Chapter 3 Undercurrents

led with the scene she witnessed just now."No, actually just then, Chen Cong probably wanted to charge over," Su Can thought for a moment and said.The spoon in Tang Wu's hand suddenly paused. Those wh...Chapter 3: Undercurrents Emerge

The gathering at Huancheng's dam lake turned out to be a great success, mostly thanks to Su Can. Everyone had come quite fully because of him, making Su Can chuckle and say to everyone, "Sympathy is the most timely comfort for the weak but the greatest insult to the strong. You guys are collectively insulting me."

Afterwards, everyone took photos together. The best group photo was taken by the lake shore at the dam. Above were azure skies, and below were clear autumn waves. Over three days, those who had been pampered in big cities turned tanned under the glaring sun.

The crowd smiled widely. Xue Yiyang and Liu Rui each grabbed Su Can's neck on either side of him. In their middle school graduation photos six years ago when they were all in Xihaian, Su Can was the shortest among them; Liu Rui and Xue Yiyang towered over him like bulls standing beside horses. Now, however, compared to them, Su Can had grown taller by a few inches, reaching 183 cm tall. It felt as if they were living in different eras. Indeed, not only had their looks changed; Su Richen became the vice mayor of Huancheng city, and many people privately speculated on how wealthy Su Can was, but no one could accurately calculate it. If the summer clash with Facebook Inc in Silicon Valley hadn't happened, would he be known as the youngest billionaire along with American Mark Alas, this is reality; all that's lost or missed cannot be relived.

Tran Wu and Lin Luoran's smiles are always the brightest part of the image. As Lin Luoran stood next to her brother Lin Zhouwu was about to reach out his hand to grab her shoulder, but if one looked closely they would see that it was actually Lin Luoran who had first pinched him on his chubby waist, making him look awkwardly. Words cannot describe such an expression until the movie Kung Fu Panda comes along.

This photo became a cherished memory kept in many people's frames for years to come.

At the end of 2004, NanDa University’s multi-functional Guanghua Building was completed and topped out. This building would become one of two famous twin-tower buildings on campus that would be considered landmarks of the university and Shanghai city in the future. On the day of completion, colorful balloons flew around while red banners hung up were the most eye-catching; these banners were personally written by NanDa’s president, "Modern universities aren't about how many high-rise buildings there are, but whether the self-study rooms are brightly lit at night." The school received much praise for this slogan. When interviewed, President Wang Xiaoyi said to the camera, “The modernization process of colleges is just a trend. However, what sustains a great university isn’t its hardware facilities, it’s the tireless spirit of students and their innovative and pragmatic attitude towards learning. I hope that me and the students will use this slogan as our motto to not waste life…"

After the incident with the Chinese people protesting against Facebook Inc, Su Can had severed all contact with American Facebook.

The US side as well as China were discussing fervently in recent times. Many rumors said that Facebook’s Chinese service was going dormant but actually it was privately contacting the Federal Trade Commission arbitration body and gathering evidence to further sue American Facebook. Although these things were highly confidential, there are no secrets under the sun; many analysts openly pointed out that if a lawsuit is filed against Facebook Inc by the founder of its China version, it would put tremendous pressure on American Facebook and even involve personnel and management disputes. Truly an unmerciful war.

And all wars throughout human history were like this: bloody, cold, cruel.

Su Can did not expect to receive an invitation from Tran Wu's family banquet at the end of the year.

The last time he received such an invite was long ago. That was when it was Tran Wu’s first semester in college; both Mu family elders, two very important figures, arrived in Shanghai for this occasion as well. The only places these two elderly people would stay were either at a hotel booked by the city committee or at Tran Wu's home. This highlighted how much importance they placed on their granddaughter.

Back then when Su Can attended Tran Wu’s family banquet he felt somewhat uneasy and inexperienced, trying to immerse himself in this big family for the first time; two years later his mindset was naturally very different now.

When Tran Wu told him that the location of today's family banquet would still be at Immortal Feast Residence, Su Can was momentarily stunned. It was the same place they had gathered at two years ago; he wasn't sure if it was because the place was familiar to them or whether they were taking care of him.

