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Jiang Chengyu’s arm strength exceeded her imagination, or perhaps it was because she and Jiang Chengyu had never kissed for such a long time while being held like this before.
Shen Tang thought so.
Tonight’s dinner was completely ruined; she no longer had the mind to cook.
When dry wood met a raging fire, and golden wind encountered jade dew, even a man as normally frighteningly calm as Jiang Chengyu found his self-control rendered useless at this moment.
The two kissed from the kitchen to the living room. The villa had an indoor elevator, but Jiang Chengyu, holding Shen Tang, turned towards the stairs, taking one step at a time, carefully and cautiously placing each foot.
This didn’t hinder their kissing.
Shen Tang didn’t dare to move, afraid that if she wasn’t careful, they would lose their balance and roll down the stairs. Such passion made her rediscover the initial flutter she felt when they first got together.
Reaching the second floor, everything felt familiar; she could find their former bedroom with her eyes closed.
But everything she saw now was unfamiliar. The walls on both sides of the hallway had, at some point, become a ‘gallery,’ likely designed by a professional team, with paintings arranged in distinct layers and scattered artfully.
They were all hand-drawn fan art of her and him as a couple.
Every expression was vivid, as if they weren’t drawings but photographs.
She was so engrossed in looking at the paintings that she forgot to kiss him.
Jiang Chengyu kissed her chin. “Zhengzheng drew them.”
From their first anniversary to their fifth anniversary.
When he and Shen Tang broke up, Zhengzheng ignored him for a long time. It wasn’t until he saw these paintings that he could truly empathize, realizing how much emotion and effort his niece had poured into them.
Shen Tang was still immersed in the couple drawings as Jiang Chengyu carried her into the bedroom.
Her vanity table was still in his bedroom, occupying the prime spot by the floor-to-ceiling window, piled with unopened cosmetics.
Jiang Chengyu placed her on the bed. He bent her leg, gently holding her injured foot. “Does it still hurt if you put pressure on it?”
Shen Tang nodded. “My back too.”
With both her foot and back injured, the experience was greatly diminished. Jiang Chengyu was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control his strength and accidentally hurt her back, so he had to endure for two more days. “Go take a bath. You’re staying here tonight.”
He went to the walk-in closet and got her a bathrobe.
There were no clothes of hers at home, only two unworn bathrobes.
Shen Tang didn’t want to dampen his mood; it would be abnormal if he said he didn’t want her after being apart for so long.
Jiang Chengyu asked her, “What do you want to eat?”
Shen Tang shook her head. She had eaten a lot for lunch today, so she couldn’t eat anymore tonight.
She went to take a bath. Jiang Chengyu went to the kitchen downstairs, put the dishes back in the refrigerator, and cooked some instant food for himself.
When he finished his makeshift dinner and returned to the bedroom, Shen Tang was still in the bathroom.
Soft music was playing in the bathroom. He knocked and entered. She was lying in the massage bathtub, a half-empty glass of red wine by her hand, humming along with the music, thoroughly enjoying herself.
Seeing him enter, Shen Tang picked up the glass and swirled it. “Happy Father’s Day.”
“Thank you.”
Shen Tang took a sip of red wine, leisurely. “I love the bathtub here the most.” It was the same model as the one in her Shanghai apartment, constant temperature, with a massage function.
Jiang Chengyu turned on the shower. “Did you stay just for this bathtub?”
Shen Tang smiled. “Not entirely because of the bathtub. You’re 60%, the bathtub is 40%.”
He was now reduced to competing with a bathtub.
Jiang Chengyu and Shen Tang finished showering around the same time. Considering her foot injury, he carried her back to bed.
Lying on the bed she had slept in for over three years, Shen Tang felt a momentary illusion of returning to the past.
Jiang Chengyu turned off all the lights, and the room instantly plunged into darkness.
Shen Tang’s eyes couldn’t adjust immediately, and she couldn’t even see where Jiang Chengyu was. She reached out to touch him, brushing against a place she shouldn’t have.
A clear, refreshing scent filled her nostrils as she was completely embraced by Jiang Chengyu.
A rustling sound, and the bathrobe was where it belonged—on the sofa by the bed.
Shen Tang looked at the person above her; the familiarity of their bodies had all returned.
She raised her hand to caress the contours of his face, slightly lifting her upper body to lightly kiss his prominent nose bridge.
Jiang Chengyu supported her cervical spine, urging her to lie down slowly. “Don’t touch the injured spot.”
“It’s fine,” she lay down, her head resting in his palm.
Jiang Chengyu looked down at the person below him. “If you don’t come back, the condoms at home will expire.”
“...”
He had bought ten boxes back in Shenzhen, and the remaining three boxes had never been used.
They wouldn’t be used tonight either.
Jiang Chengyu lowered his head, his kisses trailing down from her forehead, not missing an inch.
Strenuous activities were out of the question, but effortless ones were completely fine.
