Chapter 81: I don’t mind having guests over for an extra meal.
The exhibition hall was remarkably low-key. There was no promotional material at the entrance; passersby wouldn’t notice a thing, save for the two security guards standing strict watch.
Pushing open the door and navigating a maze of twists and turns to reach the inner suite, a completely different world opened up.
The room was filled with glittering jewels, their brilliance dazzling the eyes.
Yellow diamonds, pink diamonds, blue diamonds, emeralds, and pigeon’s blood rubies were displayed in glass cases, easily within reach, maintaining zero distance from the guests.
The exhibits mostly consisted of diamond necklaces, with a handful of rings—mostly agate rings and jadeite thumb rings—none of which were intended for proposals or weddings. But when Chen Wengang saw them, his footsteps couldn’t help but linger, a soft glow slowly spreading across his face.
In a display case to the side were silver pieces. The designs were striking and unconventional, completely standing out from the rest of the jewelry.
There was a pair of rings with cursive script engraved inside the bands. The width and the lines were just right. Chen Wengang took a liking to them at first glance.
An eye for something is hard to explain; to put it mystically, it’s a sense of destiny upon seeing it—a feeling that this is the one.
He stared at them for a long while until Yu Shanding came over.
“The stuff here isn’t worth much. They were made by the host’s daughter. She studied jewelry design and is just starting out. She’s won a few small awards, but she’s lucky her parents are willing to prop up her value. Look at the other cases; which of those isn’t an auction-grade piece?”
Chen Wengang smiled. “That’s perfect. I just don’t know if she’d be willing to take a custom order.”
Yu Shanding understood. “You’re in luck today, she’s here. It’d be easy for me to go up and ask for her contact info for you.”
Aside from jewelry, the exhibition hall also featured watches. Lu Chenlong was holding Xiao Bao, looking at tourbillons over there.
The delicate, constantly moving mechanical structures held his attention for a bit, but after two minutes, Xiao Bao grew bored.
Since Lu Chenlong wouldn’t let him touch anything, he decided it wasn’t fun and started whining and fussing to go home.
Lu Chenlong said, “Be good. We’ll leave together in a little while.”
Xiao Bao squirmed impatiently. “No, want go back now.”
“Can I buy you some ice cream?”
“Go home! Go home!”
The older brother sighed. But they still had to wait for Yu Shanding. Lu Chenlong tried coaxing Xiao Bao to look at a diamond fire phoenix brooch to distract him: “Look, a little birdie! Whose little birdie is this?”
Chen Wengang was just about to offer to hold him for a while when suddenly, someone approached. “Hey, how did you sneak in? Where are the security guards, are they all dead?”
The outburst was so sudden and loud that both of them were caught off guard and froze.
The guest relations staff stationed in the hall was also startled but quickly recovered. “No, no, they have tickets.”
Someone beside the newcomer chimed in, “Letting any random dog or cat in… Did you actually check if they have tickets?”
Chen Wengang frowned. He recognized the man—a rotund figure of pure flab. It truly was a small world; it was He Wanxin’s older brother, He Jiajun.
Not only did they know each other, but they also had a prior dispute at the restaurant last time.
Chen Wengang politely offered a smile first. “We were just preparing to leave. Young Master He, take your time looking if you enjoy it.”
He Jiajun clicked his tongue twice. “Finished looking already? So whose tab are you planning to put it on this time?”
The few friends beside him let out muffled snickers.
He Jiajun walked closer. “Why go far when you can stay near? If you call me ‘good brother,’ it’s not like I couldn’t buy it for you.”
The group laughed even harder. Lu Chenlong said coldly, “We haven’t stolen or robbed anything. Watch your mouth.”
He Jiajun looked him up and down. “I almost forgot if you hadn’t spoken up.” He pointed at Lu Chenlong and Xiao Bao, telling the guest relations staff, “Before they leave, make sure you search both their pockets. Don’t be blind and let them smuggle anything out.”
Chen Wengang stepped forward to block him. “If you’re suspicious, call the police. Call them now.”
The one caught in the middle was the guest relations staff member. He was just there to work; he didn’t dare conduct a search, nor did he want to call the police and blow things out of proportion.
With the group of young masters jeering nearby, the chaotic scene felt like a farce. Fortunately, Yu Shanding arrived at that moment, bringing the host along with him.
