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Chapter 146: Really? What if I didn’t agree?
The paparazzo continued with a smiling face, “Mr. Huo, I’ve been curious about something. Since you two have such a good relationship, why did you secretly elope and get married abroad without telling anyone? Was there some hidden reason behind it?”
Chen Wengang stood next to Huo Niansheng, who replied, “What’s it to you? Mind your own business.”
The paparazzo, undeterred, continued smiling, “Didn’t you ever consider having another big wedding ceremony domestically?”
Huo Niansheng still refused to engage, saying, “We’re planning to leave, so you better leave now.”
Unable to get a response, the paparazzo eventually gave up and left. After he was gone, the two of them remained. With the night breeze blowing gently, Chen Wengang looked out at the river while resting his hand on the railing.
They gazed at the river, and Chen Wengang casually plucked a rose petal from Huo Niansheng’s pocket, sniffing its fragrance.
Chen Wengang said, “If he behaves better, maybe one day I’ll tell him that when we got married, I was completely clueless. It was like being pushed into it without realizing it, and by the time I came to my senses, the wedding was over, just like that, so unexpectedly.”
Huo Niansheng mocked him: “Unlike you, I don’t procrastinate. When I see something I like, I grab it without hesitation. No waiting around.”
Chen Wengang lightly slapped his arm, “What kind of talk is that? I was just worried you wouldn’t agree.”
Huo Niansheng drawled, “See, that’s the difference between you and me. I don’t consider those kinds of issues.”
Chen Wengang countered, “Really? What if I didn’t agree?”
Huo Niansheng mimicked pointing a gun at him and threatening, “Tie you up and smuggle you across.”
Chen Wengang leaned against him, and as the wind picked up, the rose petal slipped from his hand and fluttered away.
He reached out to grab it, his expression focused, even somewhat regretful, showing a hint of childishness. Huo Niansheng reached out to touch the back of Chen Wengang’s neck, holding onto his clothes to prevent him from falling, but couldn’t help but smile. He enjoyed seeing this side of Chen Wengang, the part that was usually hidden behind maturity.
They ended up sitting on the steps, chatting until dawn, before heading home to sleep and going for a morning run the next day.
A few days later, a certain newspaper published an article about a block of tofu, claiming that Mr. Huo not only went to a late-night street food stall with his boyfriend but also poured his heart out by the river, accompanied by a photo where his face wasn’t clearly visible. The paparazzo didn’t embellish much, perhaps because the material was ordinary, and there wasn’t much room for sharp commentary. The conclusion merely expressed admiration for Mr. Huo’s crazy love and his willingness to live a humble life— at most, it suggested that his pursuit of quality of life had reached its peak, and because of this, there was even a hint of enduring love.
Given that the disturbance was still within a tolerable range, Chen Wengang still just laughed off these things.
He also knew that over the past few years, Huo Niansheng’s public relations and legal teams had worked hard to shut up the paparazzi. Whatever happened before could be set aside, but later on, they dealt with some stubborn troublemakers quite firmly, whether by sending legal letters or using intimidation tactics. By now, both sides had basically compromised to a more balanced state.
They didn’t demand complete silence on gossip, considering they were celebrities, but when it came to Chen Wengang’s identity, most of the time, they only referred to him as “Mr. Chen,” avoiding mentioning his full name, leaving him some space for a private life.
The projects of the Huo Group were progressing comprehensively in the second half of the year, and in the following two weeks, Huo Niansheng suddenly became busy.
For several consecutive days, Chen Wengang went to his office to deliver dinner.
He hadn’t really done this before, but ever since their conversation by the river, Huo Niansheng had been nagging, saying that Chen Wengang obviously knew everything but still didn’t propose actively. Chen Wengang had to surrender— for this reason, even if Huo Niansheng wanted something in bed, he would compromise, and if Huo Niansheng wanted food and flowers, he would agree too. When Chen Wengang had time, he would cook at home and bring it to him in a lunchbox. If he had to go to the foundation, he would buy something from the store and bring it over to have a meal with Huo Niansheng.
Then, Huo Niansheng would either casually conduct meetings or review processes, while Chen Wengang would sit on the sofa reading.
If they stayed up too late, Chen Wengang would take a nap in his rest area for a while before going home together.
Employees of the subsidiary were not as informed as those at the headquarters, and they still harbored some curiosity about the personal privacy of Chairman Huo.
One time, when Chen Wengang went downstairs to use the restroom, he overheard people discussing him, with some saying that the chairman’s little lover was getting too clingy. While being cute and seeking affection was acceptable, being too clingy was pushing it, and they weren’t afraid that the patron would get annoyed.
But another person felt that this precisely showed his capability. Being able to manage Chairman Huo like this meant that he was willing to take both the good and the bad.
When Chen Wengang returned upstairs, he met the general manager in the corridor, who was surprisingly polite to him, even showing a hint of deference.
