Chapter 431: Day 36 into the Mary Sue Story

Chapter 431: Day 36 of Falling Into a Mary Sue Novel

The business world is nothing if not realistic and snobbish.

The An family's attitude, coupled with the Lu family's clear stance, and the An family's thunderous tactics and expansion momentum displayed in the previous incident against the Ye family, made many who had originally cooperated with the Ouyang family start doing the math in their heads.

Is it worth offending the An family—who are at the height of their power, protect their own, and play by their own rules—to stick with the Ouyangs, who are just rich but whose kids don't know their place and keep stirring up trouble? Was it time to reassess the risk of doing business with them?

Or maybe this was a chance to squeeze better terms out of the Ouyangs on certain deals?

Almost as soon as word got around, several big projects the Ouyangs were pushing suddenly ground to a crawl in approvals. Government permits that were once a sure thing got stuck in limbo, suppliers suddenly claimed material shortages and pushed back delivery dates, and banks got extra cautious, demanding mountains of extra paperwork...

The Ouyang elders weren't stupid—anyone who'd built a business empire like theirs had to be sharp as a tack.

A little digging made it crystal clear—the problem wasn't the business, it was the people.

The root cause traced straight back to the mess Ouyang Lie and Ouyang Qian had made at Saint Jing Academy.

Especially Ouyang Lie's weird obsession with An Yi and his constant provocations, plus Ouyang Qian taking her resentment out on Leng Bingning—someone An Yi had explicitly protected—had clearly pissed off the An family's young master, and by extension, the whole An clan.

When the family's interests were on the line, personal feelings didn't mean jack.

Ouyang Lie's father called him straight home.

Ouyang Qiang sat behind his wide desk, his face dark as thunder, the ashtray in front of him already overflowing with cigarette butts, the air thick with tobacco smoke.

"Bang!" Ouyang Qiang slammed his palm on the desk, making the ashtray rattle.

He shot to his feet, jabbing a finger at Ouyang Lie: "Ouyang Lie! I don't give a damn what's going on in that head of yours! Do you really think An Yi is someone you can mess with?! Huh?!"

Ouyang Qiang's eyes were bloodshot, clearly losing sleep over this mess: "What kind of weight does the An family carry? Who is An Yi? He himself... do you actually think he's as harmless as he looks? How did the Ye family end up ruined? Can't you see?!"

Ouyang Lie was blindsided by his father's tirade and instinctively tried to argue back: "I didn't provoke him! I just..."

"Just what?!" Ouyang Qiang cut him off harshly, grabbing a report from the desk and nearly hurling it at Ouyang Lie: "Just couldn't keep your pathetic little crush in check? Just thought he was special?! Do you know everyone in the circle is talking about this now?! That Lu family kid, Lu Lu—what's his deal with him, huh?! He's his real, official boyfriend! Both the An and Lu families have given it their blessing! Can't you see how tight those two families are now?! And you still go barging in?! You even let your sister run her mouth and piss off that Leng Bingning?! Are you scared the family business is going too well, so you just have to stir up some drama for me, is that it?! Do you want the whole Ouyang family to go down in flames over you two's petty bullshit?!"

His father's words hit harder with every sentence, and Ouyang Lie wanted to fight back.

He wanted to roar back, but seeing his father's face twisted with rage and those damning reports sitting on the desk, every word died in his throat.

A wave of humiliation and shame washed over him.

Was he really that repulsive to An Yi?

And for the sake of his family, he couldn't do a damn thing!

The family name and money he'd always prided himself on weren't a free pass to do whatever he wanted in the face of greater power—they'd become a cage forcing him to watch every word and step.

Ouyang Qiang watched his son's face go pale, saw the storm of emotions churning in his eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and sank back into his chair, rubbing his throbbing temples.

"I don't care what you think. Now, right this second, call An Yi and apologize—and mean it! Then keep your sister in check—tell her to shut her mouth and stay the hell away from Leng Bingning! You too, stay away from her! If you two cause one more problem, you're both out of the Ouyang family! Do you hear me?!"

Ouyang Lie stood there frozen, fists clenched so tight his nails dug into his palms, sending sharp jolts of pain through him.

He dropped his head and forced out a dry "...Yes" through gritted teeth.

That afternoon, An Yi got a call from an unknown number. He had a pretty good idea who it was, so he didn't pick up.

Ouyang Lie was quiet for a beat on the other end, then muttered softly: "Not even gonna pick up, huh? Fine."

The Ouyang family subsequently imposed strict discipline on Ouyang Qian with a firm attitude.

They made it clear that if she caused any more trouble for Leng Bingning, or spoke recklessly in public, she would be immediately sent to a women's academy known for its strict management.

Ouyang Qian was initially extremely defiant, throwing a massive tantrum at home, crying that her brother was siding with outsiders, cursing Leng Bingning as a fox spirit, and even coming to hate An Yi as well.

But when she realized her father was completely on her brother's side this time, when other elders in the family looked at her with reproach, and when she genuinely couldn't buy the new designer bags and jewelry she had her eye on because her card was frozen—that arrogant flame finally sputtered out, unwillingly, under the relentless pressure of reality.

She still fumed with resentment, complaining endlessly to her girlfriends in private, but at least she no longer dared, nor had the ability, to cause trouble for Leng Bingning.

As for Shen Muyu, he was undoubtedly the smartest and most adept at reading the room among the original F4.

He had sensed the shift in the wind almost from the very beginning when An Yi started making moves against Ye Ming, thanks to his keen instincts.

So, Shen Muyu played it safe, bided his time, and read the situation.

He quietly reined himself in and went back to being his Student Council President.

An Yi naturally welcomed this development.

Shen Muyu's tact saved him a lot of trouble.

He appreciated smart people, especially those smart enough to keep their distance.

Comments section:

"Hahahaha! What am I seeing?! An Yi just took out all of F4?! The male lead squad got wiped out! Author, I misjudged you—all that suffocating tension earlier was just building up to this, wasn't it!"

"Is it that you've suffered from too many of these novels too, so you got fed up and went for a counter-trope?! @Author! (I see through everything.jpg)"

"I love this development, mainly because the greasy stuff earlier pissed me off so much!"

"Isn't the novel called 'The Four Young Lords' Exclusive Favor: Butterfly Dream Purple Tears—That Damn Man'? How does this story even match that title?! 'The Four Young Lords' Exclusive Favor'—where are the lords now? One's under house arrest, one's exiled, one's under economic sanctions, and one's just vanished! That favor's favoring nothing but emptiness!"

"I think the title should be analyzed in parts: 'Four Young Lords' should correspond to 'That Damn Man'! And 'Exclusive Favor' should correspond to An Yi's devotion to Lu Lu! (Einstein.jpg)"

"So that's the kind of exclusive favor! You never cease to amaze! (Thumbs up) (Thumbs up)"

"So it's literally 'that damn man'? Author, you!"

"Brilliant~ (That look.jpg)"

"So there's no male lead now—what happens to the female lead? Does it become a no-CP story?"

"I don't know, but I think An Yi is exquisite."

"......"

An Yi: "......"