Chapter 1389 Withdrawal
By the time the gathering dispersed, it was past nine o'clock. Old Master Su seemed very pleased and continued chatting with Wei Changgeng, while Chen Xuan simply sat by listening quietly. Wei Linlin, on the other hand, had already curled up on the sofa and fallen fast asleep, even letting out little snores.
It wasn't until past eleven at night that Wei Changgeng woke Wei Linlin up and had her go home with her.
The girl, still groggy, didn't forget to remind Chen Xuan that he absolutely had to accompany her out to play tomorrow. Chen Xuan readily agreed. As for what tomorrow would bring, it depended on whether Wei Linlin could even remember.
Old Master Su had also retired to his room for the night. Chen Xuan headed upstairs and suddenly stopped at the door of Su Yunxi's bedroom. Seeing that the door was ajar, his heart surged with excitement. Could Yunxi have left the door open for him?
Yunxi, truly worthy of being his fiancée, thought of him so much!
He subconsciously glanced left and right, acting like a thief.
Although modern society was very open, Chen Xuan felt it was still a bit strange without a marriage certificate. Moreover, this way was rather thrilling...
As the saying goes, a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as clandestine pleasure!
He reached for the doorknob, about to open the door, when a familiar voice suddenly sounded from behind him: "Chen Xuan?"
Chen Xuan froze, his face paling dramatically.
Had Jiang Biyun discovered him?!
He was about to sneak into Su Yunxi's room, but he hadn't expected to be caught by his future mother-in-law. It was too embarrassing...
He opened his mouth, ready to speak, when suddenly Jiang Biyun relaxed, patted her chest, and chided, "Chen Xuan, what are you doing up and about at this hour? You scared me to death. What are you standing here for? Go in and sleep quickly."
With that, Jiang Biyun walked off to the restroom as if nothing had happened, acting as if Chen Xuan was supposed to be sleeping in Su Yunxi's bedroom all along.
Chen Xuan, however, wore a peculiar expression and muttered, "Damn it, this is too much! Doesn't this ruin the thrill of sneaking?"
He shook his head, no longer dwelling on it, and eagerly tried to open the door. But to his dismay, it wouldn't budge. He realized he had been mistaken; the door was locked and had never been left open for him at all.
Late at night, Chen Xuan felt too embarrassed to knock again, lest he alarm everyone else. So, he turned back and returned to his own bedroom.
In his bedroom, Su Yunxi lay in bed, chuckling. She let out a soft hum: "Trying to climb onto my bed after being missing all day? It's not that easy!"
Chen Xuan would never have known that Su Yunxi was secretly giggling under the covers, uttering such bold words. Otherwise, even if he had to scale the walls, Chen Xuan would have found a way in.
After all, if the world's most formidable forbidden zones couldn't stop Chen Xuan, how could a mere small bedroom?
......
The next day, in a Beijing courtyard house.
This villa was located in an excellent spot within Beijing, within the Second Ring Road. It was rumored that this courtyard house had once fetched over two hundred million yuan at auction, making headlines.
Currently, six figures sat inside the courtyard house.
These were all young men, dressed in bright and stylish attire. Numerous beautiful maids served them nearby. The maids wore tight-fitting outfits, with deep cleavage exposed at the chest, their every movement nearly causing onlookers' eyes to bulge.
"I heard that King Qi's establishment had an incident yesterday, and his manager, Sister Liu, was beaten. Did you all hear about it?" a young man with thick eyebrows suddenly asked.
Beside him, a young man wearing a string of prayer beads calmly replied, "It's not that uncommon. My establishment also had many people causing trouble, but it was all settled smoothly. Nothing major happened."
"That's true."
"What if they're unhappy? Who dares to mess with us?"
The scions of noble families spoke with utter composure, not taking the matter seriously at all.
Just then, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, Zhu Mingchuan, King Qi, walked in with a grim expression, his face bruised and swollen, with several purple marks.
"King Qi, what happened to your face?"
Suddenly, the young man with thick eyebrows raised an eyebrow. Noticing Zhu Mingchuan's bruised and swollen face, he expressed his surprise.
The others were also taken aback. Who dared to beat Zhu Mingchuan?
"It's... nothing..."
As Zhu Mingchuan spoke, the corners of his mouth were pulled painfully.
After returning yesterday, he had received a severe beating from his elder brother, Zhu Bingyi. Otherwise, how could he have ended up so bruised and swollen?
Zhu Bingyi wasn't entirely afraid of Chen Xuan. It was Zhu Mingchuan's actions that had greatly angered him.
"Oh, I heard someone beat up our King Qi's people. Don't tell me you were beaten too?"
The one speaking was a young man in Nike sportswear, a sarcastic sneer on his face.
He was Ge Feipeng, from the Ge family, one of the nine influential families in Beijing. He was a university classmate of Zhu Mingchuan. However, because Zhu Mingchuan had snatched Ge Feipeng's boyfriend during their university days, Ge Feipeng had always harbored resentment towards Zhu Mingchuan. Now that he had an opportunity, he naturally seized it to mock him relentlessly.
The others couldn't help but burst into laughter, showing expressions of watching a good show.
"You're talking nonsense... Ow..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Mingchuan winced in pain.
This made everyone laugh even harder.
"King Qi, if you're not capable, I suggest you withdraw from our Eight Kings. You don't know, there are quite a few people who want to join our little circle. We don't lack you."
Ge Feipeng taunted. He had always wanted to oust Zhu Mingchuan, and now was the perfect opportunity.
"To be frank, I've come to discuss something with you all."
Zhu Mingchuan took a breath and looked around at everyone.
"King Qi, what is it you wish to discuss?"
"I think what we're doing might be wrong. Can we stop our current businesses?" Zhu Mingchuan said solemnly.
After the lessons imparted by Zhu Bingyi last night, he had come to understand that the businesses he was involved in were not proper. Of course, there was also Zhu Bingyi's threat. Thus, Zhu Mingchuan had come early in the morning to discuss stopping these businesses.
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions varied, mostly filled with surprise.
"Stop our businesses? King Qi, were you beaten senseless by that kid yesterday? Do you know how much money our businesses make? My establishments alone earned over two million yesterday. That's just one day's income!"
"King Qi, what are you thinking? If we stop such profitable businesses, we'll be struck by lightning!"
Suddenly, King Xian, Hong Qingquan, asked solemnly, "Brother Mingchuan, have you encountered some trouble? We're all brothers. If you're facing anything, just say it!"
Hong Qingquan was from the Hong family in Beijing. Among the eight, he had the best temperament and never offended anyone. However, if anyone encountered difficulties, Hong Qingquan would always help.
"I believe our businesses are not normal. If we continue like this, it will incite public outrage, and one day we will pay the price for it."
Zhu Mingchuan stated.
"Not normal? How else can normal businesses make money? And pay the price? Who dares to make me pay the price, let them try! I certainly won't stop my business. If you want to stop, you stop yourself," Ge Feipeng sneered.
"I won't stop either. My monthly expenses are very high. Without this business, I can't sustain myself."
One by one, they shook their heads like rattles.
Zhu Mingchuan had expected this outcome.
He took a breath and said solemnly, "Since you all are unwilling, I won't force you. From now on, I will stop my businesses, and I will return my establishments. How you divide them is your concern!"