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The engagement news was absurdly ridiculous; even she, the person involved, knew nothing about it.
It shouldn’t have been Chairman Xiao’s doing. He knew her personality; if she was provoked, she would burn all bridges and wouldn’t give anyone face by getting engaged.
As for Lu Zhifei, the mess with her company recently was enough to overwhelm her; she wouldn’t have the time to spread rumors.
Shen Tang handed Jiang Chengyu his phone back. “I can’t guess who it is. Xie Yucheng’s mother shouldn’t be so unreliable. If Xie Yucheng doesn’t cooperate, she’ll be the laughingstock.”
Jiang Chengyu’s London itinerary was complete. His flight back to China was tomorrow, but he temporarily changed his plans.
He took the phone from her hand. “Come with me to Manhattan tomorrow.”
There was no armrest between them, and they were very close.
Shen Tang looked out the window on his side. “What would I do accompanying you?”
“You’ll be alone when you go back to Beijing anyway, so you might as well come with me,” Jiang Chengyu said, giving her no chance to refuse. “I’ll arrange to meet Cohen then, perhaps he can help you.”
Shen Tang readily agreed. Her confrontation with Lu Zhifei was intensifying. After Ning Yinchen withdrew his investment, it was the perfect time for her to strike while the iron was hot.
She leaned back in the seat, clearing her mind.
Jiang Chengyu turned his head, their eyes meeting.
They silently gazed at each other for a while.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked him.
Jiang Chengyu: “I’m reflecting on where I didn’t treat you well before.”
Shen Tang still had a conscience. “You weren’t bad to me; you were too good, that’s why I wanted more.” She then contradicted herself mid-sentence, “You once told me with a cold face, ‘Shen Tang, you’ve been throwing a tantrum with me all night.’“
“I won’t say that to you again.”
Jiang Chengyu couldn’t remember when he said that, but since she remembered it so clearly, he must have. He tried to make amends. “I’ll take you to the movies tonight. We haven’t watched a movie together yet.”
Shen Tang thought of the time she saw him at the cinema. “We have, in a way.”
“Watching at home doesn’t count,” Jiang Chengyu clarified. “I haven’t accompanied you at the cinema.”
“I was at the same showing as you,” Shen Tang said. “Gu Heng’s movie. You were with Zhengzheng, I was with Wen Di, and you sat a row in front of me.”
This was unexpected for Jiang Chengyu. “I saw you that day too, in the underground parking lot.”
Shen Tang slowly nodded. This feeling was quite strange.
She sat up straight and looked up at the car ceiling, no longer meeting his gaze. Looking into his eyes made it too easy to fall.
“What movie do you want to watch?” Jiang Chengyu asked her, opening his phone to book tickets.
“No. It’s not appropriate for me to watch a movie with you right now, carrying the title of someone else’s fiancée.”
It was more than just inappropriate; to those unaware, he would be seen as poaching. “I’ll sort this out when I go to Manhattan.”
Jiang Chengyu exited the app.
The news of Xie Yucheng and Shen Tang’s impending engagement continued to spread on social media.
Xie Yucheng himself was completely unaware; he had just woken up to be told he was getting engaged.
After reading the email from his secretary, he immediately called his mother.
“Mom, what exactly do you want to do?” he demanded angrily. The engagement news added insult to injury to their already shaky mother-son relationship.
“Who knew it would turn out like this!” Xie’s mother herself was baffled. Two days ago, a reporter brought up Xie Yucheng and Shen Tang’s marriage again, saying that May 20th was a romantic day for young Chinese people. Since Xie Yucheng and Shen Tang were both in Beijing, had they considered that date for their engagement?
She perfunctorily replied that it was a good date, but it depended on what the children wanted.
When the reporter published the article, it became an engagement on May 20th.
“Even though Mom likes Shen Tang and wants to win her over for you, I wouldn’t use such a stupid method to force you to marry.”
Xie’s mother had just had a big argument with her husband. Everyone thought she had taken it upon herself to leak the news to the media, forcing Xie Yucheng into marriage this way.
