STYL - 16. Tangtang, Come Over to My Side

As Zhao Chiyi walked out of the meeting room, the door automatically closed behind him.

All sounds were blocked outside.

Shen Tang was still staring at the doorway, wondering if she had imagined it.

How could he possibly be in Shanghai and arrive within just ten minutes?

If it were him, he would have already come in by now.

The assistant confirmed that the person outside was Jiang Chengyu. Overwhelmed with excitement, she suddenly grabbed Shen Tang’s arm. “This is great!”

Shen Tang turned to confirm with her assistant, “So I wasn’t imagining things?”

The assistant shook her head repeatedly.

Shen Tang quickly picked up her phone and sent a message to Jiang Chengyu: [Is that you?]

No reply.

Soon after, the door opened again.

Zhao Chiyi exchanged pleasantries and ushered the “Mr. Jiang” inside.

“Wow,” the actress silently mouthed, eyes wide.

Even though she was used to seeing handsome men in the entertainment industry, this man instantly overshadowed even Zhao Chiyi’s commanding presence.

Jiang Chengyu’s gaze swept around the conference table before landing on Shen Tang.

Silently, Shen Tang looked back at him.

They locked eyes for just a few seconds when Jiang Chengyu’s phone rang.

“Why did you leave everyone behind after taking a call?” Yan Heyu sounded confused. He had just arrived at the private room, only to be told that Jiang Chengyu had left for some urgent matter.

Jiang Chengyu replied, “I’m handling something. We’ll talk when I get back.”

Yan Heyu didn’t press further. “Do you need backup?”

“No need.”

“Alright, we’ll play cards while waiting for you.”

Just as Jiang Chengyu hung up, Tian Qinglu sent him a WeChat message: [What’s going on? I just went to the restroom, and when I came back, you were gone. Is everything okay?]

Tonight, they were at the same venue, meeting people for business discussions.

Jiang Chengyu: [It’s nothing. You all go ahead and chat.]

Eager to find out how Shen Tang was doing, he put away his phone.

“Jiang Ge, long time no see,” Chu Ran tried hard to contain her excitement.

She knew Jiang Chengyu. She had even been fortunate enough to share a meal with him once.

GR Capital, in which Jiang Chengyu held shares, had business ties with her aunt’s family. That time, coincidentally, she was in Beijing, and her uncle took her along to the dinner.

She assumed that her uncle, feeling sorry for her, feared that Zhao Chiyi might not handle things to her satisfaction and thus asked Jiang Chengyu to step in.

Zhao Chiyi wasn’t surprised that Chu Ran knew Jiang Chengyu. Just moments ago, outside the door, Jiang Chengyu had explained his purpose: “The little girl misbehaved and got into a fight. I came to take her away.”

Chu Ran really knew how to make trouble—she even managed to bring Jiang Chengyu here.

However, Jiang Chengyu paid no attention to her enthusiastic greeting. He scrutinized her, his voice devoid of warmth. “You’re Chu Ran?”

“...” Chu Ran’s face flushed with embarrassment.

She had said “long time no see,” yet he didn’t remember her.

Even if they hadn’t met face-to-face, she was, at the very least, a… celebrity, wasn’t she?

She felt several mocking gazes land on her.

Perhaps Jiang Chengyu was too busy to watch TV or read entertainment news.

Chu Ran mentally gave herself an excuse to step down gracefully. She couldn’t bear being laughed at repeatedly. Forcing a smile, she persisted, “Jiang Ge, you...”

Jiang Chengyu cut her off without hesitation. “Just answer yes or no.”

Chu Ran sensed the shift in tone. Her expression changed, and she nodded.

Jiang Chengyu didn’t say anything further. Instead, he turned to Shen Tang and extended his hand. “Tangtang, come over to my side.”

Shen Tang’s nose tingled.

This was the second time he had called her that, and this time, in front of so many people.

He wasn’t dressed any differently than usual—his classic black-and-white combination, a white shirt under a black trench coat—but today, everything about him seemed different.

