Chapter 58

 

“Liang Jiancheng, do you like rich women?” When Ming Xi asked this question so openly, Liang Jiancheng didn’t feel the slightest bit offended. Instead, his expression was easygoing and broad-minded.

Of course he liked… he liked money, and he liked her, how could he not rich woman?

He especially loved this rich woman who beamed with joy while holding two hundred thousand yuan.

The cool breeze of a summer night drifted past, stirring hearts into a soft, lingering restlessness.

Clutching that two hundred thousand somehow made her confidence swell, her thoughts already leaping toward the joy of having two hundred million someday. Sure enough—money really did embolden people.

Liang Jiancheng watched her for a long time, his gaze focused and amused, yet he didn’t answer right away. Finally, just as she was about to lose patience, he pressed his lips together and tossed back a question instead: “There are so many rich women these days, how am I supposed to like them all?”

Ming Xi: “…”

That was completely beside the point.

Liang Jiancheng clearly knew what she meant—would he favor a woman just because she was rich? But the way she’d asked so bluntly might have bruised his pride…

After all, he wasn’t short of money himself…

She only had two hundred thousand and was already trying to challenge his pride—like an ant trying to shake a tree. Completely overestimating herself.

However, she loved the feeling of an ant trying to shake a tree!

That evening, Liang Jiancheng brewed three pots of tea, all of which were drunk by this group from Yicheng who were bent on making money. Now he and Ming Xi were already outside, while the others were still in the restroom inside.

Ming Xi was already sitting in the passenger seat, the leather bag containing the money placed in front of her.

Liang Jiancheng also got into the car, but it hadn’t started yet.

Sitting side by side, he wanted to continue the earlier mood and keep the conversation going: “Ming Xi, why did you ask that?”

Ming Xi’s thoughts had already drifted away. Hearing Liang Jiancheng’s question, she grinned: “Nothing, just curious. Someone as outstanding as Boss Liang, what kind of person would he like…”

As the words left her mouth, she felt a faint trace of awkwardness. It was a silly question. Liang Jiancheng would obviously like someone like Zhang Min or Maggie—polished, capable, outstanding in every way.

To smooth over that subtle discomfort, Ming Xi deliberately turned her head and met his gaze, said: “So for you, Mr. Liang—what matters more? Education, or money?”

That subtle, mutually understood probing struck at him again and again, and Liang Jiancheng’s psychological defenses were already on the verge of collapse. He almost wanted to pour out all his restraint and everything he’d been holding back.

The lighting inside the car was dim, while the courtyard lights outside were much brighter. His expression shifted slightly, deep and composed, and just as he was about to answer under Ming Xi’s clear gaze—the back car door slammed open. Cai Ni apologized, saying she’d kept them waiting.

“Hehe, Mr. Liang, we can go now… Dezi and Junjun aren’t on the same route, so they took a taxi back,” Cai Ni said with a grin. Tonight, she had not only acted as lookout but also as the liaison for the money-making team.

In life, the most important thing was finding your role. It made you more at ease—and indispensable to the team. Cai Ni understood this well. Ming Xi always wanted to bring her along once she got into foreign trade, but Cai Ni knew herself: she wasn’t cut out for that line of work. She’d worked hard to get into the sales department at Shuangyang Electronics and was already very satisfied. She wasn’t as ambitious as Ming Xi, nor as restless as Dezi, nor as eager for success as Junjun.

Money was a boundless sea, and she was content with her modest wealth!

That said, no one could truly put limits on themselves. Years later, when Cai Ni looked back at her comfortably affluent life, all she could say was that her teammates were just too strong, and her parents too hardworking—one after another, they’d helped her achieve Chanel freedom.

Having achieved Chanel freedom, what more could she possibly strive for…

Since there was no need to send anyone else, Liang Jiancheng started the car and personally escorted Ming Xi and her money back to the apartment.

Meanwhile, Dezi and Han Junjun rode home in a taxi, sitting side by side in the back seat, each with very different emotions rising inside—one exhilarated, the other tangled and conflicted.

Finally, Han Junjun couldn’t help but ask his good friend Yang Kangde, “Dezi, do you think Ming Xi and I still have a chance?”

