Qing Tian, panting hard, caught up with Gu Feng. Just as she was about to complain to him, she suddenly noticed the two people standing opposite them.
They looked a little familiar.
A flicker of confusion crossed her face. Before she could take a closer look, Gu Feng had already stepped forward.
“President Cheng.”
Zhang Xiyue looked up in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to know Cheng Mingjiao.
Wait… the male lead already knew the male supporting character before the latter started pestering the female lead?!
Her mind began racing as she tried to recall every plot point she could remember, only to realize that the novel had never mentioned the male lead knowing the male supporting character.
Of course, it had never said they didn’t know each other, either.
Just now, the male lead had said it was their first meeting. So, if not for her persuasion, Cheng Mingjiao would never have come to Yangshan Crafts, and their “first meeting” would have taken place when the male supporting character began harassing the heroine.
…The harder she tried, the more miserable she felt.
Zhang Xiyue was nearly angry enough to laugh. Cheng Mingjiao had already given Gu Feng a once-over, a restrained arrogance showing in his manner.
“And you are?”
Gu Feng stared at him for several seconds before lifting his chin as well. “Gu Feng, of Nanwu Technology.”
Cheng Mingjiao glanced at him again. “Never heard of you.”
Gu Feng’s expression did not change. “Really? Then President Cheng is rather poorly informed.”
In just a few exchanges, the air suddenly crackled with tension.
Zhang Xiyue and Qing Tian both looked toward the two men. They were both dressed in black suits, tall and elegant, and even the coolness in their eyes and brows was somewhat alike. The only difference was that Gu Feng was more restrained, while Cheng Mingjiao was more arrogant.
They really were two kings who could not share the same court.
At this point, Zhang Xiyue had already decided to let the chips fall where they might. Seeing the two of them square off, she actually found it a little entertaining.
Still, discouraged as she was, she had no intention of giving up until things had become truly hopeless.
First, she needed to separate these two men—both ridiculously handsome, yet behaving like fighting cocks.
Zhang Xiyue put on a smile and was just about to speak when Qing Tian, standing opposite her, suddenly cried out, “I remember you!”
Her shout drew everyone’s attention.
When Gu Feng saw her staring wide-eyed at Cheng Mingjiao, he immediately felt a little displeased.
“We met at the hospital some time ago,” Qing Tian said, oblivious to Gu Feng’s expression as she continued smiling at Cheng Mingjiao. “I was handing out flyers then, and you were the first person willing to take one from me!”
Cheng Mingjiao had always had an excellent memory. At her words, one brow rose slightly.
“Have those shady medical outfits expanded their business to Yangcheng now?”
“…What?” Qing Tian did not understand.
“President Cheng,” Zhang Xiyue cut in before Cheng Mingjiao could say anything else. She glanced at the time on her phone. “We need to go upstairs as soon as possible.”
Cheng Mingjiao immediately replied, “Got it.”
A hint of amusement appeared in Gu Feng’s eyes. “President Cheng, are you after Yangshan Crafts’ contract?”
“Is there a problem with that?” Cheng Mingjiao countered.
Gu Feng smiled. “Of course not. I simply didn’t expect that, with Yuhuang Intelligence being such a major company, President Cheng would personally make a trip to Yangcheng over a single factory contract.”
“If you don’t handle things personally, how can your company grow that large?” Cheng Mingjiao seemed to think he was asking a foolish question.
Gu Feng curled his lips. “President Cheng is right. I hope you get a satisfactory result this time as well.”
A provocation.
A blatant, naked provocation.
Cheng Mingjiao gave him a disdainful glance and walked away.
Zhang Xiyue nodded at the two men, then jogged after him.
They entered the elevator one after the other. Once the receptionist had swiped their access card, she stepped out, leaving only the two of them inside.
Zhang Xiyue watched the elevator doors close and the numbers on the display slowly tick upward, pretending not to notice the stormy mood beside her.
What a jerk. He’s only met the guy twice, and he’s already putting on his peacock display.
[Oh, wow, the evil medical institution’s business has expanded all the way to Yangcheng~~~]
Zhang Xiyue pursed her lips.
“What are you doing?” Cheng Mingjiao suddenly asked.
Zhang Xiyue straightened up at once. “Nothing.”
Cheng Mingjiao: “...I saw it.”
“Saw what?” Zhang Xiyue played dumb.
I saw that sarcastic look on your face.
A flicker of confusion crossed Cheng Mingjiao’s eyes. He had no idea what was wrong with her.
