Chapter 64

 

Tonight, the driver intentionally drove at the slowest speed, but even at 20 kilometers per hour, the three-kilometer journey was over quickly, and they soon arrived at Miss Ming’s apartment building.

These days, men’s suits tended to favor a looser cut. The driver was an honest-looking, lean man, and the hem of his oversized suit jacket fluttered in the cold wind.

“Mr. Liang, would you like me to help carry her upstairs?” The driver was taciturn, but not foolish. The subtle yet vivid atmosphere between the man and woman almost filled the entire car, assaulting the back of his head. With his livelihood on the line, he hadn’t dared to think too much about it—not even once.

He didn’t even glance at the rearview mirror.

For an ordinary employee without other paths to fortune, survival meant doing one’s job well and making no mistakes. In truth, even becoming a full-time listed-company driver at Zhongjin required certain connections.

Seeing that getting in and out of the car might be troublesome, even knowing that Mr. Liang wouldn’t accept help, he couldn’t just stand there like an idiot, but he also couldn’t directly step in.

Dedicated drivers at Zhongjin were usually seasoned social operators. Knowing when to speak and when to feign deafness was part of the job.

“No need. Wait for me in the car,” Liang Jiancheng instructed.

Because the driver had driven so slowly, the alcohol finally caught up with Ming Xi and she truly fell asleep. When Liang Jiancheng lifted her out of the car, the sudden sensation of being suspended in the air startled her awake just a little—enough for her to clearly feel how he carried her.

Driven by a playful, greedy impulse, Ming Xi didn’t open her eyes, instead keeping them tightly shut.

Since plenty of lines had already been crossed tonight, she might as well go a little further—let Liang Jiancheng carry her upstairs too…

Her eyelashes fluttered faintly. Ming Xi continued leaning against him, pretending to sleep. Under the influence of alcohol, her actions tonight were bold and outrageous, her mind a jumbled mess of thoughts:

Sixth floor… sixth floor… Liang Jiancheng, you must hold on—don’t drop me…

She was both drunk and asleep now. She couldn’t hook her arms around his neck the way one normally would in a princess carry. That might have made things easier for him. Yet even without her helping at all, carrying her hundred-plus pounds didn’t seem to strain him.

First floor—easy.

Second floor—still easy…

Then the third, fourth…

Soon, they reached the sixth floor.

At one point, Ming Xi lifted her eyelids just enough to sneak a glance. She caught sight of the faintly visible veins along Liang Jiancheng’s neck—a mark of strength she herself didn’t possess. Like undercurrents flowing beneath a calm lake, they revealed a quiet, resilient strength.

Even though Liang Jiancheng carried her up effortlessly, her heart began to race faster and faster… Ming Xi buried her face in Liang Jiancheng’s chest.

To say she was fully conscious would be unfair—especially when sounds around her drifted in and out. Liang Jiancheng’s heartbeat felt close, yet his footsteps seemed far away.

Thanks to years of playing tennis, his arm strength was excellent. Liang Jiancheng carried her up all six floors without much difficulty.

He still had energy left, but couldn’t spare a hand. For the first time, lacking any semblance of elegance, he kicked the door twice with his foot and waited.

…Soon, unguarded footsteps echoed from inside, and the door was flung open.

When Cai Ni saw the scene outside, the anticipation on her face instantly turned into pure shock.

She stood there dumbfounded, completely at a loss.

“Mr. Liang… what happened to Ming Xi?” Cai Ni’s eyelid twitched as she snapped back to herself and hurriedly checked on her friend.

“She drank too much at the dinner party.”

Liang Jiancheng was very familiar with the apartment, and didn’t even need Cai Ni to lead the way. He simply carried her to the bedroom where Ming Xi was currently using and carefully laid her down.

Cai Ni: …

Ming Xi: …

As Liang Jiancheng gently and attentively placed her on the bed, the careful movements made her squeeze her eyes even tighter, feeling guilty.

