《Rolling love》


 Chapter 0

    Prologue


    Yan Liang stepped out of the bubble bath and wrapped herself in towels from the bathroom.


    She spent too much time inside, the man was asleep.


    She sat on the bed, bluntly reaching out to take the man¡¯s face in her hands; he still did not wake up.


    The man has bronzed skin, is a DJ in an underground bar with beautiful fingers and a charming smile. She thought she had a little bit of a good impression of this person, but now as she carefully observed him in his sleep she could only feel this face, very strange.


    Suddenly, she felt a trace of fear.


    She was in the Presidential suite with a round bed, clothes strewn untidily. Yan Liang got up, found her clothes in the untidy mess and put them on. From the wallet, she took some notes and stacked them on the bedside table.


    She went to the door of the suite, trying to pull the door. Suddenly she saw the mirror opposite the door and could not help but stop.


    It was the image of a woman, with no soul. The pair of eyes staring at her from the mirror were empty


    ***


    When she reached home, it was early morning.


    The two servants at home were new. Although they are aware of the blow hot blow cold relationship between the mistress and the master, whenever they met, they will respectfully call her Mrs.


    She drove back, when half of the car had just entered the garage, the servant rushed to her car and told her: ¡°Mrs, master is in the living room, waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Although she acknowledged her verbally,Yan Liang parked her car, then directly went from the garage to the external stairs upstairs, back to her room and went to bed.


    Sleeping drowsily, the phone began to vibrate. Yan Liang fumbled with the phone. It was a string of text messages from a strange number.


    ¡°I am an adult man, how can I take money from a woman, not to mention we didn¡¯t even do anything.¡±


    Yan Liang carefully tried to think back on when they left contact numbers to each other. She had no clue. Suddenly she heard the sound of the door opening. Reflexively, she put the phone back on the bedside table and closed her eyes, feigning sleep


    ***


    She could hear the sounds of footsteps coming near.


    She felt the blanket being lifted, then the bed side depressing as he sat on the bed. Yan Liang was very tired, and turned over to the other side of the bed to sleep.


    Sitting on the bed, the man watched her as she turned. She moved out of the blanket, but he could also feel the heat she left behind.


    He turned to look at the antique clock in the corner ¨C it was two in the morning.


    His wife was more and more absent from home, but as he thought about it, he did not feel angry, but leaned closer, and covered her with the blanket.


    At this point, he saw a hickey on the woman¡¯s white neck


    ***


    Yan Liang was angrily grabbed by the man and hauled up by her hair.


    She tried to pull her wrist from the man as he pulled her, but he threw her back down. She fell down on the bed forcefully, the force knocking down the lamp by the bedside.


    In the mottled scattered light of the lamp thrown on the floor, Yan Liang could vaguely see that he was about to slap her face, but stopped in the middle of the action, as if in that moment his rationale was restored. He paused, after a moment, almost gently lifted her chin : ¡°Hey where were you tonight? Do you not know to clean up and then come back?¡±


    It was an intimate action, his voice restrained. The change from aggressive to intimate was too fast .Seeing that, Yan Liang was surprised for a moment, then smiled provocatively: ¡°I¡¯m tired, get out.¡±


    ¡°Get out?¡± He gave her a condescending look and at the same time, his hands were moving to her chest ¨C


    Yan Liang¡¯s collar was ripped.


    She tried to stop his hand, futilely. He easily hauled up her upper body, her back on the bed.


    He seemed to want to strangle her, but controlled the force. He forced her face to the side, exposing the side of her neck. He did not hesitate to lean over, and bit deeply, covering the hickey there in a brutal way.


    Yan Liang tried to free her wrist and chin, hysterically screaming: ¡°Jiang Yu Nan! Are you trying to kill me?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan released her neck, the general atmosphere was cold. With a kind of elegance, he said, slowly: ¡°I am a law-abiding citizen, how can I kill you? It is best if I were to set the evidence in such a manner that Zhou Chang gets imprisoned¡±


    Her eyes widened at the comment.


    Suddenly, there was a sound of the skirt being ripped off.

 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1 : Two years ago


    In the clear sky, a large passenger aircraft was flying smoothly, leaving a jetstream of white in the clear blue sky.


    Outside, the sun was intense,Yan Liang pulled the shade down and continued to work on the file on the tray table.


    It was lunch time and the flight attendants were catering to the guests


    The catering car came to her side, the flight attendant bent over to put her knife and fork on the table, but seeing the table filled with files, stopped, perplexed.


    Yan Liang put down the pen, lifted her head to look at the flight attendant: ¡°I only need a cup of coffee, thank you.¡±


    The stewardess nodded with a smile, poured the coffee and handed her the cup.


    As Yan Liang tried to take the cup, the flight suddenly hit an air pocket.


    The stewardess immediately tried to steady the cup, but the coffee spilled all over the files.


    Yan Liang quickly reached out to protect her files in the ensuing chaos. Her quick thinking saved her files, but her skirt was stained by the coffee.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Sorry!¡± the stewardess hurriedly handed her a paper towel.


    At this time the captain also broadcasted the notice: ¡°We encountered a brief turbulence, we request the passengers to wear their seat belts.¡±


    Yan Liang hurriedly blotted the coffee on the files. Seeing a few of her documents had fallen to the the aisle, Yan Liang put her cup on the table, took off her seat belt and got up to pick up the documents.


    As she bent to pick up the file, a hand extended the files to her. The hand belonged to the passenger sitting behind her.


    Yan Liang first saw the part of the hand from the wrist to the elbow exposed under folded sleeves of the shirt. It was a lean arm, a watch on the wrist, the fingers slender. She reached for the file to say thank you, but as she moved her eyes up she was shocked.


    As her eyes moved along the man¡¯s arm up to see the man¡¯s face, she clearly saw him quickly reading her file.


    He was sitting, Yan Liang was standing, from her vantage point, although she couldn¡¯t see the whole face of this person, she could clearly see him stare at the file with two sharp abnormal eyes.


    Inexplicably she felt so cold she coughed drily, waving her hands signalling him to handover the file and then in a deliberately strident tone to remind him ¡°Thank you .¡±


    The man looked up.


    Far more than sharp eyes, his eyes were simply ¡­¡­ as dominant as in the eagle ¨C


    which is the only feeling Yan Liang had when her eyes met his.


    But then, those sharp eyes softened, he smiled, and handed back the file.


    Yan Liang quickly returned to her seat, put the file back. Curious, she could not help but look back again. At this time, the passenger behind was dining. He simply looked like a handsome stranger.


    Was it just her illusion? Yan Liang shook her head.


    ***


    Three hours later the plane landed, the journey across the ocean was finally over.


    Yan Liang walked towards the baggage claim. Red lips, expressionless face, black high heels hitting the marble floor with a ¡°da da¡± sound, a stylish dress but stained with coffee stains made her feel slightly embarrassed


    As Yan Liang waited for her luggage, she intended to to go to the bathroom to change her clothes, but she was stopped by a a suited gentlemen.


    ¡°Hello?¡± She was not in a hurry.


    The man looked questioningly at her face, removed a pair of glasses from his carry on bag: ¡°This is yours, right?¡±


    Yan Liang was stunned.


    She carefully looked at the glasses, they were hers.


    ¡°I found it on the plane.¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s glasses do not have a high power, she only wears it during office hours. After the lunch episode, she did not look at the file, so she actually did not realise when the glasses were lost.


    Yan Liang smiled, and as she reached out to take the glasses quickly, she noticed there was a business card with the glasses.


    ¡°Not surprising,then, we will soon meet again.¡±


    Yan Liang just wanted to leave as soon as possible. She did not take too much notice of this strange man¡¯s strange comment. She took the card, with a sidelong glance, she nodded slightly to show goodbye and hastily left, leaving the man standing and stammering behind her.


    And she walked out of the International Arrivals towards the door, she dropped the business card in the trash bin on her way.


    As she dropped the business cards, her ears heard a familiar voice: ¡°Yan Liang!¡±


    Yan Liang stopped.


    Looking to where the sound came from, she saw the door being pushed.


    He waved at her, closely cropped hair, a competent smile.


    Finally there was a trace of emotion in her face ¡° I am so honoured, are you so tired of your manager that you came to personally pick me up?¡±


    He gave her a helpless smile in exchange to her ridicule: ¡°A year has gone by, but your words have become more and more sharp..¡±


    ¡°A year has gone by, but you have become more and more handsome¡±,she answered.


    Sunny weather, bright eyes, the man¡¯s smile was warmer than the sun . Yan Liang looked away to eliminate her heart of evil thoughts: ¡°What happened to Zhou Shu? He is usually responsible for picking me up.¡±


    ¡°My father drove Xi Ziqing¡¯s mother to the hospital to see your father, and I was on leave today, so I decided to replace my dad to be your driver for the day .¡± Taking her luggage, he walked towards the parking lot.


    Not far from the parking lot, a luxury car was parked quietly, the window glass and the eyes of the man sitting in the back seat both black as ink.


    He was looking out of the window, his gaze lazy, but eyes predatory like an eagle, one hand supporting his chin on the edge of the window, his face cold.


    The man who was with Yan Liang before approached the car from the other side ,opened the door and sat in the car. Turning back , he said to the man in the back seat:: ¡°Mr. Jiang, I have something for you.¡±


    Mr Jiang nodded silently , gazed out out of the window to see Yan Liang and her companion get into the another car not far away then softly ordered the driver:. ¡°Drive.¡±


    ***


    Zhou Cheng started the car, asked her: ¡°What about the company ¡®s operating data I sent you?¡±


    ¡°I was reading it on the plane , almost finished.¡±


    ¡°Now the company is very chaotic, you have to get to know these things as soon as possible. Do you want to go home or go directly to the hospital to visit Father?¡±


    Yan Liang was seated in the co ¨C pilot seat, the sun was shielded by the window, her expression turned negative: ¡°How is my dad now ?¡±


    ¡°Last week he had a stroke, he has been in hospital since then, now the situation is fairly stable.¡±


    Zhou Cheng accelerated , it seemed that this is an important thing to think about, through the rearview mirror he looked at Yan Liang before continuing: ¡°Your sister is also in the hospital.¡±.


    He looked at her, she looked upset, he silently turned around and said.¡±Do not think about her anymore, all right, look at my face.¡±


    Yan Liang smiled, but her eyes were unsmiling:. ¡°Zhou Cheng, Xu Ziqing* is a goddess in your eyes, but she is just a weed in my eyes ¡­¡­¡±


    *google translates this name as Fu Jian school. I am just keeping this as Xu Ziqing based on my later reads


    Yan Liang chose to go home, rather than go to the hospital as she really wanted to avoid any family conflicts.


    A ten hour flight where she spent most of her time to review the files, she was tired enough. Now after a comfortable bath, she was lying on the couch watching TV, finally feeling a little cozy.


    Yan Liang was changing channels rapidly, when she stopped at a local station, saw the advertisement for a new product and then changed to the local news channel.


    The anchor was saying ¡°..has developed high-end skin care brands such as Xu¡¯s dream, however in recent years their position is no longer the same. Now with the chairman Xu Jinfu suffering a stroke and admitted to the hospital, the company is in a difficult situation. Informed sources say Xu Jinfu has approached a headhunting company to look for appropriate management personnel. He intends to change the management to professional managers and break the usual family business model. Xu ¡­ ¡­ ¡±


    Yan Liang stared at the TV with a frown. Suddenly she heard the sound of the door opening and she immediately changed to an entertainment channel.


    Lazily lying on the sofa, she lifted her head to see a woman opening the door: ¡°Mom.¡±


    Yan Mu looked at Yan Liang lazing like this, immediately her face sank.


    ¡°Even Zhou Cheng knows enough to go to the hospital to visit your father, you skip, you return to home to hide here and watch these -¡± Yan Mu glanced at the chatter of the television program, ¡°- you¡¯re making a mess of things.¡±


    Yan Liang simply turned off the TV, got up and put on her slippers, and poured a glass of water for her mother: ¡°Aren¡¯t you most annoyed to see the mother of Xu Ziqing? When I heard from Zhou Cheng that she and her mother were in the hospital, I thought since they are there, you will certainly not step into the hospital.¡±


    ¡°You do not know your father darling. I sent you to go abroad to study for an MBA degree so you can inherit the company, and now, with your dad¡¯s stroke, the company is in this chaotic set and directly appointed Xu Ziqing in the management layer. That¡¯s why I told you to return home immediately. In the present situation, it is likely that those who express filial piety, your dad is ready to help them.And you do not even go to the hospital to see your dad? When the company falls into the hands of Xu Ziqing and her mother, you will regret it.


    ¡°You are right! You have thought it out well!¡± Yan Liang, pushed her mother out of the bedroom. ¡°Liang Yi made some stew soup, do you want your daughter to accompany you while you have some soup downstairs?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you care about me; if you really don¡¯t want to see me worry, you quickly get started with the company¡¯s things, so people don¡¯t think of me as a joke who did not fight that wild woman and let the illegitimate daughter take over.¡±How will I save face?¡±


    ¡°You tell me what I have to do, go to the head office, right?¡± Yan Liang said, finally getting a word in.


    Finally, nobody had the cold soup, the soup was sent directly to the poor and they went to the hospital.


    This was a premium ward; the corridor decoration was like a five-star hotel. As Yan Liang stepped out of the elevator, she saw Zhou Cheng leaning on the rails. She stepped forward and patted his shoulder.


    Zhou Cheng raised his head, saw her, and was surprised: ¡°Did you not say that today you won¡¯t come to the hospital?¡±


    Yan Liang could only reluctantly shrug: ¡°Why are you outside in the corridor?¡±


    ¡°Father is talking to the head hunter company inside. He is interested in meeting with the professional managers, let us avoid.¡±


    ¡°For what role?¡±


    Zhou Cheng secretly said: ¡°Powerful role.¡±


    Yan Liang thought back to the news she saw at home: professional managers, family business model to change ¡­ ¡­ all kinds of unfavorable news that she secretly speculated for a moment, before she calmly changed the topic: ¡°Where is Xu Ziqing?¡±


    ¡°She is sending her mother to the car downstairs; she will come back in a little while.¡±


    Seeing Yan Liang¡¯s expression, he sang the old tune: ¡°Yan Liang, do not target her, ok?¡±


    Cheerfully regaining her composure, she said contemptuously: ¡°Why do you all think I am against her, rather than she against me?¡±


    Without waiting for him to say another word, Yan Liang took a U-turn and left.


    She heard him call out to her, but she didnt stop.


    Unfortunately, Yan Liang did not think she was going to hit the elevator just when Xu Ziqing was returning.


    As the elevator doors opened, the two women were face to face, both surprised for a moment.


    Xu Ziying was the first one to react.Stepping out of the elevator, she immediately looked up and down at Yan Liang: ¡°How come you¡¯re here? Willing to come back?¡±


    ¡°You are not qualified to speak to me in this tone.¡±


    ¡°Last year, you did not come home, and now that there¡¯s a mess at home you have to come back immediately, it is hard not to think of you as taking advantage of the chaos selfishly.¡±


    Yan Liang tried to move around her, but was stopped: ¡°Why are you leaving now?¡±


    ¡°If you do not want me to slap you like I did last time, let me go now.¡±


    Xu Ziqing smiled: ¡°You can¡¯t say I forgot, I¡¯d really like to thank you for that slap, if not , how could I cry to father and get so many shares?


    Yan Liang was unable to suppress her anger as her teeth clenched.


    ¡°You do not know how angry your mother was then. She was willing to let my mother in because of the agreement: I can not compete for shares with you, but you, with a slap you destroyed so many years of your mother¡¯s effort. If I were her, I would be mad at you too. ¡±


    Yan Liang laughed. Xu Ziying¡¯s expression changed, Yan Liang¡¯s laugh was almost domineering: ¡°Do you not know, that a man¡¯s child will always have a natural psychological advantage? He owes you so much, he cannot even legally acknowledge your mother. When you go home with your mother every year to visit relatives, are you not being pointed at? I absolutely agree about the monetary compensation. What did he feel for you, if not pity?¡±


    Xu Ziqing eyes blazed with anger showing that Yan Liang¡¯s words had hit their mark.


    But in the next second, Yan Liang could not laugh anymore ¨C


    ¡°Speaking of, I have something to tell you .Zhou Cheng- he proposed to me,¡±


    At that moment, Yan Liang felt her hands turn cold.


    Xu Ziqing haughtily said: ¡°But you can rest assured, I will not promise him, of course, I will not accept him. This man hurt my sister¡¯s heart so I strung him along for a long time, don¡¯t you feel better? ¡±


    Yan Liang finally did not hold back, the palm of your hand was raised.


    Zhou Cheng is her Achilles heel ¡­ ¡­


    But this slap, ultimately failed to land on the face of innocent Xu Ziqing -Yan Liang¡¯s wrist was grabbed. She was surprised to see the hand that grabbed her wrist.


    Lean arms ,wearing a watch, she had a feeling of deja vu.


    Yan Liang suddenly raised her head ¨C her eyes landed on a pair of familiar eyes.


    The man she met on the plane, the man who had a pair of memorable eyes.


    Translator¡¯s note: I realised that what I mentioned as Fu Jiang in Chapter 1.2 is actually Xu Ziqing, I have changed that. Apologies.


    If you are enjoying this novel, may I ask you to move to novel updates where the link goes to my website. If you read it on the other sites that don¡¯t direct you to mine, I won¡¯t know you are reading it, and may well give up translating because I think nobody is interested ????

 Chapter 2

    Yan Liang tried several times to pull her hand back but failed, the man seemed to have a lazy attitude, but in reality he had great strength.


    In any case, Yan Liang could not shake him off, and ultimately could only glare at him: ¡°Let go.¡±


    He just smiled: ¡± Such brutish behaviour isn¡¯t beautiful .¡±


    ¡°None of your business.¡±


    ¡°You destroyed my good impression of you before, how is this nothing to do with me?¡±


    This man sounded very sincere, but his whole body emitted an aura that was at odds with his voice.


    Yan Liang was momentarily speechless, vaguely she was able to hear other footsteps coming near; she was still looking at the face. Her efforts to struggle could not help but bring them close .He seemed to realise this and loosened his grip on her hand.


    Footsteps getting closer, Yan Liang looked up to see the person who was coming this way. Looking at him, her eyes widened, her teeth clenched.


    Zhou Cheng entered the elevator to see the three were at a stalemate, hesitated, then came forward: ¡°Mr. Jiang, I will accompany you down stairs.¡±


    He looked indifferently as if he was a stranger, his indifference almost carried a hint of contempt: ¡°No, thank you¡±.


    With his head down, he stepped into the elevator, but stopped in the middle and turned back.


    He looked at her eyes glaring at him, and inexplicably she felt a chill in her heart.


    ¡°Goodbye, rude lady.¡±


    Yan Liang was unable to hold back her angry stare.


    At the moment, seeing this, Xu Ziying laughed. Trying to fake consideration, she said: ¡°Yan Liang, you do not have to go with me to see father.¡±


    Yan Liang look at her coldly, turned around and walked towards the ward.


    Xu Ziqing stayed in place, but shrugged, and walked towards the same direction.


    Zhou Cheng also realised he couldn¡¯t do anything about the strange atmosphere, only patted Xu Ziying¡¯s shoulder to show comfort.


    But Xu Ziying looked at the elevator until the elevator door closed. Only then with a strange look she asked Zhou Cheng: ¡°Who is he?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Jiang Yu Nan.¡±


    Xu Ziqing was immediately stunned.


    Yan Liang was about to turn to the elevator when she heard that ,her rapid footsteps also suddenly stopped.


    Jiang Yu Nan ¡­¡­


    He was actually Jiang Yu Nan.


    Yan Liang was no stranger to the name.


    Jiang Yu Nan had served as the Asia Pacific Regional Manager with an international brand before. In two or three years, he had managed to enhance the performance of the region so that sales had doubled, and created a special line for Asian skin. The brand was very popular and become another cash cow for the Corporation.


    Is father interested in poaching him as a CEO?


    Yan Mu soon heard the news. At the evening meal at home, she was very anxious to ask Yan Liang the details.


    Yan Liang buried her head down to eat, she did not want to raise her head. Only vaguely she said: ¡°I only know that he deliberately went to the hospital today to visit the Father, I do not know anything else.¡±


    Yan Mu stopped eating: ¡°If that is so, then how will you fight him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a wise decision for the future of the company, and I feel fine.¡±


    Yan Mu immediately banged down her chopsticks on the table, the sound especially loud.


    ¡°What¡¯s with your attitude? Your dad is putting someone over your head for vested interests, how are you not anxious?¡±


    Yan Liang kept her head down; she did not dare to refute her mother¡¯s words.


    Yan Mu could see their own benefits so much, but her daughter did not look like she had the heart, she could only direct: ¡°In short, in next Monday¡¯s provisional shareholders meeting, I will take you to Chen Shu, you must oppose this resolution.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you not hear me?¡±


    Yan Liang, for no reason, suddenly recalled the image of a pair of eagle like sharp eyes, she tried to dislodge the image from her head. She put down the chopsticks and got up: ¡°I ¡®m full.¡±


    Yan Liang was in a complex mood as she participated in the shareholders meeting a few days later.


    In order for Father to implement this decision, the shareholders quarrelled, many opposing the decision as they feared for their vested interests if the family management system that was running the company so long was removed


    Some people were still sitting on the fence: ¡°Jiang Yu Nan Xu has not yet agreed to the invitation, all this discussion is premature.¡±


    Chen Shu has always been firmly opposed to the decision. And this shareholders meeting, in fact, he was opposed to the attitude of private shareholders together to discuss how to stop the matter coming true.


    Chen Shu just put the views to the body, asked: ¡°Yan Liang, what do you think?¡±


    The company¡¯s old shareholders had seen Yan Liang grow up; she had inherited the company¡¯s most orthodox candidates. For the moment they looked at her eyes and calmed down.


    Yan Liang faced a dilemma between her inclination and her mother¡¯s will: ¡°I ¡­ ¡­¡±


    She had barely spoken when the conference room door was suddenly opened ¨C


    the people suspiciously turned to look.


    They saw Xu Ziqing pushing a wheelchair and come in. Sitting on the wheelchair was Xu Jinfu .He was looking pretty good.


    Yan Liang was also very surprised; she stood up: ¡°Dad.¡±


    Xu Ziqing pushed the wheelchair near the chairman¡¯s seat, Xu Jinfu looked around, slowly saying: ¡°Are you not surprised to see me here?¡±


    Xu Jinfu still had a slight lisp, but his words were quite clear.


    The shareholders present had different expressions, as if they had seen a ghost, but no one dared to utter a sound.


    Xu Jinfu¡¯s eyes went round the conference table, and ultimately looked with disappointment at Yan Liang: ¡°I¡¯m not dead, and you are already keeping me away and calling a general meeting of shareholders. When I finally die, wont my company be carved up by you?¡±


    Though Xu Jinfu experienced a serious illness, everyone was shocked at his words ,their faces turning white. Xu Jinfu said: ¡°The meeting is over, you can go.¡± Several shareholders looked at each other, they got up to leave.


    Yan Liang got up to leave as well, when her father added: ¡°Yan Liang, you stay.¡±


    Yan Liang glanced at her father and Xu Ziqing behind him. She saw her own father¡¯s look of contempt, and feeling both helpless and angry she said: ¡°I did not intend to participate ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Xu Ziqing interrupted Yan Liang: ¡°You do not say a word, do not provoke Dad.¡±


    Still not giving Yan Liang a chance to retort,Xu Ziqing poured a glass of water on the table for her father, she seemed to try to calm his sullen temper : ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be angry, Yan Liang is still young, it is understood that the uncles said a few things, they are afraid of their own interests before the damage ¡­ ¡­ ¡±


    Obviously, the words of Xu Ziqing were counterproductive ¨C


    Xu Jinfu waved his arm ,knocking down the cup of water


    Yan Liang was splashed with the hot water.


    Yan Liang, not for the first time, admired her half-sister. She had even managed to prepare this cup of hot water in advance for her ¡­ ¡­


    ¡°Young is not an excuse! Why can you not learn from your sister ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Yan Liang bowed her head down to see her white clothes had been soaked in water and were now semi-transparent. She surprised herself, and laughed out, ¡°You¡¯ve never heard my side of the story, but I¡¯m used to it.¡±


    Having said that, she turned around and left.


    As she walked out of the conference room, she could feel the people around staring at her and her awkward state.


    Yan Liang walked rapidly towards the elevator. The hot water was cooling on her dress. Her heart, too, felt more and more cold. Cold, but she was through.


    You have let me down completely¡­¡­


    Xu Jin Fu¡¯s words echoed in her mind.


    She looked up, stopped to watch the people around her, who averted their gaze.


    At this time, she realised her arm had a red hot blister from the hot water, her clothes were drenched, her underwear clearly visible ¡­ ¡­ suddenly a strong sense of helplessness overtook her; she did not know what to do.


    Yan Liang was rooted to the spot.


    As the surrounding noise become more and more lively, she felt more and more small.She should leave.


    Suddenly, she felt something heavy on her shoulder.

 Chapter 3

    There was something draped over her shoulders ¨C


    Yanliang suddenly woke up from her stupor, looked down: a suit jacket had actually been placed on her.


    She did not get the time to move away; one hand resting on either side of her shoulders, clutching her, in front of everyone, she was taken into the elevator.


    The elevator moved down gently.


    There were only two people in the elevator.


    Yan Liang had a slight headache, the light of the elevator silhouetted the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Jiang Yu Nan?¡±


    Hearing this, the man smiled back.


    His smile was very light, but his eyes reflected Yan Liang¡¯s eyes.


    His voice was clear, and he turned to look at her: ¡°Since you already know what I am called, why are you not telling me your name?¡±


    Yan Liang silently watched the person who rescued her today, but he was also the cause of this scourge .For a moment she did not know whether to answer.


    *** ***


    Hesitating for a long time before she opened her mouth, she said: ¡°Yan Liang.¡±


    As she said that, the man actually looked at her face seriously, Yan Liang was very uncomfortable to see him suddenly smiling faintly at her: ¡°The original second generation hot tempered Xu family member!¡±


    Looking at his expression she also smiled. Looking down at herself she remarked, ¡°You see I am now in this state, obviously I have been bullied myself. Does it look like I am in a hot temper?¡±


    This woman ¡®s self ¨C deprecating comment attracted a narrow look from him: ¡°But I do not see you sad either.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a time for sorrow.¡±


    With a ¡°ping¡¯ sound, the elevator indicated they had reached the underground car park. Yan Liang took a deep breath, took off his suit jacket and gave it back to him: ¡°You must have come to our company to talk about business, I will not trouble you further.¡±


    Finishing her words, she walked out of the elevator.


    At this time, a hand from behind held her by the shoulder.


    Yan Liang looked back to see him point at the red marks on her arm with his chin: ¡°You need to go to the hospital.


    ¡°I still cannot tell if you are an enemy or friend, since you are neither, so please do not bother to care about me.¡±


    Listening to her say this, Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyebrows suddenly scrunched, but soon they straightened again, to restore the usual light smile: ¡°Men are attentive to a beautiful woman by instinct, Miss Yan, do not have such a low confidence in yourself.¡±


    To put a ridicule so tactfully, Yan Liang quite admired him this point, but she could not answer back as he had closed the door of the elevator and man with the lazy expression and sharp eyes disappeared


    Yan Liang looked at the watch, it was about 10.


    Her car was parked nearby, Yan Liang found her own car, and leaned against the body of the car. She was pondering what to do next, but unfortunately her phone rang.


    Looking at the number, it was Xu Ziqing who was calling. Yan Liang was about to hang up, but half-way she changed her mind and pressed the answer key.


    ¡°Yan Liang, where are you now?¡±


    This a labour of love. I really liked the story and hope to share the joy with fellow readers. The only ¡°reward ¡± I get is when I see the number of views on my blog and lovely comment . So please, if you are reading this on some site which doesn¡¯t direct you to my blog, can I ask you to switch to novel updates ? Thank you and god bless..on to the story¡­


    Xu Ziqing¡¯s voice was full of concern, perhaps this sympathy phone call was just a show in front of Xu Jin Fu, Yan Liang silently listened to her as she continued to act: ¡°I will ask the driver to send you home, I will deal with everything you do not anger Dad, okay? ¡±


    ¡°Xu Ziqing.¡± Yan Liang coldly interrupted her.


    Both ends of the phone were silent for a moment, Yan Liang smiled and said: ¡°You are not the only one who can act.¡±


    Having finished her response, she hung up the phone. The next second, not far from her, a surprised question: ¡°Yan Liang?!¡±


    Yan Liang turned to look, Zhou Cheng stood in front of his car.


    ¡°Why are you waiting here?¡± Zhou Cheng face puzzled.


    Yan Liang shook her head and whispered: ¡°Nothing ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Seeing her waiting there, and then as his gaze moved up, he immediately saw her clothes with the water stains and swelling of the arm: ¡°How is it?


    Yan Liang¡¯s face flooded with tears as she said with a hard laugh: ¡°Really nothing.¡±


    Zhou Cheng looked really angry, his face stretched very tight, without any explanation, he turned around and walked toward the car: ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have work at 10 o¡¯clock?¡±


    ¡°You are like this ¨C do you think I have any mood to work?¡±


    Yan Liang complied and followed him to the car.


    Zhou Cheng started the car, one hand on the steering wheel while the other hand extended a paper towel to her: ¡°You really scared me.¡±


    ¡± ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I have not seen you cry for at least ten years, what happened?¡±


    *** ***


    That day Yan Liang did not return to the mansion, she intended to stay in her own small apartment for the night. But an uninvited guest turned up.


    Through the eyehole on the door Yan Liang saw Xu Ziqing ouside. She hesitated a moment, then opened the door.


    Xu Ziqing saw her arm covered by the burn ointment, her hand holding a red wine glass: ¡°Bad mood ah, you¡¯re hiding here and drinking.¡±


    YanLiang was too lazy to care for her.


    ¡°You won¡¯t invite me to come in?¡±


    ¡°I just asked aunt to clean the house. I don¡¯t really want garbage in the house again.¡±


    Xu Ziqing face turned white.


    Xu Ziqing, taking a deep breath, calmed herself. but it is rare to see her embarrassed look.She said:¡± I don¡¯t know what you told Chen Shu. He went to meet Dad to plead for you. You know Dad had intended to let you go to another branch to change your attitude and then transfer you back.¡±


    This time Yanliang really laughed out loud: ¡°Why are you telling me this? Is the Xu Goddess worried her status will not be maintained?¡±


    Xu Ziqing clenched her teeth, then released her breath , her expression adjusting back to calm before continuing: ¡°I know if I come here I will inevitably be humiliated, do you think I care about your words enough to hurt me? ¡°


    Yan Liang appreciated the cool demeanour of her opponent; she leisurely said: ¡°I just suddenly found that men are eating out of your hand, of course, I need to learn from you.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying ¡­¡±


    Yanliang had no time to talk to her leisurely, interrupted her words, said: ¡°You can leave now.¡±


    In the next second, the door closed with a bang. She slowly walked back to the room, continuing to drink while reviewing the file.


    Zhou Cheng had sent her information across this year and last year for a total of five quarters, Xu¡¯s poor management has been going on for quite some time. When the company was first established, it was able to attract numerous customers to the traditional series ¡°Ya¡± .The development of new products in the past two years was almost abandoned, the market response was mediocre, and then throwing money to blindly develop new products will only make the situation worse.


    A lot of information was in the files. She provoked her father today, it is expected that for the next few days she would not be able go to the company. She would just hide in this little world to check information during the day and then go to the city¡¯s major counters to see the situation.


    She stayed up till three o¡¯clock . Yan Liang did not expect that the next morning, her father ¡®s secretary would call to wake her: ¡°Miss Liang, your father wants you to work today in the company.¡±


    Yan Liang rubbed her sleepy eyes, and thought she heard wrong , so had the secretary repeat: ¡°Liu secretary, you mean ¡­ ¡­ today?


    ¡°Yes, your father has arranged a formal position for you. Please come to work at 9¡¯o clock.¡±


    Yan Liang with a question mark in her mind, fumbled to get up; she looked at the bedside alarm clock ¨C it was 8:30!


    This time her mind was shocked into clarity, barefoot she ran to the bathroom.


    In spite of hurrying, she was late.


    She reached the company at five minutes to 10.As she reached the top floor of the company, Secretary Liu was waiting for her. She had clearly been waiting for a long time, ¡°Go quickly.¡±


    Fastening her collar, Yan Liang went in the direction Secretary Liu had pointed out, into the CEO room.


    As she reached the door she was stunned ¨C


    Liu secretary followed her behind. Seeing her stopping at the door, she had to urge: ¡°Why are you not going in? They have been waiting for a long time.¡±


    Yan Liang ¡®s eyes stuck to the nameplate on the door: ¡°When did this name change?¡±


    ¡°The new CEO yesterday agreed to your father ¡®s invitation, we immediately asked people to make the changes here.¡±


    Yanliang seemed to understand what was said, but it seemed she was more confused: ¡°That ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Secretary Liu has opened the door.


    Yan Liang immediately noticed a silhouette standing behind the door. The silhouette clearly moved back when it heard the movement at the door.


    Incredulously she asked: ¡°So what am I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°The new CEO doesnt have an associate.¡±


    Yan Liang was instantly speechless.

 Chapter 4

    Yan Liang tarried at the door for a few minutes. Secretary Liu urged her to get in the room, the new CEO had already spent a good time waiting for her.


    A lot of money was spent to build these twin buildings. From where Yan Liang was standing, the view of the floor in the opposite building was exceptionally bright and beautiful. Of course, standing in front of her, was the tall figure of Mr Nan. And the scenery inside and outside the window complemented each other.


    Actually this is only the fourth time she and the man met, just in a few days time, their status has changed a lot.


    Yan Liang did not know how to accept her father¡¯s arrangement at that moment and stayed silent, rather Jiang Yu Nan greeted her first: ¡°Good Morning.¡±


    Yan Liang a little reluctantly looked at the meticulously dressed man, ¡°¡­ ¡­Good Morning.¡±


    ¡°You do not seem happy to see me.¡±


    ¡°Mr Jiang is always more heart, and no matter.¡±


    Perhaps her statement was so ridiculously ridiculous that she really heard the man¡¯s short laugh, but his tone suddenly rose in the next second: ¡°I heard you summoned some of the shareholders yesterday to jointly oppose me as the CEO. ¡±


    Yan Liang had begun to think this person would not work against her in the future, she felt now mutual agreement was a better state, so said: ¡°That was not my intention, I was just being passively involved. Besides, I have been punished ¨C I was sent by my father to be a servant here. ¡°


    ¡± An associate is not equal to a servant, for ordinary people this is definitely a a good job. Your father arranged to put me here, but also hopes you can change your strategy, learn real skills. ¡°He frowned slightly, but suddenly the eyes drifting across with a hint of prodding, straight to the hot face of Yan Liang he said ,¡± ¡°I cannot deal with the daughter, it is estimated that only you can get hold of her. ¡±


    That implied only he had real skill, Yan Liang also hated his ridicule of her skills, but simply bowed her head, submissive on the surface but cursing inwardly.


    Jiang Yu ¨C nan had been standing at the window. They were separated from each other by some distance, but as he has been talking, step by step he had been moving closer till he was in front of the Yanliang ¡°Oh yes, how is the burn on the arm?¡±


    Yan Liang raised her head.


    She did not realise he was standing so close to her.


    Standing so close, she felt a cold oppressive pressure and took half a step back. Her eyes skipped over his collar pin, his cufflinks, and then restoring her calm, she said: ¡°Jiang Yu, if you do not have anything, then I shall leave now, I was called suddenly, I still don¡¯t know where the public areas in this building are¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan seemed to think that her guarded remark was quite interesting and gave her a shallow smile.


    Yan Liang turned to go.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to give you a task.¡± Jiang Yu Nan suddenly said.


    Yan Liang had to stop.


    ¡±Listen¡±, he continued, ¡°Do a detailed data analysis, pros and cons and solutions of the company¡¯s current product line .I want to see it on my desk tomorrow morning.¡±


    She watched Jiang Yu Nan go back to his desk and sit down. He did not care whether she had objections to this work, she thought. She decided to remind him: ¡°This is the work of Sales and R & D¡±.


    He smiled.


    Yan Liang realised that a single smile of this man can actually be interpreted into a variety of expressions, sometimes pleasant, sometimes indifferent, and of course, the present inscrutable* one: ¡°The first rules of the workplace- whatever task the boss gives, regardless of who you are, you will have to do them all. ¡±


    This was to make her realise who the boss was, Yan Liang could only keep quiet.


    Yan Liang wanted to go out and say hello to Secretary Liu, but unfortunately Liu was busy packing her things. Yan Liang momentarily did not understand what was happening.¡±Where are you going?¡±


    Secretary Liu had a pile of cartons on the table, while continuing to clean up, she explained: ¡°Since your father is not


    part-time chief executive I have to give way to the chief¡¯s secretary. I will only be responsible for the Secretary¡¯s work, my office will move to the opposite top floor¡±. Secretary Liu used her chin to point to the floor opposite the


    glass window.


    ¡°Who will take over your job?¡±


    ¡°Mr Jiang has his own secretary, he has given me two days to complete all the handover procedures.¡±


    Two days? Thinking of the highly efficient madman sitting inside the office, Yan Liang was not surprised.


    ¡°Oh yes, your office is in the manager level downstairs, and I¡¯ve picked the best office for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Yan Liang realised her own time was running out as well. As she walked to the elevator and anxiously pressed the elevator button, another elevator arrived, inside was a man wearing a suit.


    As he passed her, she felt something was wrong, could not help but stop, looking back at the man walked toward Secretary Liu.


    Soon she could hear the content of conversation between him and Secretary Liu. Yan Liang could not help but frown, is this the secretary that Jiang Yu Nan brought?


    Her brain flashed back to the airport scene not long back, Yan Liang finally understood- wasn¡¯t this man the one who returned her glasses at the airport? No wonder she felt his face was familiar.


    Yan Liang stayed in the office all day, her work load was really heavy.


    Miss VIVI, Stella favour, the Group¡¯s favourite brand Ya Yan, skin key, Miss 25, A dream, My colour, the just launched perfume brand Stella favour, these were the seven sub-brand product lines she was working on, enough to keep her busy from early morning to late at night.


    When the desk phone rang, she was on the internal network to understand the factory set up for Miss VIVI. She picked up the phone, her tone a bit brusque ¡°Hello¡±.


    The other end of the phone was silent , then said ¡° Working overtime on your first day ?¡±


    ¡°Zhou Cheng?¡±


    Zhou Cheng laughed: ¡°You sound quite angry today.¡±


    ¡± I haven¡¯t had dinner yet, can I not be angry?¡± Yan Liang¡¯s tone has long softened. At least at this moment, there was someone concerned about her.


    ¡°I am almost at the end of the Merchants dinner; I¡¯ll come by in a while to take you to dinner.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Hanging up the phone, she rubbed her temple with her fingers as she glanced out of the window, it really is a beautiful


    night. Unfortunately, she can only temporarily admire this, collecting her thoughts, she continued to work hard.


    When she finally looked up to the clock on the opposite wall, she once again put down the pen and looked at her phone to see it was switched off. After wondering for a moment, she gritted her teeth and lifted the handset call back.


    The phone was soon picked up. Before the other side could speak, she spoke: ¡°Didnt you say you were going to take me to dinner? At this point we can almost do breakfast.¡±


    She tried to complain in a jocular tone, but the next second, Yan Liang¡¯s face was pulled down ¨C


    ¡°You do not have to wait.¡± Xu Ziqing¡¯s voice came through the phone, straight hitting her eardrum.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is it you?¡± Yan Liang¡¯s voice was taut.


    ¡°I went to a dinner party, got drunk, asked Zhou Cheng to pick me up. Now he is at the roadside buying water for me.¡±


    Yan Liang thought this was so ridiculous it would make people laugh.


    She sneered. ¡°Are you waiting for him to take you to dinner?¡± Xu Ziqing¡¯s tone was deliberately irritating.¡±What now? I¡¯ll be with him ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Raging, Yan Liang hung up the phone.


    She angrily got up and pulled the phone line out.


    Finally it was quiet, nothing could disturb her.


    Over the whole night, Yan Liang finally completed her work.


    She didn¡¯t even shut down the computer on the table. She didnt want to get up. At the moment, a ray of dawn light could be seen through the window. She thought she would close her eyes for a bit to rest before going home to work, but she soon fell asleep.


    In the faint blue light from the computer screen, the woman¡¯s face looked soft and fragile.


    Yan Liang did not if it was in her dream or reality, but she heard a faint sound at the door. Someone walked in the room, shut the computer, and it seems¡­.. also gently brushed her hair over her shoulder.


    Yan Liang wanted to open your eyes, but suddenly Xuzi Qing¡¯s voice flashed in her mind: ¡°What now? I¡¯ll be with him.. ..¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s woke up and straightened in her chair.


    Her hand touched something, Yan Liang immediately heard the sound of something being knocked over.


    She heard the sound of broken crockery and hastened to look down. A cup full of coffee had been swept to the ground, the aroma of coffee filling the room.


    Yan Liang¡¯s was still not fully conscious, she heard a low and melodious male voice near her ears :¡± ¡°Is this how you reward me for coffee?


    Yan Liang¡¯s body froze.


    When she really reacted, the uninvited guest was leaning toward her slightly. He was standing next to her chair, leaning over, his lips almost rubbing her cold temple.


    She could smell a smoky smell mixed with the smell of cigarettes, belonging to the man¡¯s breath . She stiffly sat there


    , stunned by the person being so close to her, as he leaned forward to reach for the tissue box on the desk.


    He drew a few sheets of paper towels and wiped the coffee on his suit.


    ¡°Jiang Yu Nan?¡± Yan Liang had completely woken up.


    Half- raising his head as he wiped the coffee stains from his suit, Jiang Yu Nan, without the slightest embarrassment smiled: ¡°Sleep well?¡±


    Not good. Not good at all.


    As she silently squatted down to pick up the pieces of porcelain from the floor, she asked only: ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    Picking up the broken shards, she lifted her head, her eyes met the eyes of the man standing in front and she forgot what she was going to say


    As she squatted on the ground, he leaned over her, his fingers on her lips.


    Yan Liang could suddenly hear her heart thudding.


    The man¡¯s finger across her lips, was this tenderness or bullying her? She quickly stood up straight to avoid his hand.


    Jiang Yu Nan smile in the eyes, his eyes reflecting the sunlight from the window cast. He looked down at his fingertips, then pointed at her: ¡°You must have slept very well, your lipstick is smudged.


    Subconsciously, Yan Liang licked her lips.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is Mr Jiang looking for me?¡±


    Yan Liang asked this, wanting to know why he made a special trip with coffee.


    Unexpectedly, Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s face turned serious in an instant:¡±Get ready,you need to go on a business trip with me.¡±


    ¡°A business trip?¡±


    ¡°This morning¡¯s flight.¡±


    Yan Liang could see her reflection in the computer screen ¨C sleepy eyes, messy hair. Then she looked at the


    watch, and picking up her bag, said: ¡°I will go home and change quickly ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s hands shot out to grasp her arm.


    ¡°That will be too late.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to go home and change. You can go straight to my house to change as well.¡±


    ¡°And that will not make us too late? Why can¡¯t I go home?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan raised his eyebrows as he smiled, ¡°Because I¡¯m your boss.¡±

 Chapter 5

    Her dishevelled hair and her sleepy face with remnants of makeup raised a lot of eyebrows as she walked all the way from the office. Her face coldly disregarded the attention, but in her heart, she scolded Jiang Yu Nan thousands of times.


    Fortunately, the elevator took them directly to the ground floor. They walked out of the lobby directly to the car waiting at the gate.


    The driver started the car.


    Yan Liang found that in addition to the driver, there was another person sitting in the car. Obviously the other person recognized her: ¡°Miss Yan, we meet again.¡±


    Yan Liang did not answer for a moment. The other person lightly introduced himself: ¡°Miss Yan probably does not remember me; Mr Jiang had me return a pair of glasses to you.¡±


    Yan Liang greeted the newly appointed chief secretary with a few words, and then pulled out her phone ready to call home. Jiang Yu Nan, who was checking her ¡°homework¡±, suddenly interrupted: ¡°Why is there no sales channel analysis?¡±


    With such a question, Yan Liang froze for a moment. She quickly hid her phone back in the bag, transferring her thoughts back to work: ¡°You only asked me to analyze the product line.¡±


    ¡°Product lines and sales channels have always been one, which products sell in which channels, which products need to change the sales path, which ones have an impact on the production supply chain.¡±


    Yan Liang held back her impulse to mouth back, clenched her teeth and said: ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was negligent.¡±


    The bloody man seemed to her quite satisfied with this attitude; he put down the file generously: ¡°Get back to this business after changing.¡±


    Greatly frustrated, Yan Liang turned to the window; she was afraid she would lose it and give him a punch.


    Soon the car was parked in front of a hotel-style apartment.


    Jiang Yu Nan took the lead to get off the door.


    Yan Liang deliberately avoided the co-pilot sitting in front. When she heard Jiang Yu Nan get off the car, she just re-dialled to call home.


    But she got no time to dial the number, her side of the door was suddenly opened.


    The door was opened, Yan Liang looked straight ahead.


    Realising Jiang Yu Nan was waiting for her, she said: ¡°I will go to the airport and then just clean up.¡±


    The man said ¡°No¡± and reached out to pull her out.


    A simple and quick action, it did not give her the room to refuse.


    Soon, the elevator carrying the two of them directly opened to his home.


    As she opened the door and walked into the room, Yan Liang instinctively looked around. The house had an open kitchen without any signs of cooking, the room was full of dust, and the floors were dirty. There were no signs of someone staying in here on a permanent basis.


    Yan Liang was surprised with all the luxurious and yet unused furniture when she was suddenly startled ¨C


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan heard this, but did not stop what he was doing.


    Relative to her startled fuss, he acted calmly, glancing at her, and then continued to loosen his tie and throw it on the sofa.


    Yan Liang was surprised at his attitude. At first glance, he was exceptionally calm. She could be calm too and did not want to appreciate his strip show, so she turned away from him to find the washroom.


    Jiang Yu Nan solved her quandary without lifting his head: ¡°You can go into the bedroom. Then turn right and at the end you¡¯ll find the washroom.¡±


    The washroom had new unopened toiletries on the shelf, and looked like a hotel washroom. Yan Liang wondered if it had ever been used. Then she removed the packaging to brush her teeth


    Seeing her face in the mirror, Yan Liang felt discouraged. But she didn¡¯t know why she was feeling this way. She shook her head, rinsed her mouth, washed her face and tried not to think of anything else


    However, as she raised her head, Yan Liang could see Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s reflection in the mirror as he stood at the door.


    Yan Liang had just splashed water in her eyes, her line of sight was also fuzzy, but she always felt that this man had extraordinary eyes.


    It¡¯s not that these eyes were just attractive, they were also extremely scary.


    Yan Liang took the towel to wipe her face and was ready to go out of the bathroom.


    The bathroom door was narrow, and a tall man was standing there. Yan Liang could only turn her body sideways to move out.


    She was so close to him she could smell the scent of coffee on him.


    This person watched her coldly as she tried to manoeuvre herself in the cramped space and then he went into the bathroom,¡±I will take a shower.¡±


    Yan Liang stood awhile, her back to him as she heard the sound of the shower turned on. She looked at her watch and was about to ask him not to dawdle, then thought, if her boss wasn¡¯t worried about missing the flight, why was she getting anxious?


    So she stepped out.


    Jiang Yu Nan suddenly ordered: ¡°Please close the door.¡±


    Yan Liang pulled the door close with her hands.


    Unexpectedly, the door did not close, she heard him say, ¡°Go to the bedroom and take out my suit.¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s hand stiffened on the door when she heard the third sentence: ¡°I called for two breakfasts, can you unpack? ¡°


    Yan Liang gave herself three seconds to calm down.


    But she found herself unable to calm down.


    In the confined space of the bathroom, Yan Liang quickly approached Jiang Yu Nan, grabbed him by the towel hanging around his neck: ¡°Do not be insatiable.¡±


    The views to my blog are dropping. I don¡¯t know if this is because people are reading it on sites that don¡¯t direct them to this website or readers are losing interest in the story ????


    This man seemed to have no ¡®angry¡¯ mood; even as she tried to give him tit for tat, he had an unshakeable smile, and said: ¡°Is the little lion angry? ¡°


    ¡°I¡¯ve put up with you for a long time. Who do you think you are? Aren¡¯t I a senior employee?¡±


    His eyes were still smiling : ¡°When you are strong enough to contend with me, say these words at that time.¡±


    ¡°Tell your master I quit!¡± Yan Liang cursed.


    She hadn¡¯t even taken two steps when Jiang Yu Nan grabbed her from behind.


    Yan Liang had never been an even tempered woman. As he grabbed her, she faced him and tried to bite his arm.


    Listening to his ¡°hiss¡± sound as she bit him, Yan Liang felt some satisfaction. She looked at him contemptuously as he let her go.


    She had hardly moved out of the bedroom, when suddenly he drew his arm around her waist.


    Obviously she could feel the person¡¯s arm muscles suddenly tightening around her waist, eliciting a cry, and she was pushed down to sit down on the bedside


    Yan Liang tried to stand up, but Jiang Yu Nan caught her movement and pressed her by the shoulders and made her sit down again:¡±Do you want to try? Believe it or not I will tie you down here ¡°, he said almost viciously


    Yan Liang really had not anticipated such a strong reaction. She was a little afraid, but still, biting her lips she did not even take half a step back ¡°I am not your mistress, I have no obligation to serve you.¡±


    For the first time in his life, Jiang Yu Nan was lost for an answer and shook his head again and again.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s hand pressed down on her shoulders again, and when he was sure she would not fight again, only then he turned to open the wardrobe and took out some clothes.


    Jiang Yu Nan put on his clothes, knotted his tie and then turned back to see Yan Liang hugging herself, her face turned to one side. Somehow,he was moved by her stance and stepped close.


    Thinking he would suddenly bully her again, Yan Liang stood up coldly to leave.


    He held up his arm in front of her, the tooth marks on the arm were clearly bleeding.


    ¡°Are you really a lion?¡±


    His hand grabbed her again; Yan Liang tried to push back but did not expect him to be so forceful that she was pulled closer to him instantly in an embrace.


    ¡°I always believe in giving it back. Well, I should bite you too, where is a good place?¡± His eyes roamed her body, as if really looking for a good place to bite.


    Finally, his eyes were fixed on her lips.


    This signal was very dangerous, but she could not do anything to push back as he leaned towards her body.


    Had he moved a centimetre?


    Or just half a centimetre?


    Just in time, they heard the sound of the bedroom door opening.


    The two froze.


    Followed by the sound of the door opening, they heard the sound of footsteps coming near and then the voice of Secretary Li: ¡°Mr Jiang, if you do not start now I¡¯m afraid you wont catch the flight..¡±

 Chapter 6

    It was only when she reached the airport that Yan Liang found out that the destination was New York.


    Xu Jin Fu¡¯s original intention was to have a strategic business co operation with North America¡¯s largest cosmetic company.


    But the distribution of benefits on the contract had not yet been negotiated. While talks had collapsed two months ago, with the ill health of the company¡¯s chairman, the matter had been shelved till now. Jiang Yu Nan after taking office had now decided to take over the tricky case.


    New York was definitely a good place.


    ¡°My passport is still at home!¡± Yan Lian said with mixed feelings.


    In her heart, she was complaining. How did her boss not remind her to go home to get her passport, but somehow kidnapped her for a trip to his home?


    She was getting ready to call home to send her passport to the airport, when Jiang Yu Nan immediately handed over a passport. Yan Liang took it, opened it and saw it was hers.


    She was surprised. She heard her boss say particularly shamelessly:¡±I did not intend to take you on this trip. But


    I did not sleep last night to work overtime. When I went to your office you were sleeping soundly, somehow my heart was moved and I instantly made a decision to bring you on this trip.¡±


    Yan Liang was dumfounded, this explanation was very cute, but she was wary of the situation and did not dare to think she had a little favour, ¡°How is my passport here?¡±


    ¡°Manager Zhou sent it to the company.¡±


    Yan Liang was surprised, and thus she missed the hidden searching look in her boss¡¯s eyes only to hear him say: ¡°When you were asleep, he called more than a dozen times. I answered on your behalf and asked him to send your passport to the company.¡±


    Yan Liang could not believe that all this had happened while she was totally unaware. This man made her slightly afraid, so she looked around trying to find a temporary escape. Finally, she saw Secretary Lee not far away and immediately said: ¡°I will go to help Secretary Lee check ¨C in.¡±


    It was a long flight and she was sitting next to Jiang Yu Nan.


    Fortunately, she had unfinished work which was time-consuming.


    Xu¡¯s current sales channels included high-end department stores, specialty stores, high-end perfume stores, pharmacies, self-operated stores and supply cabinets, airplanes and duty-free shops in airports and cities.


    She could not access the net on the flight, so Yan Liang was restricted to the information already available on the computer. But that was enough to keep her busy through the ten hour flight.


    Her boss was very good; he readily flipped through the New York Tourism illustrated magazine provided in the plane.


    It was the first-class cabin; the only sound heard was the tapping on her keyboards. At some point, Yan Liang put down her pen and squeezed her eyes shut as her eyes were tired from staring at the screen for so long. At this time, her peripheral vision caught an attractive sight.


    Yan Liang instinctively glanced to her side, only to realize that she was watching Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s profile.


    She wasn¡¯t sure if he had just closed his eyes or had really fallen asleep.


    Yan Liang¡¯s eyes were drawn to the illustrated Travel magazine on the table.


    She vaguely remembered that Jiang Yu Nan had been in London,but he may not be familiar with New York. Yan Liang was familiar with New York , but as she looked at the pictures, she was surprised.


    She had never seen a more beautiful night than in New York. Zhou Cheng and she had gone to school in New York and the first time they set foot on the land of New York, it was night.


    The city was neon-lit, busy ¡­


    In the quietness of her heart, caught up in the raging memories of the past, she suddenly felt a trace of unease.


    She glanced up to see Jiang Yu Nan had woken up and was quietly watching her.


    His eyes were calm but his gaze was powerful, and Yan Liang suddenly felt embarrassed.


    With a dry cough, she removed her hand from the book and got up: ¡°I want to use the bathroom.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan silently looked at her, their eyes met, then moved sideways to allow her access to the aisle.


    She hid in the bathroom for a long time facing the mirror. She began to wonder why she felt he was affecting her so much. He seemed so powerful, she felt she had nowhere hide; she had the feeling of being surrounded on all sides, or even almost defeated.


    Perhaps his eyes always made people feel he could see what was in their heart.


    Perhaps because her feelings were never reciprocated, she had never felt shy.


    After countless reflections over a short time, Yan Liang got out of the toilet.


    In the opposite side of the washroom, standing in the slightly narrow aisle, was Jiang Yu Nan.


    He was waiting for her, with folded arms and a poker face.


    Yan Liang thought he wanted to use the toilet, but he did not seem to go in. Turning sideways to avoid him, she tried to walk towards the seat.


    As she was about to walk ahead, Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s hand suddenly came up against the wall, pressing her against it.


    She looked at him with displeasure: ¡°You ¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°If my information is correct, Manager Zhou is your sister¡¯s fiance¡±, he suddenly said.


    Yan Liang frowned.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s usual expressionless face suddenly showed a hint of smile ¡°Being in love with your sister¡¯s fiance, it must not be easy for you, is it?¡±


    His smile was ironic.


    Yan Liang never knew that she could be forced into such a desperate, uncontrollable situation with such a short question. Her temper barely in check, she said ,¡°What have you seen that made you conclude I am in love with him? What made you think he is Xu Ziqing¡¯s fianc¨¦?¡±


    His gaze rested for a moment on her face as she confronted him; then he tipped her chin up. Yan Liang was taken aback, she felt she was being forced to the corner.


    After he stared at her long enough, he dropped her chin, ¡°Few have deceived my eyes.¡±


    If she hadn¡¯t been afraid of raising the flight stewardess¡¯s suspicion who was seeing them standing in the distance, Yan Liang would have solved the problem through force. He laughed ironically again. She also smiled back at him with contempt and pulled his tie, forcing his head down toward her.


    She looked squarely at his eyes, their eyes reflected each other and anger at him burned through her.


    ¡°You think you can see what my heart is thinking?¡±


    He did not seem to care; he seemed to be quite tolerant to her anger as he said:¡± I can see in your eyes that you are trying hard to hide something.¡±


    She pulled him closer, and with a sneer said ¡°Then you take a look in my eyes and see, what I think of Yu Nan, an arrogant, self-righteous ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Her hands clenched tightly around his tie.


    He smiled slowly, the smile changing.


    This man¡¯s attention was no longer on her eyes.


    The next moment, Yan Liang realized that his eyes had unknowingly locked on her lips.


    She had no time to react.


    Her hand released his tie, but was grabbed by him,¡± ¡°Have you forgotten that you still owe me?¡±


    The kiss that had started in his house five hours ago finally landed solidly on her cool lips


    *** ***


    Yan Liang reacted fast and suddenly pushed him.


    But this man was so arrogant, even as she pushed him away, he pulled her closer.


    This time, her whole body was pressed tightly to his without the slightest gap. She refused to comply, using her hand to push his chest, but couldn¡¯t make him budge.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s kiss could not be refused. Yan Liang put up with it, but she could see in his eyes, not warmth, but a strange coldness.


    Yes, his eyes were cold, or even vicious.


    So cold, that at that moment it seemed he hated her..


    ¡­


    Hate. First her father hated her, and now this man hated her so much it was almost like he wanted to destroy her.


    He finally let her go and Yan Liang immediately slapped him.


    He did not stop her. A crisp sound and Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s face was suddenly red.


    Yan Liang was stunned. She could not believe it. The last time, she wanted to slap Xu Ziqing, but he had easily caught his wrist. Yet he didn¡¯t stop her now.


    Jiang Yu Nan touched his face with his


    Fingers, then the corners of the mouth went up in a smile. It was as if he wanted to warn her- I just allowed you to hit me.If I do not allow you, you have no strength to hit me


    Yan Liang finally thought of a word to describe the expression on his face at this time ¨C disrespect .


    This made her hate him more. In the twinkling of an eye, she picked up a glass of water from the table of the nearest passenger and tried to throw the water on his handsome but disgusting face.


    This time Jiang Yu Nan caught her wrist neatly.


    Yan Liang wanted to break free, but with his other hand he easily took the glass from her hands and drank a mouthful.


    ¡°I am feeling kind of thirsty after I kissed you,¡± Jiang Yu Nan indicated the cup in his hands, his smile mocking, ¡°thank you.¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s mind had long ago stopped functioning logically ,under his withering stare, she tried to take the glass away from him. The stewardess realised the situation was getting difficult and quickly stepped forward to mediate. In the ensuing struggle between the two,Jiang Yu Nan accidentally spilled some water on the stewardess.


    Yan Liang was suddenly brought back to reality as she saw the water stains on the stewardess¡¯s apron and quickly apologized to her:


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry ¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jiang Yu Nan said, his voice neither overbearing, nor creepy.


    Saying this he offered some tips and a paper towel to the stewardess


    She did not take a tip, only the tissue and gave a professional smile to: ¡°It does not matter.¡±


    As he turned around, the stewardess advised Yan Liang: ¡°Miss, I have nothing to do with you lovers, but it is better to talk than fight. This gentleman has quite a good temper¡±.


    Yan Liang felt helpless, she was annoyed. She was about to explain, when Jiang Yu Nan turned back to smile at the flight attendant and pulled her hand to move back to their seats.


    As they passed the food cart of the stewardess, Jiang Yu Nan put a tip on the top.


    He really intended to buy people with money ¨C


    Yan Liang was annoyed, she threw off his hand forcefully.


    She had unwittingly acted out a farce in the aircraft, making a joke of herself in front of outsiders. She silently realised that he was the most powerful enemy she had met in her life.


    In the front of this man, inexplicably she felt a bit timid.


    For the rest of the journey, Yan Liang was determined not to give him any opportunity to cause trouble. She adjusted her seat,put on her goggles, pulled down the shades and put on the blankets, preparing to sleep.


    For more than half an hour, she was unable to fall asleep.


    Although the temperature in the cabin was low, her brain was still heated and in a mess. As she turned over to force herself to sleep, the blanket slid down a bit. Before she could take out her hand to pull it up, the blanket was adjusted and tucked in. She knew who did this, and was scared. Although her eyes were wrapped by the eye mask, she subconsciously squeezed her eyes shut.


    She could feel his moist breath over her forehead.¡±Sweet dreams¡±, Jiang Yu Nan said softly in her ear.

 Chapter 7

    Yan Liang originally thought that the trip to New York would be very busy, but it seemed like Jiang Yu Nan had come for a holiday with his gang- horseback riding,golf, yacht trips to the sea.


    Yan Liang was not responsible for the itinerary of this trip, but she also heard about his tour of Manhattan and Queens in these days.


    Even Secretary Li was tempted to intervene; the day after playing golf with Jiang Yu Nan, in the middle of the night he knocked on her door . He was especially anxious to discuss with her on how to deal with this.


    ¡°This is not the way to act. Mr Jiang took office and needs to deliver results with a bunch of new subordinates. Instead, he runs abroad to eat and drink. I have to listen to the deputy manager complain repeatedly.


    In fact, Yan Liang has been pondering for two days, if she should use her identity as Xu Jin Fu¡¯s daughter, go over Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s head and directly meet Johnny Weil.But if she really wanted to go over his head, they had to find a company in this town to help bring the negotiating team to the table.


    She only knew Zhou Chang in this town.


    Yan Liang shook her head to clear her thoughts and said: ¡°Secretary Lee,tomorrow morning we should go to see Mr Jiang and ask him what his plan is.If he can not give us a reasonable explanation, then isn¡¯t he worried about the repercussions if we spend the public money just eating and drinking?¡±


    Although Secretary Li had been with his boss for many years, he was still very afraid of him. Hearing Yan Liang, he reluctantly said ¡°Ok.¡±


    The next day at nine o¡¯clock, Yan Liang and Secretary Lee went together to meet Jiang Yu Nan.


    The attendants had just put breakfast on the table. Wearing a bathrobe, Jiang Yu Nan came out of the bedroom, his wet hair parted to the side.


    They were staying in a five star hotel on the Fifth avenue. The window had a panoramic view of Manhattan. From this height, one could see pedestrians as small as ants hurrying about. The sun was shining through the window, the light reflecting in the beads of water on Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s hair.


    Jiang Yu Nan did not seem to be surprised to see them both.He sat at the table by himself, put the towel aside,and picked up the newspaper.


    Jiang Yu Nan turned two pages, slowly tilting his head towards Yan Liang and Secretary Lee and said: ¡°Have your breakfast.¡±


    Lee secretary shook his head, still standing respectfully.Annoyed with the master and servant, Yanliang immediately pulled the stool to sit down, picking up bread and butter.


    Secretary Li seemed embarrassed to see Yan Liang and sat down helplessly.


    Yang Liang took the plate of scrambled eggs and bacon that Jiang Yu Nan was eyeing and placed it in front of Secretary Lee on the table.


    Lee secretary quickly waved, ¡°Thank you, I wont eat.¡± After a dry cough, he got down to business, ¡°Mr Jiang, I heard Mr. Weill¡¯s secretary say that Mr. Weill will be playing golf today, do you need me to arrange ¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan did not say anything about the food that Yan Liang took away.He served himself coffee and said ¡°No, I will go to the stables today.¡±


    Lee secretary was put in a a difficult position, he was wondering how to say the next sentence, when Yan Liang could not help


    but speak: ¡°Johnny Weill certainly knows that you are in New York, yet you have not seen him.When the deal falls through, how do you intend to explain this to my dad?¡±


    Hearing her words,Jiang Yu Nan suddenly reached over to her.Seeing his casual attitude,Yan Liang did not think he was going to hit her, but she still flinched instinctively.


