C9 Are You Still a Man?

"No!"

Mrs. Han was petrified with fear, tears and snot splattering uncontrollably. She was as rigid as a plank of wood.

The chilling touch of the blade was more despairing than death itself.

"Sorry," the crew-cut youth said, his gaze darkening as he spoke with unsettling calm. "Every man for himself, or face the wrath of the heavens."

He was aware that marring Mrs. Han's appearance would provoke the Han family to pursue him to the ends of the earth. Yet, facing the enigma that was Chu Yun, he preferred to risk their wrath.

"Let it go."

Su Mingyue approached, her presence in the tense and chilly meeting room akin to an angel embodying truth, virtue, and beauty, offering salvation to all.

Her voice, cool and detached, was nonetheless melodious, soothing to the ear.

In that moment, no one dared confront the frenzied Chu Yun—no one but her.

As Su Mingyue spoke, the room's tightly wound atmosphere eased.

Even the young man with the buzz cut turned to look at the stoic Chu Yun.

"What are you staring at?" Chu Yun's brow furrowed. "Are you deaf? My wife said to let it go."

The young man exhaled a murky breath and hastily released the folding army knife.

Chu Yun snuffed out his cigarette and strode toward the terror-stricken Mrs. Han. Surprisingly, a smile crept across his austere face. In a hushed tone, he said, "Mrs. Han, choose a night when it's dark and stormy next time. Making a scene in public is embarrassing for you and suffocating for me."

Mrs. Han was ghostly pale, her body quivering, yet she was rendered speechless.

Slap!

Chu Yun, devoid of any gentlemanly grace, struck her across the face.

"I'm speaking to you," Chu Yun said irritably. "Could you at least show me some respect?"

The slap jolted Mrs. Han back to reality.

Clutching her reddened cheek, she staggered out of the meeting room.

With Mrs. Han's departure, the intense confrontation reached its conclusion.

The insiders swiftly vacated the premises, and the high-ranking attendees dispersed. Those who remained cast wary glances at Chu Yun, not daring to utter a word.

"You've caused a massive problem!"

Chen Xiuling, coming to her senses, cried out in despair, "You had the audacity to strike Mrs. Han. If you're courting death, don't drag the Su family down with you!"

Chu Yun softened his stern demeanor and said with a hint of grievance, "Auntie, I stood up for you under a lot of pressure. You don't have to thank me, but why are you blaming me instead?"

Chen Xiuling was about to respond when Chu Yun approached Su Mingyue with concern. "You weren't hurt earlier, were you?"

Su Mingyue shook her head, her thoughts in disarray.

If last night's confrontation with Han Jin was just an appetizer, then today's events were the main course.

"That's a relief," Chu Yun said with a nod. "Skipping breakfast isn't good for your stomach. Let me join you for a meal."

The group departed from Unhindered Entertainment. Chen Xiuling, behind the wheel, continued to berate Chu Yun for his reckless actions without considering the consequences. Su Mingyue, seated in the passenger seat, remained silent, lost in thought.

"Why did you even come back to Pearl? You caused trouble for Mingyue last night, and now you've brought trouble to me and the Su family. What are you really up to?" Chen Xiuling demanded, frustration in her voice. After offending Mrs. Han so severely, would the Han family just let things slide? Could anyone in the Su family truly escape their reach?

"Auntie," Chu Yun said, his face composed, his lips pressed together. "I thought you might be a bit wary of me after I demonstrated my abilities."

"What, are you considering fighting me too?" Chen Xiuling retorted, her heartbeat quickening uncontrollably.

She was genuinely intimidated by the Chu Yun she had seen in the meeting room – he seemed almost demonic.

Yet, for the longest time, Chu Yun had been nothing more than a worthless gigolo in her eyes. Such deep-seated perceptions aren't easily altered overnight.

"Of course not," Chu Yun replied, his smile disarming. "Even if I didn't respect you, I would still consider Mingyue's feelings."

Chen Xiuling felt her confidence waver.

Did his words imply that he would have resorted to violence if Mingyue's feelings weren't a factor?

With a huff, Chen Xiuling steered the conversation elsewhere. "Why did Captain Qi call off his team earlier? Are you well-acquainted with him?"