“Do you have any hangover tea here?” Liang Jiancheng asked Cai Ni, who had followed him in.

Cai Ni shook her head as she took off Ming Xi’s shoes.

Where would she find such a thing?

“How about honey water?” Liang Jiancheng tried again.

Cai Ni shook her head apologetically once more. Still none.

Liang Jiancheng frowned slightly.

Cai Ni said nervously, “How about Ovaltine? It’s sweet too…”

The crease in Liang Jiancheng’s brow eased in disbelief. He straightened up and said, “I’ll go buy some and bring it up later. I have to trouble you to take care of her tonight.”

Cai Ni, whether too blunt or too clumsy with words, could only nod repeatedly under Liang Jiancheng’s calm yet commanding presence. When the sound of the door closing echoed from outside, she finally fully processed what had just happened.

Wasn’t it her job to take care of Ming Xi anyway?

Why did Liang Jiancheng say “trouble you”?

He was asking her?

Why?!

Cai Ni felt like ants were crawling all over her, desperately wanting an answer. The next second, Ming Xi seemed to sense her friend’s agitation, slowly lifted her eyelids, and opened her eyes.

“Ming Xi, you…”

Ming Xi lay propped against the pillow and made a shushing gesture at Cai Ni.

Cai Ni understood! So someone had been pretending to be drunk to enjoy Boss Liang’s princess carry! But… Cai Ni crouched down like a lapdog, sniffing Ming Xi closely by the bedside. She definitely smelled of alcohol.

So what was really going on?!

Nothing much. Just going along with the moment and letting herself get drunk.

Even now that Ming Xi was awake, she wasn’t entirely clear-headed. Her neck lacked strength as her head drooped slightly. Thinking about how Liang Jiancheng had carried her from the first floor all the way to the sixth, she pressed her lips together lightly, amusement and sweetness welling up in her chest.

“Are you and… Mr. Liang… dating?” Cai Ni couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer, and after a few seconds, blurted out the question.

“No…” Ming Xi denied.

“Then what are you two right now?” Cai Ni grew anxious at once.

In Cai Ni’s mental archive, her impression of Liang Jiancheng was still stuck at the stage where Boss Liang had a fiancée. She clearly remembered that earlier in the year, he had even mentioned inviting them to his engagement banquet—yet half a year passed, and the engagement seemed to have quietly fallen through. Not long ago, Ming Xi had told her that Liang Jiancheng’s engagement had been called off.

Why it had fallen through, Cai Ni didn’t ask. She was afraid of touching on something that might embarrass Ming Xi.

It was impossible for Cai Ni not to have any suspicions about their relationship over the past six months.

Especially tonight. Mr. Liang had carried Ming Xi home, then gone out of his way to buy hangover drinks for her… There had to be something going on between them.

Hmph. Cai Ni felt a bit aggrieved deep down—a strange mixture of fearing that Ming Xi might be taken away from her, and worrying that probing too much would make Ming Xi uncomfortable. Ever since Ming Xi changed jobs, she’d been so busy she was barely ever around. Professionally, Cai Ni already felt she was falling behind; she was afraid she might fall behind in matters of the heart as well.

Ming Xi reached out and squeezed Cai Ni’s hand reassuringly. Even before she said anything, Cai Ni could already feel Ming Xi’s trust and closeness, and her face immediately lit up with a foolish grin.

Ming Xi sat up slightly on the bed. She wasn’t trying to hide anything—she simply didn’t know how to explain.

If her relationship with Liang Jiancheng was merely beyond the boundaries of ordinary friendship when she first analyzed it with Cai Ni, then over the past six months until tonight, their relationship had been drifting back and forth between ambiguity, friendliness, and a perfectly natural companionship. To say there were no romantic feelings between her and Liang Jiancheng would be a lie.

In fact, they were already in a tacit, mutually testing stage.

