DLRAS Chapter 100

Chapter 100: He would make a decision when the time came.

It was only right and proper that before leaving, Chen Wengang ought to go and say goodbye to Huo Meijie.

Huo Meijie was resting in the master bedroom, watching TV, wearing a black mourning band on her arm.

She had also been present a while ago when the lawyer read Huo Kaishan’s will. As for the distribution of property, Chen Wengang didn’t know how many details she was privy to, but logically, Huo Meijie was a well-informed person. Therefore, the way she looked at him was slightly peculiar.

“Are you and Niansheng still living together?” Huo Meijie pinched a strawberry from the fruit platter and handed it to him.

“Yes.” Chen Wengang didn’t deny it and took the fruit.

“What about the future? Do you have any plans?”

“My main focus will still be my studies. There might be some changes with my work.”

Huo Meijie sized him up, feeling in her heart that he was taking advantage of her nephew.

During the funeral, she had returned to her maiden home to help manage affairs and receive guests from all over, naturally hearing a lot of things, big and small.

In her eyes, managing to secure Huo Niansheng already proved this boy’s methods and scheming nature. But what could he do? For anyone trying to climb into the upper echelons of society, harboring a bit of calculation was understandable. Unfortunately, he was, after all, a boy.

Unlike a girl, he didn’t have the path of marrying into a wealthy family. He had previously grabbed onto Zheng Yucheng’s branch, only to find it unsteady, and then pivoted to Huo Niansheng. Did he think Huo Niansheng was any more reliable? How far could a playhouse marriage between two men really go?

Huo Meijie couldn’t say she understood her nephew Huo Niansheng completely, but she at least knew what kind of person he was. Or rather, men were mostly the same—chasing a fleeting sense of novelty was possible, but they would never be foolish when it came to their own interests.

Her nephew, especially, was by no means a fool. Huo Meijie thought that when it was time to make a decisive cut, he would do it.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t tell if she felt more pity or sympathy looking at Chen Wengang. After a long moment, she finally spoke again: “You child, now that you’re out there, you need to learn to take care of yourself. If you need anything, just say the word. But once you step into society, you’ll need to grow and improve on your own.”

Chen Wengang smiled and agreed.

Walking downstairs, the dog YOYO came over to rub against his leg. Chen Wengang crouched down and stroked its fur.

While they were talking, Huo Meijie had been probing him, but wasn’t he also probing her? She hadn’t yet discovered that he had taken shares in the Huo Group.

Of course, it wasn’t surprising. Wealth shouldn’t be flaunted. Huo Niansheng wouldn’t broadcast it for him, and Huo Zhenfei and his father were probably desperate to keep it under wraps.

Chen Wengang then went to greet Uncle Lin and A-Mei, just in time to catch Zheng Baoqiu and Zheng Maoxun coming back from outside, chatting and laughing.

Seeing Chen Wengang, Zheng Baoqiu almost jumped onto his back: “Wow, I feel like I haven’t seen you in half a year!”

Zheng Maoxun actually took the rare initiative to invite him: “Wanna go get a drink?”

Zheng Baoqiu raised her hand: “I want to go too!”

“You’re a girl, why would you go?”

“Zheng Maoxun, are you asking for a beating again?”

Zheng Maoxun dodged playfully. Chen Wengang smiled and intercepted her slap.

The three of them found a quiet bar to kill some time.

Zheng Maoxun grandly declared it was his treat, but in the end, they only ordered a fruit platter and some snacks. Since Chen Wengang had to drive, he didn’t touch any alcohol.

Holding his juice, he observed the dim, quiet environment. The music was soft. After dealing so much with the Huo family, gathering again with the people he grew up with suddenly gave him a rare sense of relaxation. He somewhat missed the old days.

The three didn’t talk about anything in particular, just casually chatting about school and what they saw and heard on their trip to Vegas. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

That was until Zheng Baoqiu set down her glass and suddenly asked Chen Wengang: “By the way, Ge is getting engaged. Did he send you an invitation?”