"Not really," Chu Yun replied with a shake of his head. "But we've crossed paths a few times."

"Why would he rather offend Mrs. Han than detain her..."

Ding, ding, ding.

Chen Xiuling was in the midst of her curious inquiry when Su Mingyue's phone rang.

She answered the call, listening with a composed expression before responding, "Okay, I'll handle the paperwork tomorrow."

After ending the call, Chen Xiuling, jumpy as a spooked bird, pressed, "What's going on now?"

Su Mingyue replied with calm, "The company wants to cancel my contract."

"What!?" Chen Xiuling was initially shocked but quickly regained her composure, lamenting, "It seems Xue Chaoqing is also wary of getting entangled. The Han Group is too influential; nobody dares to cross them. Sigh..."

"Maybe it's for the best that the contract is terminated." Chu Yun, ever the traditionalist, added, "What man wants his wife in the spotlight, idolized as a dream goddess by millions of admirers?"

Su Mingyue remained silent, but Chen Xiuling pressed on, "What about the signing bonus? Aren't they liable for breaking the contract unilaterally?"

"The party initiating the termination has the right to claim the signing fee," Su Mingyue explained, her lips tight. "Xue Chaoqing offered a discount, asking for only 80 million."

Her tone was even, but a shadow of fatigue swept over her stunning features.

She had given so much over the past six months to support the Su family, only to come up short in the end.

"Eighty million!?" Chen Xiuling despaired. "The signing bonus was already used to pay off debts. How can the Su family come up with eighty million?"

"I'll figure something out," Su Mingyue said, her lips parting just slightly. Before Chen Xiuling could respond, she added with a furrowed brow, "I need some peace and quiet."

Chen Xiuling paused, then fell silent.

Just then, Chu Yun's phone rang at the worst possible time.

He answered with a few noncommittal grunts before instructing Chen Xiuling to pull over.

"What's the issue now?" Chen Xiuling asked, her patience wearing thin.

"A buddy of mine wants to grab a drink," Chu Yun said with a hint of resignation. "They found out I'm back in Pearl and insisted on throwing me a welcome-back bash. I couldn't say no."

Chen Xiuling was on the verge of cursing out loud.

What kind of situation was this, and yet they still insisted on going out and causing trouble?

Such a waste of space! Causing trouble and then just dusting off his pants to go indulge in pleasures, without a care for his wife or the Su family?

Su Mingyue remained indifferent to the situation, waiting until Chu Yun exited the car. Chen Xiuling huffed, "Mingyue, I'm not trying to stir up trouble, but look at this jerk. Can you even call him a man?"

Su Mingyue glanced in the rearview mirror. On the bustling roadside, Chu Yun, dressed plainly, was trying to hail a cab during the morning rush hour – a challenging feat.

"He's quite the man," Su Mingyue murmured, her eyes reflecting a mix of emotions.

...

Chu Yun took a taxi directly to Unhindered Entertainment. He slipped in through the back door and made his way into the tense atmosphere of the CEO's office.

Inside, the boss, Xue Chaoqing, was on the phone offering apologies. He was about to vent his anger at the intrusion when he looked up and saw Chu Yun, causing him to choke back his fury.

"Do you believe I could end you?" Chu Yun said as he plopped down, his gaze icy.

Yet, inside, he felt a twinge of anxiety.

What was with people these days? Chen Xiuling had called him trash as soon as she stepped outside, and now this guy was about to fire Su Mingyue.

Was he not intimidating enough? Did he lack any semblance of a deterrent?

Xue Chaoqing, who had been in the entertainment industry for over two decades, had never been threatened like this. He was suddenly flustered, reaching for his phone to call security – calling the police would be futile, as Mrs. Han had already learned.

"Let's talk this out," Xue Chaoqing managed to say, swallowing hard.

At nearly fifty, he was embarrassed to be intimidated by someone so much younger.

Hearing this, Chu Yun's demeanor softened. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and courteously offered one to Xue Chaoqing. "Director Xue, please reconsider the termination. You might not be aware, but the Su family relies on Mingyue's income. If you fire her, we'll all be left out in the cold."

Xue Chaoqing was taken aback.

It was his first time witnessing someone so brazenly and earnestly living off others.

Are you even a man?