Standing Next To You-Chapter 555: The Grave I

When Fei Chuan and Assistant Chen arrived at the Fei villa, the young butler informed them that Melanie had left with her belongings earlier that afternoon.

Assistant Chen was already aware of this, but he wasn’t sure if his boss knew as well.

It was late at night, and Fei Chuan had just returned from visiting another graveyard. He loosened his tie as he asked, "Where is she now?"

"She’s in Capital L and has booked a room in Hotel Sun. She said she will continue sightseeing the country—with or without you."

"Assign some people for her protection. Don’t approach her, just watch from afar."

"Yes. Should I update you on her movements?"

Fei Chuan removed his suit jacket. "No. Only call me in an emergency. Handle the rest."

Assistant Chen nodded. He made the necessary calls to arrange for Melanie’s protection. Afterward, he glanced at his boss. This cold-hearted man didn’t even see her off. Melanie had come all this way for him, yet he didn’t appreciate it at all.

After observing them for a week, Assistant Chen couldn’t help but pity Melanie.

For the entire week they had been together, Fei Chuan would always leave in the middle of their time together. Anyone would understand that he had no interest in Melanie at all. It was no wonder that the person who had been holding on for the past four years had finally given up.

He sighed and asked, "Should I inform Mr. William about this?"

Fei Chuan took off his watch, his gaze falling on the necklace he had been carrying all this time.

"I’ll call him."

Assistant Chen nodded and reminded Fei Chuan about his important meeting tomorrow, hoping he wouldn’t leave halfway just to visit another graveyard. As his assistant, he had been dragged along on this endless search for a grave that seemed not to exist. After a whole week of fruitless searching, he was exhausted and hopeless, constantly telling Fei Chuan that the grave in the drawing might not be real.

But his boss remained silent and continued searching.

As expected, when the next day came, Fei Chuan still left the meeting halfway through to search for another grave.

But this time, something was different.

.....

In the high-rise building, several middle-aged men, all CEOs of their respective companies, gathered to propose a new project to the young CEO seated at the center.

Fei Chuan reviewed their proposal in silence, making the other CEOs gulp anxiously. These days, securing an appointment with this young man seemed increasingly difficult. If he had no connections with the James family and lacked a keen business sense, they wouldn’t have been this patient or polite.

They were renowned figures themselves—men who typically wouldn’t show deference to someone as young and inexperienced as Fei Chuan. However, despite his youth and relatively limited experience, every project he had chosen to invest in had flourished. They suspected the James family had a significant hand in this.

This new project, which required an investment for almost a hundred billions, needed a strong backer to ensure success.

The only sound in the vast conference room was the turning of paper. No one dared to break the silence.

Finally, Fei Chuan finished reading the proposal. He tapped his fingers on the file and looked each CEO in the eye.

"This is a huge risk. There’s a fifty percent chance of success—and an equal chance of failure. If this goes down, so will all of you."

The CEOs exchanged glances before nodding. "We are prepared."

The reason they had come to Fei Chuan in the first place was their fear of failure. If the James family got involved, there would be no failures.

"Even with all your companies’ combined funds, you’re still short. You lack 12% of the required investment," Fei Chuan stated.

"That’s why we came to you. If you join this project and fund the remaining 12%, you’ll receive shares proportional to your contribution, plus accumulated interest over the coming years. I guarantee that within three years of this project’s launch, you’ll earn three times your initial investment," the leading CEO tried to persuade him.

"You actually don’t need my funding. If just three of you committed fully, you could cover this 12% easily. But none of you want to take the real risk."

One of the CEOs laughed. "We can’t put all our eggs in one basket, Mr. Fei. We businessmen aren’t afraid of risk, but we’re not foolish enough to gamble everything. We take calculated risks. Didn’t you just say that if this project fails, we’ll go down with it?" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Fei Chuan glanced at the speaker, his sharp eyes glinting. "Your ambitions are high, yet you hesitate to pay the price?" He leaned back in his seat. "I can fund the 12% effortlessly, but I refuse to work with people who fear losing. If you were truly willing to go all in, I wouldn’t hesitate to invest even more. But this..." Fei Chuan pushed the file toward them. "If you want to dream big, then put your heart into it."

The CEOs’ faces darkened. They knew he was right. These were the fundamentals of business. However, hearing it from a man decades younger than them left a bitter taste.

Suddenly, one of the CEOs broke the tension with laughter. "Come on, gentlemen, don’t make such faces. Mr. Fei has a point. How can we ensure success if we don’t commit fully and instead rely on others to carry us? Are we hesitating because the investment is too great and we fear potential losses?"

A man with graying sideburns smiled at the others. "Remember when we were young? Back then, we would sell everything—down to our underwear—just to start a small business. Where is that young man now?"

His words struck a chord. The other CEOs looked down in embarrassment. As they had grown older, they had indeed forgotten the passion that once drove them.

The senior chairman looked at Fei Chuan. "We can revise the proposal again—just don’t reject us immediately."

For the first time, a smile appeared on Fei Chuan’s face. "I won’t. After all, you’re here, Chairman."

The senior chairman chuckled. "It’s been almost five years, yet you still call me that."

Fei Chuan’s smile deepened. This senior chairman had been his stepping stone into the business world. Although the James family had played a role in his success, Fei Chuan remained grateful to his first mentor.

The other CEOs agreed with the senior chairman and immediately started revising the proposal. Fei Chuan listened quietly, waiting. When the updated proposal was finally handed to him, his phone suddenly chimed with a notification.

Assistant Cheng, who had been standing at the side, heard the familiar ping, and his heartbeat quickened.

That sound...

As expected, the moment Fei Chuan read the message, he abruptly stood up.

"I’ll review the proposal again and send you the signed documents later," he said, nodding at the senior chairman as a farewell before striding out of the room.

Assistant Cheng was flustered. He turned to face the dumbfounded CEOs who had been waiting for Fei Chuan’s signature. "As Mr. Fei said, I’ll send you the signed documents later. Please look forward to my email." He then hurriedly followed after Fei Chuan.

In the conference room, the senior chairman let out a hearty laugh at the shocked expressions of the other CEOs. "He hasn’t changed at all."

"Was he always this rude when he was younger? What an arrogant brat. He is just lucky that he got the James family fond of him." one CEO remarked.

The senior chairman simply laughed and shook his head. If only they knew—Fei Chuan had every right to be arrogant.

After all, it wasn’t Fei Chuan who clung to the James family. It was the James family that clung to him.