Chapter 81

 

Oh my god! How could there be such a “shameless” woman in this world—actually using something like this as bait!

Maggie was extremely disgusted, yet helplessly gave in.

She knew this was a ‘hook’ deliberately set by Ming Xi, but she still fell for it. Without a doubt, she was determined to have afternoon tea with Ming Xi!

There was no helping it. For a man she could neither have nor sleep with, if someone else managed to get what she wanted, she was eager to hear the details—treating it as a vicarious “taste,” so to speak.

Back then, hadn’t she repeatedly sought out Zhang Min for exactly this reason? She had hoped to coax out some scraps of information about Liang Jiancheng from her.

But Zhang Min was too reserved and utterly useless.

This Boss Ming was much more impressive; it seemed like everything came effortlessly.

Ming Xi winked playfully, looking every bit like a beautiful “con artist.” In truth, she was nearly amused into laughter by Maggie’s reaction and had to force herself to hold it in.

Then, Maggie earnestly instructed her, “Don’t disappoint me.”

Ming Xi softly replied with an “Oh,” signaling that she understood.

She certainly wouldn’t disappoint Miss Jiang, and of course, she hoped Miss Jiang wouldn’t disappoint her either. Between friends, one should speak freely and hold nothing back.

“Heh… Miss Ming, you’re really shameless.” Maggie scoffed, unable to resist mocking her, even though she felt a trace of admiration.

“Not at all, I feel quite honored.” Ming Xi feigned modesty and smiled genuinely.

Maggie: …

Enough already—stop showing off. She was about to spit blood! After being a “bad woman” for half her life, she hadn’t expected the real “villain” to be standing right here!

Back then, Maggie had left Xinghai and switched to working at customs because of Ming Xi. She never imagined that not only would she reconnect with Ming Xi, but that she—now a “hot commodity”—would also have to “serve Miss Ming with utmost sincerity.”

Sure enough, that saying was true: all public servants exist to serve the people!

“Goodbye.”

“See you.”

That Christmas night, which symbolized the industry’s rise, finally concluded with a group photo.

Although the banquet atmosphere was relatively relaxed, the positioning for the photo was anything but casual.

Leaders and industry giants naturally stood in the center. Out of consideration for women’s height, all the female attendees were arranged in the front row.

Ming Xi consciously stood at the very edge of the front row, not daring to squeeze into the center, nor wanting to get close to the leaders.

Behind her stood Liang Jiancheng.

She stood in the correct spot, but Liang Jiancheng stood in the wrong one. Director Du directly called him out, telling Liang Jiancheng to move to the center. Liang Jiancheng bluntly declined the offer: “I’m tall. I’ll just stand behind Miss Ming.”

If in the past, across various occasions, Liang Jiancheng had merely maintained his relationship with Miss Ming as a friend, then after Ming Xi became Director Ming, he began openly displaying one clear fact in every public setting—

His admiration and pursuit of Director Ming of Mingzhou Agency Services.

With such an unmistakably public attitude, even though Ming Xi did not receive any tangible assistance from Liang Jiancheng, his open appreciation—especially on key occasions—allowed people across the industry, directly or indirectly, to come to know the famous Miss Ming. This, in turn, provided Ming Xi with invisible support.

Mingzhou, this small agency company, now seemed backed by Xinghai Foreign Trade, making things much smoother in all aspects.

This was the same kind of support Liang Jiancheng himself had once received when he started his business, thanks to his mother, Gu Shuangyang. Now he extended the same care to Ming Xi. It was natural for a mother and son to support each other—and he did the same for the woman he loved.

Liang Jiancheng had always been thoughtful and restrained, rarely displaying his emotions in public. But now that he was doing so, it was, of course, for his own carefully considered reasons.

Ming Xi naturally understood the sentiment behind Mr. Liang’s actions.

