Chapter 144: Zheng Yucheng was silent and picked up the cup.
The venue was filled with the fragrance of dresses, moving shadows, and the glitter of jewels and pearls. Zheng Yucheng mixed among them, looking incredibly glamorous as well.
He was surrounded by a circle of friends, chatting and smiling amiably. Yet, he knew in his heart that even to this day, there were still people whispering and pointing behind his back because of that failed engagement of his, using it as fodder for gossip. But then again, was the joke others were laughing at truly just about his fiancée landing behind bars?
Over the past two years, Zheng Yucheng had lived like an ascetic, spending his entire days with his head lowered over dense piles of documents. But if the length of overtime hours could decide who called the shots, it would be a dream come true to the point of waking up laughing.
The real joke worth outside scrutiny was that he was thoroughly mediocre and struggled to shoulder heavy responsibilities, possessing neither the boldness to command Zheng’s corporate empire nor the intellect for political maneuvering. Zheng Bingyi was a dictatorial, autocratic leader, and the veteran officials he had raised often possessed unyielding tempers themselves; not a single one of them was an easy piece of work. When Zheng Bingyi was personally presiding, they would still display a semblance of obedience. However, the human heart is as deep as the sea and difficult to fathom; after scheming for most of their lives, how many of them were genuinely willing to bow their heads and take orders from a green youth? Outsiders might not see it, but Zheng Yucheng understood it all too well himself. Within a bloated, unmanageable colossus like the Zheng Group, how incredibly difficult it was to usher in a new era. The overt and covert factional struggles were far more fierce and cruel than what was visible to the outside world. It wasn’t as if pushing him into the position with a feather-light piece of appointment paper would instantly grant him a voice in the company.
The various factions within the group twisted into an intricate web of interest groups, causing him headaches every single second.
Today, a certain clan uncle would show kindness and try to win him over, seemingly standing on the same front line to strategize for him, only for Zheng Yucheng to find out the next moment that the man was covertly colluding with business partners behind his back to line his own pockets. Yet, even knowing this, he could only turn a blind eye. Tomorrow, another director would contradict him at every turn, pulling rank based on age to cast opposing votes, halting the progress of project development, and covertly setting up a separate shop elsewhere or even poaching the core team…
Sometimes, working overtime until the dead of night, Zheng Yucheng would look at the mountain of documents and sigh. He was well aware of the heavy bad debts within the company; during the external audit two years ago, several people had even been locked up, and they were all relatives surnamed Zheng. He had luckily avoided being implicated that time, but it still broke him out in a cold sweat. He could clearly see the deep-seated ailments of the Zheng Group and that it desperately needed reform, yet he lacked the capability and had absolutely no entry point to begin grasping it.
No matter how much Zheng Yucheng detested Zheng Maoxun, the latter at least had a utilitarian but fiercely protective mother who would think things through for him and lay out plans. A mother would always be her son’s backbone; no matter what, Zheng Maoxun would never experience the same sense of isolation and helplessness that he did.
Speaking of Huo Meijie, she had given birth to another son two years ago. Zheng Bingyi doted on his youngest child immensely. Zheng Yucheng, on the other hand, no longer felt anything particularly strong toward this younger brother with such a vast age gap, and would occasionally even hold him.
Yet, every time he returned home and witnessed the picture of family bliss in the living room, a certain thought would occasionally spark within him—
If there was anyone who would stand by his side without looking back…
If Chen Wengang hadn’t broken up with him, would he love him single-mindedly and support him unreservedly? If there were someone accompanying him by his side, even if the situation remained difficult, would he find the courage and drive to face everything the moment he opened his eyes every morning, instead of suffering from neurasthenia daily, relentlessly plagued by depression and anxiety?
In fact, when he was overwhelmed with chaos, Zheng Yucheng often couldn’t control himself from thinking: Would Chen Wengang have thought of a solution for him? Would Chen Wengang have done a better job than him? Two people facing it together has to be better than one person alone, right?
Back when he possessed the arrogance of youth, he always felt that he was heaven’s favored son and that every path ahead would be smooth sailing. Envisioning one’s own failure and admitting one’s own mediocrity and incompetence was something most people were simply unwilling to face.
One day, while sitting idly in an outdoor café seat, Zheng Yucheng overheard two ladies chatting behind him. They seemed to be teachers from a nearby school:
“In my experience, you must absolutely never communicate with parents that way. It’s not that I solely believe in innate talent, but every parent wishes for their child to succeed. Which parent is willing to admit that the child they gave birth to isn’t outstanding? Wouldn’t that be admitting their own genes aren’t good!”
“That’s true, but honestly, once you’ve actually taught children, you’ll know that sometimes it really is the reality…”
Zheng Yucheng picked up his cup in silence.