The elevator remained silent.
It was probably already past the start of the workday, because it shot straight upward without stopping once.
“I hate him.” Cheng Mingjiao shared his current feelings with Zhang Xiyue.
Zhang Xiyue stared at the elevator doors’ reflection. “Oh.”
She did not ask whom he hated. There were only two possibilities, after all, and he obviously couldn’t hate the heroine.
If he hated him, then so be it. For an obsessive male supporting character who could never have the person he loved, hating the male lead was only to be expected.
Zhang Xiyue was not surprised in the least.
“He’s copying me,” Cheng Mingjiao said with a cold laugh.
Zhang Xiyue finally turned to look at him.
Cheng Mingjiao immediately presented his evidence. “Didn’t you see his clothes? They’re from the same brand as mine. His shoes are, too. He even copied the way I slick my hair back.”
“There are only so many luxury brands. Running into someone wearing the same one is perfectly normal. At least you weren’t wearing the same outfit. As for the hair...” Zhang Xiyue looked at his spotless forehead, fell silent for a moment, then countered, “Isn’t that the standard look for an overbearing CEO?”
She considered herself merely stating the facts, but Cheng Mingjiao looked incredulous. “You’re taking his side?”
Zhang Xiyue: “...I’m not.”
Cheng Mingjiao: “You are.”
Zhang Xiyue: “I’m not.”
Cheng Mingjiao: “You’re making excuses for him.”
Zhang Xiyue: “I really am not.”
The two of them went back and forth like a pair of elementary school students. But the moment the elevator doors opened, they instantly reverted to the mature Mr. Cheng and Assistant Zhang.
Li Qianshan, the head of Yangshan Crafts, had been waiting for them for quite some time. The moment he saw Cheng Mingjiao, he greeted him with a broad smile.
Cheng Mingjiao smiled as well and shook his hand, looking nothing like the unreasonable man he had been ten seconds earlier.
Li Qianshan ushered them all the way into the reception room, expressing his admiration for Cheng Mingjiao roughly eight hundred times in the span of three minutes.
“I’ve been thinking that I absolutely had to visit you in Phoenix City if I ever got the chance. I never imagined you would come here first. My little company is truly honored by your presence.” Li Qianshan was the very picture of obsequiousness.
Cheng Mingjiao accepted all his flattery without hesitation, then returned a few perfectly measured compliments of his own.
Since starting work, Zhang Xiyue had spent most of her time following Cheng Mingjiao around while he did anything but proper business. Even so, she had attended a few formal dinners and social engagements.
Although she had already seen him navigate social situations with effortless ease, she was still amazed by the maturity he displayed before her now.
Was this really the Cheng Mingjiao she knew? The Cheng Mingjiao who spent all day folding paper airplanes in the office and thought the whole world should revolve around him had actually learned how to exchange pleasantries?
Humans were complicated.
Clutching the folder to her chest, Zhang Xiyue waited until the two men had finished showering each other with compliments and taken their seats before silently moving to Cheng Mingjiao's side.
In the midst of his busy schedule, Cheng Mingjiao glanced at her and noticed that she was watching him.
Thirty seconds later, he looked at her again and found that she was still watching him.
After working together for so long, he had no doubts whatsoever about Zhang Xiyue's abilities on the job.
It was just that Zhang Xiyue liked him far too much. She liked him so much that even when all he was doing was breathing, he could still command her complete attention.
Cheng Mingjiao understood how she felt. At the same time, he thought it was fortunate that the person she liked was him. If it had been someone else, her attitude of putting love above everything else would very likely leave her with nothing in the end—both love and money lost.
Then again, only he was worthy of being loved so recklessly by her.
If it had been anyone else, Zhang Xiyue wouldn't even have bothered to spare him a second glance.
Like Li Qianshan, for instance. She hadn't looked at him once.
Li Qianshan, who was nearing fifty, suddenly sneezed.
Cheng Mingjiao raised his eyes to look at him.
Li Qianshan chuckled. “Sorry, sorry. I've caught a bit of a cold lately...”
“Mr. Li, you should take better care of yourself.” Cheng Mingjiao offered the reminder considerately, while unobtrusively shifting backward to avoid catching the man's cold at such close range.
Li Qianshan nodded repeatedly and resumed flattering him.
Cheng Mingjiao was beginning to get annoyed. He was thinking about how to steer the conversation toward business.
Before he could figure it out, Zhang Xiyue had already presented the documents and naturally brought up the project at hand.
