Futile Devices Scans

Jiang Shao’s voice was low and hoarse, carrying a chilling edge. In the bitterly cold night, it coiled around Li Xin like a venomous snake, making his spine prickle.

He was actually afraid of Jiang Shao like this. But that was strange, wasn’t it? Jiang Shao was clearly nothing more than a spoiled playboy. What was there to fear?

Li Xin’s lips moved. Only after a long while did he force out a dry laugh. “If you don’t like it, I simply won’t say anything. Was there really any need to get physical…?”

He told himself that Jiang Shao had always caused plenty of trouble. Fighting and brawling were practically routine for him, and he was a completely lawless little tyrant. If Jiang Shao truly hit him here, in front of so many people… would Li Xin have any dignity left?

Now that Jiang Shao had already been thrown out of his home, while Li Xin was at least a successful man, why should he lower himself to argue with a homeless dog? No matter how one looked at it, starting a fight here would only disadvantage Li Xin.

He could not behave as recklessly as Jiang Shao.

Jiang Shao lowered his eyes and glanced at him contemptuously. He released his grip, lightly patted Li Xin’s lapels smooth, and sighed. “If you had spoken properly from the beginning, I wouldn’t have needed to do this, would I?”

…

Qi Mu had been about to approach Jiang Shao when he unexpectedly saw him get physical with someone.

Moreover, the other person was Li Xin, president of Hanxing Automotive, a subsidiary of Li Group. Qi Mu sucked in a sharp breath. Li Group was a nationally renowned conglomerate, and Li Xin’s status was anything but ordinary. He was not someone Qi Corporation could compare with…

How had Jiang Shao nearly gotten into a fight with someone in the brief moment Qi Mu had taken his eyes off him?!

The Long Aotian might be accustomed to acting however he pleased, but this was still a formal occasion, not some melodramatic television series. Everyone present was a respectable public figure. Who would resort to throwing punches here?!

Qi Mu inwardly groaned. He had brought Jiang Shao along hoping to borrow a little of his luck, yet before he had obtained any of that luck, he had nearly become entangled in this kind of trouble. He could not help wondering whether his original decision had been far too hasty.

Since matters had already reached this point, Qi Mu understood that when dealing with people and situations, sometimes it was best to feign ignorance.

Therefore, his first reaction was to pretend he had seen nothing. He smoothly turned around on the spot and walked in the opposite direction from Jiang Shao, circling the entire garden in his “search” before pretending that he had only just discovered where Jiang Shao was.

Fortunately, the conflict had already ended.

Qi Mu released an almost inaudible breath of relief. He walked over and revealed a surprised expression. “President Li, you’re here as well.”

Jiang Shao stood lazily with his arms folded, showing no trace of the viciousness he had displayed moments earlier. He merely glanced toward Li Xin with the detached gaze of someone watching a show.

Li Xin’s expression was not particularly pleasant, but upon seeing Jiang Shao behave this way, he still forced out a smile and dryly uttered two words. “President Qi.”

The atmosphere was so strange it could have frozen someone to death.

The responsibility of breaking the awkward silence could only fall upon Qi Mu.

Fortunately, Qi Mu had weathered enough storms to possess decent control over his expression. He looked naturally toward Jiang Shao and asked, “You know President Li?”

Jiang Shao replied indifferently, “No.”

Qi Mu: “…” How am I supposed to respond to that? At least make a token effort!

In the end, it was Li Xin who smoothed things over. He seemed to have recovered his composure and displayed a polished smile. “We didn’t know each other before, but we do now. Just now, he introduced President Qi’s company to me. I’m very interested. Perhaps we might have an opportunity to cooperate in the future.”

As he spoke, he proactively offered Qi Mu his business card.

Qi Mu exchanged business cards with Li Xin with practiced ease. By tacit agreement, the two quickly began conversing as usual, dispelling the slightly stagnant atmosphere from moments earlier and appearing perfectly cordial.

Qi Mu thought that had he not personally witnessed what happened just now, he might truly have believed Jiang Shao had merely been promoting the company’s business…

Although Li Xin wore a smile, he felt deeply aggrieved. Restricted by Jiang Shao’s threat, he did not dare reveal Jiang Shao’s identity, but he still could not resist making a faintly sarcastic remark. “President Qi, this employee of yours is certainly extraordinary. You must value him greatly to have brought him to attend the summit.”

