Isn’t it just a fantasy?
But although Xi Gu could say that, the butler couldn’t. He simply repeated the situation of Xi Gu’s mother to him and waited for Xi Gu’s response.
Xi Gu’s current condition was far from good, so he was powerless.
In Xi Gu’s eyes, not only was his mother unable to share his worries and solve problems for him, she was subconsciously holding him back, which displeased him greatly, and he felt nothing about her minor illnesses and pains. He didn’t deny the many years of devotion his mother had for him, but that didn’t mean he had to repay it in kind.
After all, her kindness and devotion to him were not something he had asked her to do.
Moreover, the idea that Yuran was Fu Yuran was completely absurd.
How could it be possible?
"Butler, take good care of my mother, and if her condition worsens, you may send her to the hospital for the time being."
The butler did not quite understand Xi Gu’s meaning, "Does Young Master Gu mean... to give up on the lady?"
The words "give up" were spoken lightly by the butler, but Xi Gu heard them loud and clear. He was taken aback and then said, "Butler, you misspoke. It’s not that I have given up on my mother, but that I am currently spread too thin. I am merely having her stay in a place that suits her for the time being."
The butler fell silent for a moment, then replied, "Yes."
When the lawsuit between the "Miss Rose" production team and Ou Jinchu became the talk of the town, "City of Temptation" announced its wrap and soon after declared the release date to be next May, exactly six months from now.
The lengthy post-production period suggests an ambition for excellence; as a producer, Xi Nian’s films have always been of high quality, and there are high expectations from all sides.
This sudden move caught everyone off guard. In Xi Gu’s estimation, even if "City of Temptation" had finished shooting, it would need until at least the following February to wrap everything up completely unless...
...unless the actors in his production didn’t need any NG takes, which would speed up the process. But could that be possible?
Xi Gu, upon receiving the news, threw a fit in his office and didn’t hold back in berating his assistant, who was rather innocent in the matter. After all, by normal standards, the time frame for "City of Temptation" had been calculated precisely.
There was no mistake in the calculation; the problem was indeed as he had thought: no NG takes.
The efficiency was surprisingly high, leading to "City of Temptation" finishing much sooner than expected, and they managed to secure the most favorable release time, catching the others unawares.
Now "Miss Rose" was in a drawn-out legal battle with Ou Jinchu, neither side willing to give in, resulting in severe delays in the progress of "Miss Rose".
Learning this news was a bolt from the blue for Xi Gu, as receiving this message meant that London had received it as well, and he figured a call from Xi Zhen would soon come his way, making him incredibly jittery.
He reached out to Xi Ya, "What’s happening on grandfather’s side now, did he tell you anything?"
Xi Ya shared the same mother with him, but there wasn’t much brotherly love between them. Bound together, there was no chance for mischief, for they would either rise or fall together.
Having cooperated with Xi Gu for many years, Xi Ya had always thought that Xi Gu’s abilities were above average if not particularly outstanding. But since Xi Nian had risen and joined Huanya, they had been publicly competing for the same throne.
Xi Gu’s performance was incredibly baffling, almost unbelievable.
Completely overshadowed by Xi Nian, he was outclassed in both competence and business acumen, lagging far behind.
Xi Ya wasn’t inclined to say much when he received the call, but after thinking it over, he still shared what he knew, "Xi Nian has spoken with grandfather on the phone, did you know that?"
This reaction made it even more clear to Xi Ya, even without saying anything.
With a slight sigh, "Brother, your performance has plummeted in the past two years, and you’ve been so suppressed by Xi Nian that you can’t even catch your breath. Do you know that Grandfather has already started to assign territories on his side and do you know what level you are at?"
A jolt of alarm went straight to Xi Gu’s heart, but he didn’t need to guess; he was well aware.
Xi Ya also probably knew, which meant Xi Gu had an idea, "Xi Yang and Xi Yan have been performing equally well, with Grandfather quite dissatisfied. With such a huge disparity between your performance and theirs, do you think Grandfather would be pleased with you?"
Xi Gu became somewhat anxious, "Has there been a victor between Xi Yang and Xi Yan?"
"It’s not about winning or losing. The difference in their performance is merely 0.2%, negligible, but they’ve both brought considerable benefits to the Xi Family. So, Grandfather might seem discontent, but in reality, he’s very pleased;
My side saw a loss of tens of billions last year. Thankfully, there was neither profit nor loss this year, and Grandfather didn’t say anything, but I saw the discontent on his face clear as day. He is displeased because I haven’t grown into what he expected;
He’s very unsatisfied, and as for your side, do you realize how big the discrepancy is? Before Xi Nian, your performance looked decent, but after Xi Nian took over, his performance nearly doubled yours; it’s too apparent.
To put it unpleasantly, if you lose this bet, Brother, the result is obvious. I don’t need to spell it out; you know what it means."
Seeing that Xi Gu wasn’t speaking, Xi Ya sighed, "Brother, take care of yourself. I’ve done everything I can. The replacement actor I found for you should arrive at your company by this afternoon. Just receive them.
Try to complete Ou Jinchu’s scenes early and hope to release not far from ’City of Temptation.’ Otherwise, your results will automatically declare Xi Nian the winner. The Xi Family’s situation is unclear right now, and none of us know what game Grandfather is playing, so we all have to give it our all. Consider our fate if any of our brothers get the control rights."
It would be a dreadful end.
Xi Gu gripped the phone tighter, "I understand, hanging up now."
Elsewhere, Xi Yang also made a call to Xi Nian, "Big Brother, I’ve discovered something. That crazy woman, she seems to have initiated some action against someone called Yuran."
Previously, all their lines of investigation were aimed at Fu Yuran. They hadn’t expected...
Xi Nian’s face turned cold in an instant, "When did this happen?"
"The timeline indicates it’s a recent event. Strangely, Ji Zexiu’s persecution of Yuran seems to have started even earlier."
Xi Nian’s brows knitted tightly, "Are you all prepared on your side? I might not wait half a year and could tear up my plan earlier."
At these words, Xi Yang fell silent for a moment. They had been lying low for so many years, wasn’t it all for that fatal blow to the Xi Family half a year later? Could it be because of Yuran that he was considering acting ahead of time?
Xi Yang didn’t ask for the reason, he didn’t ask anything; he simply acknowledged, "No matter what decision Big Brother makes, both Xi Yan and I support you. It’s up to you, Big Brother. On our side, we can move ahead at any time, so don’t worry."