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That afternoon, Chen Songxian clung desperately to his cousin’s pant leg, pleading for a long while, every word dripping with bitter tears.
He knew that if his cousin was determined to send him out for training, neither his father nor his uncle would object. Even his own mother wished dearly for her son to toughen up and become independent.
But to go out again—to those places—he’d rather die than go!
However, his cousin was far too ruthless. He directly ordered two security guards to drag him away.
By the time Chen Songxian was dumped at the entrance of Huanyu Building, and when Yang Minghui came by to see him off, Chen Songxian still didn’t understand:
“Brother Yang, tell me—what exactly did I do to offend my cousin? Why is he so hellbent on sending me away all the time?”
Yang Minghui hesitated, opened his mouth several times but couldn’t say it bluntly. In the end, all his thoughts condensed into one sentence:
“Young Master Chen, if it really doesn’t work out… maybe just become a monk and forget about all that romance nonsense.”
Chen Songxian: “…”
Standing on the ground, gazing up at the towering Huanyu Building that pierced the clouds, Chen Songxian was unwilling to accept it. Even after returning home and wracking his brain, he couldn’t figure it out—until he suddenly recalled the woman Aunt arranged to work at Huanyu not long ago—the one she intended to introduce to his cousin!
He immediately made a phone call. As soon as it connected, he asked bluntly:
“Miss Jiang, have you had much interaction with my cousin at Huanyu?”
Jiang Lixin’s mother, being the third wife of the tobacco tycoon from Gangcheng, didn’t hold a high status. Because of this, the mother-daughter pair schemed relentlessly, hoping to snag the eldest young master of the Cheng family.
Ever since she joined Huanyu a week ago, Jiang Lixin had been constantly searching for opportunities to approach Cheng Wanting. But as an ordinary employee, there were barely any chances to get near such a powerful figure.
Let alone approach him—she had only seen Cheng Wanting from afar once.
It wasn’t until yesterday, when Young Master Chen (the eldest grandson of the Chen family) called to inquire about President Cheng, that Jiang Lixin finally saw an opportunity to get closer.
Taking advantage of the lunch break when most employees had gone out to eat, Jiang Lixin rode the elevator from the sixth floor—where ordinary staff worked—up to the 32nd floor. There, she happened to see Secretary Yang, Cheng Wanting’s trusted aide, leaving the general manager’s office.
Jiang Lixin quickly hid behind a wall and, after confirming that Secretary Yang had taken the elevator downstairs, cautiously made her way toward the office.
Knock knock knock.
Cheng Wanting was still engrossed in his work. Hearing the knock, he assumed it was Yang Minghui returning.
“Come in,” he called.
The door opened, but instead of Yang’s voice, a sweet and saccharine female voice rang out.
“President Cheng.” Jiang Lixin had carefully done her makeup and adjusted her outfit beforehand, determined to leave a flawless first impression.
Hearing a woman’s voice, Cheng Wanting lifted his eyes slightly. An unfamiliar face appeared before him. The woman wore a professional suit with Huanyu’s name badge pinned on her chest—clearly an ordinary employee coming to report something beyond her level.
In an indifferent tone, Cheng Wanting asked, “What is it?”
“President Cheng, I’m Jiang Lixin, newly employed at Huanyu. My mother is a relative of Madam Song Xiujun, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Chen family. I’ve also met your aunt before… President Cheng, you haven’t had lunch yet, have you? I brought some food I made myself—there’s plenty. Would you like to try some?”
“Close the door and leave,” Cheng Wanting responded flatly, clearly impatient with such trivial socializing. Every second felt like a waste of time.
Jiang Lixin had heard long ago that the eldest Cheng son wasn’t fond of women, but she hadn’t expected him to be this cold and unfeeling.
“President Cheng, I…” Unwilling to give up, Jiang Lixin pulled out her trump card.
“By the way, I’m also acquainted with Young Master Chen Songxian. I heard you two cousins are very close…”
“I’ll say it one last time—leave.” Cheng Wanting’s gaze was ice-cold.
“Or you’ll leave Huanyu permanently.”
Jiang Lixin suffered a crushing defeat in her first attempt, not even understanding how she had offended Cheng Wanting. Staring at the tightly closed office door, she stomped her foot in frustration.
For several days after that, Jiang Lixin kept a close eye on the happenings of the 32nd floor of Huanyu. But as an ordinary employee, it wasn’t easy to find excuses to sneak upstairs.
Since Chen Songxian had instructed her to observe whether President Cheng showed any unusual behavior—and in hopes of currying favor with the Chen family—she remained diligent.
Three evenings later, she finally spotted something unusual.
A young, beautiful woman entered Huanyu Building and was personally escorted upstairs by Secretary Yang, using Cheng Wanting’s exclusive elevator.
Jiang Lixin happened to witness the scene from the ground floor lobby. She quickly stepped outside and called Chen Songxian:
“Young Master Chen, Secretary Yang just brought a young, pretty woman up to President Cheng’s office!”
After autumn set in, Housekeeper Hua liked to prepare nourishing soups. Noting that Cheng Wanting had been so busy lately that he hadn’t returned to the Mid-Levels villa, she intended to bring him some soup at the office.
However, when the eldest young master answered the phone, he specifically asked for Miss Lin to bring it instead.
Lin Keying arrived on the 32nd floor with a thermos of double-boiled fresh abalone soup with American ginseng and dendrobium, accompanied by Secretary Yang.
As soon as the office door opened, the man inside briefly looked up.
“Sit on the sofa and wait a while. I got you something to eat.”
