Cheng Mingjiao’s basement renovation was in full swing.
Since the construction crew worked during the same hours they did, and the bedroom was two floors away from the basement, the renovations had little effect on their daily lives. So the two of them didn’t move out.
Of course, Cheng Mingjiao wanted to.
“I have a high-rise apartment of over four hundred square meters near the office. For the sake of our health, we can move there temporarily,” he said.
The moment Zhang Xiyue heard the size and location of the apartment, which were quite similar to the one the male supporting character lived in when he first appeared in the original novel, she decisively refused. “No.”
Cheng Mingjiao: “…Hm?”
“I’m staying here.” Zhang Xiyue was utterly determined. She didn’t want him to trick her into moving out, only to secretly do something terrible behind her back.
Cheng Mingjiao tried to persuade her twice more, but seeing that she really wouldn’t budge, he had no choice but to stay with her.
Sigh. Zhang Xiyue simply liked him too much—so much that she couldn’t bear to leave even the place where he had once lived.
Amid this sweet frustration, Cheng Mingjiao worked hard according to Zhang Xiyue’s demands while carefully supervising the renovations at home. At last, the entire project was completed before the long weekend arrived.
“I want to take a leave of absence,” Zhang Xiyue solemnly announced at the dining table. “I can resign, too.”
Cheng Mingjiao looked up in confusion. “Why?”
Because she needed to keep an eye on the basement twenty-four hours a day, so that even if he wanted to bring someone home, he would at least have to think twice about her presence.
Because she needed to satisfy his urge to lock someone up. Although that urge had only arisen because of the female protagonist, she had no idea whether she could fulfill it on her behalf. But how would she know if she didn’t try?
Zhang Xiyue scooted over beside him and linked her arm through his. “I’ve been working part-time since college. I’ve been working all these years, and lately I’ve suddenly felt like slacking off.”
Cheng Mingjiao said, “Then I’ll transfer you to my office. You can slack off every day.”
“…I don’t want to get up early for work.”
“Then sleep until you wake up naturally before going in. You won’t have to make breakfast, either. I’ll have the hotel deliver it.”
“…I just don’t want to go to work. I want to lie around all the time.”
She was going through a bout of burnout.
Cheng Mingjiao understood. “Then I’ll take leave, too. I’ll keep you company—”
“No.” Zhang Xiyue cut him off.
Cheng Mingjiao paused, his face filled with confusion.
Zhang Xiyue cleared her throat. “You need to work hard, make money, and support me.”
Cheng Mingjiao said, “I already have enough money to support—”
He stopped halfway through the sentence. Then, as if struck by divine inspiration, he stared at her in shock.
Cheng Mingjiao: “?”
Cheng Mingjiao: “!”
Zhang Xiyue knew her excuse was flimsy. But since she hadn’t thought of a better one, all she could say was that she wanted to rest.
…Then again, “I want to rest” wasn’t such a terrible excuse, was it? Why was Cheng Mingjiao reacting like that?
Zhang Xiyue was wondering whether she should try to patch things up when Cheng Mingjiao suddenly nodded with utmost seriousness.
“All right. You rest. I’ll make money and support you.”
Zhang Xiyue: “?”
Three hours later, Cheng Mingjiao said heavily over the phone to Guo Fengnian, “She wants to marry me.”
Guo Fengnian: “?”
Having accumulated some experience as the Young Master’s love strategist during this period, he felt it was best not to speak too hastily before understanding the situation.
Besides, the Young Master would explain everything himself.
Sure enough, after saying that one sentence, Cheng Mingjiao began spilling everything out.
“She suddenly said today that she didn’t want to work anymore. Then she said she wanted me to support her. At first, I didn’t understand what she meant, and I was even thinking about how to improve her enthusiasm for work. But then I met her eyes and suddenly understood. It’s not that she doesn’t want to work—she just wants to get married!”
When he reached the last four words, Cheng Mingjiao let out a sigh.
“She wants to marry me but doesn’t know how to bring it up, so she could only beat around the bush, saying she didn’t want to work and wanted me to support her. Luckily, I’m clever enough to pick up on her meaning in time. Otherwise, who knows how much she would have overthought things?”
“She really cares about me too much. She’s never dared to ask me for anything directly because she’s afraid of putting me in a difficult position or pressuring me. She just thinks too much. But then again, when you love someone too deeply, it’s easy to overthink…”
What followed was five full minutes of sweet complaints.
Guo Fengnian’s ears were nearly worn raw. Finally, during a pause when Cheng Mingjiao took a drink of water, he managed to get a word in.
“So what did you say?”
Cheng Mingjiao hurriedly answered with the glass still halfway to his lips. “What else could I say? Of course I agreed.”
“…You really told her to quit?” Guo Fengnian thought that probably wasn’t a good idea.
He had seen Zhang Xiyue at work. She was impressive and radiant. It would be such a shame for her to give up her career just like that.
Cheng Mingjiao said, “How could I? I only agreed to let her take some time off because I was afraid refusing her would make her overthink things.”
He placed particular emphasis on the words “take some time off.”
“She wants to take leave or resign, all to convey that she wants to get married. Once I propose, she’ll feel reassured. At that point, she should bring up going back to work on her own.”
Guo Fengnian nodded, then asked, “When are you planning to propose?”
Based on his understanding of the Young Master, the proposal ceremony would certainly be exceedingly elaborate and lavish. Even if several teams worked on it together, it would probably take months to arrange.
Wouldn’t that mean Zhang Xiyue would have to wait a very long time?
Guo Fengnian voiced his concern.
“Ten days from now,” Cheng Mingjiao said.
Guo Fengnian: “…What?”
