Chapter 89

 

At this moment, the car was driving on the elevated highway. The night lights resembled a winding galaxy stretching across the city sky, flowing endlessly toward the horizon. Ming Xi lifted her gaze and watched. Through the faint mist, large flakes of snow drifted down in thick swarms, clearly visible in the beams of the headlights—like countless tiny living spirits rushing toward her and Liang Jiancheng, as though offering a grand, gentle greeting at the end of the year.

It was truly beautiful. No wonder Liang Jiancheng had let out such an instinctive exclamation just now.

Haigang had a mild winter this year, but unexpectedly, a belated first snow fell on the eve of the Lunar New Year.

Whatever mood they had been in before—humorous, awkward, helpless, or quietly moved—at this moment Liang Jiancheng wanted only to drive with Ming Xi through this suddenly descended romantic snowfall.

As the car traveled farther south, even larger flakes began falling in clusters, each streetlamp they passed illuminating the snow in pure white brilliance.

“Ming Xi, right now I long for a lovemaking experience where our souls intertwine.” In this incredibly romantic moment, Liang Jiancheng unabashedly expressed his most fervent desire.

Ming Xi stared at him in disbelief, blinking. His low, unhurried tone made her ears warm, yet after hearing such a blunt confession, she instantly raised a hand to cover her ears.

She refused to let such shameless words ruin the radiant joy she was feeling in her heart.

Just moments ago, when the snow began to fall, she had made a wish: not for reunion, but for peace and prosperity for the country.

There were many ways to achieve fulfilment in life, but her inner contentment was mattered most to her. With thriving career in this prosperous world—though she lacked family roots, she now had her own home in Haigang City and, this year, her own small sense of wholeness.

A quiet feeling of contentment arose within her. Contentment was a finer, subtler joy than happiness itself.

The heavy red envelope in her hand piqued her curiosity, and Ming Xi turned to Liang Jiancheng, asking, “Mr. Liang, may I help you count the lucky money your grandparents gave you?”

Liang Jiancheng: “…”

After a pause, he said seriously, “My grandparents are your grandparents too, Miss Ming, please feel free to do as you please. That red envelope is from grandparents to their future granddaughter-in-law.”

Ming Xi: … Today she was definitely no match for him in banter; after all, nothing outranked the eldest grandson.

His use of “granddaughter-in-law” reminded her of years ago at that clay-pot stall when he had jokingly called Dezi “Uncle De.” Who could have imagined that if she truly became Liang Jiancheng’s closest person one day, she too would gain her own “Uncle De.”

Ming Xi opened the red envelope and counted the money extremely quickly, finishing in no time—a total of 8888.88 yuan. This amount of money wasn’t much to Liang Jiancheng, but both the number and the thought behind it showed the sincerity of Yang Minwen’s parents. Ming Xi felt they weren’t really treating Liang Jiancheng as a grandson so much as expressing gratitude toward Gu Shuangyang.

Naturally, Liang Jiancheng understood this too. If Yang Minwen’s parents had felt slighted by his mother’s elevated status, they would have looked uncomfortable when Gu Shuangyang addressed them so formally at dinner. But they hadn’t.

Of course, without his and Gu Shuangyang’s knowledge, Yang Minwen must have meticulously considered his parents’ feelings and transformed all human sentiment into his wife’s affection, thus resulting in tonight’s seemingly awkward but actually quite harmonious family dinner.

“When I was young, I mocked Yang Minwen for his ‘abnormal’ personality. Looking back now, I realize my understanding of relationships was too shallow.” After getting off the overpass, Liang Jiancheng candidly reflected on his past self.

Though proud by nature, Liang Jiancheng wasn’t too proud to reflect on himself.

Ming Xi’s heart stirred, and she asked Liang Jiancheng, “And what about now?”

She was also curious about Liang Jiancheng’s current understanding of relationships.

He answered honestly, “I don’t think I’m particularly gifted or insightful when it comes to relationships. Ming Xi, it was meeting you that changed me.”

She? She had that kind of power? Ming Xi shook her head slightly, feeling he was flattering her.

However, Liang Jiancheng spoke with utmost seriousness: “If you hadn’t appeared, I probably would have married Zhang Min smoothly. What I’m about to say might burden you, but I don’t want to lie to myself. My feelings for you came a bit late. Once I realized them… it was like tonight’s sudden snowfall—unexpected joy I couldn’t resist. And then my eyes and heart were filled only with you.”

Hearing love words spoken while snow fell was dangerously moving. Ming Xi licked her lips and lowered her eyelids slightly.

“Liang Jiancheng, I’ll be honest with you—I’m not some kind-hearted girl. Hearing this doesn’t make me feel guilty at all. It actually makes me happy. But my view of love is a little different from yours. Feelings are changeable. The surprise you feel now might one day turn into regret. That’s the most common state of love in this world.”

