Boyfriend Always Thinks I’m a Little Pitiful Chapter 96

Some people gathered around Xie Ci, trying to pry into his privacy with various indirect questions, but Xie Ci managed to brush them off with some vague and ambiguous responses.

What surprised Xie Ci was that Caitlin didn't give him a hard time. They only talked about business matters, but some of Gu Yufeng's uncles and aunts were not happy about the rumors between him and Gu Yufeng. They didn't dare to speak openly in front of Gu Mingbai, but they made all sorts of sarcastic remarks.

These people held shares in the Gu family business and relied on dividends to maintain their luxurious lifestyles. When Gu Yongnian and Caitlin got married, the Gu family's business grew several times over in just a few years. Even though Caitlin moved back to Country D a year after their marriage, no one dared to say a word against it. They even occasionally reminded Gu Yongnian to maintain the marriage, fearing that a fallout between the couple would harm the Gu family's interests.

In their eyes, interests were above all else.

Qingfeng and the Gu family were deeply intertwined; their fortunes rose and fell together. Over the years, Gu Yufeng had made a name for himself at Qingfeng, and it was only a matter of time before he took over Caitlin's business. Naturally, these people didn't want to see Gu Yufeng caught up in a scandal involving a same-sex relationship, which could affect his future career and indirectly harm their interests.

"It's been a few years, and Xiaofeng is already at the age to start a family and a career," Second Uncle said with a smile, looking at Gu Yufeng, who was focused on eating. "He's already engaged. Is the fiancée from the business circle in Country D or from the nobility? When are they planning to get married?"

"Maybe it's a girl from our country?" First Uncle probed, "Before getting married, he should bring the girl home to meet the family, right?"

Third Uncle laughed and scolded, "Xiaofeng has such high standards. The one he fancies must be a lady from a prestigious family! Her family background must be impeccable. Why should you worry, old man?"

"They say you should date someone good-looking, but marry someone who can help you," Second Aunt said with a smile, occasionally glancing at Xie Ci with shrewdness and sharpness in her eyes. "Xiaofeng isn't stupid. He's much better at choosing than you guys. He wouldn't pick someone who would hold him back, right?"

The topic among the group of old folks kept circling around Gu Yufeng's fiancée, almost directly saying in front of Xie Ci, "Xiaofeng already has someone, so don't get involved," both warning Xie Ci and reminding Gu Yufeng not to forget the family's interests while having fun.

Gu Yufeng seemed to be listening to a comedy show, lazily and playfully smiling as he said to Xie Ci, who was sitting on his right, "Did you hear that? They're praising you."

"Aren't they praising you?" Xie Ci replied expressionlessly after finishing his bite.

Gu Yufeng said, "It's well-known that I have high standards. Not just anyone can catch my eye."

Xie Ci raised an eyebrow, "They've been talking for so long, and you only hear what you want to hear?"

The elders at the table didn't look pleased when they saw the two whispering to each other.

Second Uncle couldn't hold back and tapped his fingers on the table lightly as a warning, "Yongnian, you can't just focus on the company. You need to keep an eye on the kids. Caitlin raised them so well; you can't let her efforts go to waste."

He knocked on the table in front of Gu Mingbai and Gu Yongnian, putting on the airs of an elder. Anyone who didn't know better might think he was the head of the Gu family.

The younger generation felt it was inappropriate but didn't dare to speak up.

Gu Yong'an and Gu Churan, father and son, were quite interested, watching the spectacle of Gu Yufeng being besieged.

Gu Yongnian was chatting with his cousin about paintings and calligraphy. Seeing his father, Gu Mingbai, looking displeased, he didn't rush to speak, letting the conversation drop.

First Uncle sensed the atmosphere was getting tense and nudged Second Uncle with his elbow, signaling him to stop.

But Second Uncle had already spoken, and now he couldn't back down. His face turned red with anger, and he sought a way out by asking Gu Mingbai, "Mingbai, don't you think it's the responsibility of elders to help the kids choose suitable marriage partners? Back in our day, didn't our parents carefully screen and approve our partners? If everyone did as they pleased, would the Gu family be where it is today?"

Before Gu Mingbai could respond, Gu Yufeng spoke up.

"Getting such a small dividend and still making them worry so much," Gu Yufeng said slowly, "Dad, that's your fault."

The faces of several uncles changed drastically. His words were just short of accusing them of meddling, and his tone and attitude showed no respect for his elders.