“Ten days from now. Most of the arrangements are already in place. Once the flowers from France arrive and we finish decorating the venue, I’ll be ready to propose.”
“Wait a second.” Dr. Guo’s mind raced. “You prepared for a major event like a proposal in only ten days?”
“How could that be?” Cheng Mingjiao was displeased by the question. “I started preparing at the beginning of June.”
Guo Fengnian was stunned. “…Huh?!”
“Why are you ‘huh’-ing?” Cheng Mingjiao asked, baffled.
Guo Fengnian’s brain was on the verge of crashing from overloading. “The beginning of June… Wasn’t that right after you found out she liked you?”
“Yes,” Cheng Mingjiao replied calmly. “She confessed to me, and I proposed to her. What’s the problem?”
There was, in fact, a very big problem.
“Um, she hadn’t confessed to you yet at the beginning of June,” Guo Fengnian reminded him tactfully.
Cheng Mingjiao said, “So what? She likes me that much. She was bound to confess sooner or later.”
Although Zhang Xiyue hadn’t given him a particularly formal ceremony, she had taken the initiative to kiss him and define their relationship.
Zhang Xiyue had always been cautious and timid in matters of love. The courage she had shown in that moment was more touching than the grandest ceremony in the world.
A brave Zhang Xiyue deserved the best reward in the world.
She deserved the best Cheng Mingjiao in the world.
The memory rose to the surface, and Cheng Mingjiao’s voice softened.
“I had a ring custom-made and prepared lots of gifts. I hope everything goes smoothly that day.”
Listening to his slow, gentle voice, Guo Fengnian’s eyes grew inexplicably moist.
“Brother, I wish you success.”
“Remember to come that day,” Cheng Mingjiao reminded him.
“I will.”
Cheng Mingjiao suddenly thought of something. “Oh, right. There’s one more gift. I might need your help with it.”
“Just say the word, brother. I’d gladly go through hell and high water for you.”
His sense of loyalty had been roused. For the sake of his brother’s happiness, he was willing to risk life and limb.
Cheng Mingjiao: “She likes seeing me work hard, so I’m planning to give her a major project on the day I propose.”
Guo Fengnian didn’t understand. “...What do you mean?”
Could the Young Master really be planning to make an engineering PhD student like him help negotiate a project?
Before he had much time to wonder, Cheng Mingjiao explained directly, “I’ve set my sights on your second uncle’s project, but someone named Gu Feng is competing with me for it. Can you go to your second uncle’s company, take a look at his confidential bid, and tell me what it is?”
Guo Fengnian was silent for a long moment before saying, “Leaking a confidential bid could land you in prison if you’re caught.”
Cheng Mingjiao replied with complete confidence, “If it makes Zhang Xiyue happy, what’s a few years in prison?”
Guo Fengnian immediately hung up.
Cheng Mingjiao huffed indignantly. At lunch, he told Zhang Xiyue, “I’m cutting ties with Guo Fengnian.”
Zhang Xiyue had long since grown used to this. She set down her drink and kissed him. “There, there. Don’t fight with your friends.”
Cheng Mingjiao licked his lips. It tasted sweet.
Forget it. He wouldn’t cut ties with Guo Fengnian after all.
He’d just give him the silent treatment for eighty years.
Three days before the long holiday, the basement’s ventilation was finally complete.
All the new materials used had been aired out for at least six months in advance, so even though the renovation had just been completed, every inspection report had passed.
Once everything was tidied up, Cheng Mingjiao took Zhang Xiyue by the hand and showed her around both floors of the basement.
“This is the screening room, this is the lounge, and this is the billiards room. Do you know how to play pool? I’ll teach you once the holiday starts. It’s good exercise...”
The holiday had not even begun, yet Cheng Mingjiao was already making plans.
For the past few days, he had been going to work alone. Zhang Xiyue was still asleep when he left, and by the time he returned, he would find her busy in the kitchen, the entire first floor filled with the delicious aroma of food.
Having someone waiting for him at home really was a happy thing.
But he wanted even more to go to work and come home with Zhang Xiyue. More than that, he wanted to see her all day long—from the moment they got up until they went to sleep, twenty-four hours a day.
If Zhang Xiyue didn’t like the hardworking version of Cheng Mingjiao, he would have taken the first day of her leave off with her and stayed home.
“This holiday, I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to stay with you the whole time.” Cheng Mingjiao’s eyes were bright, clearly reflecting Zhang Xiyue’s face.
Zhang Xiyue met her own reflection in his eyes for a moment before suddenly asking, “What about Qing Tian?”
“Who?” Cheng Mingjiao tilted his head.
After a moment, he realized who she meant. “What about Qing Tian? Did you make plans to see her during the holiday?”
“No.” Zhang Xiyue denied it.
Cheng Mingjiao sighed in relief. “Good. Don’t make plans to see anyone else during this time. Just stay with me.”
He had no intention of interfering with Zhang Xiyue’s friendships, but he had been looking forward to this holiday for a long time. He didn’t want to share her with anyone.
The second-to-last day of the holiday was also the day he planned to propose.
The temperature would be pleasant that day, with clear skies and gentle breezes. It would be the best day of the holiday. The following day would still be a holiday, so he wouldn’t have to go to work.
If Zhang Xiyue was too excited after being proposed to and couldn’t sleep, he could stay up with her. The next day, they could sleep in until the afternoon, then take their time getting up and having something to eat.
He had arranged everything perfectly. All that remained was for the day of the proposal to arrive, when he would personally put the ring on Zhang Xiyue’s finger.
Before then, the two of them would spend five days and five nights in this house without stepping outside, giving their relationship plenty of time to heat up.
