Boyfriend Always Thinks I’m a Little Pitiful Chapter 78

"Still going to City B?" Assistant Wang Yu asked, "At this time, it's probably too tight for a round trip."

"Forget it, let's just head to City F." Xie Ci said with a bit of helplessness, sitting in the car and sending a message to Gu Yufeng, but he didn't get a reply even by the time they reached their destination.

The last time they met was over two months ago. Gu Yufeng had gone on a business trip to Country M and squeezed out an hour from his packed schedule to sneak out and meet him, only managing to have a meal before leaving again.

This time, Xie Ci came to Country D to attend the engagement party of a rich man's son, deliberately leaving enough time to meet Gu Yufeng before the party, but ended up with this dead end.

It wasn't even three o'clock when he arrived at the hotel. Xie Ci sat at the desk, browsing recent domestic and international economic news, occasionally glancing at his phone, still without a reply from Gu Yufeng.

Wang Yu was sitting outside, communicating in English with the secretary about work matters. After hanging up, he hurriedly went to report to Xie Ci.

"We just got the news that the people from Saide and Rongyu have reached a preliminary cooperation agreement. Our side might be out of luck!"

The Saide Group from Country T is one of the giants in the sensor field, considered top-notch in the industry.

The series of smart products they are developing rely on various types of sensors, and the recent products launched by Saide have performances that are ahead of their peers. Originally, purchasing components was a small matter that didn't require the president's personal attention, but for the past two months, Saide has been stringing them along, making all sorts of harsh demands while getting close to Rongyu.

For the past two years, DR and Rongyu have been secretly competing in the tech field. Saide is clearly aware of this, or rather, too aware.

Now that Saide and Rongyu have reached a cooperation, it means that in this battle for components, they have lost. Saide's meaning is clear: either give up the purchase or offer a price much higher than Rongyu's.

"It's too much bullying." Wang Yu thought about it and was still angry, "When we first contacted Saide, their attitude was quite good. As soon as Rongyu got involved, it changed immediately."

Xie Ci quickly browsed the news reports on the computer screen and casually asked, "What did Saide say?"

Wang Yu: "They said the new product production line is limited, and the capacity can't keep up, so for now, they can only supply Rongyu."

Smart products update so quickly that sometimes being one step behind means you're out of the game.

"Since they've said that, let's not take it. Let Rongyu have it."

Xie Ci's tone was calm, "Tell Xiao Ji to have a few people from Fenghui's tech department come over. We'll look for suitable suppliers domestically."

"Domestically?"

Wang Yu was a bit surprised, "None of the domestic manufacturers can compare to Saide, can they?"

"Not necessarily."

A slight smile appeared in Xie Ci's otherwise indifferent eyes, "I have confidence in domestic products."

Wang Yu was momentarily speechless and could only agree.

Maybe the level difference is too great; sometimes he completely can't understand some of President Xie's decisions. For example, DR was doing well in Country M, and suddenly they wanted to set up a branch domestically, shifting resources towards the domestic market, which seemed like charity work to him.

At four in the afternoon, Xie Ci closed his computer, ready to head to the manor where the engagement party was being held.

In the car, Wang Yu reported the results of the communication to Xie Ci.

Xie Ci just acknowledged it and didn't give any further instructions regarding Saide, his mind filled with the image of Gu Yufeng's angry face.

Gu Yufeng would also attend the engagement party in the evening, but in such a public setting, they could only pretend to be strangers for the time being, and it was uncertain if they would have time to meet privately afterward.

Hearing a light sigh, Xie Ci looked up, "Why the sigh?"

Wang Yu snapped back to reality and quickly apologized, "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

Xie Ci: "Is it about Saide?"

Wang Yu shook his head, wanting to say that these matters were beyond the concern of a mere assistant, but under Xie Ci's gaze, he explained with difficulty, "My girlfriend and I have been in a long-distance relationship since graduation, and recently she's become a bit distant. I might be getting dumped."

Xie Ci's grip on his phone tightened.

Wang Yu didn't notice Xie Ci's reaction and said somewhat sadly, "Being alone for a long time, you get used to living alone. Maybe neither side did anything wrong, but it just fades away."

Wang Yu lowered his head, "Several of my classmates have broken up because of long-distance relationships, the longest lasting only a year."

Xie Ci: "..."

Can't last a year in a long-distance relationship, what about a five-year international relationship?

When Xie Ci arrived at the manor, the owner, Ai Wende, personally came out to greet him.

Ai Wende runs a pharmaceutical company and invests in many fields, being extremely wealthy, and is also a member of Xie Ci's son's group.

In other words, Xie Ci was here to attend his son's son's engagement party.

Ai Wende is a humorous old man, and as soon as they met, he joked, "President Xie must be the most handsome grandfather in history. How does it feel to attend your grandson's engagement party?"

"Are you saying that to make me prepare an extra red envelope?" Xie Ci teased along with him.

The two chatted as they walked, greeting some entrepreneurs and capitalists who came over.

DR hasn't been in Country D for long, so most people in the circle are still relatively unfamiliar with Xie Ci. They've only heard that this young man, only twenty-three, has a remarkably sharp and accurate investment insight. In the early days of DR's establishment, he attracted massive funding, expanding rapidly like a snowball, and those who believed in him have now made a fortune.

