TIL - 41

Wen Huo sat in the passenger seat. Her tears had stopped, and her expression made it seem like she hadn’t just encountered Chen Cheng, but his scent lingered on her, and her heart hadn’t returned to a calm rhythm.

Su He had been scolding her since they got in the car. Back in Toronto, his cursing was a stream of consciousness, complete with a local accent. His father was from Manitoba, a province bordering Minnesota, so his tone had a slight American twang. When Su He and his brother Su Di spoke their mother tongue, Wen Huo often had trouble understanding them.

Listening to Su He’s curses, she suddenly thought of Su Di. “How long will you be staying in China?”

Su He’s anger subsided a little. “Depends on Hong Jie.”

“Then you won’t be able to visit Su Di for a long time?”

A small, uncharacteristic expression crossed Su He’s face. “You haven’t visited him for a long time either.”

Wen Huo turned to look out the window.

Su He didn’t continue the conversation about Su Di. He changed the subject. “Do you want me to tell Hong Jie about us running into Chen Cheng?”

“No.”

“I want to promise you I won’t, but when she looks at me, I tell her everything.”

Wen Huo turned her face back, looking at Su He’s profile. There was a mix of helplessness and sweetness in his tone; he really liked Ruan Lihong.

Seeing her looking at him, Su He asked, “What is it?”

“Unless you want to see her angry and sad.”

Su He fell silent. He didn’t want to see that.

________________________________________

Chen Cheng returned to Chen Huaiyu’s place around three in the afternoon. The raw jade had been delivered, and Tang Jun’en had authenticated it with Chen Huaiyu, who even cut it himself. It was good enough to make two pairs of high-quality bracelets, so his mood was quite good, which saved Chen Cheng’s legs from being broken.

The Chen family didn’t ask Chen Cheng what had happened; it wasn’t their habit unless his state of mind was significantly different from before. When Chen Cheng returned, he was much better than when he had left. He was just like that—you’d think he was on the verge of a breakdown and death, but the next second, he would be on his feet, looking as if nothing had happened. It was precisely because of this that he had managed to deceive someone as perceptive as Jin Ge for so many years.

No matter how rotten things were on the inside, as long as the surface was intact, only he would know the truth. Until he pulled out his heart, which had been stung like a beehive, for others to see, he was still Chen Cheng, the invulnerable man with no weakness.

Jin Ge walked to the bar, watching Chen Cheng take two bottles of Bacchus from the wine cellar. She put on her gloves, took the wine from him, and began to open it and pour it into a decanter. She leaned against the mahogany table, the warm yellow light making her octagonal face appear even more defined.

Chen Cheng’s face shape resembled hers—sharp and well-defined. This kind of face removed some of the softness from her lips and the corners of her eyes, making her seem less gentle and pure. It was a kind of neutralization—less seductive, but not so pure either.

Chen Cheng had already answered Chen Wenli’s questions, so he had to address Jin Ge’s as well. However, Jin Ge’s question wasn’t about Yiyi or Han Bailu; it was about Wen Huo, which he hadn’t expected.

Jin Ge asked him, “I’ve seen that little girl. You’ve bullied her badly.”

Chen Cheng knew about Jin Ge’s meeting with Wen Huo and her mother. “She lied to me.”

This was the crux of the problem. Jin Ge said, “She lied to you, she made you angry, she made you treat her that way, yet you still excluded her from the press conference. The way you downplayed her identity was to let others know that she had nothing to do with this matter, wasn’t it?”

Over-explaining would be counterproductive; the fewer words, the more a careful person could see the truth. He was protecting that little girl.

Chen Cheng fell silent. Jin Ge, who didn’t know the full story, could see his intentions from just a couple of his sentences. How could Wen Huo, who was always so clever and full of little tricks with him, not see it? He lowered his head, not wanting Jin Ge to see the cracks in his otherwise flawless composure.

But Jin Ge reached out and, with the appropriate distance and posture of a mother to her son, slowly cupped his face. “Son, you don’t have to hold it in.”

Your family is by your side; you don’t have to be so tired. Every one of them here loves you very much. If you say this world is too hateful, every single one of them would stand against the world for you.

Chen Cheng’s eyelids twitched, as if he had heard her unspoken words.

That’s all Jin Ge could say. If Chen Cheng wasn’t willing to be honest with them about what was wrong, whether he was sick, and what kind of sickness he had, she wouldn’t force him. If getting sick was his choice, how could she force him? It’s like you can never wake up a person who is pretending to be asleep. With a determined person who always knows what they’re doing, no amount of sincere persuasion would get through to them, let alone change their mind.

But she would change her mindset. From now on, she would be more lenient with Chen Cheng’s affairs, and she would bring Chen Wenli along with her. If he liked that little girl, they would like her too, and treat her like a daughter. If he wanted to take the family’s name off Chen Huaiyu and Chen Wenli and put it on himself, then from now on, Chen Cheng would be the one in charge of the family.