Cheng Mingjiao gave Zhang Xiyue a carefree, beaming smile.
Zhang Xiyue stared at him for a long while before turning her face away. A person’s instinctive reactions could not lie. Although Cheng Mingjiao had prepared the basement just as he had in the original story, he had not the slightest interest in Qing Tian.
He really had let go of the female lead. Zhang Xiyue could feel it.
He really was working hard and striving to improve himself, too. The company’s financial statements could prove that.
...But why hadn’t her progress bar moved at all? It was as if it had broken.
Zhang Xiyue couldn’t figure it out.
The more she couldn’t figure it out, the more restless she became, to the point that even her dreams were filled with unease.
Compared with her, Cheng Mingjiao was much happier. As soon as the holiday began, he dragged Zhang Xiyue out to buy a mountain of food and drinks. Once they had stocked up on everything they needed, he shut the door and began their cozy life as a couple.
Zhang Xiyue had originally planned to carefully analyze why her progress bar had stopped moving. But the moment Cheng Mingjiao went on holiday, he began spending every waking moment with her. He even wanted to follow her whenever she went to the bathroom. She had no time at all to sort out her thoughts.
And so, five absurd days passed.
After yet another sleepless night, Zhang Xiyue curled up beneath the covers to catch up on sleep.
“I told you, I have something to do today. I can’t come home. Can’t I come back in a couple of days? ...I haven’t grown wings and flown away!”
“If you and Dad miss me so much, why didn’t you come home sooner? I hate you! I don’t want to talk to you anymore... Sorry, Mom. I shouldn’t have said I hate you, but I really have something important to do today. I can’t come home...”
“Mom!”
Cheng Mingjiao was hiding in the bathroom with the door closed, deliberately keeping his voice down, but Zhang Xiyue was still awakened by the noise.
Bleary-eyed, she glanced at her phone. It was nine in the morning.
She had only slept for four hours.
Zhang Xiyue yawned and sprawled across the pillow, unwilling to move. Several distinct finger marks on the beautiful curve of her back, exposed above the covers, were still faintly aching.
A healthy yandere had an astonishing amount of strength. Once he got worked up, he never seemed to stop. Tonight, she absolutely had to sleep in a separate room from him.
Zhang Xiyue kept her eyes closed and rested. Only after Cheng Mingjiao emerged from the bathroom, still huffing angrily, did she turn over to look at him.
One glance was enough to turn all of Cheng Mingjiao’s anger into helpless resignation.
“Zhang Xiyue.” He grumbled as he returned to bed, then wrapped his arms and legs around her.
“What is it?” Zhang Xiyue asked.
“My mom insists that I go home. She says my parents have been back for so long, and I haven’t gone to see them even once, which is incredibly unfilial.” Cheng Mingjiao complained.
Zhang Xiyue knew that his parents had been abroad for nearly half a year, and that they had returned home a week ago.
But she had not known that Cheng Mingjiao still hadn’t gone to see them.
“...Why don’t you want to go home?” she asked, puzzled.
Cheng Mingjiao’s lips moved. He silently looked into her eyes. He didn’t want to lie, but he couldn’t tell her the truth either.
After all, the proposal was meant to be a surprise. If he told her in advance, what kind of surprise would it be?
Seeing his hesitation, Zhang Xiyue remembered the bits and pieces of wealthy-family gossip she had heard recently and couldn’t help asking, “Are your parents bad to you?”
At that, Cheng Mingjiao thought seriously for a few seconds before answering, “Yes.”
Zhang Xiyue’s brows slowly drew together. “How could that be? Aren’t you their only child?”
“Not everyone puts their child first,” Cheng Mingjiao said.
If he and Zhang Xiyue ever had a child in the future, that child would have to come after Zhang Xiyue, too.
Zhang Xiyue would always be his number one.
“That’s perfectly normal,” he added.
Zhang Xiyue didn’t understand. “How can that be normal?”
“When your parents were alive, did they put you first?” Cheng Mingjiao asked curiously.
Zhang Xiyue nodded. “They loved me very much.”
Her parents had been forty when they finally had her. They had treasured her like the apple of their eyes since she was little. Neither of them earned a high salary, yet they still gave her the very best of everything. Before she turned thirteen, they had even scrimped and saved enough to buy her a house.
After they passed away, the love and money they left behind continued to support her as she traveled a very long way.
“That’s great.” Cheng Mingjiao thought it was only natural. After all, no one could bear to let Zhang Xiyue come in second.
Mistaking his words for envy, Zhang Xiyue comfortingly stroked his face. “It’s all right. Your family may treat you badly, but surely your other relatives are good to you.”
Otherwise, they could never have raised him with such a self-centered personality.
Cheng Mingjiao said, “They’re not good to me either.”
Zhang Xiyue: “...What?”
“After Lu Xue graduated, she went straight to the Cheng Corporation to gain experience. I wanted to go there after I graduated too, but they all voted against it.” Even after all these years, Cheng Mingjiao was still angry whenever he brought it up. “My parents included. I had no choice but to start my own business.”
Zhang Xiyue knitted her brows. “That’s awful.”
“You think they’re awful too, right?” Cheng Mingjiao grew aggrieved and burrowed into her arms. “They’re all bad people.”
He was far too large. The little affectionate gesture he thought of as acting cute felt more like a wild boar rooting around for apples to Zhang Xiyue.
His nudging hurt her, so Zhang Xiyue quickly hugged him. “Then don’t go back.”
“I can’t. I have to go back,” Cheng Mingjiao said gloomily.
If he didn’t, given his mother’s personality, she would come storming over within an hour, and he could forget about having any peace for the entire day.