    Yet she could not avoid his touch.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s fingers slowly skimmed over her lips,


    carefully wiping the drop of butter in the corner of her mouth.


    Yan Liang frowned, expressing her disgust.


    But Jiang Yu Nan was in a rare good mood. He tasted the butter at his fingertips and looked at Yan Liang, his gaze teasing: ¡°It tastes good.¡±


    Watching the whole scene, Secretary Lee was embarrassed and gave a dry cough.


    Jiang Yu Nan seemed to realise they were not alone and with his usual cool restored said: ¡°In fact,business opponents are like women, business negotiations are like love negotiations, the one who is more anxious is the one who loses.¡±


    Although he was looking at Yanliang when he said this,she ignored him.


    ¡°Then I wish Mr Jiang good luck. Don¡¯t kill the deal.¡± Yan Liang got up and left.


    Yan Liang had reached the entrance, when Jiang Yu Nan


    suddenly said: ¡°Wait.¡± She stopped to listen what other sarcastic remarks the man would say.


    ¡°I saw a picture of you riding a horse in your father ¡®s office.You are probably a good rider, do you want to compete?¡±


    Yanliang instinctively wanted to refuse,


    then she thought for a while, smiled and turned to back to Jiang Yu Nan and said ¡°Ok.¡±


    A few people arrived at the stables at 12.


    Jiang Yu Nan had come here a lot of times earlier.


    The Racecourse Owner was Chinese, and he greeted Jiang Yu Nan in poor Chinese.


    Yanliang looked over the open-air stable .Behind the manger, a few robust horses were tethered.


    As Jiang Yu Nan greeted the owner,Yanliang walked into the manger to pick a horse.


    ¡­¡­¡± The trainer walked behind Yan Laing airing his views ¡°For women, a docile small horse is better, such as this horse ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Yanliang already fancied another horse, she immediately asked the trainer to pull the horse out of the stable.


    The Trainer did not move: ¡°I ¡®m sorry, this is


    Mr Jiang¡¯s ¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°That is my horse.¡± A voice behind the trainer said.


    Yan Liang turned back and saw it was the voice of Jiang Yu Nan.


    Jiang Yu Nan slowly approached them, a whip in his hands: ¡°I came here a few times earlier and chose this horse. You won¡¯t take it from me now because the horse is good, right?¡±


    ¡°It ¡®s ¡­ Sunday evening,that is, non ¨C working hours, you¡¯re not my boss, I do not have to listen to you.¡±


    The Trainer did not help, Yan Liang herself moved forward to take the reins of the horse.


    When she passed Jiang Yu Nan he said,¡±Don¡¯t you know I love best to compete and win over other people, especially over you?¡±


    Yanliang squinted at him and smirked.


    ¡°Miss ¡­ ¡­¡± the trainer wanted to stop her.Jiang Yu Nan shook his head in silence, indicating the trainer should let her go.


    This horse did not recognise a single master, it obediently trotted towards Yan Liang.


    After half a moment, Yan Laing set off across the open field, the horse kicking up dust.Jiang Yu Nan, who had just set off himself on a horse , could not help but squint at the distance. She looked like a brave heroine.


    It was a warm day. As he looked at her riding, there was a hidden undercurrent of emotion in Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes.


    *** ***


    Yan Liang tried two laps to adjust to the horse, then immediately began to accelerate.The wind rushed past her, at this time, she felt carefree, as if she was back in the past.


    The past .. where there was father, Zhou Cheng and no Xu Ziqing.


    ¡°Daydreaming is very dangerous at this time¡±, said a voice behind her.


    Yan Liang Yi Zheng tightened the reins. She hadn¡¯t realised that Jiang Yu Nan had been by her side all this time.


    His horse was a little shorter than her, so they were both at the same level.µÄ¡£Yan Liang wanted to turn the horse to another direction, after all,her earlier experiences had taught her it was always wise to steer clear of this man.


    .


    £¿¡± But her emotions had the upper hand in the end: ¡°I thought Mr Jiang is always very skilful, why would you still need the horse trainer to help you hold the reins ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled: ¡°No way, I just got the job of CEO. I haven¡¯t led an extravagant life. I don¡¯t want to be like some poor man whose life was almost ruined in your hands.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t laugh, in a chilled tone she asked ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    With a faint smile, he took the reins from the hands of the trainer, indicating that the trainer should leave: ¡°How about this ? My record from here to there is one minute,¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan pointed his whip to the end of the racetrack. ¡°If you¡¯re time is better than mine and you beat me,I¡¯ll tell you what I mean.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan paused, put up a finger, two fingers, three


    fingers ¨C


    She heard the sound of the whip snap on the horse and the next moment JYN had started off


    Clamping on the belly of the horse, Yan Liang also raced her horse to keep up.


    The wind rushing past made her eyes water and in just a minute, Yan Liang¡¯s mind was immersed in countless images.


    In the first year, Xu Ziqing had seen her riding photos, and envious,had wanted her horse .


    The horse was Yanliang¡¯s birthday gift from Xu Jinfu some years before, and even now Yan Liang thought it was ironic that a gift could be transferred from one person to another just like that.


    The horse recognised only Yan Liang, when Xu Ziqing tried to ride the horse for the first time, she was thrown off.


    The horse was still young,therefore Xu Ziying¡¯s fall was not too painful. However, she narrowly missed sustaining heavy injuries as the horse kicked at her, because Yan Liang immediately climbed on the horse and pulled the reins to calm it down. She remembered that she had hesitated slightly before taking control of the horse. She had entertained a vicious idea in her mind for a moment .. let her be kicked to death.


    Eeventually Yan Liang had grabbed the reins, and a disaster had been averted.


    But even so, she was grounded by Xu Jinfu for a week A week later when she was allowed to go out, she found out that her horse had been put to death by several angry relatives of Xu Ziqing


    Yan Liang remembered rushing to the stables, looking for a long time, and finally finding some blood stains in the manger that had not been washed off


    Perhaps it was at that moment that her father had died in her heart completely.


    ¡°Hey-!¡±Then she heard a sharp whistle.


    Yan Liang was jolted from her memories and forced


    to return to reality. She turned around and saw Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s face was panicked.


    What can make a man like Jiang Yu Nan panic?


    Yan Liang smiled incredulously , before she realised that a disaster had occurred. Her horse had jumped over the fence and had galloped out of the track.


    A chill settled over her heart. Her hands trembling, she tried to pull back the reins, but the reins cut into her palms. Unheeded, the horse rushed towards the umbrellas in the rest area.


    She could not hear the horse galloping behind her until a familiar voice called out in a


    furious manner: ¡°Take the reins to the right.¡±


    Yanliang looked back, she could see Jiang Yu Nan, his hair messy, his face cold with determination


    His eyes had a weird, almost threatening look.Yan Liang finally calmed down.She pulled the reins with all her might, the horse turned towards the right where there was a warehouse with piles of hay.


    Jiang Yunnan followed all the way, the two horses trotting almost side by side.As the horses moved towards the warehouse, Yan Liang did not realise when JYN had taken over reins of her horse. Suddenly, the horses reared up and Yan liang was thrown to the ground.


    Yan Liang rolled over the haystack, and then fell to the ground.


    Although the haystack acted as a buffer, she still hit the ground hard and cried out in pain.


    Jiang Yu Nan came around to her,Yanliang first saw his feet parallel to her head.


    She looked up at him, his face was pale.


    The sunlight was behind him, the man¡¯s face was dark, and the pain blurred Yan Liang¡¯s vision.She thought she was experiencing hallucinations; at this moment JYN was looking at her in the same way that Xu Ziqing had looked at her horse so many years ago..


    A mixture of kindness and vicious loathing¡­


    After a moment, JYN hoisted her on his back.


    All the way, he carried her on his back.


    ¡°Truly,you are indeed a small lioness.¡±


    ¡± ¡°I¡­¡­¡±


    ¡£ ¡°If you choke again, I can not carry you back.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡± ¡°Be good.¡±


    Yan Liang stayed silent, she was not afraid of him,


    but she did not have the strength to get into an argument.


    Her head drooped so that her chin rested in his shoulder.


    He was the only one she could rely on at the moment, involuntarily , her arms tightened around his neck causing her chest to inadvertently press against his back.


    Jiang Yu Nan suddenly stopped.


    ¡°what happened?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan started moving again: ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Perhaps because she was pressed too tightly against him ¨C


    ¡± Dub!¡±


    ¡°Dub!¡±


    Whose heart was beating this way ?


    Hidden under the hard bones, the heart continued to beat softly ¡­¡­

 Chapter 8

    Even with one leg broken, Yan Liang could not help but thing that this will definitely make her the butt of jokes. So when her mother asked her how she was, she bit the bullet and said everything was fine.


    ¡°The situation at home is bad¡±, her mother could not help but air out her grievances.


    As the nurse was bandaging her feet, the resultant pain distracted her so she asked the nurse to stop. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Her mother said anxiously: ¡°Your father always wanted Xu Ziqing and Zhou Cheng together. Today the child has clearly said she will not marry him. Earlier she was prevaricating, saying it¡¯s too early but now it seems her mind is set.¡±


    This was not how Xu Ziqing usually acted, if she clearly refused, wouldn¡¯t this disappoint both father and Zhou Cheng?


    Yan Liang thought this was a good outcome, she was secretly pleased, but unfortunately that could not be displayed in front of her mother so she put on a worried tone to ask ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°Then what, then, your father was very upset.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Dissatisfied with her daughter¡¯s attitude, Yan Mu said ¡° Why are you not worried?¡±


    Yan Liang wondered aloud: ¡°Why should I be worried? I am not the one being forced to marry.¡±


    Yan Mu sighed helplessly ¡°Although he is capable, Zhou Cheng will always be a driver¡¯s son. Your dad would like to promote him, even to the position of a general manager. It is not a threat if Zi Qing is stuck with him. Now¡­¡±


    Yan Liang silently smiled. Her mother was so calculating..how will that help?


    Xu Jin fu¡¯s love for Xu Ziqing will always allow Ziqing to have the upper hand.


    Her mother went on and Yan Liang was in no mood to listen anymore. She said ¡°Let me come back¡± to end the conversation


    She stayed in the hospital for one night. No one had come to visit and Yanliang was also happy with the quiet.


    But she did not realise that she would find it most difficult in the middle of the night when the pain was keeping her awake. There was no one to talk to and she sat like an old patient in the bed, listening to the nurse¡¯s footsteps in the corridor outside


    Perhaps the nurse¡¯s monotonous footsteps aroused a desire in her heart, or the night outside made people think of strange things. Whatever it was, Yanliang finally got her mobile phone to call a number she hadn¡¯t called in weeks.


    Half of her was thinking, Xu Ziqing¡¯s refusal will certainly make the trip quite frustrating for her, would it not have been a good opportunity for her?


    The other half, however, proudly scorned the idea. When an idea finally prevailed, Yanliang quickly set aside the opposing thought, she did not want to give herself room for regret.


    It was a long night.


    It was a long distance international call.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    Yan Liang thought for a long time, and finally she just said: ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Since she was so hesitant, Zhou Cheng was also smart enough to guess: ¡°You know everything?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Repeatedly trampled by the same woman twice, is it worth it?¡±


    ¡°Not worth it, but ¡­.. I cant help it.¡± Zhou paused, Yan Liang understood him so well she could make out from his sigh how depressed he was.


    Yan Liang finally did not utter any words of comfort; after all, in her bones she felt that the man deserved to be sad: ¡°Aren¡¯t you feeling cheapened ?¡±


    ¡°Can love make you feel cheap?¡±


    Yan Liang could not help but look up and close her eyes, her mouth gulping for air like a fish out of water gulping for oxygen. Only then, could she control her emotions


    ¡°Once I am back, we will get drunk. Buck up, you are invincible!¡±


    Yan Liang hung up the phone.


    If he deserved to be depressed, wasn¡¯t she even more pathetic? Yan Liang laughed. In the empty ward, only her laughter could be heard. The more she laughed the more her heart sank, sank to the bottom, into the dust..


    ¡°Sometimes laughter is worse than crying.¡±


    Suddenly a cold voice broke the silence.


    Yan Liang was surprised.


    Looking towards where the sound came from, she saw the door was half open, a figure gracefully standing there. In the mixture of light and darkness, the emotions on his face were difficult to understand, but the eyes were still gleaming..


    ¡°Jiang Yu Nan?¡±


    The man approached her.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was much more casual than her: ¡°I came to see if the little lion was asleep.¡±


    ¡°I hate this nickname.¡±


    ¡°I like it.¡± Saying this, he moved the table in front of Yan Liang,a take-away carton placed on top, ¡°It¡¯s still hot. Eat.¡±


    Seeing her motionless, Jiang Yu Nan laughed: ¡°Do you want me to take apart the chopsticks, open the cover and deliver this to your hands before you eat?¡±


    Yan Liang only watched him quietly.


    He actually opened the lid, prised the chopsticks apart, and put the bowl in Yan Liang¡¯s hands.


    She still did not move, Jiang Yu Nan frowned at her: ¡°Of course, I do not mind feeding you.¡±


    Yan Liang frowned as well.


    Jiang Yu Nan picked up the


    plastic spoon, actually scooped the porridge with the spoon and put in his mouth , waited for a while , then suddenly came towards her.


    His lips were on hers, she ducked.


    She should have kicked him out earlier, now she could only complain: ¡°Are you sick?¡±


    ¡°If you want me to feed you, of course I get to choose how I feed you.¡±


    His deadpan delivery angered her and she lifted the pillow to throw at him. He ducked.


    Yan Liang was livid: ¡°Take away the food. This ward is paid for with my money and you are not welcome here!¡±


    Her wrath left Jiang Yu Nan unperturbed. He cleared the table and put a paper contract on the table.


    ¡°After reading this, if you decide to welcome me, it will be too late.. .¡± ¡±


    Yanliang suspiciously stared at him, then her eyes moved to the file.


    She was familiar with this document. This was the strategic cooperation agreement drawn up for Johnny Weill long back.


    Yan Liang hurriedly looked up the distribution of benefits provision. Within seconds, her attitude had changed. First she was surprised, then felt confused. Uncertain, she raised her eyes to Jiang yu nan, thought of something, panicked and skipped to the last page to see the signature of Johnny Weill.


    A familiar voice sounded near her ear: ¡°I got such a good deal for your father, how are you going to reward me?¡±


    Yan Liang shook her head, laughing. This was just incredible, she still could not believe her eyes. ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    ¡°This business had dragged on for so many months, Jonny Weill would be more anxious than us. Although Xu Jinfu valued this cooperation, after all, after his stroke, nobody knew how this was going to be dealt with.


    After I came to New York he was tracking every move. Yet it seemed that I had only come here to play. Then suddenly you broke your leg, and you were crying to return home. I was also worried about you and would only follow you back. Chances were, you woukd have to rest for a few months. Perhaps you would not come to New York in the future. When Jonny was so anxious, he came to me. As long as he was anxious, we would get the bargaining advantage.¡±


    Yan Liang thought for a long time before she understood.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking?¡±


    Yan Liang heard the question, slowly put down the contract, hesitated a moment before looking up at him.


    Using psychological warfare in the business field, this man was truly scary.


    What about the future? Will he be her strong enemy, or a powerful helper?


    There was no point guessing about the unknown future, the only thing that Yan Liang could do was to pick up the chopsticks, put the porridge in her mouth and smile ,¡±Tastes good¡±.


    *** ***


    The next day they set off for the return journey, after all how could Jiang Yu Nan dare to ignore her ¡®crying¡¯ to return?


    The last time it was only Yanliang, Jiang Yu Nan and Lee secretary. In the return flight, a team of colleagues, all part of the


    negotiating team were also with them, the atmosphere was much more harmonious.


    Yan Liang, sitting on the sidelines, listened to the vice president vividly describing the events the day before when the negotiations continued till late evening.


    ¡°By the time we left the building, it was late at night and everyone was too excited to sleep. We intended to have a celebration dinner that night, but Jiang Yu Nan disappointed us and left immediately.¡±


    ¡°Celebration banquet is indispensable, we must have it.¡±


    Then someone asked: ¡°Why was Jiang Yu Nan so anxious to leave at that time?¡±


    ¡°He said something about meeting a friend.¡±


    ¡°Seems like an important friend.¡±


    Yanliang had been silently listening, at this time, she obviously felt a bit uncomfortable.


    Subconsciously she wanted to do something else to bury this feeling


    She chose to wear headphones to listen to music.


    Just seconds before she put on the headphones, she heard Jiang Yu Nan.


    ¡°Yes, for me, that person is a very important person.¡±


    *** ***


    More than ten hours later, the plane landed.


    As people passed out of the plane, Yan Liang felt embarrassed as she walked too slowly with her crutches.


    Once they were out of the gate, she took her luggage, with Lee Secretary by her side helping her. As she started walking, she realised that, unknowing to her, Jiang Yu Nan had also slowed his pace so that they were walking side by side. Soon they were quite a distance behind the other collaeagues. He did not touch her, or hold her, he was cold as always, but she still felt a slight discomfort with him at her side.


    Suddenly seeing her colleagues stop in the front, Yan Liang was happy to divert her attention to something else.


    Unfortunately, the opposite happened, the eyes of her colleagues turned towards her, and they seemed to get more attention.


    As the colleagues withdrew, she realised what was drawing their attention.


    Xu Ziqing had come personally to pick them up.


    Her heart sank.


    Xu Ziqing soon came to her side, looked up and down Yan Liang,her eyes fixed on the plaster cast in the leg. Raising her brows, she said with a really distressed voice ¡°How did this happen?¡±


    Xu Ziying reached out a hand to help her, but Yan Liang quietly moved her hand away.


    Xu Ziqing smiled with embarrassment.


    Miss Yan Liang¡¯s temper and bad attitude to her sister was well known to her colleagues. Now seeing this scene for the first time, many of them gave a sympathetic look to Xu Ziqing, some chose to stay out of things, and some turned their heads away, embarrassed.


    Xu Ziqing, perhaps in order to ease the embarrassment,also turned sideways. It seemed as if only at this time, she became aware of Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s presence.


    So she politely called out: ¡°Jiang Yu Nan.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan nodded at her with a smile.


    Yan liang quietly watched the interaction of these two people.


    She knew Xu Ziqing, knew that Xu Ziying at this moment was looking at Jiang Yannan¡¯s eyes ¨C


    Her sister had used her as an excuse to meet Jiang Yu Nan.


    Now Xu Ziqing had sinister intentions of getting close to this dangerous but extremely useful man, and she was hiding those intentions behind a sweet and pretty smile.


    Yan Liang stood aside silently, a faint smile of ridicule on her lips.

 Chapter 9

    The party dissolved at the airport, all of them leaving in droves to enjoy a rare day of holiday.


    Secretary Li left alone, busily calling to confirm that the driver for Jiang Yu Nan was present.


    Yan Liang proceeded slowly towards the parking lot, leaning on her crutches.


    Xu Ziqing deliberately slowed down, accompanying her.


    She acted like a really good sister, even before they were out of the airport, she had already started fighting for the rights of her sister: ¡°Jiang Yu Nan, Yan Liang is injured, should she not be allowed some leave so she can rest at home?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s smile was slightly detached: ¡°It depends on what Yan Liang wants for herself, if she would like to personally apply for leave, I will approve.¡°


    Yan Liang looked at him, though the statement was straightforward, the look in his eyes was anything but.


    ¡°Will you?¡± Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes swept sideways towards Yan Liang. Seeing this, Xu Ziqing¡¯s tone changed slightly, then she was smiling again ¡± Mr Jiang, I do not know you if you are free, my father has set up a dinner reception for you, hope you can honour us with your presence.¡±


    ¡°Today?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Xu Ziqing was thoughtful; she did not forget to add,


    ¡°Secretary Lee will also join us, right?¡±


    They had reached the parking lot.


    In addition to both drivers, there were a total of four people. Secretary Lee was already standing next to Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car and opened the door for him.


    Xi Ziqing seemed to be in a quandary regarding the seating arrangements, due to her cast, Yan Liang needed to sit alone at the back seat. She did not speak, but the driver suggested: ¡°Miss, maybe you can sit in Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car?¡±


    Xu Ziqing thought for a moment, she seemed to be in favour of such an arrangement, but she showed great tact, and asked Jiang Yu Nan: ¡°Is it ok if I hitch a ride with you ¡­¡±, when she was suddenly interrupted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to go to the company today?¡±


    Yan Liang looked back and asked Xu Ziqing.


    Silently noting her sudden interest in Xu Ziqing, Jiang Yu Nan frowned, then smiled at Yan Liang, his gaze mocking.


    Xu Ziqing must have been surprised as well, but her smile was quickly restored :¡±I specifically took a leave from work in order to meet you.¡±


    Then she turned to Jiang Yu Nan, continued: ¡°Would you be ok if I came in your car?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan made a gesture of agreement, but as Xi Ziqing walked towards the car, Jiang Yu Nan deliberately slowed down.


    In the next second, Yan Liang said ¡°Jiang Yu Nan, we will have to go back to the office, I have a document that needs to be signed by you.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    Although his tone was doubtful, Jiang Yu Nan did not seem surprised, and then smiled, as if he was already expecting her to say so.


    Yan Liang did not wait for his approval, she walked toward Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car, and staring straight ahead, passed Xi Ziqing and sat down in the car.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Miss Xu, Secretary Lee will sit in your car, Yan Liang and I will take my car¡±, Jiang Yu Nan apologised and sat in the car.


    Xu Ziqing was standing in front of the car, Yanliang forcefully banged the door in her face.


    Her image in the rear view mirror gradually disappeared.


    The car accelerated smoothly.


    In the silence inside the car, Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s voice suddenly rang out,


    ¡°You really ruined her plan to spend some time alone with me.¡±


    Yan Liang dominated the entire rear seat, her leg lying straight on the seat.


    Hearing this, she raised her face, and her eyes met Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes in the rear-view mirror.


    ¡°What do you mean Mr Jiang? I don¡¯t understand..¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan raised his eyebrows and smiled.


    ¡°Yes, you are also able to understand your sister¡¯s tricks.¡±


    Yan Liang laughed.


    She didn¡¯t expect him to continue: ¡°To be honest, I really like your sister¡¯s personality, evil intentions at heart, but a sweet smile on the surface. And you? You are the same, outside and inside. Sooner or later you will have to pay bitterly for that.¡±


    Yan Liang was scornful.


    After a pause, she said: ¡°Mr Jiang, then you have misunderstood my sister, she is really kind hearted.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan shook his head silently. Yan Liang suddenly smiled, her voice sweet, ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that I am playing with you? That, in fact, I may be doing all this to get your attention?¡±


    ¡°If your purpose is to really get my attention, then I can tell you clearly that you have been successful,¡± His eyes, his expression, his voice, were all soft. ¡°Very successful.¡±


    A man saying such teasing words, how can that make someone feel so.. tender?


    To ward off this strange feeling, Yanliang chose to avoid his eyes.


    The car had already entered the city centre a long time back. Trying to retrieve her earlier calm, Yan Liang said casually ¡° You can just drop me off at any point.¡±


    Puzzled, Jiang Yu Nan immediately said, ¡°Didnt you say you had some documents you wanted me to sign ?¡±


    Yan Liang sighed in her heart, how could she be this man¡¯s opponent?


    ¡°Dont pretend, you know it was just an excuse I gave her.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan replied with a low laugh.


    The car came to a halt at the corner of a taxi stand. Jiang Yu Nan helped her out. For the first time ever, Yan Liang uttered the words ¡°Thank you¡± to Jiang Yu Nan.


    Just these two words brought a smile to his eyes.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you participating in your family dinner?¡±


    ¡°I will not attend the dinner.¡±


    He seemed to want a detailed explanation. Yan Liang hesitated, then said: ¡°I am afraid if I have to see two women with the same husband sitting on the same table to eat, I will vomit.¡±


    After she finished, Yan Liang waved to a taxi to stop it.


    Jiang Yu Nan stood beside the door, watched her limp into the taxi and then sat back down in the car.


    He sat quietly , without instructing his driver to drive. The driver could only observe him from time to time. Unexpectedly, he saw that the eyes of this man, which were usually cold and desolate, had a touch of sadness.


    The driver recalled what Yan Liang had just said, and sighed: ¡°Living in this family, it¡¯s very unfortunate.


    ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t the culprit who caused all these misfortunes go to hell?¡± Jiang Yu Nan muttered softly.


    His voice was so faint, his expression so chilled, that it scared the driver for a moment.


    As if suddenly aware of what he had just said, Jiang Yu Nan quickly recovered, and laughing, said: ¡°Drive.¡±


    *** ***


    The PR department made a huge media splash about the company¡¯s successful agreement with the American firm, the effect of which was a significant rebound in the stock prices after the downturn caused by the president¡¯s ill health.


    In the company¡¯s anniversary three months later, Johnny Weill was also making a trip to the company. Under Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s instructions, the PR department sent out media invitations, intending to make it a big event.


    Xu Jinfu¡¯s condition had also finally stabilised, Yan Liang had finally got rid of her cast, so the time was just right for both of them to attend the anniversary. This would also help to quash long standing rumours about a strained father ¨C daughter relationship.


    Xu Jinfu sent Aunt Liang with some dresses to Yan Liang¡¯s apartment specifically for the occasion.


    Aunt Liang had been a helper with the family for decades, she had a good equation with the elders in the family. Sending her to Yan Liang¡¯s apartment was also an attempt to broker peace as well as a sign that he was no longer displeased with Yan Liang.


    Yanliang used the excuse of working overtime to delay going home. Aunt Liang had the house keys. After throwing the dresses she had left at home twice in the trash, the third time, Aunt Liang simply took the dresses to her office.


    This time, Yanliang was really working overtime.


    There was a bunch of work to be done. Yanliang was staring at the


    computer screen, reviewing the marketing plan, the clock on the table was showing 9.


    At this time, someone knocked on the door.


    Surprised that someone was knocking at her door at this time, Yan Liang called out: ¡°Come in.¡±


    Seeing Aunt Liang at the door with a gift box in her hand, Yan Liang


    suddenly understood why she was here and helplessly said, ¡°Aunt Liang, please spare me. I really do not want to go in front of the media. I will be the butt of all jokes. ¡±


    ¡°Miss ,last year you were a student and said you were too busy with your studies to come back. Now you have been here for four months, you really cannot afford a confrontion with your father.¡±


    Yan Liang attempted to comfort her.


    ¡°When Aunt Liang is there to help me, why not?¡±


    Aunt Liang had seen her grow up, as she smiled at her, she was unable to escape her charm. But she persisted with her efforts. Putting the gift box directly on the table, she said, ¡°I promise you, this will be the last time that I will help your Dad persuade you to do things you don¡¯t like.¡±


    Yan Liang sighed.


    Reluctantly, she lifted the lid and peered in. ¡°Is this dress what Xu Ziqing picked?¡±


    ¡°No, no, this is my choice.¡±


    Hearing this, Yan Liang was willing to touch the dress. Actually, it was a cheongsam.


    ¡°I cannot pick western dresses. Missy selected some western-styled dresses, ah, I really do not understand, the whole back is exposed, how is this beautiful? I liked this cheongsam. The designer said that now this style is very popular. I just took it. Don¡¯t know if you will like it or not.¡±


    Yanliang can only sigh at her father¡¯s tricks. She could hardly reject the sincere entreaties of one she loved and respected. She grabbed Aunt Liang¡¯s hand: ¡°I like the clothes. I will accept. I will accompany you down stairs.¡±


    ¡°No need, no need. I will go.¡± Saying this, Liang Yi turned around and walked toward the door. As she walked out of the office, she did not forget to add, ¡°If they don¡¯t fit, pick a time with the designer for alterations.¡±


    Yanliang nodded. Finally assured, Liang Yi closed the door.


    Yan Liang looked at the gift box for a moment and put on her glasses.


    But it was hard to get her attention back to work. Just thinking of keeping up with Xu Ziqing in front of reporters, she felt tired.


    Troubled, she was unable to concentrate on the file. She put down the pen, took off her glasses and leaning back in her chair, took out the dress.


    She took off her high heels, then her suit and shirt was thrown off on the sofa and she put the cheongsam on.


    The cheongsam was made of good material; it looked delicate and with lots of buttons, the style was a bit old-fashioned.


    The size was indeed a bit small, her long legs were bare and the buttons a few inches below her collar bone were difficult to fasten, exposing almost half of her chest.


    Aunt Liang probably used the measurements she had back when she was a teenager. Yan Liang tried to force the buttons to fasten, but she only managed to rip off the hard pearl button.


    The button bounced off the ground, rolling all the way to the door, Yan Liang turned around, trying to find the button, but suddenly froze.


    Jiang Yu Nan was standing at the door.


    She had no idea how long he had been standing there, quietly watching her.

 Chapter 10

    Yan Liang was dumbfounded for half a second, then recovered and immediately spun around to pick up her shirt from the sofa. With the fastest speed possible, she put it on.


    As she was busy looking down to check that she was decently covered, a pair of elegant shoes came within the field of her vision.


    She froze.


    He came closer. She was flustered as she felt his breath on her. She hesitated for a long time before looking up.


    His expression was both light and dark, dull and interesting


    ¡­ all this was so paradoxical, she almost felt like she was having an optical illusion


    The illusion existed only a mere half a second, Yan Liang mercilessly surpressed it. Jiang Yu Nan picked up the pearl and handed it back to her, his desire for her clearly reflecting in his eyes. Yan Liang chose to ignore the look and turned around to get back to her desk.


    Sitting at the table, away from the dangerous man, Yan Liang was silently relieved. She put on her glasses, and pretending to pay attention to the document, asked without looking up: ¡°Mr Jiang, why are you still at work at this hour?¡±


    ¡°I am waiting for you.¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s heart skipped a beat. This man¡¯s voice was really nice. Ignoring her throbbing heart, she quickly replied : ¡°Oh, is that so? I am embarrassed to say that my work is not finished yet.¡±


    He did not speak.


    The thick carpet absorbed sounds, so Yan Liang could not hear his footsteps, but she could feel that he hadn¡¯t left yet.


    Yanliang was wondering whether to raise her head or continue working when suddenly a shadow fell on her file.


    Jiang Yu Nan had walked across, and now they were only separated by a desk.


    Because the only lights in the room were from the lamp on the table, his shadow was elongated, almost enveloping Yan Liang. Yanliang paused the pen in her hand, but still refused to raise her head.


    He suddenly reached out and covered the file with his hand.


    Surprised, Yan Liang looked up and her glasses were taken off.


    This action was so fast, she took a moment to understand what happened. Her sight was suddenly blurred, she was stunned for a few seconds before realising that her glasses were in his hand.


    Before she could speak, he said: ¡°I now order you to get off work.¡±


    Yan Liang felt ridiculous, she could not help laughing. She really turned off the computer.


    She was busy putting the papers back in her bag and was getting ready to take them home when his annoying voice suggested quietly: ¡°Of course, I also suggest you change out of this cheongsam before you leave office.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡± If other men were to see you like this, I fear that it will cause riots.¡±


    Hearing this, she looked up to see his chin pointing towards her chest, her cleavage slightly exposed as she bent forward.


    Yan Liang immediately straightened and pulled the shirt collar together.As she passed by him to walk out of the office he said,¡±Come with me .¡±


    ¡° Is this an order?¡±


    ¡°No, this is an invitation.¡± He smiled and in the half light, his smile had a hint of.. temptation.


    *** ***


    She changed back to her regular suit and sat in Yu Nan¡¯s car. As she fastened the seat belt,she wondered, ¡°Why did I agree to his invitation?¡±


    Perhaps ¡®subconsciously¡¯ she had wanted to.


    Jiang Yu Nan started the car. She asked softly ¡° Where are we going ?¡±


    ¡°The manager called me and said he had ordered a suit for me.¡±


    ¡°You are going for a trial fitting? You wanted me to go with you for this?¡±


    ¡°I would be happy if you give me your opinion on how I look.¡±


    Her face darkened, almost looking as dark as the night outside when he uttered some flattering words ,¡±You have a good eye, I need your opinion.¡±


    Through the rearview mirror, Jiang Yu Nan saw her raise her eyebrows. It seems she was satisfied with the answer.


    Soon, they reached their destination.


    Their destination was a famous flagship store situated in a remodeled old colonial building. The building still retained the old fashioned look with a minimalist style of decoration. A lady shop assistant seemed to have been waiting for them for a long time. She said sweetly, ¡° Mr Jiang.¡±


    The store was quite empty, they were the only two customers.


    Jiang Yu Nan went to the trial room while Yan Liang wandered around in the store.


    The shop assistant who had been accompanying them earlier had discreetly left, giving them some privacy. So when she felt someone close, she was suddenly alert and turned back to see Jiang Yu Nan.


    Yan Liang was surprised: ¡°Did you try it?¡±


    ¡°My efficiency has always been very high.¡± Jiang Yu Nan said, handing over a black gift box over to her.


    Yan Liang gave him a puzzled look, then untied the bow to open the gift box.


    It was a champagne gold necklace with a set of earrings.


    The design was very simple and elegant, and was very similiar to her favourite style.


    ¡°I thought you would wear a western dress. I saw this necklace that matches the set. This has just arrived with the suit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t deserve this.¡± Yan Liang closed the box and handed it back to him.


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled, his smile ambiguous with a trace of almost evil. ¡°Be my companion on the night of the anniversary.¡±


    ¡°Is this an invitation?¡±


    ¡°No, this¡°, he paused for emphasis ,¡± is an order.¡±


    *** ***


    The reception was to start at eight, Yan Liang dawdled till 7:30 before leaving home.


    Every second that she had to see less of Xu Ziqing she was happy.


    Recently, she had been living at her own apartment and had not returned to the mansion for a long time. The night before, Zhou Shu had specifically called her , ¡° Mr Xu wants you to go to the reception with Xu Ziqing.¡±


    ¡°No, there is a car to pick me up.¡±


    When Yan Liang came downstairs, Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car had already been waiting for a long time.


    He was casually leaning against the back seat, his face expressionless, his body suited in black and white, his attitude so foreboding that no stranger would dare approach him. As soon as he saw her, he smiled. It was as if the sky cleared up after an early snow, and Yan Liang could not help but pause.


    Jiang Yu Nan opened the door for her.


    Yan Liang approached.


    Earlier, she hadn¡¯t seem him trying on the suit. Now , as she saw him attired in a crisp three piece, Yan Liang thought he looked very good as she observed him in the back seat.


    The driver¡¯s part had a glass barrier separating it from the passenger side, so the rear seat was a confined space. No one spoke; the atmosphere was quiet and awkward so Yan Liang rolled down the window on her side.


    A breeze blew in and ruffled the hairs at her temple.


    Yan Liang raised her hand, but Jiang Yu Nan beat her to it, pushing her hair behind the ear.


    Yan Liang frowned at him, Jiang Yu Nan put his hands back on his lap.


    Looking at his expressionless face, Yan Liang eventually did not say anything. This man was always touching her casually, and over time, she had stopped making a fuss about this. This was not a good sign.


    Looking at her profile, Jiang Yu Nan smiled with secret pleasure,


    ¡°The earrings look great on you. I did not go wrong with this selection.¡±


    Yan Liang was surprised for a moment.


    She couldn¡¯t help raising her hand to touch the earrings.


    They arrived at the venue at eight o clock.


    Secretary Li had been waiting in the reception hall for a long time and immediately walked over when he saw Jiang. ¡° Mr Jiang, Miss ¡­ Miss Yan ?¡±


    Secretary Li seemed to be surprised at seeing the two of them together. Jiang Yu Nan said nothing and walked towards the entrance.


    As he was about to enter the venue, Jiang Yu Nan paused, turned around and asked Yan Liang: ¡°You seem to forget one thing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Yan Liang was puzzled, she looked at her hands to confirm she had not left her purse in the car when Jiang Yu Nan took her hand.


    Jiang Yu Nan put her hand on his arm. At that moment, the waiter opened the door.


    The media had been waiting for a long time, they immediately stepped forward to take pictures. Flash bulbs went off as they smiled at the press.


    There was no shortage of reporters who wanted to make trouble. One of them asked, ¡°Mr Jiang have you seen the recent news? Sr Group spokesman said ¡­ ¡­¡±


    The reporter¡¯s question had not finished when the security escorted them out of the media area.


    But even more difficult to deal with than the media was the person who was approaching them ¨C Xu Ziqing.


    ¡°How is it that you two are together?¡± Xu Ziqing smiled and looked at Yanliang.


    Yan Liang had been smiling for the media all the while now, her facial muscles were stiff. She didn¡¯t want to smile anymore.


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled at her. ¡°Excuse me, I was delayed a bit as I had to pick up Yan Liang. Where is your father?¡±


    ¡°I think he will come by a bit later. When I was on my way out, the doctors were giving him his shot. Mr Jiang, who is the designer for the shirt you are wearing? I¡¯d like to give one to my dad..¡±


    Xu Ziqing hadn¡¯t even finished when Yan Liang suddenly pulled Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s sleeve.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s attention was diverted to Yan Liang, who pointed towards the elevator at the entrance.


    Jiang Yu Nan also looked at the entrance, , his face turned dark. Xu Ziqing didn¡¯t smile as he said , ¡° I¡¯m sorry , I have to leave now.¡±


    Xu Ziqing¡¯s face sank at the utter neglect, but she said, ¡°It does not matter.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan left, Yan Liang stayed back. With no one else, Xu Ziqing coldly remarked:¡±Why? I do not fancy Mr Jiang, do you? Why do you want to fight with me? ¡±


    Yan Liang didn¡¯t even look at her. Her eyes were still at the entrance.¡±First of all, you are the one fighting with me. Secondly, please see what is going on and then speak.¡±


    Although angry, Xu Ziqing could not help but look down to the entrance. Seeing the uninvited guest at the door, she frowned.


    As Yan Liang prepared to walk towards the door, Xu Ziqing suddenly broached the old topic again.


    ¡°I just feel the need to remind you, for men, you should never fight me.¡±


    Yan Liang paused for a moment, but then continued to walk away.


    The uninvited guest who had caused such a change in Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s expression, the person with whom there were many conflicts of interest, was no other than Jiang Shijun, the head of cosmetics group Li Bo.


    As Yan Liang came to stand next to Jiang Yu Nan, Jiang Shi Jun looked around with irony. ¡°I have to say your father has really aged, obviously one needs to find one¡¯s own innovations. How can you follow the example of Bo Group? We have just started working with European cosmetics companies, and you¡¯re planning to work with North American companies. ¡±


    Yan Liang cursed him in her heart, but on her face she had a natural smile.


    ¡°Uncle, let me guide you to the main table.¡±


    Jiang Shijun was not much younger than Xu Jinfu, but he was a bit eccentric. Seeing Yan Liang so humble, he laughed , ¡° Little girl, you cursed my ancestors in your heart, but you¡¯re being so sweet to me on the surface !¡±


    Yan Liang did not intend to deal with this person any more, this was her father¡¯s mess, her father¡¯s favorite Xu Ziqing could deal with this, it had nothing to do with her.


    Sending Jiang Shijun to the main table, she slipped directly to the left hall.


    In the hall, the lights were off, the tables and chairs were covered with white cloth and there wasn¡¯t a single person around. The only thing not covered by the white cloth was the piano on the on the stage. Yan Liang leisurely went to the stage with a bottle she had picked up in the main hall and sat on the piano bench.


    Ò»While drinking, she randomly played a few keys in the piano.


    ¡°Ding¡±


    ¡°Ding¡±


    ¡°Ding¡±¡­¡­


    The inconsistent notes floating in the cold air were crisp but monotonous.


    Suddenly there was a discordant voice


    ¡°You play really badly.¡±


    Yan Liang was surprised.


    The sound came from the door leading to the main hall.


    Yanliang looked behind. She was very familiar with the figure in the darkness.As Jiang Yu Nan came to stand next to her, she nevertheless complained ¡° Are you a ghost? ¡°


    ¡°If I were a ghost, and there was a beautiful unaccompanied woman here, I would certainly want to talk to her. ¡°


    She was a bit mollified, but still asked sullenly: ¡°What happened to that old guy, Jiang Shijun?¡±


    ¡°You just called him Uncle, and now changed to ¡®old guy¡¯?¡±


    Yan Liang shrugged, choosing not to comment.


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled. He was carrying two glasses upside down, He put the glasses on the piano, then taking the wine bottle from Yan Liang, poured some wine in both glasses.


    Yan Liang grabbed a cup, downed it in one go , then put the glass down and rudely said , ¡°One more.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan complied docilely, ¡° Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Be careful you don¡¯t get drunk.¡±


    Yanliang put up a finger, her eyes flashing. ¡°I can drink more than most men but also ¡­ ¡­¡±


    The ringing of the cell phone interrupted her.


    Yan Liang frowned. Jiang Yannan took out his phone. Yan Liang could see the caller ID ¨C Xu Ziqing.


    The phone rang twice, Jiang Yu was about to hang up when Yan Liang grabbed the phone and hung up on his behalf.


    They continued to drink. After a long silence, Yan Liang suddenly said:


    ¡°When I was a child I heard that after my mother was pregnant with me, she heard that my dad had another woman who had also given birth to a daughter. She wanted to get rid of me and get a divorce. But then she did not. Guess why?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was very clear she really wanted to give him the answer, so he silently waited for her to continue.


    ¡°My mother gave birth to me with only one purpose, in her own words ¡® You cannot let off lowly people lightly.¡¯ She did not give me the surname Xu, she gave me the surname Yang. This is to remind me , and to remind Xu Jin Fu , that he is not worthy of love as a husband or as a father. Only his money is important.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes seemed saddened for a moment, then he just handed her drink with an expressionless face, ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡±


    Yan Liang smiled, her eyes slowly meeting his, her expression indicating this was both a bit of a joke and a genuine test.¡±Why do you think? I hope you can have pity on me, so that at the critical moment you do not stand on the side of Xu Ziqing. If you help Xu Ziqing, I will use all possible means to crush you.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan snorted, his tone slightly disdaining: ¡°You talk big!¡±


    ¡°Cheers£¡¡± Yan Liang smiled. Choosing not to comment, Jiang Yu Nan picked up the glass: ¡°Cheers!¡±


    Both drained their glasses.


    Not only was the bottle that Yan Liang brought emptied, the other two bottles they asked the waiter to get were also emptied at the end.


    Yan Liang was fully conscious, but Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s walk was unstable.


    Yan Liang requested the waiter to help Jiang Yu Nan walk. Only a few people were back at the main hall, the reception had long since been over.


    Yan Liang laughed and shook her head. Looking at the two waiters supporting Jiang Yu Nan, she said , ¡°You have been derelict in your duty today.¡±


    He was so drunk that he could not hear her teasing.


    Yan Liang opened the room upstairs, the waiters supporting the drunk Jiang Yu Nan helped put him on the bed. Yan Liang took the wallet out of Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s pockets and used all the cash inside to give the waiters a tip.


    In immense gratitude, the waiters said thank you again and again. As they left, Yan Liang also decided to misbehave and threw herself on the other side of the bed. She smiled as she nestled in his arms.


    Then she got up and dug out his phone.


    There were a lot of phone calls from Xu Ziying.


    Yan liang ,in fact, was herself barely sober. She patted the sleeping Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s face, ¡° You scoundrel.¡±


    At this point, the phone screen brightened with a text message, ¡° Mr Jiang, is it inconvenient to answer the phone?¡±


    Yanliang read the message over and over again, then suddenly, she opened the camera app, put her lips next to Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s lips and clicked a photo ¨C a photo of them kissing.


    She thought this behaviour may be a little childish, so she hesitated for a long time , wondering whether she should send or delete, then decided on the latter..


    As soon as she sent the photo, she threw the phone on the bed.


    Sitting on the bed, after some time, Yan Liang wanted to see if there was an answer. As she groped the bed to search for the phone, suddenly..


    Her wrist was caught.


    Suddenly she was turned around and her body pinned to the bed.


    When Yan Liang¡¯s vision was no longer swaying, she finally realised what was pressing her to the bed , it was Jiang Yu Nan.


    His eyes had a malicious smile¡­ he wasn¡¯t the least bit drunk.


    He looked at her and said,¡±Since you have taken the initiative, I¡¯m game.¡±

 Chapter 11

    Their eyes met each other, one had a smile, the other was shocked.


    ¡ª¡ª In silence, Jiang Yu Nan slowly leaned toward her ¨C


    Yan Liang suddenly turned away.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s kiss missed her lips and landed on her cheeks. But the long night had just began, he was not anxious. With a smile , he lifted her chin with his hand. ¡°Do you know, the first time I saw you wear this cheongsam, I wanted to rip it off you.¡±


    Yan Liang did not want to listen to what he said, she pushed his shoulder with both hands, but he did not move. He even bit her fingers playfully.


    Yanliang subconsciously retracted her hands, and seeing this reaction, there was a ripple of laughter in Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes.


    While she was still trying to push him, his hand was on her chest-


    He unbuttoned the first buckle of the cheongsam.


    Seeing that he was proceeding to unbutton the second one, Yan Liang panicked, and cried out a warning: ¡°Then I¡¯ll retaliate!¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan really stopped, but not in fear. He was laughing, ¡°I¡¯m just curious, how much do I have to do to get you moving.¡±


    ¡°What do you ¡­¡±


    Without a sound, the man had sealed her lips and she was lost for words. Her lips were captured by him, and she understood that he had already won over her with his words and deeds.


    Yanliang wanted to clench her teeth, he pulled her chin gently. With his other hand, he created a path of fire as he touched her ears, collarbone, chest. He pulled the side zipper down quietly, then his hand was in her dress, caressing her bare back.


    Slowly, very slowly, he reached between her legs to tease her there.


    Under his gentle touch, Yan Liang couldn¡¯t help trembling, her limbs felt numb, while her body was swept away in the incoming tide. Her mouth was entangled with his; he seemed to be teasing her everywhere.


    She was overwhelmed with all the feelings he was arousing in her, her head was buzzing, she felt almost dizzy.When he finally stopped kissing her and just sucked her earlobe, she almost forgot that this man was dangerous.


    She was itching for something, something more.


    ¡°What ¡®s the fun in being so tightlaced?Relax and enjoy..¡±


    His voice sounded magical,as if it came from a long distance, awakening the dormant desires in her body, which clamoured for release.


    This was the first time a man had looked at Yan Liang from such a perspective, it was easy to get emotional.


    Yanliang almost gave in .


    Almost.


    The sound of her skirt being ripped was like a timely alarm, Yan Liang was pulled back immediately from the brink of losing herself.


    Jiang Yu Nan had relaxed, he hadn¡¯t expected the woman in his arms to suddenly push him off her. As a result, he was caught unprepared, he fell sideways on the bed and Yan Liang moved away from him.


    She fled away from him , her hair in a mess, her breathing erratic .


    Things had not even began before they ended abruptly.


    Frustrated? Or lucky? Jiang Yu Nan looked at her scurrying away from him and gave up the idea of catching her again.


    He sat down beside the bed, ¡°Wait a minute.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s voice was calm and deliberate, as if nothing had happened, even his breathing was smooth.


    Yanliang ignored him and moved towards the door quickly.


    .


    Jiang Yu Nan sighed, even if he was reluctant, reason prevailed ¡°You put on your clothes, I will take you back.¡±


    His words fell on deaf ears. Yan Liang was almost completely out of this danger when she remembered she was barefoot.


    Looking down, she confirmed she really had no shoes on.


    She was hesitant to go back, but she gritted her teeth and returned by the bed side where her shoes were kept.


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at her rushing. Smiling coldly he said ,


    ¡°As long as it is not Zhou Cheng, you don¡¯t intend to open your heart to any other man?¡±


    Yan Liang suddenly froze.


    Seeing her reaction, Jiang Yu Nan laughed out loud: ¡°Seriously, I am kind of jealous of him.¡±


    His laugh was mocking, creating a bitter feeling in her.


    Earlier, the intense struggle had left Yan Liang panting for breath. She was feeling angry and indignant and was unable to calm down. Now listening to this man¡¯s calm narrative, all of those feelings disappeared, and were replaced by numerous complex tumultuous emotions she was unable to distinguish.


    She felt an urgent need to prove something; a restless, untameable flood rose in her body and she was instantly submerged.


    When she reacted, she tossed away her shoes and kissed him fiercely.


    Jiang Yu Nan was taken aback by her brutal momentum and almost stumbled on the bed frame. But he had always been quick to react; in the next second, he used one hand on the bed to support himself while the other hand hugged her waist.


    She sat astride him, her hands clasping his waist , raining kisses on him and Jiang Yu was caught up in the storm.


    Yan Liang kissed him more deeply, in turns twisting and lingering, their breaths were intertwined with each other.


    Jiang Yu Nan recovered to respond fiercely, his hands firmly locked around her waist, while his hot lips ground against hers almost painfully. Yan Liang used her hands deftly to pull off his tie.


    His tie, jacket , vest, shirt, one by one all fell to the ground. Yan Liang pushed his shoulders, he pressed her against the head board, her body still astride his.


    He raised his chin arrogantly, still wanting to continue the kiss, but Yanliang dodged, instead ,kissing his Adam¡¯s apple, nipping his collarbone, nibbling on his strong chest for a while, going all the way down, as she attempted to rip off the mask of this aloof and remote man.


    As her hand reached to untie his belt, she touched his desire. With a sharp indrawn breath, Jiang Yu Nan pulled her arm sideways and pressed her to the bed, his body on top of hers.


    ¡°What happened? Cant stand it?¡± Yan Liang smiled and pinched his nose .


    Jiang Yu Nan had never seen this woman look like this, a mixture of provocation and ultimate submissiveness, like a heady concoction of alcohol and chocolate. She was sweet, intoxicating, fiery and spicy ..


    He also smiled: ¡°I would rather follow my rules.¡±


    With no sign of pity, he ripped off the hem of the cheongsam, pushed her legs apart and deliberately focussed on alleviating her aching need.


    All the way down.


    At this sudden movement, Yan Liang¡¯s breath hitched and her body arched instinctively to accommodate him, the remnants of her dress hanging messily by her side.Her most intimate areas were laid bare and the feelings surging in her body were almost intolerable.


    Yanliang thirstily licked her lower lip, then tightly grabbed his head.


    Jiang Yu Nan quickly removed her hand , his knee pressing it down on the bed to her side. His other hand slowly moved down her back, raising her hips to accelerate his rhythm.


    Yanliang finally could not bear it and called out. Yu Nan kissed her , then snorted as she whimpered.


    Jiang Yu Nan held up her glowing,blushing face.Looking at her large eyes, where there was still a hint of arrogance, a touch of wild, untameable pride, he said ¡°What happened? Can¡¯t stand it?¡±


    He quoted her words back to her.


    So she couldn¡¯t do anything to resist him, he deliberately slowed down the rhythm, grinding against the core of her limp body ,in clear retaliation to her earlier provocation.


    Impulsively, Yanliang took the initiative to regain control and tried to raise her body. But before her body met his, he turned her body, her back to him. Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s hand also pressed on her shoulder, he withdrew slightly and then moved back in.


    As the emptiness was fiercely filled up again, Yan Liang blurted out a scream and he blocked ¨C


    He pulled her face and kissed her.


    Yan Liang bit him.


    He was in pain, her action unknowingly ruthless, but it was lesser than the sudden taut pain she felt in her abdomen. She could only glare at him.


    He just laughed.


    Yan Liang couldn¡¯t see his smile as he hugged her. His chest was against her back, their shoulders and neck aligned.


    With his hand on her belly, he guided her movements. At that moment, this man , with a body that exuded a greedy charm, restrained himself, kissed lightly along her back,distracting her as she struggled between comfort and pain. As the pain faded, he smiled silently and came closer to kiss her again .


    His kiss was still moist and gentle. He was still staring at her, but his eyes were cold and his smile was hidden.


    The ensuing tide eventually pushed them to the climax.


    *** ***


    This translation belongs to miumiu596.wordpress.com. If you are reading it elsewhere , it has been taken without the translators permission. Please read it from the blog, it takes six hours for me to translate a chapter and it is not fair to me when the translation is taken without giving any credits to me.


    It was a battle of control between the sheets, regardless of who won or lost, every cell of the body had reached an unprecedented satisfaction.


    The night was cool, the lights dim, their desires satiated.


    After smoking a cigarette , Yanliang was already regretting her actions.


    Mercilessly stubbing the cigarette butt in the ashtray by the bed, she hustled up her clothes and got out of bed without saying anything.


    ¡°Changed your mind so soon ?¡±


    The voice in the darkness came from behind her.


    Yanliang stood barefoot , as if nailed in place by this understatement.


    She hesitated before turning back.


    Jiang Yu Nan was still sitting on the bed, one hand placed on the bed frame, the other hand holding a cigarette , the tip a pinprick of light in the half darkness.


    A moment before, her head was still pillowed in his arms, but now there was no tenderness as she blithely lied,¡±We were both drunk. Believe me, when I wake up, I will forgot everything.¡±


    He seemed to laugh.


    In the darkness, she could see the flame of the cigarette moving towards her. Alert, she stepped back. Jiang Yu Nan extinguished the cigarette, got out of bed and stood in front of her.


    He was really smiling.


    ¡°I do not mind doing it one more time,so that you can forget later.¡±

 Chapter 12

    Yanliang forgot who said that smart men never use force on women, they enticed them.


    This man named Jiang Yu Nan, was he even smarter ?


    ¡°I do not mind doing it one more time so that you can forget it later.¡±


    Yu Nan bent down slightly to rub her nose.


    Then his lips were lightly sucking hers. He raised his head to see her reaction, then raised her chin, and kissed her deeply.


    His fingers slid slowly along the curve of her body ,all the way down slowly reaching between her legs. His touch was very light, but it still turned her on.


    Yan Liang felt a wave of embarrassment from head to foot; she wasn¡¯t able to resist this man. As if everything about him, his smiling eyes, his lips, the gentle slide of his Adam¡¯s apple and even his breathing ¡­ were tempting her ,saying, ¡¯enjoy this rare indulgence. ¡®


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡±


    As Yan Liang opened her mouth, he put his index finger against her lips.


    Then, Jiang Yu Nan bent down slightly and picked her up.


    Yan Liang tightened her arms around his neck.


    Feeling her move closer to him, Jiang Yu Nan silently laughed , as he carried her all the way into the bathroom.


    They made love for nearly an hour. By the time he carried Yan Liang from the tub back to bed, she was already exhausted. He hugged her from behind. She had no strength left to even speak, let alone escape.


    Wrapped in blankets,she did not know whether he was asleep, she just felt his strong arm across her waist, and then she drifted off.


    When she had the strength to open her eyes, she saw that Jiang Yu Nan had just returned from outside , carrying some clothes in plastic bags.


    Jiang Yu Nan put the clothes on the bed side table, then


    turned around to see her watching him.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±


    She only stared at him.


    ¡°I got you some clothes for the time being, the size should be fine.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan came to the bed, his fingers lifted her chin as he bent to kiss her. She simply stared at some point beyond his shoulder, then pushed him off and sat straight on the bed.


    She was really completely awake now. Moving quickly, she wrapped herself in the blanket, then climbed to the edge of the bed and put on the clothes from the bag.


    Completely dressed, she finally looked out of the window. The night outside was lighter, it was just the start of dawn.


    Jiang Yu Nan crossed his arms as he watched her, the expression in his eyes unfathomable.


    Compared to his upright posture, Yan Liang felt like a petty thief. She was apprehensive about moving out of the suite in front of him, worried that he would stop her again.


    For the first time that night, she was safely out of the suite .


    Yanliang felt a bit weird as she closed the door. She took a moment to relax with her back to the door, let out a sigh, then walked quickly to the elevator , her head held high.


    .


    It was too early, as Yanliang came out of the hotel, she waited a long time by the road but couldn¡¯t find a taxi. The night had given way to the first signs of dawn, but it was still cold.


    Yan Liang drew her coat tighter around her body, then dug down into her bag to see the time on the phone when a car horn suddenly sounded.


    She was pleasantly surprised to see a car coming towards her, then again put her head down.


    As she continued to look in her bag to find the phone, she ignored the car. But the car stopped right in front of her. Lowering the window, Jiang Yu Nan, with his elbow resting on the window called out to her , ¡°Miss, waiting for a car?¡±, as if he had had a lot of practice in picking up strange women.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡± I can give you a lift.¡±


    Yan Liang coldly said : ¡°No.¡±


    His face sank.


    Yan Liang saw his hand move to the door handle, and she thought he would get off his car to force her in. But before she could take a step back, he calmly nodded his head and raised the window.


    The window rose halfway and stopped.


    Jiang Yu Nan,as if suddenly remembering something, said : ¡°Oh, you left something behind..¡±


    Yanliang frowned, staring at him.


    Jiang Yu Nan stretched his hand out of the window, there was something hanging by his fingertips.


    Yanliang had just realised that it was a small piece of lacy fabric, when he retracted his hand: ¡°I¡¯ll keep this for you. ¡°


    Yan Liang suddenly shouted, ¡°Hey!¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan accelerated the car, disappearing with her panties.


    *** ***


    This translation belongs to miumiu596.wordpress.com. If you are reading it elsewhere , it has been taken without the translators permission. Please read it from the blog, it takes six hours for me to translate a chapter and it is not fair to me when the translation is taken without giving any credits to me.


    Yanliang finally managed to get a taxi . She slept less than three hours before she had to get up.


    Her whole face was pale, the few layers of foundation barely obscured the dark circles under her eyes.


    Every Monday, there was a regular meeting at 10:00 .As Yan Liang stepped out of the elevator at 9:50, she saw Xu Ziqing step out from the opposite elevator.


    Both faces were livid.


    But they both quickly recovered and walked towards the conference room. In order to avoid Xu Ziqing, she walked towards the door on the other side of the conference room, but Xu Ziqing had chosen to go straight towards Yan Liang, and blocked her way.


    Yan Liang anticipated some friendly advice and sure enough..


    ¨C


    ¡°You¡¯re the number 2 lady in Xu family, you climbed into his bed so quickly ?¡±Xu Ziqing coldly reprimanded.


    ¡°I just did what you wanted to do but could not.¡±


    Her makeup today was slightly rich and gaudy, her lips were tinted a rich pink color. Overall, she looked very bossy.


    Her casual remark changed the expression on Xu Ziqing¡¯s face.


    As if slandered, Xu Ziqing frowned: ¡°Do not think everyone is like you to take such things so casually.¡±


    This time,Yanliang really couldn¡¯t help laughing out loud. She patted Xu Ziqing¡¯s shoulder for the first time ever and advised: ¡°Your overacting is making me nauseous.¡±


    ¡°you¡­¡­!¡±


    ¡°I ¡®m curious about how you will deal with me next. Will you tell Zhou Chang ? But you are avoiding him now. Will you complain to father ? Then I would like to thank you.Dad thinks highly of Jiang Yu Nan, he wants to set me up with him, what can you do?Or will you simply print leaflets and distribute them throughout the company?¡±


    After saying this,Yan Liang even thoughtfully nodded,


    ¡°Well, this idea is good, you may wish to consider this one next.¡±


    XuZiQing was nailed in place by her words.


    Her face was expressionless, she seemed to be thinking of many possibilities.YanLiang had no time to guess at her thoughts, she went past her and proceeded to the conference room.


    Just after taking two steps, she thought of something and stopped.


    She turned around, Xu Ziqing was still standing in place, still lost in her thoughts.


    ¡° Jiang Yu Nan told me to tell you, please do not call him unnecessarily,especially ¡­ ¡­¡± Yan Liang deliberately paused , her pitch increasing by a fraction,¡±.. in his private time.¡±


    Saying this, with a mocking smile, she walked away. Seeing Xu Ziqing¡¯s face turning ugly, Yan Liang felt good.


    As she turned back, in the next moment, her face fell.


    She had been reduced to rely on a man to get the upper hand in her struggle with Xu Ziqing. Xu Ziqing too had used Zhou Cheng for this purpose, how was her behaviour any different from hers?


    She couldn¡¯t help smiling sadly. She paused for two seconds to compose herself , then entered the conference room with a calm face.


    ¡°Miss Yan, good morning..¡±


    Yanliang smiled at the Chief Operating Officer ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Yanliang went to the conference table next to the


    director. Just a few seats seats were occupied with colleagues who had documents in their hands.


    The company and Johnny Weir were planning to develop the North American market. The R&D department had accelerated the pace of new product development. Before the end of the year, they planned to launch skin care products specifically for non-asian skin.


    The products were at the testing stage. This morning¡¯s regular meeting was to discuss how to successfully launch new products in the market. In addition to the R & D department, the planning department, the sales department, the publicity department were all supposed to report their progress.


    Yan Liang had just read through two pages in her file when she heard someone say,¡± Mr Jiang, good morning.¡±


    The hand holding the folder stiffened, she forced herself not to raise her head to look at him.


    Then she heard a low voice answer ,¡±Good morning.¡±


    It was three minutes to ten. The three minutes seemed like a year to Yan Liang.


    She continued reviewing the file, she did not look up, but paid attention to the conversation that had started around yesterday¡¯s party.


    ¡°Mr Jiang, you left the reception early yesterday.Secretary Lee said that you were not feeling well.Are you feeling better today?¡±


    ¡°Much better.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s tone was calm, but the heart of someone listening to it skipped a beat.


    Yan Liang listened carefully as she browsed the file. The director also joined in.¡±The media had to wait until the last photo. There was no trace of you and Miss Yan,the chairman did not attend although he was scheduled to do so, the media almost caused a riot. Fortunately, Miss Xu was at the scene to calm them down.¡±


    Xu Ziqing was modest, her voice was really beautiful: ¡°I was just doing my duty, but I¡¯m also thankful to my media friends who were willing to listen to me.¡±


    Yan Liang also wanted to see how Xu Ziqing quietly responded to the praises, when she heard a slightly unexpected dry coughing sound ¨C


    Jiang Yu Nan was coughing , his fist to his mouth. Immediately there was silence in the room.


    Secretary Li , well aware of the meaning behind every small move that Jiang Yu Nan made, immediately reminded him: ¡°Mr Jiang, its ten o¡¯clock now.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan nodded: ¡°Lets start the meeting..¡±


    Yan Liang sighed, this person was really an expert on the art of putting on airs.


    She closed the file and looked up, but was suddenly taken aback ¨C


    Jiang Yu Nan was staring at her.


    Desire was burning in his eyes.


    Yes, she could perceive, in this man¡¯s calm eyes ¡­ ¡­ a violent, carnal lust..


    In her ear was the voice of the planning manager:¡± This is our publicity program.¡±


    Yanliang picked up the glass to drink water to hide the tumult in her mind,while forcing herself to turn towards the planning manager. But at this time, Jiang Yu Nan suddenly raised his eyebrows at her.


    This little trick escaped the eyes of everyone,but caught Yan Liang¡¯s attention, and she choked on the water she was drinking. She was wracked with a bout of coughing as the water went down the wrong way.


    Everyone looked at her.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s smiled slyly at her. His smile was fleeting, in a moment he had resumed his expressionless face and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Now that she had become the object of everyone¡¯s attention , Yan Liang could only stare coldly, waves of anger washing over her, but her voice calm,¡±Nothing. I¡¯m alright.¡±


    *** ***


    All the departments worked together to pave the way for the new products, new product launches were always very exciting, but for Yanliang this was definitely the worst meeting she had ever participated in.


    After the meeting ended, Yanliang was still sitting at her seat, intending to leave only after Jiang Yu Nan had left.


    She watched Jiang Yu Nan step away from his seat,


    but he was unexpectedly stopped just two steps away. ¡°Mr Jiang?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan stopped, who else would it be but Xu Ziqing?


