Prev | Table of Contents | Next
Chapter 100: He would make a decision when the time came.
Emotionally and logically, Chen Wengang should go and bid farewell to Huo Meijie before leaving.
Huo Meijie was resting in the master bedroom, watching TV, with a black armband on her arm.
She had also been present recently to hear the lawyer read out Huo Kaishan’s will. Chen Wengang didn’t know how much of the details she was aware of, but logically, Huo Meijie was also a well-informed person. So, her gaze at him was a bit strange.
“Are you and Niansheng still living together?” Huo Meijie picked up a strawberry from the fruit plate and handed it to him.
“Yes,” Chen Wengang didn’t deny it and accepted it.
“What about the future? Do you have any plans?”
“I will still focus mainly on studying. There might be some changes in my work.”
Huo Meijie scrutinized him, feeling that he was taking advantage of her nephew.
During the funeral, she returned to her maiden home to help with the arrangements and to receive guests from all directions, naturally hearing many things, big and small.
In her eyes, being able to catch Huo Niansheng had already proven this child’s means and shrewdness. Actually, what could be done? For anyone who wants to enter the upper class, having some shrewdness is inevitable. But unfortunately, he is, after all, a boy.
Unlike girls, who have the option to marry into a wealthy family. He had previously grabbed onto Zheng Yucheng, but found it not reliable, and then turned to Huo Niansheng. Does he think Huo Niansheng is more reliable? How far can a marriage between two men go?
Huo Meijie couldn’t say she understood her nephew, Huo Niansheng, very well, but at least she knew what kind of person he was. It could be said that most men are like this: they might seek novelty for a while, but they won’t be muddle-headed when it comes to their own interests.
Especially since her nephew was definitely not a muddle-headed person, Huo Meijie thought he would make a decision when the time came.
Thinking this way, she couldn’t tell if she felt more regret or sympathy for Chen Wengang. After a while, she spoke again, “You, child, once you are outside, you must learn to take care of yourself. If you need anything, you can say so, but once you step into society, you need to improve yourself more.”
Chen Wengang smiled and agreed.
Downstairs, Yoyo came over and rubbed against his leg. Chen Wengang squatted down and stroked its fur.
While they were talking, Huo Meijie was probing him, and he was also probing her. She hadn’t discovered that he had taken shares in Huo’s company.
Of course, it wasn’t surprising. One shouldn’t reveal their wealth. Huo Niansheng wouldn’t help him publicize it, and Huo Zhenfei probably hoped to cover it up as much as possible.
Then, Chen Wengang went to say hello to Uncle Lin and A-Mei, just in time to see Zheng Baoqiu and Zheng Maoxun noisily returning from outside.
Seeing Chen Wengang, Zheng Baoqiu almost jumped on his back and said, “Wow, I feel like I haven’t seen you for half a year!”
Zheng Maoxun, for once, took the initiative to invite him, “Want to go for a drink?”
Zheng Baoqiu raised her hand and said, “I want to go too!”
“You’re a girl, what are you going for?”
“Zheng Maoxun, are you asking for a beating again?”
Zheng Maoxun dodged playfully, and Chen Wengang smiled and blocked her slap.
The three of them found a quiet bar to pass the time.
Zheng Maoxun generously offered to treat, but only ordered a fruit plate and snacks. Chen Wengang had to drive, so he didn’t touch any alcohol.
He held his juice, observing the dim and serene environment, with soft music playing. After dealing with the Huo family for so long, reuniting with the people he grew up with suddenly felt relaxing. He somewhat missed the old days.
They didn’t talk about anything in particular, just casually chatted about school matters and their experiences traveling to Las Vegas. The atmosphere was very pleasant.
Until Zheng Baoqiu put down her glass and suddenly asked Chen Wengang, “By the way, did you get an invitation to my brother’s engagement?”
—That’s right, Zheng Yucheng was getting engaged. Chen Wengang had just heard about it from Zheng Bingyi that afternoon.
With the experience of his past life, he found that he wasn’t surprised at all, feeling calm and serene.
Chen Wengang took out the finely printed pearlescent card from his pocket and showed it to her, “Why are they getting engaged so suddenly?”
Zheng Baoqiu only knew a little about it: “There’s some joint business project involved, something about a funding chain of billions… They don’t necessarily have to get married right away, but Dad and Uncle He both think it’s good to get engaged first, so everyone can feel secure about cooperating.”
Chen Wengang laughed, “Wouldn’t I just be causing trouble if I went?”
Zheng Baoqiu didn’t think much of it: “Of course not. You’re still part of our family, it’s not like you can’t be seen, who would dare say you’re causing trouble?”
Chen Wengang continued to smile, neither agreeing to go nor refusing. When they had played enough and it was getting late, he drove the two of them back home.
After three or four Long Island Iced Teas, Zheng Maoxun was a bit tipsy. He didn’t care about Zheng Yucheng’s feelings; in fact, he’d be happier if he could upset Zheng Yucheng. So he grabbed Chen Wengang by the collar and made him promise, “You have to come, you absolutely have to come.”
“Alright, stop embarrassing yourself,” Zheng Baoqiu pulled him away. She looked at Chen Wengang and said, “I just want to tell you that you should be at any important event for this family, just like our elder sister. As for the engagement… if it makes you uncomfortable, you can just pretend you don’t know about it.”
“I understand,” Chen Wengang waved at her, “I’ll think about it.”
***
The next day, a weekend, Chen Wengang went as usual to the tutoring school to visit Chen Xiangling, temporarily rescuing her from her busy studies.
As soon as Chen Xiangling stepped out of the school gate, she saw that he hadn’t come alone. Next to him stood a man in a shirt and vest, hands in his pockets, chatting and laughing with Chen Wengang. The man’s stance was casual, but the moment his eyes looked over, there was an intimidating intensity that made her shrink back.