Anyone capable of hosting an exhibition like this was naturally no ordinary figure. Chen Wengang had tagged along with Yu Shanding at the last minute, and only upon meeting him did he recognize Meng Shihong, an industrial tycoon in the city. He Jiajun and the other juniors, who had come using their fathers’ or older brothers’ invitations, were well aware of who he was.
Therefore, they didn’t dare act insolently to his face. Before the elder Mr. Meng and his wife had even stepped through the door or spoken a word, the farce had consciously dissolved into thin air.
Mrs. Meng, however, was a very amiable person. She chatted with Chen Wengang for a bit and handed him a business card for her daughter.
The couple had just dropped by the exhibition hall on their way and were about to leave. In Lu Chenlong’s arms, Xiao Bao suddenly threw an inexplicable tantrum, demanding to play with the fire phoenix brooch.
Lu Chenlong scolded him in a low voice, “No! Stop fussing!”
Xiao Bao let out a shrill, piercing wail like a slaughtered pig, acting as if the brooch was supposed to be his beloved toy.
The scene grew awkward again. Lu Chenlong was used to being embarrassed by his brother, but the mocking gazes here were especially piercing.
He Jiajun gave a cold, cynical smile. “It’s only a little over a hundred thousand, not expensive at all. If he likes it, just buy it for him to play with.”
Mrs. Meng suddenly offered a gentle smile. “Buying diamonds for a young child isn’t very appropriate. Look here, there’s a longevity lock.”
She waved her hand, leading Lu Chenlong over to the display case with the silver jewelry. “These inside are my daughter’s works. Ah, don’t mind me tooting my own horn—parents love being a bit too involved—but I really do think she’s done a good job.”
Her unhurried tone blindly put Lu Chenlong at ease. He didn’t even ask for the price. “It’s very nice, I’ll take this one.”
Chen Wengang coaxed Xiao Bao into stopping his crying while Lu Chenlong found a guest relations staff member to settle the bill. The staff swiped his card.
Lu Chenlong glanced at the POS machine: 500 yuan.
Mrs. Meng smiled and explained, “This is a piece from her student days, it’s not very mature yet.”
Yu Shanding drove the three of them back. Halfway there, Lu Chenlong seemed to finally reflect on the encounter. “She’s a really nice person.”
The 500 yuan was an unplanned expense, but it salvaged a bit of his dignity and his mood for the whole day, plus it got him a tiny longevity lock.
He glared resentfully at the main culprit, who, exhausted from crying, was now slumped over his knees, drooling as he slept.
Chen Wengang reached out and patted Xiao Bao’s forehead.
After dropping the Lu brothers off, Yu Shanding asked Chen Wengang where he was heading.
Before Chen Wengang could speak, he suddenly noticed a missed call on his phone.
He hadn’t heard it in the car earlier. Calling back now, Jiang Cai demanded on the other end, “Why aren’t you at the school?”
“Oh,” Chen Wengang said. “I have the day off today. Did you need me for something?”
Jiang Cai, who had previously threatened to throw his business card away, had actually never done so and had kept it on her the whole time. Perhaps feeling the slap in the face came too quickly, she hemmed and hawed before letting out an “mm.” “I skipped class and snuck out. Where are you? I’ll come find you.”
Chen Wengang sent Yu Shanding on his way and took a taxi over himself.
He met Jiang Cai at a milk tea shop.
At first glance, her image had completely changed. She had been cleaned up from head to toe; her hair was no longer a messy bird’s nest, and her clothes and shoes were upscale.
However, she was huddled in the innermost booth, wearing a baseball cap and glancing around suspiciously, acting like she was a wanted fugitive.
Before he could even ask, Jiang Cai complained on her own accord, “I can’t take it anymore. They watch me like a prisoner.”
Of course, this was only her side of the story.
If Huo Zhenfei’s secretary were to speak, he would likely maintain that he was simply following orders. He had arranged her school transfer, purchased all her daily necessities, and hired a nanny, a driver, and two tutors for her. Truly, he hadn’t overlooked a single detail.
These people were responsible for managing her going to and from school and her tutoring sessions. They were simply doing their duties, leaving her with no opportunities to run wild anymore.