What…

Dezi was different from Han Junjun. Dezi stayed in Haigang because he loved doing things, loved the grind, and wanted to make something big. Han Junjun, on the other hand, wanted success mainly for the pride—and for Ming Xi’s attention.

Dezi sighed, then gave his brother a thoughtful yet half-perfunctory answer. Clearing his throat, he said: “Junjun, what kind of car do you like? When you have money later, just buy one! And if you’re buying, buy a good one—get a joint-venture model. It’s got status!”

Han Junjun: …

Dezi: … It’s common for men to not be able to win over the girls they like, try to be more open-minded!

Anyway, Dezi patted Han Junjun’s shoulder and said, “You have pretty good taste.”

In life, if you can have a few advantages, take them. How many Liang Jianchengs are there? How many Ming Xis? And Ming Xi’s family background was already fractured…

Han Junjun felt miserable and twisted inside. He didn’t want to respond, only stared at the Haigang’s nightscape flashing past the window, venting his frustration in silence.

“When I get rich, I…” Han Junjun clenched his jaw.

This… this started to get depressing. Did he really have to force him say something harsh?

Dezi opened his mouth and began to speak:

“Let me put it this way, Junjun. You’ll definitely be rich someday, but is Ming Xi a block of wood or a piece of real estate? Just sitting there and wait for you to make it big before you come back for her? Real estate appreciates in value! I don’t doubt you, and I believe you’ll be a big boss someday—but will Ming Xi be short on money by then? Think about it. If Ming Xi wanted to get rich by relying on a man, she could do that right now. You’ve been clinging to her for so long, don’t you think she’s as beautiful as a fairy? If you have that eye, so do others. After all these years, have you ever seen even the slightest hint that she thinks that way? Not at all. Her heart is steadier than mine, her mind sharper than mine. Just watch—she’s going to soar. So don’t keep thinking of her as your future wife. Think of her as a powerful connection you’ll have someday. It’ll be better for you—and for her.”

Han Junjun: “…”

Dezi: “Sometimes, knowing when to give up is how you avoid taking the long way around.”

With everything laid out so plainly, Han Junjun of course understood. He turned to look at Dezi.

“Then why haven’t you given up?”

“I never set my sights on her in the first place—thanks.”

—

This two hundred thousand yuan were simply too important…

Not only did Liang Jiancheng drive her back to the apartment building, he even escorted her upstairs in person. Although the property management of the building was fairly good, still—there was just too much money involved. It had to be treated carefully.

When they reached her apartment door and were about to say goodbye, Liang Jiancheng suddenly let out a soft “Ah,” then asked in a negotiating tone, “Ming Xi—how about you give the money to me?”

Ming Xi: … Huh?

“I happen to be short of cash, and you don’t need to bother going to the bank to deposit it. Just give me your bank account number, and I’ll transfer the money to you from my personal account.” Liang Jiancheng proposed a win-win solution.

But…

“Aren’t you worried there might be counterfeit bills in there…?” Ming Xi reminded him, her eyes clear and earnest.

“If there are counterfeit bills, I’ll take the loss,” Liang Jiancheng smiled. “If I don’t take this money tonight, I’m worried you won’t be able to sleep. Mainly, it also saves me from having to make an appointment with the bank to withdraw cash.”

“Really? You really need it?” Ming Xi was still a little skeptical.

“Of course I need it. Otherwise, am I supposed to take it home and use it as a pillow?”

“…Alright then.”

Ming Xi handed the leather bag over to him. Liang Jiancheng chuckled softly—tonight, he’d gained a new understanding of her. Back at the teahouse, she’d half-joked, half-seriously said that buying his computer had hurt her heart so much that she’d been forced to rack her brains to make money.

“That computer… once it’s sold to you, it’s sold. I won’t take it back.” Before leaving, Liang Jiancheng, in a playful mood, brought up the computer again in the most serious tone, “But I can guarantee you free upgrades for life.”

What? What good news did she hear, or did she misunderstand?

Lifetime free upgrades? She wasn’t planning to use just one computer her whole life.

“Liang Jiancheng… you’re taking a huge loss here,” Ming Xi said without hesitation.

In the retro-style apartment hallway, Liang Jiancheng’s smile was captivating, and his reply was even more alluring: “Not a loss at all. Didn’t you say I’m a very good friend of yours? Then I should make my stance clear too—”

What stance?

