Chapter 494: Are You Sure You Want to Hear It?

Chapter 494: Are You Sure You Want to Hear It?

Su Ruiwen’s expression shifted slightly. He hadn’t known Wu Chen was coming, of course, but judging from Wu Yurong’s expression, she’d clearly known in advance.

Naturally, it was Wu Yurong who had informed him.

Whether she’d invited Wu Chen of her own initiative or Wu Chen had decided to come after hearing about the meeting, Su Ruiwen couldn’t say.

Creak!

The bodyguard opened the private-room door. Wu Chen entered, as always dressed in a suit and wearing a smile. There was never anything ordinary about the impression Wu Chen made. In a suit, his bearing gave the immediate impression of a wealthy young gentleman. Yet anyone who’d investigated his background knew that he came from a family as ordinary as could be.

“You’re here.” Wu Yurong stood to welcome him with a sweet smile. She also glanced at her watch. Wu Chen had arrived five minutes early, which counted as being on time.

Su Ruiwen, who was seated closer to the door, turned around in his chair. His face was utterly calm, so calm that no one could read his emotions.

Su Ruiwen didn’t stand.

Nor did Wu Chen offer to shake his hand.

Clearly, under the circumstances, neither man saw any need for empty courtesies.

“You haven’t ordered yet…” Wu Chen asked with a smile as he walked farther into the room, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

“We were waiting for you, of course,” Wu Yurong replied sweetly, her voice soft. The look she gave him was radiant, and she seemed noticeably more relaxed than before.

“Have a look. What would you like to eat…” After sitting down, Wu Yurong picked up the menu, opened it, and held it toward him.

“Anything’s fine. You order. None of us came here for the food today,” Wu Chen said with a smile.

“That’s true…” Wu Yurong smiled too. Her beautiful eyes flicked toward him, as though she were giving him some kind of signal.

Su Ruiwen saw everything.

In all the years he’d known Wu Yurong, he’d never seen her behave like this. It wasn’t that she was putting on a coy, girlish act. Rather, it was how openly and unreservedly she took the initiative, without her usual careful sense of propriety.

Su Ruiwen genuinely admired Wu Chen’s composure.

He could sit down beside Wu Yurong without the slightest embarrassment, speak to her with easy familiarity, and act as though nothing unusual had happened—as though they’d simply come together for dinner.

Wu Yurong ordered first.

She called to the bodyguard outside, who summoned a server. Nobody particularly cared what they ate tonight, so Wu Yurong ordered a few of Laopinxuan’s signature dishes, followed by wine. The wine mattered more than the food.

Su Ruiwen wouldn’t drink much because of his health.

And the occasion wasn’t suitable for heavy drinking anyway.

But there still had to be some.

Wu Yurong ordered two bottles of Laopinxuan’s most expensive red wine. It would take a few minutes for the wine to arrive, so after the server left, she turned the lazy Susan to bring the tea tray back toward her and poured Wu Chen a cup of tea.

Su Ruiwen remained silent, watching Wu Chen.

As Wu Yurong poured the tea, he lifted his own cup and quietly took a sip, never taking his eyes off Wu Chen.

“Boss Su, aren’t you going to say anything?” Wu Chen rested a hand against his teacup and looked at Su Ruiwen with a smile. “Ruobing called me about what happened this afternoon…”

“…Was everything Miss Li told me true?” Su Ruiwen asked, setting down his cup. He moved slowly, and his words came just as slowly.

In truth, he hadn’t worked out how to approach this conversation with Wu Chen at all.

He was completely unprepared!

For Su Ruiwen, the mental preparation required to speak openly with Wu Chen was no different from what he would need to speak openly with his daughter, Su Qingying.

Because he knew that things might very well go badly—that the conversation might reach a point where he would have to make a decision!

Whether that would put Wu Chen in a difficult position, he didn’t know. But for Su Ruiwen himself, it would unquestionably be difficult! If Wu Chen were an ordinary man, matters would be simple enough. But Wu Chen was anything but ordinary. Su Ruiwen had even begun to feel that if he turned against Wu Chen, he might not be able to defeat him!

And his thoughts were complicated by many subtler considerations.

