Living in a county town, starting as a stock market maker...

The main table.

A very interesting word.

A month ago, everyone at this table looked down on him.

And now, there is a seat on this table that belongs to the Star Partner.

Gu Ming turned his head slightly, his gaze passing over the crowd and landing on several seats at the main table.

Wang Min, Liu Liu, Zhang Hong.

His three sisters were sitting there.

They wore gowns flown in from Milan, adorned with jewelry, and had exquisite makeup.

Their faces wore trained smiles.

They were surrounded by a group of middle-aged men.

Gu Ming recognized them.

Chairman Wang of Huayi Brothers, General Manager Li of Enlight Media, General Manager Zhang of Bona Film Group...

The executives of these media companies were now surrounding the three sisters, their faces beaming with obsequious smiles.

"Mr. Wang, let me toast you! The look in your eyes in 'Rebuilding' is the goal we filmmakers strive for!" A balding man with a protruding belly bent low and presented a glass of wine to Wang Min with both hands.

Ha, just a few months ago, you were saying at a script meeting that Wang Min's face shape wasn't suitable for the big screen.

Wang Min also remembered him, and paused for a moment as she raised her wine glass.

But she still smiled and clinked glasses with the other person.

"You're too kind."

The voice was soft, and the posture was elegant.

Seeing this, Gu Ming found it boring.

Is this the upward mobility they're after?

Is this the glory that comes with victory?

It's just that a different group of people are now flattering them.

He tilted his head back and drank the red wine in his glass, the astringent taste of which made him a little more sober.

He saw Wang Min finish dealing with the man, then excuse herself to go to the restroom, stand up, and leave the main table.

Her silhouette looked somewhat desolate under the lamplight.

Gu Ming frowned, placed the empty wine glass on the waiter's tray, and instead of following them, turned and walked towards the terrace outside the banquet hall.

He needs some fresh air.

……

The wind was strong on the terrace, carrying the chill of Beijing in December.

Gu Ming lit a cigarette, leaned against the railing, and looked down at the city lights below.

Inside the restroom.

Wang Min locked the door from the inside, then slid down to the ground with her back against the door panel.

She took off her high heels and curled up in the corner.

She looked at herself in the mirror and felt like a stranger.

Who is that?

Is it me?

Why did that man surnamed Li look at me like that just now?

Why are his hands shaking?

Didn't we win?

Haven't we already stood on top of everyone else?

But why am I not happy at all?

I just feel empty.

She covered her face, her shoulders beginning to tremble.

After a while, she stood up, splashed cold water on her face, touched up her makeup, and walked out of the bathroom.

She did not return to the main table.

She walked onto the dimly lit terrace.

Then, she saw that familiar figure from behind.

"Brother Gu."

Wang Min's voice trembled slightly.

Gu Ming stubbed out his cigarette and turned around.

He looked at her; she was dressed in gorgeous clothes, but her eyes were filled with confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"Brother Gu..." Wang Min walked up to him, looked up, and looked into his eyes, which were now filled with confusion.

"Who are we now?"

She asked.

"Are we internet celebrities? Are we stars? Or are we what they call 'Boss Wang'?"

"I feel like the person in the mirror isn't me."

"Have we become the kind of people we hate?"

These problems made Gu Ming feel very upset.

His mind went blank for a moment.

Wang Min's face became blurry in front of me.

He remembered something.

That was in the summer of 2015.

On a green train, three girls with exaggerated hair color and makeup squeezed into a corner.

In front of them was a bowl of braised beef noodles.

"Sister Min, you eat first!"

"No, Xiaoliu, you go first, your stomach isn't good."

"Let Honghong have the first bite! She didn't eat all day yesterday because she was trying to get orders!"

In the end, it was a girl named Wang Min who, with her hands covered in tiny scars, divided the instant noodles into three portions and even poured the soup evenly.

They shared a bowl of instant noodles.

They had nothing back then.

Yet it seems like they possess everything.

……

"Brother Gu?"

Wang Min's voice brought Gu Ming back to reality.

Gu Ming's heart skipped a beat.

He sensed a hint of weakness.

He wanted to say, "Yes, we've all changed."

"If you want to stop, then we will..."

But he immediately dismissed the idea.

We can't stop.

There's no turning back.

I rose to power by stepping over many people, burdened by hatred.

On the other side is AME, Shen Wanshan. They are waiting for me to make a mistake and then destroy us all.

At this point, we cannot talk about our original aspirations.

Gu Ming's eyes turned cold again.

He did not answer Wang Min's question.

He turned around, took a glass of red cocktail from the waiter's tray, and walked back to the banquet hall.

Amidst the surprised gazes of Liu Liu, Zhang Hong, and the guests, he walked to the champagne tower.

Then, he raised his hand.

The glass of red wine was slowly poured down from the top of the tower.

The red liquid stained the top layer of champagne, then spread downwards layer by layer.

The entire champagne tower was dyed red.

The entire room fell silent.

Gu Ming turned his head, his gaze passing over the crowd and fixed on the three Wang sisters.

He spoke in a cold voice, enunciating each word clearly:

"You have come to bury the old world."

"You step over the enemy, your hands are stained with their blood."

"Remember this feeling."

"Don't look back."

"Turning back is like falling into an abyss."

After saying that, he placed the wine glass on the table.

……

Nobody noticed.

In a secluded corner of the banquet hall.

A gaunt old man in a wheelchair peered through the gaps in the crowd, his eyes filled with resentment as he watched everything unfold.

It's Shen Guodong.

He was once a big shot in Beijing's social circle, but he has now been released from prison on medical parole.

He was so thin he looked unrecognizable, his face was pale, but there was a deep hatred in his eyes.

He looked at Gu Ming, at the young man who had sent him to prison, but was now enjoying the glory that should have been his, and gritted his teeth.

A man in a black suit walked up behind him, bent down, and handed him a document.

"President Shen." The man's voice was cold.

"The plan is ready."

"Once he accepts, Star Holdings will collapse from within."

A smile appeared on Shen Guodong's lips.

Business games?

No.

I'm fucking done playing.

I want you dead.

Gu Ming, I want you dead.

……

On the terrace.

Gu Ming lit another cigarette, the cold wind blowing against him.

He knew that what he had just said was cruel.

But he had no choice.

In this war, weakness and confusion are dangerous.

Sudden.

A series of rapid high-heeled footsteps approached from afar.

Su Qingying lifted her skirt and ran onto the terrace.

Her face showed shock and disbelief.

She forgot her manners, grabbed Gu Ming's arm, and was slightly out of breath from running so fast.

"Gu Ming!"

"Something...something terrible has happened!"

Gu Ming's heart sank.

Was it the Shen family that made a move? Or AME?

But what Su Qingying said was beyond his expectations.

"Just now!"

"An overseas investment firm contacted us through an intermediary!"

Su Qingying took a deep breath to calm her racing heart, and then said, word by word:

"They...they offered to restructure our assets at a valuation of 10 billion!"

"No interference in operations! No veto power! Even... you can buy our existing shares at a premium!"

"Gu Ming..."

"These conditions are fantastic!"