Although the mockery in Li Xin’s words was extremely subtle, Qi Mu still detected it keenly. Without changing his expression, he replied just as calmly, “Of course. He is an exceptionally talented employee. Our company never mistreats capable people, so President Li may rest assured.”

Li Xin stared at Qi Mu’s solemn expression and found himself rendered speechless. He thought Qi Mu must truly be blind to consider Jiang Shao a talented and capable employee.

Could this spoiled playboy genuinely be working properly?

Li Xin could no longer bear to remain. He gave a perfunctory laugh and made up an excuse. “I still have matters to attend to, so I won’t disturb President Qi any longer.”

With that, he hurriedly turned and left.

Qi Mu thought the matter had finally passed. He turned toward Jiang Shao. “Let’s go back.”

Neither of them spoke on the return journey.

Qi Mu finally had time to consider what had just happened.

Li Group’s headquarters was in the capital. As one of its senior executives, it was unsurprising that Li Xin knew Jiang Shao, a prominent young master from the same elite social circle. Especially since… Jiang Shao’s mother, Li Yue Ting, also bore the surname Li. The two of them might even be relatives.

Although Li Xin had never appeared in Qi Mu’s dream, and Jiang Shao’s family background had rarely been mentioned, Qi Mu vaguely remembered hints suggesting that Li Yue Ting was not Jiang Shao’s biological mother.

Combined with what had just happened, the relationship between the Li family and Jiang Shao became even more thought-provoking.

Qi Mu had no desire to speculate about the young master’s grievances within his wealthy family, since they had nothing to do with him. However, since Jiang Shao clearly had a poor relationship with Li Xin, Qi Mu considered for a moment before turning back and saying, “I’ll handle any future communication with President Li. You don’t need to concern yourself with it.”

Jiang Shao raised an eyebrow.

Come to think of it, although Li Xin had smoothed matters over just now, under normal procedure, someone would certainly need to follow up afterward. After all, there was no reason to abandon a major client who had delivered himself to their doorstep. Jiang Shao had already been considering how troublesome it would be if Qi Mu assigned him to contact Li Xin. He could not be bothered speaking to Li Xin and had been worrying about how to refuse… only for Qi Mu to hand him a pillow just as he grew sleepy.

Still, the way Qi Mu phrased it sounded very much like the kind of boss who kicked an employee aside and dismantled the bridge after crossing the river once the connection had been made.

So was Qi Mu simply trying to remove him from the situation, or did he not want to make things difficult for him?

Had Qi Mu seen what happened just now or not?

Qi Mu’s scalp prickled beneath Jiang Shao’s gaze, and nervousness rose in his heart. Jiang Shao probably had not noticed that Qi Mu had witnessed it, right? Otherwise, there was no reason for the Long Aotian to remain this calm.

Qi Mu certainly did not want to be silenced merely because he had accidentally uncovered one of the Long Aotian’s secrets.

Fortunately, they had already reached the suite. Qi Mu pretended to move naturally and returned to his room.

Only after closing the door did he release a deep breath.

He casually threw Li Xin’s business card from his pocket into the trash.

Under ordinary circumstances, becoming acquainted with the president of Hanxing Automotive and establishing contact with such a major potential client would naturally merit careful follow-up. But now… Qi Mu knew Li Xin had not genuinely wanted to befriend him and had only been responding perfunctorily. Moreover, Li Xin was on bad terms with Jiang Shao.

Under those circumstances, Qi Mu naturally could not contact Li Xin again.

…

The second day of the summit focused mainly on networking and exhibitions. It was an excellent opportunity to develop new clients.

Qi Corporation had also set up an exhibition booth.

Since most of those present were senior executives and company presidents, Qi Mu personally remained at the venue to introduce the company’s products. He did not rush for immediate results and always wore a smile while speaking with others. Even if no cooperation resulted, meeting a few more people was still worthwhile. After all, in business, every additional friend opened another path.

By the afternoon—

Cheng Huai Song approached with several people.

Before reaching them, Cheng Huai Song smiled broadly from a distance and called in a resonant voice, “President Qi.”

He stopped before them, his gaze subtly shifting toward the person behind Qi Mu.

