Who's going to be the female lead's simp? Aren't the supporting female characters mor

"The conditions are very simple."

Bai Jingyou held up a finger and waved it in front of Ye Lingqing's eyes. The sea breeze ruffled his clothes, but it couldn't dispel the calculating calmness in his eyes.

"I want all of the Ye family's offline retail channels in Beijing to be opened to the Bai Group. And, we need to sign an exclusivity agreement."

Ye Lingqing's smile froze instantly, her fingers holding the cigarette trembled slightly, and the ash fell down, burning the hem of her expensive silk dress.

"Are you crazy?" Ye Lingqing exclaimed, her beautiful eyes wide open. "Do you know what this means? The Ye family's retail network in the north is a decades-old foundation. You're forcing the Ye family to completely sever ties with the Chu family! This isn't doing business anymore; this is coercion!"

If it were just a collaboration at Pier 7, the Ye family could explain to Chu Cang that it was for making money.

But if we open up retail channels and make them exclusive, it would be tantamount to blatantly setting fire to Chu Cang's backyard.

"Mr. Ye, that's not how you calculate things."

Bai Jingyou stepped forward, getting closer to Ye Lingqing.

The distance between them shrank to an ambiguous ten centimeters, but there was no tenderness in his eyes, only a heart-pounding sense of oppression.

"Polaris Heavy Industries' goods are all high-end energy equipment and precision instruments. Once these things arrive at the port, they need a market. The Chu family controls the distribution network in the north, and if they don't loosen their grip, these goods will just rot in the warehouse."

Bai Jingyou reached out and gently took the half-smoked cigarette from Ye Lingqing's fingertips, then casually flicked it into the sea.

"But with the Ye family's connections, I can bypass Chu Cang and directly distribute my goods in the capital. This is not only a business opportunity for the Bai family, but also an excellent chance for the Ye family to absorb the Chu family's market share."

"Even...to replace it."

The last four words, spoken softly by Bai Jingyou, struck Ye Lingqing's heart like a devil's whisper.

Ye Lingqing's breathing became rapid, and her chest heaved violently.

She stared intently at the man in front of her, who was several years younger than her, feeling both fear and a wildly growing ambition.

This is a gamble.

If they win, the Ye family's power will advance further; if they lose, the price will be heavy.

"You're a madman..." Ye Lingqing bit her red lips, and after a long while, she finally squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth, "But I like madmen. Deal, but I have one more thing to add: I want 40% of the profits."

"Thirty-five percent, that's the most I can do." Bai Jingyou turned away, no longer looking at her, and took Jiang Mengyao's hand, who had been standing quietly to the side. "After all, I still have to support my family."

Ye Lingqing looked at their tightly clasped hands and snorted coldly, "Fine, 35% it is. Bai Jingyou, remember what you said. If things go wrong, I'll be the first to kick you out."

After saying that, she turned around, got into the red Ferrari, the engine roared, and she sped away with a fit of venting anger.

"That's it?"

Jiang Mengyao only spoke in a daze after the Ferrari disappeared from sight.

The pressure of having a few words decide a multi-billion dollar deal made her palms slightly sweaty.

But the hand that Bai Jingyou was holding was warm and dry, giving her an immense sense of security.

"It's done." Bai Jingyou squeezed her soft palm, his sharp aura instantly disappearing, and he transformed back into the gentle boy next door. "Are you hungry? I was so busy pretending... cough, so busy talking business that the food got cold."

[I almost let it slip. I have to maintain a good image in front of my wife; 'pretentious' is such an inelegant word.]

Jiang Mengyao chuckled, her eyes crinkling into a smile: "Yes, President Bai was so imposing just now, he even scared Sister Ye away. As a reward, I'll treat you to a big meal at noon?"

"Then we have to have a good meal." Bai Jingyou opened the car door and helped Jiang Mengyao into the passenger seat. "But let's leave Chen Mo here and count the containers."

Outside the car, Chen Mo, who was about to follow, adjusted his glasses and stopped, expressionless: ...

……

Downtown, Genting Restaurant.

This is a private restaurant that operates on a membership system. The environment is quiet and serene, without the ostentatious splendor of a nouveau riche, only rustic screens and the sound of flowing water.

"Jingyou, try this lion's head meatball, it's their signature dish." Jiang Mengyao skillfully served food to Bai Jingyou, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Since that night when they established their relationship, Jiang Mengyao seemed to have completely let down her guard. The once aloof eldest daughter of the Jiang family now has nothing but the man in front of her.

"It tastes good." Bai Jingyou took a bite and nodded in praise, "But it's still a bit lacking compared to what you made."

"You're so glib." Jiang Mengyao glared at him reproachfully, but two red clouds rose on her cheeks. "From now on... if you want to eat it, I'll make it for you every day."

"That won't do." Bai Jingyou put down his chopsticks and looked at her seriously. "Cooking hurts your hands. It's fine to do it occasionally. Your hands are for playing the piano and signing contracts, not for being my maid."

Jiang Mengyao felt a warmth in her heart and was about to say something when a clear, childlike voice suddenly came from behind the screen.

"Sister Mengyao! It really is you!"

Immediately afterwards, a little girl wearing a Lolita dress and with pigtails rushed over like a cannonball, completely ignoring Bai Jingyou and burying her head in Jiang Mengyao's arms.

"Lingling?" Jiang Mengyao caught the little girl in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I ran away from home!" Feng Ling sat down next to Jiang Mengyao angrily, grabbed some pastries from the table and stuffed them into her mouth, her tone clearly more joking than anything else.