    ¡± I am planning to go to the hospital later to visit my father, he is very concerned about the new products. Do you want to come with us, and update him yourself ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan thought for a moment, then asked Secretary Lee


    ¡°Check my schedule, what time do I get free?¡±


    Secretary Lee did not need to check, he immediately answered, ¡°You will visit the city after the completion of a number of


    new VIP ¨C level counters, you can go before 1 pm.¡±.


    Xu Ziqing laughed: ¡°That would make it noon . We can have lunch before going to the hospital.¡±


    .


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan nodded slightly to say goodbye, then walked briskly toward the door, when suddenly he paused.


    Secretary Lee wasn¡¯t paying attention and almost collided against him, but fortunately he deftly moved sideways and averted the accident.


    Jiang Yu Nan turned around, in front of Xu Ziqing and Secretary Lee , he crooked his index finger at Yan Liang, asking her to come forward.


    Yan Liang had been silently watching her sister acting, she was nonplussed at this gesture.


    She could not read Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s expressionless face and his actions did not give her the slightest clue of his intentions.


    Secretary Lee was clear however, and quickly


    explained: ¡°Miss Yan, Mr Jiang is inviting you to visit the VIP counter.¡±


    ¡°Invite?¡±


    If this was an invitation, it was definitely done in a very high handed fashion, making people want to gnash their teeth in anger.

 Chapter 13

    He definitely deliberately invited her in front of Xu Ziqing and other colleagues, this was the only way to ensure that she did not refuse ¨C


    Yan Liang knew this, so she did not refuse. Once in his car, she tried to delude herself ¨C there wasn¡¯t anything to be afraid of. Was this man going to eat her ?


    But her fears were unwarranted. Ever since he entered the car, Jiang Yu Nan only concentrated on the documents he had, and completely ignored her presence.


    This man had many faces, sometimes he was cold and unfeeling, other times he played the professional to the hilt. He would change dramatically according to the situation.And this was the man Yan Liang was trying to match her wits with.


    The three new VIP counters were concentrated in the city¡¯s large shopping area, and the performance now was significantly better than the previous quarter. A lot of customers were at the counter. In the second counter,, Yan Liang even met a lady who bought generously.


    The VIP counters mainly sell Jifu Yaoshi (skin key) and Fusheng ruomeng ( dream like skin) ¨C these two high end brands. The prices are expensive, the lady must have shelled out quite a bit.


    This translation belongs to miumiu596.wordpress.com. If you are reading this somewhere else, this has been taken without the translators permission. Please read from the above mentioned site.


    Due to sudden inspections, Yan Liang thought the likelihood of counterfeit products at the counter was unlikely. She could not help but glance at the lady chatting with Jiang Yu Nan.


    How long since he took office, and why was everything going so well?


    Yan Liang was staring at him while wondering this. Suddenly , Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s sight moved from the lady in front of him to Yan Liang. Embarrassed at being caught staring at him, she immediately looked away, but not before catching a thin sarcastic smile on his face.


    The counter inspections proceeded in an orderly manner till they reached the last counter. From a distance, Yan Liang could see that there was a dispute going on between two customers and the shop assistant and she hurriedly approached the counter.


    The shop assistant was saying,¡±I¡¯m sorry, ¡®Ya-yan¡¯ has been removed from sales. We are not responsible for any after sales complaints on¡¯Ya-yan¡¯.¡±


    One of the customers, pointing to the face of the other one, was particularly annoyed: ¡°Ya Yan and Jifu Yaoshi are clearly the same company¡¯s products, if you are not responsible, who is ?¡±


    The two sides seem to have been arguing for a long time, many passers-by were watching them. Yan Liang looked at the allergic rash on the customer¡¯s cheek and asked solemnly: ¡± Is this because of Ya Yan?¡±


    The customer glanced at her, did not answer, and continued arguing with the assistant, ¡° My friend had an allergic reaction after using the stuff made by your company. Now you¡¯ve re- decorated and moved to selling high end products, so who bears the responsibility of the earlier products you sold ? Clearly your company is acting irresponsibly !¡±


    The shop assistant was also acutely embarrassed. It was probably the first time that such a heated argument was taking place in the VIP counter. ¡° I am sorry, I am only a junior assistant, I will have to refer to my supervisor.¡±


    The customers were impatient, ¡° When will your supervisor come? We have been waiting here for ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°I have sent my colleague to call her over ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Yan Liang interrupted the assistant: ¡°You suspect Ya Yan of causing an allergic reaction and came here ? Why haven¡¯t you been to a doctor to confirm this?¡±


    The customers were angry, they looked at her and bluntly asked,


    ¡°Who are you ?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡±


    At this point, a hand patted her shoulder.Yan Liang turned to see it was Jiang Yu Nan.


    Jiang Yu Nan eyes signalled her to continue, but she kept quiet, knowing it was his right to speak.


    Jiang Yu Nan came over and personally handed his business card: ¡°I would recommend that you take your friend to a dermatologist as soon as possible to have the cause identified. Please give me a call at this number when the results come out.¡±


    The customers took a look at the card, and were immediately stunned. They double checked , to ensure they had not read it wrong, then looked up at Jiang Yu Nan, but still looked unbelieving.


    ¡°If it really is a problem with our products, we will definitely bear the responsibility .¡± Jiang Yu Nan smiled modestly, ¡°Are you free to go to the hospital now?


    When the customers nodded affirmatively, Jiang Yu Nan turned and said : ¡°Lee secretary, please accompany them to the hospital and ensure that all costs are borne by us.¡±


    Obviously, Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s humble and solemn approach managed to cool the anger of the customers.


    Secretary Lee escorted the two guests to leave the counter. The shop assistant was also clearly relieved, as she was about to thank him, the supervisor who had been called earlier to deal with the situation arrived at the counter. Seeing Jiang Yu Nan, her eyes widened. ¡° Mr Jiang.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s face had changed from the humble and solemn expression he had with the customers. He slowly turned


    to look at the supervisor, his movements very deliberate, ¡° Why are you not working during work hours?¡±


    The supervisor was too scared to say anything.


    ¡°You do not have to come to work from tomorrow.¡± Then, Jiang Yu Nan turned his cold eyes to the junior assistant .¡± You can¡¯t even deal with such a small matter. You made a mess of the situation. How has the company trained you ? You don¡¯t have to stay anymore.¡±


    This time Jiang Yu Nan was full of hostility.


    The shop assistant started sobbing at the severe reprimand. Reluctantly, she took off her employee ID card. Jiang Yu Nan took it and gave it to Yan Liang,¡± Please give it to the personnel department.¡±


    As he turned to go away, Yanliang following him, she heard him say,¡±Call the complaint center, ask them if they have recently received any ¡®Ya ¨C yan¡¯ related complaints. ¡°


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    They were both back in the car, after she called the company¡¯s complaint department , there was no more movement. There was an oppressive silence in the car.


    When the car stopped at a red light at the next intersection, Yanliang suddenly broke the silence: ¡°Just now, you looked very scary. ¡°


    ¡°I hate negative people.¡± At that moment ,his face , although still expressionless, but compared to earlier, it was much more pleasant.


    Yan Liang discovered that , in fact, she was very afraid of him. She thought for a long time before asking: ¡°You should now be in no mood to visit my father at the hospital, right ?¡±


    He seemed surprised to hear this, then answered with a cold smile: ¡°Why would I not be in the mood? Rest assured, my emotions never float on the surface, my heart is not affected by anything. ¡°


    He deliberately paused, looking curiously at Yanliang.


    Yanliang was puzzled by his answer and hesitated, when she saw him suddenly stretch out his hand. For a moment she forgot to dodge, watched his fingertips stroke her lips: ¡°¡­ ¡­ why are you so afraid of me? ¡°


    Yan Liang was slow to remove his hand, and looked at the driver.


    Even if the driver saw Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s gesture, he still pretended to concentrate on driving. Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s staff were indeed superbly trained.


    Yanliang obviously had not learnt the art of staying calm in uncomfortable situations, she avoided Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s sharp gaze and said ,¡± Why do you think I am afraid of you ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan laughed: ¡°Just want to remind you that if a woman looks at a man with a pair of eyes that look like the eyes of a frightened deer, it is very likely to awaken the beast in a man.¡±


    Yan Liang would never admit that her heart started thumping rapidly after hearing the last few words.


    *** ***


    As the car passed the company, Yan Liang wanted to get off the car. She did not want to go to the hospital to run into Xu Ziqing.


    ¡± Get off¡± , he said, before adding unmercifully, ¡°you look arrogant and domineering, but in fact, you¡¯re as timid as a mouse.¡±


    Yan Liang was too lazy to care about his comment : ¡°I am not going to the hospital because there are important things to do, there¡¯s no other reason.¡°


    After this explanation, she got out of the car, and banged the door in the face of this arrogant villain.


    Yanliang really did have important tasks to complete.


    When she had telephoned the complaint department earlier, she was cursed at by the department head, which made her go straight to the complaints department as soon as she was back.


    It was lunch break, most of the staff were at the canteen so the office was basically empty.Yan Liang went straight towards the department head¡¯s private office.


    When she reached the door, Yan Liang could see the head sitting at his desk. She was just knocking on the door, when suddenly the phone started ringing. The department head quickly answered the phone: ¡°You finally called me back! ¡°


    Yan Liang¡¯s hands were in the air to start knocking when she abruptly froze.


    Frowning , she tried to listen to the conversation, but did not hear any substantive dialogue, although she noticed the expression of slight fear on him as he talked on the phone : ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Yanliang was hesitating on whether she should turn away, when the minister¡¯s next words abruptly hit her. ¡°If this batch of products also have complaints, I really can not help you hide it anymore.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡± Miss Xu ¡­ ¡±


    ¡°.. Miss Xu¡­¡­ ¡°


    *** ***


    XuZiQing was calling from the hospital corridor: ¡°Rest assured, the problem was only with one batch ¡­ ¡­¡±


    The phone was suddenly hung up.


    Xu Ziqing was surprised: ¡°Hey?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    The other side did not answer, Xu Ziqing was stunned , she hung up the phone to redial , but at this time, she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching her.


    Xu Ziqing was immediately alert. She hid the phone in the palm of her hand and turned around to see who was coming. Then she laughed, ¡° Mr Jiang.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan politely nodded towards her, then glanced at the closed door of the ward behind, ¡°Is the chairman not in? ¡°


    ¡°My father is asleep.¡±


    ¡°Then I did not come at the right time?¡±


    Xu Ziqing¡¯s smile was always sweet: ¡°I was going to eat lunch, will you come with me? After lunch, we can come see my father.¡±


    Shortly after that, the two of them were sitting in a five star hotel near the hospital.


    The d¨¦cor was of a delicate old Shanghai style, the waiter also spoke with a soft Shanghai accent. Jiang Yu Nan bent his head to study the menu. Xu Ziqing¡¯s attention had been drawn away from the menu since long, her hand supporting her chin , she looked at the man across the table. ¡°If I remember correctly, Mr Jiang, you are originally from Shanghai. The cuisine here is also from Shanghai.This should be to your liking.¡±


    ¡°So you specifically chose this hotel?¡± Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s face was still buried in the menu as he spoke to her.


    ¡°Unfortunately, my family moved out of Shanghai very early in my life, my taste preferences have changed. ¡°


    Xu Ziqing face sank, but she soon smiled again.


    Perhaps because his tastes had changed, while Xu Ziqing had ordered several dishes, the man opposite her was barely eating. A lot of the dishes were left over.


    Once they had finished eating, Xu Ziqing asked the waiter to pack the leftovers.


    Sure enough, this attracted a puzzled look from Jiang Yu Nan.


    Xu Ziqing continued to take care of the bill : ¡°what happened?¡±


    ¡°For the first time, I am seeing a rich lady asking for the leftovers to be packed.¡±


    ¡°Because at the lane behind the hospital ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan suddenly interrupted, ¡°I almost forgot, Yan Liang did mention before, there are a lot of stray cats in the lane behind the hospital. Zhou Cheng and you often pack up leftovers to feed them. ¡°


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled, his eyes light: ¡°You guys are really kind-hearted people.¡±


    Thus time, Xu Ziqing was really embarrassed..


    That embarrassment seemed not to have eased over till they reached the hospital.


    In the ward, Xu Jinfu had woken up. He looked a lot better , the nap had done him a lot of good. When Xu Ziying and Jiang Yunnan reached the door, the nurse was helping Xu Jinfu sit up.


    ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°Mr chairman.¡±


    ¡°How did you come together?¡± Xu Jinfu greeted them,


    ¡°sit.¡±


    Xu Jinfu spoke softly, and his mouth still seemed a bit paralysed. Xu Ziqing whispered back: ¡± Mr Jiang came to update you about the company¡¯s recent situation. When he came, you were asleep, so we went to lunch, and ,of course,came back together. ¡°


    Xu Jinfu was really satisfied: ¡°I believe in Mr. Jiang¡¯s ability enough not to micromanage. You do not need to report anything.¡±


    Looking at Xu Ziqing and Jiang Yu-nan, his eyes were very gentle.


    Xu Ziqing took over the work of the nurse. She helped Xu Jinfu cut the fruit. She said : ¡°My dad often says to me, I need to learn from Mr Jiang.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled at the praise.


    Xu Ziqing cut an apple and handed it to her father, then she cut another one and handed it to Jiang Yu Nan.Just as Jiang Yu Nan was about to take it..


    The ward door was opened with a bang.


    Xu Ziqing was surprised. Yan Liang was standing at the door.


    Xu Jinfu was also surprised for a moment.


    Jiang Yu Nan was the only one who didn¡¯t seem surprised, there was even a secret smile in his eyes.


    Xu Ziqing laughed: ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    Yanliang looked at her, approached her slowly,


    A stack of documents accurately hit the smiling face of Xu Ziqing.


    Xu Ziqing¡¯s smile suddenly froze.


    The file scattered on the floor. Xu Jinfu shouted angrily, ¡°YanLiang , what are you doing!¡±


    Yanliang heard him. She barely glanced at her father, then her eyes were back on Xu Ziqing: ¡°You may wish to ask your beloved daughter, what has she been doing to the company.¡±.

 Chapter 14

    There was a sudden silence in the ward


    A quiet room, with four people.


    Xu Jinfu finally could not help but shout out in rage, ¡° What do you mean ?¡±


    Xu Ziqing looked at the documents, spotted her signatures on them and her face paled.


    Yanliang threw the remaining documents onto the bed.


    She said, ¡°She assigned the exclusive production lines of ¡®Ya Yan¡¯ to other brands, ¡®Ya Yan¡¯ was thrown to the generic factory production line . Now there are severe quality issues, so, she pressurised the complaints department not to report them . If today we had not met a customer allergic to the product at the counter, the company¡¯s reputation sooner or later would have been completely finished.¡±


    Xu Jinfu picked up the file and looked at each page. He was quiet for a long time. Xu Ziqing¡¯s face was getting worse with every minute.Finally, Xu Jinfu reached the end of the file.¡±Zi Qing, give me a reasonable explanation. ¡°


    ¡°Dad ¡­ ¡­¡± Xu Ziqing mumbled.


    Xu Jinfu swallowed his anger,suddenly he looked at Jiang Yu Nan and said: ¡°Mr. Jiang, please take Yan Liang out of the room for some time .¡±


    Yanliang looked incredulously at Xu Jinfu, noticed a contradictory light in her father¡¯s eyes and then looked at Xi Ziqing who looked like a frightened mouse with her widened eyes.Yanliang faintly understood what was happening. With a mocking smile, she walked toward the ward door before Jiang Yu Nan could say anything.


    As she pulled the door open, she paused for a moment. She decided not to hold back after all, and striving to maintain a calm tone, she said, ¡°If I had done this, then wouldn¡¯t you have directly sent me to jail?¡±


    Xu Jinfu was surprised for a moment.


    His daughter should not be looking like this ¨C she should be irritable, arrogant,impulsive, yet someone who people would want to love dearly. But at this moment, he could see frustration , despair, a clear longing to be his favourite , but one doomed forever never to get that preference¡­.


    Yanliang walked out of the ward and went directly to the elevator. She didn¡¯t want to stop for even a moment.


    But at this time, a hand grabbed her decisively.


    She did not have to turn around to see who grabbed her.


    Yan Liang suddenly wanted to get rid of him, she was no longer willing to face his inevitable sarcastic comments at this point.¡±She is bound to emerge unscathed from all of this and yet you want me to stay.What do you want me to do here? Watch them play doting father and daughter? ¡°


    Jiang Yu Nan was unmoved, he neither refuted nor denied what she said,but just pulled her arm, his strength increasing marginally.


    Yan Liang eventually compromised. She sat on a bench in the corridor, her head buried in her hands.


    Jiang Yu Nan was admirably calm and objective. ¡°Your weakness is that you¡¯re impulsive, hers is that she is too greedy.If you complement each other, compared to the achievements of Xu Jinfu last year, you could easily achieve much more. But now you are each other¡¯s biggest rivals. Forget co- operation, you are always duelling against each other.¡±


    Yanliang silently sneered: ¡°You do not seem to have any weaknesses. ¡°


    He generously admitted: ¡°Naturally, I have weaknesses. ¡°


    ¡°what?¡±


    ¡°you.¡±


    Yanliang was shocked.


    Was this some extremely refined form of a confession of love? But as she calmed down, she realised these words were more like a joke.


    Yanliang could not help but laugh, she no longer thought about how sweet those words seemed to her at first.¡±I simply deigned to sleep with you once, this is the only thing we have between us, and I have actually become your weakness ? Should I be flattered , Mr Jiang?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan laughed with her, but his smile had a trace of fierceness. ¡°I am now beginning to understand your father, no wonder your relationship with him is poor.Your mouth is razor sharp. You should be locked up and whipped to teach you how to be kind to people, how to control your temper. ¡°


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡±


    Yanliang was still trying to defend herself when the ward door was opened.


    This translation belongs to miumiu596.wordpress.com.Please visit the site to read. If you are reading this somewhere else, it has been taken without the translators permission.


    *** ***


    Jiang Yu Nan and Yan Liang Looked behind. Xu Ziqing¡¯s face was livid as she appeared at the door. She looked up at them, then dodged eye contact, only nodded in an embarrassed manner at Jiang Yu Nan as she passed them and soon disappeared.


    Jiang Yu Nan had been watching coldly. Now he looked at at Yan Liang, said: ¡°Go in.¡±


    ¡°No way. He¡¯ll just bully me.¡±


    By now, Jiang Yu Nan had understood the essence of how to deal with this woman. He would not argue with her, because her razor sharp mouth would only flay him, rather he just physically pulled her up and started walking towards the room..


    She struggled fruitlessly, but was forced to go into the room.


    ( Miumiu: I never like it when men use their strength to win an argument¡­.)


    Xu Jinfu was still sitting on the bed, but he was no longer angry, rather he appeared to be thoughtful and indifferent: ¡°I will have a thorough investigation done about this,you do not have to intervene. ¡°


    Obviously this was aimed at Yan Liang, a warning hidden in the tone. Yan Liang snorted, looked at Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes as if to say ..see this is exactly what I expected.


    The new product , ¡®Secret¡¯ , targeted for the North American market was to be tested on human skin and then would be officially put into production. At this critical moment, there were high-level personnel changes. Xu Ziqing voluntarily resigned from the product co-ordination manager position and was transferred to secretly set up a new department, which was solely responsible for the operation of this new product.


    The company had invested a lot of capital in ¡®Secret¡¯. Although on the face of it, it looked like Xu Ziqing had been demoted, she had actually been transferred to the most challenging sector. The industry speculation was that this indicated Xu Jinfu was training Xu Ziqing as his successor


    In contrast, Yan Liang paid the price for her impulsive actions. She was transferred to be in charge of all ¡°Ya Yan,¡± related matters, and the company was keen to phase out this particular brand.


    Yanliang had not returned to the mansion for a long time, but she still heard that when her mother was informed about the changes in personnel for the first time, she was furious.


    Yanliang imagined her mother would argue about this in front of her father, thereby re starting the cycle of inter family war. Yanliang was already tired. But this time, when her mother called her, she was actually talking in a surprisingly calm tone: ¡°Yan Liang, you don¡¯t worry about taking over Ya-yan, I will pave the way for you.¡±


    Her mother was neither troubled nor angry, Yanliang was really surprised this time.


    A few days later there was a shareholders¡¯ meeting and Yan Liang was informed to attend. She guessed that her father had wanted her to attend . When she entered the conference room and saw that, in addition to the major shareholders, Xu Ziqing was also present, she was assured that her conjecture was correct.


    But until the beginning of the meeting, Xu Jinfu did not show up.


    Xu Ziqing was sitting next to the main seat, she kept looking at her watch. When there were only 5 minutes left for the meeting to start, she asked the convenor of the shareholders meeting ¨C Xu Jinfu¡¯s chief secretary, Liu , ¡°When will my father arrive?¡±


    Secretary Liu had a strange, secretive expression on her face and hesitated to speak when the conference room door was suddenly pushed open.


    Yanliang could not help but look to the door ¨C


    It was actually her mother.


    Secretary Liu avoided the eyes of Xu Ziqing , who was surprised to see Yan Mu. As Yan Mu nodded , Ms Liu announced: ¡°The meeting begins.¡±.


    Yan Liang was no less in shock than Xu Ziqing , she was yet to come to terms with the fact that her mother had suddenly


    appeared in the shareholders meeting. Yan Mu started : ¡°I


    beg your pardon, gentlemen, I asked Secretary Liu for the organisation of an immediate shareholders meeting. This is to allow me to formally explain a few things. I have, for


    many years, not interfered in the matters of the company, and now I am suddenly intervening, I hope you can forgive me for this.¡±


    Yan Liang had rarely seen her mother so icily arrogant.


    Chen Shurong, the person who was always supporting her mother immediately piped in, ¡°No need for apologies. Although, Mrs. Xu, you have not interfered with the company¡¯s operations in a long time , but you have always been the company¡¯s owner, you have every right to speak.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yan Mu smiled, ¡°whatever the


    outcome, I have always been the legitimate owner of Xu.¡±


    Yan Mu glanced at Xu Ziqing. Her eyes were flashing at that moment, but she immediately bowed her head to avoid anyone seeing her reaction.


    *** ***


    Yan Mu¡¯s gaze now swept across all the shareholders present in the room.¡±Gentlemen, please do not blame me. Xu Jinfu has relied on the Yan family¡¯s network to build his company,


    this is an indisputable fact. Although when my father was alive, he used to tell me that assistance granted in this manner should never be announced, still, one cannot , if acting with integrity, be ungrateful, can they ?¡±


    With these words being said, the shareholders had a clear understanding of what was at the heart of this matter.


    The shareholders all had a tacit understanding not to speak, they listened carefully as Yan Mu continued: ¡°Xu Jinfu felt Yan Liang should take over ¡®Ya Yan¡¯- I am not opposing this decision. But ¡®Ya Yan¡¯ is the company¡¯s original own brand. For the company to now phase out this product, take out it¡¯s dedicated production lines, withdraw it from the counters ¨C it¡¯s like forcing out veterans like you here out of the company. To treat something of value like garbage ¨C isn¡¯t this killing the donkey when the grinding is done?*


    *idiom meaning getting rid of something once it¡¯s no longer required.


    The shareholders silently nodded in agreement, and some even winked at each other. After this silent interaction between the shareholders, the spokesperson chimed in, ¡° Mrs. Xu, if there is anything we can do to help, then please say so. We must do whatever we can. ¡°


    Yan Mu smiled her thanks, then looked at Secretary Liu.


    Secretary Liu immediately handed out a project book, Yan Mu explained: ¡° Such a good brand should be given due attention, this project book is something I had commissioned someone to develop on ¡®Ya Yan¡¯. This includes data on the analysis of the market and how we can reposition the brand. Yan Liang is still young, while she has taken over Ya Yan, I am not sure how much she will be able to achieve on her own. I hope the elders here will help her a lot.¡±


    *** ***


    The meeting room was in long silence ¡­


    Eventually, all the shareholders signed the letter of intent attached to the project.


    Yan Mu got up from her seat with satisfaction and beckoned Yanliang silently to come over where she was sitting.


    Yan Liang hesitated as she looked at her mother, all the doubts and admiration she had were hidden in the blink of an eye..


    The mother and daughter duo left the conference room together .


    Only when they came to the underground parking lot, Yan Mu took out her phone , which had been in mute earlier, from her bag.


    There were a dozen missed calls


    As soon as Yan Mu took out the phone, there was another call. She answered in front of her daughter.


    Xu Jin fu had clearly heard what had occurred in the company, he shouted over the phone, ¡°What do you know, a mere woman? This is simply nonsense!¡±


    Yan Mu patted Yan Liang: ¡°You go back to work.¡±


    Xu JInfu¡¯s voice was so loud, even Yanliang could hear him crystal clear.


    She saw her mother holding the phone, but she was also uncharacteristically calm. Clenching her teeth, she ultimately decided to hold back, and saying nothing, walked towards the elevator.


    Yan Mu stood alone in the parking lot waiting for her car, her face smiling, her eyes firmly on her daughter¡¯s receding back.


    ¡°But I at least know, for my daughter, I can do anything . ¡°


    Miumiu ¨C I don¡¯t really like the bits about corporate warfare, so I¡¯m translating this slowly. Are you enjoying this so far ? Leave me a comment..

 Chapter 15

    Due to her mother¡¯s lobbying and the joint resolution by the major shareholders, Xu¡¯s chairman Xu Jinfu could only sign the consent form.This meant that Ya-Yan would get the same importance in funding as the secret project.


    But due to Xu Jinfu¡¯s insistence, the shareholders had reached a consensus ¨C the allocation of resources in the production line, sales, advertising , distribution, etc., must be determined by the sales of the product. The higher the market share, the more support the product would receive.


    Ya-yan¡¯s market share in the current scenario could be described as pitiful. This meant that, apart from the funds, it would not enjoy any advantage of the company resources.Yanliang needed to personally create a team and grab a higher market share by relying on the strength of this team alone.


    And she needed to achieve all of this in one year.


    Fortunately, she did not lack funds. Since she could not use the existing people in the company, she could only persuade head hunting companies to find relevant skilled personnel with the lure of high salaries.


    The repackaging of Ya-yan, it¡¯s re-positioning, the R & D , recreating the production line, all of this would take time. But with a lot of investment funds, the time taken could be greatly reduced.


    Ya-Yan was dominant in the cream sector , but so far in basic skin care and other fields, it didn¡¯t have any market share.When Yanliang took over, the first thing she did was to sign an R & D contract to develop YaYan products in basic skin care, sunscreen, body care and other areas.


    Then there were some things that money could not buy . Such as the most important thing in any product marketing ¨C the sales channels.


    Major brands usually had a fixed vendor, for a new entrant to lure those vendors away from others was no easy feat.


    The following month was the busiest month in her experience.


    Endless meetings, endless redrawing of the previous plans, the construction of new plans ¨C to have an existing brand grab market share from legitimate well accepted brands was easier said than done.


    Once again as she stayed up late for a meeting where the new plan proved non viable, Yan Liang gave in to temptation ¨C she tossed the folder , and stretched her legs to lay on her chair without a word.


    The team who were staying up all night working for many days were disappointed to see all their efforts go up in air, but they understood the feelings of Yanliang: ¡°Ms Yan, this sales plan is going nowhere, but we are confident we will find another way.¡±


    Yanliang knew that the other people in her team were more qualified than her. She reined back her bad mood and smiled at her colleagues: ¡°We have all worked late nights this week , you should all leave early today.¡±


    Everyone complied . They picked up their things and filed out of the conference room.Seeing Yanliang still sitting , a colleague kindly asked: ¡°Ms Yan, what about you?¡±


    ¡°You go ahead, I need to deal with something first.¡±


    Her colleague nodded and closed the door on his way out.


    In the empty meeting room, Yan Liang sat , depressed. Actually she did not have anything to deal with, she just needed some space to review where she had gone wrong.


    Her father had built Xu¡¯s cosmetics from a small company to a cosmetics empire, her father was undoubtedly successful. If she did not have even one- tenths of his ability, then what gave her the right to judge and despise him?


    Yan Liang was castigating herself for her failures when the conference room door was suddenly pushed open.


    Yanliang heard the door open. She did not want anyone, especially her subordinates, to see her look of depression, so she hurriedly composed herself.


    A cup of hot coffee was quietly handed to her , and a familiar cold smile greeted her, ¡° Why haven¡¯t you left yet¡­¡±


    She was shocked.


    In front of her astonished gaze, Jiang Yu Nan seated himself silently in the chair next to hers.


    Yanliang immediately stopped pretending, her shoulders dropped down again, and with a sigh, she picked up the coffee.


    Jiang Yu Nan leaned forward slightly in his seat, his eyes looking up at her, ¡° Have you been staying up late a lot these days ?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°You look quite ugly.¡±


    Yanliang glared at him, but was still worried enough to touch her face.


    This translation belongs to miumiu596.wordpress.com. If you are reading this somewhere else, it has been taken without the translator¡¯s permission.


    She figured that she really did look haggard because she was working a lot of late nights recently. Her contradictory move attracted Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s attention. He shook his head and chuckled, ¡° I¡¯m kidding. You¡¯re as beautiful as always.¡±


    Yanliang¡¯s expression calmed down, she did not need his teasing evaluations, she just needed some peace of mind to drink her coffee.


    Jiang Yu Nan casually turned over the file in front of her.


    His posture was really casual, but his eyes sparked with an unusual insight. In Yan Liang¡¯s experience, to understand this man, one could not just look at the surface, one had to read his eyes.


    At this moment, looking at the way his eyes lighted, Yan Liang felt he may have some favourable information for her. She immediately put down the coffee cup and sat up, ¡°What advice would you give me ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan put the folder back, crossed his arms, and stretching his legs, looked at her. The way he looked at her was like a smart teacher looking at a stupid student. ¡° Ya Yan is in a big problem. ¡°


    Yan Liang¡¯s face immediately sank.


    Earlier , she would have thrown the cup of coffee and left, but now, she quickly composed her face and humbly asked for advice like a good student, ¡°What would you do?¡±


    ¡±I¡¯m a very expensive consultant.¡±


    Seeing his slightly provocative expression, Yan Liang knew he was being sly, but this was a game of relative advantages, and right know he had a clear advantage because she knew this man¡¯s strengths more than anybody else and needed it. She could only compromise and asked him, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Not much,¡± said Jiang Yu Nan, pointing to her lips, and then quickly raising his gaze to her eyes, ¡°a kiss is enough.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan had thought that she would at least hesitate for a moment. He waited for this woman to stare at him with her trademark ferocious glare. But instead, it was she who was suddenly bullying him.


    Yanliang grabbed the man¡¯s tie, pulled him forward, immediately aimed at his lips and presented a resounding kiss.Then she tossed his tie, ¡° Tell me.¡±


    ¡°Your focus should not be ¡®do new¡¯, it should be ¡®do the old¡¯.¡±


    Yan was really angry : ¡°Do not beat around the bush, Mr Jiang!¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan always found her anger interesting, he never tired of it.


    ¡°Since the cream has done well, make it the main pivot of your campaign. Don¡¯t compete with the other market leaders in the other segments. If you want to make Ya-Yan a comprehensive


    brand with other products like basic skin care, body care categories etc, that is indeed essential, but that¡¯s just icing on the cake.


    As a general consumer, what is the first thought that comes to mind when someone mentions Kose or Est¨¦e Lauder ?¡±


    Yan Liang was struck in awe by his words, regaining her composure, she asked , ¡°Go on.¡±


    But Jiang Yu Nan just looked at her, he did not continue . She asked him to go on, but instead he got up from the chair.


    He approached her, his gaze swept over her from top to bottom. This time there was no need to be sly, he brazenly touched her lips with his fingers, and then raised her chin:


    ¡°I didn¡¯t enjoy the last kiss enough ¡­¡±


    The end of the sentence melted in his kiss.


    Why did she feel this was like selling her body? Yan Liang forced herself not to think about this conundrum, she tried to divert her attention to think about something else, for example, his kiss was so wonderful ¨C


    Long after the French kiss, Jiang Yu South leisurely held her hand, his eyes looking at the slightly out of breath Yan Liang . He pecked her lightly on her lower lip which had slightly reddened and said ,¡± Don¡¯t always think of the big picture. First make the cream your priority, then build up your long term plan.¡±


    To bet all her chips on the cream alone was a big risk; Yan Liang was not sure she had the courage. But in front if this man, one with so much talent, a master at strategising.. she was almost convinced.


    Jiang Yu Nan only looked at her faintly, but it was as if he could see through her. He was silent for a long time, Yan Liang had decided in her heart to speak first , when he suddenly said, ¡° Once you have worked on this, you need to find a person. ¡°


    ¡° Who?¡±


    ¡° Lu Zheng.¡±


    Miumiu ¨C and the third most important character in this novel is introduced.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 15 was a bit boring if you don¡¯t like corporate machinations like me. But it¡¯s an important one in that it sort of foreshadows the relationship between Yan Mu and Yan Liang. Is it the company that is more important to her or her daughter ?


    This chapter is again a bit NSFW so please use your judgement or you may end up red faced at work. ????


    Leave me a comment, they always make my day..


    Chapter 16


    Lu Zheng¡­


    As soon as he mentioned the name, Yan Liang said angrily, ¡°Do you think we have not tried to reach him? We have called his secretary so many times! It¡¯s clear that people who have a lot of money simply deem us too lowly to meet.¡±


    As the only son of the founder of the Ming Ting group, Lu Zheng was the current general manager of the Ming Ting, indeed an arrogant and proud man.


    Yan Liang had thought earlier that if she could ensure that ¡°Ya Yan¡± was sold in the nationwide departmental stores of the Ming Ting chain, as well as in their commercial plazas, then she no longer needed to worry about finding new distributors and had accordingly made her preparations.


    But it was all wishful thinking and had done her no good. She was not able to meet him even once.


    She had held back these grievances in her heart for a long time. Now when she finally got a chance to speak to somebody about it, Yan Liang naturally spoke bitterly with an aggrieved expression on her face.


    She figured she looked like a petulant teenager , and was afraid Jiang Yu Nan would ridicule her.


    But unexpectedly, Jiang Yu Nan was quite surprised , and looked at her with admiration.


    ¡°Well! Thinking of using Ming Ting as a distribution channel..this child is certainly worth teaching.¡±


    Was this genuine praise or sarcasm?Yan Liang curled her lip and Jiang Yu Nan sat back in his chair.


    This woman really needed to acquire the ability of not letting her emotions show so transparently on her face, he thought, or else she would be defeated, but he couldn¡¯t help her on this.¡± Don¡¯t get so angry. If you can not get to him through his secretary, then just go directly to him. ¡°


    ¡°You want me to pester him?¡±, she asked, obviously unhappy.


    ¡°First, you have learn how to pretend, as Sun Tzu said. Later you can meet him on equal terms, like Lao Tzi said .¡±


    *sun tzu and Lao tzi are both Chinese philosophers.


    Yan Liang despised rhetoric, and immediately narrowed her eyes at him. With a fake smile she said,¡± I am sorry Mr Jiang, I have never learnt the art of pretension since childhood.¡±


    ¡±It¡¯s very simple.No matter what the other side says, it doesn¡¯t matter how much you curse their ancestors in your heart, but you must not be aggressive, always remember your purpose and keep smiling.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan leaned across the table. She was sitting in a chair facing him with an unhappy expression, the distance between them just the length of an arm. He stretched his hand across the table, pulled up the corner of her mouth with his finger , and said,¡± Like this..¡±


    Instinctively, Yan Liang wanted to raise her hand to swat him, but on second thoughts , she held back and simply smiled at him.


    Jiang Yu Nan let go with a smile.


    Although her heart was unwilling, Yan Liang laughed, trying to flatter him. ¡°Multi- talented Mr Jiang, I will learn how to be a shameless person.¡±


    Having prevented herself from cursing at him, she felt a little relieved.


    But the man¡¯s eyes had turned cold. Unfortunately, Yan Liang was trying to get up and leave at that moment and missed the look. Within a split second, Jiang Yu Nan was behind her. He turned her chair a little roughly to face him and then brought the chair closer to him.


    The meeting room was as bright as the day, his black eyes were like the darkness of night. As he leaned over her, she could see the refracted light in his pupils . She was momentarily unsure whether she should make a fuss about how he was acting.


    Then he smiled, and Yan Liang froze as his index finger grazed her lips, her chin, her neck, slid down her collar bone and reached the first button of her shirt.


    He gently unbuttoned it.


    Before she could react, he unbuttoned the second button.


    Pretending indifference, Yan Liang caught hold of his hand and laughed at him, ¡° Is this a test for what you just taught me ? No matter what the other side does, I have to keep smiling ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was not deceived by her pretence, he leaned forward slightly and spoke in her ear, his breath hot against her cold ear,¡±Sun Tzu¡¯s strategy does not mean that there is no boundary . If I have crossed the boundary, you should definitely reward me with a slap, slam the door and go.¡±


    She had just opened her mouth when he added, ¡°Of course, if you want me too, it¡¯s another matter.¡±


    Her palms pressed on the back of his hands. It wasn¡¯t obvious whether she was refusing him. Jiang Yu Nan easily removed her hands and widened the collar of her shirt to expose the collar bone.


    On the night of the reception, he remembered she had a hickey by him kissing her roughly, just half a centimetre below the collar bone. The mark had faded now. Jiang Yu Nan buried his face to kiss her deeply there, making his mark on her again.


    Then he raised his head. Under the long lashes, her eyes still had a trace of indecisiveness in them. He did not want to give her time to think, so he immediately asked, ¡° Your place, or mine?¡±


    This translation belongs to miumiu596.wordpress.com. If you are reading it somewhere else, it has been taken without the translators permission and is probably not even the complete chapter ( I know chapter 12 didn¡¯t get copied fully)


    *** ***


    Yan Liang suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and opened her eyes. She looked at the ceiling for a while, then clutching the quilt, she sat up on the bed ¡£


    Everything in this room was strange to her, the only familiar thing, perhaps, was the man standing at the window ¨C


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s back was to her as he smoked at the window. His upper body was bare, he was only wearing his trousers, his hair was dishevelled. His body was a dark silhouette against the French windows, the cigarette in his fingers occasional flickering with a red glow.


    Yan Liang struggled to say something for a long time, then gave up and flounced back on the bed, drawing the quilt over her again.


    The bedroom was dark, the only source of light was from the dim lamp. Her head was blank for a moment, but then it filled with remorse. She could not make up for her mistakes, mistakes she had made with the same man, twice.


    It was so easy to lose to desire if she was not firm on herself.


    How attractive , and how dangerous this desire was.


    While she was deeply reflecting in this manner, the quilt was suddenly raised.


    Yan Liang opened her eyes. Jiang Yu Nan was standing in front of her in the still dark room. His stomach had red scratches from her finger nails. After a moment, he lay down on the bed, his head pillowed on her stomach.


    He seemed to have fallen asleep. His eyes were closed, his breathing quiet, and his face did not have the usual aggressive expression. Yan Liang looked at him while he slept. She scrutinised him. His lips had grazed all over her body. His hand had touched her in all her intimate places. His eyes had watched her cheeks flush as she reached bliss. His arms had pushed her legs apart as he had positioned himself over her¡­


    ¡°Jiang Yunan.¡±


    She called out his name indignantly, not really expecting an answer when he responded, ¡° Hmm?¡±


    His eyes were still closed as he listened to her. After a long silence she asked, ¡° Do you think there is love between us?¡±


    His eyes were on her as he peeled off the quilt bit by bit till they were both facing each other naked. ¡° About love, I don¡¯t have an opinion, I¡¯m not sure I understand it.¡±


    He stopped speaking , and parted her legs. She pushed back , her hands on his shoulders, to prevent him moving any closer to her.


    Jiang Yu Nan hesitated for half a second and then gave in. He leaned back, and she sat astride him.


    Yan Liang kissed and nibbled down his body, moving down until her mouth was on the centre of his desire.


    Jiang Yu Nan could feel his nerves jump as soon as she touched her there.. He felt as if all the blood in his body was flowing down.


    It seemed that, occasionally , to surrender control- that was also a kind of love.


    *** ***


    As per the recommendations of Jiang Yu Nan, the product positioning of ¡° Ya Yan¡± was changed, and a new product plan was soon designed.


    They still needed to reshuffle the distributors, but the most urgent need was to win over the Ming Ting group.


    Since being advised to follow Sub Tzu¡¯s strategy, Yan Liang was no longer embarrassed to hire a private detective to investigate the whereabouts of Lu Zheng. It was possible that he was genuinely busy travelling, but Yan Liang did not want to leave any stone unturned.


    Not being able to make any headway on Ming Ting, she could only start solving the problems of the other distributors. She was free for a day, so she invited all of the dealers to dinner. They reached a mutually acceptable solution during dinner, and after that, Yan Liang had her assistant make arrangements to take them away for a night of fun.


    The assistant made all the arrangements, Yan Liang did not need to accompany them for the later part of the evening entertainment, so she bade farewell to them. As she was leaving, she noticed a bevy of well dressed ladies passing her by.


    This was the city¡¯s top night club, the ladies were all beautiful and sophisticated and they all smiled at her although they had rarely seen an unaccompanied woman in this place.


    She quickened her pace to leave this place quickly. Halfway down, she decided to call up her assistant and request him to accompany the dealers.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± the assistant said politely.


    Yan Liang was assured and hung up the phone when she saw a man come towards her. The man¡¯s cold eyes flashed at her as she passed him.


    This caught Yan Liang¡¯s attention and she suddenly paused after two steps, her eyes widening in surprise.


    She looked back, but only to see that man disappearing in another private room and banging the door shut.


    So this was how she was going to meet Lu Zheng , she thought, a serendipitous encounter.


    Yan Liang leaned against the door, waiting for him and looking at her watch every five minutes. In the end, she was tempted and suddenly went straight towards the private room


    Her hand paused at the door, she hesitated for a few seconds, then pushed the door and entered.


    The room was similar to the one she was earlier in with the dealers, an odd mixture of alcohol and perfume scents hanging in the air.


    The light was low, as her eyes were adjusting to the dimness, she was suddenly pulled and ended up on the couch.


    The scent of alcohol immediately smothered her. ¡° You are new. How come I haven¡¯t seen you before?¡±


    Yan Liang turned to see a drunk face frowning at her


    In the next second, he pulled her closer, ¡° Why are you in a bad mood today ? Come have a drink with me.¡±


    Not only was a glass immediately forced in her hands, the hot face also moved closer to her, his lips almost rubbing against her ears.

 Chapter 17

    I inadvertently left off a bit if chapter 16 yesterday. Sorry.. I got totally excited with all the comments I got so one extra chapter today ????


    So please leave me your comments .. you may get extra chapters ????


    Back to the novel..


    Inside the room, the light was dim. This was all too unexpected.¡± I am sorry I came in¡­.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t even finished her statement when the drunk guy stood up, pulled her arm, and forced the glass to her mouth. ¡°I came here to find fun, what is this attitude?¡±


    The person seem annoyed, the volume of the music was lowered, the waiter approached them with a puzzled look


    Unfortunately, inspite of the waiter trying to mediate on behalf of Yan Liang, the drunk held her chin. Thankfully, he was too drunk so Yan Liang took the glass from his hand, and in the blink of an eye threw the contents of the glass at him


    This splash stunned the drunk.


    The room was quiet in an instant, the music stopped, and a calm voice called out,¡±Turn on the light.¡±


    The waiter immediately responsed, opening the door and turning on the overhead light


    Yan Liang squinted her eyes to adjust to the brightness, then looked at the drunk who had red wine splashed all over his clothes. Deliberate footsteps approached her. The man¡¯s cold eyes swept over her, his demeanour showing he was obviously unhappy, ¡°What¡¯s happening here ? ¡°


    Embarrassed , she looked at the person standing in front of her, a voice echoing in her brain , ¡° Always remember the purpose, try to keep smiling¡­¡±


    She smiled, extended her hand and said, ¡°Sir, how are you?¡±


    His eyes were sharp like a knife. Yan Liang smiled modestly, ¡° I am the person in charge of Ya- Yan.¡±


    Chapter 17


    Lu Zheng looked at her, his expression softened from a moment ago, though still not kind. ¡° I heard Xu Jinfu¡¯s younger daughter is bad news. Seems to be true.¡±


    Seeing this confident woman was unlikely to apologise, Lu Zheng then turned to look at the drunk, half asleep man and said, ¡°Sorry Director Zhang, if you do not mind, I will ask the waiter to accompany you to the next room and send your clothes for dry cleaning.¡±


    Lu Zheng¡¯s words completely woke him up, and he immediately stood up and rushed towards Yan Liang. But before he could reach her, he staggered, almost falling.


    Lu Zheng, realising his intentions, had extended his arm to block his path, his action seemingly casual but so full of strength that the director staggered on impact and Yan Liang was saved.


    (Miumiu : aww.. white knight in shining armour)


    ¡°Zhang Director, I apologise on behalf of this girl¡±


    Lu Zheng ¡®s assistant had been waiting at the door for some time, catching his wink, he came forward. Lu Zheng put Director Zhang in his hands and said , ¡° Please take him back.¡±


    And thus, he so easily settled the trouble stirred up by Yan Liang


    Director Zhang left the room, the music continued to play, the rest of the people also resumed drinking. However, Lu Zheng was not going to invite Yan Liang to join them.


    ¡°Miss Yan, if I remember correctly, you were not invited today¡±, he said coldly, clearly hinting that she should leave. But Yan Liang was unwilling to take the hint, and said ¡°Mr Zheng, it seems that you are not too busy now, can I take a few minutes of your time?¡±


    Although this was phrased like a question, her face seemed to indicate this was more of an order than a request.


    Naturally, Lu Zheng did not like that and flatly refused: ¡°I am sorry, I am very busy. ¡°


    ¡°You¡¯re obviously free ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Seeing Lu Zheng¡¯s annoyed face, Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s advice again echoed in her mind and she immediately fell silent


    ¡°I can wait for the party to finish and talk to you after it is over.¡±


    Clearly Lu Zheng wasn¡¯t happy with that , but good manners prevented him from saying so.


    ¡°If you want¡­¡±


    The waiter quietly opened the door for Yan Liang.With an embarrassed sideward glance, and a smile that was almost slipping, Yan Liang bade goodbye to Lu Zheng, ¡° Hope you have fun.¡±


    She waited till almost two in the morning. It was embarrassing sitting in the sofa on the lobby.


    From time to time, she saw her own dealers completely drunk as the waiters assissted them to the car. Of course, there were dealers who were still sober. Surprised at seeing her in the lobby, they asked, ¡°Ms Yan? Why are you sitting here?¡±


    She could only clench her teeth and smile. She was feeling sleepy, so she reclined on the sofa and tried to keep her eyes open, not daring to fall asleep.


    The party only ended at 3 o¡¯ clock in the morning. Lu Zheng was the last to leave, the others had already left. He was tired, and pulled out his tie as he walked through the lobby.


    His car was parked right outside the revolving door; the valet was standing at the door, ready to give him the keys when Lu Zheng suddenly stopped. He was walking too quickly earlier and had barely noticed a figure slumped on the sofa. This time when he looked back ¨C it was really that bad tempered Ms Yan.


    *** ***


    In the daze of sleep, Yan Liang suddenly felt someone patting her face.


    She opened her eyes, in her blurred vision, she could see that a person was standing in front of her. She wanted to take a closer look, but sleep took over, and annoyed, she showed him the finger before she turned her body and went back to sleep.


    Lu Zheng was taken aback, she was indeed showing her the middle finger. He smiled with dismay


    In order to wake her up, Lu Zheng had bent his body towards her. Seeing her sleeping so soundly, he straightened up and turned to go.


    He hadn¡¯t taken a single step, when, for no particular reason, he turned back and sat in the sofa next to hers.


    He looked at Yan Liang sleeping, unaware of all of this, and closed his eyes as well.


    He was Lu Zheng, so nobody dared to disturb him. From 330 AM, they both slept soundly till Yan Liang jerked awake at 700 AM


    The moment she opened her eyes, the first thought that crossed her mind was,¡±I am finished.¡±


    How long did she sleep? She had no clue!


    She was not sure whether it was the bright sunlight of the morning or the lights of the night, she wasn¡¯t sure whether she had missed the only chance of talking to Lu Zheng. She slapped her forehead in frustration and sat up. Sure enough, it was early morning ¨C


    ¡°Shit£¡¡± Sleeping in the sofa for one night, she felt as if she had a hangover, her neck aching, her head jammed. Yan Liang combed her hair back and leaned against the sofa with her eyes closed, ¡° Shit!¡¯


    ¡°Its not a good habit to curse so early in the morning.¡±


    Yan Liang suddenly froze.


    There was actually someone around? And this voice¡­


    She opened her eyes. It was Lu Zheng, sitting next to her.


    *** ***


    Suddenly, Yan Liang really did not know how to face him. In the ensuing silence, he looked at his wrist watch and reminded her, ¡°You have ¡­ ¡­ five minutes.¡±


    These words instantly sobered her up, she was wide awake and alert.


    She immediately sat up, and said: ¡°Long story short, I want to place Ya Yan in your departmental stores and commercial plazas.¡±


    This was really straight to the point with no detours. Lu Zheng also did not beat about the bush, ¡°Sorry, Ya Yan is not the kind of brand we sell in Ming Ting.¡±


    As soon as he said that, Yan Liang took out a document from her bag. ¡° This is the planning book and the data analysis for Ming.¡±


    Lu Zheng looked at the documents in front of him, hesitated a bit, then eventually took it from her.


    At his side, Yan Liang went on, ¡°¡¯Ya Yan¡¯ is indeed an old brand, but we plan to position this as a ¡®classic skin care system¡¯. It will be a new brand with great potential. For the funds, product development, advertising investment¡­ in all of these areas, ¡®Ya Yan¡¯ and Xu¡¯s other products will get absolutely the same treatment . I can wait until next year, when you talk to other brands about extension of contracts, for Ya Yan to have enough counters. Of course, we are not going to be stingy regarding entry level costs..¡±


    She would have continued to go on, but Lu Zheng nodded silently, then closed the file. There was a deep meaning to this action, and Yan Liang fell silent


    Was he impressed?


    Yan Liang wasn¡¯t expecting much success and sure enough, he said , ¡° You are telling me Ya Yan will be better in future. If I promise now, and the comeback of Ya Yan is not satisfactory, wont I be played for a sucker?¡±


    Although she had expected him to refuse, but when she really heard him say the words, Yan Liang could no longer hold back, ¡°According to the Ming Ting contracts, the brands are locked in for five years. If I come back to you next year, I will have to wait for five years for Ya Yan to appear in Ming Ting. I can¡¯t afford that.¡±


    Lu Zheng was immersed in his own thoughts, he completely ignored her attempt to play the sympathy card,¡± To tell you frankly, the truth of what you have said is yet to be verified. If the Xu group is really concerned about Ya- Yan, Mr Jiang will come and talk to me, why you ? While I admire your dedication, as far as professionalism is concerned, Mr Jiang and you still have a way to go.¡±


    Although his words were not malicious, they stabbed her heart. Yan Liang was silent for some time, trying to reign in her emotions. As she opened her mouth to answer, Lu Zheng interrupted, ¡°Your five minutes is over.¡±


    This man had been sitting next to her and waiting for her the whole night and was now going away. Embarrassed, she watched him walking towards the revolving doors and called out, ¡° Rest assured Mr Lu, if there is any progress in the Ya-Yan project, you will be the first one I visit.¡±


    The implied meaning was very obvious: Yan Liang, had made up her mind that she was going to stalk him till the end.

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18


    Yan liang had to make good on her promise to Lu Zheng to update him about every progress in ¡®Ya- Yan¡¯..


    It was quite mysterious that this woman was able to pinpoint Lu Zheng¡¯s whereabouts so accurately every time. Whether he had just left the company, or had come back from the field, or had just gotten off a plane, sometimes even when he was in his private club, he would see the young lady walking towards him , then smile and hand over the project document, ¡° Mr Lu, please take a look.¡±


    Obviously, Yan Liang was using private detectives to tail him. After several repeated so-called ¡®encounters¡¯ , when Lu Zheng saw her once again, he was a bit distressed, ¡° Ms Yan, we meet again.¡±


    This time. Lu Zhen was in the group¡¯s golf course , sitting in a golf cart, the other golf cart quite a distance ahead of him


    When the second golf cart passed him, he realised it was Yan Liang again


    This woman seemed to have just recognised him, she gave him a surprised look and stopped the golf cart.


    Lu Zheng also instructed the driver to stop.


    As the two cars staggered to a stop, and he saw the woman smiling towards him, he suddenly felt a headache coming on.


    As he said ¡®again¡¯ , Lu Zheng deliberately raised the tone of his voice, indicating that he was obviously not happy, but Yan Liang was smiling with no fear, and with widened eyes said , ¡° That is because ¡® Ya ¨C Yan¡¯ has really good luck .¡±


    Lu Zheng gave a helpless smile. How bad was his luck that he had to keep meeting her? He guessed her next action would be to take out the project progress document, as she had done several times earlier


    Sure enough, Yan Liang immediately bowed down and took out the latest document from her bag and handed it to Lu Zheng. ¡°Mr Lu, this is the data on advertising in major networks and order amounts from provincial dealers for Ya-Yan.¡±


    As he had done a few times before, Lu Zheng, purely driven by good manners , silently took the document and turned a few pages. But no matter how well brought up he was, his face clearly showed his irritation at being accosted like this three times in a row. He passed the progress book to his assistant sitting next to him and solemnly said ,: ¡°Ms Yan , I will leave now.¡±


    Although the words were said mercifully, his expression was still clearly showing his irritation. Yan Liang was embarrassed, but still maintained a humble smile, ¡° Mr Lu, I will not disturb you anymore, I will let you play. See you soon.¡±


    With this, she turned towards the driver and asked him to drive. Lu Zheng sat in his own cart and helplessly shook his head.


    *** ***


    This translation belongs to Miumiu.if you are reading it somewhere else,it had been take no without the translator¡¯s permission.


    She had been stalking him for so long, but she had been very careful so as not to be obvious. But when the first month sales of Ya- Yan came through, she could not think of a better way and immediately called the private detective to enquire about the whereabouts of Lu Zheng


    Whether it was because the phone signal was weak, or because of something else, the detective sounded weird on the phone. He stammered, ¡°He ¡­ ¡­ he¡¯s now, now at the Ming Ting Hotel No. 1 shop. He¡¯s on the top floor of the revolving restaurant for lunch. ¡°


    Yan Liang did not think, said: ¡°I am coming there immediately¡±, and hung up the phone.


    She drove to the Ming Ting shop within ten minutes. She took the elevator directly to the top floor of the revolving restaurant. At the restaurant, she saw the private detectivesitting near the window. But she couldn¡¯t see Lu Zheng.


    Yan Liang approached him: ¡°Where is he? ¡±


    The private detective looked up at her, he looked very nervous, his face pale. Yan Liang waswaiting for him to answer, when suddenly a voice came from behind : ¡°Miss Yan, you¡¯re really clever.¡±


    She was stunned, and took a full three seconds before she turned around.


    Sure enough, it was Lu Zheng standing behind her. He was no longer laughing.


    ¡°Here I was wondering why the gentleman has been tailing me for several days without any reason.¡± Having said that, he walked by Yan Liang to the pale detective, put the phone he had just taken from the detective on the table in front of him and asked, ¡° So Ms Yan is the one who hired you.¡±


    The detective took back the phone immediately, got up, and without even lifting his head disappeared from there in the blink of an eye.


    Yan Liang presumed that this would not have been the first time that the detective had got caught while spying. However, looking at how nervous he was, his hands almost shaking, she was clear that Lu Zheng had made some dire threats to him.


    She could not think, she was unable to come up with any excuse to protect herself, she silently tried to compose something in her mind as she turned to face Lu Zheng.


    Just when she was thinking on how to pacify him, Lu Zheng suddenly said , ¡° What is it that you want to give me this time?¡±


    She was really shocked.


    Suspecting his real motives, she nevertheless took out the documents from her bag. This time, unlike the other previous times, he actually took the file, pulled the chair and sat down and carefully browsed it.


    Yan Liang was surprised, but immediately reacted. She pulled a chair and sitting down next to him, she started to explain, ¡° This is three years of sales data on Ya ¨C yan. A few years ago, the sales were indeed very low, but these few months, there has obviously been a rebound. Although the sales are still temporarily low compared to the other brands in Ming Ting, but you can see that after the re-branding, Ya- Yan¡¯s competitiveness¡­..¡±


    She hadn¡¯t finished when Lu Zheng interrupted, ¡°¡±In my house we have a domestic helper who has been with us for a few decades. Yesterday she was helping me clean up the room when she came across these documents. She told me that she and many of her peers have been using Ya-Yan for almost their whole life. It seems ¡­ ¡®Ya Yan¡¯ is really popular with the older generation?¡±


    This is indeed the ¡°Ya Yan¡± advantage, Yan Liang immediately said: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Maybe because of the sudden strange look in Lu Zheng¡¯s eyes, Yan Liang rushed to add,¡± But .. we are re-branding ¡®Ya-Yan¡¯, primarily for the young crowd. Improvements in the formulations, star endorsements, making it a youth-centric brand, after all the youth have the most purchasing power today¡­.¡±


    Clearly this was a satisfactory answer.


    Lu Zheng read till the last page of the document till he looked up. This simple action was the greatest encouragement to Yan Liang, she was already planning her next encounter, when Lu Zheng broke into her thoughts with a gentle question, ¡°When will you have time? I will arrange for you to talk to the manager in charge of the overall operations of Ming Ting.¡±


    *** ***


    Once out of the doors of the Ming Court Hotel No. 1 shop, Yan Liang raised her face up to the sky and inhaled deeply. The gray sky of the city looked particularly cute to her at that moment


    Her mood was so good, she really felt she should find someone to share this with. Sitting in the car, Yan Liang did not rush to start the car, but took out her phone to place a call.


    Her fingers used to be naturally accustomed to dialling this number, but today, she froze.


    She sat stiffly for a long while, then silently returned to her address book, searched for a while, saw the name ¡®Jiang Yu Nan¡¯ and her heart skipped a beat. She hesitated a bit and then quickly pressed the dial key, as if even a second¡¯s delay would make her regret her action.


    There was a ¡®beep¡¯ sound three times before the phone was picked up, ¡°Hello?¡±


    Just this one word , and Yan Liang suddenly felt inexplicably tense.


    Suddenly she did not know what to say.


    She was silent for a few seconds, when Jiang Yu Nan suddenly laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you managed to convince him!¡±


    He had already guessed it; Yan Liang wasn¡¯t going to surprise him


    Was he able to understand her feelings just by hearing her breathe?


    Yan Liang felt ridiculous, shaking her head, she said, ¡°It¡¯s almost through, I assume it will happen soon.¡±


    ¡°This is not good.¡± Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s tone suddenly turned solemn.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°A heartless businessman is so easily persuaded by a woman; there is often only one reason why this happens¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan paused there, Yan Liang was dumbfounded: ¡°Do you think everyone is like you, with a bug in their brain, looking at women from only one perspective ?¡±


    There was no response at the other end, but Yan Liang thought he was probably smiling. She could almost picture his unique, superficial yet sultry smile in front of her eyes.


    ¡± Then he heard him say, ¡°Why can¡¯t you understand that your charms are so enticing, I can¡¯t resist, can I ?¡±


    Yan Liang could not help but laugh, Jiang laughed as well. She scolded him with mock anger, ¡°Mr Jiang, please use these flowery words for other women.¡±


    Saying this, she hung up.


    She looked up now, and caught a glance of her face in the rear-view mirror. It really was a happy, smiling, contented face..the face of a woman in love.


    She was shocked at the realisation.

 Chapter 19

    Yan Liang drove back to the company and entered the conference room.Her assistant had long ago called all the members of the ¡®Ya-Yan¡¯ team from their lunch to congregate here.


    She immediately shared the good news. ¡°Of course, now we have more complicated work on our hands. I need the perfect proposal to convince the manager in charge of Ming Ting, the sooner the better.¡±


    Since then, all the team members had been busy working, with endless overtime.


    It had been more than a week since her encounter with Lu Zheng, when an assistant called to confirm that the meeting with Ming Ting¡¯s manager was going to happen on the next day.Yan Liang spent that night at office to finalise the proposal.


    In order to convince Ming Ting, Yan Liang used up all her energy and attention this time on Ya ¨C yan and did not pay any attention to other matters in the company. Unfortunately, some annoying people still turned up to annoy her.


    She was busy in her own office, when suddenly there was the sound of a knock on the door.


    The person on the other side did not even wait for a response to the knock, and immediately pushed the door open. Yan Liang was immediately unhappy, ¡° What¡¯s up?¡±


    When she saw Xu Ziqing standing at the door, Yan Liang really did not know what to say. She had been ignoring Xu Ziqing for a long time, yet Xu Ziqing was clearly still thinking about her. What was this kind of persistent mentality? Yan Liang had really nothing to say


    Xu Ziqing had always been an uninvited guest, she was not the least bit embarrassed and confidently approached Yan Liang


    She placed a beautiful card on Yan Liang¡¯s table. ¡°Tomorrow afternoon, ¡®Secret¡¯ is holding a global conference. I was working overtime, and as I passed here, I realised you were here too. So I came to give you the invitation letter.¡±


    Yan Liang did not see the invitation, facing the computer, she did not even raise her head, ¡°I¡¯m not free. ¡°


    ¡°You are not free to go? Or you don¡¯t have the courage to go?¡± Yan Liang did not have to raise her head to know that Xu Ziqing was deliberately provoking her.


    Seeing no reaction from Yan Liang, Xu Ziqing raised her voice, ¡°I heard that you recently tried to convince Ming Ting. They cannot afford bad brands in their portfolio. You don¡¯t even care about your self ¨Cesteem, this does not suit your personality.¡±


    Yan Liang continued to ignore her.


    This woman who had always been easy to anger earlier was now acting indifferent. Xu Ziqing looked at her and tried her last attempt at needling her, ¡°Tomorrow afternoon , I hope you can attend the meeting. Then you will be able to see the difference between ¡® Ya-Yan¡¯ and the ¡®Secret¡¯.¡±


    Yan Liang this time finally took off her glasses and looked up. It seemed she had not heard any of Xu Ziqing¡¯s long monologues. Frostily she said, ¡°Take care. I won¡¯t be seeing you off.¡±


    Xu Ziqing, finally defeated in her endeavour to provoke Yan Liang, turned back and walked away quickly. Yan Liang was surprised at how easy it had been for her to be indifferent to Xu Ziqing¡¯s cheap digs.


    She was about to wear her glasses again, when her cell phone rang. The caller id showed that this was Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s private number. When she picked up, he asked ¡®Are you still in the company?¡±


    She was surprised at this strange question and asked, ¡° Yes, why?¡±


    ¡°Come down, I¡¯ll wait for you downstairs.¡±


    Yan Liang was more surprised: ¡°Aren¡¯t you on a business trip?¡±


    ¡°Well, I got off from the plane not too long ago.¡±


    His tone was low, a trace of tiredness in his voice, yet these simple words seemed to carry a deeper meaning for Yan Liang. For example, the fact that, as soon as he landed, he came to find her. Her.


    Yan Liang could not help but hesitate, ¡°Is there a reason you are looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see you.¡±


    As Yan Liang stood in the elevator as it was going down, she felt funny.


    She had not worried about the work at hand, had not taken the time to control her emotions, she had just rushed down immediately.


    When the elevator arrived on the ground floor, she was still wrestling with her feelings. She suppressed the voices in her head and walked quickly towards the gate.


    Because it was late at night, the lobby only had a security guard who was sitting in a corner and nodding off. Her high heels on the ground made a clattering noise on the floor as she reached the door. At the glass doors, she deliberately slowed down , paused for a moment to compose her features and then opened the door.


    It was as if she was transported to a different world the moment she opened the door. Jiang Yu Nan was standing outside, he smiled when he saw her.