The group photo at the 2001 Christmas celebration was Ming Xi’s first group photo with professionals from Haigang industry since entering the field. She and Liang Jiancheng stood at the far left, in the front and back rows respectively.

In the photo, she smiled with hope filling her heart. Liang Jiancheng wore an expression of calm certainty, warm and steady.

Years later, when Ming Xi’s assistant, Xinyu, was organizing the company’s development history and came across this photo, she couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Ming, Xinghai Foreign Trade was already one of the top companies in the industry back then. Why was Mr. Liang standing so far to the side?”

“Maybe because Mr. Liang is tall, and standing in the middle would block others,” Ming Xi explained.

Then, Xinyu noticed something else in group photos from the following years: “But Miss Ming, Mr. Liang also stood in the middle later, and he always stood behind you.”

Ming Xi’s only explanation was, “There’s no helping it. Mr. Liang just likes to stand behind me. Among all these people, our relationship was the closest.”

After hearing this, Xinyu’s expression looked like a mouse that had secretly gotten a taste of lamp oil—quietly delighted.

…

Later, industry celebrations like the one on December 25, 2001, were held for three consecutive years. Sometimes it was scheduled for Christmas, sometimes for New Year’s Day, until it was finally discontinued when Director Du, the nominal chairman of the association, retired. From then on, competitors no longer had to secretly fight over orders while putting on a fake show of harmony and prosperity at social gatherings.

During these three years of celebrations, Haigang’s foreign trade industry was indeed thriving. But no matter how prosperous the market, the eternal truth remained: some rise, and some fall.

With each group photo taken after the celebrations, Ming Xi’s position edged closer and closer to the center. She attended all three of the three industry celebrations, but Liang Jiancheng only accompanied her for two. Because during the second year’s celebration, Liang Jiancheng encountered a small accident.

Due to SARS, he happened to be in Guangzhou at the time and was placed under quarantine for three months.

During the six months of the SARS outbreak, China managed to control the outbreak with remarkable speed. Although many had expected negative economic growth, the reality was quite the opposite: that year, China’s GDP growth rate reached 10%. The foreign trade sector in particular saw dramatic growth, with imports and exports surging significantly in 2003.

It was also in this year that China consolidated its position as a major trading nation.

After China joined the WTO, foreign trade rights were further liberalized, allowing more private enterprises and ordinary people to engage in import and export trade.

Therefore, Ming Xi finally had an opportunity—

Her “Mingzhou Foreign Trade Agency” had only renewed its contract with Xinghai for one more year. On the winter solstice of 2003, Mingzhou Foreign Trade Agency officially changed its name to Mingzhou Foreign Trade Co., Ltd. After its establishment, Mingzhou developed steadily and rapidly. Its export volume doubled month by month, showing the momentum Xinghai had once possessed. In just three short years, Mingzhou grew from an unknown small agency into a rising star in the foreign trade industry.

Although small in scale with only a dozen employees, its tax rebate for the year had approached one million.

Ming Xi was no longer the lone SOHO worker she once was. Over the past three years, the company’s staff had grown from one to two to three, and now ten. It could finally be considered a “small company with a basic structure.” By 2004, Mingzhou had firmly established itself in Haigang.

She bought a reasonably sized office floor in the Jiemu Tower in Xujia Development Zone of Haigang.

The Jiemu Tower was a brand-new Grade A office tower in the high-tech district, very close to nearby factories, less than a ten-minute drive away. The tower had 45 floors, and Ming Xi bought the entire 24th floor. However, she didn’t need that much space for office use, so half was used by her company and half was rented out.

Why the 24th floor?

Because she was 24 years old when she bought this office asset. As a child, her birthday wish had always been to eat a sweet cake decorated with fancy frosting. On her 24th birthday, the gift she gave herself was the 24th floor of the Jiemu Tower—a way of celebrating herself.

Birthdays only come once a year, but with money, each celebration can be made meaningful.