Her timing was perfect, as though even while staring at him earlier, she had also been keeping track of the progress of his conversation with Li Qianshan.
Zhang Xiyue really did pay close attention to him.
The corners of Cheng Mingjiao's lips lifted. He leaned back against the sofa, relaxed, and crossed one leg over the other. “The terms Yuhuang Intelligent has offered this time are very favorable. I'm sure you'll be satisfied, Mr. Li.”
Li Qianshan nodded enthusiastically, but after taking the documents, he merely flipped through two pages perfunctorily before setting them aside. “Mr. Cheng, I recently got a jar of tea that tastes exceptionally good. Why don't we have some together?”
Zhang Xiyue paused, though she wasn't surprised.
The fact that she had run into the male and female leads downstairs meant they had already spoken with Li Qianshan. They must have offered him terms he couldn't refuse, enough to make him choose to work with them even at the risk of offending Yuhuang Intelligent.
Setting aside the protagonists' halo, it was perfectly normal to make decisions based on business considerations. The question was whether the Emperor could accept it.
Zhang Xiyue was a little worried that Cheng Mingjiao might lose his temper on the spot and make the situation impossible to resolve. She looked at him anxiously.
Cheng Mingjiao, however, didn't let his smile falter. He leisurely began discussing tea with Li Qianshan.
That yandere could really be surprising sometimes.
Zhang Xiyue relaxed and silently put away her company's documents.
In the end, nothing of substance was settled. The two men merely drank several cups of tea before returning to the hotel.
It wasn't until they entered the room that Cheng Mingjiao's expression suddenly darkened.
Zhang Xiyue followed behind, trying to calm him down. “The terms we offered were already generous enough. If Nanwu Technology can still win the project, it only means they’ve cut their profit margins extremely low. Even if they sign the contract, there won’t be much profit in it. There’s no need for you to…”
“Look into them!” Cheng Mingjiao said grimly. “Find out exactly who this Nanwu Technology is, and what background that Gu Feng has!”
“...Me?”
So this was it—the classic assistant task of digging up someone’s entire background within three minutes.
Cheng Mingjiao turned at the uncertainty in her voice and met her bewildered eyes.
Wide-eyed. Helpless.
Like a Dutch dwarf rabbit frozen stiff.
More than half of Cheng Mingjiao’s anger abruptly dissipated. Pressing his lips together, he said, “I’ll have Zhou Ce do it.”
Zhang Xiyue sighed in relief, though she immediately began worrying about her colleague. After all, this kind of doxxing-style assignment... where was one even supposed to begin?
Ten minutes later, Zhou Ce—currently recovering at home—sent over a complete dossier on Gu Feng and Nanwu Technology.
Watching page after page slide out of the hotel printer automatically, Zhang Xiyue felt a renewed respect for assistant characters in novels.
Cheng Mingjiao sat in front of the printer and read the pages one by one. With every page he finished, his expression darkened another shade.
Zhang Xiyue rested a hand on the back of his chair and leaned down to read as well. When she saw Gu Feng’s impressive résumé, she more or less understood what Cheng Mingjiao was upset about.
He was probably furious that Gu Feng was just as outstanding as he was.
That mere male lead actually dared to be as exceptional as him. Even if the other man did nothing at all—simply being alive was an offense to the Emperor.
Not to mention that Gu Feng was competing with him for the same project.
Not to mention that Gu Feng had the girl he’d fallen for at first sight by his side.
[Oh, oh, oh—looks like the shady medical institution’s business has expanded all the way to Yangcheng~~~]
Zhang Xiyue snarked inwardly, but found the situation tiresome. She straightened up, about to distract him, when she suddenly caught sight of Lu Xue’s name on the newest page sliding out of the printer.
Lu Xue.
Cheng Mingjiao’s cousin—and the nemesis of his life.
She was actually Gu Feng’s business partner. This collaboration with Yangshan Crafts was also a joint project between their two companies.
On the way back to the hotel, Zhang Xiyue had already pieced everything together.
The second male lead had met the male and female leads. And just like in the original novel, his attitude toward the heroine had become strange and ambiguous at first sight, while he was openly hostile toward the hero. He was clearly on the verge of spiraling into a possessive, obsessive psychopath.
The most urgent priority now was to leave as soon as possible and keep him from meeting the male and female leads again, thereby delaying the point at which he turned full-on obsessive.
It was a good thing for her if Gu Feng managed to secure Yangshan Crafts’ order, just as he had in the original novel. All she needed to do now was persuade Cheng Mingjiao to relax, then coax him into going out and having some fun.
