The Downtrodden Villain In A Redemption Romance Novel Chapter 55
byChapter 55 Losing control
A carefully prepared private dinner was held in the main hall of Nangong Mansion.
The huge crystal chandelier illuminated the entire space extremely brightly. Delicious delicacies flown from all over the world were placed on the long table. The waiters shuttled quietly between them, filling the guests with expensive red wine.
Nangong Chen stood in the center of the hall, wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit that made him tall and tall.
He was holding a glass of red wine in his hand and with a nice smile on his face, he was greeting the guests who came up to greet him.
Every handshake and every toast seemed calm and unhurried, as if he was still the heir to the Nangong family who controlled everything.
However, only he himself knew what kind of undercurrent was hidden under this calmness.
“Master Chen, congratulations.” A building materials dealer who has cooperated with the Nangong family for many years raised his glass, “I heard that the Sky Dome project is progressing smoothly. It’s really awesome.”
Nangong Chen raised the corners of his lips slightly and clinked glasses with him: “Thank you, Mr. Li. I was just doing my duty.”
His tone was calm, but his eyes involuntarily glanced to the other end of the hall, where his younger brother Nangong Yu was surrounded by several family elders, talking and laughing happily.
Ever since Nangong Yu obtained the core code from ‘A’, his status within the family has risen sharply, and the originally one-sided support rate has begun to undergo subtle changes.
This feeling made Nangong Chen extremely uncomfortable.
He was used to being in control of everything, used to having everyone look up to him, but now he had to watch a younger brother he had always looked down on, eroding his authority bit by bit.
“Chen,” Su Xia’s soft voice sounded in his ears. She gently took his arm and leaned her body close, “You look a little tired.”
Today she wore a royal blue dress with fine diamonds on the neckline, which sparkled under the light.
The makeup is impeccably refined, and even the arcs of the eyelashes are carefully designed.
As Nangong Chen’s legal wife, she always knows how to show her most perfect side in front of others.
Nangong Chen lowered his eyes and glanced at her, but did not respond to her concern. Instead, he asked: “Third uncle, have you visited me recently?”
Su Xia’s smile froze for a moment, and then became more charming: “I just went there last week and brought the gift you asked for. My third uncle liked it very much and said…”
“What did he say?” Nangong Chen interrupted her, with urgency in his tone.
“He said” Su Xia carefully observed his expression, “It’s a good thing for young people to be motivated, but the family business must ultimately rely on strength to speak for itself.”
This was said euphemistically, but Nangong Chen immediately understood its meaning. The third uncle was hinting to him not to be swayed by Nangong Yu’s temporary glory.
This was supposed to be a word of comfort, but it made Nangong Chen’s heart sink.
Even old-school figures like the third uncle have begun to express their opinions, indicating that the trend in the family is indeed changing.
He took a sip of wine, and the mellow aroma of red wine filled his mouth, but it did not relieve the irritability in his heart at all.
Halfway through the dinner, Nangong Yu came over holding a wine glass.
He was wearing a dark blue suit today and his tie was tied loosely, with a somewhat deliberate casualness.
“Brother,” Nangong Yu smiled and raised his glass, “Thank you for your hospitality today.”
Nangong Chen clinked glasses with him expressionlessly: “Brother, why should you be so polite.”
“Speaking of which,” Nangong Yu mentioned casually, “Thanks to that friend’s help, the core technical problems of the Tianqiong project have been solved. Now the project is progressing smoothly, and the board of directors is very satisfied.”
Nangong Chen’s fingers holding the wine glass tightened slightly, and his knuckles turned white.
He suppressed the anger in his heart and maintained the surface calm: “Really? That’s good.”
“Yes,” Nangong Yu’s smile deepened, “Speaking of which, if that friend hadn’t helped out in time, I’m afraid the Sky Dome project would still be stagnant. I think if the eldest brother is willing, maybe we can.”
“No need.” Nangong Chen interrupted him coldly, “I am fully responsible for the Sky Dome project. I will make my own arrangements for other core technology issues.”
“Really?” Nangong Yu responded coldly, his voice also lowered, “Brother, do you want to give it a try? Can the Sky Dome project continue without the technology I provide?”
