Psst! We're moving!
Unaware of the gravity of the situation, Ying Jing was deeply engrossed in reading the documents. “This can be coordinated, but we need to ensure...”
“Get out,” Chu Ning said.
“Huh?” Ying Jing turned to look at her.
“I said get out.”
Ying Jing was bewildered. “Why? I haven’t finished talking yet.”
“I don’t want to hear it.” Chu Ning’s face darkened like an overcast sky turning into snow—something was clearly amiss.
When exhausted, people tend to act impulsively and lose control.
Ying Jing had spent the entire evening fending off Zhai Min’s probing questions and was feeling quite irritable. Stubbornly, he refused to back down.
“How can you always be so unpredictable, not considering other people’s feelings?” His tone carried a tinge of grievance.
But to Chu Ning, it sounded accusatory.
Her anger flared uncontrollably, surging up instantly. She coldly retorted, “Of course I don’t need to consider your feelings. I don’t owe you anything either.”
A palpable silence filled the car, growing heavier by the second.
Ying Jing responded with equal coldness, “What do you mean?”
Chu Ning looked at him, “How could you not understand what it means after accepting someone else’s gifts?”
Her lips curved into a mocking smile. “I originally thought, why did you come back so late. Hmm, I was wrong. It should have been, why did you come back so early?”
Ying Jing’s face froze like the calm before a storm, instantly dropping to sub-zero temperatures.
“You’re doubting me.”
“No need to doubt; you’ve already proven it to me.”
Ying Jing suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her close, enunciating each word: “You can’t doubt me.”
Chu Ning didn’t struggle, her beautiful face hardened with frost. Her voice remained flat as she said, “Ying Jing, there’s something I hope you understand—I don’t owe you anything. To put it bluntly, business is about mutual willingness. But I don’t want to see my partner lying to me, making endless excuses about project-related matters, and then going off to entertain others.”
She wasn’t without disappointment; her voice was dry, “If you want to take shortcuts, I won’t stop you. But let me warn you from experience: be pure, be simple, have principles. It might be tough in the short term, but... it will benefit you for life.”
At this moment, Ying Jing heard the sound of his heart breaking.
Their points of concern were completely misaligned. He was also hurt that she didn’t believe in him.
After spending so much time together, he thought they had made some progress. But unexpectedly, without any external interference, a mere paper bag tipped her balance.
Ying Jing also became reckless with his words, coldly saying, “All these things you dislike about me, didn’t I learn them from you? Worldliness, smoothness, sycophancy, reading people’s expressions. And what else… oh, pleasing both sides.”
He pushed open the car door, hardened his resolve, and deliberately took the Gucci bag with him.
Without even glancing at her, he threw his parting words: “You can’t shake me off. Even if I turn into a piece of shit, I’ll still cling to you!”
He slammed the door and walked away.
The loud “Bang!” stunned Chu Ning’s ears, causing her eyes to slightly redden.
Thus, they fell into a cold war.
Neither contacted the other; phone calls, messages, project communications—all ceased.
Chu Ning wasn’t an emotional person; she always dealt with matters rationally.
Seeing luxury items naturally led her to associate interactions between Zhai Min and Ying Jing.
But upon reflection, she realized her suspicions lacked substantial evidence. Rationally thinking, her faults during that night’s argument outweighed his.
Considering Ying Jing’s fragile state of mind, she sighed inwardly. Fine, she would find a time to talk to him again and apologize.
At five in the afternoon, having finished her work at the company, Chu Ning decided to leave early. In the evening, she had an appointment with an investor—a boss involved in gold mining from Jiangxi. Such people were actually quite favored by Chu Ning. Crude as it may sound, they were wealthy and easy to fool into investing.
Nevertheless...
She sighed inwardly. The brat she found herself dealing with required her full responsibility.
As expected, from the dinner to the karaoke session, the gold mine boss was having the time of his life, pouring drinks non-stop, becoming increasingly cheerful. Chu Ning, being clever, quickly discerned his patterns. Thankfully, he was easy to deter. Though she had to drink herself, she wasn’t drunk, but she felt extremely uncomfortable.
Stepping out of the private room, Chu Ning clutched her stomach, feeling nauseous.
She lowered her head, trying to suppress the wave of discomfort as she walked.
“Little Ning?”
Chu Ning was startled and looked up—it was Feng Ziyang.
“What’s wrong?” Coincidentally, Feng Ziyang also had a gathering here tonight. Seeing her expression, he knew something was off. He reached out to steady her shoulders, “Business entertainment?”
With support, Chu Ning felt better and nodded.
“What’s wrong with your company? Why do you have to handle this personally?” Displeasure evident in his words.
“It’s not company business.” Chu Ning’s voice was weak.
Feng Ziyang immediately understood.
His expression worsened, “Why are you working so hard? Where’s Ying Jing? Why isn’t he here?”
Chu Ning shook her head, “He only handles the technology. Operations have always been my responsibility.”
Feng Ziyang was momentarily speechless, still feeling uneasy, muttering, “Just spoil him then.”
Chu Ning rolled her eyes, “Spoil you, ghost.”
“Alright, alright, I’m a ghost.” Feng Ziyang carefully supported her, “Who is the other party? Never mind, no matter who it is, I’ll send someone over. You’re not allowed to drink anymore.”
Chu Ning couldn’t agree more, nearly bursting into tears on his shoulder, “Thank you, Dad.”
Feng Ziyang laughed despite himself, “Get lost, I’m not that old.”
Their relationship was good, so formalities weren’t strictly observed. They exchanged a few more words, both smiling.
Suddenly, Chu Ning stopped walking.
Feng Ziyang found it strange and followed her gaze. His smile slowly faded.