At the end of the year, Mingzhou Foreign Trade completed its relocation. The ceremony was kept simple, avoiding extravagance, yet Ming Xi still received many flower baskets from partners, suppliers, and even relatives and friends. Naturally, there were also flowers from Xinghai Foreign Trade.

Ming Xi liked a sentence Liang Jiancheng had personally written for her: “Tomorrow as bright as day, shining with brilliance.”

Of course, she wasn’t the only one shining brightly.

Xinghai was the one that truly inspired her admiration.

These three years marked a meteoric rise for her—and the same was true for Liang Jiancheng.

Xinghai Foreign Trade was now merely one of the foreign trade subsidiaries under Liang Jiancheng’s control. He also owned a technology company of considerable scale, specializing in high-end display electronics. The company integrated advanced contract manufacturing with independent research and development. Although Xinghai Foreign Trade still maintained steady growth and held a leading position in the industry, Liang Jiancheng had, in recent years, stopped personally managing the foreign trade business.

Within the foreign trade circle, whenever Liang Jiancheng was mentioned, people generally regarded him as the most successful example of transformation. Starting out in foreign trade and then anchoring himself in the hottest sector of technological innovation, he not only received strong national policy support but also built his own patented R&D production lines and an independent brand called “Xinghai” displays. From production to core technology, he was no longer dependent on others.

“Every company that rises through OEM manufacturing carries a dream of having its own brand.” This was a remark made by a similarly ambitious Cicheng entrepreneur who had partnered with Ming Xi.

In this world, if one wants to walk a single path with unwavering determination, success still depends on timing, location, and human connections. After all, even if one charges blindly forward, there must be the courage to bear the risk of having chosen the wrong road.

Liang Jiancheng possesses extraordinary courage in this regard, with unwavering determination, resolute resolve, and accurate judgment. Thinking back to the year they had breakfast at a hotel buffet in Seoul, Liang Jiancheng jokingly called himself a “billionaire in debt,” after five years of relentless pursuit, he truly transformed from a “billionaire in debt” into a “billionaire.”

When someone possesses enough wealth, money naturally ceases to be seen as the most important thing—a rather frustrating truth. For Liang Jiancheng, what mattered most now was no longer simply making money. As for Ming Xi, earning money was important, but she herself mattered even more.

When money was no longer scarce, the real troubles often shift away from how to earn it, toward other concerns.

In the past, Ming Xi worried about survival and career development. Now she had to consider many concrete issues as well. For example: how Mingzhou Foreign Trade could maintain steady growth and break into Haigang’s top ten foreign trade industry; how to train, recruit, and manage employees; how to maintain relationships with major clients… all of these were tied to the future of her business.

As for relationships? She was twenty-four this year, and after the New Year, she would be twenty-five.

She was indeed still very young—there was no doubt about that.

Yet standing before such tremendous success, she also felt young in another sense. From a migrant worker struggling at the bottom to someone on the verge of possessing tens of millions in assets, her wealth had grown alongside her age. In her current state, she felt that even if she lived to a hundred, she would still be full of vigor.

After all, she was only twenty-four.

Some people believed her current achievements did not match her “virtue” or qualifications. Whether they called it luck, opportunism, or undeserved success, the fact remained that her wealth and company assets were firmly in her own hands.

When someone rises too quickly, gossip is inevitable.

Especially this year, during Mingzhou’s office relocation, discussions about her became particularly frequent. The rumors were always the same: that she was close to Liang Jiancheng of Xinghai Foreign Trade, and that Mingzhou’s rapid growth was inseparable from him.

Of course, Mingzhou’s significant growth was certainly closely related to Liang Jiancheng. Even her purchase of the 24th floor office space in the Jiemu Tower was based on his advice.

But she bought it with her own money!

In fact, because Liang Jiancheng had accompanied her to inspect the property twice—which was no small effort for someone as busy as him—after the purchase was finalized, she deliberately transferred twenty thousand yuan to him as a “service fee.” And he accepted it without hesitation. In the business world, who doesn’t have a few close friends who help each other and support one another?