Using his confession as a bridge, she revealed her own thoughts.

Liang Jiancheng listened intently, and he almost earnestly hummed in agreement before asking her, “Do you think I’ll regret it later?”

Ming Xi pursed her lips, her expression calm yet captivatingly bright as she said, “Maybe yes, maybe no. To me, that isn’t important. Regret would be your feeling—it has nothing to do with me. Liang Jiancheng, even though what you said just now makes me happy, I still want to cool down your burning emotions a little. You may have made a choice that excites your heart, but it might not be the choice most beneficial for you. If you were with—”

“If I married Zhang Min now, yes… my life would probably be stable and smooth.” Liang Jiancheng nodded, taking over Ming Xi’s words. He couldn’t lie and say that if he hadn’t met Ming Xi, his life would have been bland and tasteless or a complete failure. That was obviously impossible; his life might have been more in line with Gu Shuangyang’s expectations of him, more focused on his career.

But—

He couldn’t go against his heart.

Now he was experiencing a love that made him willingly and wholeheartedly devoted. The exhilaration and joy it brought had completely rewritten the tone of his life.

So how could he possibly regret it?

Henry once said that his personal freedom was always built upon responsibility. Even when personal feelings existed, they were like drifting snowflakes falling on a traveler beneath the sky — by the time he reached home, there was no need to shake them off; they would have melted away along the journey.

But the truth was, this traveler now saw endless snow falling toward him. He lifted his head to gaze at the pure white scene, unconsciously reaching out to catch the descending flakes. How could he, anxious to keep moving forward, blame a snowflake for blocking his path?

If life truly held regrets, then the only regret would be rushing onward too hastily and missing a magnificent snowfall that rarely appears in one’s lifetime.

Could Miss Ming understand his feelings when expressed this way? He had not only made a choice that stirred his heart — he had made a choice that was wholly beneficial to himself.

Ming Xi fell silent. She understood perfectly, and she felt honored. Liang Jiancheng’s love for her seemed to be even greater than she had imagined.

She remembered his first confession years ago, and how she had suspected he might simply be attracted to her youth and body. She had to admit that everyone possessed their own biases and limits of understanding.

Liang Jiancheng had already examined his own prejudices; she also needed to reflect on her own thoughts.

Of course… his attraction to her body was something he once again demonstrated thoroughly — almost addictively — on this romantic snowy night.

That evening, Ming Xi didn’t stay overnight at Liang Jiancheng’s place, but instead had him take her back to Tianxi No. 2. She had agreed to spend the New Year in her own home; she couldn’t stay at Liang Jiancheng’s every day.

As a result, she had just finished showering, talked to Cai Ni on the phone, and was about to read some MBA-related books before bed when the doorbell rang.

Standing outside was Boss Liang, who had come late at night, carrying a bag of luggage.

Ming Xi: …

Liang Jiancheng offered a perfectly reasonable excuse for showing up uninvited: “Miss Ming, I’ve come to help you warm your house this Spring Festival.”

Late at night, the two of them lay sprawled on the bed. Liang Jiancheng suddenly rose, lifting the soft body beneath him. As Ming Xi’s reactions gradually spiraled out of control, her legs trembling faster and faster, Liang Jiancheng thrust deeply into her again…

Heat surged instantly, driving away the chill outside the window.

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass, snow whirled heavily, the wind carrying it in low, rustling murmurs.

The sharply dropping temperature of the long night seemed ready to seep through the cold glass — until clarity returned to the quiet darkness. Ming Xi thought she heard a branch below snap under the weight of accumulated snow. As she drifted into sleep, she caught the crisp scent of citrus, lingering in the moment Liang Jiancheng’s thumb brushed gently across her cheek.

The next day was Lunar New Year’s Eve — a day even happier than the first day of the new year itself.

Early in the morning, Liang Jiancheng told Ming Xi about the day’s plans. This year, they would have lunch with Old Liang, then spend the evening at his mother’s home. The reason: after the reunion lunch, Old Liang had already bought a flight ticket and planned to stay in Yunnan for a while.

“Is this arrangement acceptable, Miss Ming?” Liang Jiancheng asked, looking intently into Ming Xi’s eyes.

Everything was already arranged — what reason did she have to refuse? Besides, even without his planning, she would have visited the professor anyway.

That morning, after breakfast, Ming Xi stood by the window looking outside. The snow wasn’t as thick as she had imagined, but it still gave Haigang a rich, festive winter atmosphere.

Since she wouldn’t be eating lunch or dinner in her own new home, she made two simple bowls of vermicelli soup that morning. The noodles were a specialty from Yicheng, sent by Cai Ni — handmade locally and difficult to find in Haigang markets.

Not that Ming Xi ever visited local markets anyway. Throughout the year, she could count the number of times she cooked on one hand.