At present, only Guo Fengnian knew that he planned to propose, and he had no intention of telling his family.
In fact, if he hadn’t needed Guo Fengnian’s help to secure his second uncle’s project, he wouldn’t have told even him.
A proposal was the kind of moment he naturally wanted to share exclusively with Zhang Xiyue.
“I’ll go back for lunch and be back soon,” Cheng Mingjiao said helplessly.
The proposal was scheduled for nine that evening. He had more than enough time to make a trip home and return.
After hearing this, Zhang Xiyue thought for a moment. “I’ll go back with you.”
She didn’t want him to face his unfriendly family alone.
Cheng Mingjiao’s eyes lit up, then he grew cautious. “Are you sure?”
“Will it be convenient?” Zhang Xiyue asked in return.
“Of course!”
And so, an hour in advance, Feng Shan and Cheng Hanting received word that Zhang Xiyue would be coming too.
Zhang Xiyue... Wasn’t she the assistant who had gotten into trouble with Cheng Mingjiao before?
Why was she coming along for a family gathering?
Being cautious, Feng Shan asked, “Zhang Xiyue is your...”
“My girlfriend,” Cheng Mingjiao answered over the phone.
Feng Shan: “!!!”
An hour later, Zhang Xiyue drove Cheng Mingjiao into a place that looked like a manor, following the directions on the GPS.
She had always thought Cheng Mingjiao’s thousand-square-meter villa was extravagantly luxurious. It was only after coming to his family’s old estate that she learned what true grandeur was.
The car slowly passed through the gates. Beyond them lay a broad road, with soccer-field-sized lawns stretching along either side.
A castle-like building stood directly ahead. Farther back were another eight detached houses—smaller by comparison, but still by no means small.
“The one at the very front is the main hall. We usually hold banquets there, and that’s where we’ll be having lunch today. The houses behind it are where we live. Mine is the one to the left of the main hall, and the one on the right belongs to my aunt’s family. Behind those are my parents’ and Grandma’s houses. Farther back are the guesthouses, servants’ quarters, exhibition halls, and so on.”
Cheng Mingjiao gave her an enthusiastic tour.
Zhang Xiyue glanced at his house and discovered that, apart from the main hall, it was the largest and most luxurious building on the estate. She suddenly began to wonder how much truth there had been in what Cheng Mingjiao had told her before.
Before she could ask, a line of men and women in black uniforms appeared at the edge of the horizon. Standing among them were a gentle woman in a qipao and an elegant, refined-looking man.
Cheng Mingjiao resembled his mother by about fifty percent, so Zhang Xiyue immediately recognized the couple.
She had come back with Cheng Mingjiao purely on impulse after hearing about his miserable family situation. It wasn’t until she saw how formally dressed his parents were that she realized what her actions represented.
She looked down at her own dress. It was perfectly respectable, but...
“I just remembered that I have something to do. Why don’t you get out here?” Zhang Xiyue said calmly.
Cheng Mingjiao paused. “What do you have to do?”
“Just a personal matter,” Zhang Xiyue replied vaguely.
“What personal matter?”
“...I said it’s personal. Obviously, I can’t tell you.”
She was still trying to evade the question.
Cheng Mingjiao stared at her for several seconds before understanding. “Zhang Xiyue, you don’t want to meet my parents.”
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
As a considerate boyfriend, Cheng Mingjiao had no intention of forcing her. “Then you can leave. I’ll have lunch with them by myself.”
“...Can I really leave?” Zhang Xiyue began to feel hopeful.
As an assistant, leaving after delivering her boss to his destination was perfectly reasonable, wasn’t it?
Cheng Mingjiao nodded. “Of course.”
Zhang Xiyue breathed a sigh of relief, then asked one more question. “What if they ask about it?”
“What else can they do? If my girlfriend doesn’t want to meet them, then they must have done something wrong. I’ll make them reflect on it properly,” Cheng Mingjiao said seriously.
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
One minute later, Zhang Xiyue got out of the car with Cheng Mingjiao.
It was a good thing she had.
When Feng Shan warmly took her hand, Zhang Xiyue learned that Cheng Mingjiao had already announced her identity as his girlfriend before they arrived.
Fortunately, she had stayed. Otherwise, in Cheng Mingjiao’s parents’ eyes, it wouldn’t have been an assistant who ran away—it would have been Cheng Mingjiao’s girlfriend.
“When Mingjiao told me you were his girlfriend, I thought he’d been single for so long that he’d started hallucinating. But after seeing you, I realized it was actually true.” After exchanging greetings, Feng Shan pulled Zhang Xiyue toward the house. “That Cheng Mingjiao didn’t tell us he was bringing you back, so I had no time to prepare. Please don’t take it the wrong way.”
“It’s my fault. I should have let you and Uncle know in advance. You...”
Zhang Xiyue hadn’t even finished her polite response when her expression froze.
In the magnificent Chinese-style living room, a huge banner hung down like a tongue from the double-height ceiling. Written across it in large letters were the words:
Welcome Home, Xiyue.
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
They called that no preparation?
“How ugly,” Cheng Mingjiao said, frowning deeply.
Feng Shan immediately shot him a glare. “What do you know?”
Cheng Mingjiao was about to retort when Cheng Hanting said with a chuckle, “Mingjiao, I prepared a gift for Xiyue. Come with me to get it.”
The moment Cheng Mingjiao heard that there was something for Zhang Xiyue, he no longer had time to bicker with his mother. He immediately ignored Zhang Xiyue’s desperate look and followed Cheng Hanting away.
Feng Shan led Zhang Xiyue to the sofa and sat down with her. She clasped her hands beneath her chin, tilting her head as she began admiring her future daughter-in-law’s beauty.