    She walked slowly towards him. When she was in front of him, he looked at his watch, ¡°Half a minute.¡±


    Yan Liang immediately felt bad after hearing this, She did not expect his next sentence , ¡° Did you think of me ?¡±


    ¡° I am the champion of unrequited love.¡±


    Yan Liang threw such a strange sentence at him, Jiang Yu Nan did not attach any importance to it and opened the door for her. ¡° Where do you want to eat?¡±


    In the car, Yan Liang never expected that the plan to eat out would finally change to buying ingredients at the super market for a home cooked meal.


    She did not even remember who made the bad suggestion , so that she finally ended up carrying two bags of food to Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s home.


    Of course, she did not forget to declare in advance: ¡°I don¡¯t know how to cook.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan accepted this bad news with equanimity: ¡°I will do the cooking.¡±


    She did not really believe him, till she saw him deftly roll up his sleeves. Even then she thought he was just showing off, but when the pasta turned up in front of her, the colour and taste awesome, she had to accept that facts spoke louder than words.


    ¡± I am really impressed. Your hands make money as well as cook.¡±


    ¡°I also knew you were a pampered rich kid, your fingers have never touched anything but the freshest spring water.¡±


    ¡°You forgot what you said before? I am just a simple wage earner, only a senior one.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan said nothing, he just quietly picked up his fork.


    Yan liang tasted it, it was really good. She stopped eating when she suddenly realised why she was feeling strange. She looked up to man sitting at the table opposite her, ¡° Why are you not eating?¡±


    ¡°Not hungry.¡±


    ¡°But you obviously wanted to have dinner !¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan laughed, ¡°That was just an excuse to see you.¡±


    Momentarily, she did not know how to respond. He said,¡±Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t hear it.¡±


    Embarrassed, she decided not to bicker with him, silence was the only way to make this kind of person suffer.


    Jiang Yu Nan had decided to provoke her. Handing her a paper towel, he gestured at her to wipe her mouth. ¡°I would like to eat, but unfortunately, it is a little difficult to get..¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan narrowed his eyes, his little gestures ambiguous, and she was alerted to his nefarious intentions when he leisurely replied, ¡° You.¡±


    Yan Liang thought a long time about how to react, but when she answered after a silence, even she was surprised by her response, ¡° I am tired today, and will be extremely busy tomorrow.¡±


    The moment she said it, she regretted it, but there was a clear surprise in Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes , ¡° It doesn¡¯t matter. We can postpone till you are free.¡±


    In the ensuing silence, Yan Liang wondered how she could give a more reasonable explanation of the sentence she had blurted out, but couldn¡¯t think of anything more. Anyway he seemed to accept her answer by default.


    *** ***


    This post belongs to miumiu596.wordpress.com. If you are reading it elsewhere it has been taken without the translator¡¯s permission.


    The next day at noon, Yan Liang met the manager in charge of Ming Ting with her team.


    She had made full preparations, and to display full sincerity, she personally come to Ming Ting headquarters. She even promised to give the largest concessions in the distribution of profits


    After two hours of negotiations, Ming Ting finally agreed: ¡°We promise to include ¡®Ya Yan¡¯ products in our portfolio , but the contract will only be signed for one year. Depending on the performance of ¡®Ya-Yan, we can decide whether to extend this for the remaining four years.¡±


    This was not the best outcome of the negotiations, but neither was it the worst, at least it allowed Yan Liang another year¡¯s time and an opportunity to reshape the ¡°Ya Yan¡± brand value.


    In that year, getting ¡®Ya Yan ¡® on such a high-quality platform as Ming Ting was a definite win.


    The meeting was finally over, and the manager signed on the contract. Although there was considerable push and pull during the negotiations, with the dust settled, the two sides hook hands.


    The manager in charge seemed to have been in contact with Lu Zheng, as soon as the contracts were signed, he was on the phone, resorting the outcome of the negotiations to him. Yan Liang nodded at him to say good bye and waled towards the door with her team. She hadn¡¯t walked out of the room when the manager stopped her, ¡° Ms Yan.¡±


    Yan Liang paused.


    The manager came towards her and actually handed over the phone to her. ¡° Mr Lu wants to have a few words with you.¡±


    She assumed that she had to say a few polite words like ¡° happy to cooperate with you¡± and she thanked him as soon as she took the phone ,¡± Mr Lu, I am extremely grateful to you for giving Ya Yan this opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lu Zheng did not seem to expect these words from her.


    Listening to the questioning tone of Lu Zheng, Yan Liang could not help but be a little surprised. This man asked her to answer the phone, isn¡¯t the reason just to exchange pleasantries?


    But before she could make another statement, the other side asked, ¡°Miss Yan do you intend to thank me?


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I would like to invite you to dinner tonight.¡±

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20


    Faced with this invitation, Yan Liang hesitated.


    The first thing she did was to look up at the manager. Although the manager could not hear Lu Zheng on the phone, she didn¡¯t know why she was having a guilty conscience. Holding the phone, she took two steps away, and was about to refuse. But the person on the other end was impatient after waiting for so long and not getting any answer. So he made his own decision ,¡± I will pick you up at 6 pm from your company, is that ok?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡± Is it ok?¡±


    Yan Liang hesitated for a long while, then, said: ¡°Ok.¡±


    She really wanted to return to the company in the afternoon. The release of ¡®Secret¡¯ was happening soon. Even if she hadn¡¯t got Xu Ziqing¡¯s invitation, Yan Liang was planning to go to the conference to meet the elite of Xu¡¯s research and development team.The brand was really expected to be a big hit in the market.


    Yan Liang was back in the company by 1.30 pm. The conference was slated for the hall on the 24th floor. In front of the door, she could see a number of media reporters who had set up all their equipment, ready for interviews with the attendees.


    The first row of seats in the auditorium was reserved for senior executives of Xu. The people responsible for ¡®Secret¡¯ were seated according to order of rank, naturally Xu Ziqing was in the middle of the first three positions, playing her role.


    As soon as Yan Liang appeared, the sharp-eyed reporters rushed over to surround her.With the spotlights flashing non-stop, Yan Liang shaded her eyes with her hands but could not take a step forward..


    ¡°Miss Yan Miss Yan! How is it that you are not attending this with your sister?¡±


    ¡°Miss Yan, I heard Ya Yan is interested in strategic


    cooperation with the Ming Ting, is this true?¡±


    ¡°Miss Yan, the Li Bo Group also has selected today to hold a conference on their new European products at 2 pm, what are your views ?¡±


    ¡° Earlier in the interview with Ms Xu Ziqing, she said the relationship between Xu and Li Bo is very good. There was no need to have a vicious competition. Our colleagues interviewed Mr Jiang Yu Nan as well, and he said that he is confident of Xu¡¯s win in this competition. In this matter, can you tell us what your father thinks ?¡±


    ¡°Miss Yan ¡­¡±


    One after another their voices were ringing in Yan Liang¡¯s ears. Before she could hear one question, the other reporter was asking another.


    Yan Liang spent a lot of effort to dodge the reporters, as she opened the left door, she hurried in , leaving them behind.


    Xu Ziqing was in the back of the conference room to do the final summary, she was really surprised when she saw Yan Liang coming towards her.


    She immediately gave the documents in her hand to the program director to follow up and coolly greeted her, ¡°You still came. ¡°


    ¡°I was curious about your real strength, so decided to take a look.¡±


    Xu Ziqing did not sarcaatically remind her about the ¡°I¡¯m too busy¡± comments in the last conversation they had, probably because of the presence of others in the conference room.


    Yan Liang found a corner to sit down. There were too large screens on the wall, one was broadcasting the conference room here while the other was directly broadcasting the Li Bo conference on TV. Li Bo had always been the strongest competitor to Xu, Jiang Shijun was a very difficult opponent, so Xu Ziqing¡¯s apprehension could be seen on her face as she looked at the screen.


    Yan Liang kept to the background and watched the screens as she didn¡¯t want to be seen. She was really tired of the reporters.


    Seeing that it was two o clock, Xu Ziqing and all the secret team members headed to the lounge. Yan Liang declined the invitation to go with them, she really did not intend to move from her perch.


    Soon, Yan Liang could see Xu Ziqing on the screen.


    Xu Ziqing and the others were sitting among the audience in the first row. Only the project Vice President came to the podium at the invitation of the host to answer the questions of the media.


    In addition to the major journalists, the other invitees to the conference included cosmetics experts, both domestic and foreign, the worlds five major regional agents, the global spokesperson for Xu and high level North American representatives from Johnny Weir.


    The TV screen zoomed to Xu Ziqing and the North American representatives talking happily , and then went back to the podium.


    The models and makeup artists had been ready long back, this was going to be a high quality show.


    A little light went off, indicating that the conference had officially began


    Yan Liang focussed on the make up products in the futuristic ¡®Perfect Look¡¯ series.


    Due to naturally occurring defects in white skin such as freckles and other issues which were less prevalent in Asian skin, the ¡®Perfect Look¡¯ series was positioned as a high-quality futuristic product . The promotion of this would be the focus in the fourth stage of the conference.


    The press conference proceeded step by step as per schedule.


    As it progressed, Yan Liang looked at the screen where the Li Bo conference was being shown.


    While in the ¡®Secret¡¯ conference, the star product was going to be launched in the last phase, in Li Bo, they were launching their star product in the second part of the conference.


    While the product director of ¡®Secret¡¯ was solemnly explaining the concept of the overall series, the product director for Li Bo was announcing to the reporters, ¡° I want to introduce the ¡®HD look¡¯series to everyone here.¡±


    Yan Liang was shocked.


    She looked at the table with the ¡®secret¡¯ products, then at the big screen where the five products of the Li Bo ¡°HD look¡¯ series were being displayed. Even before her brain could process what was happening , she was already rushing towards the door.


    As she rushed to the front, she could hear the product director of ¡® secret¡¯ whisper , ¡°Li Bo has already launched what we are introducing ..the Perfect Look series..¡±


    Yan Liang could see from her position that the reporters by the door were receiving lots of phone calls. Although she didn¡¯t know what the calls were about, looking at the reporters surprised faces, she had a bad premonition of what was going to happen.


    It was too late to think of any rescue measures. She saw Xu Ziqing¡¯s secretary hurriedly rushing towards the front row and whispering frantically to her for a long time.


    As they continued whispering, the assistant was getting more and more anxious while Xu Ziqing was getting more and more livid


    She had never seen her sister with such a look. Even when she had exposed Xu Ziqing to her father a little while ago,Xu Ziqing¡¯s face did not have even one tenth of the panic that she had now.It was all clearly out of control.


    Xu Ziqing hastily left, them someone walked over to speak to the program director on the podium. There was momentary chaos. The Perfect Look series had just been put up on the stage, now stealthily it was pushed back. The media also smelled a rat, they broke through the barriers set up and surrounded the program director.


    ¡° Our colleagues in the Li Bo conference just sent a message saying ..¡±


    ¡°Is it really a coincidence that the Perfect Look and the HD look series are the same?¡±


    ¡°Is it just the name that is the same?¡±


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    The product director was in a difficult position surrounded by all the reporters .Finally a large influx of security came to maintain the order.


    The reporters were forced to return to the media interview area.


    Xu Ziqing was escorted by the security to the podium. With the microphone in her hand she said, ¡°we have some problems with the conference.. I request my media friends not to be impatient. We will continue now.¡±


    This seemed to appease everyone. Just when all the reporters were eagerly looking forward to the debut of the ¡®Perfect Look¡¯ make up series, the conference was temporarily changed to show the make up artist demonstrating foundations.


    One of the reporters stored on the spot to protest ¡°This is the next segment , what happened to the ¡®Perfect Look¡¯ series?¡±


    Not only did his colleagues agree to the reporters words, even the camera zoomed on Xu Ziqing¡¯s face. The product director on the stage was temporarily silent. He looked at her, asking for guidance. Xu Ziqing looked at him, indicating that he should just keep silent and not respond to the reporters comments.


    £ª£ª£ª ***


    Finally, she resolved to leave the meeting. Her assistant was still calling to her from the side, ¡° Lee said that Mr Jiang is rushing over..¡±


    Jiang Yunan ?


    Yan Liang paused for only a second, and then hurriedly left.


    The Li Bo group was really a nightmare to Xu.


    The conference was so messed up that it finished half an hour earlier than originally planned. Even though the launch of the ¡®Perfect Look¡¯ series was stopped half way, there were whispers of ¡®plagiarism¡¯ against the program director.


    The Perfect Look products were not going to be available in the market.


    Before they could find out why and how the Li Bo group was launching a series so identical to their own, the release of the product in the market would be dangerous. Which meant, that if they shelved the series as of now, the ¡®Secret¡¯ product portfolio was missing the most basic and important key.


    Naturally the dealers were not happy.


    Yan Liang thought about the problem all the way back from the venue. Although these were problems that the ¡®Secret¡¯ team needed to solve and she had no reason to start worrying about Xu Ziqing, still she couldn¡¯t help thinking about it.


    With so many thoughts in her mind, Yan Liang was sitting in front of the computer, constantly refreshing the media page on perfect look finish series, when she suddenly remembered she had a date at six.


    She hurriedly turned off her computer. Before the screen was dark, her phone rang.


    He was really punctual.It was six to the dot.


    Yan Liang picked up the phone. She heard the voice of Lu Zheng, ¡° I am downstairs .¡±


    Hearing this short sentence, for the first time, Yan Liang had the feeling that Lu Zheng was a perfect gentleman showing just the right amount of respect towards her.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming down right now.¡± Yan Liang said, as she picked up her bag and walked towards the door.


    *************


    This translation belongs to miumiu596.wordpress.com. Please do not copy.


    The restaurant was nice.


    Yan Liang was wearing her work day clothes, not the right attire for a date. She was distracted, not the right attitude for a date either.


    The first few dishes had been withdrawn, Lu Zheng was sitting silently opposite her , tasting the foie gras while Yan Liang picked at her food , her mind wandering.


    As she continued eating silently, Lu Zheng paused with the knife and fork in his hand. He frowned, then looked up at her,¡± Ms Yan are you disappointed with the food, or am I too disappointing ?¡±


    Yan Liang was immediately brought back to earth, composing herself,she said innocently, ¡° I¡¯m sorry, I was focussing on the food, what did you just say?¡±


    She was unable to decipher the emotion in his eyes, but he just shook his head and said, ¡° I was asking you if you liked the food.¡±


    They had both decided to give each other some concessions to avoid further awkward developments.


    To change the topic, Yan Liang searched in her mind for something to say and finally asked, ¡° You must be coming here all the time.The waiters recognise you.¡±


    Lu Zheng ¡®s expression was much better than before, although the improvement meant that he brought his lips close to her ear, and with a pleasant smile , he said , ¡°The French cuisine here is very authentic .¡±


    Lu Zheng also asked a question., ¡°Earlier, weren¡¯t you wondering about the secret and Li Bi group situation?¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s face changed.


    Lu Zheng immediately reassured her ,¡± Rest assured , I am not interested in gossip, I will not ask you anything.¡±


    Yan Liang could not help but feel relieved when he said this. She was again looking around for something to say when Lu Zheng added, ¡° The only thing I am curious about is, from what I have heard about the relationship between you and your sister, I did not think you would even think about it, let alone worry about her.¡±


    He moved the main dish towards her, ¡° You haven¡¯t tried the main dish.¡±


    Was he not happy with the date ? At least Yan Liang did not think so. Neither did Lu Zheng, ¡° Next time, shall we try another place?¡±


    Yan Liang only smiled.She neither promised nor denied, she did not want to upset this man.


    As they went down, they were the only two people in the elevator.


    The lights were dim, they were both silent. Fortunately, half way down, a lady with a child stepped into the elevator. The child was very naughty, he kept running non stop in the confined space of the elevator.


    The more the lady tried to restrain the child, the more he laughed, making Yan Liang squeeze herself more and more into the corner. She was still wandering about the company and ¡®Secret¡¯ when¡­


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    Suddenly someone shouted.


    The naughty child had stumbled on his own ball, and his body hurtled directly towards Yan Liang.


    To avoid him, Yan Liang almost twisted on her foot and lost her balance when a hand crossed over her body and hugged her shoulders. Yan Liang saw that Lu Zheng had stretched out his arms to hold her and prevent her fall. His face was close to hers, there was no particular expression on his face, but obviously his arms were very powerful.


    Before they could separate, the elevator arrived at the next floor and the doors opened.


    There was a couple waiting outside to get in. Yan Liang¡¯s head was down to avoid looking at Lu Zheng¡¯s eyes. So, not only did she not see the elevator opening, she also failed to notice how the expressions on the face of the couple changed rapidly as they saw Yan Liang and Lu Zheng when they entered the elevator.


    By the time Yan Liang composed herself and looked up, the man and woman had entered the elevator. They were.. actually..yes..


    Jiang Yunan.


    And Xu Ziqing.


    When Yan Liang looked at Jiang Yu Nan, his face was expressionless. His cold eyes swept over Yan Liang , then greeted Lu zheng , ¡° Mr Zheng.¡±


    Lu Zheng was quite surprised, ¡°Mr Jiang, you¡¯re also here for dinner?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled ambiguously as an answer to his question.


    And what was Xu Ziqing¡¯s expression at the moment?


    Yan Liang was definitely not going to get concerned about that..


    They reached the underground parking lot.


    Earlier during dinner, Yan Liang had secretly contacted her assistant, so the assistant had come with her car. Pretending she was needed for something urgent at the company, she left in her car. She did not want to accompany Lu Zheng in his car.


    As the car slowly drove out of the parking lot, she closed her eyes. In her mind, she could see Jiang Yu Nan and Xi Ziqing together in the elevator.


    Suddenly, the car braked.Yan Liang opened her eyes immediately.


    Before she could see what had happened, someone came to her side of the car and pulled open the door.


    Yan Liang shivered : ¡± Jiang¡­ ¡­¡±


    He did not wait for her to finish and immediately interrupted her,¡± I allowed you to do business with him, not to sell yourself.¡±

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21


    ¡°What?¡± The assistant shouted with surprise , as he was pulled out of the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°Hey! You! ¡° Yan Liang also leaned forward anxiously towards the driver¡¯s seat.


    In response to Yan Liang and the assistant¡¯s shouts, the door was banged shut. In the blink of an eye, Jiang Yu Nan had shifted the gears and accelerated the car. The assistant quickly moved to the side in order to avoid getting hit by the car.


    In the side mirrors of the car, the confused face of the assistant was reflected. In the rearview mirrors in the car, the dumbfounded face of Yan Liang was reflected.


    It had started raining outside, the car was going faster and faster. When the wheels of the car seemed to skid in the water logged streets, Jiang Yu Nan finally slowed down. His expression seemed to get colder and colder, his indifferent silhouette on the darkened windows streaked by the rain drops.


    Yan Liang had to hold on to the handle as the ride was bumpy. With as much calm as she could muster, she politely asked him,¡± Mr Jiang, where are you taking me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Is your date with Xu Ziqing over?¡±


    The car suddenly stopped.


    Even though Yan Liang was holding the handrail, she still pitched forward.Before she could sit upright, she could hear his low voice, ¡°If you tell me you were jealous of your sister and I, maybe I¡¯ll let you off now.¡±


    She was lost for words.


    Her tone, her expression, everything was so calm and composed. Where did he even get the hint of jealousy ?


    Once this was established, Yan Liang was emboldened enough to ask him, ¡° What gives you the right to restrict the freedom in my life?¡±


    (Miumiu : you go girl !!)


    The car had stopped,before her hand could grab the door handles and open the door, she heard a snap.


    Even though she heard the sound of the door locking, she vainly tried to pull at the door. Finally, crossing her arms, she asked him angrily, ¡° What¡¯s the matter with you ?¡±


    Compared to her, Jiang Yu Nan was terribly calm,¡± You haven¡¯t answered my question yet.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think I¡¯ll be jealous of you?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled.


    This was torture, as if she had become


    a clown and he was standing high above, gazing at her in contempt.


    ¡°Let me get off.¡±


    To answer her, Jiang Yu Nan restarted the car.


    His driving was no longer so erratic,it was smooth all the way, but this was obviously not enough to cool the hostility emanating in waves from the lady in the backseat.


    It was quiet inside the confined space of the car when suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of a cell phone ringing.


    It was Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s mobile phone.


    Yan Liang had turned her head to look out of the window at the rain. Hearing the ring tone, although externally she still pretended to be indifferent, she couldn¡¯t resist listening to the conversation.


    (Miumiu ¨C plus ears don¡¯t have ear flaps to stop listening as I keep telling my colleagues who have private conversations in the car ????)


    The car was completely sealed off from the outside noises, she could clearly hear Xu Ziqing on the other side,


    ¡°Thank you for investing so much time to advise me tonight ¡­ ¡­¡±


    This phrase¡­


    Yan Ziqing had heard this more than once.


    ¡°Dad, thank you for investing so much time to teach me ..¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ In fact, I can understand Yan liang¡¯s


    hostility to me, I don¡¯t take these things to heart..


    Thank you for talking to me for so long to help me understand ..


    My whole life, in the eyes of others, even if they are polite to me on my face, but I know they call me ¡® bastard¡¯ behind my back. You¡¯re the only one who has ever treated me so well¡­¡±


    Yan Liang could not listen to this anymore, she leaned forward and pressed the central lock mechanism next to the steering wheel.


    Jiang Yu Nan was distracted by the phone call, before he could react, she had succeeded in unlocking the doors.


    While the car was still in motion, he saw her open the door and attempt to get off. It was too late to lock the doors again, desperately, he dropped the phone and tried to catch her arm. But she was too fast for him ,and she had already opened the door.


    Jiang Yu Nan slammed the brakes, the car skidded to a halt. Instead of rushing off immediately as he had expected, Yan Liang got back in the car, grabbed the keys from the wheel and then rushed out.


    The rain wasn¡¯t heavy but he lost sight of her momentarily. She threw the keys in the trash, and then started running down the road. But she was only 170 cm, with high heels on, how could she outrun a 180cm tall man?


    ¡°Calm down, will you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of death, rushing off like that ?¡±


    Yan Liang immediately turned back to answer, she intended to ruthlessly taunt him, tell him she couldn¡¯t really understand why he was angry. But he didn¡¯t give her an opportunity to speak. He simply pulled her by the arm to go with him.


    This time she didn¡¯t resist. She simply


    said, ¡° I¡¯ve already lost the car keys. Where are you taking me now?¡±


    Obviously in the battle between these two, Jiang Yu Nan was temporarily trailing behind her.


    This was tantamount to a provocation to his authority.Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s face hardened, and he suddenly turned, pulling Yan Liang towards the sidewalk.


    They walked all the way in the rain, under the umbrellas of passers by, bearing the astonished gazes of strangers. Finally, they reached a hotel.

 Chapter 22

    My heart goes out to YL..she¡¯s still a child in so many ways.


    This chapter is also partially NSFW. It¡¯s funny but I don¡¯t remember so many ¡®hot¡¯ chapters when I was reading this . In all probability , I must have skipped these parts because with google translate they read like extracts from a safety manual ..¡¯slippery corridors¡¯ and ¡®hard poking objects¡¯¡­. lol ????


    Chapter 22


    Jiang Yu Nan pulled Yan Liang all the way till they reached the hotel.By the time they reached the front desk, her face was livid. A man and a woman who looked like they were enemies, how would the receptionist dare to give them a room?


    The front desk personnel kept looking at their faces, it did not look like an ordinary couple merely quarrelling , so he did not dare take the card that Jiang Yu Nan was trying to hand over.


    Looking at Yan Liang who was soaked to the skin, and then at Jiang Yu Nan who was grabbing her arms forcefully, he could not help but hesitate , ¡° Madam, are you..¡±


    Yan Liang had stopped struggling, she looked with contempt at Jiang Yu Nan and said, ¡° I was dragged in forcefully, I don¡¯t know him. Please call the police.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan had not expected her to be so ruthless with him, he started laughing.


    Although the receptionist had heard the complaint, seeing that this man looked like a gentleman and that both of them were dressed in expensive outfits, he was a little puzzled. His hand moved to the phone , but he still hesitated on whether to sound the alarm. Finally, he bit the bullet and picked up the handset.


    Seeing this, Yan Liang raised her eyebrows at Jiang Yu Nan, her attitude clearly announcing that she was the winner in this round.


    This annoying expression was captured by his eyes. In the next moment, Jiang Yu Nan suddenly reached over, firmly raised her face, and kissed her lips.


    As his lips left hers, her chin was still in his hand, and at this close distance, he gazed at her deeply.


    Yan Liang was stunned. The receptionist who was just getting ready to call security suddenly stopped midway. He looked uncertainly at Jiang Yu Nan who released Yan liang¡¯s face and again handed over the card to the receptionist..


    ¡°Jiang Yu Nan..you¡­¡±


    Yan Liang did not even finish when Jiang Yu Nan interrupted, ¡° You don¡¯t know me? Then how do you know my name?¡±


    This time , how could Yan Liang argue? She couldn¡¯t even stop the receptionist from initiating the check in procedures.


    This translation belongs to miumiu596.wordpress.com.If you are reading this elsewhere, it has been taken without the translators permission..


    If she hadn¡¯t been worried of creating a scene in front of the hotel guests in the lobby , she would have most probably engaged in a physical fight with this overbearing man.


    She tolerated him silently in the elevator as there were other people with them. The moment they reached their floor, when she noticed that there were no other people in the corridor, she tried to pull out her hand from his grip. Although it looked like he was holding her hand causally, his grip was strong and she wasn¡¯t able to free herself.


    .


    She then thought of stepping on his foot.Her three inch heels were equivalent to a sharp weapon, she looked at his foot and could almost picture him bending down with pain as she stepped on him.


    When she got rid of him, she would immediately take the elevator downstairs..


    Then the man did bend down.


    But this situation and the one that Yan Liang had imagined were completely different . She had not yet put into action her own wishful thinking, when Jiang Yu Nan bent at his waist to pick her up.


    There were no other people in the corridor, she put up the most strenuous resistance but this man was naturally undeterred. Very simply and conveniently he got her into the room.


    And finally Yan Liang was thrown like a sack on the bed.


    She lifted herself from the bed, and panting, she asked, ¡° Are you sick ?¡±


    Although he carried her all the way to the room, Jiang Yu Nan was still breathing smoothly, with his arms crossed, he stood next to the bed watching every move of Yan Liang, his expression unchanged.


    She was so angry she got out of the bed and attempted to go towards the door. It was only then that he moved slightly. Frowning, he took two steps to block her path.


    Her make up had been washed away by the rain, her eyeliner was smudged, but it didn¡¯t seem to deter the man who was staring at her.


    Gently, Jiang Yu Nan wiped a smudge of eyeliner at the tip of her eyelashes.


    Yan Liang had no patience to endure this and moved her head to the side.


    The next moment, Jiang Yu Nan held her chin in his hand and asked, ¡°Still in a bad mood?¡±


    Yan Liang coldly snorted , ¡° You accused me of selling myself, and I am not allowed to retaliate at all?¡±


    Seeing her, his attitude softened. ¡° I was angry.¡±


    ¡° Oh! How is it that the ice cool Mr Jiang was angered by this little woman ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at her as if he was also asking her the same question.


    After a moment of serious thought, he reluctantly laughed, ¡°Yes. You just had dinner with him. Why would I lose my cool?¡±


    He looked at her eyes at that moment, really puzzled, as if Yan Liang could help him solve his doubts.


    There was no reason why Yan Liang suddenly felt her heart start to pump wildly.


    Under his unblinking gaze, she felt numb from head to toe.


    She couldn¡¯t bear it for another moment and called out, ¡°Jiang Yu Nan..¡±


    She had often called out his name, but this time the tone was different, it was soft, gentle, almost beseeching.


    ¡° You.. don¡¯t let Xi Ziqing take you away.¡±


    It was a na?ve and ridiculous statement, like a preschool child begging for a toy, a child who was also stubborn and lonely.


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at the woman who was like this , he was actually silent.


    Outside the window, the rainfall had turned into a heavy downpour.


    In the hotel suite, there was an undercurrent between these two people.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s face seemed expressionless, but it had a trace of emotion; he seemed moved by her words.


    Finally he stretched his hand towards her, as if to touch her, and break this protracted confrontation between them.


    But even before his hand reached her, his fingers stiffened


    He did not touch her.


    His eyes reflected contradictions,hesitation. As if the heart could not assent to such an affectionate gesture when there was a cruel secret between them, and the eyes of the other person were so utterly sincere.


    But he was also moved by the warm moments they had just shared, his fingers gently traced the side of her face, her lips and finally to her chin. He raised her face , and studied her sincerely.


    She didn¡¯t how to face this man, so she held her breath.


    It was terrible, she couldn¡¯t even joke about it. For the last twenty years of her life, she had treated Xu Ziqing¡¯s presence as a joke, and yet, in front of this man, she had exposed her weakness.


    She had regretted it the moment she said it, but now she was just resigned to her fate..


    So she did not even blink once as she looked up at him, she wanted to see what was really in his heart.


    She was really familiar with Jiang Yu Nan, but now he appeared..different.


    She suddenly felt that the man standing in front of her wasn¡¯t the same man she knew, there were traces of hesitation and contradicting emotions in his eyes she had never seen before.


    And then she saw his eyes flash. He turned sideways to the TV cabinet and brushed away the things on it , with his other hand he held her waist, and within a moment, he put her on the table.


    ( Miumiu: really ? You¡¯re going to clamp down on your guilt with ***? Thus is why kalmaegi, hikikomori and idontreadsite don¡¯t love you boy????)


    Yan Liang was shocked and reflexively tried to jump off the table, but he immediately held her by her shoulders.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± he said.


    It was almost an order.


    This time, Yan Liang chose to obey.


    She sat there quietly, and he stood between her legs, their faces now at the same height, so that she could look directly in his eyes as his hands removed her wet clothes one by one.


    His hand was hot, so she felt hot and cold alternately, but she didn¡¯t tremble even a bit. His hand didn¡¯t stay on her upper body for too long, they reached her waist and he peeled off her panties.


    After this , he paused for a moment. Jiang Yu Nan looked at her, kissed her lips, then his hand was under her skirt again.


    With her bra hanging open at her chest, Yan Liang¡¯s breath hitched, and she trembled. Involuntarily, her fingers curled at the edge of the table.


    He raised his head to cover her mouth. In the quietness of the room, she felt as if her nerves were stretched to breaking point. To divert attention, she wrapped her arms around him, tightly , and kissed him hard.


    Their tongues were entangled, their rhythm chaotic. Her skirt was raised almost to her waist, Jiang Yu Nan held her firmly and the only thing separating them was the cool, thin fabric of his trousers.


    Yan Liang put her hands in his chest, whether to stop him or tell him to wait, it wasn¡¯t clear.


    He had also missed the taste of her lips, his kiss was almost savage.


    Yan Liang had never experienced such intense feelings.


    He caught one of her ankles and placed it so her leg was bent at the side of her waist, and at the same time he pulled down the zip of his trousers.


    Yan Liang scrunched her eyebrows, she was out of breath and panting hard.


    Jiang Yu Nan moved constantly, and through the tremors and bumps , the only thing that remained unwavering was his gaze on her. He looked at her with her knees bent and her legs opened to accommodate him.


    The sounds of heavy breathing , accompanied by the sounds of their entangled tongues, continued to echo in their ears.


    Yan Liang was so distracted, she didn¡¯t even notice when he picked her up from the cold table and put her on the soft bed.


    As her spine touched the bed, she was unable to lie quietly. Her ankles were still in his grip, his eyes were watching her.


    A ripple of strange emotion passed through her body. She tried to prop herself up by her elbows, she wanted to sit up and escape the unbearable gaze of this man.


    But in the blink of an eye, he had overpowered her. Her legs were bent at the knees, and parted.He was no longer just brushing against her, but now he started ruthlessly grinding against her.


    Yan Liang could not endure this sweet torture. She caught his wrist. Her mouth was dry, she could not speak. She just shook her head.


    But he gripped her chin with his finger, she wasn¡¯t allowed to shake her head.


    His face was dark, no expression on it, but his breathing was heavy and his actions intense. Yan Liang¡¯s legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, their hearts beating rapidly together.


    She felt her skin, her bones, even her blood was on fire because of him.


    She immediately wrapped her body around him.He couldn¡¯t move back, and finally frowned and grunted. He chuckled at her and tapped her nose with his finger , ¡°Can¡¯t stand it?¡±


    She could only kiss him hard in answer.


    Jiang Yu Nan responded savagely to her kiss. He picked up her whole body and placed her in his lap. Her legs were still wrapped around his waist, he could feel her trembling, fighting her release, till she moaned aloud , finally overpowered by the deepest, shattering release..

 Chapter 23

    How do you face the man with whom you had shared the closest intimacy? Yan Liang had no idea. What was the relationship between them ? Were the lovers?


    But he hadn¡¯t even taken her confession seriously


    Compared to her emotional problems , work was a much more simple and direct matter. So instead of putting her body and soul into resolving her emotional problems, it was better to concentrate on work.


    While she was a bit frustrated in the area of love, work was going well. The effect of advertising and celebrity endorsements of ¡° Ya ¨C Yan¡¯was clearly visible now, sales and the brand value were steadily improving.


    Compared to Ya- Yan,¡¯Secret¡¯was in a terrible situation. The creative clash of Li Bo and ¡®Secret¡¯, the launch of two similar product series was a big news in the industry. Yan Liang heard that her dad was very angry, and had to be hospitalised again. Xu¡¯s stock was also impacted and kept dropping day by day.


    Aunt Liang tried to persuade Yan Liang to visit her dad in the hospital, but Yan Liang always came up with some excuse or the other and kept pushing back. While she understood the need for filial piety, she had nothing to say to him anymore.


    She also heard that Xu Ziqing was thoroughly investigating the matter. The entire R & D team of ¡®secret¡¯ was put on indefinite leave. Li Bo had announced their HD finish series only three minutes earlier, but the public opinion was in their favour. Due to the huge investment in ¡®secret¡¯, now this matter had become a major public relations issue for Xu, and had escalated to almost a war.


    As the co operation between Ya Yan and Ming Ting group was still on the right track, the media blocked her way when she tried to enter the Ming Ting premises.


    Yan Liang was blocked several times and kept silent, but she finally lost her cool when the fifth reporter asked her the same question on her way to the Ming Ting Building.


    ¡° Ya Yan and Secret belong to the same Xu group, but there are clear boundaries, one does not affect the other.¡±


    Yan Liang left it at that.


    She had a ten o clock meeting with the Ming Ting executives, it was already five minutes to ten and she did not want to be late because of these journalists.


    The reporters did not usually manage to get her to respond, now when she willingly answered them they wanted to dig for more gossip and refused to allow her to enter the building. ¡° Ms Yan, Ms Yan, we heard that because of the ¡®secret¡¯ event, Li Bo intends to sue you for plagiarism and several other charges, Also the North American seller Johnny Weir intends to withdraw from the joint venture..¡±


    Yan Liang looked at her watch, her face had an irritated look, ¡°I already told you that Secret has nothing to do with Ya Yan. I know nothing about the operation of Secret. Thank you.¡±


    Her last bit of patience had been exhausted; she calmly bowed her head to go inside.


    But there were dozens of journalists outside, the media army was not puny. They firmly blocked her path. Even her assistant tried to clear her way but unfortunately failed. She was a thin and not too tall woman; while she tried her level best,she was submerged in the crowd.


    ¡°We heard Chairman Xu was very disappointed with your sister, he was so angry that he needed to be hospitalised ? Our colleagues photographed the Xu company lawyer going to the hospital very frequently in the last two days, are these signs that Mr Xu is changing his will?¡±


    Yan Liang heard this, her heart stopped for a minute and her footsteps paused, but eventually she quickened her pace to break through the crowd.


    While walking she heard her assistant¡¯s overwhelmed voice, ¡°Please let us pass through! Please!¡±.


    Instead, the reporters stretched out their microphones right under her nose. Yan Liang waved away their mics. Suddenly, there was a ¡°pop¡± sound, Yan Liang felt a dull pain and instinctively covered her forehead.


    She had no idea which camera hit her forehead.


    She was in real pain ,stumbled, and stepped back, when suddenly someone caught her waist and prevented helped her stay upright.


    Clutching her forehead, she peeked through her fingers but could not see anything. All she could feel was a hand at her back, carefully guiding her and another hand placed on her head to protect it.


    (Miumiu: And LZ saves her again a second time¡­my white knight in shining armour)


    Yan Liang was so tightly protected, the journalists dispersed. When she entered the Ming Ting building , the hands let go of her, and she saw Lu Zheng standing in front of her.


    She looked murderous, Lu Zheng only smiled, ¡° The regular media has now started acting like tabloid reporters, no moral integrity.¡±


    Yan Liang looked back.


    Behind the glass doors, although the security had stopped the journalists, they were pounding at the doors, as if Lu Zheng and Yan Liang standing together was a big scoop, capable of creating headlines.


    Yan Liang wanted to tell Lu Zheng to hurry upstairs, but Lu Zheng spoke first, ¡°Upstairs and then straight ahead. I¡¯m afraid I have something to take care of.¡±


    She nodded and walked towards the lobby.


    In five minutes, she reached the conference room, but when she walked in, she was dumbfounded.


    The meeting room was empty.


    Although there were documents and tea on the table, but there was no one around. After coming all this way, it was strange to see this and she simply moved to her seat. She was wondering what happened when the door opened.


    Yan Liang turned to see who it was, but it wasn¡¯t the person in charge of Ming Ting , rather the person who had just parted with her before she took the elevator.


    ¡°Mr Lu?¡±


    Lu Zheng also glanced around the conference room and saw that there was no one, yet he didn¡¯t seem surprised.


    He walked towards Yan Liang and placed a bag of medicine on the table. ¡° I asked them to postpone the meeting for ten minutes.¡±


    Yan Liang was sitting in the chair, she stood up as he approached her but he pressed her shoulders so she sat back.


    Lu Zheng walked to the side of the table, opened the bag and took out an analgesic spray and took off the cap, preparing to spray her forehead. Instinctively, she shrunk back. Seeing this Lu Zheng raised his hand to hold her chin.


    With their formal relationship, this was slightly inappropriate. Lu Zheng seemed to have realised this , and almost in the next second, he let go.


    But it seemed that he really was not intending to leave her to her own devices. He raised his chin, indicating that she should close her eyes. Yan Liang hesitated for a moment, wondering how to react, then closed her eyes.


    The spray was cool and tingling at the same time when it hit her wound. She drew in a breath to prevent from grimacing and she thought her expression was calm rather than funny.


    He laughed. Hearing him laugh, Yan Liang opened her eyes immediately.


    He was in front of her, and the distance between them had shrunk.


    He wasn¡¯t trying to take advantage of the fact that she had closed her eyes, this was simply the most convenient position to attend to her wound.


    ¡° You can really endure. Your forehead is swollen like that and yet you are calm.¡±


    Yan Liang was not sure if this was a compliment. Lu Zheng was leaning against the table, his legs just next to her knees and she turned the chair a bit so they were no longer touching.


    Since the meeting was delayed, Yan Liang had to find something else to talk about. She looked at bag of medicines on the table and asked: ¡°How is it that you have these medicines?¡±


    ¡°I just asked my assistant to buy it.¡±


    He was so attentive.


    Yan Liang could only praise him in her heart, on the surface, she really didn¡¯t know what to talk about. Lu Zheng seemed to have no intention to leave, so there was silence between them when his cell phone suddenly rang


    Although Yan Liang did not look up, her ears perked up and she tried to listen in to the conversation.


    He only said ¡°Ok!¡±


    Lu Zheng soon hung up the phone and started browsing the web on his phone. Yan Liang was looking at the potted plants placed on the central table when he heard him mutter to himself , ¡° They are quite fast.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Yan Liang looked up and asked when she saw Lu Zheng sneer.


    He did not explain, just looked at her and then handed the phone to her. When she saw the contents of the page, even Yan Liang could not help grimacing.


    A picture of Lu Zheng protecting her through the rowdy crowd of journalists had been put up on a business news site, the same picture had been duplicated on the site of an entertainment news portal. The angle of the photo was such that the simple action looked ambiguous.


    Not only was she looking ugly, the name of the man accompanying her was emblazoned prominently.


    ¡°Final attempt to save Xu in crisis : heir catches Prince of Ming Ting¡±


    *** ***


    In the meeting , Ming Ting and Yan Liang signed a tripartite agreement with the provincial and city dealers to sell ¡® Ya ¨C Yan¡¯. After that Yan Liang was busy travelling around.


    Irrespective of whether it was accurate or not, the scandal of her and Lu Zheng followed her. Wherever she went, the local media was videotaping her and creating all kinds of nuisance.


    Only a photo and a provocative caption, why would this create such a huge uproar and convince so many of the public?


    While she would never admit it, because of the photo, Yan Liang was nervous about meeting Lu Zheng.


    Aunt Liang also called her from time to time , ¡° Your dad asked you to come meet him after you come back from the business trip.¡±


    Yan Liang could not keep out the disdain from her voice , ¡± Why ? He has never asked for me , don¡¯t tell me he is suddenly missing me now. ¡°


    ¡°Miss look at the physical condition of your father. It is so bad. You come back as soon as possible, if what they say about Lu Zheng and you are true, maybe this will help..¡±


    She hadn¡¯t finished when Yan Liang interrupted, ¡° Tell him , no way! He wants to sell his own daughter, I am not interested in being sold.¡±


    Thus, while she was away on business, she received a lot of unwanted calls which she started to ignore. But there was one phone call that she never received.


    Fortunately she was very busy. Often in the evenings,when she returned to the hotel, she was so tired she would just fall off to sleep. In a week¡¯s time, the sum total of her free time did not add up to even two hours.


    But in this timespan of less than two hours, all she did was to access the contacts in her phone, look at the three words, ¡® Jiang Yu Nan¡¯ , press the outgoing call button only to hang up hurriedly before the call could go through. She did this repeatedly.


    After a busy trip, Yan Liang finally went back home. Before she went home, she had to plan in advance. To escape the journalists, she arranged for the media to have a fake flight number, then she changed the flights and thus was able to reach the airport and reach back home easily.


    Perhaps not very easily, because the injury in her head ached more and more.


    She did not know what spray Lu Zheng had given her. But her forehead was getting more and more swollen. Fortunately, this time she had taken leave and was able to visit the hospital.


    To avoid her father, Yan Liang chose a different hospital for her medical treatment.


    The consultation did not take very long, It was not the medicine, rather her long nights, inadequate rest, and not paying attention to the wound were the reasons why the wound had not healed. She was assured it would slowly get better in the natural course of time.


    The doctor also prescribed a new drug. When she was ready to leave the hospital and was in the corridor to walk towards the lobby, she suddenly saw another person in the corridor ..


    The man was walking very fast, seeing him, Yan Liang was surprised for a moment.


    Jiang Yu Nan.


    Yan Liang was a little uncertain but kept pace with him.


    They had turned a corner in their relationship some time back, then to finally be by his side, watching him afar in a hospital corridor, she wasnt sure how to react. Finally she decided to follow him from a distance.


    This was the Special care ward. It was a total of only three suites,the prices weren¡¯t cheap here. The halls were decorated like a five star hotel. Only the strong smell of disinfectant reminded people that it was a hospital.


    Yan Liang hesitated to go inside, from the glass doors outside she could see that there was a living room inside.


    She was at the door, wondering whether to push the door and go inside when she saw a medical card hanging at the lower left side of the door.


    Above it was the patients name


    Jiang Shi Jun.


    The president of the Li Bo Group.


    Jiang.. Shi.. Jun¡­

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24


    Jiang..shi..Jun..


    Yan Liang¡¯s hands froze on the door.


    Her head went completely blank for a while, then she could no longer suppress her curiosity and pushed the door inwards.


    The door was opened from the other side at the same time. Yan Liang was surprised for a moment then looked up, Jiang Yu Nan was standing on the other side.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯ face had been calm, but his eyes narrowed when he saw Yan Liang standing behind the door.


    Two pairs of eyes stared at each other. Jiang Yu Nan was the first to react, like the sun suddenly breaking through overcast weather, he smiled abruptly. ¡° Why are you here ?¡±


    Yan Liang raised her eyebrows and frowned. Her tone was sharp as a knife, ¡° This is what I want to ask you, why are you here ?¡±


    His face sank when she suddenly asked this question. He raised his eyebrows to look at her, clearly unhappy, but didn¡¯t say a word as he pulled Yan Liang inside the ward.


    They walked through the living room till Yan Liang reached the bedside. The floral upholstery and wood furniture complemented each other, giving a sense of peace, but when Jiang Shi Jun saw Yan Liang, his face turned grim.


    Although he looked up, he did not say a word. His eyes were on Jiang Yu Nan.Jiang Yu Nan grabbed Yan Liang¡¯s arm , then her hand, and paused for a moment. Then he said, ¡° Mr Jiang, Xu and Li Bo both launched similar products, with these allegations of plagiarism, now we have to gather evidence of who copied whom. For the reputation of the two companies , I think we should both take a step back.¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun seemed to think for a moment, but because his head was down, his expression wasn¡¯t visible. He raised his head again, his illness unable to cover the arrogance in his face, ¡° We in Li Bo launched our product a few minutes earlier, the public opinion is obviously in our favour. Why should I take a step back?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was silent for a moment , he seemed to be pondering over the legalities of the matter. Jiang Shi Jun looked over them, his face full of arrogance .Yan Liang found this very annoying. She replied in a lofty tone,¡±Mr Jiang, since you don¡¯t want to take a step back, we will have to engage in an all out war.We will investigate, but before the results are out, we will apply to the relevant government department to ban the sales of HD make up series as well. Now that Perfect Look has been taken off the shelves, we will ban HD make up sales indefinitely as well. We are looking at launching Ya Yan in new markets like Taiwan, but what the impact of this ban will be on Li Bo, it¡¯s really hard to say.¡±


    Jiang ShinJun¡¯s arrogant smile froze for a moment, then in the blink of an eye, he started laughing. He looked at Yan Liang with admiration, ¡°How can a newbie play such unfair tricks?¡± Then he looked at Jiang Yu Nan.In a manner of one man confiding to another, he said, ¡° It¡¯s true what they say about a woman¡¯s heart being the most poisonous.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan had placed his hand on Yan Liang¡¯s shoulder.He had been calmly listening to her speak. This time he responded, ¡°Mr Jiang, in view of the overall situation, I believe you will not allow this to escalate into an all out war.¡±


    At first, Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s words seemed very modest, but on closer inspection, there was a subtle threat. Jiang Shi Jun had no choice but to take the lifeline they offered without a whimper.


    Jiang Yu Nan also seemed to have no intention to stay long, he casually walked up to the bedside table. ¡° Mr Jiang , you are ill. We took the liberty of disturbing you, I hope you carefully consider what we spoke about and contact me.¡± Saying this, he inserted his business card in the lily plant on the table.


    *** ***


    This translation belongs to miumiu596..wordpress.com. If you are reading this elsewhere, it has been taken without the translators permission.


    Jiang Yu Nan and Yan Liang left together. Once they were out of the door, even before the door was shut, Yan Liang took a long indrawn breath and looked at Jiang Yu Nan, ¡° I thought that..¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan immediately asked: ¡°Why?¡±


    This man really know how to put someone on the spot.Yan Liang bluntly changed the topic, ¡°What is he suffering from? It looks very serious.¡±


    ¡° I have nothing to do with that and I don¡¯t care. I care only about things that affect you.¡± He looked at her from head to toe, then raised his left brow, a unique expression on his face.¡± Why did you come to the hospital?¡±


    ¡° You care about me?¡± She was calm before he mentioned this, but as soon as he said this, her face changed from apologetic to angry. ¡° If you were really concerned about me, then why didn¡¯t you call me for more than a week?¡±


    (Miumiu: I hear you sister! What is it about men and their inability to call when you want them to ? How can they just suddenly forget to call? Ok..rant over )


    Jiang Yu Nan was surprised for a moment, then laughed ,¡±You and Lu Zheng are having an ardent relationship, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t match up to him, I am only one among the masses of salaried workers.¡±


    He was obviously joking, Yan Liang couldn¡¯t really complain, but she responded to him in a slightly mocking tone, ¡° That¡¯s also true. Now the world knows that I am Lu Zheng¡¯s future wife, even my dad is taken up with this idea. It would be really embarrassing to receive a phone call from another man.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s face changed.


    Yan Liang had seldom seen his face darken with anger to such a degree.She patted his shoulder to comfort him, ¡° If I chat with you here , and the media photographs us, then it will look bad.¡±


    Before he could catch her, Yan Liang quickly withdrew her hand from his shoulder, smartly pirouetted on her heels and walked away.


    Jiang Yu Nan stood motionless at the same place, watching the woman walk away. Then she smiled. That smile, with traces of childish pride, cooled all his anger and softened his¡­. heart.


    His heart should not thump like this, he should not be emotionally affected¡­not in a thousand years..not in ten thousand years..


    Yan Liang missed the unprecedented flash of horror in the man¡¯s eyes. She continued to walk away, proud of her retaliation, but before long she was caught by Jiang Yu Nan.


    He wrapped his arms gently around her waist, and caught her in a hug.


    ¡° The future wife of Mr Lu?¡± He asked with raised eyebrows. Yan Liang nodded , ¡°Well..¡±, and her mouth was blocked.


    Jiang Yu Nan kissed her for nearly half a minute, in full public view, before he was satisfied and raised his head, ¡°You¡¯re obviously my woman.¡±


    *** ***


    When the so-called future wife of Mr Lu woke up in Mr Jiang¡¯s home, it was already early morning.


    Although she had a bath, as they made love through the night, the tiredness had not washed away from her body. She didn¡¯t even have the strength left to turn. She felt Jiang Yu Nan move away from her,, then come back a moment later, when he lay down again and hugged her.


    It was a cold night, and she enjoyed the warmth of the warm man.


    Jiang Yu Nan wrapped her waist tightly with one arm, while he put the phone back on the bedside table with his other hand.¡± Did I wake you up?¡±


    Yan Liang glanced up at the bedside table and just saw the phone screen turning dark. She realised that the sound of the ringing phone she had heard was real, and not just her dream.


    She could not help rubbing her sleepy eyes, ¡° Who is calling you this late?¡±


    ¡°Work. Something urgent came up.¡±


    Yan Liang wanted to turn towards him, but he was hugging her tightly, so she continued lying with her back against his chest.¡± Is it solved?¡±


    ¡° Yes.¡± Jiang Yu Nan placed a soft kiss on her delicate earlobe.


    ¡° Sleep.¡±


    The lights were dim. Their clothes were strewn over the carpet as evidence to their night of passion.


    Under the quilt, the couple hugged tightly. One was sleepy , with her eyes closed. The eyes of the other were usually dark, but now it was engulfed in the deepest darkness, not a hint of light left in them.


    As she was falling asleep, she heard him whisper in her ears, ¡°Move in with me.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a question, nor was it the usual commanding tone, rather he said it as if stating something obvious.


    Yan Liang raised her head,¡± As what ?¡±


    ¡°My girlfriend*¡±


    His words made her feel as if her heart was overflowing with the sweetness of honey.


    As tiredness followed the sweet feeling, seeping through her pores, there was still a trace of uncertainty and insecurity in her heart. A while back, when she had glanced up at the bedside table, before the phone screen turned dark, the name that was flashing incessantly till the call dropped was three words ..Xu Zi Qing.


    miumiu : This would have been such a sweet chapter if this were a normal romance novel. Yan Liang teasing the mighty JYN, JYzn inviting her to move in which is the next big step in any normal reaction ship¡­But then there is that hint that¡¯s things are not what they seem .. the look of horror, and the darkness in his eyes..


    * literal translation: hostess.

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25


    Every day was a new day.


    There were a few things that Yan Liang was already worried about ¨C the sales of Ya Yan, the official situation of Secret, the inescapable Xi Ziqing and the mood swings of Jiang Yu Nan.


    Now there was one more thing added to the list ¨C Lu Zheng.


    It was a rare weekend off, so of course she got a call from her mother.


    She woke up in the home of Jiang Yu Nan. Though they had made love throughout the night, she had, rarely for her, managed to sleep till late. She got up and stretched.


    She could see the other side of the bed was empty, her heart tightened slightly.


    There was no trace of the clothes she had abandoned under the bed yesterday night, clearly someone had tidied up.


    She wrapped herself in a quilt and proceeded towards the cupboard to take out her clothes and slippers.


    When she went to the living room she saw Jiang Yu Nan in the open kitchen.


    His back was facing her, when Yan Liang approached him he was cooking. There was something simmering in the pot.Jiang Yu Nan was holding the spoon in one hand and a cigarette in the other, he was looking quite dashing.


    (Miumiu: Ooh I love a man who can cook. )


    Yan Liang took off her slippers and stealthily approached him from behind.


    As she raised her arms to hug him from behind, he turned around and caught her arms.


    The moment he saw her, his vigilant look relaxed and his expression softened. The hand that had captured her arms also relaxed and he pulled her forward to embrace her .


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°pasta.¡±


    The last time he had cooked for her, he had also made pasta. Suspiciously, she poked his chest , ¡° Is that the only think you know how to make?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan caught her fingers, ¡°Dont overestimate me ¡°,and pointed his chin towards the table.


    Yan Liang looked back at the table as indicated. In her intention to surprise him, she had missed the table.


    There was a mixed vegetable salad, fried bacon, toast, omelette and sausages. Yan Liang was surprised. Jiang Yu Nan smiled slightly, ¡° I am a new age man, equally proficient in the living room, the bed room and the kitchen.¡±


    Yan Liang did not comment on his boasting, she was already hungry after looking at the full breakfast spread on the table. She wanted to investigate whether he was really as talented in the kitchen as he was in the bedroom. She couldn¡¯t wait for Jiang Yu Nan to finish speaking to go to the table. ¡° I wont disturb you while you are cooking, I¡¯ll have my breakfast now..¡±


    But before she could take two steps forward, she was pulled back.


    ¡° You seem to forget something.¡±


    ¡° What?¡±


    ¡° Good morning kiss.¡±


    Then he leaned forward, but Yan Liang protested, covering her mouth. ¡° I haven¡¯t brushed yet.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind¡±


    And he proved his words with action as he unlocked her fingers one by one from her mouth, his eyes on her, his movements deliberate but clearly showing a determination to win.


    Yan Liang bowed a little, trying to hide her face in his chest ¡° Wait till I brush.¡±


    In answer, suddenly, Yan Liang felt her body turn light. Jiang Yu Nan had picked her up. Her legs went around his waist.


    In this koala bear like posture, Yan Liang stared at him. His face could be described as pure evil. Fearlessly, he held her up with one arm, the other arm went around her neck, hugging her


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really washed after our activities yesterday night.¡±


    ¡°I..¡±


    ¡° Your protest is invalid.¡±


    But..


    How long can one continue brushing?


    Yan Liang was standing in front of the bathroom ledge, Jiang Yu Nan holding her from behind, a toothbrush dangling from her mouth. Was she looking funny? Why was he staring at her?


    Yan Liang finished washing up under this strange surveillance, she was crying inside in relief. Then she pushed Jiang Yu Nan, ¡°Let¡¯s go eat..¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan did not release her, with his hands around her waist, he put her on the bathroom ledge facing him.


    Yan Liang felt it the moment her feet left the ground. She felt anxious and pushed against his shoulder, trying to prevent him getting closer, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡° I didn¡¯t have enough fun in the bathroom yesterday¡±, Jiang Yu Nan explained shamelessly.


    Yan Liang blushed when she thought of all that had happened in the bathroom last night.


    Bathtub, sink , shower, they seemed to have used every corner of this room. As Yan Liang re-lived those moments,she could feel her chest tighten, her breath hitching, ¡°You..¡±


    Unfortunately, she had just uttered this one word when he kissed her.


    When Jiang Yu Nan had his fun and let her go, she took a breath and tried again, ¡°You..¡±


    And he kissed her again.


    After having this repeated twice, Yan Liang¡¯s legs felt like jelly and she thought she should just let him do what he wanted. To spend their rare leisure time in endless kisses may well be a good choice..


    Yan Liang put her arms around his neck and continued kissing him. After some time, he left her lips and moved down her body.


    She missed his kisses and shakily licked her lips. But he didn¡¯t make her wait too long, Yan Liang soon felt his mouth on her chest, and his kisses there sent arrows of pleasure straight to the core of her body. She couldn¡¯t help but arch her back, moving closer to him.


    Jiang Yu Nan had his hands around her back, hugging her; he moved up again and kissed her lips while using his knees to push her legs apart.


    Yan Liang was only wearing a shirt, nothing else. Now the shirt was pushed around her waist, and his fingers were in her body, her body already warm and moist in antipation.


    Yan Liang closed her eyes, her heart was thumping hard.


    Only till she was submerged in the ensuing tide did he remove his fingers. He looked up and looked at the woman, his eyes clearly reflecting his mood.


    The he held her up by her buttocks.


    This was an action to prepare her, indicating that the hunter was now going to indulge in its prey..


    But at this moment, her phone started ringing.


    The two people stared at each other, unsure of what to do.


    Only at the last instant, she shook her head and pushed herself off the ledge.


    She put her shirt on , ¡° Ill pick up the phone.¡±


    Then she ran out of the room.


    Jiang Yu Nan absently reached out to catch her, but his fingers only glanced off the tail end of the shirt. He stood motionless, looking at the door with an unreadable expression on his face.


    Yan Liang ran to the bedside table where she dug into her bag and picked up the phone to answer.


    But it wasn¡¯t only her body that was trapped in passion , she seemed to have lost her thought process in the bathroom as well. On the other side of the phone, her mother asked her for the third time. ¡°Yan Liang! Yan Liang! Can you hear me ? ¡° She was suddenly brought back to earth.


    ¡° I¡¯m listening to you.¡±


    ¡° I have already repeated three times¡±, her mother was speechless and unwilling to repeat a fourth time , ¡° Come home for lunch today.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Yan Mu seemed to have already anticipated an outright rejection from her daughter. She immediately changed her strategy, ¡°You live outside the house half of the year and I don¡¯t say anything. But enough is enough, this time you have to listen to me. You didn¡¯t go to visit your father in the hospital. He was discharged today. You come back to have lunch, its not a big thing to ask.¡±


    Yan Liang looked up at the door between the bathroom and the bedroom. Jiang Yu Nan had not followed her out of the bathroom.


    ¡° Whatever.¡±


    She hung up and sighed silently.


    She got up to go back to the bathroom but met Jiang Yu Nan as he casually came out of the bathroom.


    At this moment, he had a chilling demeanour, completely unlike the hot passion they shared earlier and it gave rise to an unfamiliar, painful feeling in Yan Liang.


    Indeed, apart from the physical relationship with him, she seemed to know very little about him.


    ¡°I need to go back to the main house¡±, even her tone was cold and strange, ¡° where are my clothes?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan did not say anything; he merely gazed at her face, walked towards the door and picked up the phone hanging on the wall.


    Yan Liang sat on the bed and heard him speak. It seemed he had sent her clothes to the dry cleaner.


    Jiang Yu Nan hung up the phone and came towards her. Yan Liang also got up from the bed, she realised it was necessary to say something. Should they reminisce what they had abruptly stopped, or should she say that she was sorry she could not enjoy the rich breakfast spread?


    Before she could decide what to say, Jiang Yu Nan spoke first, ¡°Give me the key to your home.¡±


    Yan Liang was surprised for a moment, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡° You haven¡¯t moved your stuff yet, I will get someone to move it for you. You can come directly here at night.¡±


    His words were so matter of fact, it was difficult to refuse. Neither was Yan Liang in a mood to turn him down. So when he extended his hand for the keys, she silently handed them over.


    *** ***


    When Yan Liang went back to the mansion, Aunt Liang was really shocked.


    The second Miss Xu usually came to the mansion with a grimace on her face, there would never be even a hint of the slightest smile.


    This time around when she came , there was a shallow smile on her face.


    Aunt Liang was very puzzled, but ofcourse, she could not ask Yan Liang the reason.


    As Yan Liang had shocked her, she herself was also equally shocked.


    Xu Ziqing was at lunch with.. Zhou Cheng.


    When she saw this scene in front of her, Yan Liang couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡° You¡­¡±


    Then she thought , what would she ask? Are you guys now as good as ever? Are you back to being friends? Or was it something further?


    It seemed that none of these questions could define the chaotic relationship between Xu Ziqing and Zhou Cheng accurately.


    So she chose to remain silent.


    Zhou Cheng only smiled at Yan Liang, it seemed even he didn¡¯t know how to explain it to her.


    Thus, in this way, everyone with their own questions sat down for lunch.


    Yan Liang and her mother were sitting next to each other. Xu Ziqing and Zhou Cheng sat further down with her father. Her father still looked pale. Seeing Yan Liang look impatiently at her watch, for the first time in his life , he explained to his second daughter, ¡° We are waiting for a guest.¡±


    Yan Liang looked up at her father, her eyes incredulous.


    Xu Ziqing and Zhou Cheng also seemed to be surprised at the news of a guest.


    Yan Liang had not spoken to her father for a long time, in fact sometimes she did not know how to speak to him. So it was Xu Zi Qing who asked , ¡° Dad, who is coming to lunch?¡±


    Before her question had ended, and Xi Jin Fu could answer, there was the sound of footsteps.


    The guest came in and apologise heartily , ¡° I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m late.¡±


    Yan Liang felt as if her brain was zapped.


    She froze for three seconds, saw her mother smiling secretly while her father had a kindly look on his face.Only Xu Ziqing looked shocked.


    But then she also composed herself quickly.


    Elegantly clad, Lu Zheng came towards the table with Aunt Liang, and nodded politely to the other people.


    Miumiu: humph..the whole family going all out to get her and LZ hitched!

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26


    As Yan Liang watched her mother move away to give her seat to Lu Zheng, her heart had a bad feeling that was very hard to describe.


    Lu Zheng did not decline the offer, Yan Mu nodded at him and as he sat next to Yan Liang, she smiled at him.


    In contrast, Yan Liang¡¯s face was gloomy and ugly.


    Xi Jin Fu immediately told Aunt Liang ¡°Bring the food¡±, and then to Lu Zheng , ¡° this is just simple home cooked fare, I¡¯m not sure if you will like it.¡±


    Lu Zheng smiled, ¡°Please don¡¯t worry¡±.


    Lu Zheng was very warm. His manners were excellent. The people at the table all seemed to enjoy themselves. Only Yan Liang silently endured. She picked up her chopsticks and ate a few mouthfuls, but very reluctantly.


    Her mother winked at her several times but Yan Liang completely ignored her. Finally , she simply nudged Yan Liang with her elbow, ¡° You and Lu Zheng have met each other so many times, why are you silent now?¡±


    She looked up at her mother. Either she was lost in thought or she was trying desperately to hold back her words. Then she picked up a piece of braised pheasant and put it in her mother¡¯s bowl, ¡°Mom, eat some more.¡±


    Yan Mu was taken aback by her daughter¡¯s behaviour and did not know what to say. Yan Liang bowed her head and tried hard not to pay any heed to what was going on around her.


    Just in time, Xi Jin Fu chipped in with a comment, ¡° Mr Lu, would you like some vinegar fish? This is a favourite dish in our family.¡±


    Lu Zheng was about to reach out with his chopsticks to take the fish when everyone heard a snap sound.


    Yan Liang had put down her chopsticks.


    The sound was loud and everyone in the table was shocked.


    Yan Liang looked up and announced, ¡°I¡¯m full.¡±


    As she stood up and walked away from the table towards the stairs, Xu Jin Fu called out angrily, ¡° Yan Liang !¡±


    Yan Liang did not pause, rather she quickened her steps.


    Upstairs, she went back to her room, banged the door shut, threw herself down on the sofa, and pulled the pillow tightly to herself to vent her anger.


    As she calmed down and thought about it, she regretted her actions a little bit. She could have obviously been a little more diplomatic, there was no need to make such an ugly scene. At this point, she was full of admiration for Xu Ziqing. And she..