But if Lu Xue was involved in the project too, things became rather difficult.
Back when Grandma Qian had merely suggested that Zhang Xiyue become Lu Xue’s assistant, Cheng Mingjiao—who hadn’t even intended to hire her—had changed his mind on the spot. If he saw Lu Xue’s name now, wouldn’t he fight Gu Feng to the bitter end?
Zhang Xiyue’s thoughts raced. In the span of a single moment, countless ideas flashed through her mind. Just then, Cheng Mingjiao happened to look up toward the printer.
History repeated itself.
She raised her hand, placed it against his cheek, and firmly turned his face toward her.
Cheng Mingjiao: “?”
The air suddenly fell silent.
It had been two months since she’d used the same trick, and now that Zhang Xiyue had a better understanding of Cheng Mingjiao, she handled it with even greater ease than last time.
“President Cheng, don’t move. There’s something on your face,” she said calmly.
Looking at her face so close to his, Cheng Mingjiao finally realized just how near she was—so near that if she lowered her head even slightly, she could kiss him.
His lips moved, and without realizing it, he parted them slightly, revealing their beautiful shape in full.
Since Zhang Xiyue had already used something on his face as an excuse, she naturally had to see the act through. With a perfectly serious expression, she used her other hand to rub his cheek.
The Emperor had excellent skin—the kind that came from a life of luxury and flourishing health. It was also very delicate. She had barely applied any pressure, yet a patch of red had already appeared on his cheek.
Looking at the redness she had rubbed into his skin, Zhang Xiyue inexplicably found herself wondering: I wonder if the skin on the rest of his body is like this too.
Cheng Mingjiao’s entire body went rigid. His mind was like a train roaring through his head, and amid the thunderous clamor, only one thought remained:
Zhang Xiyue was about to kiss him.
Her gaze was subtle, but it was so obviously subtle, so candid, that it was practically a ball of fire, ready to burn him to ashes.
But Zhang Xiyue did nothing. After touching his face, she simply withdrew her hand and took the stack of documents from the printer.
Zhang Xiyue was a coward.
Zhang Xiyue was utterly hopeless.
Zhang Xiyue... was really infuriating.
Cheng Mingjiao touched the small patch of skin on his face that was still warm and asked calmly, “Was there really something on my face?”
“Yes,” Zhang Xiyue answered sincerely.
Zhang Xiyue was also very good at lying.
But what good was being good at lying when, in the end, she only dared to touch him?
Cheng Mingjiao turned his face away, unwilling to look at her.
Taking advantage of the moment, Zhang Xiyue snatched the documents from his hands as well, mixed them together with the ones she had taken, and threw the whole pile into the trash.
Hearing the noise, Cheng Mingjiao looked at her again.
“President Cheng, Yuhuang isn’t short on business. Since Yangshan Crafts no longer intends to work with us, why don’t we just let it go?” Zhang Xiyue urged. “After all, refusing to work with us is their loss.”
The moment this subject came up, Cheng Mingjiao’s mood darkened.
Ever since he had started a business with his team, he had always been the one taking other people’s contracts. No one had ever managed to snatch the meat from his bowl.
And it was that particularly irritating person, too.
“President Cheng, don’t be upset. We’re leaving tomorrow. We can go rafting, go fishing, and eat lots of delicious food.” Zhang Xiyue’s tone was light and cheerful, filled with anticipation.
Cheng Mingjiao’s eyes shifted slightly, and he seemed to hesitate.
Zhang Xiyue continued, “I heard there are lots of wonderful scenic spots around Yangcheng. We could visit several of them. Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to go? I’ll go with you...”
“No,” Cheng Mingjiao interrupted her. “I still can’t swallow this insult.”
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
“What’s he so smug about? And he called me ignorant,” Cheng Mingjiao sneered. “If he wants the Yangshan Crafts contract that badly, then I’m definitely not giving it to him. Let’s see who’s really ignorant.”
The more he talked, the more fired up he became. He even remembered to reassure Zhang Xiyue. “Don’t worry, it won’t take long. Once I secure the contract, I’ll take you out for some fun.”
Are you really doing this for the contract? You’re obviously doing it for the female lead.
Shameless!
Zhang Xiyue couldn’t be bothered with him.
A chill suddenly ran down Cheng Mingjiao’s back. He immediately shifted the blame. “Gu Feng must be cursing me behind my back.”
Zhang Xiyue remained expressionless, thinking, Could things possibly get any worse?
