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Chapter 65: Just let him chase you hard.
Chen Wengang walked straight toward a group of people, and Bald followed suit after getting out of the car.
There were a total of four or five people, among them was a girl who seemed drunk. She was stumbling and being supported by two men. But the whole group didn’t look too good; it was hard to tell how many of them could walk straight. They were making a lot of noise, leaning on each other’s shoulders, and creating a ruckus on the street.
Bald heard Chen Wengang shout, “Jiang Cai.”
The heavily made-up girl hugged a man’s neck and raised her eyelids slightly, her smoky makeup giving her a fiery look.
He raised his voice again, shouting, “Jiang Cai?”
This time, Jiang Cai reacted. She widened her eyes, and her cheeks puffed up. She pushed people away unsteadily under the streetlamp and vomited loudly. After vomiting for a while, a man tried to lift her up again, his hand resting on the edge of her low-rise pants, seemingly trying to explore.
Chen Wengang frowned, “What’s your relationship with her?”
Another person squeezed over, “What’s your business, handsome? Do you have the right to interfere?”
Chen Wengang suddenly scolded angrily, “You’re all smelling like marijuana leaves, and you’re asking me if I can interfere or not? Do I need to call the police?”
For a moment, there was silence.
Bald followed up behind him like a spirit, his broad chest and wide black polo shirt showing off his muscular arms.
The group of people still seemed tough on the outside, muttering a few words, but they retreated quickly like an ebbing tide, leaving Jiang Cai exposed in the middle.
Chen Wengang asked Bald to get a bottle of water from the car, “Do you still need to vomit?”
Jiang Cai shook her head with her hair scattered, looking dazed. Her makeup was smudged, and her eyes resembled those of a panda.
After emptying her stomach, she seemed to sober up a bit. The bald guy brought the water, and Chen Wengang opened the bottle and handed it to her.
Jiang Cai tilted her head back and gulped down a few mouthfuls, her eyes focusing a bit.
He wrinkled his brows and sniffed, unable to get too close, but he could still smell a strong alcohol odor, “Did you smoke?”
Jiang Cai looked him straight in the eye and smirked after a while, “Yeah, I did.”
“Weed?!”
“Cigarettes. Oh… you meant that? I haven’t yet; but if I say I want to try… Why stop me, Chen-ge?”
Her face was still childish and mixed with a learned waywardness. She turned away when nobody stopped her, and she walked away on her own.
Descending the steps, behind the bar street was a riverside promenade. She staggered and stumbled, leaning against the railing by the river.
As the wind blew, Jiang Cai felt stuffy and leaned out half of her body, “Ah—”
Chen Wengang startled her by pulling her back forcefully, causing her to sit abruptly on the steps.
He scolded her with a sense of helplessness, “What do you want exactly? Do you and your mother have some deep-seated grudges?”
She seemed allergic to this term and burst out, screaming, “It’s not like I hate her! She hates me!”
Chen Wengang was momentarily stunned, not interrupting her outburst.
“Does she see me as a daughter or just a tool? Now she’s afraid she’s going to die, and no one will take care of her.” She exclaimed loudly. “Everyone tells me how hard it was for my mom because of me! Who knows how I survived? Since childhood, she used me to gain sympathy; if I couldn’t pay tuition, she’d make me kneel to the teacher; if we couldn’t afford rent, she’d make me kneel to the landlord; and she’d make me kneel to strangers she stopped on the street. Am I not worthy of standing like a human being? Huh?
“When she’s happy, she hugs and cuddles me, cooks for me, and says, ‘Baby, look how much Mommy loves you; Mommy does everything for you.’ When things don’t go her way, who hears how she scolds me? She calls me a burden, a wild chicken, a bastard, and says she should’ve never given birth to me… Does she really love me? It’s easy for you to say she’s good, but does your mom treat you like this?”
Jiang Cai cried bitterly, lying down on the steps.
After crying for a while, Chen Wengang squatted in front of her and handed her a tissue.
He said, “I don’t remember my mom, but my dad was good to me.”
Jiang Cai glared at him again, hiccuping. She grabbed the tissue and wiped her face.
Chen Wengang said, “Let’s go; I’ll take you home first. If I catch you messing around again, believe me, I’ll call the police and have you all thrown in.”
