Wang Cheng had no idea what kind of uproar he had caused. The books he picked up were an English-language edition of the complete works of Shakespeare and a copy of Pride and Prejudice. He had once read the former in the library in Chinese, though he had never finished it. The latter he had only heard of.
To his eyes, the English text looked like rows of twisted worms. Reading it required enormous patience, especially after he had neglected English for seven or eight years. Fortunately, Wang Cheng had never lacked patience. Once he concentrated on something, he became completely absorbed. By the time Chu Yifeng finished the meeting, Wang Cheng was still bent over his phone looking up unfamiliar words and did not even notice him approaching.
“You like reading novels?” Chu Yifeng glanced at the page and immediately recognized the book as Pride and Prejudice. It was extremely famous and had been adapted into several films. He had read it himself before.
Wang Cheng jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. Looking up, he saw Chu Yifeng standing in front of him and realized the meeting must be over. He closed the book and answered, “Not really. I just remembered the English I abandoned years ago and wanted to see how much I can still recognize.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” Chu Yifeng suddenly said.
Wang Cheng glanced at him. “I know.”
“If you know, then there’s no need to do this.”
“What do you understand? A person has to have something to strive for in life.”
Wang Cheng had no intention of admitting that the reason he suddenly wanted to recover his abandoned English was because, for one brief moment earlier, he had felt the gap between himself and Chu Yifeng was enormous and wondered whether he could narrow it a little. Of course, he was not the kind of person who forced himself for no reason. He would only do what was within his abilities.
Chu Yifeng knew how good Wang Cheng was with words and how habitually he redirected people’s attention. Put less politely, the man could twist a conversation around at will. Yet hearing this, Chu Yifeng still found himself following the new topic. “English is what you’re striving for?”
Wang Cheng stroked the book in his hands. “This is only the first step.”
Chu Yifeng said nothing more. As long as he was not forcing himself, that was enough. “It’s twelve. Put things away. We’re going downstairs to eat.”
“Okay.” Wang Cheng immediately closed the book.
The restaurant in a five-star hotel was naturally just as upscale, and the food could be ruinously expensive. Dining there also gave people a sense of status, so even those who were not hotel guests came specifically to eat every day.
This was Wang Cheng’s first time in Jinding Hotel’s restaurant. The moment he entered, all he saw was lavish decor. He only learned later that although their class reunion had secured a private room thanks to Song Yuanyuan’s boyfriend, Zhang Wu, that room had actually been in a relatively out-of-the-way part of the hotel, where they were unlikely to encounter truly wealthy guests.
The worlds of ordinary people and the rich were simply too different. This was a five-star hotel and the rules were strict. Even though Zhang Wu was the son of the hotel’s General Manager Zhang, he could not simply do whatever he wanted. That was precisely why the two groups had been deliberately kept separate.
“Wang Cheng?”
Wang Cheng had only just stepped out of the elevator with Chu Yifeng when he heard someone call his name. Looking carefully, he realized it was Song Yuanyuan’s boyfriend, Zhang Wu, who happened to be walking toward them with several people dressed like hotel staff.
He had only met Wang Cheng once, but Wang Cheng’s appearance was memorable. On the second look, Zhang Wu recognized him.
“Mr. Zhang. What a coincidence.”
Wang Cheng had a fairly good impression of him. Their first interaction had shown him that Zhang Wu was rational and intelligent, nothing like Song Yuanyuan, which made Wang Cheng rather curious why he had ever taken an interest in a woman like her.
Zhang Wu came over and gave Chu Yifeng a slight nod. “Mr. Chu, Mr. Wang, are you two going to eat?”
“Yes. You look pretty busy, Mr. Zhang.”
Wang Cheng was the one who answered. Chu Yifeng was accustomed to being aloof around outsiders and rarely bothered speaking to people who did not matter to him. Zhang Wu did not find it awkward. Even his father had failed to move this particular mountain, much less Zhang Wu himself. Getting even a faint acknowledgment from Chu Yifeng was already more than enough.