    She had acted immaturely, unable to control her mood..


    As Yan Liang leaned against the sofa repenting her actions,the door to the room was pushed open.


    She immediately sat up straight.


    Unfortunately, as she rose, she could see that it was Xu Ziqing.


    Naturally, Yan Liang relaxed back to lie down on the sofa.


    Yan Liang was very clear why Xu Ziqing had come upstairs.


    Sure enough, Xu Ziqing sat on the single sofa opposite her and said, ¡° Don¡¯t you always say that I am great at playing a man ? I found out today, that compared to you , I am actually much worse.¡±


    ¡° You win the prize today ¡°, Xu Ziqing added.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Yan Liang waited a long time for Xu Ziqing¡¯s sarcastic comments, but she did not continue and finally Yan Liang said, ¡° Don¡¯t tell me you came upstairs to praise me with these two sentences?¡±


    ¡° Father told me to come and persuade you.¡±


    Yan Liang immediately sneered , ¡° I should have guessed..¡±


    Perhaps she was the one person in this world who understood Xu Ziqing the best.


    She didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. But apparently , there was something Xu Ziqing could not figure out. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Jiang Yu Nan and Lu Zheng, what do they see in you?¡±


    Yan Liang was surprised at the question for a moment


    She also thought for a moment, but was unable to reach any conclusion. ¡° And I have never understood why Zhou Cheng is so dead set to love you.¡±


    ¡°..Zhou Chang¡±, Xu Ziqing had recovered her arrogance, ¡°he..¡±


    Unfortunately before she could finish, Yan Liang¡¯s patience had been exhausted and she coldly interrupted her, ¡° Are you so free now as to engage with me on questions about men? Shouldn¡¯t your focus be on secret rather than this?¡±


    Yan Liang was sure that Secret was Xu Ziqing¡¯s Achilles heel, and immediately she stopped talking and her face changed.


    This unnecessary conversation should stop here.


    She hoped to see Xu Ziqing get up and leave. What she didn¡¯t expect was to hear her say faintly, ¡° I have my own way , you don¡¯t worry.¡±


    When she said this ,Xi Ziqing¡¯s expression was intriguing, there was a trace of hope, a trace of urgency, anxiety and a trace of confidence..


    Yan Liang could not figure out the deep meaning of this complex expression.


    Xu Ziqing herself changed the topic,¡± You worry about yourself. Your mother knows that you are useless, she¡¯s been looking for a good buyer to sell you, now she really can..¡±


    Suddenly at this moment, there was a little movement at the door.


    The two shrewd women in the room would obviously not ignore this, Xu Ziqing immediately stopped talking and Yan Liang raised her voice,¡± Who¡¯s there?¡±


    The door was opened.


    The first thing that Yan Liang saw on the hand holding the door was the elegant cuff of a French shirt , with exquisite cufflinks. They looked familiar, and reminded her who this person was.


    Sure enough, it was Lu Zheng who walked in the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb you.¡±


    Lu Zheng was a gentleman, such a person was unlikely to be eavesdropping. Moreover, even if he was, his identity was such that one could not dare offend him. Xu Ziqing smiled and said, ¡° Mr Lu, what brings you upstairs?¡±


    ¡° I brought something for the ladies to eat after lunch.¡±


    Lu Zheng was carrying a small plate of fruits which he put on the coffee table and then turned to sit next to Yan Liang.


    Yan Liang was not happy, and it was written all over her face, but Lu Zheng was unmoved and said solemnly.¡± I think we need to talk. Alone.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    There was no response to this, Xu Ziqing politely said.¡± Then you talk. I will leave.¡±


    At the door, she did not forget to reminded her sister, ¡° Yan Liang, Mr Lu is a guest. Please behave.¡±


    Yan Liang was too lazy to respond.


    The door was closed.


    This left two people on the room, none of whom were eager to make the first move.


    Until Lu Zheng picked up a small fork, speared an apple piece in it and offered it to her.


    Yan Liang looked at the apple, then looked at him, ¡° How much did you hear?¡±.


    ¡°Not much¡± , seeing her motionless, he put the apple in his mouth and chewed,¡± but also quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°Where did you learn this trick of eavesdropping ?¡±


    ¡°Do you think you would have figured out I was listening in unless I deliberately wanted you to?¡±


    Yan Liang was stumped by his logic. She could only continue to listen as he explained,¡± I heard you from outside the door. Judging from your tone, I guessed that you did not want to talk to her. So I decided to make my presence known, she also left, I helped you a little.¡±


    Yan Liang had no time to understand how much of this was true. She suddenly said, ¡° If you want to help me, help me explain to the family.¡±


    Lu Zheng had probably never seen anyone beg for assistance with such a strong commanding attitude. He laughed at the slight absurdity of the situation, ¡° And the reason ?¡±


    ¡° Staying away from Xu will save you a lot of trouble.¡±


    Compared to her nervousness, Lu Zheng was actually looking mire and more comfortable. While eating a piece of melon , he said, ¡° It¡¯s just that I am best at resolving trouble.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not really attracted to me ,¡± she frowned.


    But he gave her a straight forward smile,¡± It seems you and your sister have the same question.¡±


    After Yan Liang heard that, her frown deepened. She was finally curious about how much of her conversation with Xu Ziqing this man had overheard.


    Yan Liang was silent. Lu Zheng said,¡±You may not know this, but in fact, my father has an illegitimate child.¡±


    ¡° Why are you telling me this?¡±


    ¡°My child, you¡¯re so anxious. First, listen to me.¡±


    Yan Liang was smart enough to listen to him, she indicated that he should continue.


    ¡°Of course, my father is strong, but my mother is more powerful. As long as my half-brother dares to take even one step into the country, he will not inherit even a penny. So he is obediently hiding abroad, not disturbing me.¡±


    Thinking he had finished saying his piece,, Yan Liang commented, ¡° So you pity me and want to be my saviour, right?¡±


    As she laughed at this, not only did it not provoke Lu Zheng, he appeared to be more genial,¡±This is just one of the reasons I am interested in you. The other reason ¡­¡±


    Sadly, he sold the suspense well. Yan Liang was dying of curiosity at this point, but pretended an air of indifference until he himself brought it up again, ¡° I am very curious about the woman who was finally able to attract Jiang Yu Nan.¡±


    ¡­¡­ The answer ¡­


    Yan Liang was confused whether she should feel shocked or happy.


    Complex emotions flitted through her heart, but she was calm on the surface,¡±Do you always compete with Jiang Yu Nan for women?¡±


    Lu Zheng continued with his own stream of thoughts, ¡°You have no idea what ¡®Jiang Yu Nan¡¯ , this name means.¡±


    ¡± My father said that he was one of the best professional managers in the country for the past decade.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You should know that my father was willing to spend big bucks to poach Jiang Yu Nan as the CEO of Ming. The annual salary and the market value of the shares together were more than three times your father¡¯s bid. Even then, Jiang Yu Nan flatly refused.We all thought that this was because he was planning to set up something on his own, we never thought he would switch to Xu.¡±


    The way Lu Zheng was praising him, Jiang Yu Nan was elevated from a simple ¡® wage earner ¡® to almost god like status.Yan Liang couldn¡¯t help but feel a little ridiculous..


    ¡° If Mr Lu admires Mr Jiang so much , I will convey your praises to him.¡±


    Lu Zheng did not play dumb with her, he flatly concluded, ¡°Obviously if Jiang Yu Nan joined Xu, there must be some other reason .¡±


    Saying this. Lu Zheng looked at Yan Liang, clearly implying that the so called ¡® other reason¡¯ may be a romantic interest.


    Yan Liang did not look at him. She didn¡¯t like him objectifying women like this. In a cold tone she said,¡±Maybe Jiang Yu Nan just thought that taking over the mess of the launch will be more


    challenging. ¡°


    Lu Zheng laughed but had no intention to explain further. He closed the topic with a half- truth, ¡°You have a little ability but you are short tempered. There is no other charm except that you are pretty. Maybe if I continue to interact with you, I will find the answer.¡±


    *** ***


    this translation belongs to miumiu596.wordpress.com


    ¡°I am very curious about this woman who was finally able to attract Jiang Yu Nan.¡±


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡°Obviously if Jiang Yu Nan joined Xu, there must be some other reason .¡±


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    It was a terrible lunch, and Mr. Lu ¡®s wonderful remarks made it


    even worse.


    Xu Jin Fu was earlier interested in going out on a trip , but the family doctors discouraged him.¡±You have just been discharged, you need rest, don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡±


    Xu Jin fu conceded, but immediately told Yan Liang, ¡° Then you go fishing with Lu Zheng.¡±


    Yan Liang did not protest on the spot. She could no longer see the disappointed look on her parents faces any more.


    But the situation changed when she followed Lu Zheng to the garage.


    As Lu Zheng opened the door for her, she paused. ¡° Please don¡¯t mind, I will say bye to you here.¡±


    ¡° You just promised to go fishing with me, was this just an act in front of your parents?¡±


    He only got a shy smile from her in answer, then he turned and walked towards his car.


    After a moment, Yan Liang also got in her car and drove away.


    The man¡¯s figure gradually disappeared from her rear-view mirror. He actually looked a bit lonely, she guessed that this was probably the first time that he had been turned down.


    Yan Liang drive directly to Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s house.


    She parked the car in the garage and sat in the car for a long time. Thinking for so long gave her no clue so she quietly got off. Jiang Yu Nan had given her an access card, and soon Yan Liang was in the front of his flat..


    After ringing the doorbell, she thought the days ahead may well be different. Future¡­romance , for Yan Liang these were words that held very little hope.


    Her hands were still on the door, wondering if she should press the bell again, when the door suddenly opened.


    Jiang Yu Nan seemed to have been waiting for a long time behind the door. Yan Liang was surprised to see him.


    ¡± you¡­¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t wait for her to elaborate, he turned around and pointed to the window on the opposite wall, ¡° I saw your car long ago.¡±


    Yan Liang inclined her head to look behind Jiang Yu Nan. She could see her own luggage in the living room.


    Jiang Yu Nan embraced her affectionately and accompanied her in. Yan Liang looked at him, this was the man she was familiar with.


    But she realised she hardly understood this man. He seemed to feel her observing him, he bowed his head slightly to look at her. He frowned and asked her silently.


    Yan Liang could not help bite the bullet under such a searching gaze. In fact from the garage to the house she was thinking only this.


    ¡° Why did you refuse Ming Ting?¡±


    His arm at her waist stiffened.


    After a moment, he narrowed his eyes and asked her, ¡° You met Lu Zheng?¡±


    Miumiu: Will JYN answer her ? Or will he adroitly flip back a question at her and avoid answering ? Wait for the next chapter tomorrow

 Chapter 27

    So JYN answers¡­but is it the truth ?


    In the raws, at the end of the chapter, the author asks her readers whether they like JYN¡¯s playful attitude. Let me know what you think.


    Chapter 27


    Yan Liang had to concede this man really knew how to identify the enemy¡¯s weakness. With one question he had made her inexplicably feel guilty instead.


    Jiang Yu Nan did not give her room to manoeuvre, he immediately followed up with another question, ¡°You went home at noon today to allow your father to set up a match making session?¡±


    (Miumiu: I can¡¯t help but admire how clever this man is!)


    Although she had not said a word about this, how had this man already guessed it?


    Yan Liang was almost beginning to suspect that he had hired a private detective to track her.


    But this wasn¡¯t obviously her biggest question, her biggest question was..


    ¡°Jiang Yunan.¡±


    She suddenly solemnly called out his name in such manner that Jiang Yu Nan could not help but look at Yan Liang with curiosity.


    Yan Liang bit her lips: ¡°What is it that you see in me¡±?


    Turns out her hesitation was absolutely justified because as soon as she spoke the words, Jiang Yu Nan burst into laughter.


    Fortunately, he quickly controlled himself, and looked at her with a particularly sincere expression, as if he was going to say something poignant. Yan Liang held her breath, waiting..


    But he only said one sentence, ¡°I fancy you for your body.¡±


    One second.. two seconds.. Yan Liang was stunned and immobile for almost three seconds.


    It was very difficult to hold back from fiercely slapping this man.


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled, as if he was very satisfied with his answer. Then he answered her earlier question, ¡°The reason I refused Ming Ting is very simple. They have a perfect management system, the challenge is far lower than cleaning up the mess in Xu Group. And I just like challenges. Of course there are other reasons..¡±


    He deliberately paused, his eyes looking over her.


    Yan Liang could read in his eyes what he was about to say and sure enough, he continued, ¡°On the flight back, I met the beautiful Miss Xu Junior. This job would help me realise my personal wishes as well, so I decided this was a good choice.¡±


    These words, said so casually, created complex emotions in Yan Liang, Should she take this as a touching confession, or sigh in despair at his playful attitude and intentionally ambiguous statements?


    (Miumiu: really ? That¡¯s what you got from this conversation? Hmmph)


    Several emotions flitted through her heart, at the end she laughed ambiguously, a mock expression of surprise on her face ¡°Jiang Yu Nan , you are mixing up your official and private lives!¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled and accepted her reprimand.


    Even more surprised, she asked, ¡°Picking up hot chicks at work, is this how a professional manager should conduct himself?¡¯


    She stopped when Jiang Yu Nan suddenly swept her up in his hug. Yan Liang was almost balancing on her toes.Her whole body was forced closer to him. With his face close to her, he smiled mockingly, ¡° Is this mixing up my official and private lives? It seems you haven¡¯t seen what the real mixing of public and private lives is..no¡­..¡±


    Soon Yan Liang figured out why the man said this, and why there was an evil light in his eyes when he said this.


    The next day was Monday. Jiang Yu Nan had not arranged a driver, so naturally he personally drove Ms Yan to work.


    On their way to work, there was a lot of traffic, so the driver took advantage of the long wait to eat his breakfast. Yan Liang had never seen anyone eat this fast. She stared at him, trying to reconcile the image of a fine gentleman with the one wolfing down his breakfast in such an unattractive manner.


    Jiang Yu Nan suddenly looked up at her.


    Caught peeping at him, she reflexively shrunk back.


    ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡± Jiang Yu Nan was very alert.


    Yan Liang hesitated for a moment, then she had a brain wave. ¡°I suddenly realised something ¡°


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°In fact ¡­ ¡­¡± Yan Liang smiled with embarrassment, ¡°¡­ You are a pig.¡±


    She felt victorious when she saw his face turn gloomy. She turned her face towards the window and allowed herself a secret smile of pride.


    Sitting in the co-pilot seat, Yan Liang ate slowly. When they were only half a street away from the office, she finished eating, dabbed at her mouth with a napkin and leisurely commanded, ¡°Stop here.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan did not stop but looked at her with questioning eyes. She explained, ¡° I don¡¯t want to go to the office with you. I don¡¯t want the others to see us together.¡±


    She thought the matter would end here. But obviously, Jiang Yu Nan would not allow the matter to pass so easily.


    At the next intersection, the car slowed down. Thinking he would stop at the junction, Yan Liang reached out to open the door. But, he suddenly stepped on the accelerator and the car sped across the intersection.


    Yan Liang immediately exclaimed, ¡° You..¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan just raised his eyebrows fractionally, and smiled at her through the rear view mirror, ¡°This is the highest level of driving that a pig can do. Forgive me.¡±


    The car was going at full speed; it was his revenge against her words earlier. She anxiously hugged herself as she was flung back against the seat with his erratic driving.


    Soon they reached the underground parking lot of the Xu building. The driver had the pass card, the security guard did not recognise Jiang Yu Nan driving himself and he did not raise the security barrier.


    He had to wind down the window.


    As soon as the guard saw him, he was surprised but respectfully called out, ¡°Mr Jiang!¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s heart was beating rapidly; she put up a hand to guard her face so she would not be recognised.


    As soon as the car was stopped, Yan Liang unfastened the seat belt and stepped out of the car. As she crossed the car from the front, suddenly someone pulled her arm and Yan Liang was forced to lean against the bonnet. It was Jiang Yu Nan. Before she could react, Jiang Yu Nan stepped forward, placed his arms on the bonnet on either side of her and leaned towards her. Yan Liang tried to shrink back but the car effectively sealed off her retreat. He leaned even closer to her.


    ¡°You forgot something.¡±


    Hearing him, Yan Liang frowned, not because she was ignorant of what that ¡®something¡¯ was, but because she knew exactly what he was alluding to.


    Before she could react, he was kissing her on her lips.


    Yan Liang froze; the only thing that was going through her brain was ¡°Stop! This is a public place!¡±


    Soon she could hear the sounds of a car approaching. Yan Liang moved her head away. Over his shoulder, she saw the car being parked in the opposite space and then a man emerged from the car.


    As soon as he got down, the man obviously saw this romantic scene in front of him. Scared, Yan Liang pushed at Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s shoulder.


    Jiang Yu Nan also realised that there was someone behind him, but he was reluctant to release her. He just pulled her head down, her whole body was hidden behind his, and he brazenly continued.


    Soon that person left. After a long time, Jiang Yu Nan released the woman in his arms.


    Yan Liang glared at him. As she passed the side of the car, she couldn¡¯t help bending down to look at her face in the side view mirror. ¡°You ate all my lipstick,¡± she glared at him again.


    Jiang Yu Nan touched her lips. His face was calm, ¡°Ms Yan Liang, please now see what is the mixing up of public and private..¡±


    miumiu : sure , JYN was really cute in this chapter.We have always seen him as someone super serious. I would like to believe that it¡¯s YL who brings out the lighter side in him.

 Chapter 28

    Fresh out out of the oven. ???? I edited this in a hurry so let me know if you spot any errors.


    Jiang Yu Nan continues to be sweet and attentive. I suppose that¡¯s what will make the heart break even more painful. Xu Ziqing is up to her antics as usual..


    Chapter 28


    ¡°Ms Yan, this is what mixing up public and private lives looks like¡­¡±


    These words still rang in her ears. Yan Liang arrived at the regular Monday morning meetings. She saw that all the people were already in the room for some time, except Mr Jiang who arrived late. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit awkward.


    She quietly sat down and looked down at the files


    Fortunately the meeting started normally.Jiang Yu Nan was as calm as ever. He seemed to have switched on his professional mode and Yan Liang sighed with relief.


    Recently, the focus of the company was concentrated on ¡° Ya-Yan¡¯ and ¡®Secret¡¯. Xu Ziqing started to talk about ¡®Secret¡¯, fortunately, this time she brought some good news.


    ¡°After repeated contacts with Jiang Shi Jun, the Li Bo group has finally agreed to a private reconciliation.¡±


    ¡®Perfect Look¡¯ was pulled off the shelves at the last moment; even the company¡¯s shares were affected and were trading at a loss for a few days. Though the stocks were stable now, the incident had brought great losses to the company.


    Jiang Yu Nan looked serious, ¡° What are the terms of the reconciliation?¡±


    Xi Ziqing looked embarrassed. She hesitated a moment before saying, ¡° His condition is that Li Bo will buy the ¡®Perfect Look¡¯ makeup series to put this matter to rest.¡±


    Yan Liang almost shot up from her seat on hearing this. If they agreed to this, didn¡¯t they indirectly own up to the fact that Xu copied Li Bo?


    But she held back, quietly fisting and un-fisting her hand. This was to do with ¡®Secret¡¯, not her area.


    Jiang Yu Nan did not express any views. Xu Ziqing looked at his face and quickly explained, ¡° I have not promised Jiang Shi Jun anything yet, but I think if we reconcile, it will be more conducive to the company.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan nodded.


    The next one to speak was Yan Liang.


    She gave a full report of ¡®Ya-Yan¡¯. She touched upon the sales during that period, the proposed additional advertisement volumes and the request for hiring a spokesperson for the product.


    After receiving a lot of praises, Yan Liang¡¯s assistant handed over the budget for Jiang Yu nan¡¯s approval.


    Jiang Yu Nan read the budget proposal and signed on it. Yan Liang continued to explain, ¡°After the additional advertising, the provincial distributors will co ¨Coperate with us to start a new advertising campaign on major TV channels in all big cities where Ming Ting operates.¡±


    The budget proposal was returned to Yan Liang. She had finished her speech and handed over to the department heads to start their reports. As she opened the folder with the budget proposal to see Jiang Yu nan¡¯s signature, she was shocked.


    There was a note attached to the folder, ¡° 12 o clock, the restaurant opposite. Box 2¡±.


    Yan Liang closed the folder, and kept her head down for a long time trying to compose her expressions. Finally, she raised her head and looked at his chair.


    The president was listening intently to the department head¡¯s report, his chin resting on his hand, his demeanour so professional that Yan Liang almost felt that the note was imaginary.


    But when she came to the restaurant on the top floor of the opposite buiding at 12 o clock and pushed the door of Box 2, she found Jiang Yu Nan sitting in the otherwise empty enclosure. She peeked at her watch.


    He looked up as the door opened, his expression clearly unhappy. ¡°You¡¯re half an hour late.¡±


    Yan Liang was silent. She did not apologise for her tardiness, just pulled over the chair and sat down. Jiang Yu Nan seemed to accept this and turned to the waiter, ¡°Please serve us.¡±


    After the waiter left, Yan Liang casually flipped over the menu, ¡°What is the matter?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan did not answer her, but reached over the table to touch her hand. Yan Liang did not raise her head and continued to browse the menu.


    Jiang Yu Na got up, sat by her side and held up her face with his hand, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Yan Liang could no longer avoid him, She looked up with widened eyes and said, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at the woman¡¯s face he was holding up. At the surface, it was calm but there was a hidden trace of something. ¡°You can deceive others, but you can¡¯t lie to me.¡±


    Saying this, he let go of her chin and moved away slightly, as if to give her some space. Looking at him, Yan Liang¡¯s thoughts went back to what she had witnessed half an hour ago.


    She would have reached the restaurant at 12 o clock as planned, but unfortunately, just as she reached downstairs she encountered Xu Ziqing.


    Or, it would be more accurate to say, she saw Xu Ziqing in Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s car.


    Yan Liang was standing at some distance from the car, but was still able to see Jiang Shi Jun in the back seat smiling at Xu Ziqing. Xu Ziqing was slightly bent over, and it seemed as if Jiang Shi Jun was trying to tell her something.


    After that, Xu Ziqing turned to leave, but Jiang Shi Jun caught her wrist. Xu Ziqing leaned towards him again ,half her body on the back seat.


    Yan Liang¡¯s view was blocked by Xu Ziqing¡¯s body, but it was easy to guess from Xu Ziqing¡¯s posture and the angle of Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s body that they were engaged in a farewell kiss.


    This wasn¡¯t the West. Xu Ziqing was not someone who was westernized and Jiang Shi Jun was not her friend..


    Yan Liang was shocked.


    As she turned towards the Xu building, Xu Ziqing saw Yan Liang and was surprised for a moment,


    Both of them were frozen for a moment. Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s car behind Xu Ziqing did not drive away. In the blazing sun, the black body of the car glowed, as if it was a spectator to the show.


    Yan Liang could see Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s face behind the black windows.


    Then the car drove away, and almost at the same time, Xu Ziqing moved forward to the building, not even giving Yan Liang so much as a glance.


    Yan Liang stood frozen in front of the building. Her brain kept replaying the intimate scenes between Xu Ziqing and Jiang Shi Jun. Unexpectedly, she recalled Xu Ziqing say in the morning meeting, ¡°After approaching Jiang Shi Jun many times, Li Bo has agreed to a private reconciliation..¡±


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    Yan Liang¡¯s thoughts returned to the restaurant, she looked up at Jiang Yu Nan who was still staring at her. She lowered her eyes, and then looked up again, her eyes cold and her expression hidden this time. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu was about to say something, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Jiang Yu Nan temporarily stopped speaking; the waiter pushed the door open and started to serve them. The empty table was soon full of food. Yan Liang seemed really hungry, she started to serve herself.


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at her; there was a trace of hesitation in his eyes. After a long time, he decided to say nothing and just took a plate.

 Chapter 29

    ¡°Why do you love so much as to demean yourself ?¡± A question so many of us have asked our loved ones, and occasionally to ourselves. Why indeed ? Perhaps it¡¯s just human nature.


    Chapter 29


    After lunch, Yan Liang returned to the company and holed up in her own office. In the end, she was unable to overcome her temptation, and walked towards the office of the Finance manager.


    She stopped at the door, the name board read ¡° Zhou Cheng.¡± She knocked.


    Soon, she heard a familiar voice from inside, ¡° Come in.¡±


    Yan Liang pushed the door open. Inside the room , Zhou Cheng was sitting at his desk, working as well as eating his lunch.


    As he raised his head from the file, he was surprised to see Yan Liang at the door.


    He put down the chopsticks warmly greeted her: ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    This workaholic look of Zhou Cheng was not something Yan Liang liked. ¡° Why are you having your lunch here ?¡±


    ¡°I have just been really busy lately.¡± Zhou Cheng said, shrugging his shoulders.


    The Chief Financial Officer was about to reach retirement age, the entire department was already quite busy, and month end were even busier. So naturally he did not have much free time.


    Asking Yan Liang to sit down, he once again focussed on the file in front of him. Occasionally, he would raise his head to chat casually with Yan Liang, ¡°Yesterday when you came for lunch at the mansion, we did not get any time to talk. Mr Xu put you up with Mr Lu, was it not as per your wishes? You certainly looked angry..¡±


    Yan Liang smiled.


    Seeing that he was really busy, Yan Liang sat in the guest chair in silence for a long time. Finally she said what was in her heart, ¡°Today I saw Xu Ziqing together with Jiang Shi Jun at noon.¡±


    As she said this, she could clearly see Zhou Cheng¡¯s fingers around the pen stiffen. But soon, he relaxed and continued writing on the document.


    Zhou Cheng did not even raise his head.


    Yan Liang was more and more incensed, ¡°Why are you not surprised?¡±


    Zhou Cheng¡¯s hand froze again.


    After a momentary pause, he put down his pen and looked up at Yan Liang sitting opposite him. There was a trace of loneliness on his face as he stated lightly, ¡° Ziqing looks soft, but she has a mind of her own. I respect her decisions.¡±


    Then he went back to his documents, as if to demonstrate the ¡®respect¡¯.


    Yan Liang was stunned, She unconsciously repeated his words, ¡° You respect her decisions..¡± Suddenly she was angry. She stood up and leaning on the table, pulled away the file and pen. ¡°You don¡¯t mind that your woman is climbing into an old man¡¯s bed ? You respect her decision?¡±


    His eyes flashed with anger. But he had always been tolerant and composed, and the anger soon vanished. Looking up at Yan Liang, he gently said, ¡° Ziqing is merely taking advantage of Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s affection for her. Its not like what you think.¡±


    ¡°Then you think that Jiang Shijun, that old fox ,will be easily persuaded ? If you want to benefit from him, you may end up paying more than him. You think Xu Ziqing can outwit him?¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhou Cheng no longer argued with her.


    Looking at him, Yan Liang shook her head. She had messed up the desk, looking at the scattered documents, she laughed out loud and turned away.


    She quickly walked towards the door. At the door, she paused, turned around to see the poor man and asked him a question never destined to be answered, ¡°Why do you love her so much that you demean yourself?¡¯


    *** ***


    This translation done for miumiu596.wotdpress.com. Please do not copy.


    A month later, the Xu Group finally turned a corner.Xu Ziqing, the person in charge of Secret and Jiang Shi Jun, the president of Li Bo, reached an agreement to share the ¡®Perfect look¡¯ make up concept and its development across the borders in European and North American markets.


    Due to the storm, the launch of Secret was delayed by nearly two months causing the company to lose tens of millions.However, this time, the outside voices that had belligerently questioned the eldest heir of Xu Group were gradually silent, the media that taunted and jeered at her also calmed down one by one. The reason was simple. Xu Ziqing was photographed more than once in public with Jiang Shi Jun. Although, both of them insisted they were nothing but friends, the media considered this a budding relationship.


    Yan Liang heard from her mother that her father was unhappy with the scandal. He called Xu Ziqing home and they spoke for a whole afternoon in the study behind closed doors. After that, everything was calm.


    Her mother could not guess how Xu Ziqing was excused, and Yan Liang was not even interested enough to guess. The agreement meant the advantages that Ya Yan was so far enjoying were now at stake , and Yan Liang had to make arrangements for that.


    She had a busy day.


    When she used to stay alone, she could work overtime every night, No one would stop her when she stayed back late. Now the situation was different.From time to time, she would be disturbed by the ring of her cell phone which she ignored. Then suddenly the office phone rang.


    At one o clock at night, who would be calling her at work?


    Yan Liang picked up the phone. The other side said , ¡° You are really at work !¡±


    She was surprised. She put down the documents she was working on and stretched the chord so she could lean back on her chair. Massaging her sore neck, she said ¡° Arent you on a business trip? When did you come back?¡±


    ¡° About an hour and a half ago, ¡° Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s voice had a trace of tiredness. ¡° I came home, I didn¡¯t see you so I guessed you were still at work.¡±


    ¡°We intend to extend Ya ¨C Yan¡¯s range to drug store cosmetics next year, I was looking at the project plan, we really don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    ¡°When I am on a business trip, you work overtime. When I come back, you are still working overtime. It seems at the end of the year, I have to personally give you an award for perfect attendance.¡±


    What was the charm in the man¡¯s voice at the other end , that, just by listening to him,all her weariness was swept away?


    Yan Liang did not want him to hear her happy, so she quietly composed herself. Then she heard him whisper at the other end, ¡°Why is the door to your department locked?¡±


    Yan Liang was surprised for a moment: ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You ¡­ you haven¡¯t¡­¡±


    He did not wait for her to finish, Jiang Yu Nan cut off her words, ¡°Come out and open the door for me.¡±


    His voice travelled through the telecom waves to her ear, but Yan Liang sat still with the handset, stunned. After three seconds, she jumped up from her sear and rushed towards the door. Half way to the door, she realised her access card was still on the table and she doubled back to take it. Then she sped through the office to the corridor.


    Jiang Yu Nan was standing behind the glass doors, still in the suit he had travelled in


    Yan Liang held the car to the door, the door opened and even before Yan Liang came out, he stepped forward to hug her. The door hadn¡¯t even opened completely.


    Mr Jiang had travelled more than seven days and had really missed her. All his longing was poured into a lingering kiss.


    Since there was no light in the corridor, the only source of light being the elevator behind Jiang Yu Nan, the kiss felt somewhat dark, hidden and secret. Yan Liang could feel her neck aching, but she did not want to let go of the sweetness.


    Suddenly there was a strong beam of light that hit her eyelids. Jiang Yu Nan could also feel something and he stiffened. Yan Liang opened her eyes, Vaguely, she was able to discern a security guard standing behind Jiang Yu Nan, holding up a flashlight beamed at them both.


    Yan Liang subconsciously stepped back but Jiang Yu Nan just hugged her again and pulled her closer.


    He firmly guarded her face, and turned around his head to look at the security guard coldly. ¡° Mr.. Mr Jiang?¡±, the security guard¡¯s voice was trembling.


    He calmly ordered him, ¡°You can go now.¡±


    The guard quickly shut down his torch and turned away, Yan Liang could hear his footsteps moving farther and farther away. Taking a long indrawn breath, she struggled to move out of his arms but Jiang Yu Nan refused to let her go. Tightening his arms around her, he bent to her ear, ¡°He is still looking at us.¡±


    She immediately held on tightly to his chest, not daring to move.


    Then she felt his chest vibrating, and heard him laugh softly. At that moment she realised she had been conned and angrily pushed him back. The security had long ago left in the elevator, how would he be watching them?


    (Miumiu : Ha ha another playful con by our JYN. And a super sweet gesture. I cant help but feel this novel would make a great drama. The author is so visual. You can almost see the two of them kissing in the dark corridor, only a thin stream of light from the closed elevator.sigh !)

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30


    Yan Liang did not raise her head as she walked back to her office. Although she pretended to be indifferent, her ears were perked up to hear if Jiang Yu Nan had, in fact, followed her to her office.


    Back to her office, Yan Liang closed the door. Within two seconds, the door was pushed open from outside.


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at her calmly, ¡°You¡¯re not really upset with me , right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Because of the guard?¡±, Jiang Yu Nan gave her a questioning look.


    Seeing him like this, Yan Liang bit her lips. Hesitating slightly, she tried to make her tone indifferent. ¡°You are always so busy. During such a long business trip, you never called me. Now I am also very busy. And I wouldn¡¯t want to bother you.¡±


    Although she tried, she failed to hide her anger. Jiang Yu Nan narrowed his eyes and smiled, ¡°Didn¡¯t I rush here to find you?¡±


    Yan Liang recalled her feelings when she saw him suddenly appearing outside the office door. Her heart beat rapidly. Obviously this answered his question to his satisfaction.


    She closed the door to her office. Jiang Yu Nan pulled her by her wrist, then hugged her, his hands wrapped around her waist, and asked her, ¡°How long will you take?¡±


    Yan Liang looked back at the table full of documents and estimated, ¡° About an hour.¡±


    There were dark circles under his eyes and he had clearly had a rather long commute. Yan Liang assumed he would be really tired. In his arms, Yan Liang looked up at his face and gently asked, ¡°Do you want to go home now? ¡°


    He rubbed his forehead and nodded, but did not mean to leave. Reluctantly, he moved away from her. ¡° I will sleep on the couch. When you are done, wake me up.¡±


    Saying this, he really lay down on the sofa in the corner.


    He was 180cm tall. As he lay on the couch, there wasn¡¯t the slightest margin. In fact, he curled up his body slightly to fit in. From her vantage point, he looked like a large, gentle dog. Yan Liang did not want to care about him, she was afraid of her feelings towards him. As his eyes closed, with a heavy heart she returned back to her desk.


    The clock in the corner quietly ticked away the hours.


    The office was always bright as day. The scattered light of the desktop lamp created a smooth silhouette of Yan Liang on the desk.


    Outside, the darkness of the night gradually lightened to reveal the first rays of dawn.


    This translation done for miumiu596.wordpress.com. Please do not copy.


    Finally finishing her task, Yan Liang breathed in deeply and closed her computer. She closed her eyes and stretched , then suddenly remembered there was another person in the office.


    Turning towards the sofa, she saw that Jiang Yu Nan was still sleeping. Even in sleep, his eyebrows were drawn together. Yan Liang looked at the clock , unknown to her, she had been working for five hours straight.


    She stretched lazily and then walked over to shake his shoulders and wake him up. But then she changed her mind and squatted next to the sofa to carefully observe him.


    Yan Liang had never seen him sleeping. He was always the one who woke up first.


    She felt strange seeing him like this. She could not help but want to smoothen his eyebrows and remove the look of cynical hostility he wore even in sleep.


    Her lips touched his forehead.


    Jiang Yu Nan opened his eyes, his look strangely vigilant.


    Yan Liang panicked slightly as he looked at her with a hard expression.She instantly propped herself up from the ground and sat on the sofa opposite. Jiang Yu Nan also recovered his smile. Raising his hand, he touched his forehead, ¡° I was just pretending to sleep.¡±


    Seeing that she was silent, he put on his jacket and came towards her. With one hand in the back of the sofa, he raised her chin with the other hand, ¡°Why are you scowling?¡±


    Yan Liang looked at his gentle face. Her brain rehashed that sudden watchful expression on his face when he woke up and her feminine intuition was warning her about something.


    So she didn¡¯t laugh, she dropped her eyes downward and asked, ¡° What exactly is our relationship?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was taken aback.


    As he delayed giving her any answer, Yan Liang raised her head and looked at him. Her heart seemed to have been caught in a vice, ¡°Just a physical relationship?¡±


    As her voice wavered, Jiang Yu Nan frowned fiercely.


    Yan Liang could guess there were hidden emotions behind his solemn face that she could not fathom. She saw him looking at her, then he scowled. ¡° You think, just to get you in bed with me, I would spend so much time and energy on you , worry about you having an affair with another man, tolerate your temper, listen to you incessantly complain, try to please your father, meet your sister, rush to meet you after a long night ?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Yan Liang had never seen him in such a towering rage before. This situation had happened for the first time, she was unsure how to handle it. Nothing had ever stumped Jiang Yu Nan, yet he seemed to be stumped by a woman¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°Or am I supposed to understand that a woman passionately in love will always suffer like this?¡±, Jiang Yu Nan whispered.


    This time Yan Liang was shocked. ¡°.. I..¡±


    Yan Liang had no clue what to say next and shut her mouth. She picked up her bag and walked towards the door, ¡°Lets go.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at her moving ahead, his eyes blinked.


    He did not rush to keep up with her; rather he dialled the number of Secretary Li and spoke to him for a few minutes while walking to the door.


    At this time, early in the morning, Jiang Yu Nan was responsible for driving them back. Yan Liang closed her eyes as she sat in the co-pilot¡¯s seat.


    If she went back home and slept, she could only sleep for an hour. Yan Liang estimated that by the time she had a bath and breakfast, it would be time to come back to work again.


    Yan Liang was awakened by the ring of the phone. She woke up and realised this was not her phone that was ringing. She squinted her eyes to look at Jiang Yu Nan. He put on the Bluetooth to answer the call.


    She did not know what the other side said, but Jiang Yu nan answered with an angry ¡® OK¡± and hung up the phone. Then he made a sharp U turn.


    Seeing him suddenly changing the direction, Yan Liang wondered what the reason was. Finally she asked, ¡°Are we not going home?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s voice was tight, ¡° We need to go somewhere else.¡±


    Her intuition said this had something to do with the phone call he had just answered. She could not help but ask, ¡° Who called you just now?¡±


    ¡°Secretary Li.¡±


    He was so serious that Yan Liang suddenly lost the urge to have any more conversation. She leaned her head on the window and settled in to sleep again.


    She didn¡¯t know when the car stopped.


    Half asleep, her body bumped at the sudden deceleration. Fully awake now, she glanced out of the window. There were only a few pedestrians on the road, even fewer cars and all the shops were closed with their shutters down.


    Not all the shops were closed, there was one shop where the gates had just opened and the shutters were half raised.


    By her side, Jiang Yu Nan said, ¡°Get off!¡±


    The staff were waiting anxiously for the shutter to go up fully. Jiang Yu Nan pulled Yan Liang and walked towards the shop.


    The shop staff immediately saw them and called out , ¡° Mr Jiang?¡±


    Yan Liang was completely woken up when she saw the signboard.


    And she was completely confused.


    This was a jewelry store known for its customised wedding rings. This was not the usual business hours, the staff had rushed to open the doors specifically for them.


    Jiang Yu Nan saw her surprised expression when she noted the name of the store. He saw her wondering, but before she could think of anything, he pulled her hand and entered the store.


    The shop assistant hurriedly switched on the lights of the display.


    Another shop assistant trailed after them, softly explaining, ¡°Because Mr Lee only gave us notice a few hours back, my colleagues are now in the vault to retrieve the pieces that are more than two carats. Please wait for twenty minutes.¡±


    Yan Liang stood in front of the brilliantly lit showcase, her brain was blank. By her side, Jiang Yu Nan chose two rings, the assistant took them out of the display.


    Jiang Yu Nan picked up one of them, he seemed quite satisfied when he looked at them and turned towards Yan Liang.


    Yan Liang frowned as she looked at the gold ring in Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s hand, and then looked up to see his face.


    She saw Jiang Yu Nan preparing to say something to her .


    Yan Liang had really been waiting for this man to say three words.


    But, this time, he didn¡¯t say the three words that she had wanted to hear for so long.


    Instead he said ¡® Lets get engaged.¡±


    Will Yan Liang agree? Or will she hold out for the three words that she wants to hear? Find out tomorrow ????


    As always, if you want the translator to be motivated, please comment!!

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31


    ¡°Lets get engaged.¡±


    Hearing no objection from her, Jiang Yu Nan took the ring in one hand, her hand in the other. He was going to put the ring on her finger.


    Yan Liang panicked a little. She bowed her head a little to look at the ring that was going to be put on her finger. It was more than a carat. Suddenly she snatched back her hand.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯ s hand was now empty. He looked at the woman in front of her. Her hands were fisted on her side.


    He frowned.


    Looking at his scrunched eyebrows and his deep bottomless eyes, her heart skipped a beat. ¡°I¡­¡±


    His expression was becoming more and chilly, and Yan Liang was not sure how to continue. She felt at her wit¡¯s end, uncertain.. The only certainty was that this man was waiting for an answer.


    Yan Liang finally responded ,¡± Give me a month.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Half a month later, Yan Liang watched the first snow of the year as she returned home, heralding the onset of winter.


    On Monday , during the regular meetings, the CFO announced his intentions to retire early. Zhou Cheng was appointed the new CFO.


    Through the windows of the conference room, one could see the vast expanse of the roof. The glass was fogged.The outside temperature was close to zero while the inside was maintained at a constant 20 degrees. Jiang Yu Nan personally announced the name of the new CFO. Yan Liang could not help but glance at Zhou Chang sitting diagonally opposite her.


    In this weather, Zhou Chang was wearing a three piece suit which looked thin and inadequate in the cold. But on his face, there appeared rare traces of happiness.


    After the meeting, Zhou Cheng got up to accept the congratulations of his colleagues.


    Yan Liang stood up, and was walking toward him to congratulate him when she was surprised to see Xu Ziqing cut diagonally across the room and stand in front of him, ¡° Congratulations !¡±


    Zhou Chang looked at Xi Ziqing, his eyes cautious, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Seeing this scene, Yan Liang paused. The she turned towards the door of the conference room .Yan Liang soon reached the elevator bank. She saw a few people standing there, waiting for the elevator and she paused for a moment. Jiang Yu Nan, Secretary Li and both managers were standing there. Secretary Li greeted her first.¡±Ms Yan.¡±


    Secretary Li¡¯s voice faded, she looked at Jiang Yu Nan standing behind her.


    This was not the first time that she had experienced Jiang Yu Nan being very polite and distant to her. He simply nodded and Yan Liang felt a little strange.


    Till the lift reached, Yan Liang did not smile as well.


    She forced herself to move away as far as possible from Jiang Yu Nan and not to look at him at all. She looked up at the display as the numbers of the floor rapidly changed. Suddenly her cell phone vibrated.


    She took out the phone .Jiang Yu Nan had sent her a text message, although, obviously ,he was still in the elevator with her.


    She took the phone to the side and surreptitiously peeked at the message. ¡° I can¡¯t have lunch with you. Something came up.¡±


    She thought about it and was about to text back ,¡±ok¡± when Jiang Yu Nan sent her another message.


    ¡°He got promoted. You should be happy for him, why do you look unhappy?¡±


    (Miumiu : This guys is certainly jealous of Zhou Cheng!!)


    Yan Liang was surprised.


    In the meeting , he had never looked at her. When the meeting was finished, he was the first to come out. When did he see her unhappy ?


    Yan Liang touched her face. She had no clue why he thought she was unhappy. She did not respond and just put her phone back into her bag.


    As the elevator arrived at the respective floors , the occupants moved out. The only people left inside were Secretary Li, Jiang Yu Nan and Yan Liang. At the 64th floor, Jiang Yu Nan and secretary Li also prepared to leave the elevator. Secretary Li was the first to get out, and Yan Liang took half a step to the side to allow Jiang Yu Nan, who was behind her, to move forward.


    As he walked towards the door, while passing her, his arms suddenly wrapped around her waist . Yan Liang stared at him, stunned and he kissed her on her lips. Yan Liang shrunk back.


    The whole process was over in two seconds. Before Yan Liang could recover, Jiang Yu Nan gave her a slight smile, then as if nothing had happened, he calmly adjusted her collar and walked away.


    (Miumiu : Awww.. how cute is that ?)


    The only person in the elevator now, Yan Liang looked at the door closing with widened eyes. Then she recovered and raised her hand to touch her lips and laughed


    She really didn¡¯t have anything urgent this morning. Rather than stay in office, she thought it was better to go to the rooftop, breathe in some fresh air. Maybe because of the snow, unfortunately, the roof access had been locked by security. She sat on the steps, her thoughts in confusion.


    She looked at her watch, it was 10:50 now. Of the one month period she had asked for, only 14 days,13 hours and 10 minutes were left.


    She had asked for a months time. She had thought that would be enough to get her thoughts together. She never expected that time would fly by so quickly; in an instant half a month had passed by.


    She had tried to probe him countless times before, but she had simply wanted a sense of security.


    Marriage ¨C this was the most insecure thing.


    In half a month¡¯s time, what had she thought through?


    Nothing. They were both working round the clock, he didn¡¯t ask her anything and she didn¡¯t want to ask him.


    At that moment, when she was just planning on how to proceed from then on, her phone rang


    Her assistant asked her,¡± We¡¯ve got the advance approval for the make up products. The design department has sent two alternative designs.¡±


    Yan Liang sighed, ¡° I¡¯m coming.¡±


    She stood up and patted her cheeks.


    Within a short time, she was back in office. Work was important. She could deal with everything else later on. ¡° Where are the designs?¡±


    Her assistant immediately handed over the designs to her.¡±What about the 3D effect?¡±


    The designer handed over the USB to her, ¡°It¡¯s in here.¡±


    ¡° Lets get into the conference room.¡± She turned around and walked towards the conference room while her assistant called out,¡± Guys, please go to the conference room. I¡¯ll get the projector.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Thus, Yan Liang worked overtime for almost a week. She was exhausted but very satisfied ¨C of course, only with her work.


    At one o clock in the morning , Yan Liang put on her coat and scarf intending to leave the company and have dinner with her team members who had worked overtime.


    As they walked down to the ground floor, a colleague took his car out of the parking lot, intending to give all of them a lift. As they walked toward the car, they suddenly heard a subordinate exclaim,¡±Huh!¡±


    Yan Liang was just getting ready to get into the car. Hearing the remark, she straightened up and looked back. This time the subordinate said, ¡° Isn¡¯t that Director Zhou?¡±


    Yan Liang was surprised. She looked back at where the subordinate was looking. Zhou Chang and some staff from the finance department were also getting ready to get into a car.


    Zhou Chang also saw her, he came forward to speak to Yan Liang. ¡° You¡¯ve just finished work as well?¡±


    It was so cold that she could see his breath condensing in white vapours as he spoke.


    The Ya Yan team and the Finance team decided to have dinner together.


    Yan Liang naturally sat in Zhou Cheng¡¯s car.


    The heating was on full volume, Yan Liang took off her scarf and rubbed her palms together , finally feeling warm enough.


    Zhou Chang looked at her though the rear view mirror, ¡° Only a few days have passed, why do you look like you¡¯ve aged several years?¡±


    ¡° You don¡¯t look any better.¡±


    ¡° No way, I¡¯ve only worked continuously for three days in a row.¡¯


    The talked all the way. The atmosphere should have been harmonious, but Yan Liang felt a little restless because Zhou Cheng¡¯s phone kept vibrating , but he never answered.


    The first time the phone vibrated, she didn¡¯t realise what was happening. But when it continued for the second time, the third time, and many times after that, she finally determined that the vibrations were coming from Zhou Cheng¡¯s brief case placed in the back seat of the car.


    Yan Liang finally could not help but ask, ¡° Why are you not taking the call?¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, the phone vibrated again.


    Zhou Cheng hesitated a bit, picked up the phone and hung up.


    He put the phone on silent mode, and put it in his pocket.


    Yan Liang frowned,¡±You..¡±


    Zhou Cheng switched on the radio and adjusted the volume. He gave her an irritated look, forcing Yan Liang to hold back her questions.


    He seemed to have unconsciously accelerated the car.In the silence of the car, they both suddenly heard the sound of something snapping.


    The car jerked abruptly. Zhou Cheng braked.


    The car had been driven into a deep rut on the side of the road and finally came to a stop.


    ¡° What happened ?¡± Yan Liang wound down her window to look out.


    Zhou Cheng opened the door in his side. ¡°I¡¯ll go out and check.¡±


    As the door opened, the cold wind outside entered the car. Yan Liang shrunk back. She put up the window on her side. Zhou Cheng returned ¡° There is ice on the road. It hasn¡¯t been plowed. My tires couldn¡¯t handle it.¡±


    ( Miumiu : I thought cars skid on the ice. I¡¯m not sure what happened to the tire. I drive , but in a tropical country. I tried googling it but nothing. If any of you drive in icy roads can you please let me know so I can change the words if required. I try to be as accurate as possible :))


    ¡°Then..¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get out. I can handle it myself.¡±


    As he was talking, he bent into the car and adjusted the heater. Then he stepped outside and closed the door.


    The windows were fogged. Yan Liang leaned back. She use her sleeves to wipe off the condensation on the window and watched Zhou Cheng changing the tire.


    At this moment, Yan Liang saw a light blinking on the drivers seat.


    She looked down..it was Zhou Cheng¡¯s phone.


    His phone had fallen in the car. The screen blinked continuously.


    Yan Liang looked out of the window, Zhou Cheng was taking out the spare tire. She again looked at the phone.


    Her brain was telling her not to dig any deeper, while her heart was curious. She hesitated and then picked up the phone.


    The screen showed seventeen missed calls, and one last message,


    ¡° Zhou Cheng, if you don¡¯t help me, I¡¯m finished!!¡±


    The message was from Xu Ziqing.

 Chapter 32

    Yan Liang¡¯s body froze, especially the fingertips that were holding the phone.


    Her body was stiff and her head blank for quite some time when she suddenly heard the sound of the door opening.


    Yan Liang immediately put the phone in her pocket.


    The next second the door of the car was opened.


    In the short period of time that he was outside, Zhou Cheng¡¯s lips had been frozen white. He quickly got into the car and held his palms in front of the heater before he started the car.


    Yan Liang could almost hear the thunderous beats of her heart, but calmly asked him,¡± You finished so soon?¡±


    Zhou Cheng smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t forget. My father was a driver for his whole life. I don¡¯t know how many tires I helped him change when I was growing up, so of course, I¡¯m very familiar with this process.¡±


    His face was frozen stiff. He breathed in a long time to warm up.


    Then he restarted the car and they drove on in the cold night.


    The visibility outside was very low. It was foggy, just like the fog that had permeated in Yan Liang¡¯s brain at this moment.


    This was the best weather to eat hot pot. At last, the car reached a chain restaurant that specialised in hot pot. They reached the parking lot, looked around and realised there were a lot of cars around. At this time of the night, business was still very good. They recognised their colleague¡¯s car and parked in the vacant slot next to it.


    Zhou Cheng turned off the engine, ready to get off , when he was surprised to see Yan Liang sitting silently, completely distracted. He reached out a hand in front of her eyes and said ,¡±Get off!¡±


    Yan Liang was shocked into her senses. She unbuckled the seat belt and got off.


    With Zhou Cheng behind her , they walked towards the restaurant. There was the unique spicy fragrance of hot pot, accompanied by occasional bursts of hot air and the sound of conversation as the diners talked to each other.


    Behind her was the cold day, in front of her was warmth and heart warming scenes, inadvertently Yan Liang stopped at this critical juncture. She found it difficult to move forward till Zhou Cheng looked at her with a puzzled expression ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Yan Liang looked back , ¡°What trouble has Xu Ziqing gotten herself into now?¡±


    Yan Liang was quite definite that his face immediately changed.


    Now Zhou Cheng was frozen on the spot while Yan Liang walked towards him.


    She was standing in front of him, it was easy to see that his eyes were struggling to hide something. Yan Liang could not bear it. A little crossly she said, ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me it doesn¡¯t matter. I will find out sooner or later. Then don¡¯t blame me if I kick her when she is in dire straits.¡±


    Zhou Cheng heard this, he was clearly alarmed for half a second , then after a pause , he really started to laugh, ¡° I know you. You¡¯re stubborn but your heart isn¡¯t that ruthless.¡±


    Yan Liang did not laugh. In the blink of an eye she took out his phone and returned it to Zhou Cheng¡¯s pocket. Then she walked past him, her face deadpan.


    In the second floor, Yan Liang was greeted by her colleagues who were waiting for a long time.¡±Ms Yan, here!¡±


    Just when she took her seat, the door of the cabin was opened again, indicating the late arrival of the director of the finance department. He was also warmly greeted, ¡°Director! Please sit here!¡±


    Zhou Cheng looked. In the whole table, the only seat empty was next to Yan Liang. He hesitated a bit, then went to sit next to Yan Liang. Yan Liang turned her head partially, and started chatting with the men sitting in the other side of her.


    Zhou Cheng looked at her profile, hesitation clearly written in his face. Then he transferred his attention, smiled and took the dishes the others were handing over.


    He waited until the hot dishes were cooked, then turned to see Yan Liang still chatting with the men . He thought for a moment,then took out his phone to type a text message.


    Yan Liang heard her cell phone ringing. She broke off the conversation to take out her phone from the bag. A look at the screen showed a message that turned her expression cold,¡±We will talk about it later. ¡° It was from Zhou Cheng.


    Zhou Cheng was also holding a cell phone in his hand. He saw her bow her head to read the message and then her cold expression. She put the phone on silent and put it back in the bag. His heart tightened.


    Their colleagues were eating happily. The cabin was full of smoke, everyone¡¯s faces were blurry.


    Finally, Yan Liang stood up and said, ¡° I need to go to the washroom¡±, and left the cabin.


    After closing the door, she did not go to the bathroom. Instead she started scrolling down her address book.


    Xu Ziqing had sent an ambiguous message requesting help from Zhou Cheng, it had many possible meanings. Yan Liang felt it was necessary to find out more about the financial situation of Xu Ziqing, her emotional state and even the recent accident that happened to her..


    Who should look for these? Who should she call ? No one came to mind.


    When she was scrolling through her address book a second time, suddenly a hand stretched over and grabbed her cell phone.


    Yan Liang was shocked. She turned back to see that it was Zhou Cheng.


    ¡° When I saw you take your bag, I guessed you were not going to the bathroom.¡±


    Yan Liang did not answer, she tried to take her phone back.


    But she was helpless as Zhou Cheng held down her hand.


    ¡° Some things, if you get to know, it will only create more trouble. Believe me, I will handle it.¡±


    Yan Liang heard him. She could not help sneer at him, ¡°Zhou Cheng, most of your life you have covered for Xu Ziqing and the consequences of her actions .¡±


    She tried to snatch back her phone, but Zhou circumvented her. The always good natured Zhou Cheng had also become nasty now, ¡° But if you get involved now, things will become even more chaotic.¡±


    Yan Liang stopped trying to reach for the phone. She looked at her phone in his hand and started laughing. She simply did not need the phone, neither did she need to return to the table. She just turned around and walked away.


    Zhou Cheng anxiously tried to stop her, ¡° Yan Liang..¡±


    She didn¡¯t turn her head, she had made up her mind.


    That night she had had nothing to eat, only two glasses of wine and that caused her stomach to ache.


    When she returned home, she restlessly kicked off her shoes, then walked barefoot into the living room, plonked her bag irritatedly on the coffee table and threw herself on the sofa.


    At that time, she caught sight of the message light blinking on the telephone .


    After she had moved to Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s home, she had arranged for all the calls to the phone in her apartment to be transferred here.


    She pressed down the message key, it was Zhou Cheng¡¯s voice, ¡°Yan Liang, don¡¯t get emotional. We need to seriously talk..¡±


    She pulled the phone chord, the message stopped completely.Silence was restored again.


    .


    Yan Liang sighed.


    She lay down on the sofa, motionless for god knows how long when she suddenly heard a sound at the door.When she looked at the door, it opened.


    Then she saw the figure of Jiang Yu Nan.


    Jiang Yu Nan was quite surprised to see her at home.


    He put on his slippers and approached her. He swept up the large jacket she had been wearing from the floor, looked at the bag she had thrown on the coffee table and could not help asking ,¡± Did you just come back?¡±


    Yan Liang nodded.


    Jiang Yu Nan looked almost exhausted. He sat down next to her, and closed his eyes. Out of habit, Yan Liang put her cold feet on his legs.


    Even before her feet had warmed up , Yan Liang asked, ¡°How can I find out about the financial situation of a person ?¡±


    She felt Jiang Yu Nan stiffen when she finished the sentence.


    Then he opened his eyes. His gaze was alert, he sat up straight and asked her solemnly , ¡° What¡¯s going on?¡±

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Having such a highly alert lover was sometimes terrible , the risk of being exposed as a liar was too high.


    ¡°Nothing really..¡±


    She did not want to talk about it and he didn¡¯t force her.


    Jiang Yu Nan got up and walked toward the study, a moment later he came back and gave Yan Liang a business card: ¡°This is ostensibly a financial company, but ¡­ ¡­ they can definitely help you. ¡°


    She looked at the card carefully, and silently took it from him.


    Her mind was chaotic, she didn¡¯t feel the least bit sleepy. Next to her , Jiang Yu Nan was sitting quietly. The interior of the house was silent and Yan Liang¡¯s thoughts drifted away ,remembering the countless times Zhou Cheng acted as a shield to Xu Ziqing.


    Yan Liang was jealous and resentful of the way Zhou Cheng treated Xu Ziqing. Her jealousy had reduced, but not her resentment, and her envy of their relationship was growing.


    And then she looked to her side where Mr Jiang had almost fallen asleep.


    He was so sleepy, yet he was willing to sit next to her in silence in the living room. But even then, some kind of sixth sense was warning her, she always felt that this man was a dangerous and unknown quantity.


    Thinking of him, she turned side ways and raised her body over his knees to sit astride him. As soon as she sat,he was naturally woken up. All sleepiness was swept away from his eyes as he looked at her.


    .


    Yan Liang leaned over and kissed him, then looked up to see


    his reaction, and then bowed her head.


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled at her,¡±Why are you in this mood today ?¡±


    She did not answer him, instead she asked, ¡° Are you tired?¡±


    ¡°A little bit.¡±


    Her ardour was instantly cooled by his words. Swinging her legs to the side, she stood up from the sofa at the next moment, and extended her hand towards Jiang Yu Nan, intending to pull him up.¡±Then you quickly wash up¡±, she glanced at the wall clock, ¡° it¡¯s almost three in the morning.¡±


    Before she had finished, Jiang Yu Nan pulled her back. Instead of Yan Liang pulling him up , he pulled her back down to the sofa.


    Before she could even sit on the sofa, he pulled her on to his lap.


    With her head resting on his legs, she saw him bend closer to her, the distance between the two decreasing slowly till they were so close that she could see her reflection in his eyes. Jiang Yu Nan slowly said, ¡° Its very rare for Ms Yan to be in this mood, for this,Mr Jiang will fight his tiredness.¡±


    Because it was winter, there were too many clothes, removing each piece was cumbersome. The floor next to the sofa was almost filled with clothing. Jiang Yu Nan kissed her shoulders as he unhooked her bra, then waited for her to raise her arms so that he could remove the bra.


    Yan Liang was completely reluctant to move. She had been so busy for so long, she now knew what it was to feel weak and exhausted.


    When he felt her not responding to his kiss, he stopped, then turned her face to look at him.


    Yan Liang pouted, a rare pampered expression on her face, ¡° Don¡¯t want to. Tired.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan continued to lie on her for a while, then got up and put on his shirt.


    Most of the shirt buttons were open. When he looked to his side to fasten the buttons, he saw that Yan Liang was still lying there, one hand covering her eyes while the other clutched at her bra. Lying motionless like that, she looked quite funny.


    He laughed silently , shook his head and picked her up.


    Yan Liang put her arms around his neck as he moved into the bedroom. She did not even want to brush her teeth , she wrapped a quilt around herself and immediately prepared sleep.


    Jiang Yu Nan sat on the bed and pulled the quilt off her head. This woman was so busy that she hadn¡¯t even put make up on, her bare face was exposed.


    ¡°You tease me and then won¡¯t do it. This is really tough.¡±


    Yan Liang did not answer, she pulled the quilt to cover herself.


    Jiang Yu Nan realised there was no way she was going to get up, so he went to the bathroom to wash up.


    Yan Liang only heard him leave. Soon she was in deep sleep. When she woke up, she had no idea how long she had slept, she was only aware that Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s arm was around her waist.


    She turned back to see him sleeping.


    This man was born handsome. As she listened closely, she could hear the sound of him breathing.


    A long time ago, there was a saying in a book she had read, Yan Liang was suddenly reminded of it. It said: Love is not expressed through the desire to make love, but is reflected through the desire to just sleep side by side.


    She turned her body to the side, closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. Her whole body was experiencing a sense of peace and calmness.


    Whatever was bothering her, she didn¡¯t want to think about it now. There were many things she would need to deal with, spend time on sooner or later..


    In less than a week, the finance company gave her a detailed report on Xu Ziqing. During this period, Ziqing¡¯s capital outflow was indeed a lot, mostly into some private investment projects. But this wasn¡¯t much of an exception


    The report was not only unable to dispel her doubts, in fact, it confused her even more. Since when had Xu Ziqing fallen in love with investments? And these were very generous investments, the risks associated would be quite high, she assumed..


    As the financial company continued to dig deeper , Yan Liang¡¯s doubts were gradually solved.These projects were mostly related to the Li Bo group. She guessed that Xu Ziqing and Jiang Shi Jun were investing together. With the news about her and Jiang Shi Jun , it looked like she wasn¡¯t afraid to invest her financial resources with him as well.


    But these were Yan Liang¡¯s speculation only, the investigators could not help her there. She finally took these reports and went to the finance department


    It was working hours at that time. She hastily walked through the finance department to the CFO¡¯s office.


    The door to the office was closed, Yan Liang opened the door without knocking. Sitting at his desk, Zhou Cheng was rapidly going through some documents while his subordinates were standing to the side.


    Hearing her come in, the subordinates first looked behind.


    Seeing Yan Liang, the subordinates were surprised. They were about to greet her when Yan Liang reached Zhou Cheng¡¯s desk.


    Zhou Cheng was busy reviewing the file. He did not notice her approach till a stack of documents was handed to him. He was about to set them aside when suddenly he looked scared. He pulled the documents back towards him.


    He had only read two lines when his face paled, and he looked up at Yan Liang standing in front of him.


    Zhou Cheng paused, then said to his subordinates ,¡± Please leave us alone.¡±


    The subordinates left the office.


    Zhou Cheng looked silently at Yan Liang, his fingers so tightly gripping the file that they were white.


    After a long time, his grip loosened and he handed the file back to Yan Liang.


    ¡°You can say it now,¡¯How did you find these?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xu found out from somewhere that Xu Ziqing had invested jointly with Jiang Shi Jun. You¡¯ve also found that out, and it¡¯s not a small amount. Jiang Shi Jun and your father have some bad history , Ziqing has really crossed the line this time. She wanted me to plead to your father on behalf of her. ¡°


    Yan Liang had earlier speculated something similar, seemed like she had guessed correctly.


    She could not help laughing.


    But she wasn¡¯t totally convinced. ¡°If it were only so simple, you would not be scared about me checking this out.¡±


    ¡°There..¡±, Zhou Cheng paused and looked at Yan Liang, a complex emotion reflecting in his eyes.


    Yan Liang did not push him and waited patiently for him to continue. Seeing this, Zhou Cheng continued,¡±.. Your father had invited lawyers to draw up a new will where he wanted to increase Ziqing¡¯s share. It is possible after this matter¡­¡±


    Now she really wanted to laugh. But this time she didn¡¯t. All of this had happened, and she was kept in the dark.


    All of this¡­


    In her home she was the biggest outsider¡­


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long drawn out silence, she finally asked, ¡° So the reason why you did not want me to investigate is not because you were scared? You thought that if I got to know about the legacy to Xu Ziqing, I would be sad?¡±


    Zhou did not admit.


    Of course there was no denial.

 Chapter 34

    I¡¯m getting a little irritated with those annoying websites that steal my work with no credit to the translator. I mean I¡¯m ok if they take it,but they should put the translator name. Anyway, I was wondering I could put up a mock post on Monday for a few hours and then put the real one a few hours later? Just a prank that makes me feel better. And for all those people who don¡¯t bother to move away from those sites some gobbledegook to read ????