On the way back in the car, they’d been so close—close enough for her to hear his heartbeat, pounding steadily.

The physical ease between them felt completely natural, whether from him toward her or from her toward him. Rather than alcohol pushing things forward, it was more that their relationship had already been on the verge of fermenting.

Thinking of this, Ming Xi sighed, her breath reeking of alcohol.

Cai Ni asked anxiously, “He didn’t take advantage of you, did he?”

No, he didn’t. Ming Xi shook her head—if anything, she’d been the one taking advantage of him…

The aftereffects of the liquor tonight were really strong, giving her a splitting headache. Ming Xi patted her forehead, immediately thinking of what Liang Jiancheng had said to her in the club’s restroom.

“He expressed his thoughts to me tonight.” Meeting Cai Ni’s gaze, Ming Xi spoke calmly—neither visibly pleased nor troubled by romantic distress.

“What did he say?” Cai Ni’s eyes widened. She didn’t even want to wait for Ming Xi to answer—she practically wished she could turn into a tapeworm and crawl into Ming Xi’s stomach to see for herself.

“He said… he wants to keep me.” Ming Xi said.

“Keep you…” Cai Ni fell silent, her face twisting into a knot, like a gourd shriveling in on itself.

“Mr. Liang really said that?” Cai Ni asked again, incredulous.

Ming Xi blinked and shook her head. She had a terrible headache; she reached up and tugged at her hair.

“Men are all jerks.” Cai Ni said angrily.

Enough. She really needed to sleep… Ming Xi collapsed back onto her pillow and muttered weakly yet resolutely, “It’s fine… Economic strength determines the superstructure. I’m just poor right now… If I had money, who’d be keeping whom is still up in the air…”

Cai Ni: …

She understood!

Ming Xi’s eyes were open, but she was practically half-drunk! That talk about being “kept” was probably just drunken nonsense…

Cai Ni got up to run a hot water in the bathroom, intending to wash Ming Xi’s face.

When faced with wealth and power, it truly was hard to uphold one’s principles. Liang Jiancheng no longer had a fiancée. When Ming Xi said he wanted to keep her, Cai Ni felt angry and indignant on her behalf—but she also understood the hardships Ming Xi had endured in Haigang.

On closer thought, what was the difference between being kept and being in a relationship?

If the man doing the keeping was handsome, wealthy, and successful, then the difference was simply this: in love, you might get scammed out of money; being kept at least came with stable material or financial support.

Thinking about it this way, being kept by Boss Liang didn’t sound so bad!

And if Boss Liang kept Ming Xi, Ming Xi could then “keep” her—wow, a full closed-loop patronage ecosystem!

Hot water was poured into the pink basin. The more Cai Ni thought about it, the happier she became. Still, when Liang Jiancheng returned with hangover tea and honey water, Cai Ni still showed some pride and dissatisfaction towards him.

Scumbag!

“Please take good care of Ming Xi tonight. I’ll come see her tomorrow,” Liang Jiancheng said restrainedly.

“Oh…” Cai Ni responded, then escorted him out like a boss seeing off a superior. “Take care, Mr. Liang.”

The next morning, Ming Xi woke up with her mind almost completely blank, like a missing reel.

At 7:15, she was brushing her teeth in the bathroom when Cai Ni squeezed in beside her, practically clinging to her, insisting on verifying what had been said the night before.

“So was it real or not?!” Cai Ni blurted out in Yicheng dialect.

“Fake,” Ming Xi replied patiently, smiling helplessly as she shot back, “Are you insulting Liang Jiancheng—or insulting me?”

The sheer absurdity of it made Ming Xi resort to moral blackmail against her friend.

Cai Ni: …

Could it really have been her imagination?!

That couldn’t be right—she was the only one who hadn’t been drinking. Even if her ears had malfunctioned, could her eyes have been wrong too? Last night, neither Liang Jiancheng nor Ming Xi looked like people with much moral restraint at all!