"Xiaofeng, I don't like what you just said," Second Uncle said, forced to speak up, "I'm your uncle. Whatever I say or do is for your own good!"

"If a mangy dog on the street bites me and says it's for my own good, should I worship it as an ancestor?" Gu Yufeng retorted.

Second Uncle, unable to regain his footing and being called a mangy dog, was so angry he almost fainted. Second Aunt hurriedly supported him, sarcastically criticizing Gu Yongnian for not raising his child properly.

First Uncle and Third Uncle's families also felt they were being targeted, pressuring Gu Mingbai and Gu Yongnian to discipline Gu Yufeng.

But Gu Mingbai just smoothed things over, signaling them to say less, clearly not wanting to get involved.

"The old folks don't look well. Better have a doctor check on them," Xie Ci suggested.

This suggestion turned the elders' anger towards him, the "culprit."

"You're an outsider. Do you have a say here?!"

"If it weren't for you, there wouldn't be a fight today!"

"With all the news lately, I think you're deliberately confusing our Xiaofeng to hinder the Gu family's development!"

The conversation had reached a point of no return.

Xie Ci found it amusing, put down his knife and fork, and said seriously, "I want the Gu family to do better than you do."

Second Aunt rolled her eyes and muttered, "Hypocrite."

"Xiao Xie holds more Gu family shares than all of you combined," Gu Yongnian finally spoke, with a hint of amusement in his tone, "Didn't you look at last quarter's financial report?"

No one dared to speak.

The elders looked pale, and the younger ones glanced at Xie Ci, surprised not by how many shares he held but by Gu Yongnian's protective attitude, as if he had fully accepted Xie Ci.

It seemed that Gu Yongnian's previous silence wasn't about letting the elders scold Gu Yufeng and Xie Ci but quite the opposite. Caitlin's lack of comment from start to finish was clearly a test.

"At their age, still working so hard, people might say we're mistreating the elderly," Gu Yufeng said to Gu Yongnian, "Why not buy back the shares and give them a retirement fund so they can enjoy their later years?"

Xie Ci said seriously, "Too many small shareholders aren't good for the company's development."

The elders stared in disbelief, and Gu Yongnian continued, "Dad and I discussed this long ago. If you have this intention, come to the company anytime. We'll offer a price that will satisfy you."

No one dared to breathe.

Failing to drive Xie Ci away, they ended up being the ones to be swept out.

After the meal, the elders, holding back their frustration, privately complained to Gu Mingbai.

"I'm just an old man. Talk to Yongnian about family matters," Gu Mingbai brushed them off, took out his phone to check the forum, and found he had been kicked out of the group.

He wasn't angry, smiling as he took his great-grandchildren from the split family to the greenhouse to bask in the sun.

"You're just going to let them mess around?" First Uncle followed him.

Gu Mingbai said, "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. I enjoy my blessings without worrying about them."

The elders exchanged glances, understanding clearly.

In the current Gu family, they had completely lost their voice.

In another small hall, Gu Yong'an and Second Uncle sat down to talk, both looking grim.

"You've seen the situation. I can't help you," Second Uncle sighed, cautiously glancing at the door, and whispered, "Actually, Xiaofeng being with a man isn't it more beneficial for you?"

Gu Yong'an remained silent, his face dark.

If Gu Yufeng really got together with Xie Ci, it would mean a strong alliance between two interest groups, giving Gu Yongnian a powerful ally. How could that be beneficial for him?

After the family banquet, Caitlin, unable to rely on Gu Mingbai and unable to win an argument with Gu Yufeng, returned to Country D alone. Gu Yongnian, as if expecting this outcome, sat down with Xie Ci to play chess and drink tea, inviting a group of old friends to enjoy paintings together the next day.

Gu Yufeng, uninterested in chess, sat nearby with his laptop, occasionally looking up at Xie Ci to rest his eyes.

Xie Ci, pondering the chess game, picked up a grape. Seeing Gu Yufeng looking over, he casually handed the grape to his mouth.

Without much thought, Gu Yufeng leaned in slightly and bit it.

Feeling Gu Yufeng's soft lips, Xie Ci snapped back to reality and looked up to see Gu Yongnian silently watching them.

"Do you like grapes too?"

Gu Yongnian: "..."

The topic change was abrupt.

Before the game was over, Xie Ci's phone vibrated. Seeing it was Yang Le, he answered casually.