She composed herself slightly. “That newspaper group and the news group M.K holds shares in are already rivals. Don’t expect them to clarify anything.”
Xie Yucheng drank a glass of ice water to clear his head, hung up the phone, and messaged Shen Tang: [The reporter deliberately misinterpreted my mom’s words. The reporter’s company is a competitor to the news group M.K holds shares in. That reporter even knew you and I were in Beijing; it feels like they’re targeting you.]
Shen Tang: [I understand now. Don’t argue with your mother again; she’s also being used by someone with ill intentions.]
She forwarded Xie Yucheng’s screenshot to Jiang Chengyu. “This matter might be more complicated than you think.”
Jiang Chengyu pondered. “Could it be Fan Yu adding insult to injury?” He couldn’t think of anyone else who could manipulate public opinion so skillfully.
“Possibly.” Shen Tang sat up straight. “Fan Yu’s film and television company cooperates with many entertainment companies in Europe and America, and she must deal with entertainment reporters there. It wouldn’t be difficult for her to get to know a financial reporter.”
If it was Fan Yu, then Fan Yu had used borrowed power to attack.
The car stopped at the hotel entrance.
“You handle your business with Lu Zhifei; I’ll take care of this,” Jiang Chengyu said, getting out of the car.
Shen Tang walked alongside him into the hotel. “I can handle it myself; I’m not at the point of being overwhelmed.”
Jiang Chengyu always looked at her when he spoke. “You have to let me do something for you. Who your fiancée is has no impact on you, it impacts me. You don’t need to interfere in this.”
“Hi, Jiang,” a magnetic voice greeted him.
Jiang Chengyu looked up to see Xiao Dongkai.
The two men, of similar height, shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
Shen Tang crossed her arms and turned to look at the mural in the lobby.
Xiao Dongkai waiting for her here was unexpected, yet somehow logical. He was the son of Xiao Zhen’s eldest brother, making him her cousin by blood. He worked in law, had no interest in the Xiao Ning Group, and was making his own way in his field.
He was a partner at Casey Law Firm, one of the top law firms globally.
The firm’s annual revenue had never fallen out of the top fifteen in the industry, with over fifty offices in major global cities like London and New York.
Jiang Chengyu knew her prejudice against the Xiao family was beyond mere hatred. For Xiao Dongkai to personally wait for someone this late, it must be something important.
He affectionately ruffled her long hair. “I’ll wait for you at the restaurant upstairs. I haven’t had dinner yet; you can join me for a bite later.”
Jiang Chengyu left first, and the lobby fell silent.
Xiao Dongkai asked for her opinion. “Shall we go for a walk outside, or find a place for coffee?”
Shen Tang didn’t want to talk, just pointed her chin towards the door.
She walked out of the hotel first.
The night was misty, and they walked about a meter apart.
Shen Tang looked at the path beneath her feet. “Who are you lobbying for this time? Your grandfather or your aunt. Xiao Dongkai, you helped me once, which is why I’m even talking to you. If you’re here to lobby, I advise you not to waste your breath.”
When she returned to China and entered the entertainment industry, it was He Chuyao who asked him to steal her passport from Chairman Xiao.
If she owed anyone a favor, it would be a small one to him.
Xiao Dongkai answered evasively, “Yinchen transferred the evidence and materials you gave him to me, entrusting our law firm to terminate the contract with Lu Zhifei. He doesn’t trust Xiao Ning’s legal department.”
Shen Tang paused, turning to look at him. “What are you trying to say?”
Xiao Dongkai stopped. “Tangtang, you must change this personality of yours where you want to destroy anyone who offends you. In the world of fame and fortune, ‘let bygones be bygones’ is fitting. You never know if today’s enemy might be tomorrow’s partner.”
Shen Tang smiled. “I’m already like this, why change?”
Xiao Dongkai: “And Jiang indulges you like this?”
“He not only indulges me, but he’s also the kind of person you call an accessory to evil.”
“...”
Xiao Dongkai had nothing to say.
Shen Tang looked at the man who bore a slight resemblance to her in the eyes. “If there’s nothing else, I’m going back.”