She’d already prepared herself to abandon all moral standards and support whatever choice Ming Xi made—only to find out it was all fake?

“Of course it’s fake. How could that be possible…” Ming Xi finished brushing, rinsed her mouth, wiped her face with a towel, and looked completely refreshed.

“I don’t lack money or admirers, why would I agree to be kept? And Liang Jiancheng would never say something like that…”

But!

But!

“Cai Ni, I know you don’t have the best impression of Liang Jiancheng in some ways. He can be a bit distant, but he’s really not the kind of person without morals boundaries…”

Cai Ni: …

Ming Xi hummed twice, patted Cai Ni’s shoulder, and walked out of the bathroom.

Cai Ni pouted: …Nini felt so wronged!

Suddenly remembering something, Cai Ni, wanting to prove that Liang Jiancheng indeed had ulterior motives yesterday, hurriedly said, “Mr. Liang said last night that he was going to come see you this morning.”

Ming Xi pulled out her phone, turned around, and smiled faintly. “He texted me already, asking how I was. I told him I’m completely fine, so he’s not coming. He’s very busy. He has to go to Ning City today and rush back this afternoon, even has a dinner party tonight. With a schedule like that, how would he have time to keep a woman, right?”

Cai Ni was now only wishing her phone could record video and audio, or that there was a camera in the apartment…

“All right, I’m heading out,” Ming Xi said. “I’ll take breakfast with me.”

“Where are you going?”

“To see Brother Ze. I have a computer technical question to ask him. Want to come?”

Cai Ni: …It’s a rare day off, she wasn’t going anywhere.

If it were to hang out with Brother Ze, sure, but studying? Forget it.

Ming Xi smiled—she’d known it. After a full night, the alcohol had completely metabolized. With a morning shower, she felt clear-headed and refreshed.

And once she felt refreshed, last night’s lingering tenderness vanished as well.

Feelings were not something to overthink. If one day emotions truly deepened, there would be no need to think—whatever was meant to happen would happen naturally. Since nothing had happened last night, it simply meant the time wasn’t right yet.

The sun was bright today. Her youth was bright too. She didn’t need a bit of lingering romance to fill her heart.

As for that sort of thing—she believed that if she wanted it, Liang Jiancheng would certainly want it too. But those situations usually benefited men more, and she had no intention of being the one to make the first move.

Liang Jiancheng wasn’t lacking in looks or charm. If she made the first move and ended up being controlled by him—what then?

Once the alcohol wore off, Ming Xi was completely rid of last night’s hazy impulsiveness. Even when facing something as complicated as emotional entanglements, she could analyze it with a simple yet effective mindset.

After some analysis, she felt that the current state was the best!

She could make this choice because she could accept—

She could accept missing out on the possibility of being loved; she could accept her relationship with Liang Jiancheng gradually drifting apart; she could even accept Liang Jiancheng losing patience, turning his affections elsewhere. Any emotional cost tied to the two of them—she was fully prepared to bear it.

Because…

How could a man who was so impatient and eager for instant gratification possibly capture her heart?

Sparkling eye makeup was all the rage, and Ming Xi, in a particularly good mood, applied a “Blue Enchantress” eye look before heading out. Her steps were light and confident, and she drew plenty of attention along the way—people turning back for a second look.

Indeed, Liang Jiancheng had texted her early that morning, offering to come check on her, but she declined.

Instead, she suggested late-night snacks, as a way to thank him for last night’s “hero saving the damsel.”

Liang Jiancheng agreed, and even shared his weekend schedule with her over text.

Ming Xi wasn’t particularly interested—because her own schedule was just as full.

…

Without receiving much of a response from Ming Xi, Liang Jiancheng, equally composed, quietly reined in his expectations.

If anything had begun to change between him and Ming Xi, it was probably that she no longer resisted meeting him at night.

Heh…

Because of this evening appointment, whether Liang Jiancheng was heading to Ning City to inspect factories or returning in the evening for a dinner attended by his mother, he carried himself with confidence and composure throughout the day.