It meant that while he valued and pursued profit, when it came to friends he cared about deeply—especially his one and only close female friend—he would be exceptionally kind, and exceptionally generous.

He was mild-tempered by nature, and his pride often made him unlikable. If money could buy him a bit more charm, why not?

Those first thoughts, Liang Jiancheng could say openly. The latter ones—those were better left unsaid.

“Goodnight, I’m heading off.”

“Goodnight… Liang Jiancheng…”

Liang Jiancheng was quite satisfied. At tonight’s private gathering, Ming Xi had begun to gradually stop calling him “Mr. Liang.” Still, the name Liang Jiancheng was one his father had chosen with great expectations—it wasn’t easy to write, nor easy to pronounce.

When he was little, his grandparents called him by a nickname.

But thinking of that nickname…

He decided it was better if Ming Xi just stuck to his full name.

After Cai Ni got home, she immediately plunged into binge-watching Korean dramas. These days, besides TV broadcasts, most imported Korean shows were watched on DVDs. There happened to be a video rental shop near their apartment, and recently Cai Ni had rented the wildly popular Autumn in My Heart. She was completely engrossed—crying one moment, dazed the next.

Ming Xi didn’t particularly like melodramas, but when romantic dialogue came out, she’d still watch attentively. Love—everyone liked watching it. It nourished the mundane soul, after all.

As for love itself, Ming Xi wasn’t pessimistic about it, nor did she yearn for it. She didn’t see it as something illusory either. Tonight, emboldened by those two hundred thousand yuan, she’d nearly flirted with Liang Jiancheng outright. Now that she’d calmed down, love, to her, could only ever be a luxury item—a garnish.

If conditions allowed in the future, experiencing it wouldn’t hurt. There was no need to cling too tightly—clinging only bred anxiety. And love definitely couldn’t be the goal or pursuit of life. That was exhausting.

Ming Decheng was a bastard—but what he’d said that night did carry some truth.

Don’t take emotions too seriously. Just experience them.

Career and financial security—that was the theme of her life.

After showering and changing clothes, Ming Xi put both her and Cai Ni’s clothes into the washing machine. Because Liang Jiancheng had lived here before, the apartment was fully furnished and equipped. Some items were old, others clearly newly replaced.

Next to the front-loading washer was a fully imported dryer—the only appliance in the apartment that wasn’t a Shuangyang brand. Cai Ni worked in appliance sales now and knew the market well. Shuangyang already had the technology to manufacture dryers, but demand was low. Even if they produced them, few people bought them. Ordinary people still preferred hanging clothes out on the balcony—who would waste electricity on a dryer?

Market demand truly guided the economic landscape.

Even in Haigang, there was still a gap between local living standards and those of truly developed countries. But it was precisely that gap that gave ordinary people a chance to catch up. Brother Jiangliu had once said on the forum: society always evolved toward a more stable structure.

She couldn’t underestimate herself, nor could she drift aimlessly. She needed to recognize her own position and seize every possible opportunity to rise with the tide.

Unlike Brother Jiangliu, she simply wanted a good life.

Young Master Jiangliu, might seem obsessed with fame and profit and well-versed in reality’s rules, but deep down, he was a passionate idealist. He didn’t talk empty dreams—he rooted himself in action, pursuing his goals with insight and long-term conviction.

All idealists, no matter the era, walked a long and lonely road. They needed sharp intelligence to see through appearances, as well as patience and unwavering resolve.

This was why Jiangliu Dadao’s idealism was so precious.

But she’d just eaten her fill—how could she harbor such lofty ideals? She had no ideals. She just wanted money.

Because she’d been busy learning CAD lately, Ming Xi hadn’t had time to hang around Tianya Forum. While Cai Ni watched her drama, Ming Xi pulled out her laptop and caught up on all of Brother Jiangliu’s recent updates.

She noticed he often posted late at night or in the early hours of the morning, so she typed a message on the forum: “Brother Jiangliu, please take care of yourself and don’t stay up all night writing update. We’ll all patiently wait for you.”

This was a thoughtful reminder from “Little Brother Ximen.”