Some bigwigs in the business circle have a mysterious respect for this young man, treating him like an old friend, and in terms of business cooperation, they open doors wide, leaving others puzzled.

Xie Ci occasionally glanced at the entrance, noticing a Bentley pulling up, his gaze unconsciously falling on the car.

The rear door opened, revealing long legs wrapped in gray-white suit pants, followed by Gu Yufeng's sharply defined face. His beautiful eyes appeared even cooler under the sunlight.

Having shed the slight baby fat from when he was seventeen, his facial features were more chiseled, but compared to when he was thirty-five, there was still a hint of youthful innocence in his eyes.

Watching Gu Yufeng get out of the car, casually adjusting his cuffs, Xie Ci's gaze followed his movements and quickly noticed something amiss.

This guy was wearing a ring on his left middle finger.

Over there, Gu Yufeng had only taken a few steps before locking eyes with Xie Ci from a distance. After a two-second standoff, he nonchalantly looked away, greeting the people who came over.

Xie Ci couldn't help but think of Wang Yu's comments about long-distance relationships, suddenly feeling a sense of crisis.

"President Xie knows Qingfeng's young President Gu?" Ai Wende asked curiously.

Xie Ci snapped back to reality and calmly replied, "I don't know him."

Ai Wende chuckled, "Really? The way you look at him, I thought he was another one of your 'sons.'"

Xie Ci: "…No."

He's my wife.

"Do I look at him differently?"

Seeing Ai Wende nod, Xie Ci chuckled, "Maybe because his looks fit my aesthetic standards?"

Ai Wende and the others around were a bit surprised.

"You like men?"

Xie Ci noticed Gu Yufeng approaching, but the latter didn't spare him a glance, casually responding, "As long as they fit my taste, it doesn't matter if they're male or female. For example, someone like President Gu, I don't care if he's a man."

He didn't lower his voice on purpose, so Gu Yufeng, who was passing by, would definitely hear it, but he pretended not to and went straight past to talk to someone else.

Xie Ci: "…"

He's throwing a tantrum.

"He's indeed hard to approach."

A middle-aged man nearby shook his head and sighed, "Qingfeng has been developing strongly these years. Young President Gu is young, but his methods are even more ruthless than his mother Caitlin's, snatching quite a few resources from Rongyu."

"After all, he was taught by Caitlin herself."

"My niece really likes him, but she hasn't even managed to say a word to him."

"Isn't that right? He doesn't seem interested in women."

"In terms of private life, Caitlin and her son are complete opposites."

While listening to them discuss Gu Yufeng, Gu Yufeng was also listening to people around him discuss Xie Ci.

"Ai Wende and DR's President Xie have such a good relationship? I didn't see them interacting much before."

"I heard they met through gaming."

"Gaming? You mean those games with a bunch of men and women?"

"President Xie doesn't mind either gender. He seems like he knows how to have fun, but even knowing that, people still want to try with him."

"Shall we go and test the waters later?"

Gu Yufeng's face grew increasingly sour, and he couldn't help but glance at Xie Ci, who was happily chatting with a group of middle-aged men and women.

"President Gu knows DR's President Xie?"

Hearing this annoying voice, Gu Yufeng turned around, and sure enough, it was Rongyu's President Aisite.

For years, Qingfeng and Rongyu have been at odds, and he and Aisite were just short of publicly cursing each other, not even on speaking terms.

"Who I know, does it concern you?" Gu Yufeng replied indifferently.

Aisite seemed completely unfazed by his attitude, smiling, "President Gu rarely shows personal emotions in public. It seems you have quite a relationship with that President Xie over there?"

"Some people don't need to be known; just one look and they're annoying."

Gu Yufeng said, looking at Aisite, "Just like when I first saw you, I had the same feeling."

Aisite watched Gu Yufeng leave, the smile on his face fading slightly, turning to look at Xie Ci with a thoughtful expression.

Qingfeng's young President Gu is very likely acquainted with this new business circle star, yet he had never received such information before.

Today's banquet is an engagement party for the two main characters, but for others, it's a large social gathering.

If Xie Ci wants to expand DR's business in Country D, it's necessary to build good relationships with these people. With Ai Wende as a middleman, it's much easier than blindly charging in like in his previous life.

Along the way, his gaze couldn't help but search for Gu Yufeng in the crowd, only to forcefully look away when he realized it.

After a few drinks and meeting almost everyone he needed to, the rest were meaningless small talks. Xie Ci was really not in the mood to deal with them, so he excused himself to go smoke and left the banquet hall.

Standing by the railing on the terrace, Xie Ci took out a cigarette from the pack, lit it between his fingers, and thought about how to make up with him.

The cigarette burned halfway in his hand when familiar footsteps sounded behind him. He turned, and sure enough, it was Gu Yufeng.

Their eyes met again, and for a moment, neither spoke.

This setting was clearly not suitable for discussing personal matters. Xie Ci's gaze swept over the ring on Gu Yufeng's middle finger, unwilling to admit that he was also a bit uncomfortable, even knowing the ring's significance was false.

Xie Ci looked away, extinguishing the cigarette in his hand, preparing to return to the hall.

"What, after not seeing each other for years, you won't even say hello?"

Gu Yufeng blocked the doorway, his tone slightly cold, "Did something guilty, can't face your ex-boyfriend?"

Xie Ci: "…"

What game is he playing now?