Xiao Dongkai saw impatience on her face and didn’t press further. “You could try considering taking my number off your blacklist. Casey Law Firm has an initial partnership with a law firm in Beijing, so perhaps you’ll need legal services in the future.”
The response he got was silence.
Xiao Dongkai watched Shen Tang enter the hotel, then got into his own car and drove away.
Shen Tang went to the eighth-floor buffet restaurant to find Jiang Chengyu. At this hour, quite a few people were having supper.
Jiang Chengyu had already prepared light food for her, along with a glass of juice.
“Did you talk for about five minutes?” Jiang Chengyu checked his watch.
Shen Tang: “Probably less.”
She had already had dinner with Ning Yinchen, so she wasn’t hungry now. She placed her plate in front of Jiang Chengyu, keeping only the glass of juice for herself.
Jiang Chengyu didn’t mention Xiao Dongkai. He told her that his flight to New York was tomorrow morning.
Time was tight, and his private jet wouldn’t have time to apply for a flight path, so his secretary booked commercial tickets.
This was Shen Tang’s first trip with Jiang Chengyu, and their seats were right next to each other.
After the plane took off, she adjusted her seat and lay down.
There was a partition between their two seats, so Jiang Chengyu couldn’t see her.
“Tangtang.”
“Hmm?”
Shen Tang sat up. “What is it?”
Jiang Chengyu could only see her this way and asked, “Very sleepy?”
“Yes, my jet lag is messed up.”
“Then sleep.”
“...”
This was probably just small talk.
During the flight, Shen Tang had a dream, and Jiang Chengyu was in it.
________________________________________
The second afternoon in Manhattan, Jiang Chengyu arranged to meet the reporter. He didn’t show up himself; Shen Tang’s bodyguard spoke with the reporter on his behalf.
The reporter was forced to meet; he had no choice.
The memory card of his previous interview had somehow been swapped. Even though he had deleted the segment where he interviewed Xie Yucheng’s mother, it was still recovered.
The person who arranged to meet him had obtained this interview recording.
The reporter wasn’t sure who the tall man sitting opposite him was.
The bodyguard played a portion of the interview recording for him. “Who gave you benefits to intentionally release the news of Xie and Shen’s engagement on May 20th? Don’t say it was your boss. And don’t say your superior accidentally modified keywords when reviewing the manuscript.”
The reporter still looked calm. “Sir, you’re being conspiratorial. Do you think this is a movie? I just used the wrong words when writing the draft, that’s all.”
The bodyguard didn’t have time to argue with him. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t say who it was. I know.”
The reporter showed a smile, leisurely sipping his coffee.
Bodyguard: “It was Fan Yu.”
The reporter’s expression slightly changed. Due to his profession, he wasn’t easily tricked.
It was this subtle change that the bodyguard sensitively caught.
After confirming it was Fan Yu, he pressed the reporter, as instructed by Jiang Chengyu. “The small benefits Fan Yu gave you are not enough for you to risk your career to break the news of Xie’s engagement. Because you hold a large amount of M.K and Xiao Ning Group stocks, and so does your superior.”
The reporter gripped his coffee cup tightly. The cup was at his lips, but he forgot to drink.
Bodyguard: “The reason you hold M.K and Xiao Ning Group stocks is that two months ago, when Chairman Xiao attended a financial summit in Manhattan, you were also present. A reporter interviewed Chairman Xiao, and Chairman Xiao said he had an appointment to play golf with Xie’s grandfather. These messages are factors that cause stock price fluctuations. You, relying on your professional advantage, increased your holdings in both companies’ stocks before this news was reported. However,”
He deliberately paused for a few seconds.
“Later, Fan Yu contacted you and told you that Shen Tang and Xie Yucheng were not a couple at all. She didn’t dare offend Jiang Chengyu and M.K, so she had you find a suitable opportunity to release the news of Shen Tang and Xie Yucheng’s engagement. This way, Shen Tang and Jiang Chengyu would be in a difficult position, and Fan Yu’s goal was to make Shen Tang suffer.”
