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Chapter 143: It’s fine as long as your cousin isn’t here.
“Okay, I got it. See you then.”
Chen Wengang hung up the phone. As he lowered his head, Huo Niansheng lay in his lap, lazily gazing up at him.
He listened to Chen Wengang for a while, feeling drowsy, and yawning out of boredom. Halley, tired from running around all day, curled up with all four paws tucked in, lying on Huo Niansheng’s chest, mimicking a yawn with effort, while his tail swept back and forth on him.
Huo Niansheng raised his hand and scratched Halley’s head. His ears seemed to respond to the scratching.
Chen Wengang couldn’t help but smile as he watched. He also reached out to scratch Halley’s head. “What about you? Are you going?”
Of course, he was asking Huo Niansheng.
Huo Niansheng asked, “Which charity banquet exactly?”
Chen Wengang said, “‘Starry Night,’ hosted by Mrs. Liang every summer. It’s so famous. You surely know. Successful people from all walks of life, CEOs, famous directors, and many movie stars will attend.”
Huo Niansheng remembered, “That’s not interesting. It’s the same every year, with the red carpet and fashion show. I still remember last year, two newcomers acted all flirtatious the whole evening. I didn’t know if they were there for fundraising or soliciting.”
Chen Wengang chuckled and patted him, “Your mouth, Huo Young Master.”
Huo Niansheng closed his mouth, still unimpressed, playing with his shirt cuffs, showing no remorse.
Chen Wengang’s phone buzzed again. It was from Zheng Baoqiu, confirming the time and place. He replied quickly.
Huo Niansheng added, “Since Zheng Baoqiu asked you, does that mean Uncle also sponsored this time?”
“Yes.” Chen Wengang nodded.
“Is he planning to showcase Zheng Yucheng to boost the Crown Prince’s image?”
Chen Wengang touched his face, smiling, “What do you think?”
Huo Niansheng sighed and sat up, “Check my schedule for me.”
They shared a private calendar, so adding a reminder synced directly to the other’s phone. Chen Wengang checked and smiled, “Well, you don’t have to worry. Your group has its half-year meeting that day, followed by a celebration dinner.”
Huo Niansheng looked at the ceiling, silently contemplating for a moment.
Before Huo Niansheng could speak, Chen Wengang covered his mouth and said, “Don’t you dare say you’re taking a day off for this.”
Huo Niansheng avoided him and whispered in his ear, “Aren’t I just idle anyway?”
Chen Wengang patted him, “Decide what’s more important, the task or being jealous.”
Huo Niansheng leaned his head against his shoulder bonelessly, eyes closed, a faint smile on his lips.
With a thud, he lay back down, grabbing Chen Wengang’s wrist and pulling it to his head.
Chen Wengang understood and massaged his temples, “Besides, your brilliant and valiant cousin already has a grudge against me. You at least hold a position as a board member of the group. Skipping work like this, I’m afraid he’ll explode, rushing to your house overnight to take attendance.”
“Being overly concerned is a problem,” Huo Niansheng said, nestling comfortably in his arms. “Let him figure it out himself.”
They joked around, and the water in the bathroom was ready. Huo Niansheng went to take a shower first, stripping off his clothes as he walked, leaving them scattered on the floor.
Chen Wengang chuckled and followed, picking them up one by one and hanging them on the hanger.
He sat back on the sofa and continued chatting with Zheng Baoqiu.
In fact, Zheng Baoqiu was also asking Chen Wengang whether her overly anxious cousin would attend.
Since leaving the Zheng family, Chen Wengang and Zheng Baoqiu have remained close over the years, exchanging messages whether there was anything important or not and even sharing jokes with each other. Chen Wengang usually didn’t pay attention to entertainment news, so any gossip came secondhand from her.
Last year, Zheng Baoqiu graduated from the university and joined the group for employment. Chen Wengang also helped her with her future career planning.
As for Zheng Maoxun, although the two had their own circles, they occasionally met up for gatherings and fun. At their graduation, Chen Wengang specially went to take photos of them and sent flowers to celebrate. They still took their pictures by the lake on campus, with a different person wearing the bachelor’s robe compared to when Chen Wengang graduated. But regardless, Zheng Yucheng was never in any of the photos.
With Zheng Maoxun’s temper, encountering Zheng Yucheng would likely lead to arguments, so it was just as well that he didn’t show up.
Zheng Baoqiu might occasionally mention her older brother, but she was tactful enough not to bring him up unnecessarily.
For Chen Wengang, he had cut off half of his past life but maintained the other half. He regularly visited Uncle Lin and maintained the proper etiquette with Zheng Bingyi. As for relationships he didn’t deliberately maintain, they naturally faded away.
He rarely held grudges against anyone, not even Mu Qing—after his face was unexpectedly scarred, he became depressed, and coupled with rumors around him, he couldn’t stay in Jing City anymore, so he chose to delay graduation and seek treatment abroad. Over the years, Chen Wengang hasn’t inquired about him at all.
As for Zheng Yucheng, whether it was his fiancée’s imprisonment or the cancellation of the engagement between the Zheng and He families, it had nothing to do with him.
On the way back, Chen Wengang took over the driving.
When they arrived home, it was already midnight. After washing up and putting Halley in his bed, they quickly packed their bags and went to bed.