Tran Wu said on the phone that “You don’t need to go to work today, stay in school. I’m home now. Come find me at my house this afternoon, then we can go together.” She added that "They mentioned you earlier and insisted you come."

The elderly Mutoo (Mu family grandmother) and Mu grandfather who had just arrived in Shanghai asked about him a few times already; it was hinted that he must be part of the group at this family banquet. In fact, even if the two mountains hadn't spoken up, Mu Xuan had mentioned to Tran Wu previously to invite Su Can along as well when the time came.

After meeting with Tran Wu, Su Can went shopping at Xin Tian Di for gifts that might be needed later by some of his juniors. For example, for his cousin Mu Kaizhu and her few little nephews. To put it bluntly, since Mu Kaizhu had come to NanDa a couple times already, apart from treating them to meals Su Can hadn't properly given them any gifts before; this was the right time now.

Spent an afternoon with Tang Wu in the mall, buying quite a few distinctive items that weren't expensive. In fact, as it was Su Cen's first time sending gifts to juniors, if he had focused solely on price, it would have been somewhat ostentatious and unappealing. Among them, the most expensive item was a four-thousand-yuan watch for Mu Kaizhu; its uniqueness made it very suitable for Tang Wu’s fair skin and slender wrists. When Tang Wu tried to take out her wallet to pay, even though she held the position of Vice President at Facebook Chinese with an annual income in the tens of millions, she still felt uncomfortable about Su Cen buying a four-thousand-yuan watch just for her. In her mind, any gift over one thousand yuan was already quite precious, especially if it's something she picked out and wanted to pay for herself.

But Su Cen stopped her, swiped the card, and said unhappily, "Are you going to keep track of every penny we spend together"

Tang Wu held onto his arm with her cool hand and whispered softly, "I just think it was too expensive. Don’t be upset..."

Su Cen entered the password, printed out a receipt, handed both to Tang Wu, then said with a teasing smile, "Sign here. It's your salary card." As Vice President at Facebook Chinese, Tang Wu’s salary was paid annually into her account. However, she had never used this card; it always remained in Su Cen’s possession.

Tang Wu, who had been worried that he might be upset with her, suddenly stopped and couldn’t help but feel a mix of anger and amusement. She then punched his shoulder twice before signing the receipt elegantly with "Tang Wu." Turning to him again, she glared coldly and said, "Don't think I'll pay any attention to you."

Finally, Su Cen held her hand gently; she didn’t react at all. He then pinched the palm of her hand slightly, moving his face closer to hers as if in a shy gesture, which made her step back half a step with softened eyes and a tender gaze towards him. She couldn't hold it anymore and looked away, breaking into a smile like rosy clouds reflecting on clear water.

The cashier and the floor manager who had intentionally delayed their work to watch them felt rather lonely.

Later, Su Cen arrived at the restaurant with several bags. The table was already crowded with people. Two important elders of the Mu family were conversing with some well-dressed middle-aged men and women—relatives of Tang Wu. These individuals usually frequented high-profile events and official functions but now stood respectfully before Old Lady Mu, listening to her instructions.

When Su Cen and Tang Wu entered, everyone was talking about their own topics or chatting idly, yet all eyes were drawn to the two of them, especially towards Su Cen.

Su Cen then distributed gifts to his relatives: aunts' sons, uncles' nephews, and several cousins whose names Tang Wu had told him. Some thanked him cheerfully, some shyly said thanks; some girls looked at the couple closely before whispering excitedly to their friends about how beautiful Tang Wu was, while they seemed to forget about Su Cen's gifts...

Mu Kaizhu happily received her gift and asked what it was. After hearing from Tang Wu that it was a watch from Su Cen, she exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Su Cen, how did you know I wanted a new watch My old one broke last week, and I dreamt about buying a new one. When I woke up, I felt happy for so long before feeling sad... But now that you’ve given me this, what should I say If it wasn’t my sister here, I would have kissed you."

A cousin of Zhao Ming then raised his head and looked at Mu Kaizhu with big eyes, saying sarcastically, "Mu姐 (Sis Mu), your flattery is amazing. Truly impressive."