Cai Ni, engrossed in watching a drama on the sofa, suddenly remembered the missing money bag and turned around, tears streaming down her face, asking, “Where’s your money?!”

Ming Xi looked up from her computer and explained that she had exchanged cash with Liang Jiancheng. For the first time, Cai Ni was more cautious than her, stammering anxiously, “Aren’t you…aren’t you afraid that Mr. Liang won’t transfer the money to you?”

Ming Xi: …

That question—somehow, she really wasn’t afraid at all.

Sure enough, early the next morning, a bank account ending in 886 received a transfer of 200,999 yuan. Liang Jiancheng was a meticulous person; he even noted the reason for the transfer in the notes.

Two words: Repayment.

Not exchange, but a repayment.

So last night… had she technically lending him money?

And the extra 999 yuan—was that interest he’d paid her?

She was absurdly accomplished now—she’d even become a moneylender.

She wasn’t sure whether it was the excitement of earning money, or the strong tea she’d drunk late at night, but even after Liang Jiancheng took the cash with him, she still lay awake until the middle of the night.

For the first time, Ming Xi stared at the ceiling, her thoughts drifting to Ming Decheng, Yang Yumei, and Ming Yue—who had all fled and vanished from her life.

She felt a mix of sadness and relief, repeatedly thinking how wonderful it was to be rich.

Having money—and no pressure to provide for the elderly—that’s truly wonderful.

That afternoon, Ming Xi decisively walked into Longmao Parkway and bought her first luxury watch. The sales associate treated her like royalty, reverently putting the watch on her wrist.

When she swiped her card to pay, she felt a lightness in her heart, as if the numbers were flowing away. It wasn’t the sting like when buying the computer—it was the calm confidence of knowing that she would have more and more wealth in the future, that large expenses would no longer unsettle her.

The hardest thing to bear was never spending money—but spending it, and then having none left.

She would definitely become richer and richer! This was the most undeniable thing in her life.

In their late-night chat last night, she and Dezi not only discussed how to continue their handmade summer quilt business, she’d also offered him a new idea for his clothing venture—based on what she’d learned from securing the Pierre order.

Product manufacturing must involve market research. Since Dezi and Han Junjun were now clothing suppliers, they needed to put real effort into launching styles that could lead fashion trends. And what were fashion trends? After working at Longmao for a while, Ming Xi had developed a sharp eye for apparel.

All trends flowed from high-end to low-end. Fashion was no exception.

Of course, simply copying luxury brands was too crude—and unsustainable in the long run.

“There’s a really popular Korean drama lately, and the clothes worn by the male and female leads are so beautiful…” Before Ming Xi could finish, Cai Ni eagerly jumped in:

“It’s my Jun Seo Oppa!”

Ming Xi blinked lightly. What she wanted to say was that they could take some inspiration from the female lead’s clothing style—

“Because spiritual and cultural trends always influence market economics!”

“Wow, Ming Xi, you’re really eloquent now.”

“That wasn’t me,” Ming Xi said generously, resting her chin in her hands in the teahouse. “That’s something my idol said.”

“Isn’t your idol Leo? He says something like that?”

“It’s another idol, someone I met on the forum.”

“Oh…”

Ming Xi went on and on about her idol, completely unaware that Liang Jiancheng, seated across from her, was smiling softly. He lifted a cup of freshly brewed reddish-brown tea and, with particular care, topped up her cup.

Ming Xi left a message for Jiangliu Dadao on the forum yesterday, and today Brother Jiangliu directly thanked her on OICQ, or rather, thanked “him.”

[Thank you for your concern, Brother Ximen.] A comment from “Smiling Without Talking.

[I should be the one thanking you, Brother Jiangliu. Thank you for writing tirelessly and never stopping your updates] [Then when do we get a chance to meet in person?] Brother Jiangliu extended another invitation.

Ming Xi felt conflicted, then made a decision: she would clarify her gender with Brother Jiangliu. She couldn’t continue lying. She and Brother Jiangliu were in frequent contact, and she feared that one day, if they actually met in person, her lie would damage their friendship.

[Brother Jiangliu, I want to confess something to you. Actually, I’m…] Ming Xi took a deep breath, her fingertips trembling slightly as she typed, but she still managed to type four words:

[I’m a woman.]

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