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On her twenty-sixth birthday, Shen Tang was busier than any other year. At midnight, Jiang Chengyu proposed, and at the same time, Ning Yinchen’s social media updated its twelfth post.
Shortly after waking up, Zhao Chiyi called her. He was downstairs at her apartment building, inviting her to lunch.
“I’m not celebrating your birthday; it’s a simple meal, and also an apology. I have a meeting this afternoon,” he said.
Shen Tang put on light makeup and a cream-colored trench coat.
Early spring arrived quickly this year, but her heart felt heavy, like deep winter.
“Happy birthday,” Zhao Chiyi said, presenting a bouquet of Protea flowers. It was carefully chosen, yet not overly expensive.
“Thank you,” Shen Tang accepted them.
Zhao Chiyi opened the car door for her. “The restaurant is nearby.”
It really wasn’t far; as soon as she settled in, the car stopped in front of an Italian restaurant. This restaurant had been there for decades, and its signboard wasn’t very grand.
Zhao Chiyi frequented this restaurant and recommended several specialty seafood dishes and desserts to Shen Tang.
Closing the menu, Zhao Chiyi said, “I’m sorry.”
Shen Tang understood why he was apologizing. In New York, only a few people knew her address, and the only person Chen Nanjin could ask was him.
“Director Chen said he’d been here for several days and couldn’t find where you lived,” Zhao Chiyi said, feeling a pang of guilt. His original intention was to hope Shen Tang had family with her on her birthday.
However, last night he met Director Chen at the hotel entrance. It turned out their father-daughter relationship was worse than he imagined.
“I thought after all that, you would both have moved on.”
Regardless, it was his misjudgment. “I’m sorry. I took the liberty of giving your address to Director Chen yesterday.”
“It’s okay,” Shen Tang said. “He’s just an irrelevant person.”
Zhao Chiyi looked at Shen Tang, who was gazing out the window.
“On my way to pick you up, I was still thinking about how to persuade you.”
He smiled helplessly. “Now I feel I overestimated myself.”
“Persuade me about what?” Shen Tang still looked out the window, at young couples freely kissing. She answered her own question, “Persuade me to forgive Chen Nanjin?”
Zhao Chiyi handed her a glass of water. “Persuade you to forgive yourself.”
Hating for so many years meant not wanting to reconcile with oneself.
Shen Tang remained silent.
Zhao Chiyi realized he had said something useless. He then turned to talk about Ning Yinchen. She and Ning Yinchen certainly weren’t as rumored online, but their relationship must be very special.
“What exactly are your feelings for Ning Yinchen?”
“Dependence. Before I was eighteen, besides my grandfather and grandmother, he was everything. Later, I never met anyone as kind-natured as him.”
The appetizer arrived, and Shen Tang averted her gaze.
She unfolded her napkin, gesturing for him to eat.
Zhao Chiyi’s words were interrupted by the cutlery she picked up.
It wasn’t until dessert arrived that Zhao Chiyi spoke again, no longer touching on her sensitive points. He spoke about himself instead, “I’m discussing a collaboration with He Chuyao.”
“In what aspect?”
“Their family has been in high-end catering for decades. Evergreen Hotel’s catering is lacking, so a partnership would be complementary.”
Shen Tang thought he was going to collaborate with He Chuyao on entertainment business. “Aren’t you only concerned with your entertainment company?”
“I’m now in charge of the hotel business.”
Her phone rang.
Zhao Chiyi’s expression faded as he saw the caller ID.
“Chen Yinuo is looking for me.”
He looked up at her.
Shen Tang forked a piece of kiwi from her dessert plate, completely unconcerned.
Zhao Chiyi answered. As expected, Chen Yinuo was asking for Shen Tang’s current contact information and address.
“Miss Chen, I’m sorry.”
“Mr. Zhao, I’m not looking for Shen Tang to cause trouble. I’ve already come all the way to New York. I wouldn’t have sought you out unless absolutely necessary,” her tone was earnest.
Shen Tang put down her fork and pointed downstairs. “Tell her to find me at the coffee shop.”
Zhao Chiyi paused, but still complied, sending Chen Yinuo a screenshot of the location after hanging up.