The dominant man pleased her with a humble demeanor.
Shen Tang was kissed thoroughly, from head to toe, twice over.
It was not yet eleven o’clock, and she was already exhausted and asleep.
Jiang Chengyu went to the bathroom for a quick shower. When he came out, Shen Tang was already asleep.
In the light from the bathroom, he saw that she had wrapped herself entirely in the duvet. Her uninjured foot rested possessively on the edge of the bed, and the large duvet was bundled up, completely obscuring her head.
The vivid and unreasonable her had finally returned.
________________________________________
Shen Tang missed her 6 AM alarm and woke up naturally at almost 8 AM. A long dress was placed on the bedside table.
Her small suitcase had moved from her rented apartment to Jiang Chengyu’s villa.
Jiang Chengyu had already gone to the company, leaving her a message: [I brought some of your daily necessities over. I have a meeting at 9 AM, and a social engagement tonight.]
He concisely reported his schedule for the day.
Shen Tang quickly washed up; she still needed to finalize contract details with the variety show team this morning.
Sister Li was free today and went with her.
Sister Li was worried that Chu Ran might be overshadowed by Chen Yinuo when the show aired. In terms of ability, she had to admit that Chu Ran was still a bit inferior to Chen Yinuo.
Given Fan Yu’s personality, she would probably buy press releases to disparage Chu Ran.
“I originally didn’t want to take this show,” Sister Li said truthfully. “Netizens already secretly compare you and Chen Yinuo, these sisters. If Chu Ran and Chen Yinuo compete on the same stage, she’ll likely lose nine out of ten times.”
Shen Tang was reviewing the contract and found time to reply to Sister Li, “Chu Ran just lacks someone to manage her. Her talent and aptitude aren’t worse than mine.”
“...” Sister Li smiled, thinking Shen Tang was subtly praising herself.
Shen Tang circled the negotiation points in the contract with a pencil that needed to be re-negotiated with the production team. She handed the contract to Sister Li for review. “See if there’s anything else to add.”
She opened Xiao Dongkai’s chat box: [Are you free tomorrow night?]
Xiao Dongkai was probably busy and didn’t reply.
She and Fan Yu were destined to be nemeses they couldn’t avoid. Outside the variety show office, the two encountered each other again.
Fan Yu was dizzy and hadn’t slept all night.
After arguing with Chen Yinuo yesterday, Chen Yinuo left with her suitcase.
She was worried about her daughter’s state, but she couldn’t bring herself to call her daughter first. So she called Chen Nanjin instead, using it as an opportunity to tell him that she had fallen out with her daughter.
Chen Nanjin said Chen Yinuo was at her own apartment, packing her things.
It turned out he knew she had argued with her daughter, yet he spoke as if nothing had happened.
The moment she hung up the phone, she was so angry that her blood pressure almost spiked.
Her daughter was so disappointing; she was frustrated that she couldn’t make her better. If things continued like this, Chen Nanjin’s company and resources would eventually all go to Shen Tang.
All those years of hard work, only to end up making a wedding dress for someone else.
How could she accept that?
She had competed with Xiao Zhen for a lifetime and hated her for a lifetime.
If Xiao Zhen knew about her current predicament, she would surely mock her endlessly.
Watching Shen Tang approach, Fan Yu glared at her hatefully. What if she signed “How Should I Love You?” Chu Ran still needed to prove herself.
Given Chu Ran’s current demeanor, Yinuo could easily beat her.
As she brushed past Fan Yu, Shen Tang’s phone rang. It was Xiao Dongkai’s number. She had messaged him on the way, and he had probably just seen it.
“Sorry, I just saw it. I’m free tomorrow night.” Xiao Dongkai asked her, “What time and where should we meet?”
Xiao Donghan, listening to his brother’s conversation, couldn’t help but frown. So he had arranged to have dinner with Shen Tang.
He downed the red wine in his glass and, after Xiao Dongkai hung up, he slammed the glass heavily on the table. “Why are you meeting her?”
Xiao Dongkai didn’t want to see a mutually destructive outcome. “No matter what, Shen Tang is your cousin.”
Xiao Donghan retorted, “Does she treat you like a cousin?”
Xiao Dongkai had no rebuttal.
“Self-importance isn’t a good thing,” Xiao Donghan poured himself half a glass of wine again.
He wouldn’t allow any complications to arise with Jiang Chengyu’s acquisition deal.
“Don’t interfere with my business with her.” This was both a reminder and a warning.
He wouldn’t go easy on anyone, including himself.
Xiao Dongkai: “I’m not interested in your affairs. I’m just meeting her at Grandpa’s request.”
Xiao Donghan leaned against the window, fiddling with a nearly crumpled cigarette in his hand.
At Grandpa’s request, that must be about the 3% equity stake.
He never concealed his true thoughts from his own brother. “Grandpa wants Shen Tang to join Xiaoning to keep me in check, right?”
