Chapter 15: The Rumored Boyfriend

The joyous family reunion banquet had turned into a scandal of adultery, something no one could have anticipated.

In mere minutes, the news spread throughout the hotel, and almost all the guests who were invited to the banquet became aware of Xu Hai and Xu Yao's affair.

However, not everyone was like the Huo family, who had foreknowledge of today's events, arriving early to witness the fresh drama firsthand.

Most guests weren't present at the scene and could only hear secondhand accounts of the juicy details.

Many guests, unsatisfied with just hearing about it, wanted to join in on the spectacle but saw Zhuang Hua and Xu Yunzhi coming out to bid farewell to their guests.

With the hosts bidding them goodbye, the guests, despite their burning curiosity, had no choice but to suppress their gossiping spirits and take their leave.

As they were seeing the guests off, Zhuang Hua specifically requested that everyone try their best not to leak today's events.

Many of the guests had business ties with Xu Corporation and wouldn't openly offend Zhuang Hua, so they naturally agreed.

But everyone knew deep down that secrets couldn't be kept forever, and this scandal would inevitably spread.

Xu Family's reunion banquet was grandly organized, inviting virtually every influential entrepreneur from the business circle. During the commotion at the hotel, numerous journalists and media personnel were present, and rumors suggested they had captured some indecent scenes.

Even if they could silence the guests, how could they ensure that these images wouldn't be leaked by the media?

Sure enough, by the evening after the banquet ended, anonymous forums and live-streaming platforms for anonymous tips were already buzzing with leaks about the event, generating significant heat. It didn't take long for netizens to trace the incident back to Xu Family's reunion banquet today.

However, the information provided was too scarce for netizens to immediately identify the two main characters involved.

The next day, more netizens joined the discussion, and even marketing accounts, somehow getting wind of the situation, directly named Xu Hai and Xu Yao as the protagonists of the scandal!

The revelation instantly ignited the internet.

After digesting such a shocking piece of gossip, the modern-day Sherlock Holmes-like netizens couldn't sit still. They began digging through all the photos of Xu Hai and Xu Yao together over the past year, and surprisingly, they did find some clues.

Following these clues, they analyzed further and concluded that the two had been involved with each other as early as half a year ago!

The censored photos from the reunion banquet were "leaked" at this time, further substantiating the rumors.

The online public opinion was overwhelming, causing fluctuations in the stock prices of Xu Corporation.

The company's upper management immediately convened a board meeting. After the meeting, Xu Hai was removed from his position as chairman, and the new director appointed was none other than Zhuang Hua. Simultaneously, Xu Yunzhi was named the new CEO of the group.

It was at this moment that Xu Hai finally believed Xu Yao's words from yesterday—

Zhuang Hua indeed knew about this matter long ago, and they had both been manipulated by her!

But it was too late to regret now.

Under Zhuang Hua's maneuvering, Xu Corporation was firmly under her and Xu Yunzhi's control. Although Xu Hai still held twenty percent of the company's shares, after signing the divorce agreement, these shares would all belong to Zhuang Hua.

As he pondered this, Xu Hai became so enraged that he fainted straight away.

...

Ye Leyao spent these two days like a chaotic cat in a melon field, feasting on gossip online every day.

When he saw the latest headline pop up, he couldn't help but burst out laughing:

"He didn't faint when caught cheating in front of so many people the other day, but now he can't handle being demoted and faints? "

"The scumbag's tolerance is way too low! But I'm enjoying this, hahaha!"

Downstairs.

Huo Ba and Huo Ma exchanged glances and also smiled in relief.

Thanks to Ye Leyao, although they hadn't done anything these past two days, they hadn't missed any of the online gossip.

After browsing through the news, Ye Leyao quickly clicked on the next article. After nearly half an hour, he reluctantly logged out of Weibo and opened his Moments, ready for his routine scroll.

Upon entering, he saw a familiar profile picture—it was Xu Chen.

The caption was simply a line of emo text: "I feel like a ball being kicked around; I have no family left."

Ye Leyao's eyes widened slightly, his interest piqued:

"No family left?"

"Could it be that Xu Chen's two fathers kicked him out as well?"

The moment Huo Jing stepped into the Huo residence, he heard these words out of nowhere.

Huo Ba and Huo Ma were discussing the matter.

Huo Ma said, "I haven't heard that Xu Hai kicked Xu Chen out. Could it be Xu Yao's doing?"

Huo Ba frowned, shaking his head. He wasn't sure either. If it really was Xu Yao, then he had gone too far.

But all of this was self-inflicted by Xu Chen, as he had personally severed Zhuang Hua's last shred of affection towards him.

Hearing the sound at the door, the two looked up simultaneously.

Huo Jing was supposed to return to his own place today after a business trip abroad the past two days, but remembering that his assistant had informed him yesterday that he had helped set up a brokerage team for Ye Leyao, he decided to bring Feng Assistant back to inform Ye Leyao in person.

But upon entering, he unexpectedly heard several familiar names.

"What's going on, Mom and Dad?" Huo Jing walked over and sat down.

Huo Ba glanced at Feng Assistant and, without mentioning that they had learned about the situation in advance from Ye Leyao and had been feasting on gossip as a family, briefly recounted the events of the past few days to Huo Jing.

Assistant Feng listened with a wide-eyed fascination.

So much juicy gossip in your wealthy circle?

Can you tell me more?!

Huo Jing frowned, his gaze asking: Did Ye Leyao reveal it beforehand?

Mom Huo nodded gently.

What else could it be.

Otherwise, how could they coincidentally feast on fresh gossip right at the scene?

Huo Jing pursed his lips and nodded. Since it was someone else's family affairs, he wasn't particularly concerned. He only needed to pay attention to whether there would be any significant moves in decision-making after Zhuang Hua and Xu Yunzhi took office at Xu Corporation. As long as it didn't affect their cooperation, Huo Jing didn't need to worry about it.