—That’s right, Zheng Yucheng was getting engaged. Chen Wengang had just heard about this from Zheng Bingyi that afternoon.

With the foundation of his past life, he found that he wasn’t surprised at all. His heart was as still as water.

Chen Wengang pulled the beautifully printed pearlescent card out of his pocket to show her: “Why are they getting engaged so suddenly?”

Zheng Baoqiu only knew the surface level of this: “There’s an alliance in their business projects, something about a capital chain of several billion… They might not get married immediately, but Dad and Uncle He both feel they can get engaged first, so everyone can cooperate with peace of mind.”

Chen Wengang smiled: “Then wouldn’t I just be an eyesore if I went?”

Zheng Baoqiu didn’t think much of it: “Of course not. You’re still a part of our family, it’s not like you’re too shameful to be seen. Who would dare say you’re an eyesore?”

Chen Wengang just kept smiling, neither agreeing to go nor saying he wouldn’t. After hanging out until it was late, he drove the two of them back home.

With three or four Long Island Iced Teas in his belly, Zheng Maoxun was a bit buzzed. He didn’t care how Zheng Yucheng felt; if he could be an eyesore to Zheng Yucheng, he would be even happier. So he grabbed Chen Wengang’s collar and demanded a promise: “You have to come. When the time comes, you definitely have to come.”

“Alright, stop embarrassing yourself.” Zheng Baoqiu pulled him away. She looked at Chen Wengang. “I just wanted to tell you that you should attend any important occasion for this family, just like Big Sister. As for this engagement… if you feel uncomfortable, you can just pretend you don’t know about it.”

“I know.” Chen Wengang waved at her. “I’ll think about it when I get back.”

The next day was the weekend. As usual, Chen Wengang went to the cram school to visit Chen Xiangling, temporarily rescuing her from her busy studies.

As soon as Chen Xiangling walked out of the school gates, she saw he hadn’t come alone. Standing next to him was a man in a shirt and vest, hands in his pockets, head bowed as he laughed and chatted with Chen Wengang. The man’s posture was casual, but the moment his gaze shifted over, it was highly oppressive, making her shrink her neck.

Chen Wengang smiled and waved at her, allowing Chen Xiangling to breathe a sigh of relief and run over.

She could guess who this was.

During class the other day, Chen Xiangling had received a message from her cousin saying he was getting married. She spent a whole night digesting it, not understanding why it was so sudden. And the man in front of her was undoubtedly his mysterious partner. “Hello…” she mumbled, not knowing how to address him.

Huo Niansheng’s attitude towards her was actually kinder than towards his own sister: “Classes must be exhausting.”

Feeling a bit shy, Chen Xiangling went to eat with the two of them.

However, Huo Niansheng was approachable and put on zero airs. He even enthusiastically chatted with her about university life, study tips, and exam rankings. In no time, he coaxed her into dropping her guard, and she honestly relayed her family situation, completely spilling her parents’ and brother’s names and birthdays.

When she went to the restroom, Chen Wengang stepped on Huo Niansheng’s foot, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: “Stop teasing her.”

Huo Niansheng rested his elbows on the table, propping his chin up, and looked at him with a smile: “Aren’t I just trying to show off my good side?”

Chen Wengang’s eyes softened: “You’re already very good, what more do you need to show off?”

Huo Niansheng picked up a piece of bamboo shoot with his chopsticks and fed it to him: “Of course I have to flatter the major shareholder. Do you still have no concept of your own net worth? The market value of the shares you hold is hundreds of millions. Even if you just took the dividends and threw money on the street, people would line up to flatter you.”

Huo Meijie probably could never have imagined how her shrewd, absolutely-not-foolish nephew was secretly flattering the major shareholder behind closed doors.

Chen Wengang chuckled, then straightened his expression and held his hand: “But the one I love the most is you, hm?”

Huo Niansheng was satisfied.

After the meal, Chen Xiangling returned to school, and Chen Wengang and Huo Niansheng went back to Jiangchao Street.

