Chapter 49
Yu Congyan immediately noticed the camera angle was off.
It wasn’t a face-to-face interview, but a hidden camera recording. This kind of footage could easily backfire on the media, a clear sign of desperation.
He didn’t initially connect the middle-aged couple in the video to his memories, but as he continued watching, he saw a familiar figure appear on the screen.
Xia Wansheng sat down across from them.
Yu Congyan: “!!!”
Secretly recording and distorting even a private conversation with family members, no wonder this media outlet relied on extortion and operating in legal gray areas.
As he continued watching, his initial annoyance with the media shifted to confusion about the conversation’s content.
Were these two really Xia Wansheng’s parents? Their words didn’t reflect that, they seemed more interested in berating him.
The conversation started normally, but quickly turned into blatant accusations. The moment he saw Xia Wansheng’s distress—
Yu Congyan stopped watching and quickly returned to the message interface.
“Suppress this, and deal with that media outlet.” He typed coldly.
Although he had seemingly been tolerating the constant gossip surrounding him under the Yu family’s control, freedom of speech didn’t extend to unscrupulous invasion of privacy and defamation.
“CEO Yu, but that media outlet is struggling financially, forcing them into a corner might lead to retaliation, affecting our plans.” Assistant Zhong reminded him.
Unscrupulous media outlets only cared about money and attention, pushing them too hard could lead to various forms of retaliation.
Although it wouldn’t pose a substantial threat, it would be troublesome.
“Move up the plan, the outside world has had enough fun speculating.” Yu Congyan didn’t elaborate, but Assistant Zhong understood his intention.
He wanted them to use this opportunity to turn the tables. Although it was earlier than planned, the timing was perfect.
Their boss was truly brilliant!
“Understood, I’ll take care of it!” Assistant Zhong thought he could finally get rid of those annoying marketing accounts.
Having arranged the next step, Yu Congyan returned to the video with a serious expression, he needed to know what had happened.
The subsequent conversation was like a knife twisting in his heart.
Xia Wansheng had never shown any fear or anxiety about being threatened in front of him, but when confronted by his own family, he finally lost control.
Unfortunately, even his outburst didn’t seem to faze them.
Xia Wansheng also seemed to realize this, giving up on arguing, standing up to leave, telling his parents not to contact him again, “Just pretend I’m dead.”
He looked utterly heartbroken.
The video ended, and Yu Congyan closed his laptop, thinking he couldn’t ignore this, and the truth Xia Wansheng revealed bothered him.
But he still had to consider Xia Wansheng’s feelings. After all, no matter what, they were still his parents. Perhaps he didn’t want him to interfere.
Yu Congyan paused, then suddenly remembered something.
Xia Wansheng had disappeared before dinner and hadn’t returned.
And Housekeeper Zhang said he left without taking anything, even comforting him after being warned about his parents’ hostile attitude, saying he knew what kind of people they were.
But why was he so distraught?
Perhaps, despite repeated disappointments, Xia Wansheng still yearned for a sliver of care from his family.
The sky gradually darkened, and Xia Wansheng still hadn’t returned.
It was long past dinner time.
Yu Congyan couldn’t focus anymore, the waiting slowly eroding his composure.
He started to worry about Xia Wansheng’s safety.
Finding the restaurant’s address wasn’t difficult for him. Hopefully, Xia Wansheng hadn’t gone far.
Seeing the large blue area representing the lake on the map, Yu Congyan didn’t want to consider the possibilities, but he couldn’t waste any time.
The evening breeze blew gently by the artificial lake, small groups of people strolling around.
Xia Wansheng was waiting in line at the restaurant recommended by the system.
Rubbing his growling stomach, he regretted trusting the system.
The forest park was indeed scenic and picturesque, but he was stunned the moment he arrived at the Mala Tang restaurant.
Perhaps because of its remote location, the restaurant was much larger than it appeared, its interior layout complex, seemingly occupying every available space.
And even at this late hour, it was still packed, and he had to wait in line for at least half an hour.
The system was still smug, seeking praise: [Host, I analyzed various social media platforms and selected this top-rated restaurant!]
It was indeed highly rated, like a giant magnet attracting everyone in the area.
But the scenery was indeed beautiful, the restaurant’s location perfect, overlooking the lake and mountains, a gentle breeze blowing by.
Since he was already in line, he might as well take a walk.
Xia Wansheng thought it had been a while since he enjoyed nature.
Before he reached the lake, he saw a familiar figure getting out of a car, not even glancing in his direction, walking purposefully towards the railing by the lake.
Xia Wansheng was a bit far away. By the time he got closer, Yu Congyan was almost on the other side of the lake.
He watched him, puzzled, thinking, Yu Congyan was actually here to relax, it seemed this bankruptcy had hit him hard.
So even the seemingly invincible CEO would be affected by failure.
Xia Wansheng leaned against a bench by the lake, deciding to wait for Yu Congyan to return and greet him, saving himself a few steps.
By now, he clearly understood that Yu Congyan was very different from the tyrannical CEO in the book.
After all, no CEO in the original book would clock in and out of work every day.
After waiting for a while, Xia Wansheng finally saw Yu Congyan in the distance and was about to call him.
But his phone rang first.
Neither of them spoke after the call connected.
Yu Congyan didn’t dare to speak, afraid of upsetting Xia Wansheng.
“I see you.” After a few seconds of silence, Xia Wansheng spoke first, “Is there anything you need?”
His gaze followed the figure by the lake, Yu Congyan’s pace seemed hurried, but his tall and slender figure still stood out in the crowd.
The response from the phone was slightly distorted by static: “Where are you? I need to talk to you.”
Yu Congyan was relieved upon hearing Xia Wansheng’s first response.
He was mainly concerned about his safety, but this location seemed suitable for a serious conversation.
Like how to deal with those middle-aged couple who seemed to be the cause of Xia Wansheng’s distress…
As Yu Congyan was still thinking about how to approach the topic, a familiar voice came from behind him.
“Just turn around, you’ll see me.”
The voice from the phone and the voice from behind him overlapped.
Xia Wansheng walked towards him, uninjured, not dejected, not the drenched and distressed figure from his earlier, unpleasant imagination.
This was good.
Xia Wansheng reached him, hung up the phone, and seeing him still dazed, was a bit puzzled.
Had he unintentionally disturbed his quiet contemplation?
“Did you need something?” Xia Wansheng asked softly.
He hadn’t connected Yu Congyan’s arrival to his earlier performance.
“I…” Yu Congyan wanted to talk about his parents, but he was worried about triggering unpleasant memories, so he hesitated.
He would wait, it was better to address the most important matter first.
“Fu Yan invited me to his restaurant for some market research, a free dinner, want to join us?” He asked.
Xia Wansheng clutched the queue number for his authentic Mala Tang.
He had already waited for twenty minutes, victory was in sight!
But he could only lament inwardly, trying to convey the heartbroken demeanor of someone who had just parted ways with their family, shaking his head, “Sorry, I don’t have much of an appetite right now.”
“Just think of it as meeting a friend? The restaurant is nearby.” Yu Congyan tried to persuade him.
And he remembered Xia Wansheng didn’t dislike hot pot, he should enjoy it.