"Cough cough..." Bai Jingyou almost choked on his tea.

"Lingling, don't talk nonsense." Jiang Mengyao put Feng Ling aside.

Feng Ling licked the cream from the corner of her mouth and swung her legs. "Dad recently said that Brother Bai made the Chu family so angry that they smashed two antique vases."

Bai Jingyou smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.

Mentioning this, Feng Ling's face immediately fell: "Don't even mention it, it's all because of that Golden Autumn Business Summit. I heard a big shot is coming from Beijing this time, and my dad is worried about which side to choose. Ugh, so annoying, the adult world is so complicated."

Bai Jingyou's eyes narrowed.

Golden Autumn Business Summit.

[Here comes the plot point from the original novel. This summit marks the beginning of the Chu family's counterattack. Chu Cang knows it's difficult to overwhelm the Bai family in logistics and industry in a short time, so he plans to use this summit to unite with the financial tycoons of Beijing to launch a financial siege against the Bai Group.]

"A big shot?" Bai Jingyou asked calmly. "Do you know who it is?"

"I think his surname is Shen?" Feng Ling tilted her head and thought for a moment. "What's his name... Shen Zhuo? Anyway, my dad sighs whenever he mentions this name, saying that this person is like a Pixiu, only taking in and never giving out."

The moment the name "Shen Zhuo" appeared, Bai Jingyou's fingers tightened slightly as he held the teacup.

Shen Zhuo, the illegitimate son of the Shen family in Beijing, is a trader who returned from Wall Street.

In the original novel, this was the outside help Chu Cang had invited. His methods were extremely insidious, and he was most skilled at short selling and malicious mergers and acquisitions.

"Looks like this meal won't be going to be peaceful." Bai Jingyou put down his teacup, a playful smile curving his lips.

Now that we know who our opponent is, things are much easier.

……

Meanwhile, at Fragrant Hills Villa.

The study was dark, and in the dim light, Chu Cang sat in a grand chair, playing with the two newly replaced walnuts in his hands.

Opposite him sat a man in a white suit and wearing gold-rimmed glasses. The man was probably around thirty years old, with a refined and handsome appearance, but his narrow eyes revealed a chilling light.

It was Shen Zhuo.

"Old Master Chu, why are you doing this?" Shen Zhuo picked up his teacup, took a sip with elegant movements, and said, "Is it really necessary to call me back from a small family in Haicheng? My acquisition deal in New York is still at a critical moment."

"Merely?" Chu Cang sneered, throwing a document on the table. "Take a look for yourself. The incident at Pier No. 7, the involvement of Polaris Heavy Industries, and this kid's recent series of actions. This isn't something an ordinary rich kid could do."

Shen Zhuo picked up the document and casually flipped through a few pages.

At first, he seemed quite nonchalant, but the more you looked at him, the more his brows furrowed.

"Interesting." Shen Zhuo closed the file, pushed up his glasses, and said, "This technique... is so shrewd, it's unbelievable for a young person. Every step is perfectly timed, as if... he's seen the cards beforehand."

"That's why I called you back." Chu Cang stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the gloomy sky outside. "Bai Jingyou is a very cunning kid. If you try to play hardball with him, he'll be even harder; if you try to play dirty tricks with him, he'll be even more cunning. Now that he's established himself in the business world, the only way to take him down is to use money."

"As long as I cut off the Bai Group's funding chain, force the banks to withdraw loans, and create some negative public opinion to lower the stock price..." Shen Zhuo stretched out his slender fingers and made a grasping motion in the air, "I can swallow the entire Bai family like crushing an ant."

"This autumn summit is his funeral."

Chu Cang turned around, and a long-lost ferocious smile appeared on his face, which was covered with age spots.

"However, before that, we need to send him a small gift." Chu Cang looked at Shen Zhuo, "I heard that the Bai Group is currently applying for a new credit line?"

"Understood." Shen Zhuo smiled slightly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "I will have the regulatory agencies thoroughly investigate Bai's accounts. As long as they find even the slightest problem, he can forget about getting this money."

"And another thing," Chu Cang's eyes flashed with a ruthless glint, "that woman named Jiang Mengyao is his weakness. Since it's business competition, it's not good to resort to violence directly, but putting some pressure on her family and letting that stubborn old man in the Jiang family know that there's no future with the Bai family shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

"Winning hearts and minds is the best strategy." Shen Zhuo nodded. "Don't worry, Elder Chu, I'm an expert at this kind of game where you can kill without shedding blood."

……

Haicheng, late at night.

Bai Jingyou had just dropped Jiang Mengyao off at home and was about to drive away when his phone on the center console suddenly lit up.

It was an anonymous text message.

The content is very simple, consisting of only one picture.

The image shows a draft official document from a regulatory agency, with the title: "Notice on Conducting a Special Financial Audit of Subsidiaries under the Bai Group".

In the lower right corner of the document, there was also a gold-embossed invitation.

[We cordially invite Mr. Bai Jingyou to attend the Autumn Business Summit. — Shen Zhuo]

Bai Jingyou looked at the screen, but instead of panicking, he laughed out loud.

[Shen Zhuo, oh Shen Zhuo, you're still using the same old tricks. First, audit and cut off supplies, then stage a coup at the summit. This tactic certainly brought down quite a few people in the original story.]

[Unfortunately, you met me.]