As the only matriarch in the family, Jin Ge had the right to say this. In fact, she didn’t even need to say it; Chen Huaiyu and Chen Wenli had already acknowledged that the student had surpassed the master, and they voluntarily withdrew from the stage of building the Chen family, leaving everything to him alone.

The storm that Chen Cheng had stirred up thus faded away with Jin Ge’s leniency. From now on, Han Bailu was like a person who had never existed in the Chen family and was never mentioned again. Except for the few times Chen Cheng explained to Yiyi why she had left right after she was gone. Yiyi hadn’t been raised by Han Bailu since she was little, so their affection was genuinely not deep. Her feelings were more of respect, and what Chen Cheng had taught her about loving her mother. This also revealed the depth of Chen Cheng’s schemes.

But great wisdom comes with great pain, and Chen Cheng had already tasted the bitterness of it—Wen Huo, that little scoundrel. It seemed that ever since he met her, he had been losing control when it came to her. He always deluded himself into thinking he was in complete control...

________________________________________

Tang Jun’en talked to Chen Huaiyu about next month’s stone gambling auction. The sponsorship had been secured from a man from the northeast who had long wanted to befriend Chen Huaiyu and had made his fortune in training. He had dabbled in Bitcoin in the early days and was recently involved in blockchain. There was still a gap between a businessman and an elite family, so he needed Chen Huaiyu’s help to get into elite circles and meet more people of high status.

The eligibility requirements for bidders were not strict; they just had to be rich or powerful. It was a high-society event anyway, so it was easier for those with connections and money to get in. Chen Cheng gave Tang Jun’en the relevant permissions for the auction, so the initiating company for the auction was Tang Jun’en’s, and his company also registered it with the commercial authorities. However, the Chen family was prominently featured; without the Chen family and Chen Huaiyu, the former Chief of Staff of the South Sea Fleet, no one would be willing to come.

As soon as the news spread, it activated half of the wealthy circle. Businessmen of all sizes wanted to come and witness the spectacle of the stone gambling world.

When Chen Cheng arrived, Tang Jun’en had just finished reporting to Chen Huaiyu. He pulled him aside and first asked him why he had been in such a hurry earlier.

Chen Cheng didn’t say anything.

Tang Jun’en guessed, “Did our darling do something crazy again?”

Chen Cheng shot him an unfriendly look.

Tang Jun’en corrected himself, “Okay, okay, your darling. Did something happen to her again?”

“She was in a car accident.”

“Seriously?”

“She’s fine.”

“That’s good. Did you see her? Did you two talk?”

Chen Cheng looked at Tang Jun’en as if he were a nosy old woman in her fifties, always prying into other people’s personal affairs. “Are you that idle?”

Tang Jun’en knew what was going on right away. “Did she provoke you again? Don’t get me wrong, but that little girl is a real ingrate. You’ve already cleared her name; can’t she see the situation?”

“She doesn’t know about the press conference yet.” Chen Cheng had heard her say she was notorious, so he knew she didn’t know. He was waiting for her reaction after she found out.

Tang Jun’en nodded. “So what are you planning to do next?”

Chen Cheng took out his phone, waiting for Wen Huo’s call.

Tang Jun’en didn’t understand his action. “Are you going to call her?”

Chen Cheng didn’t say anything. When he had kissed Wen Huo in the car, her phone had fallen onto the seat. He had taken the opportunity to swap their phones. So he had Wen Huo’s phone, and she had his. He used to not want anything, so he could just walk away from everything. Now that he wanted Wen Huo, how could she escape? He wouldn’t allow it. No one could make him let go.

________________________________________

When Wen Huo got home, Ruan Lihong questioned her for a long time. Ruan Lihong didn’t know that Wen Huo and Chen Cheng had met. She had only heard from Su He on the phone that Wen Huo was fine, so she kept asking. Su He knew what had happened, and he stopped Ruan Lihong, and, despite her warning glare, insisted that Wen Huo be allowed to rest.

Ruan Lihong sensed that something was off and asked him, “Did something else happen?”

As soon as Su He looked into her eyes, he became an open book. He could never lie to Ruan Lihong and came clean.

Ruan Lihong bit down on her back molar, her jaw muscles twitching twice. Then she made a phone call. Once connected, she said to the person on the other end, “General Manager Zhang, I’ve thought about that Chen family auction you mentioned. I guess I can go.”

The person on the other end was naturally happy. Jewelry and jade were all part of the same industry. If Ruan Lihong wanted to open up the market in China, going to the Chen family’s auction was the right move. If she made an appearance at the Chen family’s event, people in both the domestic and international circles would know about her. The value of their collaboration would increase hundreds of times over, and who would complain about making too much money?

________________________________________

When Wen Huo entered her room, she first took out her phone and placed it on the table. The screen lit up, showing a black wallpaper. Her wallpaper wasn’t black. She picked it up and remembered that Chen Cheng had put his arms around her waist when he kissed her, and her phone had fallen. She had been in a hurry when she left and didn’t look, so she must have taken the wrong one.

