Chapter 98: Just consider me love-struck.
Everyone had gone downstairs, and in the massive space of the apartment, only the half-siblings—who seemed to have absolutely nothing in common—were left.
Facing Huo Niansheng alone, Jiang Cai couldn’t help but feel nervous. She didn’t even realize she had stood up. “Uh…”
Huo Niansheng took off his pitch-black suit jacket, casually hung it by the door, and shot her a faint look.
“What are you afraid of? It’s not like I’m going to eat you.”
He was the owner of this apartment and walked toward the bar as if no one else were there. Jiang Cai turned her head to observe Huo Niansheng, watching him open the glass cabinet door, pick and choose, and take out a brown bottle of liquor. He poured a glass and then bent down to fetch ice spheres from the small refrigerator.
“Want some?”
She finally snapped back to reality, realizing he was asking her, and gave an awkward, sheepish smile. “I’m not of age yet.”
Huo Niansheng let out an “Oh,” brought the glass to his lips, and smiled faintly. “What’s the matter, did you quit?”
His face practically screamed “Like you’d follow the rules?” Jiang Cai’s body went rigid. She ran every word through her head before answering. Skipping class and binge drinking used to be her daily routine; she couldn’t even remember the last time she touched alcohol under this heavily monitored lifestyle.
But she definitely wouldn’t dare touch Huo Niansheng’s, afraid it was a trap. “No, no, when Brother Chen comes back and smells it… I wouldn’t be able to explain myself.”
Huo Niansheng leaned against the bar, chuckled, and stared at her with deep, dark eyes for a few seconds before uninterestingly looking away.
Yet Jiang Cai felt a chill run up her spine.
Living in the Yunding Building these past few days had generally been a relaxed experience. There was food, drink, and no one to put up with. Chen Wengang was quite amicable, except when he forced her to review her lessons. Sometimes he even gave Jiang Cai the illusion that perhaps they could get along harmoniously.
But the moment Chen Wengang left, all those illusions completely vanished.
Jiang Cai felt she must be an idiot to think she could ever talk about blood ties or family affection with Huo Niansheng.
Across from her was clearly a dangerous beast with a beautiful coat, while she was just a small omnivore like a lynx or a fox, merely surviving on the other’s territory. Life was passable for now, but not confronting the predator head-on was definitely the wiser choice.
Huo Niansheng suddenly asked, “How are you two getting along?”
Jiang Cai replied carefully, “Pretty good. Brother Chen has always taken good care of me.”
Huo Niansheng nodded. “With Grandfather passing away recently, there are a lot of prying eyes outside. Once things settle down, you can go back to class.”
Jiang Cai said, “Okay… that makes sense.”
Huo Niansheng added, “Try not to cause him too much trouble. I’m your brother; if you have any problems, you can always come to me.”
How could Jiang Cai dare acknowledge this “real brother”? “No need, no need. I’ll study hard and try not to cause trouble… is that alright?”
A row of lights in the underground garage was broken. The property management had posted a notice but hadn’t had time to fix them yet, making the lighting rather dim.
“It seems like you guys didn’t have a very smooth day,” Chen Wengang said, holding Huo Yuxiang’s hand and passing the child over.
“You get in first,” Huo Zhenfei said, taking his son and stuffing him into the car. “I need a word with your uncle.”
Huo Yuxiang didn’t dare misbehave. He pressed his small face against the car window, watching them walk a short distance away, their lips moving.
“Did you know about this in advance?” Huo Zhenfei vaguely felt like he had been played.
“Old Mr. Huo’s will won’t be made public; this is a private family matter,” Chen Wengang said. “Even what Huo Niansheng told me wasn’t as much as what you just told me. Whatever I’m not supposed to know, I still don’t know.”
“Then let me tell you this: the distribution of assets in the will is basically in line with what we expected. That includes the shares in the overseas trust. Grandfather did indeed specifically allocate 2% to Huo Niansheng, effective only after he marries. At most, there was an added condition: if the wife he marries in the future gives birth to a son, the dividend rights for this portion will go to his spouse as a reward for her.”
“And then?” Chen Wengang felt this didn’t sound surprising.