The answer was yes.
Because five minutes later, Lu Xue called.
Cheng Mingjiao answered in a foul mood. “What?”
“Aww, didn’t get the order and now you’re mad? Come on, sweet-talk your big sister a little, and I’ll let you have it.” The voice on the other end of the phone was brimming with provocation.
Cheng Mingjiao narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean, you’ll let me have it?”
“You didn’t know?” Lu Xue sounded surprised. “Gu Feng is my partner. For this deal, he provides the technical side and I provide the manpower. We split the profits fifty-fifty.”
Cheng Mingjiao said, “No wonder I dislike him so much. Turns out he’s one of yours.”
“Are you furious?” Lu Xue asked.
Cheng Mingjiao laughed coldly. “Furious? Why would I be? Have you signed the contract already?”
Lu Xue replied, “We’re signing first thing tomorrow morning. It’s as good as done.”
“Not necessarily,” Cheng Mingjiao said.
There was a few seconds of silence on Lu Xue’s end before she called, “Zhuangzhuang.”
Cheng Mingjiao hung up immediately and blocked her number in one smooth motion, as practiced as if he had done it hundreds of times before.
If Gu Feng, an outsider, merely irritated Cheng Mingjiao, then Lu Xue—a blood relative—was more than capable of truly igniting his temper.
At that moment, Cheng Mingjiao was like an agitated tyrannosaurus, rolling up his sleeves and preparing to teach certain people a lesson.
Zhang Xiyue knew that no amount of soothing would get through to him now. She decided that out of sight was out of mind, made up an excuse, and slipped back to her room.
The entire day passed in idleness.
Early the next morning, Cheng Mingjiao appeared outside her door looking fresh and energetic.
“Come on,” he said with a smile. “Let’s go sign the contract.”
Zhang Xiyue stared at him for several seconds before asking, “How much did you cut the profit margin?”
“Thirty percent,” Cheng Mingjiao answered.
Thirty percent. That was practically charity work.
Zhang Xiyue took a deep breath. She felt somewhat helpless, but also thought that if this could settle things so quickly, perhaps it wasn’t such a bad solution after all.
“Come on, let’s go sign it,” Cheng Mingjiao urged again. “Once we’re done, we’ll go have some fun.”
Zhang Xiyue perked up. “Really?”
“Of course.”
Zhang Xiyue didn’t quite believe him.
He had gone so far as to slash profits just to beat Gu Feng. How could he not seize the chance to get close to Qing Tian?
Cheng Mingjiao smiled. “What’s with that look? You don’t believe me?”
Zhang Xiyue gave him a fake smile, making her longing to go out and have fun abundantly clear.
Twenty minutes later, the two arrived at Li Qianshan’s office and began another round of tea tasting.
Li Qianshan kept beating around the bush, never once mentioning the contract. Cheng Mingjiao maintained a flawless smile, but the moment they stepped into the elevator, the air around him turned noticeably colder.
Clearly, Gu Feng had made his move as well.
Zhang Xiyue coaxed him with a few words, but seeing that he was still immersed in his own mood, she simply fell silent.
When the elevator doors opened again, the two of them stepped out and ran straight into Gu Feng and Qing Tian.
It had only been a day since they last met, yet even the most basic pleasantries had disappeared between them.
“As expected of the Cheng family heir, President Cheng. With such a powerful family behind you, you can afford to play rough—even cutting your own profits,” Gu Feng sneered.
Cheng Mingjiao gave a soft, dismissive laugh. “And President Gu, from such an ordinary background, hasn’t cut his profits too? You’ve cut even more than I have. I wonder, if this deal really goes through, whether what you earn will even cover your company’s restroom water bill.”
“No need for President Cheng to worry about that.”
Their eyes met, sparks crackling in the air.
They parted on bad terms.
After Cheng Mingjiao returned to the hotel, his mood was unusually no longer so oppressive—but Zhang Xiyue knew there was no way he would simply let the matter drop.
Sure enough, before noon, he cut his profit margin by another ten percent.
Li Qianshan smiled so broadly his eyes nearly vanished. Just as he was about to agree to sign the contract, Gu Feng offered new terms. Cheng Mingjiao immediately raised the stakes again, and the other side refused to yield an inch.
The two of them traded blows from afar, their battle raging fiercely.
Zhang Xiyue couldn’t persuade him to stop, and she felt her head beginning to ache.
After another two days of stalemate, Li Qianshan seemed convinced they could still lower their offers further. He simply ignored both sides, forcing Gu Feng and Cheng Mingjiao into a temporary truce.