    Here¡¯s the new chapter. Yan Liang takes a drastic step to protect her interests when she hears about Xu Ziqing¡­


    Chapter 34


    Yan Liang gave it a little thought, then smiled. Her smile was like the winter scenery outside the window, bleak, almost desolate. ¡°Or, are you worried that if I know about this, in order to safeguard my own interests, I will be really ruthless and kill Xu Ziqing?¡±


    It seems her jab hit the mark, there was a trace of panic in Zhou Cheng¡¯s eyes.


    This is what he was really worried about.. Yan Liang nodded to herself. Her throat choked and she could feel the tears coming. She forced herself to smile, she even laughed and said , ¡° Yes. How dare I expect you to stand by my side?¡±


    Zhou Cheng was stunned for a moment, then he hurriedly stood up and came around the desk to stand by her side. He put a hand on her shoulders and tried unsuccessfully to comfort her, ¡° Yan Liang..you..¡±


    Yan Liang laughed again and brushed off his hand. She looked into his eyes and said coldly ¡°All of you just keep watching me with your eyes wide open. Just see how I snatch everything back from her hands.¡±


    As she said this, the determination in her heart was evident, her words relentless. Zhou Cheng grimaced ,¡± Yan Liang, don¡¯t..¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, Yan Liang gave him a smile of ridicule. Then she turned around, picked up the file from his table and did not hesitate to leave. Staying would only increase her disdain for him.


    After leaving the finance department, she did not go back to the office. Instead she left the company and she drove all the way to the official attorneys of the Xu Group, Kang Law Firm. They were not only the official legal advisors for the Xu Group, but they also served as personal legal advisors for the Xu family for many years and were responsible for their legal affairs.


    The main lawyer was not in the country, which was very good for Yan Liang as the other partner of the firm greeted Yan Liang with a high degree of respect.


    The purpose of going there was simple, ¡° I want to have a look at my grandfather¡¯s will.¡±


    The lawyer and the young lady had only met a few times in the past. Her sudden visit and strange request made him quite curious, ¡° If it¡¯s not inconvenient, may I ask why you want to suddenly see this?¡±


    Yan Liang just gave him a formal smile, she was reluctant to give him an answer. The lawyer had to respect the wishes of his clients. He did not ask anymore, and led her directly to the file room.


    Because the will had already been read openly, Yan Liang was able to view the will without permission. She took out the original will. The paper was old, it¡¯s edges had yellowed over the years.


    When her grandfather died, Yan Liang had just learned to walk. She was extremely unfamiliar with the final signature in the document. While she had heard about the contents of the will over the years, she was not completely familiar with the terms.


    She now personally checked, the contents of the will were not very different from what she had heard.


    After reading carefully, she looked up at the senior lawyer, ¡°My grandfather designated a part of his shares in Xu for me to inherit, but the succession of authority is only effected when I marry. As long as I get a certificate of marriage, these shares will automatically pass on to me, is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°Why is this rule there?¡±


    At her question, the senior lawyer was a bit hesitant , thinking about how to couch the answer in a diplomatic manner. ¡° This will prevent the shares going into the hands of people your grandfather did not like.¡±


    ¡°People he did not like¡­..like my father?¡±


    The senior lawyer was surprised for a moment. He admired this young woman.


    Seeing the lawyer smile, Yan Liang realised that her guess was correct. She continued to ponder over the provisions of the will and carefully speculated, ¡° If the stock were vested to my mother, then my father would get half. And finally what would come to me would be lesser. On the other hand, if I get married and get the shares after that, since I have reached the age of marriage, it can be safely assumed that I am no longer under my father¡¯s control. So if the shares are given to me then, they are unlikely to go to him.¡±


    Yan Liang finished, looking at the lawyer like a high school student asking for affirmation from her teacher. The lawyer did not say anything, just smiled. Yan Liang gave him the file back, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Do you need anything else?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Yan Liang left the law firm. Standing downstairs in the building she took out her phone and dialled.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s personal phone was switched off , so Yan Liang tried his secretary next.


    ¡°Ms Yan?¡±


    Secretary Li had been to Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s home several times on official work and had seen Yan Liang there. The relationship between Yan Liang and Jiang Yu Nan was a closely guarded secret*, but nevertheless, Yan Liang was a little bit embarrassed when she heard his voice on the other end. After a pause , she asked , ¡° Where is Mr Jiang ?¡±


    *(Miumiu : really ? Closely guarded secret? The way y¡¯all have been kissing all over the office thank the heavens it¡¯s still a secret!)


    ¡°We are having lunch with the seniors in the Food and Drug Administration.¡±


    Yan Liang looked at her wrist watch, it really was lunch time.


    ¡°I would like to meet Mr Jiang alone to discuss something. Can you help me arrange that?¡±


    ¡°Is it very urgent ?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Mr Jiang is scheduled to travel from next week. I can tell you..¡±, at this point, Secretary Li seemed to be checking the schedule, ¡° if he doesn¡¯t work overtime tonight, he will be able to leave by 900 pm. Miss Yan can always go home and talk to him then.¡±


    (Miumiu : Hmm..why do I feel this Secretary Li is not supportive of the relationship?)


    With this, secretary Li threw cold water over her plans. She sighed, hung up and took the car to go back to the company. On the way, her cell phone rang.


    She kept her attention on the road as she picked up her Bluetooth to answer the call, ¡° Hello.¡±


    The other side responded very concisely, ¡° Where are you?¡±


    *** ***


    This translation for miumiu596.wordpress.com only. Please do not copy.


    Yan Liang was surprised for a moment, then she reacted, ¡° Aren¡¯t you having lunch with the seniors in FDA?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was non committal, but asked, ¡° Didn¡¯t you say this was urgent?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    In the silence, Yan Liang bit her lip. She stopped the car by the roadside, took a deep breath and said ,¡± I need to meet you.¡±


    There was a little silence.¡± Where are you now? I¡¯ll pick you up.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your schedule for today full?¡±


    ¡°¡±You are more important.¡± Jiang Yu Nan said casually.


    ¡­¡­ you¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ more important¡­¡­


    He said this in a relaxed and natural tone , as if to say there was nothing unusual in this declaration.


    Such an understatement, but it gave Yan Liang¡¯s heart a vicious blow. She froze for several seconds before recovering ,¡±No, I have a car,I¡¯ll pick you up.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan told her the address of the hotel. Yan Liang hung up the phone and immediately took a U-turn, then accelerated.


    .


    It was rush hour , there was a serious traffic jam and it took half an hour to reach the street where the hotel was located. She called Jiang Yunan: ¡°I have arrived.¡±


    After hanging up, she drove into the hotel¡¯s vestibular. Even before the car had stopped, she saw Jiang a Yu Nan walking out of the door.


    He also saw the car, and came towards the passenger side.


    In the peak of winter, he was wearing only a thin coat over his suit, his gloves, the same colour as his shoes, the only warm clothing he had on.


    As he got in the car, the cold outside seeped in and Yan Liang turned the heater on high.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s face was as chilly as the winter when she earlier saw him through the window,now on seeing her, it was obvious that his expression had thawed a lot,¡± Talk.¡±


    It was chilly, and now her hands were like ice. She did not know how to start , so she started the car instead ,¡± First, we need to go somewhere.¡±


    She did not answer, Jiang Yu Nan did not push.


    All the way to their destination, Yan Liang gripped the steering wheel tightly. Jiang Yu Nan only asked her once, ¡°Are you cold?¡±


    ¡°A little bit.¡±


    He turned the heater to a higher temperature.


    She drove smoothly as the interior of the car was in complete silence. Finally, after preparing herself mentally, although still looking at the road, she addressed her words to Jiang Yu Nan , she said, ¡° I don¡¯t want to get engaged.¡±


    She did not look at him, but obviously knew what his reaction would be.


    She felt as if the car got colder, from thirty degrees, it seemed the temperature in the car plunged suddenly to freezing point


    After a long while,¡± The reason ?¡± Jiang Yu Nan asked solemnly his voice low.


    As he finished speaking, Yan Liang stopped the car. Jiang Yu Nan looked out of the window and was stunned,


    A variety of unknown emotions passed over his face.


    He had not yet recovered from when he saw the plaque that said ¡°Civil Administration¡± when he heard Yan Liang¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get married directly.¡±


    Miumiu : Jiang Yu Nan was so ..so awesome in this when he said ¡°You are more important !¡± I bet no one ever told that to Yan Liang or made her feel that way.This is why I like him so much. ????

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35


    She felt more nervous than she had ever felt in her entire life.


    She keenly followed the changes in his facial expressions. He scrunched his eyebrows but the expression in his eyes was unreadable.


    Yan Liang was really worried that he would suddenly ask her ,¡± Why did you suddenly change your mind?¡±If he did so, she would be speechless


    Yan Liang was incapable of reading this man¡¯s mood, was he a little tensed? Was he eager ? Was he doubtful ? In favour? He was just indecipherable.


    Silence reigned for a long time. Yan Liang felt like a prisoner who was about to receive the judgement in the final trial.Her whole body right from the hair in her head to the tip of her toes was stiff, and even her breathing was cautious.


    Finally Jiang a Yu Nan straightened his eyebrows, his face relaxed as he laughed, ¡° You.. you want to marry me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡± ¡°I ¡­ ¡­¡± Yan Liang took a deep breath to calm down her rapid heartbeats, ¡°¡­ ¡­ Mr. Jiang, are you willing ?


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    His entire bearing was so gentle and easy, Yan Liang felt as if she had been granted amnesty. She was eager to move ahead to the next step, but maintained a nonchalant appearance, only smiling slightly, to prevent him from guessing her real reasons.


    The necessity of this marriage arose from her calculations of her inheritance, if this man got to know the truth..


    She had no courage to continue thinking any further on those lines.


    They put on their coats before leaving the car. Even before she could shut the doors, the strong wind blew at her hair, and her hair got in her eyes. She looked up at the sky. In the cold weather, dark clouds were gathering in the sky, an ominous portent that today was not a lucky day.


    Yan Liang tilted her head to look at Jiang Yu Nan on the other side of the car. He had a tall and straight posture, as if even the strongest winds could not shake him. All the uncertainty in her mind instantly disappeared, and she started walking towards the Civil Bureau.


    It was lunch time. The marriage registration office was currently on a break. Yan Liang and Jiang Yu Nan waited in the corridor. Taking advantage of the wait, both of them made calls to arrange for the required documents.


    Jiang Yu Nan asked Secretary Li for help. It must have seemed quite ridiculous to Secretary Li , but he was good at hiding his emotions. Maintaining his professional demeanour , all he said was ,¡± Congratulations.¡±


    Aunt Liang delivered the documents to Yan Liang. Her surprise was written all over her face. Before she handed the registration book to Yan Liang, she suddenly pulled it back, peaked sideways at Jiang Yu Nan and looking back at Yan Liang asked,¡± Miss are you sure you want to be his wife ? Your mother doesn¡¯t even know ¡­¡±


    ¡­¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡±


    Yan Liang was determined,¡± I will tell her myself.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Aunt Liang finally failed to keep the book out of Yan Liang¡¯s hands.


    They waited until the lunch break ended. There were two other couples in the queue. The form was filled, pictures were taken, fingerprints submitted , documents signed and sealed, nothing very cumbersome, and then they were married. All of a sudden, Yan Liang had a feeling as if none of this was real.


    Jiang Yu Nan stretched out his hand to touch his shoulder and she shrunk instinctively. Her reaction was not like that of a joyous bride. As he held her hand, he realised it was cold as ice. Jiang Yu Nan looked at her , puzzled, ¡° What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡° I just feel as if,.. this isn¡¯t real.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan silently shook his head and laughed. He bowed his head to see the marriage certificate, then raised her chin to kiss her lightly in front of everyone.


    The other couples watching Jiang Yu Nan and Yan Liang all reacted differently. One looked at his partner and smiled. One was fiddling with his tie from the tension. He relaxed, stopped the fiddling and pulled at his girlfriends hand.


    When the short kiss ended, Jiang Yu Nan did not let go of her. With his chin close to her forehead, he softly asked her , ¡° Does it feel real now?¡±


    His chest was really warm. Yan Liang finally inhaled deeply.


    She moved out of his embrace and extended a hand towards him,¡±Happy wedding.¡±


    Her smile and gesture was similar to how one partner greeted another after a successful contract signing. Jiang Yu Nan smiled and held her hand ,¡±Happy Wedding.¡±


    They shook hands.


    But this contract was everlasting.


    Although Yan Liang had specifically asked Aunt Liang not to say anything, when Yan Liang was still at work in the evening, her mother barged into the room.


    She and her colleagues were deciding on the third set of designs sent by the design department. She was in fact listening to the statement of the product director and looking at the draft when they all heard a loud bang on the door, scaring everyone.


    As Yan Liang rose from her seat, she heard a voice snapping,¡±Nonsense!¡±


    This voice..


    Nearly ten people in the room all turned their attention to the door.


    Yan Liang knew it was her mother, she looked sullenly at the door.


    Yan Liang had naturally expected her mother to be angry. Even though she had a good reason, her scalp was tingling with anticipation tinged with fear. She looked at the slightly scared expressions on her colleagues¡¯ faces; silently sighing, she used her usual tone to suggest, ¡° Please leave the room.¡±


    Her colleagues looked at each other and reached a tacit understanding between them that this was clearly the best course of action. Picking up their documents, they left the room.


    They all passed the lady standing at the door, their heads lowered and their shoulders hunched , as if they saw nothing.


    ¡°Why did you come here ?¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s question was completely ignored. Her mother walked towards her with measured steps, clearly in a rage. The blue light from the projector created a halo on the side of the faces of the mother and daughter.


    ¡° If I hadn¡¯t canceled my beauty treatment today and come back home early, if I hadn¡¯t seen Aunt Liang put your registration book back in the study, then would I have ever known that my daughter had gotten married?¡±


    £¢¡­¡­.£¢ ¡°¡­¡­.¡±


    ¡°You are too impulsive, how can marriage be so ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Yan Liang had expected her mother to react like this, she quietly heard her then solemnly replied,¡± Mom, I have made this decision after much thought. Even you sung praises of Jiang Yu Nan. What happened now?¡±


    Her mother listened to her remarks and became even more furious. ¡° I was full of praises for him because of his ability to work, because he can help the Xu Group make money ! As for marriage, Lu Zheng is the most suitable for you. He can help you gain a foothold in Xu.¡±


    Yan Liang could not help but sneer.


    She reasoned with her mother,¡± If I marry a person like Lu Zheng, I will only be an accessory by my husband¡¯s side. My understanding of Lu Zheng is that he simply looks down upon Xu and it¡¯s mess. So you think he will spend effort on this mess for me?¡±


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° And a lot of people know that Lu Mingting has clearly announced that his future daughter in law will not get involved in business like men.¡±


    Yan liang¡¯s mother frowned, clearly hesitating a bit.She had obviously heard this rumour as well.


    Yan Liang wanted to pause for a few minutes in her efforts to persuade her mother, but she did not want to give her mother too much time to think, said she again continued quickly, ¡° if I want only a huge monthly allowance to squander , then Lu Zheng is my best choice.¡±


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But what I want is Xu, I want my own empire, not like my mother , a rich wife, who bet all her happiness on a man.¡±


    Her mothers eyes saddened, she had ruthlessly drawn out the secret pain in her heart.


    Betting all on a man¡­


    The biggest pain that lay in the heart of a woman married for thirty years.


    *** ***


    Yan Mu looked silently at Yan Liang. Yan Liang could not meet her gaze.


    She did not continue on the same lines, but changed her tack,¡± Mom, I calculated, if Jiang Yu Nan and I get married, I will be able to get grandfather¡¯s shares. This, together with the fact that Jiang Yu Nan. Is trusted by the directors, should enable me to get the support of at least half of the board. Then, for me to enter the company is just a matter of time.¡±


    Her mother was quiet for a long time while the blue light from the projection screen continue to change shapes on her face. Because of the changing lights on her face, and the fact that her beauty regime to prevent wrinkles had limited her range of expression, Yan Liang was unable to make out if her mother was reconciled or sad.


    Perhaps this was a mother¡¯s selfishness, ¡° Yan Liang, you are using the marriage as a bargaining chip, one day you will get exhausted. I wanted you to marry Lu Zheng. One day, when you are tired and want to leave Xu, with Lu Zheng, you will be very stable.¡±


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    The marriage was a bargaining chip, but not just a chip, they also loved each other.


    Yan Liang thought this, but she wanted to finally calm her mother¡¯s concerns completely, so she stated boldly, ¡° I want to be successful, not stable.¡±


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡° I want to be successful, not stable ¡­ ¡°


    Concealed outside the conference room, Jiang Yu Nan silently heard the conversation and sneered


    He decided not to stay any longer, he took a U-turn and left.


    (Miumiu : oh gosh! And this is why you should not be eavesdropping at the door, you didn¡¯t hear her say in her heart that both of you loved each other did you?? Ugh!)


    His footsteps, which were always vigorous and resolute were a bit awry.


    When he reached the elevator, he called up Secretary Li.


    ¡°Mr Jiang ?¡± Secretary Li was surprised to get a call from him.


    He said coldly , ¡°When is the meeting with President Wu?¡±


    Secretary Li responded immediately, ¡° Didn¡¯t you tell me earlier that your trip for the next two days should be cancelled ? That you wanted to spend time with Yan Liang for the next two days ?¡±


    Even before he was finished he was interrupted, ¡° What time?¡±


    Secretary Li now understood, there was a hint of pain and sorrow in the voice of his employer. After a pause, he replied ,¡±Four thirty.¡±


    Miumiu :This pair of lovers is really star crossed. The pain in Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s voice clearly indicates he had feelings for Yan Liang as well. He probably rushed down to provide moral support when he heard that Yan Liang¡¯s mother was on a warpath. Then he hears this. Yan Liang is also to blame, probably because she had been in a dysfunctional family, she doesn¡¯t know how to emote naturally. Imagine shaking hands after marrying !!!


    Now that he has misunderstood her , he will only hide it, making Yan Liang think, when she finds out his real mission, that he never loved her at all ! I feel sad for the pair.

 Chapter 36

    After Yan Liang sent away her mother, she asked her assistant to call back the colleagues and the meeting continued


    After nearly one hour of discussion, the team finally decided to use the third set of designs. Once the samples came out, Ya Yan¡¯s new herbal range would be formally put into production. The launch activities would also start after that.


    ( Miumiu: Ugh I hate translating these corporate parts. I should just summarise. ¡°Meeting happened and some decisions were taken. End¡± ..ha ha)


    In addition to this meeting, Yan Liang had no other things to attend to today. She specifically left work early to take the marriage certificate to the law firm. Again she was received by a senior lawyer.


    The senior lawyer was in awe of Yan Liang, not because he admired her, but because he thought she was crazy.


    Tomorrow morning he would be able to formally transfer the shares to her. Relieved, Yan Liang could finally give herself a vacation.


    When she came out of the Civil Bureau, both Jiang Yu Nan and she had appointments. Both had decided to get off early from work. It was the first night of their wedding. Even though they weren¡¯t travelling and there was no honeymoon, they couldn¡¯t waste the first night on overtime.


    As she was driving, suddenly her cell phone rang.


    She looked at the phone. It was Secretary Liu. This surprised her. Secretary Liu was the former secretary of her father, but now this number was being used by Xu Jin Fu¡¯s new secretary. Secretary Liu¡¯s long career in Xu had been completely wrecked by Xu Jin Fu


    Yan Liang wanted to ignore the call, but on second thoughts, she answered the phone. There was an unfamiliar voice on the other end, ¡°Ms Yan.. .¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±.


    ¡°Your father has just received a law ¡­¡±


    There was no need to listen to her anymore. She immediately interrupted her, ¡°If my father would like to express his views on my marriage, then please tell him that this is a private matter and he need not worry. If he cannot bear to part with the shares, then I can only say that without my grandfather, there would be no Xu, my grandfather will not allow the company to fall in the hands of a bastard.¡±


    The secretary at the other end could not put in a word edgeways as Yan Liang resolutely blocked her again and again. She did not know when the phone had been handed over to Xu Jin Fu who responded in an angry voice , ¡° Xiao Qing is your sister. How can you call her a bastard?¡±


    Yan Liang did not answer. Her face was expressionless as she sat in the car, there wasn¡¯t even the mildest upheaval in her heart.


    Enraged by her silence, Xu Jin Fu¡¯s roared, ¡° How did I give birth to someone like you who has no manners and a poisonous heart!¡±


    Yan Liang silently hung up the phone. Her father¡¯s next words were lost.


    Before she could pull off the Bluetooth, the phone rang again. It seemed her father had not scolded her to his heart¡¯s content, Yan Liang ignored the call.


    She was still wondering if she should take some pre-emptive measures. Today, she had really cornered her father, he might take vicious actions against her


    She called her assistant and instructed, ¡° Put out this message to the media ¨C Xu Jin Fu¡¯s daughter Xi Ziqing and the family¡¯s rival, Li Bo group president Jiang Shi Jun are now in a relationship . This is a conspiracy by Jiang Shi Jun. The Xu family is strongly opposed to this, and Xu Jin Fu has severely punished his daughter.¡±


    Her assistant, ignorant of the heart of the matter said, ¡°Ms Yan, all this.. ¡°


    ¡°Do what I say.¡±


    Yan Liang hung up the phone and immediately switched it off.


    The world was finally quiet, tomorrow there would be a showdown, but that was tomorrow.


    When she came home, it wasn¡¯t even six. Since her mobile phone was switched off she used the home phone to call Jiang Yu Nan. His private phone was soon picked up, but it was Secretary Li.


    ¡°He¡¯s in a meeting?¡± Yan Liang asked in surprise.


    Li replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t this cancelled?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry Mrs Jiang. This is too important for Mr Jiang to decline.¡±


    The title Mrs Jiang felt strange to Yan Liang, but it sounded very sweet. Unknowingly, she smiled to herself. After a pause, she said, ¡° Then please tell him on my behalf that he should come home directly after the meeting is finished. He should not have dinner outside; I am personally preparing dinner for him.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Yan Liang suddenly realised she had boasted too much.


    Personally cook? She had no such skills.


    This was a home of two workaholics. The refrigerator was naturally empty. She wore a jacket and went to the nearby supermarket to pick up groceries.


    While pushing the cart, she consulted some recipes on her mobile phone. She picked up a lot of ingredients and felt satisfied.


    However, when she was in the kitchen washing and cutting the vegetables, she felt at a loss.


    By the time the steak was fried and thrown out, the fish was fried and thrown out, the day was getting darker. This was no better than overtime. Yan Liang was aware that it was quite late; when she looked up at the wall clock it was 8 PM


    And all she had was scrambled eggs with tomato.


    She looked at the empty table, then at the pile of food in the trash cans. She dumped all the food on the chopping board as well.


    Standing on the side of the table, she massaged her forehead. She sighed and gave up. She turned around and went back to the living room to call the restaurant


    Half an hour later, the table was filled with food. As she sent away the delivery staff and looked at the table, she smiled. She looked at the clock again, it was 9 o clock.


    He would probably have finished work by now.


    She went back to the sofa to wait for Jiang Yu Nan


    ..9:00


    10 O¡¯Clock¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    She was awakened by the sound of the door opening.


    She half raised her body from the sofa, and looked questioningly at the door.. Jiang Yu Nan had finally come home.


    At one o clock ¨C when she looked at the clock, her expression turned ugly.


    ¡° You haven¡¯t eaten? ¡° Jiang Yu Nan was surprised.


    Yan Liang kept quiet.


    Jiang Yu Nan approached the table and looked at all the dishes that had turned cold. Then he turned back, and sat on the sofa next to Yan Liang with a very apologetic smile, ¡° It¡¯s our wedding night, and my wife is alone and hungry. I plead guilty.¡±


    Yan Liang looked at him, ¡° How will you apologise?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° Should I eat all the food that has gone cold?¡±


    ¡° That is a good idea¡±. Her fingers gently lifted the cuff of his shirt to see the watch. ¡° I will give you half an hour to eat it all.¡±


    He did not expect her to agree. Jiang Yu Nan frowned but ultimately resigned himself to his fate. ¡° Okay¡±.


    Half an hour later, Yan Liang came to the table to check.


    He had really eaten it all.


    Jiang Yu Nan elegantly patted his mouth with the napkin and then praised her with a light smile, ¡°So, my wife¡¯s cooking skills are so good?¡±


    Thinking of all the food that had been thrown away, Yan Liang started laughing


    Before she had stopped smiling, Jiang Yu Nan added, ¡° Or is it the skill of the chef in the opposite restaurant?¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s smile froze.


    Jiang Yu Nan was still smiling. He got up and came to her from behind and embraced her. He moved her long hair to the side, exposing her neck.


    With his chin resting on her shoulder, his hands slowly dipped into the hem of her clothes, ¡° I am full, now it is my turn to feed you..¡±


    I am full..


    She was fed well¡­


    **********


    When she woke up the next day, it was already late. Jiang Yu Nan had already risen.


    He had left a note and deactivated the alarm. ¡°Your husband is working to make money.¡±


    After looking at the note, she looked at the watch and was alarmed. It was ten o clock!


    She quickly got up and dressed. At the same time, she looked for her phone; yesterday she had turned it off so it took some time to reboot.


    The alarm setting on her phone had been deactivated as well. Was her husband¡¯s behaviour too intimate?


    Yan Liang rushed to wash up. She occasionally looked at the mirror at her own face. Her cheeks were glowing slightly, her lips were bright red and moist like flower petals.


    She smiled and shook her head. Last night¡¯s activities had addled her brain


    After she finished her bath, she heard the phone ring


    It was her assistant calling


    She had told her assistant yesterday to update the media; presumably today she would be able to see that in the newspaper.Today would surely be an uneasy day.


    She assumed her assistant was calling to tell her about the results, so she quickly answered.


    ¡° Ms Yan!¡± the assistant¡¯s panic stricken voice immediately reached Yan Liang¡¯s ears.


    Yan Liang was taken aback for a moment.


    ¡° Something big has happened with Ya Yan!¡±

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s voice was tight as she asked the question.


    The assistant was helpless, her voice was also trembling : ¡°There are customers who used Ya Yan¡¯s cream and stated that it caused them


    skin allergies. They have decided to jointly sue us. Today, all the major media channels have reported this matter in the morning and a legal notice has been sent to your office.¡±


    The bad news sobered her immediately, her body stiffened.


    She wasn¡¯t aware how long she stood there till she looked up to see her face in the mirror opposite. Her face was pale , and she looked helpless. Yan Liang was stunned and immediately woke up from her stupor.


    Yan Liang walked into the closet, pulled out some items from the hanger and started dressing quickly. She put the phone between her head and shoulder while using her hands to dress. Her mind was running at warp speed, trying to think about a way to rescue Ya Yan.


    ¡°Let the public relations department contact the heads of the major media channels and try to suppress the news. Use the fastest way to find those who participated in the lawsuit against us, so that we can talk to them. As long as we can reach a solution in private, money is not an issue. ¡°


    Yan Liang quickly dressed in a professional suit while giving step by step instructions to her assistant on the other end.


    Yan Liang continued, ¡°Find out the whole story, the ins and outs, including which batch of cream created this issue, which production chain is the problem. Check if we have received complaints about allergic reactions to the cream in the past year¡­ ¡­ ¡±


    Speaking of this, Yan Liang suddenly paused while putting on her shirt.


    Because she recalled something


    Cream ¡­ allergy ¡­ complaints ¡­


    Nearly a year ago, Xu Ziqing had allocated part of the Ya Yan production line to other products. As a result , Ya Yan was forced to outsource the cream production to other factories. In those, there were similar skin allergy complaints ¡­ ¡­


    Were these two things linked ?


    Yan Liang did not want to speculate, but was disturbed. She hung up the phone . Carrying her coat and purse, she rushed out of the room and then out of the house.


    + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +


    This translation done for miumiu596.wordpress.com.please do not copy.


    The apartment door closed behind her with a bang, she walked quickly towards the elevator. Her heels created a tapping noise which was getting more and more urgent.


    As she sped to the company , Yan Liang made four phone calls, looked up seven messages , rejected a three way conference and spoke to all her subordinates and her friends to rubbish the concerns raised by the media.


    She even refused to pick up Xu Jin Fu¡¯s call. When she hung up, she realised she had entered the by-lane in front of the Xu building.


    The worst would come now..


    Seeing the mass of reporters in front of the building, her scalp started tingling.


    One of the journalists who was waiting outside the building recognised her car, in the blink of an eye, he had rushed to the side of the car with his equipment.


    The other journalists immediately followed, and the front of her car was blocked.


    It was impossible to drive the car. While Yan Liang was in the car, a reporter took his camera and placed it against the window. There was a burst of flash light across the window, even with the black protective screen , the bright light stabbed her eyes.


    The building security rushed out to maintain order. It was impossible for the reporters to get into the car. As she realised that the security was finding it difficult to control the media, she decided to step out of the car.


    Even before both her feet were on the ground, a reporters voice thundered out ,¡± Ms Yan, with regards to this issue of quality control in Ya Yan, will there be an investigation of who was responsible ?¡±


    ¡° I heard that Ya Yan¡¯s Public Relations department was trying to suppress the news..¡±


    ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Miss Yan, the relationship between your sister and Jiang Shijun


    , is it just a rumor ¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it true that Xu Ziqing was expelled from the decision making level of Xu because of the relationship with Jiang Shijun ?¡±


    ¡°We have just received the news that your father will meet the media this afternoon. Did he decide to meet the media to calm the storm on Yan Yan, or to give a clarification on the rumours around your sister ? ¡°


    ¡°Miss Yan, there is news that the board will face a huge change in the number of shares. The shares held by the major


    shareholders will also have a corresponding change, is this rumour true?¡±


    ¡°Xu had just been revived by relying on Ya Yan . But now in the same day, it had suffered two major blows, do you you have any responses?¡±


    The questions were biting, but Yan Liang kept silent. With her security staff around her, she walked though the crowd and finally succeeded in getting into the building.


    After all the shoving, Yan Liang was in panic. She had lost some hair in the melee, she quickened her pace and stepped into the elevator.Her assistant trotted along with her all the way. Panting, she reported , ¡°The shareholders have received the news . They have all rushed over and are now gathered in the chairman¡¯s office. They are demanding that the chairman must personally come and explain today¡¯s event to them.¡±


    Yan Liang anxiously watched the floor numbers in the display and asked the assistant, ¡° Mr Jiang ?¡±


    ¡°He is at the chairman ¡®s office, trying to appease the shareholders.¡±


    ¡°Did he leave any instructions?¡±


    ¡± Mr Jiang told us to do pretty much the same things that you had instructed us to do over the phone. Besides, when the chairman arrives, Mr Jiang wants to appease the others, especially to lobby with the the shareholders who are not board members and advise them not to sell Xu stock.¡±


    Yan Liang felt a headache coming up as she listened to all of this.


    Last night she had wanted to go away on a vacation with Jiang Yu Nan in lieu of a wedding reception, now it all appeared like wishful thinking.


    While this question and answer session was going on, the elevator had arrived at their floor. Yan Liang got out of the elevator and walked all the way to the office.


    The assistant continued , ¡° Earlier, as per your instructions, I had issued a press release on Xu Ziqing¡¯s scandal to a friendly reporter. That, by itself would not have caused such a big shock, and would have probably died after a while. But now with Ya Yan¡¯s allergy news and this exposure, our stock opened at the lowest today.¡±


    Yan Liang could not help but sigh. She felt really helpless. The retribution against her vicious act was so fast. If the two scandals hadn¡¯t coincidentally been exposed at the same time, things would have been much different now..


    ¡° If the two scandals are not resolved before the opening of the stock markets tomorrow, especially if the allergy issue is not resolved by tomorrow, the stock will definitely fall to even worse levels. If the shareholders who are not board members panic, there will be irrational selling.¡±


    As soon as she finished, the assistant asked, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    Yan Liang shook her head. Her scope of authority did not extend to controlling this matter, the only thing she had to do now was to deal with the problem of Ya Yan.


    Perhaps the more you want to save, the more things get worse?


    The Xu Consumers who had jointly filed the legal suit all refused private reconciliations, even though the conditions Yan Liang laid down were very attractive.


    Not only was the legal department involved in the matter, the chiefs of the quality inspection, business and other departments directly called up Yan Liang and demanded that she solve the matter as soon as possible. Else they would disregard everything and she would be severely punished as per the existing procedures.


    The media channels made the news more and more spicy, they even dug out the news of the unauthorised use of Ya Yan production lines by Xu Ziqing in the past.


    Almost at the same time , Yan Liang learned the cause of the incident, ¡° All the consumers who jointly accused Xu used the Ya Yan batch that was produced under Xi Ziqing a year back.¡±


    ¡° But we had recalled that batch already. How is it still in circulation now?¡±


    ¡°This ¡­ we have not found out yet.¡±


    ¡°Then go down to check !!!¡±


    Yan Liang almost roared at them, then banged down the phone.


    It was not yet lunch time when Yan Liang received a message that a lot of sales outlets were pulling out Ya Yan products. As soon as she received this information, her first reaction was to contact the general manager in charge of Mingting.


    Ming Ting¡¯s manager was also very difficult, he only gave her


    an ambiguous answer: ¡°In fact, we are also in a very difficult situation.Perhaps If Miss Yan can personally request Mr Lu, and he promises you, then we must follow his instructions.¡±


    She was really desperate. She didn¡¯t hesitate an instant. As soon as she hung up the phone with the general manager, she dialled the number of Lu Zheng.


    Unfortunately, the phone was answered by the secretary of Lu Zheng: ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Mr Lu is currently vacationing in a foreign country. During a holiday, he does not deal with corporate


    affairs. ¡°


    Hearing this, her heart fell.


    She looked up at the ceiling as she leaned back against her chair, wondering what to do when her assistant knocked on the door, ¡° A distributor is on the line, do you want to speak to him?¡±


    She opened her eyes and answered, ¡° Please help me deal with them.¡±


    This was a tough battle and so far Yanliang had not even seen her opponents. The only thing left was to call Lu Zheng on his private line while he was out of the country.


    She dialled the number and held her breath while she heard the phone ringing.


    She waited as the phone rang thrice..and then she was connected.


    ¡± Hey?¡±


    Thankfully this was the voice of Lu Zheng.


    Yan Liang immediately sat up straight, all her bad mood instantly disappearing. She started,¡± Mr Zheng, this is Yan Liang.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Although only a short word, but it revealed the fact that Lu Zheng was surprised. Was there a hint that he was in fact pleasantly surprised ?


    There was no time to speculate on his reaction, Yan Liang said, ¡°Im sorry to disturb you. ¡°


    Listening to Yan Liang, there was an obvious pause at Lu Zheng¡¯s end.


    When he spoke, his voice had been restored to its usual calm tone. Listening to his tone, Yan Liang felt it had been carefully modulated, ¡° Ms Yan , are you trying to reach me for a business matter?¡±


    Yan Liang inhaled deeply, and gaining the courage to speak, she said,¡± This..¡±


    In simple terms she narrated the whole story and stated what she wanted , ¡° I hope Mr Lu will Look at our co operation during the happy times and can promise not to take off Ya Yan products off the shelf for the time being.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Hearing the silence at Lu Zheng¡¯s end, she subconsciously paced the room back and forth anxiously.


    ¡°This ¡­ ¡­¡± Lu Zheng suddenly said.


    As if she could predict from his tone that he was about to refuse, Yan Liang interrupted him anxiously,¡± I promise to get this matter resolved at the earliest ¨C in the next three days! Three days later, if I cannot keep my promise then, if you want to take our products off the shelf, we will not complain.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said Lu Zheng finally, ¡°three days.¡±


    Having gained a temporary reprieve from Mingting, Yan Liang considered it a good deal.


    As soon as she hung up the phone with Lu Zheng, her assistant knocked at her door, ¡° Zhou Cheng, Director Zhou Cheng is on the phone, will you take it ?¡±


    She waved in the negative, turned and thought, then stopped. She came close to her assistant and asked, ¡° Are the share holders still in the chairman¡¯s office ?¡±


    ¡± Your father is also there.¡±


    Yan Liang got up and went straight to the chairman¡¯s office.


    There was no one outside the chairman¡¯s office. The exclusive receptionist to the office was not at her desk so Yan Liang¡¯s progress to the office was unimpeded.


    She did not even knock on the door, just walked in to the room directly.


    Just when she opened the door, she heard a shareholder say, ¡° .. the only way out is to have someone stand up, take the blame , and the matter can be closed.¡±


    Another person asked: ¡°Who is willing to take so much


    responsibility ¡­ ¡­¡±


    She did not wait for this person to finish and knocked on the door.


    ¡°Knock knock¡± , and all of the people in the room looked over.


    Sitting on his seat , Xu Jinfu immediately frowned.


    Uncle Liang Wei was also surprised and called out : ¡°Yan Liang?¡±


    Yan Liang approached them and said, ¡° You must have all received the news.Ya Yan had problems with one of its batches, and my sister should not get away with this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Looking at their reactions, Yan Liang was convinced, they were all well aware of the real situation.


    Xu Jinfu immediately cut her short : ¡°Yan Liang you go out.¡±


    Yan Liang continued as if she hadn¡¯t heard him,¡± Mr Chen said that to stop the down slide, someone has to come forward and take the responsibility . I have a suggestion. Very suitable..¡±


    Xu Jin Fu could foresee something and angrily stood up. He pointed his finger at the door and roared, ¡° Yan Liang ! Stop this nonsense. Get out!!!¡±


    Get out.


    This word is really harsh.


    Yan Liang frowned, and then continued: ¡°That person is ¨C Xu Ziqing.

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38


    All the people were stunned.


    But Xu Jin Fu had anticipated Yan Liang¡¯s presence sooner rather than later. As soon as Yan Liang had stopped talking, he turned to his secretary by his side and shouted ¡° Call the security inside.¡± Then he looked angrily at Yan Liang,¡± Ask them to kick her out.¡±


    Xu Jin fu was really furious. His face was livid. His secretary worried that he would get another heart attack. He was in a dilemma , should he or should he not call security ?


    Or should he first try to calm Xu Jin Fu down?


    When the secretary hesitated, Xu Jin Fu scolded him,¡± Are you rebelling against me?¡±


    Scared, the Secretary quickly took out his phone to call the security office.


    At this time,Xu Jin Fu , who had impatiently stood up, suddenly had trouble with his breathing. He staggered and sat back down in his seat.


    Seeing this, the secretary panicked and quickly put down the phone. Xu Jin Fu was panting as he sat on the chair, the secretary immediately started rubbing his back to ease his breathing.


    Yan Liang naturally did not miss this scene, her heart tightened. But soon Xu Jin fu¡¯s face relaxed, although his breathing still sounded a little laboured. She faced the secretary, ¡° Didn¡¯t you tell the security to come fast?¡±


    Despite what Xu Jin fu said, half of her heart was relieved that he was better and the other half despised herself for still worrying about him


    Seeing that the secretary was hesitating to pick up the phone again, Yan Liang composed herself and instructed him,¡± Go get the chairman¡¯s medicine.¡±


    Xu Jin fu immediately reiterated to the secretary, ¡° Call Paul..¡±


    Any soft feelings she had toward Xu Jin fu were immediately suppressed , ¡° What happened to you ? Are you just waiting to lose your job and have a legal suit filed against you ?¡±


    After all this, the secretary was shocked and ran all the way to the door.


    As soon as the secretary had left, Yan Liang said, ¡° Since Uncle has not come up with a better solution, I propose that we vote to decide if Xu Ziqing should take the blame for this .¡±


    The faces of the shareholders were ashen.


    At that moment, although Xu Jin fu was in poor health, even finding it difficult to say anything , he was still powerful and the shareholders were torn between him and Yan Liang.


    Even if they could not go against Xu Jin fu directly , they still needed to vent, ¡° Xu Xu to be honest, we are all really disappointed with Xiao Qing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Shu, who had always been a loyal supporter of Yan Liang¡¯s mother naturally chimed in her support ,¡° Regardless of her relationship with Jiang Shi Jun, the things that she had done to Ya Yan are very wrong. If not for this, we would have been kept in the dark and even the future of the company would be put at risk.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Another shareholder could not restrain himself anymore ,sighed and said, ¡° Xu Xu, we understand your feelings , but Xiao Qing really needs to be taught a lesson.¡±


    After a long silence, Xu Jin fu finally gathered some strength. He glanced at the large shareholders, all of whom had their own considerations and changed his tack, ¡° Well , since Yan Liang suggested this, let us vote now.¡±


    Although Xu Jin fu had been in and out of hospitals frequently this year, there were rarely any high level disputes. This did not mean, however, that he did not know anything. Which shareholders were secretly helping Yan Liang¡¯s mother and which ones were by his side, he was actually well aware.


    Under such a command , soon, there was a show of hands. Just as he had estimated, the votes were divided equally.


    By convention, only if more than half of the votes were in favour was the decision implemented. At this point, Xu Jin fu looked at Yan Liang, his gaze not like a father watching his daughter, but rather like the victor watching his defeated opponent.


    (Miumiu: why is XJF so against YL? And Yang Liang , as usual, rushes in where angels fear to tread !)


    Just at this time, the door to the room was pushed open. Xu Jin Fu¡¯s Secretary had not only brought the medicine, he had also got four security guards.


    While the secretary approached Xu Jin fu, the guards went straight to Yan Liang.


    Yan Liang felt her cell phone vibrate. She realised a text message had come in.


    Curious, she looked down at the phone and the looked up to see the four tall guards standing beside her.


    If they were going to use force, then it was easy. Yan Liang¡¯s face showed no fear, no grievances , but rather a trace of arrogance.


    She smiled faintly towards Xu Jin fu , the next moment, she looked at the shareholder sitting opposite her who had not said a word till now, ¡°Director Liao, you may be unaware, I have just received the shares my grandfather had vested in me. My mother had also granted me part of her shares. So now I have, in my name, more shares than you. That means..¡±


    Yan Liang glanced around the room with eyes that proclaimed her superiority and then turned back to Director Liao,¡± Your board seats have been automatically revoked.¡±


    As soon as she stopped speaking, the expressions on everyone¡¯s face changed. But Yan Liang was watching , not how Director Liao was taking this tragic news , but her father taking his tablets.


    Her eyes stayed on her father for only half a second. Then she smiled elegantly and said, ¡° And my resolution is..¡±


    While talking, she slowly raised her hand.


    *** ***


    This translation only for moumiu596.wordpress.com. Please do not copy.


    Suddenly the result was completely different. That Xu Ziqing would take all the blame was now a foregone conclusion. Xu Jin fu sat in complete silence. After successfully orchestrating the turnaround, Yan Liang walked over to stand beside Xu Jin fu and said in a faux apologetic voice, ¡° Dad, I have called over sister, please speak to her and tell her the decision of the provisional meeting.¡±


    Xu Jin fu looked beaten. He raised his eyes to look at Yan Liang, his eyes revealing almost hatred. ¡° All this is your strategy?¡±


    Yan Liang was surprised for a moment.


    Xu Jin fu shook his head incredulously, then suddenly rubbed his head thoughtfully and then smiled mockingly , ¡°You really are my daughter, you played this even more unscrupulously and ruthlessly than me..¡±


    Xu Jin fu¡¯s words ..¡±All this ¡­¡±


    Was he referring to the manipulation of Xu stocks in the stock market, the exposure of two new scandals or her new promotion ?


    Yan Liang quickly recovered, the last trace of warmth for her family was instantly exhausted after listening to her father¡¯s suspicions.


    She only gave Xu Jin fu a noncommittal smile, neither acknowledging nor denying , but handed him her phone and turned away


    Xu Jin fu looked down at Yan Liang¡¯s phone.


    He was battle hardened in business, but his daughter was able to scare him into a cold sweat. When Xu Jin fu saw the contents of the message, the coldness in his palms pierced into his heart¡­


    The message was one Yan Liang¡¯s mother had sent to her, ¡°Authorisation has been signed.Go for it. ¡°


    ¡°Go for it ..ruin your father and everything he left to that bastard.¡±


    Yan Liang walked out of the chairman¡¯s office. With the arrogance of a a winner, she walked all the way down the corridor and entered her office.


    There was no one around, she did not need to pretend anymore. The moment she shut the door, her posture softened and she involuntarily leaned against the door.


    At this moment, even she was not clear what her heart was feeling.


    She had finally succeeded , why was her heart feeling so empty?


    ¡­¡­ An unprecedented feeling of emptiness ¡­


    As if trying to grasp at a straw, she hurriedly went to the desk, grabbed the phone handset and dialled a string of numbers.


    At this moment, she needed to share with someone. Share her joy..share her helplessness..


    The phone rang three times and then was picked up.


    She could not control herself and immediately cried out, ¡° Jiang Yu Nan!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Chief Jiang, he .. he is busy talking to the shareholder Lai Zhengnian.¡±


    The secretary¡¯s voice felt like a pot of cold water had been thrown at Yan Liang; it was almost cruel. Yan Liang was suddenly speechless.


    In this critical situation, in order to stabilise the stock price of Xu , to prevent malicious sale by the share holders, Lai was Jiang¡¯s first port of call as he held a considerable amount of shares.


    Yan Liang paused, scrunched her eyebrows to modulate her tone and then said,¡± When Mr Jiang is finally free, please ask him to call me back.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    She hung up the phone.


    It was her inevitable loss that she could not hear the calm and healing voice of Jiang Yu Nan, but knowing that he was working for her , her heart no longer felt empty and terrible.


    She looked out of the window.


    It looked like there was going to be a haze that would last the whole winter.


    Under the same hazy sky, Secretary Li put away the phone and stepped back in Lai Zhengnian¡¯s office. Just as he came in, he heard Mr Lai say, ¡° Mr Jiang , you can rest assured that I am confident of Mr Xu and Mr Jiang. I will not be influenced by today¡¯s scandal to sell the stock¡±


    In response to his words, there was a sound of low, ambiguous laughter.


    The laughter soon disappeared, but a trace of the sound lingered.


    Then the next words were spoken in a low voice, ¡° Mr Lai, you may have misunderstood what I meant. I came personally to persuade you to sell all the shares you hold.¡±


    Miumiu : The devil¡¯s true face is finally revealed. Poor Yan Liang..aching to hear his healing voice, thinking he is out to support her, when Jiang Yu Nan is actually ensuring her downfall!!

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39


    The media meeting that was scheduled for 230 pm was delayed till 4 pm.


    The media hall, which could accommodate a hundred people was packed. When Yan Liang pushed the door open and looked around, the journalists all looked impatient but they were stationed everywhere.


    In order to avoid unnecessary issues, Yan Liang stood near the exit and did not enter the hall.


    She had already heard the news. Xu Jin fu and Xu Ziqing had been talking for over an hour alone in the chairman¡¯s room and would come together to the media hall.


    Sure enough, in a while,, Yan Liang saw the press spokesman for the Xu Group arrive at the podium .


    The flashlights started crackling, the sound of shutters resounding through the hall.


    In accordance to the results of the shareholders vote, the spokesman would make a brief statement, then Xu Ziqing would appear to take all the responsibility of the Ya Yan mishap.


    But the actual situation disappointed her. After the spokesperson read out the speech, Xu Jin fu stepped on the stage alone, not with Xu Ziqing.


    Xu Jin fu personally came to the stage in his crutches. Even on crutches , his pace was slow.


    Although an old man now, he was still majestic. As he slowly took his position in the podium, there was complete silence in the room.


    Xu Jin fu looked at the audience, paused and then started ,¡± My media friends, good afternoon.¡±


    Then he stated the same things as in the opening remarks of the spokesperson.The reporters who had waited so long were not in the mood to listen to such high sounding rhetoric , dissatisfaction was written all over their faces.


    The reporters¡¯ faces changed and displayed urgency, ridicule and solemnity. Compared to them,Xu Jin fu maintained his calm, ¡° With regards to the scandal about my daughter Xu Ziqing, the rumours are false, I would like to refute that.¡±


    One reporter anxiously stood up. The security waiting on the side saw this and came forward to ensure the reporter sat back in his chair. Xu Jin Fu shook his head, indicating that the security should not act rashly.


    When the guard returned to his original position, the reporter¡¯s voice rang out, ¡° What about the Ya Yan scandal? The victim had submitted all relevant material to the judiciary, the evidence has been published, that can¡¯t be a false rumour, right?¡±


    Xu Jin fu seemed to have expected the press to ask this question and gave out a well thought out answer immediately , ¡° This matter needs to be investigated thoroughly. Before the conclusion of the investigation, I will not express any views on the Ya Yan allergy. I request my media friends not to speculate, we will soon give you a satisfactory answer.¡±


    Xu Jin fu was completely inflexible. This rogue strategy had in fact led to a loss of Xu¡¯s prestige.


    Yan Liang was standing outside the door like an outsider watching a joke where her father was the clown.


    Even though he was the chairman, but as a representative of the shareholders interest, his every move was contrary to their wishes. The shareholders were completely disappointed. How long would he be able to continue in his position ? Was this sacrifice for Xu Ziqing worth it ?


    Yan Liang finally found herself able to accept calmly that , for her father, there was no end to his partiality for Xu Ziqing.


    On stage, the voice of Xu Jin fu continued: ¡°For the victims, I am here on behalf of Xu to express my deepest apologies. We will make every effort to compensate for their losses. ¡°


    Almost as soon as he stopped talking, some people walked up from behind Yan Liang..


    They did not notice her and passed her, but Yan Liang paid attention to them ,because even their footsteps resounded with deep anger.


    Yan Liang frowned as she looked at these people .They rapidly walked straight toward the stage.


    On the stage, as per Xu Jin fu¡¯s instructions, the assistant took his crutch and Xu Jin fu bowed down,¡± I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    There was a sound of a splash.


    The people who were passing Yan Liang a moment ago poured some small barrels of sticky white liquid on Xu Jin fu while he was bowing.


    All the people present were taken aback.


    After a moment of silence, they heard the man holding the plastic bucket angrily say,¡± My wife¡¯s face was ruined by you, now I have poured your product on your face, to see if you can so easily say ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯¡±.


    The sounds of camera shutters clicking one after another drowned the man¡¯s hysterical rants. Many journalists who had waited for so long now took this photo; it was absolutely worth the wait.


    The security was slow to drive out the troublemakers. The scene was totally chaotic, the sound of shutters was getting louder. Before all of this went completely out of control, Xu Jin fu was helped to go backstage. .


    Yan Liang was still standing behind the door leading to the backstage. She watch her father¡¯s bent back disappear behind the door and smiled faintly


    In order to keep the reputation of Xu Ziqing intact, it had always been the case that Xu Jin fu did not mind losing his own reputation.


    Yan Liang turned away, the sound of her rapid footsteps gradually fading away


    *** ***


    This translation for miumiu596.wordpress.com. Please do not copy.


    Obviously the media meeting in the afternoon was successful in keeping the reputation of Xu Ziqing intact but made the entire situation much worse.


    Many reporters parked themselves in the building and even the next one for the whole day. Finally , Yan Liang exited from the fire exit, and took a taxi home as there was no way to get her car from the parking lot.


    At home, she had nothing to do. She thought of giving herself a short holiday, she could not think of a solution to her business problem. There as no point in getting busy with useless work.


    She lounged on the sofa watching tv. Almost one of out of every two channels was carrying news about Xu.


    Time flew by. By the time she looked up at the clock it was 8 pm.


    She leaned over the coffee table and took the phone.


    So as to plan peacefully, in the afternoon, she had muted the phone. If there were any new progress, her assistant would inform her by directly coming to her home. As she looked, she saw there were nearly a hundred missed calls.. all from Jiang Yu Nan.


    Yan Liang frowned, and pulled up Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s number.


    As she was about to press the dial key, the announcer on the TV said ,¡± Breaking news. Li Bo Group chairman Jiang Shi Jin..¡±


    Yan Liang paused her finger.


    She froze for half a second, then turned around to face the tv and increased the volume with the remote.


    ¡°¡­ this is what our correspondent on the scene had to say. ..¡°


    Yan Liang listened carefully to the news. As her hand took the remote, she sat up straighter, her eyes looked attentively at the screen . On the screen, Jiang Shi Jin¡¯s face appeared. Seeing his face, only one word came to her mind ¨C sanctimonious!


    This old fox, had he personally appeared to clarify his relationship with Xu Ziqing ?


    She was the daughter of the head of his rival company, and almost his daughter¡¯s age , this would surely not be a glorious thing for him.


    But Yan Liang was stunned and could only stare when she heard what he had to say..


    ¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°I will retire early in the middle of next year.I have a candidate in mind to succeed me.. She is -¡±


    ¡°- Xu Ziqing.¡±

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40


    ¡°I will retire early in the middle of next


    year. As for the successor, I have a candidate. She is -¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°- Xu Ziqing.¡±


    As soon as Jiang Shi Jun stopped speaking, there was an uproar in the audience.


    The camera zoomed to the reporter, the entire media was surprised and were looking at each other¡¯s faces in confusion.


    The camera zoomed back to Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s face. His face was blurry because of the countless lights shining on him, but there was a faint smile at the corners of his mouth; ultimately what did that smile mean ?


    Yan Liang sat stunned in front of the Tv , incapable of moving till she heard the sound of the door opening.


    She was woken up from here reverie. At that moment, advertisements were being shown on the tv. She had been staring at the tv for so long she hadn¡¯t even realised when the news on Jiang Shi Jun had ended.


    She turned and looked at the door.


    Jiang Yu Nan had just changed intro slippers and looked up to meet Yan Liang¡¯s eyes.


    He was surprised to see her at home at this time,¡±Why are you back so early?¡±


    Yan Liang was completely dispirited , with her hand on her forehead, she didn¡¯t even want to sigh,¡± Now with this situation, doing anything is as good as doing nothing. There is no way to clean up this mess.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was surprised for a moment. He came to her side, and as per his usual habit, hugged her shoulders ,¡±Why are you suddenly thinking so negatively ?¡±


    Yan Liang was still sitting on the sofa, she looked up at the man in front if her. Suddenly she extended her arms and firmly hugged Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s waist and leaned her head against it.


    She did not want to speak, she had no words to express herself, she just held on to him tightly.


    Today, he was the only one she could depend on.


    ¡­


    Jiang Yu Nan had never faced a situation like this before. He was obviously a bit uncomfortable, but after a pause, he gently caressed her hair to pacify her.


    Yan Liang looked up and asked him,¡± How did your meeting with Lai Zhengnian go?¡±


    The Xu Group was in such a turbulent situation , the most important thing at this moment was to stabilise the morale of the key shareholders.


    Obviously Jiang Yu Nan was well aware of this point. This is why he had personally lobbied with the shareholders; it seemed the results were good , so he easily answered, ¡° It¡¯s settled..¡±


    She wasn¡¯t alone in this, in fact she had a special team mate helping her ¨C thinking of this, Yan Liang could finally let go of the feeling of helplessness. With her arms around her knees , she moved back to the corner of the sofa.


    As she was holding on to his waist, Jiang Yu Nan felt a bit of numbness around his waist.


    Now we took off his coat and sat down beside her. He heard her calmly say, ¡° Li Bo Group just concluded a press conference, Jiang Shi Jun had nominated Xu Ziqing as his successor.


    ¡°Oh ? Is it?¡± Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s tone was also calm.


    This perfunctory answer sounded harsh to Yan Liang. She opened her eyes and looked at him,¡±Why are you not surprised ?¡±


    Calmly he said, ¡° I have already heard the news when I was in the car.¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s shoulders relaxed . Of course. The whole world was watching this joke on the Xu family, how would anyone be in the dark ?


    Yan Liang did feel a twinge in her heart, but she shrugged it off. Leaning her head on Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s shoulder she said, ¡° I don¡¯t understand this.¡±


    This man was definitely a great teacher, in a placid tone he explained to her ,¡± Although your father favoured Zi Qing , he is neither too old nor confused. Even if he protects your sister, after this incident, it is impossible to put Xu Ziqing in any leadership position within Xu Group.


    You have effortlessly won this battle. Xu Ziqing naturally understands that she can no longer succeed in Xu Group. You should know your sister¡¯s style. Family, men, father, love ..these are all just things to be used by her to gain an advantage. Since she can longer bank on Xu, she found another backer. But this is not a profitable proposition for Jiang Shi Jun. What he saw in Xu Ziqing..¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan abruptly stopped here, it was up to her to understand what he was alluding to.


    What did the old fox see in Xu Ziqing ?


    Youth and beauty ?


    Or were Xu Ziqing¡¯s interests somehow aligned to his own agenda ?


    Yan Liang was puzzled and shook her head in confusion.


    When she was still trying to think of other possibilities, Jiang Yu Nan raised her chin with his finger and put a stop to her train of thought..


    ¡° It¡¯s better to help your husband with his bath¡±, Jiang Yu Nan smiled at her,¡± don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    After listening to the press conference of the Li Bo Group, there was someone else who sat motionless in front of the tv for a long time, even longer than Yan Liang.


    .. in Zhou Cheng¡¯s apartment..


    There were no lights in the living room. The tv screen was the only source of light. Zhou Cheng was sitting there, the sound of the ads in the tv muted to a whisper. His handsome face was mottled by the changing lights of the tv screen.


    Alone and in a reverie, Zhou Cheng sat on the sofa for a long time till the sound of his cell phone ringing pulled him out of his daze.


    He picked up the phone, the screen showed the name ,¡±Xiao Qing¡±.


    He hesitated till the phone was about to turn dark , then hurried to answer.


    The connection was established, but both sides were silent as if in tacit understanding , none wanting to break this silence and speak.


    In the end, someone had to.¡±Have you seen it ?¡± Xu Ziqing asked .


    Compared to Xu Ziqing¡¯s indifference, Zhou Cheng was completely at a loss. He laughed, ¡° I tried calling you at least twenty times today, you didn¡¯t even pick up once!¡±


    After a pause, Xu Ziqing spoke again, deliberately skipping the topic ¡°Meet me at our old place.¡±


    Then she hung up, leaving only one person still holding the cellphone and listening to the short beeps of the line disconnecting with a desolate heart.


    This was a library open till 1:00 am at night.


    While he was a student, Zhou Cheng had often come here with a girl in the afternoons to sit by the window.


    Until the afterglow of the sunset penetrated through the blinds, he would not leave, just so he could watch the girl sitting opposite him, studying foreign language books with her head down.


    Now the library was still there, they were still sitting by the window, the same woman was sitting opposite him , but the love of his youth was lost forever.


    He had sat in the library for a long time , almost near closing time.


    Then he heard the footsteps of Xu Ziqing , and watched her as she sat opposite him.


    ¡°I heard Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s statement at the press conference today.¡±


    Xu Ziqing just looked at him, listening to his deliberately disguised , calm voice but did not speak


    ¡°You finally found a man to fulfil your ambitions, congratulations!¡±


    His smile was extremely bitter, even more bitter than the black coffee he had ordered in advance for Xu Ziqing


    Xu Ziqing seemed emotionally moved , but she suppressed her emotions forcefully, and only smiled wryly, making Zhou Cheng feel embarrassed. ¡°My dad has already made it clear that this is the last time he can help me. If I can¡¯t be the master of Xu, then I might as well fight to be the future master of Li Bo.¡±


    Zhou Cheng just laughed. His smile was calm but still made a person feel uncomfortable.


    Xu Ziqing¡¯s demeanour had been restored to a calm and decisive attitude. ¡°Jiang Shi Jun is now my only hope, Zhou Cheng , I know you will understand me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    In the ensuing silence, Xu Ziqing sipped the last dregs of coffee from her cup. It was the most bitter part, but when she finished it, she smiled.


    She took out her wallet from her bag, retrieved a few notes and put in on the table. Then she stood up,¡±Thank you for helping me cover up the fact that I had embezzled the funds from the secret project to make up for my failed investments. You even lied to Yan Liang because of this, thank you for that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° I have replaced all the money I took. You don¡¯t have to worry about it anymore.¡±


    Zhou Cheng was surprised, ¡°How did you suddenly come up with such a large sum of money? ¡°


    Xu Ziqing has turned away. There was no response.


    Zhou Cheng had seen her leave numerous times before, probably,this was destined to be the last time.


    After tomorrow, he was of no value to this woman, she would no longer need to meet him.


    *** ***


    This translation was done for miumiu596.wordpress.com.please so not copy.


    The first day of their wedding, Yan Liang was exhausted after the press conference.The next day, when she woke up in the early morning, the first thought that came to mind was : after yesterday¡¯s terrible day, today can¡¯t be any worse, right ?


    At this time, she heard a voice behind her,¡± What¡¯s the first thing to do when you wake up?¡±


    Yan Liang turned around to look. Jiang Yu Nan had woken up long back , he was looking at her.


    ¡°Good morning ¡°, she said and kissed his lips.


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled gently.


    He had always been an active man and had never been in the habit of lounging in bed after he woke up. The reason he had not got up today was to wait for this morning kiss.


    After the kiss, he did not dally any longer and stood up to go to the bathroom.


    When he reached the door, he suddenly thought of something and turned back towards Yan Liang ,¡± There was a call for you on the landline at home. Someone was looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Yan Liang cried. She had left the home landline number with her assistant for emergencies only. If she had called, there must be something important she wanted to tell her.


    ¡°My assistant called?¡±, Yan Liang immediately sat up on the bed, looking worried,¡± did she say something ?¡±


    Yan Liang could not see the emotion in Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes as he was far away, but she heard him say the three words, ¡°It was Lu Zheng.¡±


    Miumiu : Ah ! Who do you feel more sorry for? Is it Zhou Cheng , who continues to put in all efforts for a love that will never bear fruition, a love that he had nurtured in his heart for so long ? Is it Yan Liang , who is getting more and more dependent on Jiang Yu Nan and thinks that he is by her side in all this mess?


    ¡­ and how does Jiang Yu Nan react to the presence of Lu Zheng ? If all of this is just a master plan, he shouldn¡¯t care, but does he ? That¡¯s in chapter 41

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41


    ¡°It was Lu Zheng.¡±


    Yan Liang did not know why, but she felt that even though his tone was indifferent, there was a trace of hidden ferocity in it. She was gripped in this illusion for a few seconds before she roused herself from her reverie and saw him walk nonchalantly towards the bathroom.


    Quickly she called out to him, ¡°What did he say?¡¯


    Hearing this, Jiang Yu Nan paused.


    He looked down, as if recollecting something very funny, then said mockingly, ¡° He said that he had come back to the country specifically for Ms Yan and that he would like to have a detailed discussion with you.¡±


    But when Yan Liang looked closely at him, the mockery had been wiped off from his face; there wasn¡¯t even a trace of it left.


    Yan Liang had no time to worry about this. Although last night she had said that she would no longer bother to clean up the mess, now her brains were full of thoughts about the three day agreement with Lu Zheng.


    Immediately, she jumped out of bed and ran towards the bedroom door. She was so eager she hadn¡¯t even put on her slippers. Barefoot, she ran to the living room, picked up the landline, looked up the number of Lu Zheng and dialled him on her mobile phone.


    As soon as the call connected, she eagerly identified herself,¡° Mr Lu, this is Yan Liang.¡±


    He had expected her to call. He wasn¡¯t the least bit surprised.


    Listening to her eager and humble tone, he answered ¡°I am still on the highway, I will reach the city area in twenty minutes.¡±


    Did he mean the highway from the airport?


    Yan Liang had not expected this, had he called her as soon as he had landed?


    She felt really ridiculous and helpless, even a bit ashamed, when she remembered her treatment of him when he had come to Xu Jin Fu¡¯s home for lunch.


    Now luck had turned, she was seeking help from the same person. She was overwhelmed by Lu Zheng¡¯s attitude and his attentiveness towards her.


    Naturally, her tone was even more earnest, ¡° I will go to the office and wait for you.¡±


    He said, ¡° I haven¡¯t had breakfast yet.¡±


    ¡°Which restaurant?¡±


    Lu Zheng paused, he seemed to be thinking of something interesting; then he chuckled, ¡° Ms Yan , you had hired people to track me earlier.You should know which is my favourite restaurant.¡±


    After she hung up the phone, she stood by the sofa for two seconds. Then she realised what he was talking about and rushed back to the bedroom.


