ASSHKHME Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Cancellation

Xu Qingyou stood frozen in place, a rare look of bewilderment on his face.

The train of fate came rumbling in with the cold wind, his chest swelling in an instant.

Shock, regret, and all sorts of other emotions mixed together, finally transforming into wisps of joy that coursed rapidly through his body with his blood.

Xu Qingyou watched the apple of his eye being held in another man’s arms and kissed. He moved his lips, but in the end, he couldn’t call out Chen Zhuo’s name.

His nails dug deep into his palm as he stared at the scene for two seconds before turning and leaving without hesitation.

He ran into a guest on their way to the restroom, who called him “General Manager Xu.” Xu Qingyou numbly responded.

Xu Qingyou didn’t know if God was deliberately playing tricks on him, but in any case, for the first time in his life, he had a glimmer of hope for struggle.

Yuan Sijie noticed his odd behavior and strolled over, lifting her skirt. She took a sip of wine and said, “Darling, what’s wrong?”

Xu Qingyou’s expression was clear, his mind lucid. He calmly said, “General Manager Yuan, let’s cancel the engagement.”

Yuan Sijie’s smile froze, but she maintained her elegance and didn’t throw the wine in his face. “General Manager Xu, are you drunk? We’re getting engaged today.”

Xu Qingyou indifferently looked at the lively banquet hall before him and said softly, “I’ll pay the penalty for breach of contract.”

Yuan Sijie rubbed her forehead, finding Xu Qingyou a bit unreasonable. “Is this just about money? So many eyes are on you and me, the press releases have already been sent out, and now you’re telling me you want to cancel the engagement? You!”

Her brow twitched, and suddenly it dawned on her. She put a hand to her forehead and said, “No way, no way, that cute little brother from earlier isn’t gay, is he?”

Xu Qingyou didn’t say a word, but his attitude made it clear that he was tacitly admitting it.

Yuan Sijie wordlessly touched her styled hair, her brain working rapidly. “General Manager Xu, how about this? We’re not going to be a real couple anyway, and two men can’t get married. We can each do our own thing and not interfere with each other. How’s that?”

Xu Qingyou lowered his eyes to look at her. “That won’t do. I don’t want him to be labeled as a ‘mistress.'”

Yuan Sijie was about to curse. What mistress? You haven’t even caught him yet!

I sent out so many invitations! Are you kidding me?!

Xu Qingyou watched the two figures walking out of the long corridor, one after the other. His gaze completely skipped over Xie Yu, landing directly on Chen Zhuo, whose cheeks were flushed but who was pretending to be calm.

Chen Zhuo noticed his gaze and, after a moment of panic, forced a smile and raised his hand in a stiff gesture.

Xu Qingyou raised his glass remotely towards Chen Zhuo and said to Yuan Sijie, “I’m the one who broke the agreement first. Don’t worry, I’ll find a decent reason to end our engagement, and the cooperation between Taifeng and Yuan Corporation will remain unchanged.”

Yuan Sijie was helpless. She adjusted her mood and gave him a “yay” gesture. “General Manager Xu, I want double the penalty for breach of contract, plus that project in the new district.”

Xu Qingyou calmly said, “General Manager Yuan is asking for too much.”

Yuan Sijie cleared her throat, smilingly took his arm, and said sweetly, “Darling, actually, I like you more than money.”

“…” Xu Qingyou pushed her arm away and walked towards Chen Zhuo, leaving behind the words, “Deal.”

Yuan Sijie watched Xu Qingyou’s back and rolled her eyes. “I really want to fight with all of you gays.”

At three o’clock in the afternoon, the banquet ended.

Logically speaking, a child who had been raised and cared for for ten years should help see the guests off as a relative, but Chen Zhuo didn’t make any moves.

Chen Zhuo knew very well that even if Xu Qingyou treated him like a brother, Xu’s father and mother had never treated him as their own child.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have heard the news of Xu Qingyou’s engagement from Xie Yu.

Moreover, these friends who had close ties with the Xu family only knew that the Xu family was kind-hearted and took care of an employee’s only son for ten years, but no one knew who Chen Zhuo was. Even if they knew his name, they didn’t know what he looked like.

Xu Keyuan and Zheng Fei were deliberately untangling the relationship between him and the Xu family. He was just a tool to prove that the Xu Group was a responsible and conscientious enterprise, and he shouldn’t dream of climbing the big tree of the Xu family.

Chen Zhuo was intelligent. His parents died early, and he was alone and helpless. If he didn’t have the ability to read situations, his life would be even harder. Sometimes, it was good to be a child who couldn’t be raised to be close.

Xie Yu was pulled away by his father to greet uncles and elders. Chen Zhuo sat on a small sofa in the corner for a while. When he saw Xu Qingyou coming over, he stood up and said, “Brother Qingyou, are you done? Are you tired?”

Xu Qingyou lowered his eyes, looking at his thick eyelashes, his heart stirred. The scene was already different, and he asked inexplicably, “Xiao Zhuo has grown up. Do you have a girlfriend?”

When Chen Zhuo heard the words “girlfriend,” he remembered being seen by Xu Qingyou after doing something naughty with Xie Yu in that corridor. He guiltily lowered his head and rubbed his nose. “I’m not even twenty yet, no rush. This isn’t urgent.”

Xu Qingyou smiled, reached out and brushed away the broken hair falling in front of Chen Zhuo’s eyes. His gaze fell behind him, and he said softly, “What you’re not in a hurry for, someone will always be in a hurry for.”

“Huh?” Chen Zhuo turned his head in confusion, following Xu Qingyou’s gaze.

Xie Liangjun glared at Xie Yu, who had a cold face beside him, as a warning, and then smiled and talked to his old friend.

“Old Zhang, your daughter is becoming more and more graceful. It’s good to have a daughter, unlike my son, who makes his mother and me worry so much.”

Director Zhang said, “Oh, Old Xie, you’re too modest. Isn’t Xiao Yu good? I heard he even followed the company on projects during the summer vacation? He’s willing to work hard and willing to learn. What are you two not satisfied with?”

Saying that, he looked at his daughter next to him and joked, “He’s also tall and handsome, and many girls like him.”

The girl glared at her father and secretly looked at Xie Yu before quickly turning her head to look elsewhere.

Xie Liangjun gave Xie Yu a look. “Young people should spend more time together. Xie Yu, add her contact information. Don’t you like to play escape rooms at this age? Form a group and play together sometime.”

Xie Yu was unmoved and interrupted, “Dad, have you forgotten that I’m afraid of ghosts? You’re so uncaring of me. Am I even your biological son?”

Director Zhang laughed twice. “Xiao Yu is really honest, which is good. He doesn’t have any frivolous thoughts.”

Xie Liangjun turned his head and said in a low voice, “You troublemaker, don’t give me that. Hurry up and do it.”

In front of so many people and his father’s business partners, Xie Yu couldn’t publicly reject him. He took out his phone and said, “Little sister, then you scan me.”

Chen Zhuo withdrew his gaze, his face calm, but his emotions were much colder. “The Xie family is large and prosperous, so it’s normal to want to find a suitable daughter-in-law. That’s good.”

Xu Qingyou said without revealing his thoughts, “Yes, but Xie Yu is still young, and his feelings are not yet settled. Director Xie is too anxious.”

Chen Zhuo laughed softly, but there was no smile in his eyes.

He looked at Xie Yu, his eyes dark, wishing he could kick this guy to death. He gritted his teeth and said, “Yes, it’s the age to break up after graduation.”