Xiao Dongkai evaded the core issue. “I can’t fathom Grandpa’s thoughts. He has his reasons for whatever he does.”
Xiao Donghan smiled. “Grandpa fears that once Xiaoning is in my hands, those younger brothers and sisters in the family will have no peace. He thinks I’ll go to great lengths to squeeze them out of Xiaoning and gain absolute control.”
This time, it was Xiao Dongkai’s turn to retort, “Isn’t that true?”
Xiao Donghan dismissed it with a laugh.
He didn’t deny it.
His cousins were still young, just adults, and no match for him.
Currently, the only one who had matured and could truly compete with him was Shen Tang.
Grandpa valued not only Shen Tang’s abilities but also the Jiang family behind her. With Jiang Chengyu, he couldn’t do anything to Shen Tang for now.
And he couldn’t stop Grandpa from doing anything, so he could only start with Shen Tang.
Xiao Dongkai put down his coffee cup. “This acquisition trap you set for Jiang Chengyu, do you want to ruin Jingxu, or what?”
Xiao Dongkai: “I want to get it.”
Now, he was the dominant player in this acquisition game. The ultimate goal was to see if Jiang Chengyu was willing to give him a portion of Jingxu’s shares. He had been eyeing Jingxu for more than just a day or two.
However, Jingxu was like an impenetrable fortress, and capital found it difficult to enter.
Jiang Chengyu had always been cautious about acquisitions, and this time he was lucky to encounter a rare opportunity.
As soon as Jiang Chengyu stepped into this acquisition case, he would be stuck in a quagmire, sinking deeper the more he struggled.
________________________________________
In the Jingxu conference room, only Jiang Chengyu was present.
When Xie Yucheng entered, the whiteboard was completely covered with writing. Jiang Chengyu held a whiteboard marker, leaning against the conference table, lost in thought while looking at the whiteboard.
“Sit,” he gestured to a nearby chair, his gaze never leaving the whiteboard.
Xie Yucheng took out a cigarette, then remembered Jiang Chengyu had quit smoking and put it back in the pack. The writing on the whiteboard was wild and sprawling; at first glance, he couldn’t make sense of what was written.
“You’re still uneasy about that acquisition case?”
Jiang Chengyu poked the central few words with the pen tip. “If the Jiang family were a bundle of chopsticks, I would be the wire that ties them all together. If I, this link, make a mistake, the chopsticks will scatter.”
All of the Jiang family’s companies had cross-shareholdings, with Jingxu at the core.
Only the two of them were in the conference room, so Xie Yucheng had to get up and pour himself some water. “How did your Jiang family manage to put you in such a crucial position as that wire?”
“Because I wouldn’t marry.”
With no emotional or family ties, all his focus was on the company.
He was calmer and more rational than others.
Xie Yucheng laughed, “They probably never imagined you’d almost kneel to beg Shen Tang to come back.”
Jiang Chengyu acted as if he hadn’t heard, capped the pen, and erased the analyses on the whiteboard.
Xie Yucheng confirmed with him, “So, are you going to proceed with this acquisition case or not?”
“Why not?” Jiang Chengyu erased the last line on the whiteboard. “I want to see who has the ability to mess with Jingxu.”
________________________________________
Jiang Chengyu didn’t return home until 12:30 AM after his social engagement. The living room lights were on, and he could faintly hear the television. No one else in the house would turn on the living room TV besides him.
He pushed open the door; Shen Tang was leaning on the sofa, watching TV.
He had thought she wouldn’t come today.
Jiang Chengyu looked at her. “Why didn’t you call me?” He would have come back earlier.
“I just finished being busy too,” Shen Tang sat up. She had something to tell him today.
Jiang Chengyu had drunk a lot of wine tonight; she could smell the rich aroma of red wine from half a meter away.
Jiang Chengyu tossed his suit jacket onto the back of the sofa and took a few sips of water from her cup.
Shen Tang patted the spot next to her, telling him to sit. “I want to talk to you.”
“About what?”
Jiang Chengyu didn’t sit down. He put down the water cup and picked her up to go upstairs.
Shen Tang held onto his neck. “It’s about Xiao Donghan.” Intuitively, she felt Xiao Donghan’s presence in Beijing wasn’t so simple.
“If, I mean if, Xiao Donghan ever poses a threat to you, I’ll protect you, okay? It might sound a bit presumptuous, and you probably don’t even need my protection, but I still want to protect you. You’ve done too much for me these past few years, and I want to do something for you too, give my all.”
Jiang Chengyu nodded vigorously. “Okay.”
He walked into the bedroom. The lights weren’t on, so he didn’t bother turning them on.
Using the light from the hallway, he blocked her lips with his.
Shen Tang was kissed until she was dizzy.
When a slight stinging discomfort washed over her, she came back to her senses.
He had already entered.
The taste of wine mixed with his scent was intoxicating.
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