or maybe it was the ease of sharing her success with someone else!
But whatever it was, her expression left Chu Tianyu stunned. The fleeting tenderness and understanding in her eyes created a powerful and stunning visual impact, instantly filling Chu Tianyu’s entire being!
By the time Qin Nianran realized it, the silence in the car had made them hear each other’s heartbeat…
Her heart pounded like a deer’s, and she quickly averted her gaze, turning to look out the window on the other side. She said softly, “Thank you!”

Chu Tianyu also came back to his senses with Qin Nianran’s actions, feeling the awkward atmosphere as well. But he never expected Qin Nianran to suddenly say such a peculiar “thank you,” leaving him utterly confused and asking, “Wh-what thank you?”
Qin Nianran turned her head, her expression back to normal, and spoke in her usual authoritative tone, “Actually, I can understand that sense of lack of feeling you have. Though I don’t know how advanced your martial skills are or how strong your influence is, I can be sure of one thing: none of these things pose any challenge to you. Everyone wants to be at the top, everyone wants to have great power, but they don’t realize that once they reach that height, the loneliness that comes with it is beyond ordinary people’s imagination…”
“Everyone wants to be a genius, but true geniuses are always accompanied by loneliness!” Chu Tianyu continued, his eyes gleaming.
Qin Nianran’s heart trembled, but her expression remained unchanged as she said, “That’s why I want to thank you. Thank you for giving me the chance to use Qianfeng, thank you for giving me a stage to show off, and thank you for accompanying me to Tianxing Group today to avenge Fudu…”
Chu Tianyu was filled with enthusiasm. Just as he was about to say, “You’re welcome!”, Qin Nianran added, “Now, could you do me another small favor?”
“No problem!” Chu Tianyu, in such a mood, replied without hesitation.
Qin Nianran still spoke expressionlessly, “Then please get out of the car first and push the door shut from outside, okay?”
With a “bang~”, the moment the door was shut, Qin Nianran’s sports car roared to life and sped away, disappearing into the distance.
Chu Tianyu stared blankly at the car that had long since vanished, muttering to himself, “Am I really that stupid?”
Meanwhile, Qin Nianran, who had deceived Chu Tianyu, was pale, biting her lips tightly as if trying to suppress intense emotions. She just drove faster and faster, because at that very moment, she realized there was a shadow in her heart…