Compared to yesterday’s dinner, the gathering Gu Shuangyang was attending today was clearly of a much higher caliber. Only after arriving did Liang Jiancheng learn that the host was the chairman of Hehui, a major state-owned enterprise, holding the dinner in honor of a senior official’s presence.

At yesterday’s dinner, Liang Jiancheng had attended as himself, with his own name and standing. At today’s table, his social identity was reduced to one thing only—Director Gu’s only son.

The high-ranking leader didn’t drink, and the dinner focused more on substantive matters, so Liang Jiancheng didn’t need to toast anyone, allowing him to relax.

During the meal, he presented a clear, structured overview of the foreign trade industry at Haigang, his analysis both insightful and forward-looking. As he spoke, he could sense his mother’s rare expression of satisfaction with his professional performance.

“Very good, as expected of Director Gu’s son.”

At this dinner, Liang Jiancheng—like Ming Xi the night before—made his first quiet brilliance.

Even though the road ahead looked smooth and open, his career could only be considered just beginning. Ming Xi was striving to gain a foothold in Haigang—wasn’t he also fighting his way forward? Standing where he was now, riding the crest of the times, how could he afford to lose his drive for the sake of fleeting comfort?

The momentum of life was like the surging tide of an era. Whether it was him or Ming Xi, both should rise with the wind.

Business-focused dinners usually ended early. As it wrapped up, Gu Shuangyang looked at her son, who seemed to be in good form lately, recalled something, and said directly: “Come back with me for a bit.”

Normally, when mother and son attended such engagements together, they would part ways afterward.

If she was keeping him this time, there had to be something she wanted to discuss.

Liang Jiancheng accompanied Gu Shuangyang back to Xu Jia’s French-style villa. The living room was bright and well-lit, with a large Shuangyang-brand television playing the latest Jin Yong wuxia adaptation. Hearing the front door open, Yang Minwen turned off the TV with the remote and stood up.

In recent years, the better TV dramas were mostly Hong Kong– and Taiwan–produced wuxia series. Yang Minwen had grown used to waiting for his wife to come home in the evenings; being the more leisurely one in the household, he passed the time watching these shows when there was nothing else to do.

First The Legend of the Condor Heroes, then The Return of the Condor Heroes, and lately Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. Whether in novel or television form, Yang Minwen especially loved the character Qiao Feng. Recently, he had even been interested in writing a story inspired by him. Liang Jiancheng had recommended a forum where he could post his work.

Some time ago, Yang Minwen had mentioned this idea to his wife as a way of keeping things interesting between them. Gu Shuangyang hadn’t thought much of it and replied casually, “Sure. If it’s good, I know the head of China Film. We can talk and have it adapted into a TV series.”

Yang Minwen hurriedly waved it off. “No, no. I’m just doing this for fun because I’m bored.”

His life had already been blessed beyond measure. He couldn’t afford to burden himself with empty fame.

When someone was granted wealth and privilege from heavens, yet still remained content, unpretentious, and leisurely, the difference was very obvious. There was even a hint of serenity—almost a Buddhist tranquillity—about him.

Gu Shuangyang had a sharp eye and a cautious mind. Her growing trust in Yang Minwen over the years was by no means without reason.

Both Gu Shuangyang and Liang Jiancheng placed their focus on their careers. With Yang Minwen holding the home together, it might not be “beauty by one’s side”… no—rather, “icing on the cake”—but it made the household feel balanced and complete.

That night, when Gu Shuangyang brought Liang Jiancheng back, a pot of bird’s nest congee was still simmering gently in the kitchen.

The housekeeper had already gone to bed early. Yang Minwen brought his wife a bowl—and naturally did not forget Liang Jiancheng.

Liang Jiancheng still had a late-night snack appointment with Ming Xi. Since the bowl was already placed in front of him, it would have been impolite not to take a few bites. A few spoonfuls wouldn’t take up much space anyway.