"Brother Yang?"

"Xiao Ci, something happened!"

On the other end, Yang Le's voice was anxious, "I went out with the teacher for some fieldwork. Everything was fine until the teacher received a message from Xie Cheng and called back. They argued over the phone, and now the teacher is driving to the Xie family, saying he wants to clear things up. The teacher can't argue, and he'll definitely be at a disadvantage going alone!"

Xie Cheng again, Xie Ci frowned, his expression darkening, "I understand."

Seeing Xie Ci's expression change, Gu Yongnian asked after he hung up, "What's wrong?"

"There's a situation at home. I need to go back and check," Xie Ci said, standing up, "I'll play chess with you next time."

Gu Yongnian waved his hand, "Family matters are important."

As Xie Ci took a step, Gu Yufeng grabbed his wrist.

Gu Yufeng set his laptop aside, looked up at Xie Ci, and said, "I'll go with you."

At the Xie Family Hotel, outside the ninth-floor banquet hall, many people were whispering, creating a noisy atmosphere.

From their attire, it was clear they were attending some banquet, but they were now being guided by security personnel to various resting areas.

"Don't push me, let me through!" Jiang Chenyu was blocking the entrance to the banquet hall, pushing against a row of security personnel, "My friend's dad is inside, let me through!"

"Sorry, please go to the front lounge to rest and wait," the security personnel repeated mechanically, like emotionless NPCs.

No matter how Jiang Chenyu squeezed, he couldn't get through the human wall. Hearing the sound of something breaking inside, he panicked and grabbed the security personnel's clothes, "Someone's going to get hurt in there! Move!"

The security personnel forcibly pulled him away, preparing to take him away. Jiang's dad quickly dragged Jiang Chenyu away.

"Don't be impulsive, calm down!"

"How can I calm down?! Old Xie's dad might be getting beaten up!" Jiang Chenyu pulled out his phone to call the police, but the security personnel rushed over to warn him, trying to snatch the phone away.

After a struggle, Jiang's dad simply took Jiang Chenyu back to the first-floor lobby, only to find it crowded like a marketplace.

Jiang Chenyu went to the entrance, called the police, but still felt uneasy, unable to calm down.

Just as he was about to call Xie Ci, the roar of an engine suddenly exploded in his ears. A black supercar sped over and stopped at the hotel entrance. Jiang Chenyu instinctively glanced over, seeing a long leg wrapped in suit pants stepping out of the car, followed by Xie Ci's calm and cool face.

"Old Xie!" Jiang Chenyu ran over, seeing another person getting out of the driver's seat, looking casual and indifferent in a tracksuit. It was none other than the long-unseen Gu Yufeng, "Old Gu?!"

Their appearance caused a stir.

"Isn't that DR's President Xie? Why is he here?"

"And the one behind is Qingfeng's Young Master Gu?! Something big must have happened today."

Xie Ci glanced at the situation in the lobby and asked Jiang Chenyu, "What's going on?"

"Let's talk while we walk!" Jiang Chenyu led them back to the ninth floor, "I don't know if Uncle Xie got bullied. They won't let me see!"

As the year-end approached, there were more and more banquets.

The Jiang family and the Xie family had project collaborations, so Jiang Chenyu was brought along by his dad to attend the Xie family's banquet.

Fifteen minutes ago, Xie Qian suddenly stormed into the banquet hall. In a setting where everyone was dressed in suits and gowns, Xie Qian's casual attire easily drew attention.

Almost in front of everyone, Xie Qian went up and punched Xie Cheng, knocking him to the ground.

Someone called security to drag Xie Qian away, but Xie Cheng told them not to interfere, getting up to fight with Xie Qian.

Xie Hongguang, who had gone to rest, rushed back, dispersing the guests in the hall and surrounding the entire hall. Now, except for those still inside, no one knew what was happening.

In the elevator, seeing Xie Ci's face growing colder, Gu Yufeng asked Jiang Chenyu, "Did you hear why they started fighting?"

"I was too far away to hear clearly," Jiang Chenyu recalled, "I just heard something about photos, scum, and dying together or something?"

With a ding, the elevator doors opened.

Xie Ci walked out with a stern face.

"Old Xie, you can't just rush in like this!" Jiang Chenyu hurriedly followed, turning a corner to see two rows of security personnel blocking the passage, defending it like an iron barrel, making it impossible to get through.