“I’ve taught students for ten years, and the difference between child and child is truly immense. Some children are bright and intuitive, understanding everything at the slightest hint, while some children just don’t get it. Of course, the old saying goes that diligence can make up for a lack of talent, but in truth, there are some gaps that even diligence cannot bridge…”
“I get what you mean. Actually, talent is something that exists to some extent, right? Although it doesn’t determine everything, an important lesson in life is learning to accept one’s own limitations…”
He finished his coffee, stood up, and left.
On the way, Zheng Yucheng suddenly recalled some past events—back when they took Mathematical Olympiad tutoring classes, Chen Wengang always understood things faster than him. Even after the private tutor had left and Zheng Yucheng still hadn’t figured it out, Chen Wengang would lean beside him for a long time before coming over to explain the problem to him again: “You’re so stupid!”
Zheng Yucheng had been a bit upset that time. Once the problem was explained, he didn’t utter a single word, ignoring him from dinner all the way until bedtime.
In fact, when he woke up the next morning, Zheng Yucheng’s anger had already vanished, forgetting yesterday’s friction as he still went to call on Chen Wengang to go to school together. They used to have bickering matches often, but Chen Wengang seemed to intuitively realize something, and after that, he never made that kind of joke again.
Come to think of it, his sensitivity, consideration, empathy, and habit of thinking of others in everything—these were also qualities Zheng Yucheng lacked.
Whether he was more talented and intuitive than Zheng Yucheng, or simply worked harder, none of that mattered anymore—did it matter?
In the past, Zheng Yucheng had taken everything for granted. Born possessing far too much, it was difficult for him to realize what truly required special cherishing. Only when a person looked back on the past did they feel that bygone things were infinitely beautiful, especially those that had been lost.
Zheng Yucheng finally managed to find Chen Wengang. Unable to avoid him, Chen Wengang asked him politely whether his work had been busy lately.
Zheng Yucheng furrowed his brows for a long while before saying, “It’s alright.”
Chen Wengang still said courteously, “Huo Niansheng and I are doing very well too.”
Zheng Yucheng took a dejected step backward. Before the cameras and microphones could point their way, Chen Wengang walked away without breaking his stride.
The “Starlight Night” had invited numerous media outlets to the venue; reporters were scattered in every corner, and the camera flashes never paused for a moment. Stars of all calibers were flitting about everywhere like butterflies. Mid-way through the gala, there was also a small-scale auction. The crowd competed to raise their bidding paddles, and a painting by the contemporary master of traditional Chinese painting, Wu Tiangang, fetched the highest price of the evening, bringing in 14 million in charitable funds.
Chen Wengang heard Zheng Baoqiu tease, “That could buy two of your love watches.”
He smiled and said, “That kind of limelight only needs to be stolen once in a lifetime.”
Zheng Baoqiu curled her lip, “Thinking back on it now, you and my cousin were already having a secret affair at that time. Impressive, keeping it so well hidden.”
Chen Wengang bantered back, “There was no such thing. He was just trying to please me back then.”
Zheng Baoqiu burst out laughing, and the two of them exchanged playful, mischievous banter. She went over to ask the Best Actor winner for a signed photo, and after that, neither of them went to join the crowd at the front rows. Having gone through the motions of socializing for a round, they hid themselves in a corner of the banquet hall, chatting about anything and everything.
A popular female singer went up onto the stage to perform.
Zheng Baoqiu suddenly lowered her voice and said seriously, “Actually, you didn’t see it, but around the beginning of spring, Mu Qing returned home for a bit.”
Chen Wengang recalled the scar on his face: “He returned to the country? Is he doing well?”
Zheng Baoqiu said, “Depends on which aspect you mean? Academically speaking, he did suspend his schooling for two years after all. If he didn’t return, the school was going to cancel his enrollment. But I don’t know what he was thinking—he insisted on arranging another year of suspension. If it weren’t for the fact that Dad knows the school directors, the student affairs office might not have agreed… But as far as I can see, he’s quite healthy, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with his body. By normal logic, if he just pushed through for a year to get his graduation certificate, it shouldn’t be an issue at all, and then he could do whatever he wanted. But he probably can’t get past it psychologically; he seems to always feel that staying domestically, especially at school, will subject him to ridicule. I felt he had changed a lot during this meeting, even the tone of his speech was different. Granted, the way he spoke before used to be hidden with thorns too, but back then it was because he looked down on everyone. Now he’s become eccentric and cynical; whenever anyone says the slightest thing, he thinks they’re looking down on him.”
Someone holding a goblet walked past without really looking where they were going and almost bumped into them. Chen Wengang stepped in to block: “Careful.”
The person turned around to apologize, and both parties paused simultaneously. As it turned out, Pan Zhengyang had also arrived.