He sounded fierce, his face stern. Jiang Cai didn’t take him seriously at first because he seemed like a fake nice guy at school, but there were times when a well-dressed man in a sports car came to pick him up, which made everything seem ridiculous.
Then she heard that Teacher Chen himself had some background—rich people loved to play the role of selfless benefactors.
But at this moment, he suddenly resembled the headmaster of hell, revealing a rather terrifying side.
Jiang Cai couldn’t help but stiffen her neck; her eyebrows knitted into a knot. She wasn’t afraid to tear clothes and resist the headmaster at school, but after drinking and feeling sweaty and teary, she was too lazy to move.
She got up, gave a cold snort, and followed him back, swaggering into the back seat of the bald guy’s car.
***
So this Jiang Wanxia person definitely needs to be investigated.
Huo Niansheng ordered someone to handle this matter.
And the next day, at the opening of the new art exhibition at Li Hongqiong’s art gallery, Chen Wengang unexpectedly ran into her. During the small talk, she astutely heard something, “I heard that Lao Huo is investigating a mother-daughter pair? Is there something special about them?”
Chen Wengang smiled and deflected, “He was just here. Why didn’t you ask him yourself? How did he explain it?”
Li Hongqiong admired, “I’ve always thought you’re very reliable, never gossiping behind people’s backs.”
Huo Niansheng bumped into an acquaintance and was called away for a while, so the two of them continued chatting and ended up in the outdoor smoking area.
Li Hongqiong lit a lady’s cigarette. Her smoking demeanor was elegant and charming, with the slender cigarette held between her fingers, her left hand supporting her right elbow, gazing at the sky, and exhaling smoke rings, like a beauty from an old Taiwanese calendar.
Of course, Chen Wengang was looking at her through a filter.
After all, he had his plans regarding Li Hongqiong.
The Li Group was involved in real estate development and urban renewal. If they extended their reach to Jiangchao Street, refurbishing and developing it instead of demolishing and rebuilding, it would undoubtedly preserve many memories and create a new yet familiar environment.
In his spare time, Chen Wengang checked the local county annals and provided her with some reference materials she wanted to see.
Li Hongqiong chuckled as she took a stack of papers from him and tucked them into her handbag, “Thank you; I’ll study them when I get back.”
As her cigarette neared its end, Huo Niansheng still hadn’t returned.
But the two of them had pretty much exhausted their limited common topics.
A few expired newspapers were scattered on the steps—these journalists somehow remembered Huo Niansheng and speculated whether his carefree lifestyle of horse riding and playing ball indicated his clear health condition or simply his indifference.
Li Hongqiong glanced at them and remarked, “Well, at least they’re not being too outrageous with their gossip.”
Chen Wengang turned his head and casually asked, “How outrageous did it used to be?”
Li Hongqiong replied, “Forget it; it’s not worth mentioning if it doesn’t accumulate merit.”
She flicked off the ash of her cigarette and glanced at him again, “And the difficult part is, after all the fuss, they still resist digging into your past. Who knows how many media outlets have been silenced. It’s quite an effort. Actually, friends close to Lao Huo know he has someone new around him now. Guess what? We’re even being warned not to speak recklessly in front of you. What else can we say? We can only talk behind your back about how capable you are and how you’ll soon have him bowing down to you.”
Chen Wengang smiled without taking offense.
After all, Li Hongqiong not mincing her words was a common occurrence: “Actually, just keep it as it is now; let him work hard to pursue you.”
Chen Wengang raised an eyebrow, indicating his interest in hearing more.
She took another drag of her cigarette and asked, “Do I really need to explain? Men are like that; what they can’t get, they desire the most. The more he invests in you, the more he’ll be unable to let you go. You think your relationship is as simple as college students dating, introducing each other to friends… playing house, and naturally blending into one circle? It won’t be that harmonious.
“I know it’s not right to say this; it’s politically incorrect, but that’s the reality of this world—you have different identities and positions. He’s putting in all this effort to pursue you, and even though others may gossip, they still see you as the jewel he’s picked. Conversely, if it were you pursuing him, in the eyes of others, you’d be seen as trying to cling to power and status.”