The reporter held his coffee cup up for almost two minutes.
“Once the news that Xie Yucheng and Shen Tang are not a couple is exposed, no one can predict how much the stock price will fall. You’ve lost a mess in the stock market these years and developed a gambler’s mentality. You bought M.K and Xiao Ning stocks with borrowed money, so how could you be willing to see them fall?”
The bodyguard slightly raised his chin. “Holding the cup like that, aren’t you tired?”
The reporter came back to his senses.
The bodyguard continued: “So you risked potentially losing your job to release the news of Xie and Shen’s engagement. In the past two days, M.K and Xiao Ning have hit their daily limit, and you and your superior took the opportunity to sell all your stocks, earning money you couldn’t make in a lifetime of work.”
M.K has not rushed to deny the engagement news, also because they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If their public relations are not handled well and are exploited by competitors, no one can guarantee what M.K’s stock price will face then.
“Fan Yu said you took a lot of money from her.” The bodyguard took out a transfer receipt from his bag. “This is what Fan gave me. I don’t know if it’s real or fake.”
Fifty thousand US dollars.
The reporter was no longer calm because what the bodyguard said about the stocks was spot on. His psychological defenses completely collapsed. “I only took ten thousand US dollars from her! It wasn’t a transfer!”
After he said that, the world went quiet.
The bodyguard smiled. “Oh, so it was ten thousand US dollars.”
He put away the receipt and stood up. “Enjoy your afternoon tea.”
The reporter pulled at his hair, cursing several times.
He had fallen for the bodyguard’s trick. Fan Yu hadn’t given them any proof; they were just bluffing, provoking him until he lost his reason.
The bodyguard got into the car and handed the recording to Jiang Chengyu. “Mr. Jiang, it’s just as you predicted.”
Jiang Chengyu nodded and messaged Xie Yucheng: [I’ll need to trouble Auntie Xie to cooperate with me for a recording.]
Xie Yucheng: [No problem, you set the time.]
Jiang Chengyu asked: [Have you and Chairman Xiao discussed when to announce the cooperation news?]
Xie Yucheng: [Tomorrow morning.]
Jiang Chengyu: [Then I’ll have someone pick up Auntie Xie now.]
Xie’s mother was reluctant. She had her heart set on Shen Tang being her daughter-in-law, but now, considering the bigger picture of M.K, she could only make sacrifices.
The next morning, M.K and Xiao Ning Group officially announced their strategic partnership.
An hour later, the news of Xie Yucheng and Shen Tang’s breakup also became a trending topic.
It was an interview recording.
Reporter: “May 20th is coming soon. In the eyes of young Chinese people, 5.20 is a romantic day. We heard Xie Yucheng and Shen Tang are both in Beijing. Have you considered getting engaged on that day?”
Xie’s mother: “That’s a very good day, unfortunately, they broke up peacefully a few days ago, but they are still friends, and it won’t affect our two families’ cooperation.”
The recording ended there.
The reporter’s words were originally from the interview recording; only Xie Yucheng’s mother’s later addition was synthesized by professional staff at Jiang Chengyu’s request.
Subsequently, an article was published by the news group M.K held shares in, criticizing the newspaper group for lacking professional ethics, fabricating stories, and distorting facts.
M.K and Xiao Ning Group’s stock prices were unaffected; instead, they surged due to the announcement of their cooperation.
She and Xie Yucheng had finally and completely ‘broken up,’ returning to single status.
Shen Tang finished watching and glanced at Jiang Chengyu beside her. “You orchestrated all this?”
“What do you mean, ‘orchestrated’? This is clarifying the facts,” Jiang Chengyu handed her a cup of coffee. “From now on, I can openly pursue you.”
In China, the trending search about her breakup with Xie Yucheng was synchronized.
“Stay here for a few more days. Once the buzz in China dies down, you can return to Beijing. I’ll stay here with you.”
Shen Tang didn’t want to delay his work. “You should go back.”
“Where do you want to go?” Jiang Chengyu said, speaking his own mind.
Shen Tang took a sip of coffee. “I don’t have time for now; I need to meet with Lu Zhifei.”