Chen Wengang extended his hand to him: “President Pan.”
Pan Zhengyang’s reaction was a bit slower; his gaze shifted to Zheng Baoqiu first, so it took a two-second delay before his eyes returned. He extended his hand toward Chen Wengang, but Chen Wengang was already drawing his hand back, and their fingertips merely brushed in an unfamiliar manner.
Pan Zhengyang smiled, continuing to size Chen Wengang up surreptitiously.
Fine feathers make fine birds; this custom-made attire of his could certainly not be compared to what one bought at a regular night market. While a good-looking person naturally looked good in anything, this layer of gold leaf added an extra aura called nobility, proving that his identity was originally not that of a destitute student pursuing academics, but a wealthy young gentleman born into a rich family.
Because Pan Zhengyang stared for a long time, Chen Wengang’s gaze shifted to him as well, looking him over a couple of times.
Today, Pan Zhengyang’s attire was even more meticulous. From the strands of his hair to the tips of his leather shoes, there wasn’t a single spot that wasn’t gleaming. Every single crease on his suit was full and crisp—it was an over-exertion; it didn’t look like he was wearing the clothes, but rather like the clothes were wearing him as their model.
Chen Wengang introduced him and Zheng Baoqiu to each other.
Pan Zhengyang smiled and said, “I know of her, Miss Zheng Baoqiu. I met your elder brother at the corporate summit last time.”
Zheng Baoqiu had encountered countless people and had always held little interest in men who swarmed over like this. Offering a perfunctory laugh, she praised him as an outstanding entrepreneur and so on.
Pan Zhengyang kept smiling.
But this title of “entrepreneur” seemed to set a baseline for him—in a certain sense, his attitude toward Zheng Baoqiu and Zheng Baoqiu’s attitude toward him resembled how a nouveau riche, despite having acquired wealth, would still naturally stand a head shorter when entering the circle of high society.
Among Chen Wengang’s friends, Yu Sanding had actually once cracked a joke, mocking that the commonality between himself and old money was that both dared to wear old clothes out the door. But Boss Yu possessed a sort of unbridled, carefree wildness, whereas Pan Zhengyang looked as if he were armed to the teeth. His hairstyle and outfit had likely been guided by a professional image consultant, though unfortunately, it failed to receive appreciation. Zheng Baoqiu offered a few more perfunctory remarks and walked away.
Chen Wengang, however, offered him a small smile.
Pan Zhengyang smiled somewhat helplessly, “I didn’t expect you to be truly keeping your light under a bushel.”
Chen Wengang said, “I’m not keeping anything hidden. You can find out just by asking around casually. My father was a driver who drove for the Zheng family and unfortunately died in the line of duty. Having no suitable relatives to care for me, my adoptive father adopted me to provide a better environment to grow up in. Just like that, nothing else. The outside world knows about it; it’s no secret.”
Pan Zhengyang said, “That is already…”
Chen Wengang had already developed calluses on his ears from hearing such words: “That is already an opportunity others could only wish for. I am a relatively lucky person, stepping into heaven with one stride since childhood.”
Sensing his tone, Pan Zhengyang hurriedly explained, “I mean no malice.”
He said, “Look at me; my father is a self-made small boss. I witnessed with my own eyes since childhood how busy he was—working on construction sites, opening restaurants, drinking with government officials, acting submissively. It was entirely normal for him not to come home for ten days to half a month at a time. He painstakingly founded this family business, which could be considered decent for ordinary people, right? But upon arriving at high-class occasions like this, isn’t he still called a vulgar rich man and looked down upon? Back then, after the family acquired money, they transferred me to a so-called aristocratic school too. Yet in reality, what happened? When my parents bought me new phones, limited-edition sneakers, and NBA-signed basketballs, in the eyes of my classmates, those were all things that only the nouveau riche liked…”
Chen Wengang placed his glass back onto the waiter’s tray. He didn’t look at Pan Zhengyang, pulling a handkerchief from his chest, which accidentally slipped and dropped to the floor.
Pan Zhengyang naturally stopped talking, waiting for him to bend down and pick it up. But once the item was retrieved, it became difficult to pick up the previous topic again.
Chen Wengang folded the handkerchief, “President Pan’s rags-to-riches story is very wonderful.” He offered him a smile, “But I plan to slip away and head home first. Time is short today; go tend to your business, and I’ll listen to the rest when there’s an opportunity next time.”
Before the gala reached its conclusion, Chen Wengang had already exited the hotel.
Someone was carrying a basket selling fresh flowers on the street. Having walked past by two steps, Chen Wengang was drawn back by the fragrance of the roses. He bought a large bouquet of roses, carried them to his car, and set the navigation to a different hotel.