While Ming Xi cooked, Liang Jiancheng stood beside her, helping. Whether she was frying eggs or stir-frying toppings, his gaze followed every movement closely, missing nothing. His expression made it clear he was seriously learning.

At the same time, Ming Xi took the chance to consult this Princeton economics master about insights she’d gained from management books she’d been reading recently.

Mingzhou was still a small company, with transparent yearly profits. At the final company meeting of the year, she had openly shared the profit figures with every employee. Recently she’d begun wondering whether this heartfelt, transparent style of leadership showed she still hadn’t fully shifted from salesperson mindset to true manager.

Her close, family-like relationship with her colleagues—was this mindset make her conservative about Mingzhou’s development, hesitant to expand rapidly like other foreign trade companies taking advantage of industry booms?

Over the past few years, besides diligently managing his two companies, Liang Jiancheng had also studied Ming Xi’s “little universe.” Yet he rarely gave advice unless asked, and she seldom sought it. Not because she was the woman he had long admired — objectively speaking, Ming Xi possessed an almost instinctive talent for business intuition. This gift made her both cautious and perceptive. Her constant hunger to learn was itself a powerful talent.

As he tasted the vermicelli soup she had made, Liang Jiancheng shared a famous management case with her. Her candid, transparent management style actually had a formal economic term: the shared-interest strategy, also known as glass-style management. Especially for startups, allowing employees to understand operations and share in success not only stabilizes the team but strengthens their sense of participation. That was precisely why Mingzhou’s employees stayed long-term — a rarity in the foreign trade industry.

“Mr. Liang, do you mean my management style is not only fine, but also excellent?” Ming Xi smiled with relief, not only because she valued his approval, but because she hadn’t realized her instincts had formal theoretical backing.

“Of course, Miss Ming not only has a unique vision, but is also exceptionally talented in management strategy,” Liang Jiancheng said again, never stingy with his praise.

Hearing such praise, Ming Xi became suspicious: “Liang Jiancheng, you’re not just trying to fool me, are you?”

Liang Jiancheng directly named the company he had mentioned as a management case study—Panasonic, a Fortune 500 company.

“Really?” Ming Xi’s eyes widened in surprise.

Of course! Liang Jiancheng stared intently at the person in front of him, saying casually yet with extreme envy, “Sometimes when I look at Boss Ming, I can’t help but sigh that God must have been biased when creating Boss Ming.”

“Boss Liang, please stop praising me. Too much praise makes me wary,” Ming Xi interrupted.

“Wary of what?” Liang Jiancheng continued to look at her intently, his eyes full of smiles.

“Because honest advice is usually hard to hear. I’m naturally suspicious. I came looking for real insight, but all you’ve done is praise me. I have every reason to think this is some kind of strategy — first feed me sweet words so I lower my guard… Is this a business tactic?” Ming Xi’s lips curled up slightly, her dimples appearing and disappearing, making her look playful and cunning.

Liang Jiancheng reached out and lightly tapped her forehead, helplessly remarking, “Honestly — this is like biting the hand that feeds you. My heart is two degrees colder than the weather outside today.”

Ming Xi blinked and voiced her question: “If this is such a great management philosophy, why don’t other company bosses do it?” For example, Haiou. Ming Xi used to think He Yuan was most averse to employees knowing about company’s profits.

The answer was simple to understand — but difficult to practice.

Liang Jiancheng looked at her directly. “Ming Xi, haven’t you noticed something? You always say you like money, that you want to make a lot of it, but you’re not truly a money-loving person.”

Money-loving… apparently even that came in different forms.

Of course, in this world, some people seem to love money to death, but often can let go of their obsession with money at crucial moments; others shout that money is the root of all evil, yet are always led by the nose by it. Nothing illustrates the complexity of human nature more clearly than this.

What Boss Ming probably didn’t realize was that her natural temperament already stood at a height that many people could never reach even after a lifetime of effort. That was why Liang Jiancheng had said earlier that God had played favorites.

Speaking about money, Ming Xi made a witty remark: “I used to always say I loved money and wanted to make a lot of it. But this year I realized that thinking that way puts a lot of pressure on me and makes making money less enjoyable. So I’ve come up with a new idea — Boss Liang, would you like to hear it??”

Liang Jiancheng leaned closer: “Please share, Boss Ming.”

Her eyes curved with a smile as she spoke sincerely: “I don’t love money at all — not even a little. But I’m definitely going to become richer and richer. It’s not that I love money — money loves me. Money adores me, so naturally it keeps flowing toward me. And sooner or later, I’ll become a billionaire like Boss Liang!”

Liang Jiancheng listened with admiration, then gave Miss Ming a thumbs up.

The temperature had dropped last night, and it was indeed very cold today, with the outdoor temperature reading minus five degrees Celsius.

