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

The news of the Shen Group building being sealed off spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys of Beijing within just two hours.

The financial news scrolling bar was glaringly red, and the host announced in an almost excited tone: "Shen's Logistics is under investigation for suspected major economic crimes; Chairman Shen Zhenyang suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and was hospitalized; his grandson Shen Wanshan has been taken into police custody..."

The rain outside the window has stopped.

The air in Beijing smelled less dusty and more of the earthy scent after the rain.

Lanting Club, top-floor private room.

There are no media cameras here, only the melodious sound of the guqin and the faint scent of sandalwood.

In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, several figures were raising their glasses and clinking them together.

"This toast is to Old Master Shen."

Zhang Yi's cheeks were slightly flushed, and she held a glass of expensive Romanée-Conti in her hand, her eyes glazed over with a hint of fierceness. "I'm grateful that he used the rest of his life and his grandson's to put together a Manchu Han Imperial Feast for us."

"bite."

The crisp sound of crystal glasses clinking echoed in the private room.

Bai Jingyou leaned back on the sofa, his collar slightly open, looking languid.

He didn't show the ecstatic joy of revenge; he even controlled the curve of his lips perfectly, as if it were all expected.

"Mr. Zhang, have a little less to drink." Feng Rui said with a smile as he cut his Wellington steak. "I just glanced at the market, and Shen's stock price has already fallen below the issue price. Your short selling that round made me green with envy."

"That's what I deserve."

Zhang Yi kicked her high heels aside, stepped barefoot onto the thick, long-haired carpet, and sat down on the armrest next to Bai Jingyou like a lazy Persian cat.

She leaned forward slightly, and the scent of tobacco and expensive perfume instantly enveloped Bai Jingyou.

"Mr. Bai," Zhang Yi breathed softly, her fingers lightly tracing Bai Jingyou's shoulder, "you deserve the most credit this time. I kept my word; besides the two million in service fees, will I personally feed you this glass of wine?"

As she spoke, she picked up her wine glass, making a gesture as if to bring it to Bai Jingyou's lips, her eyes full of undisguised teasing and admiration.

This kind of admiration is both submission to the strong and a probing with a desire to conquer.

Bai Jingyou didn't even lift his eyelids, and was about to reach out to take the wine glass when the heavy nanmu door of the private room was suddenly pushed open.

"Jingyou, I asked the kitchen to make some hangover soup, and also your favorite rock sugar pear soup."

A gentle and soft voice came from behind.

Jiang Mengyao was wearing a simple off-white knitted dress, her hair was simply tied back, and she was holding an exquisite tray in her hand.

She was like a clear spring, instantly dispelling the decadent and sultry atmosphere in the private room.

The air suddenly became quiet for a few seconds.

Zhang Yi's hand froze in mid-air, and Bai Jingyou's movements also stopped.

Jiang Mengyao walked into the private room, her gaze lingering for half a second on Zhang Yi's position, which was almost pressed against Bai Jingyou. Her smile remained unchanged, and even her eyes did not waver.

But Bai Jingyou still keenly sensed that the room temperature seemed to have dropped by two degrees.

"Oh, Mr. Zhang is here too." Jiang Mengyao gently placed the tray on the coffee table, gracefully ladled out a bowl of soup, and said in a gentle tone, "Mr. Zhang, you've worked hard this time. Uncle Feng told me that you were fighting on the front lines and must be exhausted."

She emphasized the words "frontline" and "charging into battle".

It was as if Zhang Yi was a rough man who only knew how to fight and kill, while she was the virtuous wife who added fragrance to the home.

Who is Zhang Yi? She's a shrewd businesswoman in Beijing's business circles; how could she not hear the subtle barb in those words?

She chuckled softly, not only failing to get up but also leaning limply against Bai Jingyou's shoulder, looking at Jiang Mengyao provocatively: "Miss Jiang, you're too kind. This is business, nothing to be ashamed of. As for Miss Jiang, these tasks of serving tea and water can be done by the waiters, why do you have to do it yourself? If you burn those hands that play the piano, Mr. Bai will be heartbroken."

"There are some things that waiters can't do."

Jiang Mengyao sat down on the other side of Bai Jingyou, naturally picked up a wet towel, and wiped Bai Jingyou's hands, her movements as practiced as if she had done it a thousand times.

"Jingyou has a sensitive stomach, he's not used to food from outside. I stewed this pear myself, it's cooked just right." Jiang Mengyao picked up the porcelain bowl, scooped up a spoonful, gently blew on it, and brought it to Bai Jingyou's lips. "Want to try some?"

On one side is a strong, mature woman with fiery red lips, and on the other is a gentle and virtuous childhood friend.

On the left is a business partner with hundreds of millions in profits, and on the right is the Jiang family's only daughter.

Feng Rui sat across from him, and suddenly the steak in his mouth didn't taste good anymore.

He raised his wine glass to cover his face, his eyes darting between the three men, inwardly cursing: This Bai family kid, isn't his luck with women a bit too good? This chaotic scene is even more exciting than the business battle just now!

Bai Jingyou looked at the spoon being offered to his lips, then glanced at the wine glass swaying in Zhang Yi's hand.

This isn't about eating; this is clearly a life-or-death question.

"cough."

Bai Jingyou coughed lightly, leaned forward slightly, subtly avoiding Zhang Yi's support, and took the bowl from Jiang Mengyao's hand.