Although Zhang Xiyue had been completely unprepared, her mental fortitude was fairly strong. Under Feng Shan’s loving gaze, she maintained her smile the entire time.
“Oh, right.” Feng Shan suddenly remembered something and had a servant bring over a box. “I prepared a gift for you too.”
As she spoke, she opened the box, revealing a complete set of emerald jewelry.
Zhang Xiyue hurriedly refused. “No, Auntie, this is far too valuable...”
“It’s not expensive, really. This was given to me by Cheng Mingjiao’s grandmother, and now I’m giving it to you.” Feng Shan slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, then stood up and tried to put the necklace on her as well. Zhang Xiyue repeatedly declined before finally dissuading her.
“It looks wonderful on you,” Feng Shan said, holding her hand and sighing. “Though young people like you probably aren’t interested in things like this. Wear it for now and have fun with it. If you really don’t like it, you can sell it. Our family isn’t particular about these things. Once it’s given to you, it’s yours. And I just commissioned a jewelry designer to make a few more modern pieces. I’ll give them to you once they’re ready.”
Zhang Xiyue felt at a loss. “Really, Auntie, there’s no need. You’re being too kind.”
“You’re the one who shouldn’t be so polite with me.” After saying that, Feng Shan suddenly gave her a sympathetic look. “Dating Cheng Mingjiao must be exhausting.”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
“Actually, he was quite adorable when he was little. His temper was bad, but he wasn’t this difficult to deal with. Then, the older he got, the more unreasonable he became. He nitpicks over every little thing. I have no idea who he takes after…”
Before Feng Shan could finish, her phone suddenly rang.
She gave Zhang Xiyue an apologetic look, and Zhang Xiyue quickly nodded.
“Hello, Mom,” Feng Shan said after answering the call. “I’m chatting with Cheng Mingjiao’s girlfriend… Yes, he has a girlfriend too. Amazing, right? Your grandson is actually a normal human male.”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
“Mm-hmm, I’ll ask her.” Feng Shan looked up. “Xiyue, could you say hello to Grandma?”
Zhang Xiyue hurriedly took the phone. “Hello, Grandma.”
“Ah!” The voice on the other end was brimming with excitement. “He really has a girlfriend! I thought Shan Shan wanted a daughter-in-law so badly that she’d started hallucinating!”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
That explanation sounded strangely familiar.
Feng Shan took the phone back. “Mom, calm down. Don’t scare Xiyue… You miss me and your brother? I miss you too. I’ll come visit you in a couple of days and stay for a while. By the way, Mom, did you call me first, or did you call my brother first?”
Grandma said something on the other end, and Feng Shan smiled in satisfaction. “You called me? I was just asking. I didn’t mean anything by it. Oh, come on, Mom, of course I’m not keeping score with you. Then send me a screenshot of your recent calls later, okay?”
The grandmother on the phone suddenly fell silent.
Feng Shan hung up directly, then continued chatting with Zhang Xiyue with a pleasant smile. “I really have no idea who Cheng Mingjiao takes after. He’s such a headache.”
Zhang Xiyue glanced at the phone, which was vibrating frantically as Feng Shan ignored it, and was momentarily speechless.
Fortunately, Cheng Mingjiao and his father returned in time. Cheng Mingjiao was carrying a box. The moment he saw Zhang Xiyue, he stuffed it into her hands.
“My dad gave it to you.”
“Thank you, Uncle.” Zhang Xiyue quickly stood up.
Cheng Hanting gestured for her to sit down. After chatting with her for a few moments, he turned to Feng Shan and asked, “What were you and Xiyue talking about?”
“About how difficult your son is,” Feng Shan answered with complete honesty.
Cheng Mingjiao immediately objected. “Mom, how am I difficult?”
“You are difficult,” Cheng Hanting said on Feng Shan’s behalf. “I’ve always wondered who spoiled you into becoming this way.”
With his girlfriend present, Cheng Mingjiao didn’t argue. He merely snorted a couple of times in displeasure.
“Why are you breathing so heavily? Is there something wrong with the air in this house?”
Cheng Hanting detected something off in his snorts. After looking around, he decided that the display corner, which they had spent a fortune building only six months ago, was the culprit. He turned around and summoned several servants to dismantle it. In the blink of an eye, the perfectly good living room had become a demolition site.
Zhang Xiyue was even more speechless.
Dismantling the display corner would take quite some time, and the noise was unbearable, so the family simply moved to the living room in another building.
As they headed outside, Zhang Xiyue quietly asked Cheng Mingjiao, “Didn’t you say your parents treated you badly?”
“They do,” Cheng Mingjiao replied, swinging their interlocked hands. “They don’t hold my hand.”
Only Zhang Xiyue held his hand. That meant Zhang Xiyue treated him the best.
Zhang Xiyue looked at the elderly couple walking ahead, hand in hand, then glanced at the broad-shouldered man beside her, who was nearly six feet two. She decided that from now on, whenever Cheng Mingjiao said something, she would only believe half of it.
After they changed living rooms, Zhang Xiyue’s phone rang just as everyone had taken their seats.
It was a call from Qian Xiulan.
“There was an event at Yunxi Temple this morning, so Grandma probably only got hold of her phone now,” Feng Shan said with a smile. “Go ahead and answer it. She must be thrilled.”
Zhang Xiyue answered, and the moment the call connected, Qian Xiulan shrieked, “Xiyue, how could you be so foolish?”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
“Grandma, what are you talking about?” Cheng Mingjiao appeared ominously in the camera frame.