This was someone else’s family matter, so he didn’t ask further.
Still needing to rush to a company meeting, Zhao Chiyi paid the bill, and they both went downstairs.
Shen Tang had taken his car when she arrived, so she had no ride back. “I’ll pick you up after the meeting.”
Shen Tang refused. “No need, it’s not far to walk back.”
As they parted, Zhao Chiyi reminded Shen Tang to check the trending searches in China. Perhaps Chen Yinuo’s visit had something to do with them.
Shen Tang walked into the coffee shop, carrying the bouquet Zhao Chiyi had given her. The cafe wasn’t crowded, and she ordered a white coffee.
She hadn’t brought her other phone, so she messaged Sister Li, asking her to tell her about the situation back home.
It was currently early morning in Beijing, but Sister Li, being a night owl, was still awake.
There was no hiding it. She took screenshots of the trending searches from the past two days, including some classic comments, and sent them via email.
[Your matter subsided for half a year; the internet’s memory is limited, so few people are paying attention now. Last Saturday, the drama Fan Yu had suppressed by Xiao Zhen premiered. I sent Fan Yu two hot search gift packages: the news of her divorce from Chen Nanjin, which also brought your name onto the hot search again. I’m repaying her for how she dealt with our team over the past five years, one by one.]
As soon as Shen Tang heard it was about Chen Nanjin’s divorce trending, she didn’t even bother opening the attachments.
After chatting with Sister Li about recent events, Chen Yinuo arrived as scheduled.
Shen Tang closed her phone and placed the bouquet on the corner of the table.
Chen Yinuo wasn’t in the mood for coffee, but still ordered a mocha.
Her face was haggard from the disrupted time difference.
“Mr. Zhao gave you these?” Chen Yinuo glanced at the flamboyant Protea bouquet. Its wild appearance was just like Shen Tang’s personality. She didn’t forget to say, “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you,” Shen Tang said, sipping her coffee.
“Teacher Shen,” Chen Yinuo still addressed her this way, “Our family is already broken. Can I please ask you to be lenient? These past six months, my mother and I have had a very difficult time.”
“More difficult than my first twenty-five years?” Shen Tang smiled. “For all those years, your mother never showed me any leniency.”
“I’m not here to argue with you.” Chen Yinuo constantly reminded herself that she was there to reconcile, not to fight.
If this continued, the dramas her mother invested in wouldn’t be able to air properly.
“I know it hasn’t been easy for you. My dad and mom have also divorced. Just the breach of contract compensation alone cost over a hundred million, a truly crippling blow.”
She said softly, “We’re family, after all. Can we stop letting others laugh at us, please?”
“Miss Chen, my surname is Shen. How can you speak of family?”
Chen Yinuo couldn’t argue with her and changed the subject. “Teacher Shen, I really liked and admired you before, and I hoped to be friends with you. Not a single word of that is false.”
“Thank you.” Shen Tang put down her coffee cup and fiddled with a petal. “You liked me because I never revealed our relationship with Chen Nanjin in front of you. Even when your mother treated me that way, wishing she could crush me, I never held any malice towards you. If we were to switch places, and you were me, and you could do what I did, I think I wouldn’t just like you back then, I wouldn’t be bothering you now either.”
Chen Yinuo’s face flushed, and she fidgeted uncomfortably.
Her mind was troubled, and she stirred her coffee.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
She tried to keep her voice calm: “I don’t have a complete family now, and my mother has also been hit hard. Let’s call it even. I just want this matter to be over, and for us all to return to normal life.”
“Even? Can this be even? Miss Chen, this matter can’t be over, because my grandfather can never come back. His regrets before he passed away can never be made up for. Perhaps in your eyes, a grandfather is insignificant; you have so many relatives. For me, I only had two relatives, and they both left with regrets. If I’m not having a good time, no one else should either.”
Shen Tang called the waiter to pay the bill.
“I met you today to tell you in person, don’t bother me again.”
She picked up her flowers, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left.
The afternoon sun was bright and lazy. Celebrating a birthday on such a day should be pleasant, but irrelevant people kept appearing one after another.
Shen Tang didn’t go back to her apartment, aimlessly walking the streets.
This was the idlest day in six years, with nothing to do.