But a truce was a truce; Cheng Mingjiao did not relax in the slightest.
Watching him hammer away at a calculator, Zhang Xiyue felt tired on his behalf.
Even while working, Cheng Mingjiao did not forget to promise her, “Once we close this deal, we’ll go out and have some fun.”
Just like some cheating boyfriend whose heart was elsewhere, offering nothing but pretty words.
Zhang Xiyue stared at him for several seconds, then lowered her head and opened a group-buying app to look for a movie theater.
Because the male supporting character had gotten absurdly bold and actually challenged the male lead, she had even dreamed last night that Cheng Mingjiao had been ridden like a dinosaur by Gu Feng all night... She was under a lot of pressure now and desperately needed some entertainment to unwind.
Zhang Xiyue found a nearby cinema. After carefully browsing the listings, she chose a mindless animated movie and selected a seat.
Just as she was about to pay, a hand reached over her shoulder and selected the seat beside hers.
She turned her head speechlessly and met Cheng Mingjiao’s perfectly matter-of-fact gaze.
“Zhang Xiyue, do we have to watch an animated movie?” Not only was he matter-of-fact, but utterly confident in his argument. “I want to watch something more mature.”
Zhang Xiyue wanted so badly to go on a date with him that he couldn’t quite bear to refuse her—but he really didn’t want to watch an animated movie.
After a brief silence, Zhang Xiyue said, “Then I’ll buy you a ticket for something else.”
Cheng Mingjiao frowned. When he realized that by “something else,” she meant they would be going into different theaters, he immediately changed his tune.
“An animated movie sounds pretty good too.”
And so the two of them went to watch an animated movie together.
The cheerful music, adorable cartoon characters, and all sorts of amusing lines gradually lifted Zhang Xiyue’s mood.
She simply hadn’t expected even a children’s movie for toddlers to contain a romantic subplot.
Watching the cow couple bicker and squabble while the pig-headed character kept trying to break them up, she remarked absentmindedly, “The truth is, she doesn’t like him at all. No matter how well he treats her, she still won’t like him. Why insist on chasing after someone who doesn’t love you?”
Cheng Mingjiao’s eyes flickered, and he turned to look at her.
The theater lights were off, and the glow from the screen illuminated their faces.
Zhang Xiyue and Cheng Mingjiao gazed quietly at each other. Seeing his expression shift from dazed to solemn, she assumed he had taken her words to heart.
She carefully began, “You…”
“Zhang Xiyue.” He suddenly called her name.
Zhang Xiyue sat up a little straighter. “What?”
“You’re not supposed to whisper during a movie,” he said.
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
After reminding Zhang Xiyue, Cheng Mingjiao felt somewhat regretful.
It wasn’t that Zhang Xiyue lacked manners. She simply wanted to talk to him.
He was the one at fault. He should have rented out the entire theater.
If he had, Zhang Xiyue could chat as much as she wanted.
She could even run up in front of the screen and dance to her heart’s content.
Unaware that she was already dancing gracefully in someone’s thoughts, Zhang Xiyue didn’t say another word for the rest of the movie.
By the time they left the theater, night had fallen.
The movie theater happened to be next to a street lined with food stalls. The air was thick with a medley of enticing aromas, making one’s mouth water.
Zhang Xiyue turned to Cheng Mingjiao. “President Cheng, I’d like to get something to eat before we go back.”
Cheng Mingjiao glanced at the food street. The surroundings were filthy, with trash scattered everywhere. The food here looked as though any random dish could poison a mammoth.
But Zhang Xiyue wanted to eat.
He frowned and reluctantly agreed. “Fine. Pick a place.”
Zhang Xiyue’s heart gave a little jump. She stared at him for a while before confirming that he intended to go with her.
She had assumed he would leave first.
With the tagalong emperor in tow, Zhang Xiyue could no longer do whatever she pleased. She had to search as they walked for a restaurant that looked relatively clean.
Just as she was concentrating on the task, Cheng Mingjiao suddenly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her behind him.
Zhang Xiyue stumbled back several steps before regaining her balance. When she looked up, she saw that he had turned around and was completely shielding her with his body.
But there were no cars ahead, nor any pedestrians rushing past.
While Zhang Xiyue was still puzzled, Cheng Mingjiao asked unhappily, “What’s wrong with you, Zhang Xiyue? Didn’t you see the barbecue stall up ahead?”
She was even more confused.