“And then, this is what I was asking if you knew—Huo Niansheng is backed by an investment institution called Renault. For the past two years, they’ve been raising funds and buying back stocks from the secondary market. This was our backup plan to counterbalance Second Uncle’s faction. But we never expected that Huo Niansheng would hold something back… Or rather, it’s not that we didn’t expect him to hold back, it’s that no one expected him to register 2% of those shares under your name. Do you understand what this means? You are now a major shareholder of the Huo Group. You can even come and vote at the shareholders’ meeting.”
“We signed some agreements before we got married.” Chen Wengang recalled, “At the time, I thought he was going to hold shares in my name.”
“So you didn’t know these details? Or do you just not read the things you sign carefully?”
“I skimmed through it at the time. But honestly, back then, I would have signed whatever he gave me unconditionally.”
“You really never suspect him at all,” Huo Zhenfei said, left speechless.
“Just chalk it up to me being blindly in love.” Chen Wengang could only smile.
Huo Zhenfei let out a long breath and took out a cigarette. Chen Wengang politely declined when offered one.
The lighting cast a pale, ghastly hue over their faces.
“Alright…” Huo Zhenfei lit up and took a drag. “Since things have come to this, there’s no need to entangle ourselves in unnecessary details. The situation now is that if my father and the other shareholders covet those 2% voting rights and try to coerce or tempt Huo Niansheng into marriage, they’ll have to weigh your thoughts on the matter. If you’re unhappy, you could easily take your 2% shares and defect to my Second Uncle. Like picking up a watermelon only to lose a watermelon.”
Chen Wengang was even in the mood to crack a joke: “That actually creates a dynamic equilibrium.”
Huo Zhenfei blew another smoke ring. “This is a very serious matter.”
Chen Wengang reined in his gentle demeanor. “Just say what you want to say directly.”
“First of all, I hope to get a promise from you that you won’t form any kind of alliance with Second Uncle and his people.” Huo Zhenfei smiled, and his next sentence was muttered to himself, “But seeing how genuinely you treat Huo Niansheng, it’s unlikely you would.”
“Probably,” Chen Wengang said.
Huo Zhenfei sighed helplessly and stared at him with sincere eyes. “Wengang, is there any tiny possibility that you could understand, or rather, tolerate this, if I can guarantee that Huo Niansheng would only go through the motions? Aside from the paperwork and the day of the wedding, he wouldn’t even have to see his nominal wife, let alone have a child with her. All we need is to get…”
Chen Wengang revealed an apologetic look. “There is no such possibility.”
Huo Zhenfei could only force a smile. “I understand.”
The two fell into silence once more, and this time, Chen Wengang broke it first. “Aren’t you going to try and persuade me again?”
Huo Zhenfei’s cigarette had almost burned down to the end. “I was just refusing to give up, trying for the last sliver of hope. Since your attitude is so resolute, what use is there in hounding you further, other than angering you? Finding an opportunity to tell you all this had to be done behind Huo Niansheng’s back.”
Chen Wengang shot him a sidelong glance. “Even so, I should be very angry with you. How could you even propose this to me? Do you hear what you’re saying? You’re asking my partner to commit marriage fraud for profit, betray me, abandon me, and become a person who rightly deserves everyone’s condemnation. Mr. Huo, do you really think all living beings are just ants beneath your feet? After knowing me for this long, occasionally showing a soft touch and acting as if you’re on my side—did you think I would compromise for the sake of your grand schemes?”
Huo Zhenfei didn’t speak for a moment.
The way Chen Wengang looked at him held a hint of disdain.
Before he turned to leave, Huo Zhenfei stopped him. “You misunderstood me on one point. I am a businessman who prioritizes profit, that’s not wrong. But the friendliness I’ve shown you wasn’t entirely fake either. Based on my position and responsibilities, I need to do some inappropriate things—probing, taking precautions, these all exist. But that doesn’t mean I personally dislike you. If possible, it’s better not to end up on bad terms.”
The two returned to the car. Huo Zhenfei started the engine, and Huo Yuxiang rolled down the window, waving goodbye to Chen Wengang.
“Uncle Chen, can I come back again?”
“Of course.” The gentle expression returned to Chen Wengang’s face. “You’re welcome to visit anytime.”
“What about tomorrow? My model is still upstairs, unpacked.”