Oh, right…

She and Liang Jiancheng were still only close friends. They had not become spouses, nor even lovers. This was both regrettable and deeply puzzling.

The situation had become so absurd that it was practically a running joke among Xinghai’s senior employees behind the scenes—

Their boss had been pursuing Miss Ming for three years… and still hadn’t succeeded!

Every year at Xinghai’s annual banquet, people placed bets on whether Boss Liang would finally win over Boss Ming of Mingzhou. Last year, even Mark, the boss’s assistant, had gotten married and had a child, yet his own boss still hadn’t caught up to Miss Ming. Outsiders racked their brains but couldn’t figure out why. In the end, Lin Han—the veteran employee with the sharpest tongue and thickest skin—offered the boldest analysis:

“I think Mr. Liang’s pursuit of Ming Xi might just be a pretense. The truth is, our Boss Liang doesn’t want to get married at all, and might not even be very interested in women.”

*Ahem*…

Only old employees with thick enough skin and the veterans from the early days of the startup would dare say such a thing.

In the blink of an eye, another year of work was coming to an end.

This year, Xinghai’s annual banquet was larger than ever, since two subsidiaries under the group were celebrating together.

Their Boss Liang had already become a mature and highly capable industry leader. That sense of maturity wasn’t only reflected in his daily decision-making, but also in his presence at the annual banquet.

On stage, Boss Liang’s image was as impressive as ever. Standing at the podium, his posture was tall and upright like a towering pine. His face and demeanor radiated calm authority. Every gesture carried natural confidence. He didn’t even need to deliberately command the room—simply standing there, the aura of a strong leader spread outward on its own.

A truly charismatic boss who could lead employees to success didn’t need excessive motivational rhetoric; they would naturally inspire awe.

Over the past three years, Xinghai had grown rapidly. The early employees who had followed Liang Jiancheng at the start of the company had all become department heads. Migrant employees settled down, buying cars and homes. Local employees took pride in working at Xinghai. Few bosses in Haigang could achieve this level of loyalty and success.

The key point was that their CEO, Mr. Liang, was not yet thirty. Across the entire industry and the entire Haigang, how many could match that? If anyone still claimed that Xinghai’s success relied solely on resources from his mother, Gu Shuangyang, then they clearly knew nothing about Liang Jiancheng.

Liang Jiancheng began his concise speech:

“This year, I would first like to extend my sincerest gratitude to each and every one of you who worked tirelessly for Xinghai. Looking back on the past year, the market has been turbulent and challenges have remained thorny. But Xinghai people pushed forward with unyielding determination, achieving remarkable results… As competition intensifies, Xinghai has continued to increase investment in product R&D, and in expanding foreign trade markets, we have joined hands with more high-quality international partners…”

After delivering his final thank-you speech, Liang Jiancheng stepped down from the podium.

His assistant, Mark, took the speech from Liang Jiancheng and asked if they should immediately arrange a toast.

“Later. I’m going upstairs for a moment,” Liang Jiancheng said.

Mark, understanding perfectly, smiled slightly and said, “…Miss Ming is probably giving her speech right now as well.”

Liang Jiancheng shot Mark a glance and said nothing. Yet that single look was enough to make the long-serving assistant instinctively hold his breath, as if struck by an invisible force.

As a company grows larger, the boss’s temper naturally didn’t become gentler.

The Liang Jiancheng of the past was a gentle, polite, and magnanimous boss; now, he had transformed into a domineering CEO with absolute authority. Of course, following a domineering CEO had its perks—they pay high salaries, and they’re handsome too!

This year, Mingzhou’s annual banquet was held at the same hotel as Xinghai’s, also scheduled on Little New Year’s Eve. In southern China, Little New Year falls on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month.

After the banquet ended, there was less than a week left before the Spring Festival.