Not long ago, Liu Long had been taken away by the police for investigation. Had Cheng Huai Song not encountered Jiang Shao by chance beforehand, he probably would never have understood exactly whom Liu Long had offended. But it was precisely because of Liu Long’s downfall that Cheng Huai Song became certain of one thing: Jiang Shao and Qi Mu absolutely shared an unusual relationship. Jiang Shao had clearly been venting Qi Mu’s anger on his behalf.

It seemed Cheng Huai Song had made the correct gamble when he proactively extended goodwill toward Qi Mu before anything happened to Liu Long. Besides, Liu Long had committed those acts under his management, so Cheng Huai Song bore a degree of responsibility and naturally ought to make amends.

Cheng Huai Song smiled and introduced the man beside him to Qi Mu. “President Qi, this is President Fang of Tuoyuan Power. President Fang happens to be looking to procure a batch of components, so I brought him over to take a look.”

Qi Mu immediately understood. Cheng Huai Song was introducing a client to him.

He looked toward the man beside Cheng Huai Song.

This was another familiar face frequently seen in the media—Fang Ming Qian, founder of Tuoyuan Power and a celebrated example of youthful achievement within the automotive industry. He often appeared in financial magazines and, because of his attractive appearance and bearing, even had a sizable online following.

As expected, anyone introduced by Cheng Huai Song was no ordinary person.

Qi Mu smiled and extended his hand. “Hello, President Fang.”

Fang Ming Qian likewise reached out and shook Qi Mu’s hand, speaking with gentle and refined courtesy. “Chairman Cheng has praised President Qi to me, saying you are young and accomplished. Meeting you today, I can see that his words were entirely accurate.”

Qi Mu returned the commercial compliment. “President Fang is the truly young and accomplished one.”

Cheng Huai Song chuckled beside them. “All right, both of you are accomplished young men. I suppose I’m the only old man here.”

Fang Ming Qian and Qi Mu said simultaneously, “How could that be?”

After speaking in unison, they looked at each other and smiled.

Only then did Qi Mu add, “Chairman Cheng is far too modest. You remain hale and vigorous, and we still have much to learn from you.”

Fang Ming Qian smiled as well. “President Qi is right.”

Cheng Huai Song looked at the two of them with satisfaction.

Although Jiang Shao was part of the reason he had come today, Cheng Huai Song still would not have made an introduction if Qi Mu’s character had been poor. At his status and position, he valued his reputation greatly in both conduct and business. If trouble arose from someone he had introduced, it would damage his own credibility, so he never connected people casually.

He genuinely admired Qi Mu and valued Qi Corporation’s integrity and reliability, which was why he was willing to bring Fang Ming Qian over.

Both were younger men he appreciated. If they could establish cooperation, it would be a fine outcome.

Qi Mu and Fang Ming Qian conversed pleasantly.

Qi Mu had not expected such an unexpected gain today. Cheng Huai Song’s willingness to help him probably also had something to do with Jiang Shao, didn’t it? Although the young master spent every day doing no proper work, merely standing there made him an auspicious mascot. Hadn’t good fortune arrived already?

With that thought, Qi Mu no longer minded Jiang Shao causing trouble everywhere.

If Qi Corporation could establish a stable cooperative relationship with Tuoyuan Power, the company would gain another dependable major client. Therefore, Qi Mu treated Fang Ming Qian with great seriousness.

Moreover, as their conversation continued, Qi Mu discovered that Fang Ming Qian was sincere and witty, and many of his opinions aligned with Qi Mu’s own. It was rare for him to meet someone with whom he conversed so naturally, and gradually, some of their formal courtesy faded.

Qi Mu was so engrossed in his conversation that he failed to notice the icy gaze directed at him from behind.

Jiang Shao stood with both hands in his pockets, leaning against the edge of the exhibition booth, half his body submerged in shadow. He watched the two men conversing so pleasantly, his gaze scraping over Fang Ming Qian like a blade. They had only just met, hadn’t they? Yet they acted as though they regretted not meeting sooner. Their warm hypocrisy was truly nauseating.

Jiang Shao could no longer be bothered watching the scene and irritably shifted his gaze away, only for it to fall upon Qi Mu’s hand. He remembered that only moments earlier… the two men had shaken hands for more than ten full seconds, and his expression immediately darkened again.

Even now, he had never once shaken Qi Mu’s hand.

Previous

Main

Next