Wang Cheng told Guan Jiahe the opening date for the new shop. He and Uncle Liang came over the next day. Working at the new store had one advantage: Wang Cheng did not forbid them from privately promoting the products, so besides the higher wages, they could also earn a little extra in their spare time. Wang Cheng finished pulling on his boots and was about to head out when Chu Yifeng suddenly stopped him.
“Has Zheng Jingen contacted you or called you lately?”
“Mr. Zheng? No.”
Wang Cheng looked surprised. “Why bring him up out of nowhere? Why would he be looking for me?”
“It’s nothing. Want me to drive you over?”
Wang Cheng was going to refuse, but when he remembered the company and the new shop were along the same route, he changed his mind. Once he finished there, he could go find Chu Yifeng at the company without spending another ten or twenty minutes walking.
The car had only just left Ningjing Residential Complex and had not yet turned the corner when Wang Cheng’s phone rang in his pocket. He took it out and saw the caller’s name clearly displayed: Zheng Jingen. “Who is it?” Chu Yifeng asked.
Wang Cheng narrowed his eyes at him. “Tell me the truth. Are you and Mr. Zheng hiding something from me? You literally just asked about him, and now he’s calling. Your timing is way too perfect.”
“Answer first.”
Wang Cheng figured there was no need to rush the interrogation and accepted the call.
This time, Zheng Jingen was not contacting him about jam. He had already placed several large orders with Wang Cheng one after another and still had plenty of stock left, which Wang Cheng knew. What surprised him was Zheng Jingen asking to meet. Not the meeting itself, but the location. Zheng Jingen actually requested that they meet at Wang Cheng’s home. After hanging up, Wang Cheng frowned deeply.
“What did he say?” Chu Yifeng asked again.
Wang Cheng told him, then asked, “Boss Chu, do you know something?”
“I have a guess.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“You’ll know when you meet him. If I tell you now, you probably won’t believe me.” Chu Yifeng refused to explain.
Wang Cheng stared at him for a moment, then looked out the window. “Fine. Don’t tell me.”
That was what he said, but his mind immediately began spinning. He remembered Chu Yifeng once telling him that Zheng Jingen seemed interested in him in that way. Wang Cheng could not help wondering whether that was why Zheng Jingen was coming. The thought sent a shiver of disgust through him. Surely not?
Neither man said anything else. The car drove all the way to the area near Changhe Building. Wang Cheng had Chu Yifeng stop nearby. By the time he reached the new shop, his cousin and Uncle Liang were already there, half an hour earlier than the time Wang Cheng had given them. If Wang Cheng had not left early himself, the two would have been standing outside the shop in the cold even longer.
The commercial district was least crowded in the morning. The three took advantage of the quiet period to clean the shop thoroughly, then stocked the counters and shelves with the jam delivered yesterday, along with processed chestnuts and hawthorn, dried persimmons, and red dates that stored well.
With three people working together, they finished in less than two hours. They locked up the shop, and Wang Cheng took them to see the apartment they would be using.
Chu Yifeng had helped find the place. It was close to the commercial district. In reality, there were very few apartments for rent in that area, and the few available were absurdly expensive. Renting nearby simply was not cost-effective. Before asking Chu Yifeng for help, Wang Cheng had looked himself. The cheapest place he found was six thousand yuan a month, and it sat in a cramped corner that barely received sunlight all year. It did not even come with furniture. Yet even that dump cost six thousand a month.
Once Chu Yifeng learned about it, he found a much better apartment. It faced south, received plenty of sunlight, and most importantly, there was no rent at all. A relative had given Chu Yifeng the apartment when he first came to Shanhai City, but he did not like it and never lived there. By now, a thick layer of dust had settled over everything.
Guan Jiahe and Uncle Liang had assumed the place would be small. When they reached the building, they discovered it was actually an upscale apartment. Living here would practically be a luxury.
“Chengcheng, the rent on a place like this must be expensive. I still feel like it isn’t worth it,” Guan Jiahe said worriedly. He and Uncle Liang would not stay there every night, but living in such a beautiful apartment still made him uneasy.