But Jiang Cai utterly despised this. “I don’t even have the slightest freedom to go outside anymore.”
Having people watch her twenty-four hours a day was indeed a simple, crude, but effective method. Driven mad by it, Jiang Cai had even called the police, claiming they were restricting her personal freedom. When the police arrived and saw she was a minor, they deemed it a family guardianship measure, rendering her police report useless.
Thinking about that group of delinquent friends she used to fool around with in the middle of the night, Chen Wengang couldn’t really say anything.
At the end of her complaints, Jiang Cai suddenly added, “My mom hasn’t replied to my messages for two days.”
Jiang Wanxia had gone abroad to a sanatorium. Chen Wengang pondered this and offered a comforting word. “I can help you ask about this.”
Huo Zhenfei seemed to be in a meeting; he unhesitatingly hung up the phone first, only calling back a quarter of an hour later.
“She skipped class to go find you? I’ll have the driver pick her up and bring her back.”
“No need for now, she’s not going to get lost.” Chen Wengang asked, “You didn’t have someone stop Jiang Wanxia from replying, did you?”
Huo Zhenfei said, “Of course not. I’m busy enough with work, why would I waste effort on that? If she’s not replying, it’s just because she really can’t. You know she’s already in the late stages of uremia; various complications could arise at any time. To tell you the truth, her condition has been highly unstable since she arrived at the sanatorium. A sudden deterioration could happen at any moment.”
As if afraid of being suspected, he promised, “I truly had people contact the best doctors and sanatorium. You can trust me on that.”
Chen Wengang wasn’t fooled. “You never planned on letting Jiang Cai know, nor did you want her to go visit, right?”
Huo Zhenfei indeed hadn’t considered going to the trouble. “Is there any need for that? Jiang Wanxia only has a negative influence on her.”
“You completely intended to keep Jiang Cai in the dark about her mother’s deteriorating health?”
“I’ll naturally notify her when her mother is critically ill. If she doesn’t make it in time for a last goodbye, then she’ll attend the funeral.”
Chen Wengang hung up the phone. Returning to the milk tea shop, Jiang Cai asked, “Well?”
When Huo Niansheng returned to the apartment with his assistant, Amanda, he knew there were people home; Chen Wengang had contacted him in advance.
The lights in the kitchen were on. Chen Wengang sat on a barstool wearing an apron. Holding a single chopstick, he dipped it in water, learning how to wrap wontons.
A whole row of them had already been lined up on the cutting board—plump and white. They looked decent enough, at most just slightly inconsistent in size.
Jiang Cai sat across from him, studying a wonton wrapper with a bizarre expression, making no move to help.
Under the soft lighting, Huo Niansheng watched for a long while before stepping forward with a soft laugh. “What made you think of making these?”
Chen Wengang said, “I was planning on making wontons anyway. I bought the wrappers and filling and froze them. Running into her skipping class and sneaking out was an accident. I figured taking her to your office might not be convenient, so we just stopped here first.”
Huo Niansheng had already heard the situation from him and cast a feather-light glance at Jiang Cai.
Strangely enough, while Jiang Cai was full of disdain for others, she was exceptionally sensitive to the mocking, sarcastic undertone in Huo Niansheng’s gaze.
She shrank back slightly, feeling an instinctual fear of him.
That afternoon, Chen Wengang had passed Huo Zhenfei’s words on to her, and she said she wanted to go abroad to the sanatorium to see her mother.
Huo Niansheng didn’t care; it was just a matter of spending a little money. He waved a hand at Amanda. “You know the situation. Take her home, get her passport, and book the flights and accommodation. Count this as a business trip, the company will reimburse you for the expenses when you return.”
Amanda had come specifically for this errand. She agreed and asked her boss, “When should we depart?”
Huo Niansheng said, “Leave right now.”
Jiang Cai froze. Without being given a single second to drag things out, she was forced to go to the entryway and put her shoes back on.
She shot a glance at Chen Wengang across the room, feeling utterly baffled. She had thought she’d at least be staying to eat something before leaving.
Huo Niansheng walked them to the entryway. As if seeing right through her thoughts, he let out a scoff. “I don’t mind keeping a guest for a meal. But you aren’t one. Alright, let’s leave it for the future. You still have a lot to learn about how to conduct yourself.”