Even the employees of the CEO’s office on this floor were very familiar with him. Chen Wengang had a mild temper and was good with people, often treating them to something. He had good relationships with these people. He didn’t mention this to Huo Niansheng or the general manager much, just reminded the executive secretary. She was very surprised and apologized repeatedly, promising to communicate with the relevant department leaders to handle it properly.
Chen Wengang actually advised her, saying that he wasn’t angry and that people saying things wouldn’t kill anyone. However, spreading rumors about the chairman in the workplace was undoubtedly inappropriate and needed management.
The executive secretary felt even more embarrassed— the matter certainly needed to be handled, and she already had procedures in mind. However, what she began to worry about was if Chen Wengang and Chairman Huo caused a commotion over this, it wouldn’t look good for anyone. Yet, he didn’t seem the slightest bit angry; she suddenly realized that he wasn’t just overly tolerant but rather excessively refined. Such a person wasn’t incapable of getting angry; it was just incredibly difficult to shake him or break through his defenses, something that ordinary people couldn’t achieve.
Afterward, Chen Wengang didn’t hear any more inappropriate remarks at Huo Niansheng’s company. As for the projects, they were busy for a while, but Huo Niansheng no longer needed to entertain guests or work overtime every day, and Chen Wengang’s task of delivering meals came to an end.
Over halfway through the summer vacation, Chen Wengang received a message from his cousin, Chen Xiangling.
With the progress of the old city renovation project, the areas that had been renovated in the old city saw a rise in property prices. A few years ago, Chen Wengang’s uncle and aunt had taken out a loan to buy school district houses in other places for their two sons. However, they neglected their daughter, leaving her with no place to stand in the family. Chen Wengang decided to give her some money and bought the old house on Chuntao Street, transferring it to Chen Xiangling’s name.
Chuntao Street was close to the commercial district, and the average price of houses there was even higher than that of new developments in the suburbs.
At that time, Chen Wengang had this idea. Regardless of whether the old city was rebuilt or renovated, there would be corresponding compensation. In any case, he wouldn’t lose money. He deliberately bought the house from his uncle at the market price at that time, considering it fair and leaving no room for future disputes.
But when his uncle and aunt found out about this, they regretted it and tried to get closer to their daughter again. Plus, they somehow found out about Chen Wengang’s actions, including the gift of a storefront in the commercial district to Chen Xiangling, thanks to Li Hongqiong’s connections.
Chen Wengang made a video call to Chen Xiangling and said, “I know, just focus on your studies; you don’t need to worry about these things.”
Chen Xiangling smiled at him from the other end, “I’m not worried, just letting you know.”
People change a lot as they grow up. Although Chen Xiangling’s appearance hadn’t changed much from three or four years ago, she still had two braids and no makeup. However, her temperament had matured, making her look more like an adult.
Chen Wengang asked about her studies and daily life and finally said, “Do you want to come back during the holidays?”
Without hesitation, Chen Xiangling replied, “No, my English proficiency isn’t good enough. Although I’m studying abroad, I can’t fully keep up with what the professors are saying in class. I have to record the lectures and listen to them again later. I’ve accumulated a semester’s worth of recordings, but I don’t understand many parts. I don’t know when I’ll get to listen to them.”
Chen Wengang smiled and said, “You don’t have to push yourself so hard.” He looked at Chen Xiangling and changed his mind, “Don’t come back. Use your vacation time to travel around and broaden your horizons. Oh, by the way, do you have enough money?”
“I have enough. I have a scholarship for tuition, and you’ve already given me living expenses.”
“Why do I feel like it’s been a long time since I last transferred money to you? Let me send you some more?”
“No need, really. I have enough.”
“Alright, I’ll just transfer some money for your travels.”
After ending the video call, Chen Xiangling sent Chen Wengang a screenshot of their video call. She had edited Chen Wengang’s face, adding a pair of tortoiseshell glasses, making him look like an elder peering at people from behind the glasses, mocking him for being verbose.
Chen Wengang chuckled and immediately sent a photo of Huo Niansheng, asking her to do the same.
He didn’t immediately contact his uncle, Chen Zeng. They were in a hurry again, but they couldn’t just transfer ownership of the house out of thin air. Because of what happened with Chen Xiangling back then, Chen Wengang was a bit distant from them in his heart, so he decided to leave the matter for now.
Another thing was that, during this time, Pan Zhengyang had begun to express his pursuit of Chen Wengang again.
Originally, to Pan Zhengyang, Chen Wengang was probably someone he pursued with the thought that there might be someone better, but he wasn’t desperate.
But he was a student with little money, living with a boyfriend who worked odd jobs, and he was Zheng Bingyi’s adopted son, closely connected to the Zheng family, the ship king’s family, making his attractiveness incomparable.
Pan Zhengyang came to the foundation as a partner for inspection, bringing gifts and flowers to everyone. As soon as Chen Wengang arrived at the office, there was a large bouquet of yellow roses on his desk.
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