The car was parked far away, so the two walked back. After the funeral, he and Huo Niansheng had moved back to his old house.

As for the reasons, the delicate Archangel roses in the flowerbed needed tending; they had been neglected for many days and would need replanting if not taken care of soon. But there were also unspoken reasons. Chen Wengang’s old neighbors, like Granny Zhou, and his old classmates and friends, like Lu Chenlong, were all on this street. Compared to the high-end apartments with one unit per floor, human connections in the old district were much tighter.

This felt like his home turf; he was happier and more comfortable here. Ultimately, it was Huo Niansheng accommodating him.

Seeing them pass by, Granny Zhou chased them out of her shop and shoved some sweet soup into Chen Wengang’s hands to take home.

Huo Niansheng waited for them with his hands in his pockets. The old lady turned and noticed the other young man: “There’s some for you too, take it, take it.”

He smiled and accepted it. Granny Zhou reminded them: “The weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow, if you have any clothes or blankets, bring them out to dry!”

Chen Wengang went home to wash clothes. While emptying his pockets, that folded invitation suddenly fell out.

It bore a photo of Zheng Yucheng and He Wanxin. He stood there dazed for a moment, lost in thought.

Huo Niansheng walked over and bent down to pick it up: “What’s this? Oh, those two are getting engaged.”

He revealed a mocking expression. Chen Wengang sighed: “Yeah, as everyone expected.”

Huo Niansheng looked down at him: “Who gave it to you? They want you to attend?”

Chen Wengang didn’t think so: “They were just being polite; they don’t actually want me to go.”

For the engagement between the Zheng and He families, Zheng Bingyi giving him an invitation was a gesture to show he wasn’t treating him as an outsider, but it didn’t necessarily mean he genuinely wanted him there; the two things were not the same. He had a deep conflict with the He family’s young master, He Jiajun. Zheng Bingyi had once given him a chance to bow his head, admit his mistake, and make peace with the other party, but Chen Wengang himself had refused, and the matter was left unsettled.

His appearance at He Wanxin’s engagement party was probably not something anyone in the He family looked forward to. He was well aware of this fact.

Yet, Chen Wengang had a strange urge; he actually wanted to go see it. Zheng Yucheng getting engaged to someone else was a betrayal he couldn’t bear to face in his past life. In this life, his state of mind was completely different. He wanted to go and witness it, to prove that the past could no longer hurt him.

Suddenly, he heard Huo Niansheng say: “What’s the point of fake politeness? If it were me, I’d go.”

Chen Wengang burst out laughing, looking at him: “You really don’t care whether other people live or die, do you?”

Huo Niansheng indeed didn’t care: “Because I don’t know why, but I feel like you still want to go watch the spectacle. Haven’t I taught you? If someone makes you unhappy, you have to return it to them twofold. Do you want me to go with you?”

Chen Wengang didn’t know when Huo Niansheng had come to understand him so well. He smiled and pressed his hand down: “Let’s talk about it later.”

Huo Niansheng glanced at him, but Chen Wengang ignored his gaze. He raised his eyebrows, turned his head, and continued watering the flowers.

Putting aside the date of Zheng Yucheng’s engagement, Chen Wengang’s career changes needed to be resolved first.

He resigned from his job at the special education school.

Chen Wengang was still studying at the university, so he hadn’t accepted a full-time position but had joined the management team as a volunteer. The resignation process was simple, though Martin, the foundation’s director, felt regretful, like he had lost a sitting duck.

He feigned magnanimity, expressing his understanding: “Experiencing a few more jobs isn’t a bad thing.”

Chen Wengang smiled and shook his hand: “I must also thank you for your mentorship.”

As he walked out the foundation’s main doors, the autumn wind began to sweep up fallen leaves. Before he knew it, the semester was already halfway over.

Huo Zhenfei’s wife, Fang Qin, contacted Chen Wengang as promised. They scheduled a weekday, and she took Chen Wengang for a tour of the foundation.

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