“It isn’t expensive. A friend is letting us use it as a favor.” This was Wang Cheng’s first time here too. He had not expected the place to be decorated in a classical style, with rosewood furniture and wooden flooring. Even though no one had lived there for a long time, there was still a natural clean scent to the materials. Fortunately, Wang Cheng had been mentally prepared. An apartment gifted by one of Chu Yifeng’s relatives was never going to be shabby.
“What kind of friend is this generous?” Guan Jiahe asked in surprise.
“Cousin, don’t worry about it. The apartment is sitting empty anyway. You can see how much dust there is. Before moving in, you’ll need to clean everything yourselves. And you’ll be responsible for the water and electricity.”
“That’s no problem.” Uncle Liang came over and agreed immediately. He had never lived in such a beautiful place and clearly liked it.
After seeing the apartment, Uncle Liang and Guan Jiahe stayed behind to clean. They planned to move the things they needed over tomorrow. There happened to be nothing urgent at the moment, and the shop did not need to open immediately, so both had the time. Wang Cheng handed them the apartment and shop keys, then left.
Wang Cheng went to the company to have lunch with Chu Yifeng. He had been there several times by now, and most of the employees knew who he was. Even so, seeing him eat with Chu Yifeng still surprised people.
“Wang Cheng, haven’t seen you in a while. What have you been busy with lately?”
Fang Tian waited until the boss went to pay before sneaking over and leaning close to ask.
“Same old things.” Wang Cheng shrugged. He had no intention of telling anyone about the family trouble for now. “By the way, where’s Cheng Cheng? That kid didn’t come to work today?”
Fang Tian sighed. “He’s already taken three days off. The last time I saw him, he looked awful. I’ve been calling him lately and he never answers. Looks like that relationship is really over.”
“What happened?”
“Sounds like things went wrong with his girlfriend. A week ago I asked him out drinking, and once he got drunk he told me about it. Apparently his girlfriend cheated and hooked up with a rich guy, and now she wants to break up with him. Cheng Cheng’s the sentimental type. He’d always planned to marry her, so he couldn’t handle the blow. Hopefully he figures it out. A woman who chases money and cheats isn’t worth hurting yourself over. Still, you really can’t judge by appearances. I met his girlfriend before. She’s small and cute and talks softly. She didn’t seem like that kind of person at all.”
Wang Cheng had never met her, though he often heard Cheng Cheng talk about his girlfriend as if no woman in the world could compare. Who would have expected it to end like this?
“Tell him to let it go. There’s no point hurting himself over a woman with no judgment. Not worth it.”
“I told him that too, but I don’t think he’s listening. Why don’t you try calling him when you have time? He seems to listen to you more.” Fang Tian called Cheng Cheng every day. The company needed manpower right now, and if Cheng Cheng kept taking leave, his supervisors would become unhappy. Ruining both his career and his income over this would be even less worthwhile.
“All right. I’ll try when I have time.”
“Boss is coming. I’m out of here.” Fang Tian spotted Chu Yifeng returning and immediately ran off, acting like a brand-new employee who had never spoken to the boss in his life.
Chu Yifeng glanced at Fang Tian’s retreating back. “What were you talking about?”
“Nothing much. Just Cheng Cheng’s situation.” Wang Cheng shrugged.
Chu Yifeng nodded and did not ask further.
That afternoon, Wang Cheng had nothing to do. Remembering what Fang Tian said, he called Cheng Cheng several times, but no one answered. The guy clearly still had not figured things out. So Wang Cheng simply curled up in Chu Yifeng’s office and read. There was a bookshelf inside, filled with all kinds of books. It was not as varied as the one at the hotel, but the subjects were broad and difficult, finance, economics, and plenty more that made his eyes swim. Then he spotted a copy of Pride and Prejudice, exactly the same edition he had been reading at the hotel. He had not stayed there long enough to finish it.
