“You two know each other?” Mother Zheng and Tang Tianyu asked almost simultaneously.
Tang Jiayan looked embarrassed. She would actually have preferred to pretend they had never met. She had thought Wang Cheng might not recognize her and was worried he would mention what had happened that day, so she hurried to speak first. “I wouldn’t say we know each other. We’ve only met once before. Auntie’s son is so outstanding that it would be hard not to notice him.”
Mother Zheng loved nothing more than hearing people praise her son. Tang Jiayan’s words immediately pleased her, and she laughed twice. “Don’t be fooled by how cool he looks right now. He’s usually not like this at all. But he really did inherit all the best qualities from his father and me. I even heard a talent scout wanted to recruit him as a celebrity.”
“Chengcheng, you young people probably have more to talk about. Mom and Chairman Tang are going to find your dad and your grandpa. You two chat.” Mother Zheng was plainly trying to give them a chance to be alone. Tang Tianyu was more than happy to let the two spend some time together. After giving his daughter a meaningful look, he left with Mother Zheng.
Tang Jiayan looked at Wang Cheng, gritted her teeth, and said, “What happened last time was my fault. I shouldn’t have cursed at you without knowing what was going on. I apologize. I’m sorry.”
She was the woman who had mistaken Wang Cheng for a kept pretty boy outside the teahouse restaurant that day and called him a “pretty boy.” She had recognized him the moment he and Mother Zheng went onstage. She had originally wanted to find a chance to slip away, but her father had insisted on dragging her over.
Judging from her expression, the words I don’t want to do this might as well have been written across her face. Wang Cheng found it rather funny. “Miss Tang, a word of advice. You should rein in your temper next time. No matter how displeasing someone looks to you, they don’t owe you anything. Goodbye.”
“What’s with him? He has no gentlemanly manners at all. I only called him a pretty boy once, and he’s actually this petty. No tolerance whatsoever.” Tang Jiayan glared at his retreating back in irritation. She was a beauty, after all, yet he had simply left her behind like that.
Wang Cheng was looking around for someone when a hand suddenly patted his shoulder.
“Looking for me?”
Wang Cheng turned around and was nearly blinded by the other man’s smile. He might have features strikingly similar to Chu Yifeng’s, but his skin was far thicker. This was only their first real meeting. What gave him the confidence to assume Wang Cheng was looking for him? Besides, Wang Cheng genuinely had not been looking for him.
Chu Li seemed to see the imaginary black lines crawling across Wang Cheng’s forehead and laughed. “I’m just joking with you. Young people shouldn’t be so serious. I only wanted to come see what kind of person my son likes. Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything unnecessary.”
Wang Cheng was not surprised that Chu Li knew, but what he said did surprise him. “You don’t object?”
“My opinion doesn’t matter.” Chu Li spread his hands helplessly. “That brat has always treated me like I’m transparent. I should consider myself lucky if his eyes can even reflect the shadow of his father.”
To have reached this point as a father was practically a spectacle unique to the capital.
“Kid, I’m actually pretty satisfied with you. Since I find you pleasing to the eye, I’ll give you a warning. That old man in my family is extremely stubborn. If you want him to agree to the two of you being together, you’ll have to take an unconventional route. Ordinary methods won’t work.”
“What kind of unconventional route?”
“Ask him.” Chu Li did not object, but he had no intention of helping either. That brat did not need his help in the first place. Having accomplished what he came to do, Chu Li left.
Wang Cheng turned to look for his eldest brother. This time, it did not take much effort. Through the crowd, he spotted Wang Ning’an chatting animatedly with a group of people around his age. To his surprise, his biological brother was there too. After a moment’s thought, Wang Cheng understood that Zheng Jingen must have been the one making introductions.
Wang Cheng’s arrival did not surprise them, but the people around them were rather startled. What surprised them even more was that they recognized most of the people in the group. The sole exception was another equally handsome man: Wang Ning’an. No matter how hard they racked their brains, no one could figure out who he was. Still, they silently classified him as someone who should not be offended.
Not far away, Yu Hongzhi and Yu Jing stared at the scene in disbelief.
“Hongzhi, you said Ning’an was after my shares. What do you say now? The people he knows have backgrounds far stronger than our family’s.” Yu Jing had originally wanted to look for Wang Ning’an, only to discover another person beside him: Zheng Jingen, the grandson most highly regarded by the head of the Zheng family.