“Then I won’t disturb you.” Zhang Wu tactfully said goodbye and led the employees toward the elevator. By the time he looked back, only the two men’s backs remained. Seeing Wang Cheng again, Zhang Wu realized his relationship with Chu Yifeng seemed even closer than he had imagined.
After lunch in the restaurant, Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng returned to the suite. Because Wang Cheng’s appointment was at three, he did not leave until after two. Unexpectedly, as he was heading downstairs, he received a call from Yuan Xia.
“Wang Cheng, it’s been a long time since I called. How have you been?” Yuan Xia’s voice came through the phone with its usual gentleness, but there also seemed to be a trace of fatigue that was hard to notice.
“Me? That would take a while to explain. Too much has happened lately. What about you? You sound like something’s wrong.” Wang Cheng asked tentatively.
Yuan Xia did not answer immediately. Instead, he asked, “Where are you right now?”
“I’m at Jinding Hotel and I’m about to leave. The day before yesterday, I arranged to meet the owner of a storefront in the commercial district at three. I want to open a jam shop there, so we’re going to discuss the lease. It shouldn’t take long. I’ll probably be done before five.”
“Then how about dinner together tonight?”
Wang Cheng hesitated briefly before agreeing. Yuan Xia obviously had something he wanted to discuss. As a friend, Wang Cheng could hardly ignore that. He could explain things to Chu Yifeng and Mama Wang later. After hanging up, he headed to his appointment.
They had arranged to meet at a casual, affordable club that offered drinks, snacks, and wireless internet. Even if someone ordered nothing but a glass of water and sat there all day, no one would object. Most importantly, it was quiet, which was why places like this were popular in large cities. Wang Cheng arrived early and chose a seat beside the floor-to-ceiling window where he could see outside. Just before three, the other party finally arrived.
“Excuse me, are you Mr. Wang Cheng?”
Wang Cheng looked up and saw a somewhat stiff-looking man wearing black-framed glasses and a bowl haircut. The man’s expression was cautious.
“I am. Please sit.”
Xu Wen sat down, placed his briefcase beside him, and rested both hands properly on his knees. Meeting Wang Cheng’s gaze, he forced a stiff smile. “I’m sorry. Something happened on my side and I urgently need money, so I may not be renting out the storefront anymore.”
“Not renting?” Wang Cheng’s brows moved.
One look at his expression told Xu Wen he had misunderstood. He hurriedly explained, “Don’t misunderstand. What I mean is that instead of renting it out, I plan to sell the storefront. If Mr. Wang is interested in buying it, I can sell it to you, and the price will definitely be reasonable.”
Ordinarily, storefronts in commercial districts with especially heavy foot traffic were not easily sold. Wang Cheng had already learned that from the owners of several other properties he had asked about. They preferred renting them out unless, as Xu Wen said, they urgently needed cash or had some other special reason. Wang Cheng had not expected such a good opportunity to fall into his lap.
“Mr. Xu, are you serious?” Wang Cheng asked again to make sure.
“I am. If you don’t believe me, you can look at the documents. I brought them.” Xu Wen opened his briefcase and took out several documents, handing them over.
Wang Cheng examined them. There were documents proving ownership of the storefront and even a transfer agreement already prepared. If he had not personally called Xu Wen and arranged this meeting himself, he might have suspected the man was a scammer. The windfall had come so suddenly that anyone would wonder whether there was some hidden catch.
When his gaze landed on the amount written in the transfer agreement, Wang Cheng stared in surprise. This price… wasn’t it far too cheap?
Seeing Wang Cheng continue staring at the first page, Xu Wen assumed he thought the price was too high. After hesitating, he said, “If Mr. Wang thinks the price is too high, we can discuss it further.”
Wang Cheng looked up at him. Was there something wrong with this man’s head?