After a brief moment of thought, Huo Jing asked, "Is Ye Leyao upstairs?"

Only then did Mom Huo ask what he had returned for.

Huo Jing explained his purpose.

Mom Huo quickly got up and called Ye Leyao downstairs.

Ye Leyao came down with his phone in hand, only to see an unfamiliar person on the sofa, who was rather good-looking.

Ye Leyao's eyes instantly lit up, brimming with excitement:

"Has my twenty-six-year-old virgin big brother finally brought his boyfriend home?!"

Dad Huo: "...cough cough cough cough cough—"

Huo Jing: "..."

"What's wrong with Dad Huo? Why did he choke on water?!"

Mom Huo: "..."

It's because you always have to say something shocking!

Fortunately, Assistant Feng couldn't hear this; otherwise, he would have panicked.

To prevent further misunderstandings, Mom Huo hurriedly pulled Ye Leyao's arm to explain, "Didn't you say you wanted to enter the entertainment industry before? I had your big brother prepare for it, and now Xiao Feng has already assembled a team. So your big brother specially brought Assistant Feng back to talk to you about it!"

She deliberately emphasized the words "Assistant Feng."

Ye Leyao realized his misunderstanding. Upon reflection, it made sense; when he read novels before, he had only heard that his big brother had an atmosphere boyfriend, not that he was actually dating anyone.

He said "oh" and sat next to Mom Huo on the sofa.

Assistant Feng, unaware of Ye Leyao's earlier misunderstanding, smiled at him and began explaining while taking out the documents he had prepared early.

Regarding his future development path in the entertainment industry, Ye Leyao listened attentively.

Seeing this, Assistant Feng couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

No wonder his boss wanted to set up a company for him; such a handsome and very humble younger brother, who wouldn't like him?!

Although still not as good as his own little brother, hehe.

Appreciating Ye Leyao, Assistant Feng elaborated further: "…although we've already planned out Young Master's development path for the future, it's just a plan after all. What's more important is to see how things develop within the industry later and the audience's initial impression of Young Master."

Personas can be crafted, after all!

Speaking of which, Assistant Feng couldn't resist giving an example: "When my little brother first entered the circle, the brokerage company created the most popular 'noble son' persona for him recently. Relying on this persona, he quickly rose to fame in the circle…"

Ye Leyao suddenly looked at Assistant Feng.

He had felt that Assistant Feng was quite handsome, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

Hearing Assistant Feng mention he had a little brother, Ye Leyao was somewhat surprised:

"It can't be that coincidental, can it?"

The other Huo's turned to look at him in unison.

After Assistant Feng lavishly praised his little brother, Ye Leyao asked, "Are you talking about your biological little brother, Assistant Feng?"

Assistant Feng smiled shyly, somewhat embarrassed: "Yes, his name is Feng Ziqi. After Young Master enters the circle, there might even be a chance for them to work together!"

In Ye Leyao's gaze towards Assistant Feng, a subtle and profound expression instantly appeared:

"Turns out… it really is that coincidental."

Mom Huo put down her cup.

How could it be so coincidental?

Was there something they didn't know again?

Dad Huo was also anxious.

Tell us quickly, that Feng Ziqi, is he also an artist under Big Brother's company?

Huo Jing also remembered Feng Ziqi.

It wasn't because he was a particularly outstanding and promising artist from a subsidiary company, but rather because during Assistant Feng's occasional idle moments, he would chat with Huo Jing about family matters, inevitably mentioning his little brother.

Having heard it so often, Huo Jing remembered it.

Even recently, there was a project that Huo Jing found promising, so he recommended Feng Ziqi to participate in it.

So, how did this coincidence happen?

The three of them looked intently at Ye Leyao, waiting patiently for her to reveal the mystery.

"Let me find a photo—"

Ye Leyao picked up her phone and browsed through it for a while before finally lifting her head, looking again at Assistant Feng.

"Is it him?" Ye Leyao asked.

Assistant Feng smiled brightly. "Yes, yes, yes, this is my brother!"

Having debuted for only a year, he's already a rising star in the industry!

When Assistant Feng mentioned Feng Ziqi, he was particularly proud, even raising his chin slightly.

Ye Leyao: "That's... interesting."

What's so interesting? Those six dots in your ellipsis could contain a lot of content. Don't leave us hanging; just get on with it!

The three members of the Huo family were somewhat anxious.

Suddenly, Ye Leyao turned her head to look at Huo Jing.

Huo Jing, the eldest son of the Huo family who wields great power in the Huo Group, suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

He wasn't this nervous even when the Huo Group's stock prices plummeted!

It was as if he was awaiting final judgment, Huo Jing even held his breath for a moment.

Then she heard Ye Leyao say:

"My older brother is truly... the most tragic victim of our time!"

"How should I remind my brother that upon debuting, Feng Ziqi established himself as an aristocratic young master, packaging himself as the rumored boyfriend of the Huo Group's crown prince, wielding power in the industry, and even using Assistant Feng's connections to obtain the key to my brother's riverside villa..."

"Hold on, at this point in time, isn't Feng Ziqi participating in a reality show?"

"If I remember correctly, it's today that Ziqi Feng brought the filming crew to my brother's villa, solidifying the fact that he is my brother's "rumored boyfriend"?"

"Bang"!

Huo Jing accidentally shattered a glass cup.

He abruptly stood up, the atmosphere around him turning cold, and he glanced at Assistant Feng with a grim expression.

Assistant Feng was still praising his younger brother when he unexpectedly met his boss's gaze, causing the rest of his words to stick in his throat, and sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

What... what's going on?

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