The moment Qian Xiulan saw him, she immediately put on a benevolent smile. “Ha-ha, I was only joking with Xiyue. Grandma knows you two are together. I’m absolutely delighted. It’s too late for me to come back now, though, so after you finish eating, come to Yunxi Temple. I have a gift for my future granddaughter-in-law.”
Zhang Xiyue had been at the Cheng residence for less than half an hour and had already received gifts worth more than ten million yuan. The mention of yet another gift immediately gave her a headache.
“Grandma…”
“We’ll go,” Cheng Mingjiao said, making the decision for her.
Zhang Xiyue could only fall silent.
Seeing how troubled Zhang Xiyue was, Feng Shan reminded Cheng Mingjiao, “Why don’t you ask Xiyue first? She might have something to do later and not have time to go to the temple.”
“She doesn’t have anything to do,” Cheng Mingjiao answered directly.
A gift from Grandma was bound to be something good. Naturally, he wanted Zhang Xiyue to receive it as soon as possible.
Feng Shan couldn’t stand it anymore. “How do you know she’s free if you haven’t asked her?”
Cheng Mingjiao turned to Zhang Xiyue. “Do you have something to do later?”
“…No.” Zhang Xiyue smiled.
Feng Shan and Cheng Hanting exchanged helpless glances.
Although Zhang Xiyue felt pressured by all the gifts, she still enjoyed chatting with Cheng Mingjiao’s family.
Before they knew it, the four of them had chatted until eleven o’clock. Just as the conversation was at its liveliest, the butler suddenly came in and announced, “The young miss and her husband have returned with Miss Shuang.”
“Why are they back at this hour?” Feng Shan asked in surprise.
The butler replied, “The old madam probably called them and told them that Miss Zhang was here. I saw the son-in-law carrying a lot of things. They appear to be gifts for Miss Zhang.”
More gifts.
Zhang Xiyue was oddly calm by now.
“Oh, honestly, Mom. Why did she have to tell Huating and Lu Dong too?” Feng Shan said with a headache.
When Cheng Huating and Lu Dong entered, they happened to hear this.
“What’s wrong with telling me? Mingjiao’s girlfriend has come to the house. Isn’t that something I ought to know?” Cheng Huating asked loudly.
Lu Shuang followed behind her. She looked dispirited, but still greeted everyone obediently. “Uncle, Auntie, Big Brother, Sister-in-law.”
This was the first time Zhang Xiyue had been called Sister-in-law, and her face grew warm. “Hello.”
“Why do you look so gloomy? Did you get dumped again?” Cheng Mingjiao asked bluntly.
At those words, Lu Shuang suddenly let out a sob, covered her mouth, and ran away.
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
Cheng Mingjiao remained perfectly calm. “It’s fine. She’ll be back by the time we eat.”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
As for the adults, they continued chatting as if nothing had happened, apparently failing to notice that a female guest had just had her heart broken.
Feng Shan said, “I was worried Xiyue might feel nervous, so I thought we’d get to know each other a little better before introducing her to you.”
“Are you nervous?” Cheng Huating asked Zhang Xiyue, acting as though they were already old friends.
Caught off guard, Zhang Xiyue quickly replied, “Not at all.”
Cheng Huating turned to Feng Shan. “See? She’s not nervous.”
Feng Shan: “…”
There wasn’t a single normal person in the Cheng family.
“Xiyue, right? It’s nice to meet you.” Lu Dong extended a hand warmly. “I’m Mingjiao’s uncle-in-law, Lu Dong.”
“Hello, Uncle.” Zhang Xiyue hurriedly shook his hand.
“We came in such a rush and didn’t have time to prepare anything. Your aunt and I got you a little gift. We hope you like it.”
Zhang Xiyue glanced at Cheng Mingjiao. His vanity was instantly satisfied, and he immediately nodded at her.
Zhang Xiyue knew that refusing again would only make her seem coy, so she accepted it graciously. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony. Thank you, Aunt and Uncle.”
After chatting for a while, they moved to the dining room and sat down. By the time all the dishes had been served, Lu Shuang had also returned. Although she looked sorrowful, it hadn’t affected her appetite in the slightest.
As soon as the elders picked up their chopsticks, she stood up and reached out with both hands, grabbing two large chicken legs. She put one in her own bowl and the other in Zhang Xiyue’s.
Zhang Xiyue: “…Thank you.”
Lu Shuang was too busy gnawing on her chicken leg to speak, so she replied with a look that clearly said, “Don’t mention it.”
Seeing this, Feng Shan gave Cheng Mingjiao an obvious hint. “Don’t just sit there. Hurry up and serve her some food.”
At that, Cheng Mingjiao held out his bowl, and Zhang Xiyue immediately put some food in it for him.
Feng Shan: “…”
The meal was harmonious and lively. Every relative Cheng Mingjiao had described as “awful” was showing Zhang Xiyue nothing but goodwill.
Once again, Zhang Xiyue began to doubt whether Cheng Mingjiao’s descriptions had been truthful. But then she remembered the indisputable fact that he had started his own business right after graduating from college…
She didn’t know what to make of it. Still, seeing that Cheng Mingjiao wasn’t showing any signs of resentment, she relaxed as well.
The group finished lunch in a warm and harmonious atmosphere. Just as Zhang Xiyue thought the meeting-the-family portion of the day was coming to an end…
The legendary Lu Xue suddenly returned.
She was a stunning beauty nearly six feet tall, with an impressively cool and confident air.
The instant Zhang Xiyue saw her, a flash of amazement crossed her eyes.
Cheng Mingjiao, however, immediately frowned. His entire body went into battle mode.
“Why are you back?”
“Am I not allowed to come back, Zhuangzhuang?” The beauty curled her lips into a smile.