Down the corridor, three or four meters away, a group of people was approaching. The two leading figures—one vibrant and handsome, the other elegant and graceful—were quietly discussing something. Sensing the gaze, both raised their heads.
Ying Jing and Chu Ning locked eyes, and the air seemed to freeze.
In just a few seconds, Tang Yao broke the stalemate, stepping forward. Feng Ziyang’s face darkened, “What are you doing here?”
Tang Yao rarely showed sharpness, calmly responding, “Why can’t I be here? Did you open this place?”
They were old acquaintances, their relationship decent, though they enjoyed trading barbs.
However, Feng Ziyang had no time for idle chatter now; his attention was on Ying Jing, “And you, why are you here again?”
No, rather, why were you with Tang Yao?
Initially surprised, Chu Ning grew suspicious. With her keen sensitivity, she recalled Ying Jing’s previous descriptions of Tang Yao, and a certain suspicion gradually formed.
She stared at him, her gaze like a blade.
She could see that, for a fleeting moment, Ying Jing was flustered.
Behind Tang Yao stood Jiang Qi, who received a subtle hint from Tang Yao and understood.
“Mr. Feng, long time no see.” Jiang Qi timely stepped forward. His appearance was refined, extremely composed, winning favor effortlessly.
Feng Ziyang greeted politely, casually asking, “Do you have guests here?”
“Not really.” Jiang Qi’s demeanor was gentle, “We were discussing some matters with Xiao Jing.”
That form of address perfectly eased the tension among those present.
Feng Ziyang’s expression was icy, a sarcastic smile forming, “Discussing business, huh?”
Jiang Qi nodded, naturally steering the conversation, “Xiao Jing’s virtual aircraft engine project is excellent. President Tang is interested, and we’ve discussed it many times.”
Tang Yao was a master strategist, observing from above without getting directly involved.
His meticulous planning left others powerless to act, deftly tossing the conflict onto the primary parties.
Chu Ning stood rooted, her ears buzzing. Her vision blurred, unable to see Ying Jing’s face clearly.
Feng Ziyang was the first to sense her abnormality, his arm around her waist, pulling her up strongly.
This strong support allowed the breath caught in Chu Ning’s chest to slowly ease out.
Her focus returned, her mind functioning normally.
Her gaze toward Ying Jing shifted from initial hesitation and fluke to complete disappointment.
Ying Jing was stunned by her gaze, involuntarily stepping toward her.
His mind blank, his tongue tied, he... was at a loss.
But Feng Ziyang preempted him, pointing, “You, come out.”
Passing by Chu Ning, Ying Jing instinctively tried to grab her hand, “Let me explain.”
Chu Ning remained silent, not arguing further, merely withdrawing her hand behind her back.
She followed Feng Ziyang, leaving Ying Jing no choice but to chase after them.
Neon lights illuminated the night, the city’s beauty unyielding regardless of day or night.
Exiting the club, the three stood silently, interweaving front and back.
An unknown gust of wind swept through, like a subtle dagger, quietly reopening wounds.
Chu Ning stood so quietly there, looking at Ying Jing, her gaze spanning countless mountains and rivers, no longer feigning strength, no longer resisting, all vulnerability.
Her eyes closed, and suddenly tears streamed down.
Ying Jing heard the sound of a heart breaking.
His fists clenched tightly, frightened, even forgetting how to console her.
Outside the two main parties, Feng Ziyang remained calm, leisurely rolling up his sleeves and approaching Ying Jing.
He punched him squarely in the face.
Feng Ziyang’s ferocity was palpable, applying full force, “Do you know why I hit you? Huh? Damn ungrateful brats! If you want to leave, choose higher branches—that’s your business—but her—”
He pointed at Chu Ning.
“You cannot bully her like this!”
“Fuck you!” Ying Jing’s pent-up emotions exploded. He kicked Feng Ziyang in the chest, his strength no less.
The kick landed precisely on a vulnerable spot, designed to cause maximum pain.
Feng Ziyang staggered backward, gasping in pain.
When it came to fighting, he wasn’t necessarily a match for Ying Jing.
Having grown up in an army compound, surrounded by veterans who fought their way to power, Ying Jing’s inherent fierceness was merely softened by good education and exposure. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t fight; he simply chose not to.
Feng Ziyang and Chu Ning’s relationship was too close, often making him jealous.
Now, it was a perfect outlet for his frustration!
Feng Ziyang understood the gravity of the situation. Losing face was one thing, but context mattered.
If they seriously fought like thugs, what was the difference?
Chu Ning, alarmed by their actions, crouched beside Feng Ziyang, urgently inspecting him. “Where are you hurt?”
These three words caused Ying Jing, equally injured, to crumble emotionally.
Reason flew out the window as he shouted loudly, “Are you two that close?! Why are you so concerned about him?! He started it!!”
Ying Jing panted heavily, his chest heaving violently.
His eyes were red.
Long hair cascaded down Chu Ning’s face, concealing her emotions.
It was Feng Ziyang who suddenly smiled.
Leaning against Chu Ning, he appeared intimate, his eyes gleaming mischievously.
Provocatively, he stepped on Ying Jing’s sore spot, asking word by word, “You want to know our relationship, hmm?”
The winter night breeze enveloped them like a thick quilt, pressing down heavily.
Ying Jing felt cold all over, his fists unconsciously tightening.
Just as Feng Ziyang was about to speak, his arm was suddenly gripped tight.
He turned his head—it was Chu Ning.
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, wet like a fawn’s, filled with sorrow, disappointment, and a hint of... pleading.
The word “fiancé” circled on Feng Ziyang’s tongue but was silently swallowed back into his throat.