Just then, the barbecue vendor grabbed a handful of skewers. Oil dripped from the meat onto the glowing coals, and with a whoosh, a column of flame shot up.
Completely blocked by Cheng Mingjiao, Zhang Xiyue could see only the back of his neck, which was briefly illuminated red by the firelight.
“If you’re afraid of fire, stop walking toward every stove you see,” Cheng Mingjiao reminded her sternly.
Zhang Xiyue stared at him. It took her a long moment to find her voice.
“How did you know… that I’m afraid of fire?”
Cheng Mingjiao used the advantage of being more than half a head taller than her to look down at her. “That time we went camping and barbecuing, Liang Xiao wouldn’t listen to me and nearly set his own hair on fire. He was only scared for three seconds, but you froze for more than ten.”
“You hardly ever cook with gas. It’s either the rice cooker, the steam oven, or some other electric appliance. I haven’t had a breakfast cooked over a gas stove in ages.”
Under the streetlight, Cheng Mingjiao’s features were handsome and bright. There was a hint of pride in the way he recounted such details, like an unpolished jade stone whose natural radiance was already impossible to ignore.
After he finished, he waited for Zhang Xiyue to praise him.
Zhang Xiyue smiled, indulging him. “President Cheng, you really are attentive to details.”
Cheng Mingjiao’s lips curved upward. Then he pointed to a small restaurant without a stove. “Let’s eat there.”
Zhang Xiyue readily agreed.
They ordered several home-style dishes and began choosing drinks. The owner enthusiastically recommended their rice wine.
“Our rice wine is our specialty. A lot of people come here just for it. You can order a small cup first, and if you like it, get a whole jug.”
Zhang Xiyue noticed that nearly every table had a jug of rice wine on it, and she was tempted.
But she hadn’t forgotten that she was here with Cheng Mingjiao.
After being praised for his attention to detail, Cheng Mingjiao became especially attentive. “Just bring us a jug. I’ll try some too.”
The moment Zhang Xiyue heard that he planned to drink, she immediately asked the owner, “Does it have alcohol in it?”
“The alcohol content isn’t very high.”
“Then bring me a jug of the stronger kind.”
She had been under so much pressure lately. She needed to let loose a little.
“You got it!” the owner called out, taking the menu into the kitchen.
Yangcheng’s summers were cool, especially at night. With a light breeze blowing, the weather was even more pleasant.
Cheng Mingjiao frowned as he vigorously wiped down the table with several napkins. Zhang Xiyue looked around at the pedestrians on the street, the trees by the roadside, and the lights glowing in the distance.
Everything here felt so real—real enough to make her believe this was simply some unfamiliar city in the real world, and that all she had to do tomorrow morning was buy a plane ticket to return to her homeland.
Her homeland.
Zhang Xiyue let out a soft breath, feeling somewhat helpless.
“Zhang Xiyue.” Cheng Mingjiao, who had been wiping the table just moments ago, suddenly called her name.
She came back to herself. “Hm?”
Cheng Mingjiao paused. “...Nothing.”
He simply hadn’t liked the expression on her face just then. It was as though sitting across from him was the loneliest thing in the world.
Zhang Xiyue had already grown used to his unpredictable behavior. Just then, the rice wine and dishes arrived, so she took the initiative to ladle out two cups and handed Cheng Mingjiao a pair of chopsticks.
“Young man, you’re a lucky fellow—to have found such a considerate girlfriend,” the owner said cheerfully.
The instant Zhang Xiyue realized he had misunderstood, she was about to correct him when Cheng Mingjiao spoke first.
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
The owner paused, then left with an awkward laugh.
Cheng Mingjiao shot Zhang Xiyue a sidelong glance and said casually, “We haven’t even confessed properly yet. She doesn’t count as my girlfriend.”
Zhang Xiyue drained her cup of rice wine in one go. Heh, it was good.
When Zhang Xiyue made no response to what he had said, Cheng Mingjiao became a little unhappy again.
Even though he had moved to a completely different environment, he still had no idea how to prove that there was nothing wrong with him in that regard without arousing suspicions of sexual harassment.
And Zhang Xiyue really had continued not to confess her feelings outright.
For the first time in his twenty-eight years of smooth sailing, Cheng Mingjiao felt troubled. Seeing Zhang Xiyue so absorbed in the rice wine, he simply downed his own cup as well.
Mmm. It really was good.
The two of them ate and drank, and before they knew it, they had finished an entire jar of rice wine.