    With the fastest speed possible, she had a bath and went into the cloakroom to get dressed. Jiang Yu Nan was standing in front of the mirror on the wall, tying his tie.


    Hearing the movement, he looked back and caught a glimpse of her ,all wet, and smiled, ¡° Who was saying yesterday that she didn¡¯t want to clear up the mess anymore?¡±


    Yan Liang just changed into a dress, and tiptoed towards the rows of shoes looking for her high heels, ¡° I don¡¯t want to let go of the company that three generations of Xu have worked for.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, she found the ones she was looking for. Taking the shoes in her hand, and dragging off a coat in the other hand, she hurried towards the door.


    She had just gone two steps when she realised something. She rushed back to Jiang Yu Nan, pulled his tie (Miumiu : with which hand??err never mind!) , rose on tiptoes and smacked his lips with a kiss, ¡° All the best, husband!¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was surprised at first, then smiled, ¡° All the best, wife!¡±


    He watched his wife disappear at the door. He quickly knotted the tie. His suit jackets hung on the left side of the closet. His face slightly cold, he stood in front of the row of jackets, but did not pick up any for some time. The cloakroom was silent . Then suddenly¡­


    Bang!


    With a sweep of his hand, all the jackets on the rail were dumped on the ground. Then another ¡®bang¡¯ and his fist hit the mirror with such force that the mirror fragmented into tiny pieces and fell to the floor.


    The pain in his hand seemed to be transmitted through the blood stream in his veins straight to his heart; the pain there was fierce and unbearable.


    He could see reflections of himself in every piece of the broken mirror.


    A man fragmented, completely exposed¡­.


    *** ***


    When Yan Liang came to the Ming court¡¯s restaurant, the waiter seemed to have already been intimated, ¡° Good morning, Ms Yan.¡±


    Then he led her to the table. Looking at the menu in his hand, she waved her hand, ¡° I will order when Mr Lu joins me.¡±


    The waiter laughed, ¡° Mr Lu requested Ms Yan to start her breakfast.¡±


    Yan Liang was feeling anxious. She casually picked up the glass of water, but gave back the menu to the water and did not even glance at the coffee that was placed at her side. She kept looking at her watch.


    Lu Zheng finally entered nearly ten minutes later.


    When he entered, he saw a woman looking down at her watch. He paused, then accelerated his pace and approached her.


    Yan Liang also saw him and immediately bowed slightly.


    ¡° I¡¯m sorry you had to wait such a long time¡±, he said , ¡° I went home and took a shower and changed, and that made me a bit late.¡±


    He was a man who was very conscious of his appearance. Yan liang shook her head, indicating that she did not mind. She was grateful that he was willing to meet her, how would she dare mind about this?


    Involuntarily, she bit her lower lip. Determined, she stood up and bowed deeply to Lu Zheng, ¡° I had earlier said that I will solve the Ya Yan issue in three days. Obviously, I overestimated myself and underestimated the situation. My sincere apologies.¡±


    She deliberately paused here, waiting for Lu Zheng to say something. He could make fun of her, or leave angrily or hesitate, or never give her another chance..


    It was however clear that Lu Zheng wanted to hear more from her and he continued to stay silent.


    Yan Liang could only bite the bullet, ¡°I know I failed, but if Mr Lu gives us a little longer, another chance for Ya Yan..¡±


    ¡°Who says you have failed?¡± Lu Zheng suddenly interrupted her.


    Yan Liang was surprised for a moment. She was still bowing to him, but saw Lu Zheng stand up. Not only did he stand up, but he also picked up her coat that she had hanged on the back of her chair. Yan Liang straightened and Lu Zheng put the coat on her, then he lifted his chin toward the exit, indicating that they should leave the restaurant together.


    Yan Liang was even more puzzled, ¡° Where ?¡±


    ¡° For brunch.¡±


    Lu Zheng did not explain anymore and took the first step towards the exit.Yan Liang saw him move further and further away and rushed to keep up.


    Soon, Yan Liang and Lu Zheng arrived at the city¡¯s most famous brunch restaurant.This restaurant was less than a 5 minute walk from the Ming Ting club and was well known for its self service brunch. Many of the city¡¯s wealthy loved to come here and spend money. The delicious food was one reason, the other reason was to talk business.


    The waiter saw them and immediately came forward, ¡° Mr Lu.¡±


    This was not the first time that Yan Liang had been to this restaurant, she was well aware of the fact that meals here often created advantages in business, She looked at Lu Zheng , it seemed.. he had brought here for the same purpose.


    Lu Zheng looked back at Yan Liang, his arm slightly bent- this was a silent signal. Yan Liang understood the signal, hesitated, then reached out and took his arm.


    They went arm in arm to the restaurant. They attracted a lot of attention at the door, even people who were earlier engaged in conversation stopped and looked at them. There was the same question on everyone¡¯s faces.. was Lu Zheng actually with the scandal ridden , humiliated Xu Group¡¯s number 2 lady ?


    Yan Liang glanced around as she saw a lot of acquaintances. The nearest man to them was the largest cosmetics retailer Ding Chenhai.They had shops all over the country; at any point of time, they would have goods worth more than two thousand dollars on their shelves.


    Seeing everyone here, Yan Liang firmly held on to Lu Zheng¡¯s arm. Just when she had finally summoned the courage to play to the gallery, Lu Zheng abruptly stopped.


    ¡° I need to discuss a private matter before we go home today¡±, he said.


    Yan Liang suddenly felt nervous.


    Being here with Lu Zheng in the presence of all these people gave only one message to friends and foes alike : that Xu will not collapse, they have the support of Ming Ting.


    Thus when Lu Zheng suddenly proposed this, Yan Liang asked him in a distracted manner , ¡® What?¡±


    He paused, his expression indicating this was a matter he found difficult to broach. But soon he regained his usual manner, ¡° Your relationship with Jiang Yu Nan.. it seems more intimate than what I had guessed earlier..¡±


    Yan Liang was shocked. She finally regained her composure and looked at Lu Zheng.


    Lu Zheng looked at the expression on her face , waiting for the answer. One second, two second, three seconds..


    After three seconds, he suddenly laughed, ¡° Ok, I wont ask.¡±


    Yan liang thought for a moment and said,¡± I..¡±


    Lu Zheng immediately interrupted her: ¡°If you tell me, I am afraid that I will not help, I may immediately turn around and leave.¡±


    This warning was very effective; Yan Liang was now completely silent.


    Lu Zheng seemed to be very satisfied with her reaction. He smiled at her, and then took her to meet Ding Chenhai.


    Ding Chenhai warmly greeted them, ¡°Good Morning Mr Lu. Good Morning, umm..¡± he paused and looked at the woman next to Lu Zheng, ¡° Ms Yan.¡±


    Miumiu : I think now it is safe to say that both men are now vying for Yan Liang¡¯s affection. There was no reason for Jiang Yu Nan to get upset if he had no feelings for YL, and there was no reason for LZ to help YL if he didn¡¯t have feelings for her. He, not only gave her three days but is also helping her make important connections in business. Clearly he knows there is something between YL and JYN but is willing to try to win her over inspite of that¡­

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42


    Ding Chenhai greeted them warmly, ¡° Good Morning Mr Lu! Good morning¡­.um¡±, he looked at the woman next to Lu Zheng,¡± Ms Yan.¡±


    ¡°You know her ? ¡° Lu Zheng pretended to be surprised. His performance was flawless.


    Yan Liang had to make every effort to match his performance; she smiled at Ding Chenhai as well.


    But before Yan Liang could explain, Ding Chenhai explained on her behalf, ¡° The cosmetics shops of my company have also started stocking a large quantity of Ya Yan products, aren¡¯t Yan Liang and I almost friends?¡±


    As Ding Chenhai talked, all three of them walked towards the interior of the restaurant.


    Inside, there was a long table with lots of snacks on display. The bone china tableware was very elegant. In the dining area, on each round table, a vase of fresh fragrant roses was placed. Some people chose to sit, most people were standing at the long table and chatting with friends as they ate. The whole atmosphere was very relaxed and comfortable.


    As soon as Yan Liang came in, the people clustering around the table looked up surprised at the girl Lu Zheng had brought with him. But they soon covered up their expressions and nodded at them, as if nothing had changed.


    Yan Liang also played her role to the hilt. She took some crabs on her plate. Ding Chenhai was tempted to ask, ¡°I thought Ms Yan would be very busy now. I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡±


    Any mention of this matter was extremely troublesome to Yan Liang, but she could not show her real emotions. She smiled at Ding Chenhai , ¡° Actually everything is in control in Xu, it¡¯s just that the media exaggerated the seriousness of this matter.¡±


    Lu Zheng was at her side and put some salad on Yan Liang¡¯s plate. While this topic was being discussed, he also chipped in. As if complaining about a pampered child, he said, ¡°She is a born empress. She has assigned eunuchs to the relevant government departments to do the work. The results are yet to come out, but many businesses have already rushed to get Ya Yan off the shelves. She doesn¡¯t care. Since she had some free time, she decided to come with me for brunch.¡±


    Lu Zheng inadvertently revealed the whole purpose of this outing. Ding Chenhai had already taken a lemon tart from the tower. He put it back, thought for a while and asked Lu Zheng, ¡° Is Ya Yan still being displayed on the counters of Ming Ting square ?¡±


    Seeing Mr Ding had taken the bait, Yan Liang¡¯s heart was delighted. Immediately Lu Zheng started, ¡° Ya Yan..¡±


    But at this moment he winked at Yan Liang giving her permission to step in. She hurriedly interrupted, ¡° We have already recalled those batches . We don¡¯t know how this problem arose, probably something bought from the low end market provoked these allergies. Normally, purchases from authorised dealers should not create such problems, Mr Ding, what do you say?¡±


    Ding Chenhai just smiled.


    It was not clear what he thought, but there was a sudden change in his appetite. Yan Liang was slowly picking food from the table; when she turned back to look at him, his plate was empty. ¡° Mr Ding, it seems you have no appetite?¡±


    Ding Chenhai was deep in thought, his brow scrunched. He looked at Yan Liang and Lu Xheng and apologised, ¡° I am sorry, I need to make an urgent call. Its my loss that I cant accompany you anymore.¡±


    So did they manage to convince Ding Chenhai?


    Yan Liang was not sure whether they could now relax.


    Lu Zheng whispered in her ears,¡± Guess he will be making an urgent call not to dump Ya Yan!¡±


    She looked at Lu Zheng and shrugged helplessly, ¡° Hope so.¡±


    Just within half an hour, Lu Zheng managed to introduce her to a lot of people. Finally, they relaxed. The first thing she needed to do was to avoid the eyes of everyone who was watching her so she hastily excused herself, ¡° I need to go to the washroom.¡±


    Hiding in the bathroom, away from prying eyes, she sat down on the toilet lid and checked the price of Xu shares on her phone. The prices had stabilised. She was surprised. In fact, for a short period of time, the prices had even risen.


    It looked like the time it had risen was at the same time that she was in the restaurant with lu Zheng. She could only hope that this was not a coincidence.


    Just when she put the bag in the phone and was getting ready to pull the door, she heard the sound of high heels coming into the room.


    Her hand stiffened on the door and she silently stood there.


    Soon after, two women came in and started talking. ¡° Today , Xu crashed in the stock market. How can she come to eat a leisurely lunch ? ¡°


    ¡°Exactly ! These Xu women are so easy. The older sister hooked up with the old man of Li Bo group, the younger sister is also unable to hold herself back and is trying to hook up with Lu Zheng.¡±


    ¡° This is really sad. These are daughters of a good family, now forced to selling their body!¡±


    ¡° Why are you saying ¡° forced to ?¡±, Yan Liang may be quite eager .¡±


    Yan Liang was silently listening. She turned back to sit in the toilet lid and thought about what to do, then suddenly changed her mind and opened the door and stepped out.


    The two women were standing in front of the mirror. They were shocked to see Yan Liang and stared at her. Yan Liang pretended indifference and went straight to the basin to wash her hands.


    When the two women said hello, she didn¡¯t ignore them but calmly smiled at them, as if she hadn¡¯t hear the dialogue before. They tentatively smiled back.


    Yan Liang smiled and said, ¡°There is a saying that the man who is fond of gossip goes to hell and his tongue is chopped off. I hope you don¡¯t believe that.¡±


    She watched as their smiles grew stiff, then turned and left the bathroom.


    As the door closed behind her and the silence was once again restored, Yan Liang took a deep indrawn breath and went back to face the others in the restaurant.


    She saw Lu Zheng a bit farther away and walked towards him. Lu Zheng saw her, and drew a smiling face in the air. Although unwilling, Yan Liang followed his instructions and smiled.


    The two made their way to the long table side by side. At one of the round tables, a man was reading a newspaper. As they passed by, he looked up and his eyes caught Yan Liang¡¯s.


    He was first surprised, then he saw Lu Zheng by her side and was taken aback even more. He folded his newspaper and got up, ¡° Mr Lu?¡±


    Yan Liang glanced at the newspaper. Yesterday¡¯s press conference of Xu Jin Fu had been published on the front page, even though he had folded the paper, the photo was visible in the front.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you abroad on a vacation?¡±


    Yan Liang did not recognise this person, Lu Zheng looked at the person and replied, ¡°Something came up in the family, I had to come back early.¡±


    In the family?


    This ¡®family¡¯ that Lu Zheng has just referred to calmly, what exactly did he mean?


    The stranger now looked at Yan Liang.


    Obviously she had been classified as Lu Zheng¡¯s family. Lu Zheng gave an innocent look , he introduced the man to Yan Liang , ¡° This is Lin Rui from Fangda securities. This is Xu¡¯s..¡±


    Before he finished, he was interrupted by Lin Rui, ¡° I know the Xu family¡¯s second daughter very well.¡± Lin Rui extended his hand ¡° I¡¯ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time, Ms Yan.¡±


    Lu Zheng encouraged her and Yan Liang extended her hand as well .


    This intimate drama has been arranged by Lu Zheng in front of one of the country¡¯s biggest brokerage firms for her benefit alone.


    Lu Zheng left them to take a phone call. When he came back, he apologised to Lin Rui, ¡° I¡¯m sorry. There are some things we need to attend to. We will have to leave.¡±


    Lin Rui smiled and nodded, ¡°Then we will talk again later,¡±


    Once they were out of the restaurant, Yan Liang asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    Lu Zheng asked her, ¡°Are you interested in going to the Ming Ting World Fair?¡±


    Truthfully, Yan Liang was more than willing to stay in the restaurant and continue to talk to Lin Rui. He handled big customers and if each person used some of his investments to buy Xu¡¯s stock, that would be enough for a comeback.As long as the stock price stayed stable, and Lu Zheng helped her , Ya yan could also be saved.


    ¡° What would we do there?¡± Yan Liang looked back wistfully at the restaurant and asked.


    ¡° Change the venue, and play the same drama¡±, Lu Zheng answered


    The Ming Ting world fair was going to be the largest investment of the group. It was also one of the key items on the government¡¯s agenda. This project was supposed to become the city¡¯s largest Central Business District integrated area. Although it was still under construction, the leisure shopping centres, office buildings and semi-enclosed pedestrian streets had already started taking shape.


    As Yan Liang entered the site with Lu Zheng, she saw reporters standing there. One suddenly noticed her by Lu Zheng¡¯s side. Lu Zheng was led personally by the manager in charge to inspect the shopping centre.


    The reporter followed all the way and he was naturally curious about the interaction between them, ¡° Mr Lu, is the relationship between you and Ms Yan¡­.¡±


    Lu Zheng¡¯s assistant immediately interrupted the reporter¡¯s question, but saw that Lu Zheng was upset and silently retreated to the side. Lu Zheng did not stop and while walking said, ¡° Ya Yan¡¯s new herbal range will be placed in the first counter. She was free today so I just brought her to see.¡±


    They stopped as soon as he stopped speaking. Then he pointed to an open space at Yan Liang¡¯s side and said, ¡°That is the space reserved for it.. ..the best position.¡±


    Not only was the reporter surprised, even Yan Liang was stunned speechless. Lu Zheng only smiled at her, a trace of deeper meaning behind that smile.


    The reporter¡¯s camera snapped a photo at that instant, storing the scene for eternity; a man pampering his woman, the woman overwhelmed.


    She was at a loss on what to do. This was too big a gift.


    Back at the car, Yan Liang could not help but ask , ¡° Why are you helping me ?¡±


    Lu Zheng looked at the phone, and looked at the breaking news on a news portal. He looked up to see her, ignored her question and said , ¡° This reporter is pretty good. Last time on the cover of a financial magazine, he made me look good.¡±


    Yan Liang glanced at his cell phone. She was surprised the news had already been published.


    She retreated and withdrew her gaze and asked again, ¡° Why?¡±


    He realised that the change in topic was not enough to divert this woman¡¯s attention. When she asked him a second time, he no longer seemed to hear her. With a faraway look he said , ¡° Since we cannot recover from past mistakes, it is better to give them a beautiful future. This will give more hope to the partners and they will support you.¡±


    But his evasions failed to sway Yan Liang¡¯s determination. As long as he did not answer, she would ask the question over and over again, ¡° Why?¡±


    Why?


    Lu Zheng seemed to put a lot of thought in this, then answered with a laugh, ¡° Perhaps because I fell in love..¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Zheng deliberately paused here.


    Yan Liang could feel her whole body stiffen.


    With a smile, Lu Zheng added, ¡° ¡­ fell in love with the idea of being your saviour.¡±


    As he finished speaking, he didn¡¯t wait to see her reaction. Instead he bent down to look at the phone to see the photo of the two of them together.


    *** ***


    This translation for miumiu596.wordpress.com. Please do not copy.


    At the same time, someone apart from Lu Zheng was also looking at the same photo¡­


    There was a knock at the door and Jiang Yu Nan moved his gaze from the computer screen and looked at the door after regaining his normal indifferent expression.


    This is the expression Secretary Li saw when he entered. However, he had been with Jiang Yu Nan for a long time. Naturally, he could gauge a trace of unusual emotion under the mask of indifference on Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s face.


    But he merely said, ¡° Mr Jiang Shi Jun has arrived.¡±


    ¡°Send him in¡±, Jiang Shi Jun said while closing the browser.


    The photo of the couple, who looked well matched to each other in all aspects of appearance, manners and character, instantly disappeared from the screen..


    Phew! This was a longer chapter but don¡¯t you love how LZ is helping YL? We all need heroes like this sometimes..

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43


    After bidding farewell to Lu Zheng, when Yan Liang returned home it was not even 3 PM. The stock market had not yet closed; it was gratifying that the Xu share price actually stabilised until the final closing time.


    She would be able to give the shareholders some assurance for the time being.


    Because he had gone against the shareholders resolution about Xu Ziqing, Xu¡¯s credibility in the eyes of the board of directors was severely damaged. Her father also had a stiff relationship with her mother after she had personally come to lobby a year ago. With Yan Liang having het grandfather¡¯s stocks in her hand, Xu¡¯s position was very precarious at present


    Unfortunately, though Yan Liang would like to dismiss all this as ridiculous, it impacted the whole Xu family. Even the scandal around Xu Ziqing was the family¡¯s responsibility. And they had to pay a huge price for this.


    Ya Yan and the diversion of secret funds required further investigation. If the shareholders were not willing to grant this¡­. well, she had many more things to worry about.


    She did not go to work at all. Although she had escaped earlier from the building next to Xu, she did not know how long she could hide from the reporters.


    The news on the portal was picked up and flashed on all major news networks by the afternoon. Even the paper media was not spared. It could be said that the spread of the news was all pervasive. This helped Ya Yan but destroyed her. Yan Liang read a few comments from the netizens, there weren¡¯t any positive comments. She did not look any further and minimised the page.


    Would Jiang Yu Nan agree with the comments that the netizens made?


    She couldn¡¯t even smile when she thought about this


    Her cell phone started ringing and Yan Liang was surprised. Was it an instance of ¡°Speak of the devil ¡­¡±?


    She took the phone and found it wasn¡¯t Jiang Yu Nan, her heart rate went up and down.


    She picked up the phone , the other side seemed to hesitate to speak first, so she asked, ¡° Aunt Liang?¡±


    ¡° Miss, can you¡­¡± Aunt Liang seemed to have a request she was finding difficult to enunciate. She paused and then said, ¡°Can you come home to see your father?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡° I don¡¯t know. But after your mother quarrelled with him, he locked himself up in the study. He just came out and asked me to call you home.¡±


    Yan Liang rubbed her forehead with her hand. She was not interested in abiding to this request,¡± I told him I have nothing to say to him.¡±


    Aunt Liang knew this would be her answer. She tried to coax her with her old techniques, ¡° Come for a short time. You are father and daughter after all..¡±


    ¡° I think you should tell this to Xu Ziqing. They are the real father daughter pair.¡±


    As she said this, Yan Liang raised her head and suddenly paused, her eyes widening. Jiang Yu Nan was leaning against the door to the study. There was no apology for his sudden appearance, he just uncrossed his arms and wiggled his fingers at her and silently mouthed ¡° Hello¡±


    Yan Liang wasn¡¯t sure how much he had heard. She wasn¡¯t ok washing the dirty lined of Xu Family in public. While as the son in law of the family, he was also half family, she didn¡¯t want this man to think of the family as a joke.


    She chatted with Aunt Liang for a while then finally put the phone down without promising anything about going home. After seeing her put the phone down , Jiang Yu Nan approached her .


    Yan Liang sat there and smiled at him, ¡° When did you come back? You didn¡¯t say anything..¡±


    ¡° You were on the call. I didn¡¯t want to bother you.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was standing by her side now. Yan Liang looked up at him , but also noticed the computer screen and stealthily stretched her hand towards the mouse. He just put his hand on the mouse and said, ¡° Don¡¯t close it. I have already seen the news!¡±


    Yan Liang raised her head in surprise.


    Jiang Yu Nan just smiled and looked at her. This smart man had caught on to her intention of closing the news site.


    ¡° I¡¯m sorry..¡± Yan Liang didn¡¯t quite understand his reaction to this matter and was thinking all kinds of thoughts. She could only say that one sentence, ¡° Sorry..¡±


    She carefully observed Jiang Yu Nan, but did not see any signs of anger. However she had seen a few times earlier that his face rarely revealed his inner thoughts, so she waited for his answer. But it seemed he had silently accepted her apology. She took the mouse and closed the page.


    ¡° We have a marriage certificate, you think I will believe a reporter¡¯s imagination?¡±


    She looked at his expression, then his eyes and felt that she could breathe easy now.


    He turned behind her and with his hand on her shoulder he said, ¡° But..¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan wrapped his arms around her and felt her shoulders stiffen. He bent his body forward so that they were facing each other , their eyes, lips and nose very close to each other. Even when he spoke, she could see the vapour from his lips, ¡° ¡­as compensation, will you spend the rest of the day with me with no distractions?¡±


    (Miumiu : Aww so sweet!)


    There was only a centimetre of distance between them. As soon as he stopped talking, he quietly moved forward, as if he wanted to kiss her. At this point, especially after the phone call with Aunt Liang, Yan Liang was in no mood for a kiss, and she wondered whether this would lead to a quickie..


    At the last moment, Jiang Yu Nan stopped. Surprisingly he said , ¡° I¡¯m hungry. Cook me something.¡±


    Yan Liang was surprised for a moment.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s hand slid down from her shoulder to her waist, lifted her up from the chair and then he sat there himself. Then he looked up at her and said, ¡° I haven¡¯t had time to eat in the whole day.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    She looked at this man, as if to judge if he was really tired. It occurred to her that he was much busier than her, having to cope with a variety of unexpected situations and would naturally be more tired than her.


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Yan Liang went around the table and walked towards the door when she heard him say , ¡° Don¡¯t be lazy like last time and order takeaway.¡±


    Yan Liang stopped, but unfortunately, this man was really out for revenge..


    She could not help but raise her voice and dragged the words a little to express her determination, ¡° I shall obey your orders..¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled as he watched her go . As soon as she disappeared, the smile dropped from his face. Although the page had been closed in the computer, the stock tracker was still running. Jiang Yu Nan maximised the tracker, red and green lines immediately appeared on the screen. After a crash, Xu¡¯s stock had rebounded and stabilised at a modest price. This time, Jiang Yu Nan closed the tracker and turned off the computer. Soon the darkened screen of the computer only reflected the man¡¯s face.


    The cold face reflecting on the screen smiled again. But this was different from the last time.. there was a trace of something else in the smile..ridicule.


    *** ***


    This translation for miumiu596.wordpress.com. Please do not copy.


    One hour spent on cooking dinner by Mrs Jiang ended in utter failure. Jiang sat at the table and witnessed the whole process. Long before, he had dispelled the idea of getting anything cooked by her. He softly asked, ¡° Should we order take away instead?¡±


    Yan Liang, while dumping the mysterious contents of the pot with a spatula looked back at Jiang Yu Nan leisurely lounging at the table and said , ¡° I have already made two dishes and now you tell me to get takeaway?¡±


    Her tone and teeth ¨Cgnashing was always a good strategy to silence Jiang. He obediently sat quietly and looked down at the two so ¨Ccalled ¡®dishes¡¯ ¨C a vegetable salad and a fruit salad.


    Jiang Yu Nan hesitated for her sake, but also thought about his own stomach and finally got up.


    Before she tried to do sweet and sour fish for the third time, he took the ladle from her hand, ¡° Let me do it.¡±


    She raised her eyebrows at him .A smile broke her serious expression when she realised he really did want to cook for her. Finally liberated, Yan Liang took off her apron and gave way to Jiang Yu Nan. She sat down with huge relief and commanded, ¡° I am hungry. You make two dishes as well.¡±


    She looked back at Jiang Yu Nan who silently shook his head with a helpless look. Yan Liang did not blame herself, she started eating the salad.


    Soon the wonderful scent of fried fish had filled the kitchen.


    At the window, it had long since turned dark.


    Yan Liang was hungry and so did not notice that this apartment had been enveloped by darkness, one layer on another, a long time ago..


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    And not far from the apartment building, Xu Jin Fu was sitting alone in a cabin in a restaurant.


    This was already the sixth time that he glanced at his wrist watch after coming to the meeting.


    Suddenly, the door to the cabin was pushed from outside. Xu Jin Fu heard the movement and looked up, ¡°What took you so long?¡±


    His tone was strident, in the manner he had always used to reprimand his daughter, when he abruptly stopped. Xu Jin Fu was puzzled, he thought for two seconds, then frowned. ¡° Why are you here ?¡±


    ¡°Why are you not welcoming me ?¡±


    Xu Jin Fu did not speak. His face turned cold; this was obviously the best answer. But without any hesitation on facing Xu Jin Fu¡¯s obvious contempt, the interloper casually pulled out a chair and sat down. ¡°I came here to tell you some good news.¡±


    Jin Fu did not take the bait. He took out his phone and dialled a number but got a network announcement saying that the phone was switched off. He tried to think, and stiffly smiled, ¡° Li Bo has always been my rival. How can I get good news from the mouth of Jiang Shi Jun?¡±


    He uttered the words in a very reasonable tone, but Jiang Shi Jun threw back his head and laughed.


    Seeing him, Xu Jin Fu did not make any more remarks. He leisurely sat back in the chair, a sharp contrast to the nervous tension that Xu Jin Fu was feeling. He did not speak, but his assistant at his side very respectfully said, ¡° Mr Xu, we came to specifically inform you in advance. Li Bo intends to buy Xu.¡±


    *** ***


    Xu Jin Fu finally laughed at the joke.Shi Jun did not look directly at Xu Jin Fu. He bowed his head, and then raised his eyebrows slightly to look at his assistant and give him an order. The assistant put a file in front of Xu Jin Fu.


    ¡°This is our current situation. Several shareholders of Xu have transferred their non trade-able shares to us and we have also bought Xu Shares from the stock market.¡±


    Xi Jin Fu¡¯s smile stiffened on his face. Jiang Shi Jun slowly raised his head and looked at the dismay on Xu Jin Fu¡¯s face. Xu Jin Fu¡¯s face was growing stiffer. He looked at the documents and flicked through the pages. Although his emotions were restrained, his eyes were vigilant. Jiang Shi Jun did not miss this and slowly smiled as Xi Jin Hu picked up the file.


    He read the pages one by one, looked at the list of names that had transferred the shares and seemed to smell a protracted, well thought out conspiracy The more he went through the details, the calmer he became and finally said, ¡°These shares only add up to less than majority. You are too naive if you think you can wrest control from me basis these alone.¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun shook his head, ¡°It seems you are really old and confused, how did your memory become so bad?¡±


    Xi Jin Fu angrily frowned at Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s ridicule, but his eyes revealed that he was trying to remember if he had missed a trick. Unfortunately before Xi Jin Fu could get a clue, Jiang Shi Jin smiled coldly and reminded him, ¡°Did you really forget that when you appointed the CEO then you agreed to hitherto unprecedented demands including¡­. giving him a part of your shares?¡±


    He had hit the bull¡¯s eye. Xu Jin Fu¡¯s face paled. After a long silence , he said , ¡° So you are the master behind Jiang Yu Nan?¡±


    This time, Jiang Shi Jun really could not help but laugh. He shook his head, as if in pity, and said, ¡° You think too little of these young people..¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Your daughter sent you a message to come here for a discussion and I turned up, ¡° Jiang Shi Jun went off on a bit of a tangent, ¡° why do you think that is , Xu?¡±


    Only now Xu Jin Fu could fathom the complicated web Jiang Shi Jun had spent so long weaving. Xu Jin Fu¡¯s face became paler, and his heart was struck with a severe ache.


    Jiang Shi Jun watched Xu Jin Fu¡¯s face change little by little and wanted to laugh. Seeing him stand up, the assistant automatically got up and moved out of the way. Jiang Shi Jun came and stood by Xu Jin Fu¡¯s side, Watching the look of utter defeat in his face, Jiang Shi Jun did not hesitate to give him the last blow. He slowly took the pages from Xu Jin fu that he hadn¡¯t yet seen.


    ¡° But , I¡¯m really sorry to tell you, your beloved daughter has also mortgaged the shares she owned to me.¡±


    Xu Jin Fu could no longer control the trembling in his hands. He saw the signature on the last page, it was a familiar writing.. His whole body spasmed and the file flew off the table.


    Jiang Shi Jun bowed down to look at the document where the three words , Xu Zi Qing were signed and then looked up, ¡° Mr Xu, you are smart, but how did you have such a stupid daughter? Because her investments failed, she only thought of embezzling the public¡¯s money. I just helped her to put back the public money. Whatever I said, she believed it. Poor Zhou Cheng that boy, he did so much to cover up for her..¡±


    Xu Jin Fu¡¯s eyes had become bloodshot. He angrily tried to interrupt him, but his breathing was strained, and he was unable to utter a word.


    Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s voice was relaxed , his words were malicious but elegantly enunciated, ¡° My evidence can only send one person to jail. Are you going to make your eldest daughter do a stint in prison? Or should I just let Zhou Cheng help till the end and make him take all the blame ?¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s speech was finally over. Now he stood with crossed arms, watching Xi Jin Fu trying to pull out the cap of the small bottle with trembling hands. He finally managed to pull out the lid, but his hand was trembling so badly that the bottle shook and all the pills fell to the floor.


    The white pills were scattered all over the ground, a sharp contrast to the scarlet colour of the carpet.


    Xu Jin Fu¡¯s face was paler than the pills, his lips were puce as he struggled to bend over and pick up the bottle. But instead, he fell heavily on the floor, his back bent, and his knees on the carpet.


    From Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s point of view it looked like he was begging for forgiveness for the sins he had committed.


    Xu Jin Fu realised the pills were not within his reach. Jiang Shi Jun then squatted and picked up one of the tablets. But he didn¡¯t give it to Xu Jin Fu; rather he looked at the tablet against the light.


    Xu Jin Fu raised his hands towards him as of begging.


    Begging for mercy.


    In exchange, Jiang Shi Jun just smiled.


    Xu Jin Fu was delirious with pain and missed his words. Jiang Shi Jun deliberately leaned close to Xu Jin Fu¡¯s ear , and very clearly said, ¡° I can¡¯t compete with your shares held today, but tomorrow , who knows? Just like whether or not you will live till tomorrow depends on your luck.¡±


    After he finished, he patted Xu Jin Fu¡¯s shoulder as if to say: Mr Xu, please take care of your body.


    He kept the smile on his face, adjusted his collar and said ,¡± I am sorry. My dinner companions are next door, I will not bother you anymore.¡±


    He left; his decisive footsteps crunched the last few pills on the floor.


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    Sweet and sour fish, King pao Chicken , oil rapeseed, two salads ¨C as she picked these up and loaded her plate she looked up to see the chef at home. She extended her hand to take a bowl of rice and dug into the food.


    Jiang Yu Nan was quietly sitting on the other side, waiting for her to compliment him on his skills. But unfortunately, she was really hungry and did not seem to have the slightest intention to talk.


    Helplessly, he finally took the initiative to ask, ¡°How does it taste?¡±


    Yan Liang put down the bowl, stuck up her thumb but did not speak. With her other hand , she caught a piece of fish with her chopsticks and brought it to her mouth when suddenly her hand paused..


    Jiang Yu Nan was just getting ready to pick up his chopsticks. When he heard her sharp intake of air, he was surprised for a moment and looked up to see Yan Liang clutching her chest.


    ¡° What happened?¡±


    ¡° I felt a sudden pain in my heart.¡±


    ¡° Are you okay?¡±


    Yan Liang frowned, her palm was pressed to her chest but she no longer felt any pain. She nodded at Jiang Yu Nan


    Later, as Yan Liang sat on the sofa watching TV, Jiang Yu Nan cleared the table and also sat beside her.


    This seemed to be the first time they had spent a long time together by themselves since they were married. There were no overtime issue or reporter worries, but obviously they were not suited to such leisure. Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s arms were around her as they watched TV. They were not speaking and they had no idea what to talk about. She looked at the clock, it was not yet nine. She turned around and asked him , ¡° What do you intend to do now?¡±


    ¡°Watch TV and then sleep. I have a busy schedule tomorrow.¡± Jiang Yu Nan said


    Obviously they were not good at romance. Yan Liang did not have the least bit of interest in the dull TV program , she wondered about the things that they hadn¡¯t done as a couple.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t watched a movie together¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan agreed , and changed the channel to the news as he said, ¡° Yes.¡±


    ¡° We haven¡¯t travelled together.¡±


    ¡° New York.¡±


    Yan Liang instantly piped up , ¡° Not a business trip.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°We have not met each other¡¯s parents and have not had a wedding.¡±


    ¡°I have seen your parents.¡± Jiang Yu Nan immediately refuted.


    Yan Liang seemed to not hear his answer, she seemed to be talking to herself, ¡°Don¡¯t know when we will get over all this so we can have a honeymoon in the true sense of the term¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was watching the TV and did not seem to be listening to her, but he suddenly switched the TV off. Yan Liang reacted , ¡° Huh?¡± and looked at him questioningly. He said, ¡° First lets watch a movie.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan stood up and pulled her up from the sofa as well . ¡° I don¡¯t want to move. Look at the window. Its dark and I can¡¯t see anything. Plus i¡¯ts cold outside. I don¡¯t want to go.¡±


    ¡° We will watch it at home.


    She was dragged with him towards the unused home theatre and heard him say, ¡° A friend sent me a movie. I haven¡¯t seen it before.¡±


    The interior designer had built a mini theatre. They opened up the space. Jiang Yu Nan looked at the installation manual while Yan Liang went to fetch a bottle of wine and two glasses. When she came back, he had already installed the equipment, but it was debugging.


    ¡°So fast?¡± Yan Liang had thought she could enjoy seeing Jiang Yu Nan fumbling with the equipment for once.


    Although he had set up the stuff quickly, Jiang Yu Nan was already at the end of his patience and shrugged helplessly, ¡° This is so cumbersome, it is better to just go to the cinema hall.¡±


    Yan Liang put the wine to the side and said, ¡° Its called atmosphere.¡± She seemed to really appreciate the design of the home theatre.


    Jiang Yu Nan also did not know which movie was getting installed till the subtitles hit the screen


    This was a very famous story about a father¡¯s love.


    It was about an Italian father and son who were sent to a Nazi concentration camp. The father could not bear to see the five year old son panic so he used his rich imagination to lie to him that they were actually in a game, and that they must accept the various challenges in the concentration camp to score marks and win the final prize.


    As she watched, Yan Liang sighed. The paternal love being shown on screen was not something she had ever experienced.


    Watching him, Yan Liang did not hold back, ¡°What about your parents?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at the screen. Yan Liang could not understand if he was thinking about what she said or was caught up in the story. For a long time, when she didn¡¯t hear anything , she could not help but ask again.


    He suddenly stood up and said, ¡°This bottle tastes strange. I am going to get another bottle, What do you want to drink?¡±


    Yan Liang did not expect him to say this. She took his glass and couldn¡¯t see anything strange. She asked him ¡° La Fayette?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan had already walked past Yan Liang. As he opened the door of the screening room he said, ¡°Ok¡±.


    The film was now going into the second act. Yan Liang sat alone in the room, listening to the original Italian language, She had seen the film long ago but now when she saw it again now, she found it more stunning.


    She wasn¡¯t aware when Jiang Yu Nan entered the room again until he spoke , ¡° Yan Liang.¡±


    Yan Liang looked up and saw Jiang Yu Nan standing at the door. His back was bright, his face dark, standing in the confluence of light and dark, he had a strange look on his face. ¡° There¡¯s a call for you.¡±


    Yan Liang went back to the living room to answer the phone.


    ¡°Miss..¡± it was the voice of Aunt Liang.


    ¡°Aunt Liang..¡± before Yan Liang could say a word, Aunt Liang suddenly choked up on the other side of the phone. Yan Liang froze, then recovered, and with a slightly trembling voice she asked , ¡°What happened?¡±


    Aunt liang did not answer her, Yan Liang¡¯s heart started beating chaotically and this time someone else took over the phone from Aunt Liang¡¯s hand. Yan Liang heard her mother¡¯s voice. ¡° Your father..he..¡±


    The silence almost drowned Yan Liang. She stood with the phone in her hand, her fingers stiff, but it seemed like she hadn¡¯t listened to a single word. When another hand gently took the handset from her hand, Yan Liang suddenly recovered. She realised her hands were cold when his hand touched hers.


    Seeing her stunned look, Jiang Yu Nan was worried, ¡° What happened?¡±


    Yan Liang opened her mouth but could not speak. Jiang Yu Nan put his face closer to hers and asked, ¡° Hey ?¡±


    The sound Hey seemed to have a sharp edge. It mercilessly split the trance that Yan Liang had fallen in and awakened her. Her hearing seemed to have been restored to normal , but she just kept hearing the same word, ¡° hospital.. hospital..¡±


    She did not want to think, she wanted her mind to be completely blank. She tore off the keys from the key holder and rushed out of the door. She drove maniacally to the hospital her mother had named. They were all standing outside the ward. She could hear them from the corridor and started running in panic. Yan Liang was in thin indoor clothes, a pair of slippers on her feet but she was still sweating. She could see the others now.


    Aunt Liang, Zhou Shushu, Zhou Cheng, Xu Ziqing and her mother..Yan Liang looked at their eyes and suddenly after all the intense feelings she had, she felt calm.


    No one was speaking. Yan Liang stood quietly as her heartbeat calmed down. Then she saw her mother coming out of the ward. Her mother was always careful of her appearance. Now it seemed overnight her hair ad turned gray. Yan Liang was not sure if this was just her illusion. She walked towards her mother and heard her mother say ¡° Make arrangements for the funeral.¡±


    Her mother¡¯s tone was very low, she did not choke. Aunt Liang nodded and her mother turned around to her, ¡° You go with Xiao Qing to see your father for the last time.¡±


    Yan Liang and Xu Ziqing went into the ward together. This was probably the first time in their lives that there was no contest between the two, no competition. Yes. Just emptiness lay over them.


    Looking at the bed covered by a white cloth, Yan Liang had no courage to proceed further. She looked at Xu Ziqing , who immediately walked to the bedside and then lost her balance and fell to the ground. She looked sightless, immersed in grief. After a long time, Yan Liang walked to the bedside as well. Xu Ziqing looked up at her. Yan Liang did not know what to do and squatted down to help her up.


    Xu Ziqing finally got the support to stand up and immediately burst into tears, Yan Liang stood there, feeling the tears of Xu Ziqing in her collar and wondered..


    Should she cry?


    Who would she cry for?


    *** ***


    The news of the death of Xu Jin Fu was soon public.


    The stocks fell for three consecutive days.


    Yan Liang stayed in the mansion for three consecutive days while Jiang Yu Nan stayed at the company. Everyone guessed that the Xu ship was about to sink. In the aftermath of Xu¡¯s death, even Jiang Yu Nan was powerless.


    When Jiang Yu Nan saw Yan Liang again, her face was plain with no expression. ¡° I am here, you go home and sleep.¡±


    She waved , refusing his offer, ¡° Its nothing. This is just the custom.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan followed Yan Liang outdoors. There were two gardens in the mansion with rattan chairs placed on them. The outdoor chairs were covered by a white cloth. Yan Liang could not stand the sight of the white cloth. She pulled it off and threw it on the grass and then sat on the chair.


    Jiang Yu Nan did not sit on the other side, but stood beside her and she tilted her head so she was leaning on him. This was one of the most difficult winters she had encountered, not only because of the cold..


    She didn¡¯t know how to ask him so she only said, ¡° What is happening at the company?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit bad.¡±


    Yan Liang had guessed this answer. How could the situation be good? But she did not expect what he said next, ¡°We are the target for a hostile takeover.¡±


    Her body stiffened.


    ¡°Your mother told me not to tell you, but I think you have the right to know.¡± Jiang Yu Nan placed his hand on her shoulder and hesitated before he continued, ¡°You can also plan.¡±

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44


    ¡°We are the targets of a hostile takeover ¡°


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Your mother told me not to tell you about this, but I think you have the right to know.¡± Jiang Yu put his hand on her shoulder, hesitated , then continued, ¡°You can start planning.¡±.


    Yan Liang stood up.


    She looked at Jiang Yu Nan with a stunned expression for some time, trying to understand if she had heard correctly.


    Her mind was still trying to assess the news of the hostile takeover , she murmured ¡° hostile takeover?¡± . But the mind was still blank.


    Jiang Yu Nan looked silently at her, whatever the outcome , Yan Liang had to understand this, ¡° How did you realise this was happening ?¡±


    ¡° in the stock market, with the low share price of Xu ,the amount of shares being bought was getting bigger and bigger. We thought there must be something wrong and investigated. That¡¯s how we found..¡±, Jiang Yu Nan stopped and glanced at her,¡±¡­ the situation is worse than what we thought .¡±


    Her heart thumped wildly.


    A thousand different thoughts were mixed together in her mind, she felt as if she couldn¡¯t breathe properly, Jiang Yu nan¡¯s words were echoing in her mind..the situation is worse than what we thought.


    Bad ? How bad could it be ? Yan Liang hesitated for a long while and then finally asked ,¡± Has the acquirer bought shares from the shareholders ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at her and nodded.


    Briefly, she felt everything go black. One by one she was getting bad news. This seemed beyond her ability to control. She fell back on the chair, sat silently for a long time and then asked, ¡° Who is working behind the scenes?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan shook his head. ¡° At present , it¡¯s only a shell company.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much . I have started the contingency plans to mitigate this. Your mother has decided to buy back some of the stock, the relevant procedures have also been signed.¡±


    While listening to him, Yan Liang did not feel even the slightest bit of relief. The hostile takeover bid was only now uncovered by Xu, presumably the acquirer already had considerable shares. She had no courage to ask but guessed that there was even worse news. So she asked, ¡° Which shareholders have already sold their shares?¡±


    ¡°The current list of names includes Lai Zhengnian, Liu Jun.¡±


    Miumiu : if you don¡¯t remember zhengnian is the guy JYN was talking to at the end of chapter 41


    At this moment, Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s expression indicated how serious the situation was. Yan Jiang already could not ear to look at him directly. She bowed her head as he continued,¡± We know that their next target is Zhou Chengkuan, we are in contact with him and see if we can save his shares.¡±


    A sudden gush of cold wind blew away the white cloth from the table and it fell on the grass.. She looked at it with her eyes lowered. Suddenly, she thought she was like the white cloth, with no resistance to any external force.


    And then she picked up the white cloth and put it back on the table.


    She looked up at Jiang Yu Nan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a daze. Your hands are frozen¡±, he said . Holding her hands, he put them on his palm and gently rubbed them to warm them.


    As she felt his warm hands, she could gradually feel herself getting warmer as well. This man was capable of pulling out any person from the edge of despair¡­.


    Yan Liang nodded. They walked to the house together, their backs to the haze that had enveloped the sky.


    As they walked into the room,Yan Liang could see aunt Liang and Xu Ziqing¡¯s mother ahead.Aunt Liang nodded at Jiang Yu Nan in greeting then turned to Yan Liang, ¡° The lawyer has arrived. Your mother had asked you to go to the study. The will is going Ti be read now.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled and said, ¡° I will be here waiting for you.¡±


    Although he was the son in law of the Xu family, he was still an outsider as far as the division of property was concerned.


    Zhou Cheng was standing in the corridor and smoking. Yan Liang saw him as she reached upstairs. He also saw Yan Liang , took out the cigarette to greet her. Even though he smiled, Yan Liang could only see sadness on his face.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you quit smoking ?¡±


    This had happened a few years ago when Xu Ziqing had complained about the smell of cigarettes in the house. Within a month, he had quit smoking.


    But at this moment, Zhou Cheng did not hear her questions, he inhaled the smoke deeply and only smiled at Yan Liang.


    Yan Liang was really not in the position to take off his cigarette so she only looked at him with mixed emotions.


    Finally she decided not to say anything and turned to the study. She hesitated a bit before pushing the door in


    When Xu Jin fu was alive, if he wasn¡¯t found at home, the most common place he would be found in was the study, from the furniture to the d¨¦cor, everything had been done up according to his tastes. Now. Xu Ziqing and her mother were sitting on the sofa and waiting. As she looked around, her eyes inadvertently glanced at the family portrait hanging on the wall behind the desk.


    This portrait was possibly taken five years ago. Yan Liang was tanking with a somber face, Xu Ziqing was smiling and at the centre, Xu Jiang fu was sitting, hale and hearty.


    The family was split in private, but on the surface, everything looked perfect. Not like now.. when even on the surface, they were not maintaining even the semblance of unity¡­


    While Yan Liang was contemplating this, the door was pushed open and her mother and the lawyer came in.


    ¡° Yan Liang ?¡±


    Yan Liang realised that her mother had called out to her so she would stop staring at the family portrait.


    She looked at her mother and the lawyer, got a grip on herself and sat away from the sofa where Xu Ziqing and her mother were sitting.


    All the estate in Xu Jin fu¡¯s name , including the movable and immoveable properties was to be divided.


    Because of what Xu Ziqing had done before, apart from the shares she had earlier, she did not receive any more in the will. All of Xu Jin Fu¡¯s shares went to Yan Mu.


    Such a decision was equivalent to an indirect statement: Yan Liang would inherit Xu.


    The majority of his real estate holdings would go to Xu Ziqing and her mother.


    The stocks and other immovable property as well as the rest of his estate would be managed by a trust. Both the mother daughter pairs ¨C Yan Liang and Xu Ziqing would get money from the trust in the ratio of 4:6


    Xu Ziqing and her mother were currently staying in the Xu House. When it was built, it was under the joint names of Yan Mu and Xu Jin Fu. Now Xu Ziqing and her mother would need to move away from the mansion and to the villa in town that they had just inherited.


    No one had any objection to the distribution of the estate in this manner. They all signed.


    Perhaps as Yan Liang sat there and watched Xu Ziqing helping her mother out of the room, she wanted all the resentments that she had carried for so long to be buried finally. So she said, ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    .. Or perhaps she never wanted to see them again¡­.


    Her eyes were trained on their backs, she moved her gaze from there to the coffee cup in front of her. Xu Ziqing and her mother reached to door. She looked at her mother and said, ¡°Mom, let us go.¡±


    Yan Mu nodded. Then, she thought of something and called out, ¡°Xiao Qing.¡±


    Xu Ziqinq looked back.


    Everyone in the study heard Yan Mu¡¯s next words,¡± You tell me your price to sell back all the shares that your father gave you.¡±


    Xu Ziqing¡¯s face changed.


    Seeing that she wasn¡¯t speaking, Yan Mu guessed that she was going to be difficult, and said in a gentler tone, ¡°You see the situation in Xu is very volatile right now. I hope you can consider this.¡±


    Xu Ziqing hesitated for a moment and then replied ambiguously, ¡°I will revert to you as soon as possible.¡±


    *** ***


    They finally left..


    Yes finally..


    Xu Ziqing and her mother got inside the car to leave. Her mother was silently sobbing while Xu Ziqing propped her chin on the window. She could hear her mother¡¯s sobs but in her mind, the words of Yan Mu echoed.


    ¡­Sell back the stocks that your father gave you..


    You see the situation in Xu is very volatile right now. I hope you can consider this.


    ¡°Mom.¡± Xu Ziqing suddenly said.


    Her mother was surprised and quickly wiped her tears and asked, ¡°What?¡±


    Xy Ziqing was silent for a long time and decided not to continue after all, ¡°Nothing.¡±


    The car started , and after many decades , they finally left the mansion for good. Although she didn¡¯t say anything as they travelled, Xu Ziqing¡¯s mind was in unprecedented chaos.


    Finally she came out of her trance and said to the driver, ¡° Drop me off in the next intersection and take mother home.¡±


    ¡°¡±Where are you going?¡±


    Xu Ziqing barely smiled: ¡°I need to do a small errand.¡±


    The driver stopped at the next intersection, Xu Ziqing immediately opened the door to get off. Soon she hailed a taxi and went to the Li Bo building.


    To the outside world, she was the future Mrs Jiang so naturally her access to the platinum group was unimpeded. On her way she had to reluctantly respond to the greetings of others. Finally she reached the exclusive office area where Jiang Shi Jun sat.


    When the secretary saw her, he immediately got up to inform the president. Xu Ziqing stopped him, ¡° No need.¡±


    So she went in alone.


    The office area was very spacious. To entertain guests, there was even a small indoor golf course inside the office. When she reached the door, she suddenly heard, ¡°When will you come with me to visit your father¡¯s grave?¡±

 Chapter 45

    Ok. Apologies are in order.


    One, I wrongly translated the last sentence in chapter 44. Its corrected now. Unfortunately this kind of thing happens because the translator doesn¡¯t know a word of Chinese. It usually happens in the midst of a chapter so I can correct it before I publish it.


    Two, the reveal starts in Chapter 45.. but you really need to get to know only in chapter 46. So you¡¯ll have to wait for one more day for the BIG REVEAL. Sorry.. I thought it was 45.


    Chapter 45


    ¡°When are you going to come with me to visit your father¡¯s grave?¡±


    The other side seemed to be outdoors. The quiet tone was accompanied by the sound of winds, equally cold, ¡°In some time.¡±


    ¡°Then I will go alone once every day,¡± Jiang Shi Jun said. He leaned his head back, as if talking to a very familiar person. ¡°When will you be free? The flowers you sent last time have withered away.¡±


    There was no more conversation. The other side hung up the phone, Jiang Shi Jun called his secretary as he touched the side of the pot of tea on his table. It had long ago gone cold.


    ¡°Get me some tea.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun never liked to wait for too long, so the secretary was trained well to work quickly. Soon there was a knock on the door.


    Jiang Shi Jun looked up, ¡°Come in.¡±


    The door was pushed open, but it wasn¡¯t the secretary..


    Jiang Shi Jun was surprised for a moment, narrowed his eyes suspiciously and then an elegant smile spread on his face, ¡°Why did you come?¡±


    Xu Ziqing carried a pot of tea inside and smiled, ¡° Why ? Don¡¯t you want to see me ?¡±


    Xu Ziqing approached the desk. Using an antique tea set, she quickly poured the tea and handed a cup to Jiang Shi Jun


    He took the cup but did not drink. He asked her, ¡° Weren¡¯t the lawyers supposed to come and read the will today?¡±


    ¡° I left after they ended.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± He asked again, and seemed to be more anxious than her.


    Xu Ziqing smiled wryly, ¡°As expected, my Dad gave Xu to my sister.¡±


    As she said this, she poured tea for herself.


    She was looking so calm that Jiang Yu Nan narrowed his eyes and looked at her again, ¡° I thought you would resent that.¡±


    Contrary to his expectations, Xu Ziqing helplessly shrugged her shoulders, ¡°Xu is now in a volatile situation. She will take over that mess. Jiang Yu Nan is very capable , but how much will he be able to save the situation? Rather than charge directly, I figured it is better in a business community to be the woman behind a successful man.¡±


    Xu Ziqing , while drinking her tea, secretly observed the reactions of Jiang Yu Nan to her views. He simply nodded , but there were no other emotions.


    She did not understand his response, she should relax¡­


    Ignoring the tumult in her mind, Xu Ziqing sat on the arm of his chair and looked at his gray sideburns. Then she tilted her head back and asked, ¡°What about you? What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°¡±Come on, we will go and have dinner.¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun stood up. Both of them walked towards the door. He took his jacket from the hanger and wore it. Standing behind him, Xu Ziqing lightly touched the phone in her bag.


    When the key was pressed, the phone rang immediately.


    As he put on his jacket, Jiang Shi Jun heard the phone ring and turned around. Xu Ziqing picked up the phone and said, ¡°Mom?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° I am outside.¡± Xu Ziqing looked up at Jiang Shi Jun, paused , and then continued , ¡° What happened?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go back soon.¡±


    She hung up the phone and apologetically looked at Jiang Shi Jun, ¡° I cant have dinner with you..¡±


    ¡°Something happened at home?¡±


    Xu Ziqing nodded his head.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, okay.¡±


    Jiang Shijun readily agreed. Xu Ziqing walked quickly walked to his side and kissed his cheek, ¡°Next time.¡±


    Then she walked away , quickly disappearing around the corner.


    As soon as she was out of his sight, she started running, all traces of elegance disappearing. She ran into the elevator, reached the ground floor and hailed a taxi. Only when the car pulled away was she able to suppress the trembling in her body.


    She could not help but look back and see the Li Bo building becoming smaller and smaller. She still felt that from the window of the top floor, a pair of eyes was staring at her fiercely.


    Stunned, she immediately turned away, hesitated, then picked up her phone and dialled a string of familiar numbers. Her heart settled down slightly. The phone was quickly connected. Xu Ziqing did not wait for him to speak and she said, ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhou Cheng did not answer, she said: ¡°I urgently, urgently need to see you!¡±


    *** ***


    Yan Liang lived in the Xu house for three days, till Jiang Yu Nan was forced to come and drag her away.The funeral was supposed to be held the next Monday. Her mother was very busy so when Jiang Yu Nan came to take her away, it was actually quite a critical period.


    When they stepped out of the house together, for the first time, she pulled away from him and appeared dissatisfied. ¡°You should not pull me way. I am not at ease with my mother being alone in this empty house.¡±


    ¡°Your mother is the one who asked me to take you away.¡±


    Hearing this, she raised her eyebrows. She did not say anything and turned to look out of the window.There seemed to be strange distance between her and Jiang Yu Nan now.


    ¡° You don¡¯t seem to have slept for a few days, the dark cycles under your eyes are scary.¡±


    She leaned back, pillowing her head on his shoulder. Her speech was slow and tired, ¡° Yesterday some of dad¡¯s friends came to visit us. Including Liu Jun.¡±


    ¡° They have sold our shares. How did they have the gall to say ¡° Sorry¡± when they did not think about our feelings?


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Really ¡­ ¡­ the world is cold.¡± Yan Liang carefully chewed out the word,


    Jiang Yu Nan just hugged her and tightened his hold on her hands, ¡° Dont think so much¡­¡±


    ¡° How can I not think? My father is dead. If I am not successful, then it will be like I single handedly ruined all his efforts¡±.


    Yan Liang paused, thought about it and decided to say something else, ¡° I have been thinking. What if we re-purchase the stock and at the same time create a new share plan, so that my mother and other trusted shareholders get a preferential dividend? If there is no way to stop the hostile takeover, the acquirer will be forced to pay higher prices and this may push them into a financial crisis.¡±


    ¡°


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes there is a way. If we figure out who is behind the hostile takeover, we can actually find a friendly supporter , we can deliberately raise the purchase price. We can lock in the right to choose,¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan, who had been listening to her, interrupted. ¡°If you did that, you would not have to repel the hostile takeover, maybe you will go bankrupt first.¡±


    Yan Liang was taken aback.


    After thinking about the matter, she had to concede that what he said was right¡­


    ¡°Then¡­¡­¡±


    She wanted to blurt out her question but was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. Only her subordinates knew the new phone number, so as to shelter her from the media and other nuisances.


    Every time the phone rang, she was expecting another piece of bad news.


    So she did not delay even half a second and immediately picked up the call.


    It was Zhou Cheng


    ¡°..Zhou Cheng¡­¡±


    She had only said this one word when she was interrupted by him,¡± Where are you ? I have something to show you.¡±


    Yan Liang was surprised.


    Zhou Cheng speaking to her in this tone made her sit up straighter, ¡°What happened ?¡±


    ¡° The line is not clear. In short, I need you to come now to the apartment that you used to live in.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at her questioningly , at the same time, Zhou Cheng said ,¡± Don¡¯t ask why. Just come over now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Yan Liang reluctantly said ,¡±Don¡¯t tell me this is because of Xu Ziqing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhou Cheng was silent but Yan Liang was already determined , she could only say ,¡±Ok.¡±


    She hung up the phone and wondered what to tell Jiang Yu Nan when he asked,¡± what happened ?¡±


    Obviously he heard the urgent voice in the other end. He also heard some of the conversation. Naturally, he did not miss the sentence that Yan Liang had uttered ..don¡¯t tell me this is because of Xu Ziqing


    But he did not wait for Yan Liang¡¯s answer and said, ¡°I¡¯ll drop you back.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll take a taxi. You go home.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan no longer insisted. He asked the driver to stop the car , watched her hail a taxi and only then told the driver to drive away.


    His car quickly took the next lane and they could no longer see each other.


    More than ten minutes later, the taxi reached Yan Liang¡¯s apartment.


    She saw Zhou Cheng waiting not far from the parking lot, his body leaning against his car. She looked around but could not see Xu Ziqing


    As Yan Liang took her bag from the taxi, Zhou Cheng also saw her.


    ¡°Where are we going ?¡±


    Zhou Cheng decide to sit in the drivers seat, as if to tell Yan Liang that this time he was determined not to answer any of her questions.


    ¡° Just now were you out with Jiang Yu Nan?¡±


    ¡°Yes what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡­¡±


    His tone sounded weird but Yan Liang did not ask again.


    The car was going further and further into the suburbs until it reached the cemetery.


    Yan Liang did not how to ask why they were taking this extremely strange trip.


    Zhou Cheng got out of the car and led Yan Liang along the stone steps of the mountain. Yan Liang stopped at the steps and reminded him ,¡± You have come to the wrong place. My dad is in another cemetery.¡±


    She did not go further but Zhou Cheng simply reached out and pulled her.


    Yan Liang could only reluctantly keep up with him


    Finally he reached the tombstone of a stranger.


    Yan Liang stopped.


    She looked at the tombstone. It was dusty and seemed to not have been tended to for a long time. Next to the photo, there were two fresh bouquets of flowers . She could not help but break the silence and ask ,¡±Who is he?¡±


    Miumiu : I think it¡¯s fairly obvious who he is

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46


    ¡°Who is he?¡±


    Zhou Cheng did not say a word, only watched her silently ;in his eyes there was a trace of¡­ pity.


    .


    It was so cold, Yan Liang could not help shivering.


    As if mysteriously and inexorably guided by an unseen force, Yan Liang was pulled towards the picture on the tombstone. The silence and the biting cold interweaved together to form a trap from which Yan Liang could not escape. In a broken voice, she asked,¡±Is he really¡­¡±


    ¡° Jiang Shi Jun visited him yesterday,¡± a familiar female voice sounded, interrupting Yan Liang¡¯s words.


    Yan Liang looked back and saw Xu Ziqing.


    The inexplicable anger she was holding in her heart suddenly burst forth when she saw Xu Ziqing standing in front of her ,¡± How is Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s friends any of my business? You made Zhou Cheng bring me over because of this ?¡±


    As she said these words, Yan Liang could not help glance at Zhou Cheng on the side, but he had his head down in silence.


    As she witnessed this scene, Yan Liang felt like laughing. How could she forget that this man¡¯s world always revolved around Xu Ziqing, what had she expected ?


    There was no need to say anymore. She turned to go back when her foot was nailed in place by Xu Ziqing¡¯s next comment¡­


    ¡° Dont you think the eyebrows¡±, Xu Ziqing raised her chin towards the photo on the tombstone, ¡° resemble that of another person?¡±


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Someone you and I are very familiar with¡­¡±


    *** ***


    As soon as the taxi stopped, Yan Liang paid the fare to the driver and rushed out , running all the way to the door. She ran through the vestibule garden , straight into the house. Aunt Liang had just sent off the staff of the funeral company and Yan Liang bumped into her.


    Finally when she regained her balance, she looked at Yan Liang with surprise. Yan Liang had just left the house a few hours ago and was already back ? She asked ,¡±Why did you come back ?¡±


    Yan Liang was panting. She waved her hand , had no time to answer any further and bypassing aunt Liang , ran towards the stairs.


    She reached the study in the second floor where they had earlier gathered to read the will. At this moment the study was empty. From her memory, she knew there was a safe under the desk in the study. She squatted there, wondering what the password to the lock was.


    Suddenly she got and went to the door. Looking downstairs, she shouted, ¡° Aunt Liang, call my mother ..¡±


    As soon as she stopped talking, she could see her mother come to the stairway.


    Yan Mu looked up to see her daughter standing on the second floor landing.


    ¡° Aunt Liang told me you have returned..¡± Yan Mu frowned , ¡° what happened ?¡±


    Yan Liang did not want to explain so much, she asked ,¡± What is the password to the safe ?¡±


    As soon as she got the answer, she at last opened the safe. She hurriedly took out all the files in the safe. Yan Mu watched her and asked, ¡° What are you looking for ?¡±


    She did not seem to be interested in the contents of the files. She was just focusing on the last page to see the final signatures on the document. But even after a long time , she could not find what she was looking for


    The desk was scattered with several contracts. Yan Liang rose, and while she continued to rummage through the contracts she asked , ¡°Mom , have you ever heard of a man called Song Ji Peng?


    ¡°Song Ji Peng?¡±, Yan Mu frowned for a long time and then shook her head,¡± no I haven¡¯t .¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s brain flashed the three words on the epitaph, ¡®Song Ji Peng.¡¯ She suddenly felt her head ache, after a pause, she looked at the next document, ¡° I seem to remember seeing the name in one of the documents Dad had, are they all in the safe ?¡±


    ¡° Do you want to go to the company¡¯s archives to see the files stored digitally ?¡±


    ¡° I think this was years before the company implemented the digitisation of files.¡±


    Yan Mu wanted to help but was powerless, ¡° I don¡¯t always intervene in the matters of the company.¡±


    Yan Mu also helped her look through some documents but they did not find the name they were looking for.Suddenly she realised something and put the file down,¡± You may wish to ask Secretary Liu. She worked for your father for decades, she may be able to help you.¡±


    Secretary Liu?


    Yan Liang did not give up till she saw the last contract.


    Looking at the table littered with files, Yan Liang sighed. Then she took out her phone and tried to dial the number of Secretary Liu.