Before heading to the professor’s place, Ming Xi had already put on a heavy coat. Yet before they left, Liang Jiancheng inspected her outfit again, wrapping a scarf around her neck and insisting she wear a hat.

“There’s a park behind Old Liang’s building. Maybe we can build a snowman. Let’s go early and have a look.”

Who would have thought that a man nearing thirty would be excited about building a snowman first thing in the morning? Still, his enthusiasm was infectious.

After parking the car, Liang Jiancheng eagerly led her to a small public park behind the professor’s residential building. The park was old and modest; precisely because of that, the snow on the roadside lawns hadn’t been cleared away, leaving broad stretches of untouched white.

Today, they weren’t the only ones there — several parents had brought their children to play in the snow as well. Ming Xi wasn’t as fascinated by snow as Liang Jiancheng, but when he shaped a bizarre little snowman and shamelessly declared that it was her, she crouched down and couldn’t resist tossing a small snowball at him.

The snowball hit his suit pants and fell apart, scattering onto his shoes.

“Well now, Ming Xi — attacking when I’m unprepared?” Liang Jiancheng bent down as if preparing to retaliate, but hesitated, unwilling to put down the snowman in his hands.

Naturally, Ming Xi took advantage and tossed several more snowballs at him. One landed on his shoulder, another on his arm, chest, and stomach.

Finally, Liang Jiancheng carefully placed the snowman in a safe corner by a flowerbed, then strode forward and swept the troublemaking Ming Xi right up into the air.

Ming Xi: …

Liang Jiancheng was tall to begin with, and years of tennis had given him powerful arms. Even though Ming Xi was bundled up like a penguin today, this “penguin” was now being lifted high above the snowy park with effortless dominance.

“Let’s see how you prov…tease me now.” Liang Jiancheng meant to say “provoke,” but changed it to “tease” before it even left his lips.

Now she was truly embarrassed. With no other option, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hooked her legs around him like a koala — at least that preserved some dignity compared to dangling midair.

“Put me down…” Ming Xi whispered to Liang Jiancheng.

Liang Jiancheng wouldn’t let go, and even smiled, saying, “Ming Xi, you’re the one holding on to me. How am I supposed to put you down?”

It was unfair — his hands were firmly supporting her waist and hips; she couldn’t get down even if she wanted to.

Ming Xi looked directly at Liang Jiancheng and saw a clear, relaxed teasing look in his eyes. It was in this joyful, snowy atmosphere that Liang Jiancheng would act like a child, playfully teasing her. Only when the two of them were playing around could he exert a little strength and avoid being completely “bullied” by the assertive Boss Ming.

It was a public park, not very big, but quite a few people had come, and some parents were starting to glance over. Ming Xi’s face flushed red. The position reminded her all too vividly of the night before — how he had lifted her just like this, and how her body had trembled uncontrollably for a long time afterward.

She was really embarrassed, especially with the scene from last night flashing through her mind; she felt extremely ashamed.

“Liang Jiancheng, if you don’t put me down, I’m going to get angry…”

“Okay.” President Liang was most afraid of Boss Ming getting angry.

Just as he was about to set her down, a voice full of surprise and excitement suddenly called out — not to Ming Xi, but to Liang Jiancheng.

She turned her head and saw a couple with a boy around ten years old standing nearby.

She didn’t recognize the man, who looked refined and scholarly. But the woman — both she and Liang Jiancheng knew her. It was none other than Miss Zhang, Zhang Min, whom they had mentioned the night before.

The one calling out to Liang Jiancheng was the handsome boy standing next to Zhang Min, waving excitedly at him.

If Ming Xi had only felt awkward before, now she could only describe her feelings as sitting on pins and needles. And she wasn’t sitting on a bench, but in Liang Jiancheng’s arms.

*Ahem*…

Liang Jiancheng calmly and steadily put Ming Xi down. Some encounters truly arrived without warning. Still, he felt that while he might have reason to feel awkward, Ming Xi did not.

It really was a coincidence. Zhang Min and her fiancé were out that day with her young cousin. Her fiancé’s family lived nearby, as his father was teaching at Haigang Economic and Trade Institute. The reason her cousin knew Liang Jiancheng was simply because years ago, she had brought him along on a date with Liang Jiancheng to avoid awkwardness.

Four years had passed, and she hadn’t expected her cousin to still remember Liang Jiancheng. The moment he called out “Brother Liang,” Zhang Min felt her heart tighten — and then she saw the perfectly matched pair before her.

So… Liang Jiancheng could be so carefree.

It was truly an eye-opener for her. She had once thought he was always serious and restrained, like an indifferent old man — much like his father. Yet before her cousin even called his name, she had already noticed the intense affection radiating between the two before her — love as bold and sweeping as last night’s snowfall.

It was undeniably beautiful — almost unbelievably so.

The blessing she had given four years ago had truly come true. He had found the one he loved. And she too had found the man she wanted.

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