Chen Wengang smiled and waved at her, which made Chen Xiangling relax and run over to him.
She could guess who this was.
One day during class, Chen Xiangling received a message from her cousin saying he was getting married. She spent the whole night processing it, not understanding how it had come about so suddenly. And the person in front of her was undoubtedly his mysterious partner. “Hello…” she stammered, unsure of how to address him.
Huo Niansheng’s attitude toward her was even more kindly than toward his own sister: “Tough day at school, huh?”
Feeling a bit shy, Chen Xiangling joined them for a meal.
Huo Niansheng was approachable, not putting on any airs. He even enthusiastically chatted with her about university life, study tips, and exam rankings. In no time, he had her let her guard down, and she candidly shared about her family situation, including her parents’ and brother’s names and birthdays.
When she went to the restroom, Chen Wengang, both amused and exasperated, stepped on Huo Niansheng’s foot: “Stop teasing her.”
Huo Niansheng, with his elbow on the table and chin in his hand, looked at him with a smile: “Aren’t I supposed to make a good impression?”
Chen Wengang’s eyes softened: “You’re already great, what more do you need to prove?”
Huo Niansheng picked up a piece of bamboo shoot with his chopsticks and fed it to him: “Of course, the major shareholder needs to be pleased. Do you still have no concept of your own wealth? The market value of the shares you hold is in the billions. Even if you took the dividends and handed out money on the street, there would be people lining up to please you.”
Huo Meijie could never have imagined how her astute and shrewd nephew was pleasing the major shareholder behind the scenes.
Chen Wengang laughed, composed himself, and held Huo Niansheng’s hand: “But the one I love the most is you, okay?”
Huo Niansheng was satisfied.
After the meal, Chen Xiangling went back to school, and Chen Wengang and Huo Niansheng returned to Jiangchao Street.
The car was parked far away, so they walked back. After the funeral, they moved back into Huo Niansheng’s old house.
The reason was, ostensibly, that the delicate Archangel roses in the flower bed needed tending. They had been neglected for many days and would need replanting if not taken care of. But there were also unspoken reasons, like Chen’s old neighbors, such as Grandma Zhou, and Chen Wengang’s former classmates and friends, like Lu Chenlong, who all lived on this street. Compared to a high-end apartment with one household per floor, the old district had closer relationships among people.
This place felt like his home turf, where he felt happier and more at ease. Ultimately, it was Huo Niansheng who accommodated him.
Grandma Zhou saw them passing by and chased them out of her shop, pressing sweet soup into Chen Wengang’s hands.
Huo Niansheng waited with his hands in his pockets. The old lady turned around and saw another young man there: “There’s some for you too. Take it, take it.”
He smiled and accepted it. Grandma Zhou advised, “The weather will be nice tomorrow. You can take out any clothes and blankets to air them out!”
Back home, Chen Wengang went to do laundry. When he was emptying his pockets, the folded invitation suddenly fell out.
Printed on it were the photos of Zheng Yucheng and He Wanxin. He stood there in a daze, lost in thought.
Huo Niansheng came over, bent down, and picked it up: “What’s this? Oh, their engagement.”
He showed a mocking expression. Chen Wengang sighed, “Yes, as everyone expected.”
Huo Niansheng looked down at him and asked, “Who gave this to you? Do they want you to attend the ceremony?”
Chen Wengang didn’t see it that way: “They were just being polite; they didn’t really want me to go.”
The engagement between the Zheng and He families. Zheng Bingyi gave him an invitation, which was a gesture of not treating him as an outsider, but it didn’t necessarily mean a sincere invitation. These two things are not the same. He had deep conflicts with He family’s young master, He Jiajun. Zheng Bingyi had once given him an opportunity to apologize and make peace, but Chen Wengang had refused, and it ended there.
His presence at He Wanxin’s engagement would probably not be welcomed by anyone in the He family. He understood this.
However, Chen Wengang had a strange impulse. He actually wanted to go. Zheng Yucheng getting engaged to someone else—in his past life, this was a betrayal he was unwilling to face. In this life, his mindset was completely different. He wanted to witness it, knowing that those past events would no longer hurt him.
Suddenly, Huo Niansheng said, “What’s the point of false politeness? If it were me, I would go.”
Chen Wengang burst out laughing, looking at him: “You really don’t care about anyone else’s feelings, do you?”
Huo Niansheng indeed didn’t care: “Because for some reason, I feel you still want to see the spectacle. Haven’t I taught you? If someone makes you uncomfortable, you should pay them back double. Do you want me to go with you?”
Chen Wengang didn’t know when Huo Niansheng became so understanding of him. Smiling, he pressed down on his hand: “Let’s talk about it later.”
Huo Niansheng glanced at him, but Chen Wengang noticed his gaze. He raised an eyebrow, then turned his head and continued watering the plants.
***
Putting aside the date of Zheng Yucheng’s engagement, Chen Wengang first needed to resolve his work situation.
He resigned from his job at the special education school.
Chen Wengang was still a student, and his position was not a full-time hire but a volunteer role within the management team. Resigning was simple, though the foundation’s head, Martin, felt regret, as if losing a sure catch.
He pretended to be magnanimous, expressing understanding: “Gaining diverse work experience is not a bad thing.”
Chen Wengang smiled and shook his hand: “I also have to thank you for your guidance.”
As he walked out of the foundation’s gates, the autumn wind began to sweep away the leaves. The semester had unknowingly passed its halfway point.
As agreed, Huo Zhenfei’s wife, Fang Qin, contacted Chen Wengang. They arranged to meet on a weekday for her to take him on a tour of the foundation.
Prev | Table of Contents | Next
For every Ko-fi received for a perticular novel, I will release a new chapter!