She threw it into the trash can. If she swapped it back, she would have to see him again. Every time she saw him, it would tear open a wound. Every time, it would tear a new one... She hadn’t slept for a long time and was beginning to feel a faint pain in her heart. She didn’t want even her death to be because of him. She didn’t want any more connection with him. If she had to die from heart failure, she wanted it to be for herself.

She turned and lay down on the bed, curling her body and hugging her legs. She had lost more weight. Her arms were terribly thin, and she hugged her two stick-like legs, her face looking haggard as if she hadn’t eaten for half a month.

It had been so long since she came back, but Chen Cheng’s scent wouldn’t go away. Images of him holding her kept flashing in her mind. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about it, so she got up from the bed, picked up his phone, and pressed the screen. It was password-protected. She thought for a moment and entered Chen Cheng’s birthday. It wasn’t it. As she thought about the next password, a thought that made her hold her breath suddenly flashed in her mind. She tapped the screen with her finger, then pulled back, as if struggling internally for a long time. Finally, she entered her own birthday. Luckily, that wasn’t it either.

She put the phone aside, not wanting to deal with it anymore. At that moment, the phone rang. It was an unknown number, but she just knew it was Chen Cheng. She hung up.

The caller kept trying, so she answered without saying anything. It was indeed Chen Cheng. He had waited for Wen Huo’s call but got none, so he had to call her. He told her, “The password is four zeroes.”

Wen Huo didn’t want to know what his password was. Since he had called, and she had answered, the wound was already open. Tearing it open again wouldn’t make much of a difference. “How can I swap it back?”

Chen Cheng said, “I’m busy lately, so I can’t swap it back for now.”

“Then I’ll throw it away.”

“You can. But it contains confidential documents from my firm. They’re very valuable.”

Wen Huo understood. “You did this on purpose?”

“I’m busy preparing for the auction, so I really don’t have time. If you can bring it to me, that would be best.”

Wen Huo closed her eyes. He was so shameless. When she opened her eyes, she subconsciously said, “Teacher Chen, can you stop manipulating your abacus? I’m tired of hearing it.” She didn’t notice that she had called him ‘Teacher Chen’ again. She was really used to it. Habits were a terrible thing.

So many people called him ‘Teacher Chen’, but Chen Cheng only wanted to hear Wen Huo say it. He said slowly, “Huohuo, I’ve drafted the contracts for the house and car. We can go get them notarized when you have time.”

The wound in Wen Huo’s heart was torn open again, even wider. She wanted to hang up.

________________________________________

Su He asked Ruan Lihong, “Wen Huo seems to be a bit bothered by Chen Cheng. Have you noticed?”

“Bothered in what way?”

Su He didn’t know how to express it or if his choice of words was right. “It’s like Chen Cheng can easily make her have huge emotional ups and downs.”

Ruan Lihong wasn’t brainless. Although she couldn’t differentiate Wen Huo’s attitude towards Chen Cheng, he definitely held some importance. But since Wen Huo didn’t say anything and refused to let her talk about it or even hear about it, she pretended she didn’t know and hadn’t noticed. What did it matter if it was true or not? Since Wen Huo had decided not to think about it and refused to tear open that window, what could she say? Should she speak on behalf of Chen Cheng? Dream on! She would only respect Wen Huo and not let Chen Cheng off the hook.

Su He stroked Ruan Lihong’s hand. She had also lost weight. He really couldn’t bear it. “If you’re tired, can I stay with you tonight?”

Ruan Lihong wanted to watch over Wen Huo. “You should go back. We can talk about it once Huohuo is better, can sleep, and can eat something.”

Su He looked very wronged. “Don’t you worry about me?”

Ruan Lihong looked up at him, her brows furrowed, her eyes glistening. There was some unhappiness on her beautiful face. Su He’s appearance was impeccable. Ruan Lihong was also young and well-maintained, similar to actress Chen Shu. Of course, they didn’t look alike, but they shared a common quality: they made men want to ignore their age and just push them onto a bed.

This little ‘toy’ was whining to her and wanted to sleep together. She held firm for a while but ultimately couldn’t say no. And so, Su He stayed with Ruan Lihong.

________________________________________

Wen Huo had excellent hearing, especially on quiet nights. Even though the room was well soundproofed, she could still hear Su He and Ruan Lihong talking, though she couldn’t make out what they were saying. This was enough to make her want to go out on the balcony for a while.

She opened the balcony door and looked at the night sky. Chen Cheng’s voice suddenly appeared in her ears, saying his screen unlock password again. She wasn’t curious at all, but she still went back and got his phone. She unlocked it, and only Settings, WeChat, Phone, and Messages were on the screen. Oh, there was also the album, right in the center.

Against her better judgment, she clicked on it and saw herself. Photos of her in various poses and states, clothed and unclothed...