Li Hongqiong summed up: “You have to maintain your dignity; otherwise, you’ll end up in a difficult situation.”
Chen Wengang replied, “Thank you for the reminder. It’s indeed very realistic.”
Li Hongqiong said, “Yeah, sometimes I also wonder, why are the rules of this society like this?”
She looked into the distance, seemingly engaging in some philosophical contemplation, shook her head, and extinguished the cigarette with lowered eyelids.
At this moment, Huo Niansheng finished his conversation and came over, but said to Chen Wengang, “I have a meeting to attend; I have to leave for a while.”
Li Hongqiong responded quickly, “Go ahead. We’re having a good chat here.”
Chen Wengang smiled, and under the broad daylight, Huo Niansheng planted a kiss on his lips.
Four eyes watched him leave.
But it seemed there were still more words left unsaid. Chen Wengang leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and watched him walk to the street, the driver opening the car door.
He pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked Li Hongqiong, “Since we’ve come this far in our conversation, I have a practical question to ask you.”
Li Hongqiong replied, “Hmm, what is it?”
“You’re friends with Huo Niansheng, so why do you think he’s pursuing me?”
“Why ask this?”
“Isn’t it about maintaining dignity? Know your enemy, know yourself.”
At this, Li Hongqiong chuckled a bit, giving him a deep look, as if encountering an interesting and worthy topic for discussion, “Is it just superficial attraction? Firstly, your appearance is definitely up to par. Don’t be offended; I’m sure there’s more than that. You have a good personality, you’re easy-going, and you treat people well. I quite enjoy being around you. Like I said earlier, just being able to refrain from speaking ill behind people’s backs is a great virtue. Do you know how rare it is for someone to inspire such trust?”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“In fact, it’s all guesswork. It’s just that you give him a different feeling; maybe being with you makes him feel something positive? After all, he’s not a very positive person himself. They say you desire what you lack the most, and what he lacks the most is probably this.”
“Are you praising me?”
“You’re welcome.”
After parting ways, Chen Wengang continued to explore the exhibition, while Huo Niansheng took quite some time before coming to pick him up, citing a social engagement that evening. Li Hongqiong was preparing to leave when she saw Chen Wengang lingering at the door, so they decided to go to a nearby Russian restaurant for dinner together.
Huo Niansheng eventually arrived to fetch him, smelling slightly of alcohol but not overly intoxicated and still coherent.
Upon returning to the Yunding Tower, Chen Wengang took care of him, giving him some honey water to drink.
After drinking, Huo Niansheng, in his somewhat thickened speech, pressed Chen Wengang with questions, “You’ve been chatting with Li Hongqiong for so long, what did you talk about?”
Chen Wengang smiled, keeping his lips sealed, “Can’t I have secrets with others?”
After a while, they both went to take a shower. Huo Niansheng leaned against the headboard, the bedside lamp casting a faint light over him. His freshly dried hair naturally fell down, and at this moment, he shed all his worldly cynicism and sharp edges, appearing just like an ordinary man.
Chen Wengang approached, wrapped in his robe, and cupped Huo Niansheng’s face, rubbing his forehead.
He leaned in to look at the files on Huo Niansheng’s tablet, which contained basic information from the preliminary investigation of Jiang Wanxia and her daughter.
Chen Wengang went through it as well. At first glance, there was nothing particularly striking. At most, Jiang Wanxia was a single mother who had been on the move with her daughter since she was little, often living in difficult and precarious circumstances. As Jiang Cai described, they probably endured a lot of hardships. But based on her age and whereabouts, she couldn’t possibly be her biological mother.
Chen Wengang asked, “So, do we need to investigate further?” He checked his phone but found it dead.
He handed it to Huo Niansheng, “Out of battery.”
Huo Niansheng took the charging cable and plugged it in for him, “You’re getting quite used to ordering me around, aren’t you?”
Chen Wengang just smiled, having mustered the courage to boss him around a bit, and instructed Huo Niansheng to wake him up in the morning.
When he was actually shaken awake, it was still dawn.
Chen Wengang, still drowsy, opened his eyes and asked, “What’s going on?”
Huo Niansheng reassured him, “There’s a bit of an issue. I need you to take a look. Don’t worry, it’s not about you, but they might need to find you.”
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