“Tomorrow is fine. I’ll go upstairs and tell your uncle in a bit.”
“And what about in the future? Can you take me with you when you go beachcombing?”
“What beachcombing?” Chen Wengang was taken aback.
“Like Uncle mentioned before, that you guys were going beachcombing. Invite me along when the time comes.”
Chen Wengang understood, smiled, and waved at him. “That works too. We’ll find a time when you’re on school break.”
Taking the elevator back upstairs, Chen Wengang opened the door. Huo Niansheng was standing by the bar, holding a drink and sipping it.
Conversely, for some unknown reason, Jiang Cai was standing by the kitchen counter with a completely solemn expression, chopping a cucumber into irregular cylindrical chunks.
Chen Wengang was startled. “What are you doing?”
Jiang Cai turned to look at him. “Oh… I just saw you took the vegetables out earlier. Weren’t you going to cook?” Being alone in the same room with Huo Niansheng was too much pressure; the moment he made a move earlier, she couldn’t help but jump up and say “I’ll go help,” leading to this situation.
Chen Wengang burst into laughter, shaking his head as he took the kitchen knife from her. “That’s not how you cut cucumbers. Step aside, let me do it.”
He directed her: “Scoop a cup of rice from the bin. You at least know how to cook porridge, right? Add a bit more water; there’s a water level line inside the pot.”
Jiang Cai quickly untied her apron and handed it to him. Chen Wengang took it, put it on, raised the knife, and smashed the cucumbers flat.
Huo Niansheng set down his glass and walked toward him. Jiang Cai put the inner pot into the rice cooker and quickly found an excuse to run off.
Chen Wengang didn’t understand why this girl suddenly acted like a mouse seeing a cat when she met her own brother.
Huo Niansheng just lowered his head, untied the straps of the apron behind his waist, and retied them. “How did you tie this? It’s almost a dead knot.”
Chen Wengang just smiled. “Let’s eat something light tonight. A cold cucumber salad and some century egg with tofu, is that enough?”
Huo Niansheng lowered his head to sniff his neck, finding him good enough to eat. “I’m fine with anything.”
Chen Wengang smashed two more cucumbers. “Let’s add some scrambled eggs with sausage. You haven’t eaten well these past few days.”
A muffled laugh came from Huo Niansheng’s chest. “How did you become so virtuous?”
He deliberately pulled the apron straps undone, tied them again, pulled them undone again… Chen Wengang only felt the tugging behind his back. Too lazy to bother with what he was doing, he simply turned his head and shoved a chunk of cucumber stalk into Huo Niansheng’s mouth.
“I definitely don’t have the talent to be a master chef.” Chen Wengang reached to open the refrigerator, taking the opportunity to shake Huo Niansheng off his back, looking at him with a smile. “But learning a few simple home-style dishes isn’t hard. We can’t always eat out, it’s not healthy.”
After dinner, in order to show that she was actively participating in household chores, Jiang Cai threw all the bowls and chopsticks into the dishwasher, then immediately dove back into the guest bedroom.
The carpet in front of the sofa was piled high with wooden model parts, and the half-assembled music box was just beginning to take shape.
Chen Wengang also leaned against the small bar while Huo Niansheng poured him a small glass of whiskey.
Shoulder to shoulder, Chen Wengang took sip after sip, drinking the layer of liquid at the bottom of the glass. The peaty flavor fermented in his mouth, his body growing warm until he reached a perfectly tipsy state, even washing away the resentment he felt toward Huo Zhenfei downstairs earlier.
“So that’s how it is. Your nephew is coming over to play again tomorrow.”
“His dad hasn’t fallen out with me, so of course I don’t mind,” Huo Niansheng said jokingly.
“What about you?” Chen Wengang glanced at him, his eyes like rippling water. “Why didn’t you discuss these things with me in advance?”
“It’s my fault.” Huo Niansheng admitted directly, lowering his head to kiss his shoulder. “I should have been completely open and honest with you, right? Sometimes I really wish you didn’t have to face anything and just waited for me at home every day. I know that kind of thinking is pretty poor.”
“Let’s just leave it at a thought.” Chen Wengang pushed his head away. “What moves is your Third Uncle going to make next?”
Ah okay