For example… why turn against him at all? For his daughter’s happiness? Or to protect the Su family’s businesses? Turning against Wu Chen might accomplish neither goal. Not turning against him, on the other hand, might actually…

There were far too many uncertainties in Su Ruiwen’s mind.

He really wasn’t ready.

“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what Ruobing told you. I didn’t ask her for a detailed account,” Wu Chen said, looking at Su Ruiwen with a smile. “But I think anything she was willing to tell you was probably true.”

“Mr. Wu, you’ve truly… opened my eyes,” Su Ruiwen said. He gave Wu Chen a brief smile, then immediately let it fade, his expression becoming calm again.

“Boss Su, you’re not the first person to say that about me…” Wu Chen smiled.

The two men held each other’s gaze throughout.

Su Ruiwen’s stare didn’t intimidate Wu Chen in the slightest. Conversely, Su Ruiwen wasn’t about to avoid Wu Chen’s eyes simply because of everything he’d heard about him.

As Donghai’s richest man, Su Ruiwen was not someone who could easily be made to back down on his own turf. Even a powerful outsider would have trouble overpowering this local heavyweight. If Li Maoren himself came to Donghai, Su Ruiwen might not match him in personal standing, but by drawing on the connections behind him, Su Ruiwen could even gain the upper hand.

Anyone who reached the very pinnacle of a major industry would have connections that reached into the highest levels!

And in the gold and jewelry business, Su Ruiwen had reached that pinnacle!

He traveled to the capital every year to attend meetings.

In truth, there were many people Su Ruiwen was wary of. But under normal circumstances, that wariness affected the methods he used when taking action, not whether he yielded on major issues.

Now, however, whenever he had to decide on a major matter involving risk, Su Ruiwen inevitably weighed the gains, losses, and possible compromises over and over again. And that was because… he truly didn’t have long to live.

The Su family’s most important and powerful connections at the highest levels existed because Su Ruiwen was still alive. Once he died, those connections might disappear.

This was true of business families like the Sus and of powerful political families alike. When the older generation passed away, their strongest personal connections rarely survived intact.

That was why Su Ruiwen would consider yielding. Unless it was necessary, he didn’t want to leave a mess for his daughter.

None of these emotions showed on his face.

“Quite a surprise… Those Qi brothers everyone was talking about at Old Lu’s wedding earlier today—I never imagined their arrests were your doing, Mr. Wu. According to Miss Li, it was because of a little girl surnamed Zhuang…” Su Ruiwen looked at Wu Chen, seeming to make casual conversation.

“Do you believe that, Boss Su?” Wu Chen asked with a smile.

“It’s hard to believe you’d set such a major affair in motion over that girl, Mr. Wu. But that’s what Miss Li told me. She didn’t seem entirely certain herself, either. There may have been something else behind it…” Su Ruiwen said at a measured pace, with a meaning beneath his words.

“There’s quite a bit Ruobing doesn’t know,” Wu Chen said with a smile. “And I don’t think she needs to know. The more you know, the more pressure you carry. Besides, she isn’t especially interested in those matters…”

“What matters?” Su Ruiwen asked, raising his eyebrows slightly as he met Wu Chen’s gaze.

This could no longer even be called fishing for information. He was asking Wu Chen directly!

He didn’t know whether Wu Chen would answer, but he was determined to ask!

What could have made Second Master Tang and Gu Ruibo act at the same time, even at the cost of falling out with the Xiang family? What could be at stake? How much profit was involved? The matter itself had nothing to do with Su Ruiwen, but he needed to understand exactly what Wu Chen was capable of and what methods he possessed.

It was extremely important!

Wu Chen looked at Su Ruiwen and smiled. Su Ruiwen really did have an interesting personality. He often spoke with extraordinary directness, yet his thoughts ran extraordinarily deep. It was easy to guess what lay behind his words, or what he intended by a question, but exceedingly difficult to guess what conclusion he would eventually reach.

“Boss Su, you’re Qingying’s father,” Wu Chen began, smiling at him. “So I think I ought to warn you about something. Once I tell you certain things and you’ve heard them, there will be no turning back. You’ll have to make a choice. Are you sure you want to hear?”

Wu Chen kept smiling.

Su Ruiwen’s face remained calm and utterly impassive.

Their eyes met.

Silence.