"I can handle this myself," Bai Jingyou said, taking a sip of the pear soup. "The sweetness is just right. You really know me."

Jiang Mengyao smiled, her eyebrows curving upwards.

Before Zhang Yi could react, Bai Jingyou turned around, raised his soup bowl, and gestured to her: "Sister Zhang, don't just drink. The Shen family has fallen, and the mess that follows is the real disaster. The restructuring of logistics routes in Beijing still depends on your truck fleet. If you get drunk tonight, who will take over those thousands of trucks at Shen's Logistics Park tomorrow?"

Zhang Yi paused for a moment, then rolled her eyes and slammed the wine glass down on the table.

"Boring," Zhang Yi snorted, but sat up straight. "All you think about is business. Bai Jingyou, a man like you deserves to be single forever."

"What's wrong with being single?" Feng Rui finally found a chance to interject, laughing it off to smooth things over. "A man's career should be his priority. Come on, let's get down to business. How do we divide that juicy piece of the Shen family business?"

When the topic turned to business, the two women's expressions changed instantly.

Zhang Yi took out a slender cigarette from her bag, lit it, crossed her legs, and resumed her decisive and efficient CEO demeanor: "I want all the distribution points in the North and West districts. Also, I want the Shen family's dedicated line to Tianjin Port."

"Quite an appetite." Bai Jingyou put down his bowl and tapped his fingers lightly on his knee. "I can give you the distribution center, but not the dedicated line. That's the lifeline for DeepBlue Technology's future cross-border e-commerce business, and we must control it ourselves."

"Mr. Bai, one shouldn't be too greedy." Zhang Yi exhaled a smoke ring. "I really put in a lot of effort this time."

"So I'm going to give you a controlling stake in the cold chain company under the Shen Group." Bai Jingyou offered his bargaining chip. "Shuntong Transportation's current weakness is in cold chain logistics. With this, your valuation can at least double."

Zhang Yi's eyes lit up instantly.

Cold chain logistics! That's the crown jewel of the logistics industry, with the highest profits and the highest barriers to entry.

The Shen family built their fortune by relying on their early monopolies.

"Deal." Zhang Yi made the decision without hesitation. "This deal is a good one."

"And what about me?" Feng Rui asked with a smile. "Although Hongye Capital was only playing a supporting role this time, it still contributed quite a bit, didn't it?"

"Uncle Feng, stop pretending." Bai Jingyou pointed to the ceiling. "Those plots of land owned by Shen's Real Estate are currently held by banks. I've already spoken to the higher-ups; those are part of the future commercial center planning area. If Hongye Capital takes over now, they can resell them for this price."

Bai Jingyou held up five fingers.

Feng Rui grinned so hard his eyes disappeared: "I knew following you would bring me good fortune! Okay, I appreciate it!"

Jiang Mengyao sat quietly to the side, watching Bai Jingyou dismantle and distribute the vast Shen family empire in just a few words. His calm and composed demeanor made the light in her eyes grow brighter and brighter.

This is the man she has her eye on.

Compared to those rich kids who only know how to race cars and go to bars, Bai Jingyou is like a polished gem, with a restrained yet captivating brilliance.

Just then, Bai Jingyou's phone vibrated.

He picked it up and glanced at it; it was an encrypted message.

The sender information is blank.

Shen Zhenyang woke up in the hospital. He only saw one person and specifically asked to see you.

Bai Jingyou narrowed his eyes slightly and rubbed his fingers on the screen a couple of times.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Mengyao keenly noticed the change in his emotions.

"It's nothing." Bai Jingyou put away his phone, stood up, and straightened his clothes. "It's just that an old friend wanted to say a final goodbye to me."

"Do you want to go?" Zhang Yi asked.

"Go." Bai Jingyou's lips curled into a cold smile. "Just as I said, we should see this through to the end. Since we've won, we should make sure he loses clearly and accepts his defeat wholeheartedly."

He turned to Jiang Mengyao and said, "Mengyao, you take Uncle Feng and President Zhang home first. They don't need to wait for me tonight."

"Be careful." Jiang Mengyao didn't ask any more questions, but simply stood up and straightened his collar. "Go home early."

The phrase "Come home early" was said so naturally, as if the two had been married for many years.

Zhang Yi clicked her tongue and said sourly, "Alright, alright, stop showing off your love here. Let's go, Mr. Feng, would you like me a ride?"

Feng Rui laughed heartily, got up and left.

Bai Jingyou was the only one left in the private room. He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the brightly lit city below.

The night view of Beijing was exceptionally clear after the rain.

……

Intensive Care Unit, Beijing First People's Hospital.

The corridor was filled with heavily armed police officers.

Bai Jingyou presented his credentials and, after going through layers of checks, finally stood in front of the heavy isolation door.

Pushing open the door, a strong smell of disinfectant hit me.

Shen Zhenyang lay on the hospital bed, his body covered in tubes.

In just one day, this once-powerful figure in the capital seemed to have aged ten years, his hair turned completely white, and his face was covered with age spots.

Hearing footsteps, Shen Zhenyang opened his eyes with difficulty.

Those once fierce eyes are now nothing but lifelessness.

But the moment they saw Bai Jingyou, a strange will-o'-the-wisp suddenly ignited in the ashes.

"You...have come..." Shen Zhenyang's voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows being pulled.

Bai Jingyou walked to the bedside, looking down at him with no pity or mockery, only calmness.

"They're here."