From afternoon until the sun was setting, she didn’t remember any of the places she passed.
When she arrived downstairs at her apartment building, there was an unfamiliar SUV. Leaning against the car door was a familiar man, wearing a black trench coat over a white shirt.
The wild and untamed SUV seemed to lose its luster beside him.
Jiang Chengyu straightened up, glancing at the flowers in her arms. “Bought them?”
“Zhao Chiyi gave them to me.”
Shen Tang placed the flowers on the hood of the car, shaking her aching arms.
The scene of the marriage proposal from midnight stood between them.
Jiang Chengyu extended his hand. “Give me the number tag.”
“You flew thousands of kilometers just to get a number?” Shen Tang said, taking out a lipstick from her bag and walking a few steps closer to him.
He looked down at her. “Do you want to write it on my hand?”
“It’ll rub off quickly if I write it on your hand.” Shen Tang pulled open his trench coat and wrote ‘250’ on his shirt over his heart.
“You wrote on my clothes, how am I supposed to take you out to dinner?” Jiang Chengyu didn’t mind his clothes getting dirty. He had booked a restaurant for her birthday and had a night flight back to London, with no carry-on luggage, so he couldn’t change his shirt.
“Who said I wanted to go out to dinner with you?” Shen Tang capped her lipstick.
Jiang Chengyu looked down at the three digits. “If you really have that many suitors, Shen Tang, then don’t cling to that sea in Haitang Village. Strive to be queen of the Pacific.”
Shen Tang smiled. “Then I’ll take your auspicious words.”
Jiang Chengyu was at a loss for what to do with her. He opened the car door and motioned for her to get in. “It’s a Chinese restaurant, it won’t take up much of your time. I still have to rush to the airport after eating.”
Today, he had pushed aside some matters to fly over. The project with the Xiao family required communication with many local departments. Others couldn’t make decisions, so he needed to be on-site to decide.
Shen Tang buckled her seatbelt. Jiang Chengyu took a ring from his trench coat pocket, threw the trench coat into the back seat, and gave her the ring. “Yours.”
Shen Tang looked at the ring, then at him. “Was my rejection last night not clear enough?”
“Even if the proposal failed, I still have to give you the ring. I specifically chose it for you.” Jiang Chengyu placed the ring on the seat beside her.
He started the engine, turned the car around, and drove in another direction.
“You can keep it. See how many rings you can collect from me.”
Shen Tang picked up the ring, elegant and exquisite. “When did you prepare this?”
“After returning from Hawaii.” Jiang Chengyu explained, “This is a style chosen at the counter; custom-made ones will take some time.”
“How did you know my ring size?”
“Estimated by eye. If it doesn’t fit, tell me. Custom-made ring settings require a precise ring size.”
Shen Tang placed the ring back on the armrest box between them.
She hadn’t accepted the proposal, so there was no reason to keep the ring.
“That number 250,” Jiang Chengyu asked her, “Do you dislike that my proposal vow wasn’t enough?”
Shen Tang retorted, “Then do you think your six words are enough?”
“For me, yes, they’re enough. They’re the words I most want to say to you.” Jiang Chengyu didn’t understand. “Don’t girls marry a person based on their character, responsibility, and ability? Just for a few sweet words?”
“...Of course, all of that matters, but on that premise, who doesn’t love sweet words?”
“If you like them, then I’ll say more when I propose next time.”
Shen Tang was suddenly speechless. His doting tone seemed to have returned to how it used to be.
He no longer urged her to let go of her hatred, no longer lectured her.
The Chinese restaurant was one Xie Yucheng had recommended in their group before, and every dish was a masterpiece.
On the way there, Jiang Chengyu bought her a slice of cake.
A small slice of cake, no candles. Shen Tang didn’t want to make a wish and picked up a fork to eat it.
“I’m going back to Beijing next week. I’ll be there for the next month.”
Shen Tang nodded.
Jiang Chengyu: “I’ll come to see you when I’m free.”
Shen Tang forked a piece of cream into her mouth. “Am I someone you can just see whenever you want?”
Jiang Chengyu smiled faintly, indulging her. “I’ll take a number to see you.”
When his tone softened, she was powerless to resist.