On the coffee table sat a paper bag of pastries. Lin Keying approached and saw they were Wife Cakes from Yuen Long.
In her previous life, Lin Keying had traveled to Gangcheng and tried this specialty dessert. Now, tasting the 1980s version of Yuen Long Wife Cakes, she quickly devoured two of them.
The golden, crispy crust and the sweet but not cloying winter melon filling were delicious.
“Young Master, are you still working? Housekeeper Hua made this nourishing soup for you—it’ll get cold if left too long.” Lin Keying, satisfied after her meal, decided to distract the man who was still immersed in his work.
She still didn’t understand how this man maintained the stamina required for his high-intensity workload, considering how little he ate.
Cheng Wanting put down his pen and gazed at her. After staring silently for a few seconds, he said,
“Why don’t you help me review these contracts while I go eat?”
Lin Keying: “…If you’re really okay handing me contracts worth billions, I don’t mind. Not like the loss is mine anyway.”
Unexpectedly, the workaholic actually let her sit in his chair.
Leaning back into his office chair, Lin Keying picked up one of the contracts and glanced at it—
“Isn’t this the plot of land from the Shatin auction the other day?”
She remembered that Plot 9, located in Shatin, wasn’t a prime location and wasn’t very popular, so the price was low, with only a few bidders.
At that time, the winning company had been one called Wanxin Industries.
Cheng Wanting didn’t go eat soup. Standing tall beside the desk, his hand resting casually on the table, he leaned forward slightly to look at the woman who was analyzing everything.
Lin Keying couldn’t help speculating:
“You joined forces with Wanxin Industries before the auction? So pretending to want the Central plot was just a ruse—you really wanted the Shatin plot? By using Wanxin’s name to bid, no one knew you were behind it.”
“Not quite.” A hint of amusement flickered in Cheng Wanting’s gaze.
“Which part’s wrong?” Lin Keying looked up at him.
“The Central plot wasn’t a decoy for Shatin. I just wanted to jack up the price and make them spend a few extra billion.”
“What did they do to offend you?” Lin Keying murmured.
“They offended you,” Cheng Wanting said flatly, yet with biting intensity.
“Wang Weiliang from Hongsheng and Liu Zhigao from Tianxing secretly joined forces to co-bid for land. That extra few billion for the Central plot? Both of them share the loss.”
Lin Keying hadn’t expected the incident at the entertainment company to spark such long-term fallout—and Cheng Wanting had hidden it so well.
“But you didn’t win the Central plot. Isn’t that a loss for you? Shatin’s development can’t compare to Central.”
Cheng Wanting’s lips curled.
“Yeah, it’s a loss. So how do you plan to compensate me?”
Seeing his nonchalant expression, Lin Keying knew this deeply scheming man must have a backup plan.
She had never seen him suffer a loss before.
“I’m not compensating you! It’s not like I asked you to avenge me~” Lin Keying quickly stood and made to leave.
“The soup’s on the table—you drink it yourself, I’m leaving!”
She dashed toward the door. As her slender fingers touched the doorknob, hurried footsteps approached behind her—and a crisp voice echoed from outside:
“Cousin!”
The door, which Lin Keying had just pulled open halfway, was slammed shut from behind with a loud bang.
A large hand, fingers long and defined, pressed firmly against the door panel. Turning around, she saw her fiancé standing close behind her, his expression stern and cold.
Knock knock knock.
“Cousin, open up—it’s me. I need to talk to you urgently!”
Lin Keying wasn’t familiar with her fiancé’s extended family—or rather, as an imposter, she didn’t remember the intricate ties of this wealthy clan at all.
Guilt crept in again. She anxiously tried to open the door handle to leave quickly.
If the man outside recognized her too, it was best she got out fast! The more she said, the more mistakes she’d make!
The persistent calls of “Cousin” continued outside. Lin Keying tugged at the handle but couldn’t budge it—her fiancé was pressing the door shut so firmly she couldn’t move it.
“Young Master, I’m heading back. Please move your hand,” Lin Keying turned to bid him goodbye.
“Besides, it looks like your cousin’s here—I don’t want to disturb you.”
“Cousin?” Through the office’s large glass window, Cheng Wanting could faintly see the figure outside. The repeated cries of “Cousin” and the knocking grated on his nerves.
“Mm. He probably needs to talk to you urgently,” Lin Keying replied, sensing that something was off—the atmosphere was strange, and her fiancé’s emotions hard to read.
“Not urgent,” Cheng Wanting murmured, leaning down closer to her.
“What’s between us is more important.”
“What do you mea—” Lin Keying’s question was cut off as he suddenly kissed her hard. Pressed by his weight, she stumbled into the door, their bodies flush.
In front was her fiancé’s fierce, fiery kiss, devouring her lips with abandon.
Behind was the hard door, vibrating each time his cousin knocked and called “Cousin” outside.
Overwhelmed by shyness and tension, Lin Keying was clumsily led by him. Electric jolts raced through her body, leaving her flushed and breathless.
Kissed so deeply that she couldn’t breathe or think straight, Lin Keying instinctively pushed at his chest, unable to bear much more.
Although the door was closed, there was someone just outside—and it was his cousin…
“Mmph… someone’s out there!” she gasped, trying to protest, but he spoke sharply.
Cheng Wanting’s fierce gaze bore into the silhouette outside. Yet his words were directed at the woman in his arms:
“Tell him—who do you like?”
Her body soft and air stolen from her lungs, Lin Keying didn’t even process the first half of the sentence—only the second half stuck.
Without thinking, she reflexively answered:
“Of course I like you.”
At that moment, another voice rang out outside—
“Cousin, open the door!”