The front row of security personnel saw Xie Ci approaching aggressively and blocked his way, "Please go to the front lounge to rest and wait."

Xie Ci said, "My dad is inside, please move."

The security personnel repeated, "Please go to the front lounge to rest and wait."

Seeing it was pointless, Xie Ci ignored them and walked straight ahead.

The security personnel stepped back two steps, seeing they couldn't stop him, reached out to try to push Xie Ci away.

Xie Ci grabbed his wrist, twisted it back, and elbowed his jaw.

"Ugh!" The security personnel staggered to the side, unable to stand, stumbling back, and several people couldn't hold him up.

Xie Ci took a few steps forward, and a brave security guard rushed out to block him, only to be picked up like a chick and thrown aside by Xie Ci.

Jiang Chenyu, watching from behind, was stunned, finally remembering that Xie Ci was famously good at fighting in high school. He had just "reformed" later, preferring to reason with people, making Jiang Chenyu completely forget about it.

Five years later, Old Xie's fists were still as hard!

Gu Yufeng saw a few security personnel trying to subdue Xie Ci from behind, grabbed one by the back of his collar, dragged him back, and kicked the back of his knee, taking him down in one move.

"Is it worth risking your life for this pay?"

After four or five security personnel were beaten, the others got scared, thinking Gu Yufeng made sense. They stepped aside as Xie Ci and the others approached.

Entering the banquet hall, the scene before them made even Xie Ci pause.

Gu Yufeng followed closely, frowning.

The luxurious hall now had only a few people left, surrounded by security personnel who didn't dare to move. Xie Hongguang looked panicked, his wife crying while trying to mediate. In the center of the circle, Xie Qian held a dinner knife against Xie Cheng, looking fierce. Both had swollen faces from being hit, their clothes torn and disheveled, looking miserable.

Xie Cheng's hand was cut by the knife, blood dripping down his fingers onto the expensive carpet. His eyes, filled with anger and uncontrollable fear, looked at Xie Qian like he was a wild beast out of control.

"What do you want to let me and my child go?!" Xie Qian shouted hoarsely, his eyes red, "Isn't it enough to torment me? Do you have to reach out to Xiao Ci too? Do you have to drag us down together to be satisfied?!"

"You want to kill me?" Xie Cheng panted, pushing away the hand trying to cover his wound, steadying himself on the table, "You're my brother!!"

Xie Qian was instantly enraged, taking a few steps forward, grabbing Xie Cheng's hair, and slamming it onto the table.

"Ah!" Someone from the Xie family's side saw this and screamed.

"Stop fighting, please stop!" The Xie family old madam cried, almost fainting, trying to intervene but being pulled back by two young people, afraid she'd get hurt by Xie Qian's knife.

Xie Hongguang wanted to have security stop them but feared provoking Xie Qian into self-harm, so he could only keep verbally dissuading them, his eyes already wet.

The sound of the head hitting the table echoed, and Xie Cheng struggled desperately, pinned on the table, the knife's tip hovering above his eye.

"I trusted you so much!" Xie Qian's words were heavy, his angry voice carrying a barely noticeable choke, "Back then, they forced me out, but because you were my brother, you said you wanted to secretly see your newborn nephew, so I told you the address. But you betrayed me, Xiao Man was forced away by them! You ruined me, ruined my family, and now you want to ruin Xiao Ci's life! You beast!"

"Betrayal?" Xie Cheng laughed bitterly, "From the start, I never intended to let you have your way. How is that betrayal? You were just too naive."

Xie Qian looked at him in disbelief, struggling to process the information in those words.

Xie Cheng grabbed Xie Qian's wrist, shouting angrily, "Why should only you get to do what you love, marry who you love?! You wanted to inherit the family business, you inherited it. You wanted to throw everything away, you left without looking back. Why—?! Because of you, my life was ruined too! If I can't have it good, neither can you!!"

Xie Qian's anger surged, his hand on Xie Cheng's shoulder so heavy his knuckles turned white, gripping the dinner knife and stabbing down.

Amidst a piercing scream, the knife stopped just a few centimeters from the eye, Xie Cheng's pupils contracted, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Xie Qian turned his head fiercely, seeing who was holding his hand, and was stunned, his expression softening, "Xiao Ci..."

Xie Ci stood by the table, his face calm, looking at the panicked Xie Cheng pinned on the table, then at Xie Qian, and said in a low voice, "If you stab down, I won't have a dad anymore."