It was hot, so Huo Niansheng turned on the air conditioning. However, with a dripping sound, the power suddenly went out in the middle of the night. Chen Wengang was already too tired to keep his eyes open, but he felt a pat on his body. Huo Niansheng told him to go to sleep first and went out to check the fuse.
Chen Wengang didn’t even know when he came back.
Half-awake, he felt the surroundings cool down, with a warm embrace beside him. Chen Wengang nestled into it comfortably.
In the morning, when he woke up, Huo Niansheng hugged his waist, and Chen Wengang responded by wrapping his arm tightly around him.
There were whines from behind, and Chen Wengang turned to see Halley with its round, eager eyes, ready for a walk.
After a moment of contemplation, he smiled faintly, kissed Huo Niansheng first, then kissed Halley.
Chen Wengang took the eager Halley out for a run, and when they came back, he bought rice noodle rolls and dumplings for breakfast. Huo Niansheng woke up late, leisurely brushing his teeth in the yard. When he saw them return, he asked, “Why didn’t you call me?”
After breakfast, Chen Wengang helped him with his tie, pretending to scold him, “Stop complaining, go to work properly, and take care of the family.”
Halley agreed with a bark.
Huo Niansheng laughed, kissed him lightly, and grabbed the car keys to head out.
On the way, neighbors greeted Huo Niansheng, asking how he was.
“Where did you go for the weekend?”
“Do you have meetings with clients today? You look fancy.”
They lived on Jiangchao Street, and although some things were left unsaid, everyone tacitly understood their relationship. As for the two of them, there were also some unspoken things. Huo Niansheng quietly changed his car, replacing his figurine with a trident, and he now drove a less conspicuous Mercedes Benz for daily use. Even the clothes he brought over from there didn’t have obvious logos. It was just that a few people recognized them. Compared to Chen Wengang’s branded clothes, these logo-less clothes of his were even more expensive.
Chen Wengang checked his emails. His doctoral supervisor was overseas, and while there weren’t urgent academic requirements for their batch of students, it didn’t mean they were completely let off. He had to review various pieces of literature in advance, organize data, and find time to handle foundation work.
Now, there was an additional task: dealing with various classmates and friends.
Since Cheng Bo’s mishap at the last class reunion, there has been a lull in activity in the group chat, and he has remained silent for quite some time.
It wasn’t until about ten days or so later, when the controversy gradually faded, that he resumed his usual demeanor and began discussing his business ventures again.
Chen Wengang was usually inactive in the group chat, almost never speaking up. However, from time to time, someone would try to pull him into the conversation to ask for his opinion. More people added him as a friend privately, and there were even more classmates asking him for help with various matters—borrowing fifty thousand to make a down payment on a house, parents hospitalized needing help finding specialists, or asking if he could arrange a job for their cousin—the list went on.
Fortunately, Chen Wengang was generally principled and only took on tasks he felt were appropriate. The only exception was the female classmate who had helped him fend off drinks that day. She also came to visit, bringing a bunch of nutritional supplements and hesitantly explaining that she had a younger sister with some intellectual issues who had studied abroad. She had heard that he worked at a foundation and wanted to know if there were any suitable job opportunities.
This time, Chen Wengang didn’t say much and quickly handed her a registration form to fill out.
The female classmate breathed a sigh of relief. “I was worried you wouldn’t be accommodating. They said…”
Chen Wengang smiled, “How could that be? I have limited capabilities. If I can’t help, then I really can’t.”
The female classmate relaxed, feeling a bit embarrassed. “That’s good. I was afraid you’d feel obligated to help everyone, and then you’d get overwhelmed. You don’t know, but that day, we went to karaoke afterwards, and Cheng Bo tried to show off his wealth but failed. Huang and the others saw through him; you know what they’re like—sarcastic behind your back but singing your praises. I think they have ulterior motives.”
“Me?” Chen Wengang chuckled, “What could I possibly gain?”
“To put it bluntly, it’s not safe these days to lend money to anyone casually. Anyway, thank you.”
Chen Wengang escorted her to the door, “No problem. If you need anything, feel free to contact me anytime.”
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the “Starry Night” charity gala.
Mrs. Liang, the widow of the wealthy Mr. Liang, hosted the annual charity gala, which had become a longstanding tradition. Many celebrities attended each year, and under the spotlight, they competed for attention, making it more like a red carpet show, a social stage for the elite.
The reputation of the Nian Gang Foundation was beginning to spread, and while Chen Wengang’s position wasn’t the highest, originally he wouldn’t have been invited. However, leveraging Huo Niansheng’s name, they managed to secure two invitations. Since Huo Niansheng, the donor, wasn’t attending, one of the invitations ended up in his hands. He wore a high-end outfit and saw Zheng Baoqiu, who was dressed in a royal blue dress with her hair tied up.
She looked more mature than she did when she first entered university, opting for a less flashy dress and tastefully applied makeup that was radiant and charming.
Zheng Baoqiu was delighted to see him, “You finally took out this outfit that’s always so drab.”
Chen Wengang laughed, “Don’t make it sound like I’m begging for alms all the time.”
Zheng Baoqiu whispered, “Is it okay that my brother is here today?”
Chen Wengang also lowered his voice and said, “It’s fine as long as your cousin isn’t here.”
As they chatted and laughed, Zheng Yucheng glanced over and raised his glass to Chen Wengang from afar.
A few friends by his side also looked over, but Chen Wengang had already averted his gaze, as if he hadn’t seen anything.
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