Cheng Mingjiao instantly blew up. “Who are you calling Zhuangzhuang?”
Lu Dong hurriedly tried to smooth things over. “Come on, Xiaoxue. Why provoke your little brother?”
“I didn’t provoke him.” Lu Xue looked completely innocent. “His name was Zhuangzhuang to begin with.”
“I stopped being called that when I was three!” Cheng Mingjiao snapped.
“Oh.” Lu Xue nodded to show that she understood. Then she said, “Zhuangzhuang.”
Cheng Mingjiao’s face darkened at once. Zhang Xiyue quickly grabbed his arm. “Calm down. Calm down…”
Only then did Lu Xue notice Zhang Xiyue. She raised an eyebrow. “You’re Zhuangzhuang’s girlfriend?”
“…Hello, my name is Zhang Xiyue.” Zhang Xiyue introduced herself while holding on to Cheng Mingjiao’s arm.
Lu Xue looked her up and down several times before clicking her tongue. “What a lovely girl. How could she have such terrible taste?”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
“You’re the one with terrible taste!” Cheng Mingjiao shot back furiously.
Lu Xue cast him a sidelong glance, then pulled something from her pocket and tossed it toward Zhang Xiyue. Zhang Xiyue caught it instinctively.
It was a bracelet from a very expensive brand.
“I bought it on the way here. Consider it a meeting gift.” Lu Xue stretched lazily, her tone casual. “Technically, since you’ve taken over the biggest menace in my family, I should give you something more expensive. But I couldn’t think of anything in time. Why don’t you go pick out a house instead? Anything under fifty million yuan.”
“We don’t need it,” Cheng Mingjiao sneered. “Zhang Xiyue, throw the bracelet back at her.”
Before Zhang Xiyue could react, Feng Shan spoke up. “Hey, hey, this is a fight between you and your sister. Don’t drag Xiyue into it.”
Cheng Mingjiao paused, realizing that he really shouldn’t have involved Zhang Xiyue.
While he hesitated, Lu Xue had already put on her sunglasses. She raised her eyebrows at Zhang Xiyue. “I hear you were thinking of joining my company? You’re welcome anytime, sis.”
With that, she left without giving Cheng Mingjiao a chance to respond.
The winner had been decided. Now came the reckoning.
Cheng Mingjiao glared at everyone except Zhang Xiyue. “She provoked me like that, and none of you are going to do anything?!”
Lu Shuang, who had remained silent the entire time, quietly covered her mouth and ran off, sobbing.
The first time she had run away, Feng Shan and Cheng Huating had ignored it completely. But now they suddenly shouted and chased after her, leaving only the hapless Cheng Hanting and Lu Dong behind to face Cheng Mingjiao’s fury.
Both sides were impossible to offend. The two honest men had no idea how to ease the tension.
When they remained silent, Cheng Mingjiao’s heart went completely cold. When he spoke again, his voice had already returned to normal.
“I knew it. You don’t love me at all. I knew it the moment you let her join Cheng Corporation but refused to let me in.”
This was the first time Zhang Xiyue had heard him speak in that tone, and it immediately made her feel uncomfortable.
The next second—
Cheng Hanting said, “You hadn’t even joined the company back then, and you demanded to become chairman. I was still the sitting chairman and hadn’t retired yet. How could I possibly let you take over?”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
“She became general manager. Why couldn’t I become chairman?” Cheng Mingjiao protested. “My grades were better than hers when I graduated!”
Cheng Hanting said helplessly, “She’s eight or nine years older than you. She spent several years working her way up from the bottom before reaching the position of general manager step by step.”
“So you all ganged up on me and forced a fresh college graduate like me to go out and start a business all alone?!” Cheng Mingjiao demanded.
There was also the matter of his business.
Zhang Xiyue looked at Cheng Hanting and Lu Dong again.
Lu Dong said, “How was that ‘all alone’?”
Cheng Hanting added, “You took more than a dozen key employees from Cheng Corporation when you left.”
Lu Dong continued, “Including my two product managers.”
Cheng Hanting said, “You siphoned off nearly two hundred million yuan in funding.”
Lu Dong added, “And all the resources I had with the automation manufacturers.”
Cheng Hanting went on, “You nearly ran Cheng Corporation into the ground.”
Lu Dong said, “It took my company two years to recover.”
Cheng Hanting finally asked, “Was that not enough?”
Cheng Mingjiao: “You didn’t let me become chairman of Cheng Corporation.”
Cheng Hanting: “…”
Lu Dong: “…”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
Cheng Hanting and Lu Dong looked as though they were about to drop dead. Zhang Xiyue had never felt so sympathetic toward two people she had only met a short while ago.
After a moment of silence, she tugged at Cheng Mingjiao’s sleeve.
Cheng Mingjiao turned around.
“Weren’t we supposed to go visit Grandma?” she asked with a bright smile. “It’s already past one. We should hurry.”
Only then did Cheng Mingjiao remember that he still had to propose that evening. He quickly took her hand and pulled her outside.
Cheng Hanting and Lu Dong had already braced themselves for a genuine storm, so they stared at each other in disbelief when they were let off so easily.
“Xiyue, Xiyue…”
The two of them called out to her in hushed voices.
Being dragged outside by Cheng Mingjiao, Zhang Xiyue could only spare a glance back over her shoulder.
“When you have time, send us your account number. We’ll transfer some spending money to you.” Cheng Hanting clenched both fists in a gesture of encouragement.
Lu Dong added, “We’ll give you lots and lots of spending money!”
Zhang Xiyue was caught between laughter and tears. Before she could reply, Cheng Mingjiao dragged her away.