This caused Mu Kaizhu to turn red and chase him around.

In the past, Mu Kaizhu always compared herself with her cousin Tang Wu in everything. Whatever Tang Wu had, she wanted it too; if she couldn't have it, she would borrow or take it from Tang Wu. Once she saw Tang Wu's piggy bank at home and insisted on taking it, only to be punished by her mother who later bought her a much more expensive one. But Mu Kaizhu believed that no matter what, her cousin’s piggy bank, which was purchased for just over ten yuan at a gift shop near Xia Hai Third Middle School, could never compare with hers. Later on, she found out that everyone thought Tang Wu was prettier and smarter than her, but the only thing that mattered to Mu Kaizhu was wanting to be like her.

As they grew older, each leading their own lives, Mu Kaizhu now felt closer and more reliant on Tang Wu, despite what others said. Given Su Cen's reputation and background, even a trinket from a street stall would make Mu Kaizhu happy for days; she wasn’t bothered by the disparity between her possessions and those of this value.

Since entering with Tang Wu, Su Cen sensed that too many eyes were on him. Some women glanced at him before whispering among themselves, occasionally looking back at him.

Su Cen smiled calmly, sat down, and looked straight ahead, ready to be observed thoroughly if that’s what they wanted.

Tang Mu's extremely good friends in Shanghai also made an appearance, one or two of them. That girl named Tong Dong who was studying at the University of Shanghai and had previously been acquainted with everyone and was very close to Tang Wu sat down beside Su Chan after coming over, pulling his sleeve and asked worriedly, "Brother Su Chan, I heard about what happened to you in America... Is that true"

Su Chan was taken aback for a moment. Then he saw the attention on Tong Dong’s face as well as the faces of those behind her and even her parents. He knew that there were some things people might not believe at first, but needed to be personally confirmed before they could be convinced. Thus he nodded his head in reply.

"You’ll take legal action against them right" Tong Dong clenched her fist tightly, her eyes flashing with righteous indignation as she said, "You must sue them, these people are too evil..."

To the present-day Tong Dong, perhaps there were only black and white in this world. She heard about what happened to Su Chan and thought back to him at that time; she was so sad she almost cried. She felt that he had to bankrupt the other party and reclaim everything lost before anyone could feel relieved. But yet again, she knew how unrealistic it was for reality to be like that. However, thinking positively would make things much better.

The family banquet started, as Tang Zongyuan at the dinner table turned his head towards Su Chan sitting beside him and said, "Su Chan, this is your second time joining us in a meal together right According to reason we should all be familiar by now, don't hold back. There will be many more opportunities like these..." He spoke with openness; as he did so, the people around him naturally turned their attention towards Su Chan and nodded along with approving smiles, "Yes yes..."

After Tang Zongyuan finished speaking, it seemed that he felt his words were too metaphorical. He looked at Mu Xuan beside him but surprisingly didn’t see reproach in Mu Xuan’s eyes; instead, the corners of his mouth curved upwards into a smile with an approving air about it. Then he turned to look towards Su Chan like everyone else.

Only then did Mu Xuan think about the things that happened related to him over this past year and sigh softly again.

Mother Mu was the last one to speak; when she began speaking, the entire hall fell silent and waited for her words. She first encouraged everyone with a few words, then taught the younger generation some lessons before slowly turning towards Tang Wu and saying, "Tang Wu, I've heard about what you’re doing with Xiao Su from your mother. I know that you are both working hard to do something of your own and can also conduct 'Made in China'... That's very impressive. Your mom wanted to intervene previously, but I told her off too. Nevertheless, remember not to neglect your studies; study until the day you die because that’s an unchanging truth..."

Then Mother Mu turned towards Su Chan and said, "Xiao Su."

Su Chan hurriedly replied.

"I only heard about what happened to you recently. I think... Life can't be without a little wave. In dealing with people and making friends, don’t be too demanding of the fickle world around you. You’re still young; as youths, you should remain calm in your aspirations and be down-to-earth, don’t let fame and wealth block your view of the sky."

Those few short words were not fancy but very practical. It was clear that they contained a powerful aura.