He just really didn’t know what his mother wanted to tell him, that she had specifically brought him back this time.

After finishing her congee, Gu Shuangyang set down her porcelain spoon, walked into the study in her soft slippers, and returned holding an A4 sheet of paper. The contents were simple: a name and a phone number, handwritten by Gu Shuangyang herself.

She handed it to Liang Jiancheng and said plainly, “This is the name and number of Chairman Jiang’s daughter from Huihe. She’s been wanting to learn tennis recently, but says there aren’t any decent coaches in Haigang. Mr. Jiang knows you play well and asked if you could spare some time to teach her. It won’t take much—one or two lessons a month is enough.”

Liang Jiancheng set down his bowl and spoon as well. His expression remained calm as he asked directly, not beating around the bush, “What do you mean by this?”

Gu Shuangyang didn’t like roundabout talk either. “Exactly what it sounds like. I want you to teach Miss Jiang.”

Liang Jiancheng found it almost amusing. Leaning back gracefully in his chair, he restrained his temper. “Director Gu, since when did you switch careers and become a matchmaker?”

Instead of being annoyed by her son’s irritation, Gu Shuangyang found it amusing: “Liang Jiancheng, when did you become as pedantic as your father?”

“Pedantic?”

Gu Shuangyang said matter-of-factly, “Isn’t this just normal social interaction between men and women? By your logic, does that mean Mr. Jiang and I shouldn’t even have dinner together? What’s going on in your head lately—why are you so sensitive about matters between men and women. Your reaction just now genuinely surprised me. Women out there are far more open-minded than you. I just gave you Miss. Jiang’s contact information, and you immediately went there. You really have quite the imagination!”

Liang Jiancheng had never been good at talking back to his parents. He didn’t argue with Old Liang, because his father cut straight to the core. He didn’t argue with his mother either, because she could make twisted logic sound perfectly reasonable.

He took a deep breath, glanced at the warm lights of the dining room, then turned his head slightly. “Mom, I’m twenty-six. Are you really trying to fool me like a kid?”

Gu Shuangyang remained composed, a faint smile on her lips. “Oh, so you know you’re twenty-six? I thought you were sixteen.”

She’d never seen him this clueless even during puberty.

“Liang Jiancheng, you’ve received an elite education, can’t you be a little more open-minded? If I hadn’t personally sent you to America, I’d suspect you’d come back from Chaoxian.” Gu Shuangyang’s mocking was just like Old Liang.

Liang Jiancheng didn’t say anything more, but slightly raised his hand and pointed at Yang Minwen, who was still adjusting the heat in the kitchen, saying, “If social interactions between men and women can really be this open and innocent, why not let Xiaoge go? He plays tennis pretty well too.”

Gu Shuangyang: …

Yang Minwen nearly dropped his bowl. He quickly set it down, turned around with gentle helplessness, and said, “My tennis skills amount to nothing more than learning how to serve from Jiancheng a few years ago…”

“That’s fine. If Xiaoge isn’t good at tennis, he’s excellent at chess. Why don’t you suggest Miss Jiang learn chess instead?” Liang Jiancheng said politely, smiling as he continued.

Ha…

Heh.

Sigh!

For a moment, expressions of shamelessness, disbelief, and utter absurdity appeared simultaneously on all three faces.

Gu Shuangyang was the first to recover. She burst out laughing and said decisively, “Liang Jiancheng, you look childish and anxious right now—so much so that I can’t help but suspect one thing—”

Childish? Anxious?

Liang Jiancheng couldn’t help but turn to look at his mother, his lips tightening and his eyes becoming cautious.

Not far away, Yang Minwen hurriedly came out of the kitchen.

Gu Shuangyang smiled, her gaze already fixed intently on her son Liang Jiancheng, and said, “You have someone in your heart. Tell me, who is it?”

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