“If you want to cooperate with me, come find me in Beijing anytime.” Jiang Chengyu still hadn’t figured out how to cooperate with her, nor did he have any idea what she planned to do next.
“Tangtang, learn to trust and rely on me.”
Shen Tang lowered her head to eat the cake, saying nothing.
Jiang Chengyu handed her a napkin, pointing to her lips.
Shen Tang understood, wiping away a bit of cream clinging to her lips.
Through the meal, they exchanged few words, the atmosphere quiet but not dull.
After leaving the restaurant, Jiang Chengyu drove her back to her apartment.
He turned his head to look at her. “Have you been tired lately?”
Shen Tang slowly shook her head. “I don’t know.”
She wanted to relax, but instead lost her direction.
So she didn’t know if she was relaxed or more tired.
“If you’re tired, come back to Beijing.”
Knowing she wouldn’t respond, Jiang Chengyu asked her, “Do you owe Zhao Chiyi a favor?”
“No, if anything, he owes me.”
“Mm,” Jiang Chengyu said. “If you do, I’ll repay it.”
When the car stopped downstairs at the apartment, it was time to part again.
Jiang Chengyu retrieved her trench coat from the back seat and handed her the bouquet of flowers.
He looked at her, and finally, only said two words, “Good night.”
Shen Tang waved, turning to walk towards the apartment building.
She habitually slipped her hand into her trench coat pocket and felt a cold ring.
She didn’t know when, but he had put the ring in her pocket.
She quickly turned around, but his SUV had already merged into the traffic.
________________________________________
The following Saturday afternoon, Shen Tang was reviewing a proposal when an unfamiliar number called her.
At first, she thought it was Jiang Chengyu calling her from a new number, but after answering, she heard a familiar female voice.
“Miss Shen, long time no see.”
“Ms. Lu has a terrible memory. We just saw each other two days before Valentine’s Day.”
“Oh, my memory,” Lu Zhifei said, looking across at the towering apartment building. “Miss Shen, care for a coffee downstairs?”
“One moment.”
The caller meant trouble. Shen Tang closed her proposal.
On the corner of the table lay the diamond ring, the only small item in the apartment that felt lived-in.
Shen Tang changed her clothes and went downstairs, accompanied by her bodyguard.
Lu Zhifei wore a black shirt, a new spring design.
She ordered coffee for Shen Tang and gestured for her to sit.
“I just came from London,” she smiled. “Are you planning to go after my company?”
Shen Tang leaned back in her chair. “You know the answer.”
Lu Zhifei took out a stack of photocopies from her bag. “You don’t have a chance now. One of my major shareholders is Ning Yinchen. The contract has completed its process, and I signed a gambling agreement with him. If he defaults, his startup company will be completely lost. That’s his hard work of so many years.”
Shen Tang’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent. Ning Yinchen didn’t know about her conflict with Lu Zhifei; he was kept in the dark when he invested. “You and Director Xiao conspired to set him up?”
“You can’t just use the word ‘set up.’ That’s an unprovoked accusation.” Lu Zhifei flipped to the crucial clauses, holding them up for Shen Tang to see. “Look carefully.”
She pointed to the fifth clause. “Ning Yinchen signed this willingly. Both Director Xiao and I are doing this for your own good. Don’t be so stubborn. Don’t bite everyone you see. Live your life well.”
She then flipped to the last page. “This is Ning Yinchen’s signature, recognize it? It’s okay if you don’t; you can check the current equity structure of my company. Ning Yinchen’s company’s big name is in there.”
Part of Director Xiao’s funds were invested through Ning Yinchen’s company. With strong financial support, Shen Tang’s desire for an acquisition would be harder than ascending to heaven.
Given Shen Tang’s crazy personality, if she couldn’t get it, she would surely destroy it. Now, to destroy it would mean completely ruining Ning Yinchen’s company.
Ning Yinchen’s importance in Shen Tang’s heart meant Shen Tang wouldn’t disregard him.
She had completely blocked both of Shen Tang’s paths.
Lu Zhifei put away the contract photocopies. “My relationship with Jiang Chengyu probably has no future, but I won’t allow my career to have no future. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how you’ll contend with me next.”
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