In the blink of an eye, it was time to usher in the Spring Festival of 2005.

This year was of extraordinary significance to Mingzhou. Ming Xi had never been enthusiastic about company culture initiatives, but her “Little Universe” had, in a strict sense, become a home. Besides, although the company only had ten people, it was still ten people. As the saying goes, “three people make a tiger”—so what about ten?

Since nine out of ten employees were women, as Xinyu joked: “Three make a tiger, nine topple kingdoms, and one runs errands.”

While Liang Jiancheng was speaking downstairs, Ming Xi hadn’t yet gone on stage. Wearing a blazer draped over her shoulders and holding a ballpoint pen, she made minor edits to the speech draft Xinyu had prepared. One data point appeared to be incorrect, so she lightly crossed it out.

Xinyu, squatting beside her, said nervously, “Miss Ming, sorry… I messed up the decimal point while typing…”

“It’s fine. Just be more careful next time.”

As a self-made female entrepreneur, Ming Xi was never harsh with her employees. She rarely even showed a serious expression. Most of her staff were older than she was, making it difficult for her to put on an intimidating boss persona. But that didn’t mean employees could slack off.

Oh, and she had also recruited Sister CC—who had practically become the “Daji figure” (legendary femme fatale) among their “nine-women-topple-a-kingdom” lineup.

As the boss, Ming Xi was strict and disciplined with herself. Her employees could sense her high standards, and none dared to be careless. Xinyu was usually meticulous and responsible, rarely making mistakes like this. But she had simply been too busy lately, only reviewing the speech herself just before going on stage.

Since this was her own company’s event, there was no need for elaborate formalities. Ming Xi simply wore a plain white turtleneck and a fishtail skirt—simple yet stylish.

The Mingxuan Hall at the Jinjiang Hotel wasn’t large, but it was well-heated. Mingzhou’s invited suppliers, clients, relatives, and friends filled the space with five full tables—one of which was reserved for family and close friends. For Mingzhou, this was already the largest annual banquet in its history. Ming Xi had originally planned to wear a suit jacket on stage, but it was too hot. She simply removed the gray blazer and handed it to her assistant Xinyu. Before stepping onto the stage, she instructed her, “If Mr. Liang comes over later, help receive him and take him to the family-and-friends table.”

Then, Ming Xi went on stage.

Xinyu was twenty-six this year, chubby-faced and tactful in her work. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree, she had followed Ming Xi from the very beginning—back when Mingzhou had only one person: Boss Ming herself.

Over three years, the company had grown from a fragile sprout into a slender but upright young tree. Although Little Universe was still small, Xinyu could already foresee its continuous rise. What made her happiest, however, was that Little Universe had a towering tree providing shelter.

Of course, as the company’s longest-serving employee, Xinyu understood clearly: having a powerful backer alone could never guarantee success. Otherwise, the business world wouldn’t be full of stories about rich heirs squandering fortunes. Over the past five years, Boss Ming had relied entirely on her intellect and self-driven discipline. Who would have imagined that this English major with a Level-6 certificate would have her first spoken-English mistake corrected by Miss Ming herself?

The person who understands Mr. Liang of Xinghai the most in this world is definitely Miss Ming.

Sure enough, just as Miss Ming was giving her speech, Mr. Liang of Xinghai appeared in the Mingxuan Hall, where Mingzhou Company’s annual banquet was being held. Xinyu rushed to greet him immediately, so nervous that she didn’t even have time to put Miss Ming’s coat away and simply held it in her hands.

Mr. Liang looked incredibly handsome today, extending his hand to her and saying, “Give me your boss’s coat, I’ll hold on to it.”

Xinyu secretly pondered these words. Miss Ming said that she and Mr. Liang were just good friends, close confidants, but where could one find a “good friend” like Mr. Liang?

