"Young Master Wang, who's this?" Xiang You asked after hearing what Chen Qiao said, looking at Fang Jueyu with an unfriendly expression. Judging by their identities, Fang Jueyu seemed like one of Wang Cong's "lackeys." He was probably either the son of a minor shareholder in Wang Lin's group or one of his artists.
"Oh, he's a friend of mine. His name is Fang Jueyu. Young Master Xiang, you must have heard of him," Wang Cong seemed unaware of the hint of hostility in Xiang You's eyes. "Old Fang, this is Young Master Xiang You, the son of Mr. Xiang Lingyue, chairman of Huayu."
"Hello, nice to meet you!" Fang Jueyu said in that typical, formal social manner.
In reality, he had never heard of Xiang You before; he learned the name from his roommate, Cheng Kai.
Cheng Kai really liked a female celebrity, and not long ago, Xiang You not only announced a relationship with her but quickly registered their marriage and held a wedding. The so-called "enemy for life" made Cheng Kai grit his teeth in hatred toward Xiang You, and that's how Fang Jueyu came to know of him.
"I just heard about Mr. Fang for the first time too!" Xiang You didn't even extend his hand, leaving Fang Jueyu's hand hanging in the air, something that publicly disgraces someone in social interactions.
Earlier, Cheng Qiao had exaggerated Fang Jueyu's words. Fang Jueyu had said that even if Xiang Lingyue were called, it wouldn't make a difference. This got to Xiang You as if Fang Jueyu simply didn't care about Xiang Lingyue. How could Xiang You show a friendly face in such a context?
In this era, there were very few people who weren't online. Naturally, Xiang You knew about Fang Jueyu. Although Wang Cong repeatedly tweeted about how rich Fang Jueyu was, most only thought he might have more personal wealth than Wang Cong, never imagining that even Wang Lin's wealth was nowhere near Fang Jueyu's.
Huaxia's rich list had been stable for many years, with only slight fluctuations at most. As Huayu's future successor, someone like Fang Jueyu wasn't someone Xiang You took seriously. In contrast, Wang Cong, the heir of Wang Lin, was worth his attention because of his family's vast business.
"That's the guy behind him with white hair whose car I smashed!" Fang Jueyu whispered to Wang Cong. "Probably that lapdog exaggerated something, and now he's here to cause me trouble."
"Young Master Xiang, I think there might be some misunderstanding between you and my friend!" Wang Cong had no intention of clashing with Xiang You. This was a big gathering in the entertainment circle, and as the Crown Prince of that circle, Xiang You had considerable influence, at least making this place his domain today.
"Wang Cong, we all care about face," Xiang You changed his tone when addressing Wang Cong. "Chen Qiao's father is a shareholder of our Huayu. Your friend smashing Chen Qiao's car is like slapping Huayu's face. This can't just be brushed off."
"So what does Young Master Xiang plan to do?" Wang Cong's tone had slightly softened. Xiang You was about the same age as him but had achieved far more impressive results. Naturally, Wang Cong wasn't afraid of competing with him in business.
However, in terms of connections and relationships, he certainly couldn't match Xiang You. If conflict could be avoided, he certainly hoped so, even if Fang Jueyu might end up at a slight disadvantage.
"Here's what we'll do. Out of respect for you, have him apologize to Chen Qiao and compensate for the car repairs, and let's call it even. We can also make a new friend. What do you think?"
Based on first impressions, Xiang You believed Wang Cong held a dominant position in his relationship with Fang Jueyu. Therefore, his tone was more like negotiating with Wang Cong, not even considering Fang Jueyu's attitude and thoughts.
"There's no room for negotiation?" Wang Cong asked once more.
Xiang You shook his head directly. Behind him, Chen Qiao's face was filled with smug satisfaction, as if he was already sure of victory.
"Forget it. I won't get involved in this!" Wang Cong gave an answer that took Xiang You by surprise. He had expected Wang Cong to either agree or disagree. What did "not getting involved" mean?
"You're not going to handle your own guy?" Xiang You asked directly.
"He's not my guy," Fang Jueyu patted Wang Cong's shoulder, signaling him it wasn't necessary to interfere. Wang Cong had already given all the face he could, but Xiang You didn't appreciate it, so Fang Jueyu decided to handle it himself.
"The speed limit in the parking lot is 5 kilometers per hour. That guy behind you called Chen Qiao was driving way over that limit. It was he who hit my car, not the other way around!"
"Second, I warned him. Apologize and compensate, and I'd forget it. But he not only threatened me, he also verbally harassed my assistant. I think if Young Master Xiang were in my position, you wouldn't tolerate such provocation either, right?"
"Are you trying to reason with me?" Xiang You sneered, thinking it laughable to reason in their circle. Right or wrong, they usually resolved matters by their status.
"I know people like you typically don't reason, but I'm a person who likes to persuade with reason, so let's talk about it first!"
"Let's say it's Chen Qiao's fault then," Xiang You didn't care about that; he only cared about his person being humiliated and his company's face being disregarded, nothing more.
"So if we're apologizing and compensating, he should compensate me, right?"
"Chen Qiao, is that what happened?" Xiang You directly looked at Chen Qiao.
His gaze was like an X-ray, seeming to penetrate all of Chen Qiao's little thoughts. In their circle, without a certain bravery and means, no matter how strong the background, one would be eaten alive.
"Yes... that's what happened."
"Apologize, compensate!" Xiang You spoke in an undeniably firm tone.
"Young Master Xiang, this..."
"You won't listen to me?" Xiang You's tone became increasingly stern.
Wang Cong and Fang Jueyu exchanged glances, curious about what Xiang You was up to with Chen Qiao. Why suddenly demand Chen Qiao apologize to him? Typical scripts weren't written !
"Sorry," Chen Qiao stepped forward, speaking with a slightly unwilling tone. "I'll transfer the compensation for hitting your car to your account shortly."
Fang Jueyu directly gave a string of numbers, which was his account number. Chen Qiao made a call, and soon the money was in the account. As the son of one of Huayu's shareholders, he could manage a few hundred thousand.
"Young Master Xiang is quite reasonable after all." Although Fang Jueyu still felt something was off, Xiang You's attitude changed too swiftly. Still, it seemed there was no trap. "Since we're even now, we won't disturb you further."
"Wait!" Xiang You called out, "Since you've settled things with Chen Qiao, let's settle what's between us now!"
A slight curve appeared at the corner of Fang Jueyu's mouth. Indeed, it wasn't going to be that simple.
"You smashed Chen Qiao's car and insulted our Huayu Company. Shouldn't we settle this account?"
"So what does Young Master Xiang mean?" These rich young masters didn't lack money or women, but they did care a lot about their reputation.
"At the banquet, toast to me and apologize!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Cong's face changed first. In that circle, doing so was equivalent to admitting defeat, being a sign of submission. Despite seeing someone like Wang Cong, Young Master Xiang meant to make Fang Jueyu publicly humiliated.
Fang Jueyu had just started a media company. In this business territory, he might not have a place to stand anymore.
"A car is just a car, smashed and that's it," Fang Jueyu said nonchalantly. "As for your Huayu Company, I really don't care. Frankly, in my eyes, your Huayu is just a little brother!"