The expressions of everyone present changed. To know that an old lady who could get countless officials to listen to lectures on theory and spiritual construction would say such things was the dream of many people. There was also her attitude in these words, it was obvious she was very satisfied with Su Chan.

Su Chan nodded urgently as Mother Mu then took advantage of this opportunity to speak a few more sentences about both him and Tang Wu before extending to the younger generation around them. But everyone could see that this was already an indirect approval from the two elders in the Mu family, which had profound significance.

During the banquet after these words, compared to when Su Chan attended such events at the Tang household two years ago where there was an invisible pressure present, it seemed like it disappeared completely now.

In the past, they didn’t know about Mu Qin’s attitude, so none of her grandchildren dared act rashly; who would dare show any intimacy or distance towards Su Chan

But after this conversation, everything was clear. Even Tang Wu’s few powerful uncles actually made jokes and offered to pour drinks for him now. But as soon as Su Chan said he couldn’t drink anymore, they’d stop immediately. Then they would find other opportunities by making a roundabout approach, even joking about the Tang parents’ private wine collection that was usually off-limits, saying today they brought it out because of Xiao Su’s favor.

Su Cun and Tang Wu could tolerate this situation, picking dishes and eating until they were almost full. They made an excuse that they needed to go back to Nan University before leaving.

The moment the two of them left, more people started chatting privately about what had just happened.

"Is it really him who founded that American company It’s unbelievable; Tang Wu is still in her third year at university. She’s too young..."

"I didn’t notice until you pointed it out," a Mu family relative shook his head, "I couldn’t see anything special about them... A pity."

At the edge of the round table, Tang Wu’s aunt and her friends were also talking about what they had just witnessed.

"Why can't we file a lawsuit in America I heard from my American friend that cases like these are accepted there. Not to mention famous companies like Facebook; many people would be willing to handle such lawsuits. If successful, it could make them famous... " the Zhao family woman said softly.

"Do you think it’s going to be that easy What is most important when filing a lawsuit in America" Tang Wu's aunt asked, "Money is the strongest support. To sue a big company or financial group, you have to face their entire legal department. The best lawyers are working for these departments. How powerful is that"

"Doesn’t he have money... I heard he has 30% to 40% shares… several billion dollars in assets. With such power, why not sue them" the Li family woman said, "In my case, if it happened to me, I wouldn't hesitate to attack and bite chunks out of them. How much money are we talking about here..."

Tang Wu’s aunt smiled, "If you were in his situation, you probably would have fainted from anger. Capitalists… they aren’t easy to deal with." She paused, then continued, "The most important thing is that the situation isn't as simple as it seems... You don’t know who's behind it."

The two women leaned in closer, hoping to hear more concrete details about the hidden truths.

"Who’s behind this Could it be related to Jiangnan Province… that provincial governor The Gao family" someone said cautiously.

Most of those who could join Mu family gatherings were insiders with connections at the level of bureau chiefs. However, when mentioning the Gao family, everyone felt a chill from high-level politics pressing down on them like an oppressive weight.

Tang Wu’s aunt glanced towards Tang's parents and sighed before nodding reluctantly.

Everyone fell silent, some with their mouths agape as they tried to digest the shocking news. Others’ hearts raced, feeling like they were sinking into a vortex at just the edges of it.

The Gao family had been playing politics for years, controlling Jiangnan Province and exerting its influence over large state-owned enterprises such as Xin Yuan Group. They were known to be capable of manipulating high-level officials with ease. Although few knew exactly what Gao Heng was involved in, they could now clearly sense the brewing storm.

I’m truly sorry, but I collapsed from exhaustion yesterday and slept through the entire day. When I woke up at one-thirty AM, I realized I needed to take a leave of absence. I’ve been thinking about it ever since… I think I mentioned taking leave in my dream...

Today’s update will be regular. Yesterday's chapter is on hold for adjustment and rest. If there were seven days of continuous updates previously, I’ll continue for another four to five days if needed.Wang Bo and indirectly expressing his displeasure through other channels. But he still needed to accumulate strength before clashing directly with Wang Bo."If we cannot secure the Fenghe District site...