On stage, Ming Xi’s speech was concise and to the point, without excessive emotional embellishment, focusing more on Mingzhou’s growth figures for 2004. Rather than dwelling on current achievements, she had Xinyu emphasize Mingzhou’s future development: consolidating their foundation while striving aggressively for a larger market share.

“…In short, I hope that in Mingzhou, this Little Universe, every one of you will become an indispensable force. Your growth and progress are the driving power behind Mingzhou’s development. Finally, thank you all for your hard work this past year. I wish everyone a happy New Year in advance—may your families be blessed with happiness and good health.”

As her speech came to an end, Ming Xi lifted her gaze slightly and immediately spotted the figure standing beside the friends-and-family table. He stood there quietly, yet was impossible to ignore.

At this moment, she stood on stage, the focus of the entire hall. Yet Liang Jiancheng’s arrival made everything around her seem suddenly small and insignificant.

When their eyes met, it was another moment of unspoken understanding.

“Lastly, I want to share a line that my best and most important friend once gave me: ‘Tomorrow as bright as day, shining with brilliance.’ I hope every one of you can become the brightest star in Mingzhou. That concludes my speech—please enjoy yourselves tonight!”

Before stepping down from the stage, Ming Xi bowed to her employees in gratitude.

Years ago, she bowed to her clients to express her gratitude; now, she bowed to her employees.

With the same sincere gratitude, her attitude towards life remained unchanged, yet her state of mind was drastically different.

Life kept moving forward. This year’s business goals for Mingzhou had just been clearly laid out in her speech. As for her personal life, she also had a small plan.

Two days earlier, she had made time to have a meal with her friend Maggie—only to be thoroughly mocked by her.

Facing Maggie’s teasing and the blond handsome man beside her, who occasionally pretended to be clueless and asked what they were talking about, Maggie explained to her boyfriend in English: “This is a bet between us women. I’m laughing at someone who still hasn’t fulfilled it after three years.”

About that…

How to put it?

Maggie mocking her for still not having slept with Liang Jiancheng wasn’t entirely her fault. If it hadn’t been for that Christmas gathering years ago—when she made a bet with Maggie to lure her in—and then Liang Jiancheng accidentally found out about it and flew into a rage upon learning she had turned him into part of a wager…

After that, she had gone through great trouble just to smooth things over with him.

And it was precisely because of that incident that she and Liang Jiancheng had remained “just friends” to this day.

Otherwise, it would have happened long ago…

So, Boss Ming’s personal goal for 2005 was to let her relationship with Boss Liang move forward—just a little.

…

After the annual banquet, Ming Xi received a call from Cai Ni while sitting in her car.

A year ago, Cai Ni returned to Yicheng from Haigang, not because she couldn’t make a living, but because her parents’ bedding and textile factory had stable business and needed someone to take over. As the only child, Cai Ni instantly became a second-generation factory owner, returning home to inherit the business, though in reality she spent most days leisurely slacking off.

Because Ming Xi was usually so busy, Cai Ni didn’t contact her often. Today, Ming Xi had invited her to attend the banquet, but Cai Ni couldn’t make it due to a blind date. As soon as the event ended, she called to complain—and to ask whether Ming Xi was returning to Yicheng for the New Year.

“Not this year…”

Because the apartment she bought a year ago, Tianxi No. 2, was finally finished. She chose Tianxi because Liang Jiancheng lived in Tianxi No. 1.

After all, good friends living nearby was convenient. When she finally had some money and Tianxi No. 2 went on sale, she bought a unit.

Of course, it was a mortgage.

She didn’t have much time to oversee the renovation, so she fully entrusted the project to a contractor recommended by Dezi. Aside from confirming the initial design plans, she barely managed either the structural work or interior furnishing.

Fortunately, Dezi’s contact was reliable, and the renovation was completed in half a year.

Because of her busy schedule, Ming Xi didn’t rush to move in. She let the apartment air out over the summer and finally moved in around October. Even now, since she often traveled for work, she rarely stayed there more than a few days a month.