She let herself go wild for once.

Ignoring the astonished looks from others, Shen Tang stood up abruptly, dragging her chair back. Without her usual elegance, she rushed toward Jiang Chengyu in her high heels.

Still feeling it wasn’t fast enough, her pace unconsciously shifted from walking to running, taking three steps forward and two steps running, heading straight into Jiang Chengyu’s arms.

Jiang Chengyu himself was startled. After three years together, Shen Tang had never run to him like this before.

He opened his arms and caught her firmly.

“What’s worrying you? I’m here and not leaving.”

Shen Tang slipped her hands into his black coat, hugging his waist.

Her face buried in his chest, she didn’t want to say a word.

If only she had such an embrace back when she was bullied in school.

Jiang Chengyu didn’t move, letting Shen Tang hold onto him.

She was proud and never showed weakness in front of others, but today was an exception.

“Sorry to bother you, Mr. Zhao,” Jiang Chengyu smoothly redirected his attention to Zhao Chiyi.

Zhao Chiyi was still processing the unexpected twist. Even as the boss of an entertainment company, he was shocked by the turn of events.

“No trouble at all. It’s my fault for not hosting properly.”

A few seconds later, he added a polite remark.

So Shen Tang had been with Jiang Chengyu all along.

They had kept it well-hidden; not even he had heard a single rumor.

The twists and turns of the process made it impossible to predict the final outcome.

The actress unconsciously straightened her back, fully prepared to witness the drama unfold.

She didn’t know who this man was, but being present at the scene made her feel like signing with Evergreen Entertainment was worth it.

Chu Ran stared blankly at Jiang Chengyu and Shen Tang in his arms, unable to believe or accept the reality.

She had naively thought Jiang Chengyu came to defend her.

The slap to her pride hurt badly.

Shen Tang gradually calmed down. Still not raising her head, her voice carried a slight nasal tone. “Why are you here?”

Jiang Chengyu looked down at her, only seeing the top of her soft, fragrant hair.

He whispered, “You got into a fight. How could I not come to see what happened? To check whether you needed to apologize or pay medical expenses. If it’s not your fault, I can’t let you go home with委屈, right?”

Everyone in the meeting room was watching Shen Tang, including Zhao Chiyi.

Shen Tang steadied her breathing, trying to sound as normal as possible. “On the surveillance footage, it’s my fault.”

Jiang Chengyu didn’t know what had happened in the meeting room before he arrived. He hadn’t had time to catch up.

He wanted to know, “So did you apologize?”

Shen Tang shook her head. “No.” She said, “If it’s my fault on the footage, then let the Shen Tang on the footage apologize. What does it have to do with me?”

Others: “...”

Jiang Chengyu chuckled. “That trick only works on me. It won’t work on others.”

Zhao Chiyi averted his gaze and pulled up a chair to sit down.

Let’s pretend this was a film set. He was visiting the shoot, and they were filming a lovey-dovey scene between the male and female leads.

Jiang Chengyu acted as if no one else was there. “So what does the other party want?”

Shen Tang: “They want me to slap myself and apologize. Then this matter will be over.”

Jiang Chengyu suddenly raised his head. Chu Ran happened to be looking in his direction and was startled by his piercing gaze. She forced herself to remain calm. “She pulled my hair and pushed me to the ground. Isn’t my demand for an apology reasonable?”

She was gambling, betting that Jiang Chengyu wouldn’t dare to do anything to her.

“She slipped and fell because of her own shoes and blamed me. Fortunately, it’s me—I don’t hold grudges. If it were someone else getting hit for no reason, do you think they’d be as easygoing as me? The footage clearly shows I didn’t push her—I was talking to my assistant.”

Chu Ran earnestly defended herself.

At this point, she wouldn’t admit to pushing Shen Tang. With Zhao Chiyi backing her up, he had clearly indicated earlier that there was no surveillance footage from the side.

Even if there was, it was broken.

Without the footage, Shen Tang would have to apologize to her.