At one point, the owner passed by and was astonished to see the empty jar. “That’s the strongest rice wine we have. You two can really hold your liquor.”
Zhang Xiyue smiled and modestly replied that they were doing all right.
She did have a good tolerance for alcohol. It was just that the rice wine was sweet and refreshing, making it easy to drink without realizing how much one had consumed. Once she noticed that she was beginning to feel dizzy, she stopped.
The same went for Cheng Mingjiao. His eyes had taken on a bright, glazed look, but he was clearly still lucid.
He was simply becoming more talkative.
“The little bull is awful. He already has a wife, yet he doesn’t reject the little pig’s advances. He really doesn’t deserve the little cow.” He began discussing the plot of the movie they had just watched.
Zhang Xiyue chuckled. “I thought you’d identify with the little pig. I didn’t expect you to take the little cow’s side.”
“What?” Cheng Mingjiao didn’t understand.
Zhang Xiyue didn’t explain. She merely followed his train of thought and said casually, “But the little bull likes the little pig. He was forced to marry the little cow.”
“So what? No matter whom he liked before, once he’s married, he should devote himself wholeheartedly to his partner.” Cheng Mingjiao gave a cold snort. “And it’s not just marriage—even if they’re only dating, he should still remain faithful.”
Zhang Xiyue laughed. “Then suppose you were the little bull. You clearly liked the little pig, but you still had to remain faithful to the little cow?”
“Of course.” Cheng Mingjiao’s answer was firm. “If I were the little bull, then even if I didn’t like the little cow, once we were in a relationship, I wouldn’t look at anyone else.”
After saying this, his alcohol-fogged mind realized that his words could easily be misunderstood. He paused for a moment, then slowly corrected himself.
“I wouldn’t not like you.”
He mumbled the words, and Zhang Xiyue didn’t hear him clearly. She leaned a little closer, propping her chin in her hand as she asked with childlike innocence, “Then… what counts as being in a relationship?”
Her face was right in front of him. The faint sweetness of rice wine lingered on her breath—the same sweetness as on his lips.
Cheng Mingjiao’s heartbeat suddenly slowed, and countless possible answers flashed through his mind.
For example, there should be a grand ceremony.
There should be a carefully prepared gift.
He should say plenty of sweet things, preferably from a speech he had written in advance.
At the right moment, he should shed a couple of tears to express his joy at winning her heart.
There should be cheering and celebrating, and he should circle around her again and again.
…
Cheng Mingjiao felt that confirming a romantic relationship required at least all of those things.
But at that moment, as he looked into Zhang Xiyue’s hazy, drunken eyes, all he could manage was a stammered reply:
“J-just kiss me once.”
Zhang Xiyue blinked slowly. After making sure he wasn’t joking, she asked in surprise, “That’s all it takes? Just one kiss?”
Cheng Mingjiao nodded stiffly.
Zhang Xiyue: “So if you kiss someone, you’ll make things official with them—and never look at anyone else again?”
Cheng Mingjiao’s throat went dry. He nodded again.
Zhang Xiyue: “Even if they’re not your type?”
How could that be? It wasn’t like he’d kiss just anyone.
Cheng Mingjiao argued back in his head, but still nodded.
Zhang Xiyue thought, What kind of chaste, old-fashioned man is he? One kiss, and he’s ready to devote himself for life.
She found it funny. Her gaze fell on his lips, and they twitched reflexively.
But Zhang Xiyue didn’t kiss him. Instead, she looked away.
Cheng Mingjiao paused, then followed her gaze as he turned around. At the entrance to the alley stood Gu Feng and Qing Tian.
The two seemed to be bickering, neither of them looking pleased. But when sauce got on Qing Tian’s lips as she ate, Gu Feng still lifted a hand to wipe it away for her.
He did it so naturally that they both froze. The earlier unpleasantness was instantly replaced by awkwardness, and invisible pink bubbles seemed to fill the air around them.
The alcohol was getting to Cheng Mingjiao’s head, his thoughts beginning to blur, when a familiar hand suddenly cupped his face.
The third time.
Cheng Mingjiao was already used to it. Obediently, he turned his face back. The next second, a shadow fell over him. Zhang Xiyue, who had somehow risen to her feet, bent down and pressed a kiss to his lips.
It tasted of rice wine.
Sweet—so sweet.
Cheng Mingjiao’s lips moved slightly. His brain had completely crashed.
Zhang Xiyue’s reason had returned—though not entirely. She accused him first to gain the upper hand. “You said it yourself. One kiss means we’re officially together.”