Yu Hongzhi had no answer. How was he supposed to know that Wang Ning’an knew Zheng Jingen? This at least explained how Wang Ning’an had obtained an invitation to the Zhou family banquet. But instead of reassuring him, it made him even more worried. If Wang Ning’an was not after Yu Jing’s shares, could he be after Shenghui Group itself?
Time passed without anyone noticing. The banquet soon drew to a close, and the guests began leaving one after another. The number of luxury cars parked outside dwindled steadily.
Huang Tong’an and the others had all gained something from the evening, so the trip had not been wasted. The person who had gained the most was probably Wang Ning’an. Through Wang Cheng, he had met many people he would ordinarily never have had any chance to encounter, connections that could be enormously helpful to his future. The price was that he had also drunk quite a lot.
“Big Brother, can you still stand?”
Wang Cheng supported him. He had never seen his eldest brother drunk before. From the looks of it, Wang Ning’an seemed to hold his liquor much better than Wang Cheng did.
Wang Ning’an’s face was flushed bright red. He waved a hand and exhaled a heavy breath reeking of alcohol. “I’m fine. Don’t worry…” He said that, but half his body weight was hanging off Wang Cheng. Looking at him like this, Wang Cheng could not possibly feel comfortable letting him go home alone. Huang Tong’an had also drunk quite a bit. Tong Yangyang had not had much, but he needed to take Huang Tong’an home. They could hardly let someone stinking of alcohol drive. Wang Cheng had no desire to see their faces in the newspaper headlines the next morning.
“Chengcheng, need some help?” Zheng Jingen had just seen his parents off. Mother Zheng was staying at the Zheng residence tonight. When he returned, he found his younger brother supporting his elder brother with a troubled look on his face.
“Brother, perfect timing. My big brother is drunk.” Seeing Zheng Jingen was like seeing a savior. Wang Cheng had just been wondering whether he should simply let Wang Ning’an stay at the Zhou residence for the night.
Hearing the way Wang Cheng addressed them, Zheng Jingen shook his head. “Chengcheng, I’m older than Wang Ning’an. Why don’t you call me Big Brother and call him Brother instead?”
The solution Wang Cheng had eventually devised for distinguishing his two older brothers was to call one Big Brother and the other simply Brother. That way, everyone knew who he meant. He had not realized Zheng Jingen would actually care about the distinction. He looked conflicted. “But I’m already used to calling him Big Brother.”
“Habits can be changed.”
Wang Cheng was torn.
Zheng Jingen laughed. “All right, I’m teasing you. Call us whatever you want. I’ll help you take your big brother home. Just give me the address of his apartment.”
Wang Cheng let out a breath of relief. He was completely comfortable handing Wang Ning’an over to Zheng Jingen. After walking the two of them to the entrance, he gave Zheng Jingen the apartment address.
When Wang Cheng returned to the hall, only the servants remained, cleaning up what was left behind. After more than a hundred people had gone, the enormous room felt cavernously empty. The air still carried the mingled smell of different kinds of alcohol.
He did not see his grandfather, so Wang Cheng found Butler Zhou and asked. Only then did he learn that his grandfather had grown tired and gone upstairs early to rest.
“Uncle Zhou, Grandpa seemed to drink a few glasses tonight. Why don’t I go to the kitchen and make him a bowl of soup? I heard you shouldn’t go straight to sleep after drinking because it’s bad for the liver.”
Butler Zhou chuckled. “It’s enough that Young Master Cheng has the thought. I already had a servant take a bowl of soup upstairs. You must be tired too, so go rest early.” Compared with Zhao Chenlin’s family of three, who showed little genuine concern for their elders, the old butler much preferred this younger member of the family who had only recently returned to the Zhou residence.
“All right, then I’ll trouble Uncle Zhou to look after Grandpa.” Wang Cheng did not insist. He really was somewhat tired. He had not been the busiest person tonight, but this was still his first time dealing with such high-intensity socializing, and it had taken him some time to adjust.
After saying goodbye to Butler Zhou, Wang Cheng prepared to head upstairs. Then he suddenly slapped his forehead. Chu Yifeng had not contacted him once all this time. He hurriedly took out his phone, only to find not a single missed call. That guy really had not contacted him at all…
Wang Cheng angrily shoved the phone away and went upstairs.