Jiang Chengyu gently stroked Shen Tang’s back, repeating the comforting gesture.

“Are you sure you want Shen Tang to apologize to you?” His tone sounded more like a threat.

Chu Ran sat up straight. Even if she felt unsure, she couldn’t lose her composure.

Behind her were the Chu family, the Zhao family, and the Xiao family. Jiang Chengyu wouldn’t dare disregard their influence.

Moreover, with Shen Tang’s background, she could never marry into the Jiang family. Jiang Chengyu might just be temporarily infatuated and using this opportunity to please Shen Tang.

He wouldn’t jeopardize GR Capital’s collaboration with her aunt’s family.

After weighing the pros and cons, Chu Ran made a decision.

Instead of answering, she countered, “Isn’t apologizing the right thing to do when you’re wrong?”

Jiang Chengyu nodded. “Call Chu Yueli now and tell him that Jiang Chengyu is here to apologize on behalf of Shen Tang. Ask your uncle what kind of apology would satisfy you, Miss Chu.”

Chu Ran froze. Was he serious?

Meanwhile, Shen Tang nestled comfortably in Jiang Chengyu’s arms, feeling safe and carefree.

Aside from her grandparents, he was the first person to unconditionally stand up for her.

Jiang Chengyu lost patience. “Haven’t you called yet? If you don’t have your uncle’s number, I do.”

Chu Ran bit her lip, silenced by fear.

She understood the gravity of the situation. If she called her uncle, it would put him in an awkward position.

If she miscalculated and affected her aunt’s family’s collaboration with Jiang Chengyu, she couldn’t bear the consequences.

After all, her aunt was different from her uncle. While her uncle genuinely cared for her, her aunt shared no blood relation with her.

“Miss Chu the Immortal, you have one minute to decide. I’ll start the countdown.”

“...”

The sharp, sarcastic words just spoken belonged to Shen Tang’s assistant. Earlier, Chu Ran had threatened Shen Tang, and the assistant couldn’t swallow that insult. She was still indignant on Shen Tang’s behalf.

With Jiang Chengyu present, what did she have to fear?

The assistant immediately started the timer.

The familiar “tick-tock, tick-tock” sound ignited the tension in the silent meeting room.

59, 58, 57...

The countdown wrapped tightly around Chu Ran’s neck like a silver fishing line. The pressure grew unbearable, suffocating her.

She had calculated everything but hadn’t anticipated Jiang Chengyu losing his mind.

Was this man insane? Ignoring interests just to please a woman?

“Jiang Ge, I’m giving you face.”

Helpless, Chu Ran swallowed her pride and conceded.

“Even if I call my uncle, he’ll definitely give you face. It’s not that I’m forgiving Shen Tang—it’s because I’m giving you face.”

She had lost to Jiang Chengyu, not Shen Tang!

Everyone thought the matter would end here.

However, this was only the beginning.

Jiang Chengyu said, “Now it’s your turn to apologize to Shen Tang.”

“What?” Chu Ran exclaimed involuntarily.

Jiang Chengyu repeated calmly to Chu Ran, “Apologize to Shen Tang now.”

Chu Ran, having reached her limit, couldn’t tolerate it anymore.

She sneered, “She hit me, and I’m supposed to apologize to her?”

The people present tonight would surely mock her later. How could she lower her head to apologize to Shen Tang?

Even if others believed she had pushed Shen Tang, so what?

“Jiang Ge, whatever I say now, you won’t believe me. If I say I didn’t push her, you’ll think I’m lying.” Chu Ran remained defiant. “Fine, if there’s evidence proving I pushed Shen Tang, I’ll apologize.”

Jiang Chengyu was too lazy to argue. “Just apologize. I’ve personally come here. What more evidence do you need?”

You’ve got to be kidding me!

Chu Ran almost spat blood. Her chest heaved with anger, and she wanted to throw her phone at Jiang Chengyu’s face.

She had never encountered such an arrogant, shameless, and self-righteous man!