This year, however, she planned to spend the New Year in her new home.

Someone had told her that spending the first New Year in a newly moved-in home was considered auspicious—a superstition among southerners.

Ming Xi had become a bit superstitious since becoming wealthy.

…

“Miss Ming, shall we go straight to Tianxi No. 2?” Xinyu, who was driving, asked her from the front seat.

Ming Xi hadn’t drunk tonight because she was on her period. Being the boss was nice—especially at her own company’s banquet. If she didn’t want to drink, she simply didn’t have to.

She glanced at the time. It was already close to ten p.m. Liang Jiancheng’s banquet should be over by now. Even the busiest CEO would need a few days of rest after the annual event.

“Let’s go to Tianxi No. 1. I’m need to pick up some things from Mr. Liang,” Ming Xi replied to Xinyu.

Although Tianxi No. 1 and No. 2 were developed by the same company and positioned as similar luxury residences, they were built six years apart. Despite being adjacent, they were separated by a sizable municipal garden, placing them about one kilometer apart.

At 10:30 PM, Xinyu dropped Ming Xi off at the entrance of Tianxi No. 1 before driving the car back to park in Tianxi No. 2’s underground garage. Although Ming Xi lived in Tianxi No. 2, she couldn’t freely enter Tianxi No. 1. Fortunately, she had Liang Jiancheng’s access card. She swiped in, went up to the top floor where he lived, and entered using the password lock.

She was more familiar with Liang Jiancheng’s home than her own.

After changing out of her heels at the entryway and slipping into slippers, she went straight to his bedroom and found the toiletry bag she had left there during her last business trip.

She took off her coat, tossed it into the laundry basket in his bathroom, walked into the shower, turned on the water, and bathed. Afterward, she used a clean towel from his cabinet to dry herself, then casually walked into his walk-in closet and pulled out one of his fitted T-shirts to wear.

Next, she lay back on Liang Jiancheng’s gray-white leather bed and sent him a message:

“You don’t have sanitary pads here. Bring me a pack when you come back. Night-use ones.”

Liang Jiancheng’s annual banquet ended later than Ming Xi’s. After the main banquet, he still had to meet with several leaders and important guests arranged in private rooms. By the time he finished all the socializing, it was already midnight.

At midnight, he could only go to a 24-hour convenience store to buy feminine hygiene products for Ming Xi; fortunately, there was one near the residential complex.

At one in the morning, Liang Jiancheng pushed open the door while loosening his tie.

At that moment, the “good friend” sleeping in his bed murmured drowsily and explained vaguely, “I feel like my place still smells like formaldehyde.”

So she came to sleep here?

“Still awake… Can I turn on a light?” Liang Jiancheng gently placed the items he had bought on the bedside table and asked in a low voice.

“Go ahead. Turn it on.”

Soft light filled the room. Liang Jiancheng deliberately turned on only the lamp near the window to avoid shining directly on the bed.

Wrapped in the blanket, Ming Xi turned over. She had been running on adrenaline all day—flying back from Guangzhou, attending her company banquet, and being on her period. She was truly exhausted. Propping herself up with a soft pillow, she rested her chin in her hand and turned to look at Liang Jiancheng, who had already loosened his tie.

For no reason, she remembered what Maggie had said to her a few days ago and couldn’t help but chuckle.

In the middle of the night, in his bedroom, his “good friend” was occupying his bed, openly studying him, and even laughing for no apparent reason. Despite his exhaustion, Liang Jiancheng sensed the strange scrutiny in Ming Xi’s gaze.

Scrutiny of what?

From head to toe, inside and out—was there anything about him she didn’t already know?

Despite his exhaustion, Liang Jiancheng still needed to go to the bathroom to wash up.

Just as he was about to turn around, the domineering Boss Ming on the bed casually tossed out a question that made him let out a quiet breath of laughter.

Ming Xi asked—

“Liang Jiancheng, do you still have sexual desire now?”

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