“You have this book too? You like reading it?” Wang Cheng pulled it from the shelf, flipped it open casually, and landed on the page marked with a bookmark. Looking closer, he realized it was exactly where he had stopped reading. Understanding immediately, he turned to Chu Yifeng with emotion. “Boss Chu, you treat me so well. I don’t even know how to repay you.”
“Letting me enjoy the benefits a boyfriend should receive would be the best repayment.” Chu Yifeng looked up at him.
All Wang Cheng’s emotion vanished instantly. A cultured hooligan really could not be praised.
Zhang Yiheng knocked and entered, only to find Wang Cheng sprawled on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other while reading. Seeing the cover, he recognized it as the novel the boss had asked him to find a few days earlier.
Among the veteran employees, Wang Cheng’s relationship with the boss was no longer much of a secret. It was not particularly shocking either. They had all been with the boss since the beginning and had vaguely suspected something, so the outcome was within expectations. Few of them were optimistic about the relationship, however, including Zhang Yiheng. He and Li Yu knew better than most what kind of family the boss had been born into.
The sound of the door opening pulled Wang Cheng out of the book. “Brother Zhang?”
Zhang Yiheng nodded, then walked toward Chu Yifeng. A few seconds later, his orderly report began.
Strictly speaking, Huaying Real Estate could no longer be considered a purely real-estate company. It had begun expanding into hotels as well. Shanhai City had a large population base. As the property market grew rapidly, plenty of people had also set their sights on the hotel industry, and Huaying Real Estate was no exception.
After work, Wang Cheng casually brought the book back to the apartment. That evening, he and Chu Yifeng cooked dinner themselves. At around nine, Wang Cheng received a call from home. Even though he had expected it sooner or later, he still froze when he saw the number. He had deliberately avoided thinking about his parents these past few days because he did not want to remember his childhood. No matter how warm those memories were, learning they were not connected by blood still left a knot in his heart.
“Better a short pain than a long one.” Chu Yifeng sat beside him. Seeing Wang Cheng stare at the ringing phone without answering, he knew the matter still bothered him.
Wang Cheng glanced at him, said nothing, and finally answered.
“Chengcheng, come home tomorrow. Your mom and I have things we need to tell you. We’ve hidden this from you for twenty-five years. It’s time you knew the truth.” Papa Wang’s slightly hoarse voice came through the phone, sounding as though he had aged ten years overnight.
“All right. How are you and Mom?” Wang Cheng remained silent for a moment before answering. Hearing that familiar, affectionate voice and knowing it did not belong to his biological father was still difficult to accept. Reality, however, forced him to face it. In his memories, Papa Wang often took him and his elder brother to the stream to catch fish, or brought them into the hills to pick wild fruit and vegetables.
Papa Wang seemed to choke up for a moment before Mama Wang scolded him. Her own voice sounded restrained and emotional. It was easy to imagine neither of them had been doing well.
“Your mom and I are fine. Don’t worry about us. Come back tomorrow and let your mom make you a whole table of good food.”
“All right. I haven’t had Mom’s cooking in a few days. I really miss it.” Hearing that voice, Wang Cheng could only sigh. He had never meant to torment his parents. Chu Yifeng suddenly tickled the sole of his foot. Every trace of melancholy vanished from Wang Cheng at once, and he glared at him. “What are you doing?”
“What happened?” Papa Wang thought something had gone wrong.
“Nothing. I’ll come back tomorrow morning.”
“All right. Get some sleep early.”
Papa Wang reluctantly ended the call. Mama Wang immediately asked how it went. “Don’t worry. Our son is stronger than we imagined. Jiahe was right. And he’s probably with a friend right now.”
“A friend?” Mama Wang’s expression changed slightly. There was no need to ask. He had to be with Chu Yifeng. But after another thought, she sighed helplessly. Forget it. After everything that had happened, as long as her son came home, she no longer wanted to force him into anything. If he liked men, then so be it. If Wang Cheng knew what Mama Wang was thinking, he would probably be delighted. In a way, it counted as a blessing born from disaster.