“After you meet Lu Zhifei, where do you want to travel?” Jiang Chengyu persisted with his questions.
Shen Tang still refused. “I don’t have time to think about travel. I’m going to Xie Yucheng’s island. It’s planting season, and I’ll go cultivate my plot of land there.”
Jiang Chengyu didn’t hesitate. “I’ll go too.”
He handed her the full recording of his bodyguard’s meeting with the reporter from yesterday. “It really was Fan Yu.”
Shen Tang put away the memory card. She didn’t have the energy to settle scores with Fan Yu now; she’d wait until she had more capital.
“I’m going back.”
She had answered his call this morning and rushed from her apartment to his company.
Jingxu had a business unit here, and his office wasn’t far from where she lived.
Jiang Chengyu added more coffee to her cup. “You don’t have anything to do back there anyway. Stay here and keep me company while I work.” Afraid she might forget, he reminded her, “In Beijing, when you came to my office to learn, I kept you company like this too.”
Shen Tang made an excuse. “My being here might actually distract you.”
“It does distract me a bit,” Jiang Chengyu looked at her. “If you weren’t here, it would distract me even more.”
“...”
She couldn’t argue with him.
She picked up a magazine and started flipping through it.
Jiang Chengyu handed her a pair of headphones. They were paired with his phone.
Shen Tang put them in her ears, expecting Jiang Chengyu to play the recording of the bodyguard and the reporter.
The prelude began, and she looked at him.
His singing voice came through the headphones, followed by her female part.
It turned out he had recorded the song they sang together at the clubhouse that night.
________________________________________
Lu Zhifei had been incredibly busy these past few days, dealing with Ning Yinchen’s withdrawal of investment and signing contracts with new shareholders.
Fortunately, she had been prepared, having started looking for quality partners two months ago. Now, even with Ning Yinchen’s withdrawal, she had another backer.
She had to thank Ning Yinchen for this; his earlier investment had paved the way for the current shareholder to invest.
The new shareholder was a real estate group, slightly less powerful than Chairman Xiao, but strong enough to shield her business from storms. Without connections, her career would struggle to advance further.
The new shareholder joined the board of directors, taking one board seat.
Today, an ad hoc shareholders’ meeting was held. With preparations mostly complete, Lu Zhifei finally had time to catch up on the financial news and entertainment gossip from the past few days.
Jiang Chengyu had put in a lot of effort for Shen Tang and Xie Yucheng’s ‘breakup’.
She found Shen Tang’s number and dialed it. It was answered instantly.
“Miss Shen, congratulations on regaining your single status.”
“Thank you, Ms. Lu, for your concern,” Shen Tang said faintly. “It’s all thanks to you, Ms. Lu. Otherwise, how would I have had the honor of being labeled the M.K Crown Prince’s girlfriend?”
Lu Zhifei chuckled. “Don’t mention it.”
Through the phone, the crisp click-clack of high heels could be heard.
It seemed Shen Tang was walking.
She changed the subject. “I almost forgot to tell you, Ning Yinchen’s withdrawal procedures are complete, and his compensation has been settled. Do you know who my other shareholder is now? A real estate group you still can’t afford to offend or acquire—Stanton Industries.”
Immediately after, there was a knock on the door. It was her secretary reporting, “Ms. Lu, the representative from Stanton Industries who came for the shareholders’ meeting... is here.”
“Okay, please let him in.”
Lu Zhifei was about to say goodbye to Shen Tang, but the call ended.
“Ms. Lu, long time no see,” Shen Tang’s voice echoed in her office.
Lu Zhifei abruptly looked up. Shen Tang entered with a smile.
She actually asked something without thinking. “How did you get in?” Her office had several layers of security, so outsiders couldn’t enter.
Seeing the secretary standing at the door, she narrowed her eyes. The representative from Stanton Industries attending the shareholders’ meeting was Shen Tang.
“How could it be you?”
Shen Tang handed her the authorization letter from Stanton Industries. “Ms. Lu, you’ve tasted the appetizer. How about today’s main course? Are you surprised?”
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