It was his birthday, after all. Even if they could not meet, Chu Yifeng could at least have sent him a birthday message, right? Wang Cheng decided he was going to ignore him. He strode back to his room. Just as his hand reached for the light switch, a hand shot out from the darkness and caught his wrist. The next second, his entire body was yanked inside and the door slammed shut.
Wang Cheng opened his mouth, only for it to be immediately sealed. A familiar scent filled his nose and mouth. Their lips and tongues tangled, the intimacy wet and heated, while the faint scent of hormones seemed to thicken around them. Their body temperatures rose as they pressed tightly together, and the hands roaming over Wang Cheng felt as though they wanted to tear his clothes off on the spot.
Wait…
Wang Cheng suddenly shoved Chu Yifeng away and looked down. Sure enough, his formalwear had become wrinkled. He had no intention of wearing this suit once and throwing it away, so with the heating on in the room, he simply took it off.
Across from him, Chu Yifeng’s lips curved faintly. “Couldn’t tell you were even more impatient than I am.” Wang Cheng rolled his eyes as he asked, “When did you get up here? And how?”
“Not long ago.” Chu Yifeng sat on the edge of the bed. The Zhou residence had held a banquet, which meant too many people had been coming and going for security to cover every corner. With his skills, getting inside was not difficult.
“Oh, right. Your father came to talk to me during the banquet. He said he doesn’t object to us being together and that even if he did, it wouldn’t make any difference.” After taking off his formalwear, Wang Cheng started toward the wardrobe to find pajamas, but Chu Yifeng caught his hand and pulled him onto the bed, smoothly settling Wang Cheng astride his lap.
Chu Yifeng stroked his two bare thighs and narrowed his eyes. “At least he knows his own limitations.”
Wang Cheng caught the hand trying to slip into his underwear. “You didn’t come here tonight just because you wanted to sleep with me, did you? Don’t forget, this is the Zhou residence.”
That warning did not discourage Chu Yifeng in the slightest. One hand might be restrained, but he still had the other. Smiling, he said, “So what if it’s the Zhou residence? The room is well soundproofed. You can cry out as much as you want and no one will hear. Besides, you stripped yourself naked to seduce me. If I don’t satisfy you, can I still call myself a man?”
By then, Wang Cheng was already thoroughly aroused from being touched. Throwing caution to the wind, he shoved Chu Yifeng down. Forget it. Taking care of his physical needs came first.
Chu Yifeng had locked the door long ago. After the servants finished cleaning up, they all returned to their rooms to sleep. The owners of the villa were not the only ones exhausted; the staff were too. Most of them fell dead asleep the moment their heads touched the pillow. One bright light after another went dark, leaving only a few dim bulbs glowing in the corners.
By the time they had done it twice, it was already the middle of the night. The Zhou residence was silent, and far fewer lights remained outside the window. Wang Cheng had already been tired to begin with. Now he simply collapsed face-down on the pillow, unable to keep his eyes open, not even caring about the sticky mess on his body.
“Don’t sleep yet. I have something to tell you.” Chu Yifeng patted his cheek, then reached down for the pants that had fallen beside the bed and took a small box from the pocket.
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” Wang Cheng forced his eyes open to a narrow slit. Even Chu Yifeng’s figure right in front of him looked blurry. At this moment, no matter how earth-shattering the matter was, nothing could be more important than sleep.
Naturally, Chu Yifeng’s answer was no. He leaned half his body over Wang Cheng and placed the little box in front of him. “This is your birthday present.”
Seeing how persistent he was, Wang Cheng managed to summon a little energy. He snatched the box and opened it directly, then froze. “This is… a ring?”
Inside lay a simple men’s ring. There was no huge, glaring diamond. Instead, a deep-blue gemstone was set into its surface, understated yet luxurious, still giving off a brilliant gleam even beneath the dim light. Whatever material had been used in this ring, it was definitely not some fake gemstone commonly found on the market.
“Why are you giving me a ring? You’re not proposing to me, are you?” The moment Wang Cheng said it, he nearly shocked himself with his own imagination.
Chu Yifeng did not answer. He took the ring from Wang Cheng’s hand, lifted Wang Cheng’s right hand, and slid it onto his middle finger. The fit was perfect. “Don’t worry. A proposal will happen sooner or later. For now, make do with this ring. Your initials in pinyin are engraved on the inside.”
Wang Cheng stared at the ring for a while, then suddenly raised his head. “When are you planning to propose? Can you give me a hint in advance?”