Even after they got into the car, Cheng Mingjiao was still angry.
Zhang Xiyue felt it would be inappropriate for him to visit Grandma Yuzhen while he was still worked up. She glanced around, and after making sure no one was watching, grabbed him by the collar and gave him a sweet kiss.
Cheng Mingjiao was satisfied. World peace had been restored.
But he still reminded Zhang Xiyue, “Later, find a trash can and throw Lu Xue’s bracelet into it.”
Zhang Xiyue pretended not to hear him.
The two of them drove smoothly all the way to the Yunxi Temple parking lot.
Returning to a familiar place, Zhang Xiyue gazed at the surroundings and felt rather sentimental.
She let out a soft breath and shared her thoughts with Cheng Mingjiao. “This is where you abandoned me that time.”
Cheng Mingjiao: “…”
In his twenty-eight years of life, he had settled old scores with people countless times, but this was the first time someone had settled an old score with him.
Cheng Mingjiao reacted incredibly quickly. He opened the car door and was about to make a run for it, but the moment one foot touched the ground, he immediately pulled it back in.
Zhang Xiyue watched him calmly.
“…The Chen family matriarch is outside.” Cheng Mingjiao placed both hands on his knees and sat obediently.
Zhang Xiyue looked up and, sure enough, saw Grandma Yuzhen.
Grandma Yuzhen was smiling brightly. She looked perfectly clean, not at all like she was having an episode.
Zhang Xiyue said with amusement, “There’s no mud on her hands.”
“That’s even worse. When she’s lucid, she always scolds me. Her tongue is vicious,” Cheng Mingjiao grumbled. “Go distract her. I’ll sneak over.”
Zhang Xiyue: “…Are you serious?”
Cheng Mingjiao: “Mm-hmm. Zhou Ce used to distract her for me every time.”
The corner of Zhang Xiyue’s mouth twitched as she got out of the car.
“Grandma Zhao!” she called, waving with a smile.
Zhao Yuzhen turned at the sound of her voice. Her eyes lit up when she saw her. “Xiyue? Is that Xiyue?!”
“It’s me. Long time no see.” Zhang Xiyue walked toward her, waving behind her as she went to signal Cheng Mingjiao to hurry.
Seeing this, Cheng Mingjiao decisively got out of the car and ran around them before taking off.
Zhang Xiyue soon reached Zhao Yuzhen, who warmly took her hand. “It’s been so long, really so long! What have you been up to lately?”
Zhang Xiyue: “I started working.”
Zhao Yuzhen: “You’re working now? Where?”
Zhang Xiyue: “Yu Huang Intelligent.”
At the mention of the name, Zhao Yuzhen gave a cold snort. “The bad boy’s company.”
Hearing her say that made Zhang Xiyue want to laugh even more. “Grandma, what exactly did Cheng Mingjiao do to offend you? Why do you dislike him so much?”
“He’s a little rascal,” Zhao Yuzhen complained, planting her hands on her hips. “He gave my grandson such an awful nickname. He calls him ‘Counterfeit’! Hmph! The characters aren’t even the same, so why does he get to call my grandson Counterfeit?”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
That nickname, Counterfeit, was far too familiar.
Zhang Xiyue remembered Zhou Ce saying that Grandma Zhao was the Chen family matriarch. Guo Fengnian had also mentioned that the young man was the eldest grandson of the Chen family.
So the two Chen families they had been talking about were actually the same family.
Zhang Xiyue couldn’t help laughing. The world really was a small place.
Zhao Yuzhen was still talking about the matter. “I admit that when Little Ming’s father first gave him that name, he did have bad intentions. But after I scolded him, he changed both characters, and the Cheng family elders all agreed to it. Yet that little rascal and his two friends still refuse to let it go. They chase after my grandson every day, calling him Counterfeit. Don’t you think they’re going too far?!”
Caught off guard by the question, Zhang Xiyue faltered. “Uh…”
“I’ll show you my grandson’s name.” Zhao Yuzhen pulled out her phone and slowly opened WeChat. “Look, the pronunciation is similar, but the characters are completely different, right?”
Zhang Xiyue cooperatively looked over. The first thing she saw was the contact name at the top of the page: Mingjiao.
The second thing she noticed was the profile picture—a red thread tied around someone’s wrist.
An extremely familiar profile picture.
She froze for a moment, then instinctively opened WeChat on her own phone and searched for the profile of one of her friends.
“Oh? You have my grandson’s WeChat?” Zhao Yuzhen asked in surprise, bringing her phone over so that it sat beside Zhang Xiyue’s.
Zhang Xiyue stared fixedly at the identical profile pictures on the two phones. After a long moment, she checked the WeChat ID.
The numbers were identical too.
Chen Ming.
Chen Mingjiao.
Chen Mingjiao.
Cheng Mingjiao.
Cheng Mingjiao.
Sis Yue, I met a girl today.
She’s really special.
The time he had sent her those words was before the second male lead had appeared in the original plotline or met the heroine.
That was assuming the second male lead’s life had not been changed.
If she had never intervened, Chen Ming would have been fired from the company very early on.
After being fired, he would have returned home and met the heroine according to the original timeline.
…but he had not been fired, and the course of his life had consequently deviated. Their meeting had happened earlier, but that did not stop him from falling in love with the same person.
Zhang Xiyue remembered seeing him hurrying through the shopping mall that day when she and Cheng Mingjiao had gone shopping together.
And at that time, the male and female leads had just left the mall.
Zhang Xiyue took a deep breath. She realized that the progress bar issue that had troubled her for so long seemed to have finally found its answer at this very moment.
Cheng Mingjiao…was not the yandere she had been looking for.