The surrounding guests were silent, and even the waiters stopped.
The entire hall fell into an eerie silence, with only the light reflected from the crystal chandelier illuminating this farce of brothers fighting each other.
Su Xia held Nangong Chen’s arm tightly, her nails almost digging into his flesh.
Her face was full of panic and anxiety, but she didn’t dare to speak out to dissuade her.
Nangong Chen’s sun was beating sharply, and he knew clearly that what Nangong Yu said was true.
Without the core technology provided by ‘A’, the Sky Dome project would indeed be difficult to advance.This feeling of being manipulated made him almost crazy.
“Do you think you can threaten me with an unknown hacker?” Nangong Chen’s voice was filled with suppressed anger, “Don’t forget, I am the legitimate heir of the Nangong family.”
“The orthodox heir?” Nangong Yu chuckled, with sarcasm in his eyes, “Brother, would you like to explain to everyone why the Tianqiong project has stalled before getting my technology? Is it because you, the orthodox heir, are not capable enough?”
These words hit Nangong Chen’s pain point accurately.
His face instantly turned livid, and the hand holding the wine glass was shaking slightly from exerting too much force.
“You…” Nangong Chen was about to have a fit, but Su Xia hurriedly stopped him.
“Chen, everyone is watching.” She reminded softly, with pleading in her voice.
Nangong Chen looked around and found that everyone’s eyes were focused on the two brothers.
There was curiosity, scrutiny, and unabashed calculation in those eyes.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
“Let’s discuss this matter another day.” Nangong Chen said through gritted teeth, every word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
Upon seeing this, Nangong Yu knew that today’s goal had been achieved, so he stopped pressing.
He raised his glass and resumed his previous calm posture: “In that case, I’ll excuse you for now. I hope you will consider my proposal carefully.”
Looking at Nangong Yu’s back as he turned away, Nangong Chen felt an unknown fire burning in his chest.
He had never felt so clearly as now that his control over the situation was gradually slipping away.
Su Xia looked at him worriedly and asked softly: “Chen, are you okay?”
Nangong Chen didn’t answer, but drank the remaining red wine in the glass.
The burning sensation of alcohol traveled down his throat, but it did nothing to calm his inner anxiety.
The dinner ended unhappy.
After seeing off the guests, Nangong Chen stood alone in the empty hall.
The crystal chandelier was still bright, but it couldn’t illuminate the haze in his heart.
Su Xia approached cautiously, holding a glass of warm water in her hand: “Chen, drink some water, you drank a lot tonight.”
Nangong Chen slammed her hand away, and the water glass fell to the ground. The sound of breaking was particularly harsh in the empty hall.
He was breathing heavily, pacing in place like a trapped beast: “Nangong Yu Qingrang and that damn ‘A’! They are all working against me!”
Su Xia huddled aside, not daring to make a sound.
“Is there still no news about the people who were released?” He suddenly stopped and asked sharply.
Su Xia shook her head timidly: “No, they didn’t say that Lu Qingrang just disappeared from the world, and no clues could be found.”
“Trash! A bunch of trash!” Nangong Chen kicked over the chair next to him, making a loud noise.
He felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.
Since Lu Qingrang disappeared, he sent out the best tracking team and used all the connections at his disposal, but still found nothing.
How could a living person with a helper disappear so completely?
There is also that ‘A’, which is clearly right in front of you, but you still can’t get any real handle on it.
Every time he thought he was getting close to the truth, the clues would suddenly be interrupted, as if someone was secretly controlling everything.
This feeling is too familiar, just like when I dealt with Lu Qingrang.
That man can always save the day at the last moment, and even if he is forced into a desperate situation, he can still find a glimmer of hope.
Could it be
A terrible thought appeared in Nangong Chen’s mind.
Is there any connection between Lu Qingrang and ‘A’?
The thought made him shudder.
The feeling of being out of control was like an invisible hand clasping his throat tightly.
He was used to being in control, used to having everyone do what he wanted.
But now, things are getting out of his control little by little.
All this made him feel more anxious than ever before.