A drop of cold sweat immediately rolled down Xu Wen’s forehead. “If you don’t believe me, I can show you my ID. I’m definitely not pretending to be someone else.”
He pulled his identity card from his bag. Wang Cheng looked at it. The photo was indeed identical to the man in front of him, and the name and address matched as well.
Seeing that Wang Cheng appeared convinced, Xu Wen raised another request. “If you agree to this transfer, I have one presumptuous favor to ask. I hope Mr. Wang can agree. It may sound abrupt, but I truly don’t have another option.”
“Go ahead.”
“I hope Mr. Wang can pay the full amount in one payment. I really need this money urgently and can’t afford to wait, so I may not be able to allow installment payments.”
The more steps they went through, the more this resembled a scam. Xu Wen had shown an ID, but even identification could be forged. Wang Cheng was not stupid. Something that looked like a gift from heaven could just as easily be a trap.
“I can agree, but I need to verify things further. Mr. Xu, if you’re not in a hurry to leave, can you come with me to the storefront right now?”
“No problem.” Xu Wen answered without hesitation.
So the two of them left without even drinking a glass of water and headed directly into the commercial district. The club itself was located there, only a few dozen meters from the storefront, so it took only a short walk. The shop was locked. Xu Wen took out a key and opened it in front of Wang Cheng, then greeted an employee at the neighboring shop, which was already open for business. The employee responded naturally, clearly recognizing him.
The interior was even larger than Wang Cheng expected. It had two shopfronts facing two different directions, and the location was excellent.
“What do you think?” Xu Wen asked.
Wang Cheng nodded. “I agree. I’m satisfied with the price in the agreement too. There’s no need to negotiate it lower.”
The commercial district had been established only two years ago. Unless the end of the world arrived, the chances of it becoming a deserted district were extremely low. Buying the property really would be more cost-effective than renting.
Xu Wen visibly relaxed.
Once they reached an agreement, the two simply signed the transfer papers inside the shop, then went to the bank to transfer the money into Xu Wen’s account. Ever since the jam factory began turning a profit, Wang Cheng’s bank balance had finally stopped constantly shrinking. It should not be long before he could repay the money he had borrowed from Chu Yifeng.
After Wang Cheng left, Xu Wen remained where he was for a while. Only when Wang Cheng’s figure disappeared did he walk toward a sedan parked at the roadside. Before he could knock on the window, it rolled down from inside, revealing a handsome face. If Wang Cheng had been there, he would have been astonished, because the man was Zheng Jingen.
“Mr. Zheng, I sold the storefront to Mr. Wang according to your instructions. He didn’t become suspicious.” Xu Wen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as he spoke.
Xu Wen really had been the original owner. But the day after Wang Cheng called him, this Mr. Zheng had suddenly appeared and made a strange request. He wanted Xu Wen to sell the storefront to Wang Cheng and told him not to set the price too high. In exchange, he would solve Xu Wen’s housing problem.
Xu Wen had bought an apartment in Shanhai City measuring more than one hundred square meters, but the developer kept delaying delivery and making excuses. There were even rumors that the developer planned to run away. Xu Wen was frantic. He had already paid for the apartment, and if he lost either the property or the money, his entire family would be left with nothing.
At first, Xu Wen had only half believed Zheng Jingen. But the next day, news about the developer appeared in the newspaper saying the company was being investigated. Only then did Xu Wen believe him. Surely the man would not arrange something like that merely to trick him out of a storefront. Even if it somehow were a scam, having enough influence to put the matter in the newspaper overnight proved what kind of ability he possessed. Xu Wen therefore decided to take the gamble.
“You did well. Your housing problem will be resolved soon. Wait for the news.” After saying that, Zheng Jingen closed the car window and drove away. Xu Wen let out a breath of relief. Five days later, he saw the news he had been waiting for in the newspaper and felt overwhelmingly grateful that he had made the choice he did.