    After being dismissed by Xu Jin Fu, Yan Liang only had a private number to contact her. But the number was picked up by her son who said she had gone back home to visit her relatives.


    ¡°When will she come back ?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Her son was obviously not co operative and kept silent. Yan Liang paused, but she could only press on and tried to change her tone to a more reasonable one,¡± Or..can you give me a number where I can immediately contact her ?¡±


    There was a sneer at the other end, and then he spoke mockingly, ¡° My mother spent her entire life for the Xu family, then you abruptly dismissed her and did not even speak to her. Now you are suddenly so anxious. I¡¯m sorry. I do not want her to be disturbed by her old life again.¡±


    ¡°I am really sorry about that, but I have some urgent¡­¡±


    She heard a ¡®snap¡¯ on the other side, the phone had been banged down.


    **** ****


    Finally Yan Liang found the whereabouts of Secretary Liu two days later.


    These two days, Yan Liang was still saying with her mother in the mansion. She was determined to accompany her mother so Jiang Yu Nan no longer forced her.


    Today was the day Xu Jin fu would be buried.


    Yan Liang stood beside her mother , meeting the guests. Most only said one sentence ,¡± We are sorry for your loss.¡± She was indifferent to what they were saying and was only immersed in her own thoughts.


    As she looked at the people walking towards her, she suddenly thought she saw a glimpse of Secretary Liu. Almost subconsciously, she looked at Secretary Lee and Jiang Yu Nan.


    As Yan Liang had not disclosed her marriage, Jiang Yu Nan had come with the others in the role of a company CEO attending the funeral of the company chairman. Like the other employees, he was also a guest. Someone handed him a white chrysanthemum while reminding him to put it on the coffin, just like the other guests were doing.


    Jiang Yu Nan did not speak, holding the white chrysanthemum in his hand, he walked towards Yan Liang.


    He nodded slightly at Yan Mu. Yan Mu gave him an apologetic smile,¡±Yu Nan, since after all, you did not have a wedding, taking into account the rules, we could not allow you to attend the cremation.¡±


    ¡°It does not matter.¡±


    His behaviour was very generous, and Yan Mu was very satisfied with his answer. Yan Liang stared straight at her husband. Yan Mu looked up and saw several acquaintances at the entrance and said, ¡° I will leave you two young people to talk alone.¡±


    Yan Liang looked at Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyebrows. She was occupied by her thoughts for a few seconds after her mother left. Then she pulled herself up, and knitted her eyebrows and asked him,¡± What is the situation in the company for the past few days ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan shook his head.


    ¡° Did you not sleep well these few days ? Your face has become thin¡±, Jiang Yu Nan raised his hand and touched her cheek.


    ( Miumiu : see see.. he cares ! He cares ! Logical side of Miumiu¡¯s brain .. he¡¯s just acting! )


    Yan Liang tried to smile at him, although her smile appeared reluctant. Till her gaze landed over Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s shoulders; not far away Xu Ziqing was standing.


    ¡° I heard Jiang Shi Jun call Jiang Yu Nan about going together to the grave..¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun called Jiang Yu Nan about going to the grave together ¡­


    Yan Liang¡¯s smile instantly disintegrated.


    Fortunately at this time, both of them heard the phone ringing. Yan Liang¡¯s mouth stiffened and as she bowed down her head, under the cover of her hair , her expression changed . She took the phone out of her pocket.


    She signalled at the phone and took two steps away to answer it.


    This was a strange number. Yan Liang picked up the phone ,¡±Hello¡±


    The other party called her with the usual title, ¡° Miss Yan?¡±


    Yan Liang was stunned, ¡° Secretary Liu?¡±


    Miumiu : So we wait for the next chapter to figure out what the mystery of Song Ji Peng is.

 Chapter 47

    This is one of my favorite chapters. This, chapter 67 and the epilogue with JYN. Why ? Because it has lots of angst. Because, like I mentioned earlier, this novel has very few scenes from JYNs point of view so I treasure the small little glimpses that we get of his emotions. This chapter has one of those glimpses¡­


    Especially the bed scene.. it¡¯s my absolute favorite..( no it¡¯s certainly not the kind you think :))


    Leave me comments of what you think please !


    Chapter 47


    This was a strange number. Yan Liang picked up the phone ,¡±Hello¡±


    The other party called her with the usual title, ¡° Miss Yan?¡±


    Yan Liang was stunned, ¡° Secretary Liu?¡±


    *** ***


    Yan Liang suddenly awakened from her dream.


    On the ceiling , she could see a narrow beam of moonlight that had filtered through a gap in the curtains.


    Though the snow was thawing, the outdoors was still very cold. Indoors, it was supposed to be warmer, but Yan Liang could not help shivering when she recalled the dream she had.


    She sat up from the bed and pressed her temples. Although there was no movement by her side, she heard a worried voice , ¡° Are you having trouble sleeping ?¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s body stiffened, she looked back to see that Jiang Yu Nan had also woken up and was leaning against the bed as he looked at her.


    He was a light sleeper, he would usually wake up at the slightest movement from her.


    Yan Liang shook her head as an answer. Trying to get back to sleep, she lay down on the bed again when Jiang Yu Nan put his arms around her.


    As he hugged her, she could not raise her head. With her face against his chest, she heard him say ,¡± Did you have a nightmare ?¡±


    ¡° Its not a nightmare.¡± In the dark room ,no one could see the face of the woman to realise that she was lying. ¡° I was just thinking of the funeral today.¡±


    ¡°No wonder¡±, Jiang Yu Nan sighed and drew her closer to him as his hug tightened.


    ¡°No wonder what?¡±


    ¡° Before you woke up, I was watching you. Though you had fallen asleep, from time to time your brows knitted in a frown.¡± The man¡¯s voice was so gentle , so caring, as he advised her,¡±If you survive this, everything will get better.¡±


    Yan Liang finally could not help but look at him.


    As she glanced at him, she could see a sweet smile on his face; he looked gentle, graceful, quiet, aloof; but even now, his eyebrows had unconsciously been raised slightly as if slightly resisting. Yan Liang wondered if she had really understood him even once.


    She closed her eyes, wanting to end the conversation. In a sleepy voice, in the leisurely atmosphere of the warm bedroom ,she said, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand..you haven¡¯t had the experience of seeing a loved person die. You won¡¯t understand how painful it is..¡±


    Even if she hated her father for decades..after all..


    ¡­ ¡­


    Yan Liang turned. It was very quiet, even her breathing gradually slowed down, as if she had really fallen asleep. But, in fact, her eyes were still open, though they were blank; there were no emotions in them.


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at the back of the woman by his side. Almost subconsciously, he reached out to her. But even before his fingers met her shoulders , he stopped, hesitated, then silently withdrew his hand. Lying on his back, he looked with empty eyes at the ceiling , his eyes wide open till the dawn arrived.


    When the cold sun broke through the haze, their sleepless night ended. Jiang Yu Nan, who had stared all night at the sleeping figure of the woman beside him, gently got up from the bed.


    A new day had begun. As was his daily habit, he had his bath, changed his clothes and stood in the walk in closet. The broken mirror had long been replaced. There were no cracks in the new mirror.


    As was his daily habit, he stood in front of the mirror tying his tie, while in his heart, he kept reminding himself : Jiang Yu Nan , you do not love her¡­do not love her..


    ..do not love¡­


    This had almost become a daily mantra. After putting on his tie, he came into the bedroom, his face deadpan. But when he saw the figure of the woman still sleeping in the bed, there was a trace of sadness in his eyes


    He leaned over the body of the woman. Who would ever know that the kiss on her eyebrows was actually his way of saying¡­..


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    *** ***


    The sound of his footsteps echoed farther and farther away till they could not be heard anymore. This is when Yan Liang opened her eyes, almost the same time that she heard the sound of the door closing gently.


    At this time, there was rush hour traffic. The urban roads were very congested. But Yan Liang drove her car to the suburbs so she didn¡¯t encounter any congestion and smoothly reached the cemetery.


    After the funeral yesterday, she had gone meet Secretary Liu alone. She wasn¡¯t too keen to see the new tombstone though.


    The inscription under the photo read : survived by wives Yan Mu, Zhao Qingfang, daughters Yan Liang , Xu Ziqing.


    Yan Liang suddenly felt these two names together ¨C Yan Mu and Zhao Qingfang felt very odd.


    After this came into her mind, she herself thought this was a ridiculous idea , but the four words, ¡° dead and gone forever ¡° appeared in her mind.


    She took out the photo from her bag.


    It had been taken some years back and the edges had yellowed,. It was a black and white photo. This was the Xu staff in the initial days, all of them standing with a smile.


    In that era, it was a relatively small , closely knit group of young people .That year, there were Secretary Liu, Song Ji Peng and naturally Yan Liang¡¯s father. Xu Jin fu was young in the photo. Compared to the photo on the tombstone, it was the same man, but time had obviously left its mark on his features.


    As Yan Liang held the photo in her hand and stood quietly in front of the tombstone, she remembered the eyes of her father. But in her brain the voice of Secretary Liu echoed¡­


    Miss Yan , where did you hear the name Song Ji Peng..


    This history you really don¡¯t have to know..


    Miss Yan, I really don¡¯t want to say this.. but¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    He is..the one who invented the formula for Ya Yan. He was also your father¡¯s partner..


    The company had just been set up when they encountered funding issues. Song Ji Peng wanted to sell the formula to foreign cosmetics companies but your father used this formula to get your grandfather to invest.


    Because we managed to list Ya Yan first, and that foreign cosmetics company had to bear huge losses, Song Ji Peng had to pay a huge compensation ..


    After that.. I haven¡¯t heard of Song Ji Peng¡­


    His family ?..Miss Yan why do you ask about that ?


    I¡¯m not really clear¡­.


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    This is the photo when the company had just opened. See, we are here in the front. That time we were still renting our premises. We were so young, I always thought that this photo will accompany me to my grave¡­.


    Yan Liang looked down at the picture. Their smiles were clear, they all looked enthusiastic. It was almost cruel. She turned towards the photo on the tombstone.


    She said, ¡° I must have sinned a lot in my last life to be born as your daughter in this life. But rest assured, no matter who the opponent, I will not let them take Xu down.¡±


    As she stood there, in front of her father¡¯s photo, she tore the photo and spread the palm of her hand. Bits of the photo were blown away by the wind one by one, drifting away to an unknown place. Silently, she turned back to leave.


    Her high heels tapped on the stone stairs as she walked down.


    Then she called Xu Ziqing.


    The phone was connected.


    It was clear that Xu Ziqing knew it was her, she kept silent.


    They had been at each other¡¯s throats for so long Yan Liang found that this was the first time that she had calmly dialled her sister¡¯s number. ¡°Xu Ziqing , I suddenly realised that while we are fighting like cats, what is the use ? The enemy behind the scenes is exploiting this and will ultimately finish Xu.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Xu Ziqing asked her.


    Miumiu : can you imagine the scene..Jiang Yu Nan reaching out to provide comfort to YL..then hesitating. Then spending the whole night staring at her back. What he must be going through! And then there is Yan Liang. Realising that the only man she could trust, the man she had loved with her whole heart was actually her enemy¡­

 Chapter 48

    ok..so the angst is really picking up. My heart bleeds for both YL and JYN..


    I am travelling for a few days so the posts may be a little erratic..


    Chapter 48


    Yan Liang thought briefly.


    Yeah, what did she want to do?


    What could she do ?


    The cold wind blowing through the cemetery chilled her to the bone and woke her up from her trance, ¡° First of all, I need to determine if the shares that dad gave you are still in your name and have not been swallowed by Jiang Shi Jun.¡±


    Xu Ziqing was silent.


    Her sudden silence had Yan Liang¡¯s heart palpitating , her voice sounded panicked, ¡° You have not¡­¡±


    Xu Ziqing immediately explained, ¡° You can rest assured.¡±


    Yan Liang let out a sigh, and continuing down the stairs she said, ¡°Jiang Shi Jun, Song Ji Peng, Jiang Yu Nan.. I don¡¯t believe that all this ia just a coincidence. If the shell company behind the hostile takeover is MT, Jiang Shi Jun must really be the boss behind the scenes..¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t assume that,¡± Xu Ziqing immediately interrupted her, ¡° Jiang Shi Jun and MT¡¯ s general manager are meeting for tea in Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s private club.¡±


    ¡° Did you meet them?¡±


    ¡° Do you think if I had walked into them I would be here talking to you on the phone ?¡± Xu Ziqing laughed in a self deprecating manner, ¡° I installed a listening device in Jiang Shi jun¡¯s car.¡±


    This news was like a lifeline suddenly thrown to Yan Liang .She had reached the car. She yanked the door open, sat down and with urgency in her tone, she asked her, ¡° What else did you hear?¡±


    ¡° He has too many cars, and this was just installed today. He is meeting the general manager for tea today. Nothing else.¡±


    She tamped down on her slight disappointment. Holding the steering wheel, she drove out of the parking area,¡±MT issued a notice stating that they had purchased 5% of Xu¡¯s shares in the market. We have now stabilised the major shareholders. As far as they big shareholders are concerned, they have hit a wall right now. They will certainly try to target the minority shareholders. If they get the power of attorney from the hands of the minority shareholders, the situation will become worse, so..¡±


    To some extent, Yan Liang felt that Xu Ziqing actually understood things well, such as, at this moment , her tone rising, she said, ¡° Jiang Shi Jun has no suspicions about me now, I should be able to get a list of the minority shareholders and try to contact them.¡±


    Why did she mention Jiang Shi Jun , these three words , without the slightest anger?


    Does hate not appear if there isn¡¯t a bit of love first?


    In stark contrast, she wished that she could shred to pieces that man named Jiang Shi Jun, the man who took advantage of her. Even that name was like a knife slicing through her body..


    She chuckled as Xu Ziqing stopped talking


    ¡° Why are you laughing ?¡± Xu Ziqing asked, her tone unhappy.


    ¡° I just realised, I have to start learning how to to manipulate my own husband, just like¡­.¡±


    ¡­ how he manipulated me..


    She said it with a smile. But her eyes reflected in the condensed fog of the windows were chilled. She finished her sentence and modified her tone to end briskly,¡± Let me know what happens.¡±


    By the time Yan Liang reached home it was early morning. She was too tired to take off her shoes. She walked to the living room with her high heels on and flung herself down on the sofa.


    Surrounded by the silence, she closed her eyes and heard the clock ticking away. She had been running around all day. She had walked into a trap but had survived so far. She was exhausted , but could not sleep; her brain was whirling.


    The most direct and effective way to counter the hostile takeover was to increase their share holdings, but this required a lot of money. Even if they sold all of Xu¡¯s movable property and estate, she feared that the enemy had already planned for this and would swallow all of it like a whale.


    The only way to completely solve this funding problem would be to get a third party company to give them financial aid.


    But where is the time to find such a strong financial consortium ? And all of this needed to be hidden from the CEO of Xu, it needed to be done quietly ¡­


    At this point, the sound of footsteps interrupted Yan Liang¡¯s thoughts.


    Her arm was over her eyes. As the footsteps reached closer and closer, she could feel her heartbeats thundering. Someone crouched besides the couch ¡­


    The person¡¯s hands reached Yan Liang¡¯s feet and quietly took off her shoes.


    She heard him sigh.


    Yes, how can he not sigh ? He had played so hard.


    She smiled in her mind at the same time that he moved away her arm over her eyes .


    She hid a shiver when he touched her.


    She could feel him pause in action.


    She must have been found, so she opened her eyes.


    To meet another pair of eyes that looked worried.


    Faced with such a perfect expression, for a moment , she was almost tempted to believe in it.


    ¡° How long have you been sleeping here?¡±


    Yu Nan was wearing a bathrobe. He had a towel in his hands, his hair was still wet, it looked as if he had just had a bath. Yan Liang smiled,¡± It¡¯s so late, you haven¡¯t slept yet?¡±


    ¡° Just got back and took a bath.¡± Jiang Yu Nan touched her eyelashes, ¡° You¡¯ve been in the mansion helping your mother all day, you must be tired, right ?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok¡±, Yan Liang flexed her sore shoulders and walked towards the bedroom without turning back.¡± I need a shower.¡±


    Only when she locked the bathroom did she relax. She leaned against the door, and looked at her own reflection on the mirror opposite. This woman already did not look like her¡­


    After the bath, she dried her hair and walked back to the bedroom in bare feet. Jiang Yu Nan had already fallen asleep. She stood by his side of the bed.


    He had a commanding look. Human eyes had 576 million pixels but they could still not see what was in the heart¡­


    Sitting at the bedside, her fingers pointed at his heart. Under the skin, under the hard bones, was his heart wrapped in a layer of hard iron ?


    Her fingers slowly moved along his body and finally stopped at his neck. Her other hand also moved towards the neck. As long as she grabbed his neck, and squeezed hard¡­


    Without any warning, the man opened his eyes before she could take any action. His eyes immediately turned alert when he saw her hands near him.


    Yan Liang¡¯s instincts were quicker than her mind, she bent down to kiss him instinctively.


    The vigilance in his eyes changed to surprise. His wife was really acting irrationally, her deep but awkward kiss stunned him momentarily, but this was soon followed by a more violent response from him.


    Her bathrobe was ripped apart. As they tangled with each other, the bathrobe was pushed to her waist, till he pulled it off and threw it on the bed.


    She straddled his waist, ripped off the buttons on his shirt and bit him. For a moment, Jiang Yu Nan was at a loss with her forceful actions. But then he raised his body slightly . She struggled for half a moment, then gave in, allowing him to bend her a little as he held her by the waist.


    His desire throbbed dangerously, this man was on edge and almost out of control.


    He raised his body and slammed into her with such fierce strength that Yan Liang was almost overturned on the bed. But at the same moment, she ruthlessly caught his wrists. Using the bathrobe belt, she tied his hands to the bed frame. With one hand, she grabbed his neck. The crazy look in this man¡¯s eyes drove her to the ultimate peak of temptation and despair, she squeezed so hard that he almost choked..


    The response to this temptation could only be more intense and crazy. Jiang Yu Nan jerked his wrist out of the binds and wrested control from her. He turned her over and pressed her body under him.


    As she lay on the bed, Yan Liang finally lost all her strength. She raised her arm to cover her eyes. She did not want to think anymore; she let him do whatever he wanted with her body. His long , fiery kisses on her skin created a burning trail down her body. She was turned on by desires beyond her control.


    He buried his head in her chest and his teeth nipped her there, stinging her a little. The sting penetrated her skin and reached deep down into her heart..triggering off the emotions she had buried deep down in heart.A wave of pain engulfed her, it overwhelmed her .. she didn¡¯t want to live anymore..


    The first cry that issued from her throat stunned her even more than it surprised Jiang Yu Nan.


    As his warm mouth nipped and sucked, she gazed at the ceiling blankly. After a long time, she reacted , and a sob rang out.


    Jiang Yu Nan rose and looked anxiously at her face, his eyes uncertain,¡± Yan Liang ?¡±


    Yan Liang moved her hand away from her yes, looked at him and smiled apologetically, then turned away from him, ¡° I am sleepy. Let¡¯s sleep.¡±


    There was silence for a moment.Jiang Yu Nan leaned towards her face ,¡±Yan Liang ?¡±


    Such a gentle voice¡­.


    Such a beautiful illusion..


    Yan Liang looked at him , watching this stranger ¡­ one second..two seconds..


    Then she burst into tears.


    As if suppressed for a long time, she finally vented all her sorrow without restraint.


    A messy bed¡­


    A heart split open cruelly..


    As she cried, she curled into a ball.


    Who could see , that, in fact, the heart of the man tightly holding her as she cried, was also bleeding ?


    *** ***


    Not far from the bedroom, the sound of crying faintly echoed in the living room.


    In the bag on the coffee table, the phone silently vibrated as a few text messages were received.


    The phone was encrypted and the messages were hidden in a few seconds


    On the other side of the city, in the top floor of Ming Ting,Lu Zheng was standing at the window , looking out as the neon lights in the night shone like the dawn. The CBD was bustling with activity under the cold moonlight.


    Lu Zheng looked down at the two messages he had just sent, the light from the phone reflecting on his handsome face in jagged edges.


    ¡°Ma Yan, I have thought about what we spoke in the afternoon. I have dealt with situations a lot more difficult that this, but this time, I do not intend to assess the possibility of co operation based on material profits alone.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give me a reason why I should pay such a high price to help you ?¡±

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49


    Her emotional breakdown was attributed to the sudden death of her father. Every morning , she still woke up next to her husband, wished him good morning and gave him a sweet morning kiss. On the surface, they were just two newly weds, hiding the real persona underneath


    The anti takeover war had already started.


    It wasn¡¯t clear how Xu Ziqing figured out the secrets, but they acted like a beacon for Yan Liang, guiding her in the right direction.


    Xu Ziqing also brought other news that helped Yan Liang a lot. The most important thing now was that she and Lu Zheng could now talk about how much funds were required.. ¡° I got the exact news. MT has earmarked 45-50 billion US dollars. I am going to match force with force.


    Only two words: hard cash.


    I can raise funds in the short term.As per my estimate, there will still be about 7-10 billion US dollars of a funding gap. I would like to borrow this from you and give you Xu¡¯s shares as guarantee. ¡°


    In addition she did not reveal the behind the scenes boss of MT to Lu Zheng, she did not want to shake things up right now. Even the place where she was meeting him was a relatively isolated golf centre.


    It was a cold but sunny morning. She stood next to Lu Zheng as she watched him play. Usually restrained, Lu Zheng suddenly swung his gold club in an arc with full strength, making the ball fly far away.


    His play was a bit different. Lu Zheng was a bit uncertain. With some hesitation, he put down the club, turned toward Yan Liang and said , ¡°Last night, ..no that¡¯s incorrect..this morning, did you see the message I sent you?¡±


    An alarm sounded in Yan Liang¡¯s head. She calmly nodded her head.


    ¡°So¡­ ¡° Lu Zheng , knitted his brows and thought. Then he laughed, ¡° You will give me the Xu shares as guarantee..you have come here to convince me to help you basis that ?¡±


    Yan Liang ¡®s heart silently sighed. She looked up at his face.


    The man¡¯s eyes clearly reminded Yan Liang : this is not what he wanted.


    But in addition to this charade, what else could she do ?


    How could she consider herself smart, but then take the most idiotic step of getting married ?


    And now even if she wants to put herself as a bargaining chip in the transaction with the man in front of her, she could not ..


    As of he suddenly realised that his hints were contrary to the etiquette that had been instilled in him, he recovered himself and looked at her again. This time , his look was gentle as he presented his analysis to Yan Liang, ¡° You have to know, if you fight and win that is the best result, you save Xu, give your opponent a heavy blow and you can avoid any such thing in the future. But if you lose, then it will not be just as simple as being bankrupt. Your debts will be so high that it will drag you down forever.¡±


    Yan Liang kept quiet. The consequences were extreme .. finally would she be able to win it or would she lose completely? It was difficult to predict. But what could she do ? Would she silently watch the change in dynasty ? No, absolutely not.


    Yan Liang was silent. A trace of emotion flashed in Lu Zheng eyes, and his hand tightened slightly around the club he was holding. ¡°Xu is now a mess. If someone buys it, you can sell the business at a price good enough for you to start your own business.¡±


    ¡°Xu is what I want as my lifetime career¡±, Yan Liang interjected.


    As she lied to his face, her heart did not jump at the slightest. Lu Zheng just helplessly shook his head.


    The driving range had been opened exclusively for Lu Zheng. It was inevitably desolate. Yan Liang¡¯s heart was a little anxious. She had no choice but to meet him here, accompany him as he played and appear submissive.


    The caddy set the ball, Lu Zheng moved his attention from Yan Liang, stood and swung the club in a beautiful arc. Yan Liang¡¯s eyes followed the ball as it flew away. At this time Lu Zheng said, ¡° As far as I know, your interest is in the design of shoes, not in the management of business.¡±


    His voice was clear and low, but Yan Liang was stunned and instantly stiffened.


    As if aware of her silence, Lu Zheng did not continue and changed his tack,¡± Since your mind is already made up, I will not advise you anymore. After three days, my company will sign the contract..¡±


    Yan Liang had not yet had time to recover from the earlier surprise, this decisive statement sent her off in another spin


    .. Three days..


    Even if Lu Zheng used his executive veto powers, the fact that he would be able to sign after three days was incredible. After all, he would need to convince the board. They would need to promise to invest a sizeable amount of money, this would certainly require some time.


    She fought back the emotions churning in her mind and tamped down the excitement cresting in her heart. Calmly she told Lu Zheng ,¡± Ok. I will go back now to draft the contract. I should be able to send you the contact by tonight. After confirming that you have no objection to the terms, you can have it signed after three days.¡±


    After saying that, Yan Liang felt relieved.


    She nodded at him and turned away.


    Lu Zheng looked at the woman walking through the driving range when she suddenly stopped and came back.


    They were separated by some distance, but Lu Zheng could see her hesitating as she bit her lower lip and then asked, ¡° My history about running a business in the US..even my mother does not know about it. How did you know this ?¡±


    Lu Zheng smiled ,¡± Can this be considered a personal question? May I choose not to answer ?¡±


    To Yan Liang, the man¡¯s voice and smile seemed to have a trace of indescribable affection.


    *** ***


    At the same time,Xu Ziqing was furious in someone else¡¯s office ¡° I have given your money back, why will you not return the shares I mortgaged ?¡±


    ¡°.. This..¡±


    Xu Ziqing stood up, ¡° Call Steve Guo..he had been handling my stuff and he will be most clear about the process..¡±


    The man in front of her was quite embarrassed , ¡°You wait here, I will ask Guo to come over.¡±


    He quickly disappeared at the door. Xu Ziqing was unable to sit back . A moment later, the door was pushed open.


    ¡°Steve¡­.¡± Xu Ziqing heard the sound of the door and turned around, ¡°.. Steve..¡±


    But she was bitterly shocked,


    Steve Guo wasn¡¯t the person who came in.


    It was Jiang Shi Jun.


    *** ***


    Xu Ziqing stood up and a smile appeared on her face, ¡°What made you come here ?¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun looked at her smiling. He leisurely approached her and with one hand pushed her back in the seat. He used a finger to push back an errant hair in front of her frightened eyes. The action was intimate but Xu Ziqing stiffened.


    ¡° Do you want to hear me tell you a story ?¡±Jiang Shi Jun softly asked.


    Xu Ziqing was nailed to the seat. For a moment, her brain could not react. She listened to him as he continued , ¡° There was a stupid woman, some time ago, she had heard some news from someone and based on that she decided to invest a large sum of money into some stocks. The result was that the stock prices somersaulted and her large investment was stuck. This also included misappropriation of public funds . She was lucky enough that a man who loved her covered for her. At the deadline, she used her own holding of Xu¡¯s shares as guarantee to borrow a huge sum of money to make up the gap in the public funds.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is this woman stupid ? Because the misappropriation of public funds, insider trading ..she committed all those crimes but thought she had deceived everyone. In fact she had been caught a long while back !¡±


    Xu Ziqing felt like someone had grabbed her throat. Her lips trembled. She had a strong heart but this man was trying to defeat her by applying constant pressure.


    Jiang Shi Jun was still smiling,¡±Of course she was found out. Then this..¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun threw something in front of Xu Ziqing


    Xu Ziqing bowed down her head to take a closer look, almost in the same second, fear showed in her eyes..


    What was thrown in front of her was nothing but the listening device she had installed in Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s car.


    *** ***


    In sharp contrast to her expression of shock, Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s face only changed momentarily, and finally froze in an expression of a slight frown. He looked as if he was the victim of a deceit.¡± If you want to know the truth, ask me. How do you know that I will not tell you ?¡±


    ¡°You misunderstood me ¡­¡±


    She had excellent lying skills, but this man emitted danger from his whole body, even though he still looked elegant while doing so. Jiang Shi Jun pulled over a chair, unbuttoned the suit jacket , lazily sat and them started, ¡° Where do I start ?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° You found out that Ya Yan, this name, was named by Song Ji Peng after his wife Liao Ya Yan; that is, Yu Nan¡¯s mother , right ?¡±


    Jiang ..Yu..Nan..Xu Ziqing silently repeated the name while her heart chilled.


    ¡° You.. what does it mean? Why can¡¯t I understand what you say ?¡± Xu Ziqing tried to laugh, but her mouth refused to smile.


    This woman¡¯s true colours were shown as she lied. As if under her influence, Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s mind also turned away from the game and he said ,¡± Liao Ya Yan..¡±


    He took a deep breath, his tone was soft, as if slowly exposing a painful memory, ¡°.. she was also the love of my life..¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Jiang Shi Jun looked at Xu Ziqing, saw the shock on her face and reaffirmed again, ¡° Yes.,the love of my life..¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°When I realised I didn¡¯t have the strength to give her happiness, I thought Song Ji Penguin would be the person who would take care of her for the rest of her life. I quit in his favour but¡­¡± Xu Ziqing had never seen this man sad, but at this moment, his voice choked, his eyes closed, sadness flowed from every pore, ¡°¡­ she died of an illness.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Song Ji Peng was such an honest person, but for the sake of her life, he was ready to sell the formula to foreigners. He would have enough money to pay the cost of a transplant. But Xu Jin fu not only pocketed the formula, he also accused Song Ji Peng..¡±


    Here , Jiang Shi Jun suddenly opened his eyes, saw Xu Ziqing and his eyes filled with hate.


    Revealing the scars of the past can cause more pain; how much hatred he had¡­


    Xu Ziqing quickly put her head down, futilely trying to hide her panic. But Jiang Shi Jun was going to conceal nothing, he generously continued ,¡± We planned for so many years. Just when we were closing the trap, unfortunately in a critical juncture, Jiang Yu Nan turned soft because of a woman.¡±


    This appeared so ridiculous , just thinking of this, Jiang Shi Jun smiled and shook his head, ¡° He felt that since Xu Jin fu is dead, it was a life for a life. All was squared up, as long as he could have your sister for a lifetime.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° How can that be ? The world is not airtight. He was blinded by emotions, could not be ruthless. I do not blame him. He was very young when Ya Yan died, he does not know the concept of hatred. But I am not like that. The day Ya Yan was buried, it was raining. I will never forget that day in my lifetime.¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s voice was low, but also sharp. Xu Ziqing involuntarily shivered.


    Acting on her instinct for self preservation, she took a step towards the door.


    But his next words seemed to tie her feet with an invisible string ,¡±I will not stop this play till I see this house bankrupt.¡±

 Chapter 50

    50th chapter yay! We¡¯ve crossed the half century mark. 32 more to go


    Thia chapter is a bitter sweet one. We get a glimpse of Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s feelings.. but the battle lines have already been drawn and YL and JYN are inexorably moving towards the separation ¡­


    As always , leave me your comments.. I love reading them.. pretty please !


    Chapter 50


    When suppressed to the extreme, the oppressed often turns to desperate measures.


    Xu Ziqing was in the that situation. Forced to the brink of life and death, her fears vanished. She as in no hurry to flee now, she jerked back and mocked him,¡± Thank you for telling me all this, this is more useful than what I gathered from the listening device¡±.


    She took the phone out of her bag, and alerted Jiang Shi Jun to who she was dialling, ¡° I am convinced that when my sister hears the news, she would also like to thank Mr Jiang. When we repel all the enemies of Xu together, we will owe Mr Jiang a big favour.¡±


    Unfortunately , her words did not crush the self confidence of the man in front of her. He seemed to listen to her words without any fear. Xu Ziqing tried to see a trace of fear in his smile, but there was only arrogance. She was confused and as she looked warily at him, he started laughing.¡± This is a public place, do you dare to kill me here ?¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun continued sitting, he did not move. He looked at her, as if watching a clown perform. Seeing his expression, Xu Ziqing frowned. Jiang Shi Jun said, ¡° Insider trading, misappropriation of public funds¡­ so you think you can do a few years of prison time if I submit all this evidence to the police ?¡±


    Xu Ziqing¡¯s fingers froze.


    ¡°And you really don¡¯t think that I will use only 45-50 billion to buy Xu, right ?¡±


    Aa if stabbed in the heart, Xu Ziqing¡¯s eyes widened, her eyes were incredulous.


    This incredulous look, like that of a small frightened animal caught in the trap- Jiang Shi Jin found extremely enjoyable.


    He kept looking at her and said, ¡° I have found out about your theft long ago. Why so you think I haven¡¯t exposed it till today ? I fed you false news so that , step by step, I could lure your sister¡¯s capital into saving Xu. But unfortunately this will he a bottomless pit. As long as your sister does not give up, soon she will lose Xu and have a mountain of debts in her name.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° No matter what you do, the outcome can only be one, that is..¡±, Jiang Shi Jin deliberately paused here. He was very satisfied to see the almost death like expression on the woman¡¯s face. He delivered the last blow very slowly, ¡°¡­ bankruptcy.¡±


    *** ***


    All the counterattack was broken by the words of the powerful enemy.


    Suddenly everything was quiet.


    For a long time, Xu Ziqing did not react. Her eyes were no longer panicked, but desperate. Compared to fear, desperation was even more horrible.


    Jiang Shi Jun finally stood up and walked up slowly to her side, ¡° You know your father has actually left Xu to Yan Liang.This is not your matter. If you actually want to step out, I can cut you some slack.¡±


    After saying this, Jiang Shi Jun carefully watched the face of the young woman. Finally, he raised his hand to lovingly caress the side of her face.


    This smile of consolation was even more hypocritical than his actions. ¡° You should know your sister better than I do. Even if she goes bankrupt she will continue fighting for Xu. What about you ? Are you willing to accompany her ?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° Your mother spent most of her life as the second wife, but she managed to get you an inheritance.¡±


    Xu Ziqing suddenly felt a pang in her heart. She turned to look at him; the faint light that replaced the earlier blankness in her eyes did not escape the eyes of Jiang Shi Jun.


    As if urging someone to do good,Jiang Shi Jun placed a hand on her shoulder.¡± Although you are stupid, you have one advantage ¨C you are selfish. I am telling you , you can leave Yan Liang¡¯s side. Even if you are not afraid of going to jail, you will become penniless.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If I were you, I would take the inheritance I had and spend my time abroad. I would not trundle though muddy waters.¡±


    His speech finished, Jiang Shi Jun switched off the consoling look on his face, withdrew his hand and left.


    He left behind one person standing in the empty office, her face expressionless, her heart in a mess until she managed to restore herself to calmness after a long time.


    Xu Ziqing looked down at her phone, she had not dialled the entire string of numbers. She shook her head as if wanting to dislodge a terrible idea.


    She continued to dial, but the speed slowed, till at the end, she completely stopped.


    It was so quiet, even the sound of breathing could not be heard in the office. But Xu Ziqing seemed to hear a voice faintly echoing in her ear¡­


    I tell you, you should leave Yan Liang¡¯s side. Even if you are not afraid of jail, you will become penniless..


    ..impoverished..


    *** ***


    Three days later.


    Yan Liang got up early in the morning.


    Though Jiang Yu Nan was responsible for making breakfast, for the first time, Yan Liang decided to put in some effort.


    Jiang Yu Nan awakened after a long nightmare. The same nightmare haunted him frequently during the last few days, so he was prepared. As he suddenly opened his eyes, he diverted his mind away from the dream.


    Unfortunately, when he saw the empty bed, that familiar fear gripped him.


    Empty bed.. no traces of her existence.. this scene was similar to the beginning of his nightmare..


    At this time, there was a sound at the door. Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes followed the sound. His eyes reflected a strange emotion for a second, then everything was whitewashed, ¡°Up so early?¡±


    He smiled at her.


    Yan Liang also sweetly smiled in response, ¡° Get up quickly, I have made fried eggs for breakfast. ¡°


    Jiang Yu Nan could not believe it. She was wearing an apron and had a spatula in her hand. He washed at the fastest speed possible and came to the dining room.


    Sure enough the food on the table didn¡¯t look like much, but it was enough for a hearty breakfast.


    Seeing him standing motionless in front of the table, Ya Liang tiptoed from behind and put her arms around his neck, ¡°What are you doing ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan turned back to look at his wife for a moment, the complex emotions in his eyes being replaced with a relaxing look,¡± if I tell you that this is the first time in more than a decade that someone has made breakfast for me, will you allow me to say I don¡¯t have the heart to eat it?¡±


    Yan Liang was stunned.


    But then she grinned and blatantly teased him,¡± Who will believe that of the elegant Jiang Yu Nan? So many women are willing to cook for you. . You are just afraid that what I cooked is unpalatable, so you have come up with such an excuse.¡±


    After she said that, she put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him in the chair, ¡° I am ordering you to eat it all.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan did not explain further. Her hands were around his neck and her body was leaning on him as she waited for him to eat. He just smiled, cut the bacon, and forked a piece in her mouth, ¡°Are you going back to the mansion today to accompany your mother ?¡±


    ¡°My mother is not feeling well recently, and her health seems to be worsening. I want to spend some time with her.¡±


    *** ***


    Having said that, half an hour later, Yan Liang got into her car to drive to the Mingting group

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51


    In addition to the original contract, the two sides also signed a confidentiality clause. The funds were in place now and she could accelerate the progress of increasing her holdings of Xu¡¯s stock., Xu Ziqing had given her a list of small and medium shareholders, if she could speed up the pace, one by one, they could break them¡­


    Yan Liang was not yet out of the conference room. She had been quietly planning the next steps in her mind. Perhaps it was her assistant who opened the door of the meeting room for her.Yan Liang stepped outside when someone from behind suddenly called out to her: ¡°Miss Yan.¡±


    Yan Liang heard this and turned back and saw Lu Zheng stand up from his chair.


    Lu Zheng did not continue . His secretary spoke, ¡°Miss Yan please stay, we want to talk to you.¡±


    She nodded and told her assistant: ¡°Please go to the parking lot and wait for me.¡±


    Her assistant left. Lu Zheng¡¯s secretary also left and closed the door. They were the only two people in the meeting room.


    Lu Zheng reached out and motioned to the seat next to him, Yan Liang sat down in the chair.


    ¡°Since there were outsiders, there were somethings I could not ask.¡±


    Yan Liang sat up immediately.


    Lu Zheng seemed to have observed her reaction. Then he continued: ¡°We have now signed the contract. Are you not able to remove the embargo and tell me who is behind MT?¡±


    Yan Liang choked for a moment at the question.


    Under his watchful gaze, Yan Liang stayed silent for a long time. When she finally looked up, she gave him an apologetic smile, ¡° With the funds from Ming Ting, my actions to counter the hostile takeover will not be hidden for long. The behind the scenes boss of MT will certainly not sit still and will be forced to show himself.¡±


    Lu Zheng helplessly shook his head: ¡°It seems you still do not trust me.¡±


    She thought he would continue to ask, but Lu Zheng seemed to have no intention of this. Then he said: ¡°Then¡­ ¡­ this weekend night I want to have dinner with you, are you ok with that?¡±


    It seemed to be an exchange, he would not ask, but she had to promise to have dinner with him.


    She didn¡¯t hesitate too much and soon nodded.


    After deciding on the time and the restaurant, Yan Liang said goodbye and left


    She did have any time to delay, she left Ming Ting and immediately drove back to the Xu house.


    Several shareholders that she knew were going to be lobbied by Jiang Shijun were visiting her mother today.


    It occurred to her that this was quite ironic. The dignified second lady of Xu wanted to meet the shareholders, but needed to be so sneaky about it that she needed to use her dead father¡¯s name.


    It was fortunate that she had stabilised the major share holders. According to the news provided by Xu Ziqing, Jiang Shi Jun had been forced to target the medium shareholders. As long as she was able to take the first step to get the support of half of the medium shareholders, she would be able to stop the tide.


    Her repurchase of the shares being traded in the market would raise the stock price. The rise in the price to a certain


    extent would certainly draw Jiang Shijun¡¯s attention, but by then, the die would have been cast.


    £ª£ª£ª ***


    When Yan Liang¡¯s car reached the Xu house and she drove towards the direction of the garage, she glanced at the car parked in the front. It looked quite familiar. Suddenly she was shocked and stopped the car..


    The car was obviously Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s.


    Yan Liang rolled down the window and stuck out her head to look carefully. Yes it was really Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car


    She sat in her own car.


    She did not dare to rush into the house now. She called the phone at home first


    The phone was connected. It sounded like Aunt Liang. ¡° Ms Yan?¡±


    Only Yan Liang and a few of her subordinates were aware of the anti takeover action. Secretary Liu, her mother, Xu Ziqing and even Aunt Liang were kept in the dark. Yan Liang stared at the car not far from hers and asked Aunt Liang ,¡± Has Jiang Yu Nan come to visit my mother ?¡±


    ¡° Yes. Mr Jiang was talking about some things with your mother. But it seems they have finished, Mr Jiang just..¡±


    Liang Yi hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Yan Liang heard a knock on her window.


    She was shocked. Looking at the window, she realised Jiang Yu Nan was standing beside her car.


    At the same time, Aunt Liang¡¯s voice came through the headphones ,¡± Mr Jiang just left. I guess he must be near by.¡±


    Yan Liang did not have the time to respond to Liang Yi, she instinctively hung up the phone and rolled down the window.


    As the window slowly rolled down, Yan Liang tried to modify the expressions in her face. When the window was fully down she looked with surprise at him,¡± Why are you here ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes had an unreadable expression. After they lingered on her face for a while, he said, ¡° I came to talk to your mother about announcing our marriage. ¡°


    Yan Liang¡¯s face fell.


    This man had always been able to understand her, but this time, he seemed not to have noticed her abnormal reaction and only continued,¡± We registered some time ago, but we haven¡¯t announced our marriage. I think now is the right time..¡±


    Yan Liang was silent for a long time. She did not know how to face him. She thought for a long time and finally asked, ¡° What did my mother say ?¡±


    ¡°She respects our wishes.¡±


    Yan Liang nodded her head robotically, but in her heart she did not have the slightest idea of what to do. She was completely confused. Jiang Yu Nan looked at her , then looked at his watch.¡± You go ahead, I will pick you up tonight.¡±


    Then he leaned over


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s arm reached into the car and gently touched Yan Liang¡¯s neck. She was forced to look up. Gently, he kissed her on the lips.


    He then straightened himself and after saying goodbye walked towards his car.


    He hadn¡¯t taken more than a few steps when he stopped again.


    Yan Liang did not notice this. She had just stopped her fake smile when she saw Jiang Yu Nan looking back at her


    She was taken aback. Then she reacted,¡± What happened ?¡±


    ¡°I suddenly remembered something.¡± Jiang Yu Nan said lightly, ¡° before I came here I met Xu Ziqing. Her mother¡¯s health has deteriorated recently, it seems the old disease has recurred. This time Xu Ziqing wants to take her mother abroad for treatment. She wanted me to say goodbye to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡±


    Finally, Yan Liang watched him sit in the car, and then drive away.


    With her elbow resting on the window, Yan Liang watched through the rear view mirror as the car went further and further away and finally disappeared.


    ..Marriage..


    At the thought of this word, Yan Liang¡¯s heart was filled with mockery; other than that she had no other feeling.


    £ª£ª£ª ***


    When is the most right time to announce a marriage ?


    While Yan Liang was still worrying about this, the evil media quietly massacred all her plans..


    This morning when Yan Liang and Jiang Yu Nan came out of their house , it was the best weather they had seen so far in the winter with bright sunshine


    The flashes in the reporters hands glared a hundred times brighter than the sun.


    Yan Liang did not expect to meet such a big contingent as soon as she came out of the apartment. She stared in confusion at them


    How did it matter if she hadn¡¯t reacted, the reporters were alright screaming at her, ¡° Ms Yan, sorry that¡¯s incorrect , Mrs Jiang¡­ when did you get married ?¡±


    A reporter standing at the back pushed forward his long handled microphone, it almost clipped Yan Liang¡¯s forehead. At the critical moment, a hand on her head pushed her head down so that her forehead was spared. And this gesture of Jiang Yu Nan to protect her did not escape the keen eyes of the reporters or the flashing cameras.


    ¡° No wonder we haven¡¯t seen you in your apartment for so long. You had already moved in to live with your husband..¡±


    ¡° Why did you get married ?¡±


    ¡°I heard that a staff of the marriage registry bureau has leaked the news, will you sue her? ¡°


    Yan Liang kept her head down, looking for a gap between the countless shoes of the reporters so she could move out. But there were too many blocking the door, she couldn¡¯t even move half a step forward.


    Because her head was bowed, she missed a lot. But she could still feel Jiang Yu Nan by her side guarding her. Silently, but strongly he opened up a path for her. With his hands on her shoulder, he finally led her to the car. Only then did Yan Liang raise her head.


    She saw Jiang Yu Nan standing by the side of her door as he shut it.


    Then he quickly went around to the drivers seat, started the car and quickly accelerated , leaving the journalists behind.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    He was looking at the road in front while he asked her.


    Yan Liang was looking at he the journalists through the rear view mirror. When she heard his question, she withdrew her eyes and silently nodded her head. In order to calm her emotions, she switched on the radio.


    The radio jockey¡¯s excited but mocking voice stabbed her ears, ¡° This is really explosive news. Xu¡¯s second lady had a scandal with Lu Zheng sometime back, but who would have thought the lady was already married¡­¡±


    Yan Liang was very agitated, she reached out to turn the radio off. But Jiang Yu Nan was a step ahead of her and switched it off.


    Surreptitiously, she looked at him. His eyes were briefly overcome with some emotion, then in the next second, his expression was restored to normal and he continued to look indifferently at the road.


    £ª£ª£ª ***


    The reporters had made such a ruckus about her marriage , that Yan Liang had no wish for a wedding reception.


    But before that, what she most needed to worry about was not the opinion of others, but about the meeting this weekend.


    Because she seemed to have turned Lu Zheng into a laughing stock. To some extent, Lu Zheng was her benefactor, Yan Liang did not know how to apologise to him


    Till the afternoon on the day they were supposed to meet, Yan Liang had not received any call from Lu Zheng.


    The dinner was obviously going to be canceled. The time they had planned to meet had already passed. Yan Liang was sitting in the bridal salon looking at a wedding booklet that Liang Yi had procured from somewhere.


    ¡°Ms Yan, even if you don¡¯t do a reception now, we should take wedding photos and circulate to the media so that we can temporarily manage the situation.¡±


    Yan Liang felt irritated and sat with her forehead resting on her hand. Liang Yi thought she didn¡¯t want to chose. She said, ¡° Mr Jiang will come later, if you can¡¯t make up your mind, he can help you choose.¡±


    Aunt Liang left her side and went to the clerk to get more brochures when Yan Liang¡¯s phone rang.


    Breaking out of her trance, she took out the phone from her bag and was surprised when she saw the caller name.


    After some hesitation,she picked up.


    The other side did not speak.


    She hesitated and did not know what to say.


    The other side finally took the first step ,¡± You are late..¡±


    There was a trace of smile in his voice when he said that.


    £ª£ª£ª ***


    When Aunt Liang came back with a large pile of wedding brochures she saw Yan Liang leaving thorough the door,


    ¡° Ms Yan !!?¡±


    Yan Liang did not even turn back.


    When Yan Liang arrived at the restaurant, the restaurant was already closed, but she saw him at the table..


    A solitary lamp, a solitary chair, a solitary figure drinking alone..


    The light was reflecting on his back, the tall and straight figure somehow looked fragile.


    As she silently approached him , her heart hesitated but her feet propelled her forward


    When she reached the table, she heard the waiter say something to him,¡± Mr Lu, we¡¯ve booked a room downstairs- 1619. Should we lead you there ?¡±


    Lu Zheng raised his head. But not because of what the waiter said, because he felt ¡­


    She was here.


    Lu Zheng just looked at her, in such a manner, that Yan Liang felt like hiding herself from his eyes.


    He did not say a word to her. He stood up leisurely, adjusted the collar of his suit and walked straight towards the door.


    Yan Liang watched him. His pace was slightly unstable. He took the room card from the waiter and said ¡° I will see myself out.¡± After that, he went upstairs.


    £ª£ª£ª ***


    This man was obviously quite drunk, but did not have any one supporting him . Yan Liang followed him but at a distance till he stopped in front of the door at 1619.


    He looked up at the door , reached out for the handle, and staggered slightly. Yan Liang immediately reached out to hold him.


    It was as if Lu Zheng finally saw her for the first time..


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡±


    Yan Liang just said this one word and stopped.


    ¡°What a pity ¡­ ¡­¡± Lu Zheng put an index finger on her lips and said with a smile.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m late ¡­¡±


    He was really smiling, but the more he smiled, the more apologetic Yan Liang felt. She couldn¡¯t stop biting her lips.


    His index fingers left her lips, and his face moved closer and closer to her, as if he was too drunk and could only see her hazily.


    ¡­but eventually, he made his move and gently kissed her¡­


    £ª£ª£ª ***


    The woman stood there silently,


    .


    Next to 1619, the door of 1620 closed silently.


    Jiang Yu Nan put his back against the door, his face expressionless.


    After a long time, he took out the phone and dialled a number.


    The other party did not speak.


    Jiang Yu Nan asked blandly, ¡° Why did you want me to see this ?¡±


    £ª£ª£ª ***


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Finally at the other end, Jiang Shi Jun laughed softly, ¡° You are so smart, I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t find that strange.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s penetrating gaze suddenly dimmed at his words.


    Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s voice continued, ¡° I don¡¯t want you to continue to deceive yourself. I wanted you to see this woman we are dealing with to help you think clearly. Is she actually worthy of your sincere affections ?¡±


    Miumiu : I feel bad for JYN. From his point of view, he thinks Yan Liang only married him for her shares , as YL told her mother. YL loves him but almost never shows him easy affection. Except for the one breakfast making act, she is always too engrossed in the company and had often pushed back his advances. Yet he still wants to spend his life with her. I am sure there is a feeling of guilt somewhere playing in his mind as well, but any husband would be furious at being two timed.. instead JYN reacts very differently ¡­ he is a bit of a tragic character!

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52


    Outside the door of 1619..


    After a long wait¡­


    Finally, Lu Zheng realised he would not get any response. He looked up at her with drunk eyes, but his mind was clearer.


    He just smiled, ¡° My behaviour crossed the boundaries. I am sorry, Mrs Chiang.¡±


    ¡­¡­ I am sorry¡­¡­


    Mrs. Chiang ¡­


    At this moment, his figure revealed a trace of loneliness. Yan Liang made a fist, then slowly loosened her fingers. She struggled with her instinct to reach out her hand and touch him and heal the lingering trace of loneliness in his face.


    Just before her fingertips touched his cheek, she abruptly withdrew her hand.


    In the end, Yan Liang gently touched his shoulder and smiled, ¡° Mr Lu, you are drunk, have a good rest tonight. I will not disturb you anymore. Bye.¡±


    Her smile was alienating, clearly laying down the boundaries. Lu Zheng naturally read the signs. His ingrained sense of superiority, his self esteem and his self control did not allow him to force her. So he hesitated for only a moment, and then stepped back.


    But even with the highest level of self control, as she turned back and unhesitatingly left him , one step at a time, the dismay he felt overwhelmed him and nearly broke his heart¡­


    He stood there , motionless, for a long time. When he recovered from his trance, he could only see the empty corridor.


    This reality broke the last hopes in his heart cruelly. He opened the door and went in the room. As he closed the door, the darkness of the room engulfed him.


    As the door closed, the corridor was once again quiet. In this quietness, the door of 1620 opened and a man came out of the room and calmly looked at the closed door of the next room.


    Eventually, she had left¡­


    Jiang Yu Nan looked around with his emotionless eyes. His face deadpan, he made a u turn and reached the elevator. There was absolutely no trace of any expression on his face.


    In the elevator, his phone rang


    Jiang Yu Nan knitted his eyebrows as he looked at the screen and then picked up the phone. He heard the voice of Aunt Liang ¡°Mr Jiang, Miss Yan needed to leave on an urgent matter . You drive carefully, there is no need to rush.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Once he finished, he hung up the phone. The interior of the elevator was once again silent.


    But in three seconds, the silence was abruptly shattered with a bang.


    The owner of the phone threw the phone against the wall. The phone instantly broke into small pieces.


    The elevator arrived at the ground floor with a ding. Jiang Yu Nan stepped out of the elevator, his steps crunching the pieces on the floor and his face restored back to an expressionless mask.


    *** ***


    This was the second time that Yan Liang was wandering around the city during twilight


    The first time she had been ten years old. For her birthday that year, she had wanted to celebrate with her classmates from school. But her mother flatly refused and insisted she celebrate her birthday in the family home. However Xu Ziqing faked illness and was rushed to the hospital along with all other family members. She was the only one left at home. Angry, she had walked out of her home with the cake box which was nearly half as high as she was. Eventually, she was too tired to walk, she fell to the ground and the cake box suffered the same fate.


    At that time, a little kitten hidden in the corner had fearfully come in front of Yan Liang. It had timidly looked at her eyes full of tears and then bent to lick the cream from the ground.


    This time , there were no cute little animals to meet her or notice her sorrowful eyes.


    As soon as she opened the door of her house, a familiar voice came from the room, ¡° Why are you so late ?¡±


    The lights were not on, Yan Liang tried to peer into the dark to identify the source of the sound.


    ¡° Something came up,¡± she said to Jiang Yu Nan as she approached the sofa, relieved that she didn¡¯t need to fake an apologetic smile as it was dark.¡± I took care of it.¡±


    Listening to her movement, he stood up from the sofa. He was still wearing his shoes. As he came closer to her, he asked,¡± Why is your phone switched off?¡±


    He was standing in front of her, but all she could see was his eyes shining in the dark. It made her feel strange. She pulled out her phone from the bag and fiddled with it for a moment,¡± You called me? Why didn¡¯t I hear it?¡±


    Then she raised it to his face, ¡° No charge, no wonder..¡±


    Yan Liang saw him smile. The previously expressionless face softened as he smiled. ¡° Anyway, it wasn¡¯t anything important. I went to the bridal salon to choose, but I didn¡¯t see anything I liked. Did you like the designer ? I made an appointment with her.¡±


    Yan Liang breathed in faintly. She bent forward to put on her slippers and noticed the shoes on his feet. She couldn¡¯t help but look up in surprise, ¡° You haven¡¯t changed your shoes after you came back ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan realised this only then and said,¡±I had other things on my mind, I forgot¡­¡±


    And then he leaned slightly towards Yan Liang, as if to take his slippers from the rack. But at the next second, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her.


    Stunned, Yan Liang subconsciously took a step back, but in a flash, he pulled her forward in a hug. He kissed her messily on her lips, chin and her neck. Yan Liang recoiled as his mouth traced kisses down her neck towards her shoulder.


    She pushed his shoulder hard to stop him, ¡° I need to sleep early. Tomorrow we have our Monday morning meeting with the board of directors. ¡°


    Jiang Yu Nan paused, then continued to kiss her , but stopped after some time. This time, he withdrew his hands, kissed her lightly on her temple,¡± Ok, hurry off and sleep .¡±


    Saying this, he sat on the stool at the entrance to take off his shoes.


    Yan Liang stared at his black hair as he bent his head. Some kind of emotion gripped her; she could feel her throat closing and tears coming to her eyes. She closed her eyes and desperately held her emotions back. Then she leaned over and kissed his head lightly, ¡° You should sleep early as well. Good night.¡±


    *** ***


    The next day there was the usual Monday morning meeting of the board of directors.


    Apart from the two directors who had left, the rest were all on time. After Xu Jin fu¡¯s death, Yan Liang¡¯s mother was temporarily the chairman of the board, so Yan Liang had, in fact the highest authority.


    This group were very understanding of Yan Liang. In fact instead of the usual bad reports , they were more interested in the personal life of Yan Liang. The meeting had not yet started, and they had started asking, ¡°Yan Liang , you got married, how come you didn¡¯t inform the elders?¡±


    ¡° This is a big event, how did you not tell us?¡±


    ¡°..If today we hadn¡¯t seen the reporters downstairs, we would still be in the dark.¡±


    ¡° When did it happen?¡±


    ¡°I appreciate Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s ability, but as Xu¡¯s son in law, I still think that the best match would have been Lu Zheng..¡±


    ¡°Old Peng.. what are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Sorry sorry.. I am old and confused, Jiang is absolutely the best match for the Xu family, absolutely..¡±


    The meeting finally began. In order to cut costs it was necessary to withdraw funds invested in some areas. The plan of expansion in North America for Secret was suspended. The herbal range of Ya Yan also got cut, perhaps in the future they would need to streamline further through layoffs. All these measures were put to vote so that the directors could formally approve for implementation.


    This time Yan Liang again proposed layoffs.


    Yan Liang believed that now that she was talking about these issues, the news would travel to Jiang Yu Nan as well. This layer of secrecy would soon be pierced. But there was no time to care about that now.


    Besides , if the enemy came out in the daylight, it would be more profitable for her.


    Her existing funds, the funds she had got from Lu Zheng and the saves from the reduction in investment would enable her to hold stocks. As long as the holding was major, everything would be all right. This was the time to deploy everything and seize the opportunity.


    ¡°The layoffs will start from a foreign branch ¡­¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, some outside noise interrupted her.It seemed to be the voice of security ,¡± I¡¯m sorry but you cannot go in.¡±


    Yan Liang frowned, her eyes went to the assistant by her side. ¡°Go and see what¡¯s the matter.¡±


    The assistant nodded and walked towards the door. His hand had just reached the handle of the door when the door was pushed from outside.


    It was pushed vigorously, so that it hit the wall with a bang. The assistant subconsciously stepped back. The voice of the guard was clearer to the people inside the room.¡± You really can¡¯t go in!¡±


    An arrogant and domineering man came in. Yan Liang¡¯s face stiffened as soon as she saw him.


    Director Zhou stood up ,¡±Jiang Shi Jun ?¡±


    *** ***


    Directors Zhu¡¯s voice woke up Yan Liang . She smiled at him,¡± Mr Jiang, you don¡¯t seem to be eligible to enter this meeting.¡±


    In contrast to her anger, Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s laugh was unscrupulous. The guard outside tried to enter the meeting room but was stopped by the two bodyguards accompanying Jiang Shi Jun.


    The two bodyguards blocked the entrance.


    Jiang Shi Jun looked at her as he approached her step by step. Yan Liang coolly picked up the phone and ordered, ¡° What are you doing ? Please send more guards to the meeting room.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t finished her sentence when she heard the phone make a beeping sound,. She frowned and looked at Jiang Shi Jun. He had pulled the plug of the phone.


    ¡° Am I not eligible to come here ?¡± Jiang Shi Jun said while bypassing Yan Liang. He dragged an empty chair near her and sat, then looked up at her, his eyes mocking, ¡° I am now the second largest share holder of Xu. Miss Xu, you don¡¯t know this yet?¡±


    *** ***


    Everyone in the board room froze as they heard the words.


    In the CEO¡¯s office, the entire screen of the TV displayed the scene at the board meeting. Jiang Yu Nan held the remote control as he sat at his desk looking at the screen.Secretary Li , standing silently next to Jiang Yu Nan froze when he heard this.


    Seeing Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s expression unchanged, secretary Li was full of doubts and raised his eyebrows,¡± Mr Jiang, did you not specifically command that there was to be no direct confrontation ? Mr Jiang is always¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan waved his hand, indicating him to stop.


    Secretary Li withheld his comments..


    Jiang Yu Nan sat in the chair, holding the remote control, his eyes staring at the digital screen.. at the face of the woman who was desperately trying to restrain all her emotions ..


    Through the French windows, one could see that the sunny day outside had now turned stormy¡­


    Miumiu : so the trap is finally closing around YL. In the next chapter YL confronts JYN . But if you¡¯re expecting a dramatic scene, you may be a tad disappointed. Our JyN is a man of few words¡­

 Chapter 53

    Thus chapter is very angsty.. get your tissues ready. The agony of star crossed lovers, both with excruciating pain in their hearts. A pain that is more intensified as each believes the other doesn¡¯t even love him/her


    Chapter 53


    The atmosphere in the meeting room was chilling.


    Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s words hit the bulls eye. All the share holders looked at each other, their eyes full of doubts.


    Yan Liang was nailed to her place. The elders looked at her. Naturally they felt the need to come to her aid. ¡° Brother Jiang, your joke is not funny at all. We are having a meeting now. You can leave. ¡°


    Sitting there, Jiang Shi Jun glanced mischievously at the directors. Yan Liang¡¯s assistant had his hands still on the handle of the door, he immediately opened the door.


    Because of this , all the people in the room looked at the door. A young man came marching in. He was not stopped by the bodyguards standing by the door.


    The young man finally reached Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s side. He respectfully nodded at him and then looked up at the board of directors and introduced himself, ¡°Good morning ! I am the person who carried out the acquisition of Xu by MT. I was employed by Jiang Shi Jun.¡±


    With this phrase, the audience was in an uproar.


    The representative of MT took a document out of his briefcase,¡± This is the proof of ownership, you can take a look.¡±


    The board members had long known about the hostile takeover attempts of MT, but no one thought that the master behind the scheme was actually their rival for nearly twenty years ¨C Li Bo.


    The apprehensive eyes of the board members were now on Yan Liang. She was so overwhelmed that she staggered backward, then grabbed the armrest of the chair. This helped not only to stabilise her body, but also to calm her mind.


    She said, ¡°According to the law, the board members are elected by the shareholders in a general shareholders meet. Even if you are now the second largest shareholders , as long as you have not been elected to the board, you are not qualified to sit here.¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun was astounded at how composed this woman was and raised his eyebrows as he observed her.


    After finishing what she had to say, Yan Liang looked at him with disdain, then turned her attention to the shareholders. With an apologetic smile, she said, ¡° I am sorry about this. As we have uninvited guests who have barged in the meeting we can not continue, I will announce the next meeting in advance .Do you have any objections ?¡±


    The directors nodded and agreed.


    Yan Liang picked up the phone to call the security department,


    the phone connected ¨C


    ¡°Send a team of security to the first floor conference room,


    immediately.¡±


    Yan Liang very solemnly said these words and Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s eyes turned cold as he heard this.


    Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s assistant also stood at the door. He saw the directors walking towards the door and also heard Yan Liang¡¯s intimidating remarks. He was disturbed and looked at Jiang Shi Jun to seek advice.


    At Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s acquiescence, he opened the door of the conference room and signalled at the body guards to give way.


    Finally, in the meeting room there was only Jiang Shi Jun and Yan Liang, Yan Liang was looking down at the documents in her hand , but inside she was already alarmed. She could clearly hear Jiang Shi Jun get up and walk towards her..


    She froze, but did not raise her head.


    His voice sounded very near to her ear,¡± If I remember correctly, your next meeting of shareholders is on the 1st of next month. There are 6 days and 14 hrs left..I would love to watch the last struggles of the prey before it dies..¡±


    Shi Jun¡¯s footsteps echoed further and further away till he disappeared out side the room.


    Yan Liang had exhausted her last traces of strength and fell on her seat. Her face was pale.


    Her assistant was standing out side the door, he was very worried to see her sitting there , motionless. with her head down for a long time. He hesitated , then finally decided not to disturb her and quietly closed the door.


    Yan Liang did not pay any attention when the door was closed, nor did she hear anything when it was pushed open , until she heard footsteps coming near her.


    The sound of footsteps were obviously made by someone in men¡¯s shoes walking on the marble floor.


    As she heard the sound, the pain in her heart intensified. The more her heart ached, the more she did not want to raise her head.


    Till a solid arm clasped her shoulder tightly.


    The person did not speak, but tightly wrapped his arms around her. Her head and neck was pressed back against his warm body, so that Yan Liang automatically leaned back.


    Once upon a time, this was indeed the one she depended on for survival in her most vulnerable times.


    But today..


    Yan Liang wanted to cry but instead she smiled slightly, ¡° Mr Jiang, you are on the verge of finally getting your revenge on your enemy, how does it feel ?¡±


    His arm stiffened¡­


    *** ***


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    This was what she was so familiar with, a calm and majestic voice.


    ¡°No, I just want to ask¡­¡± , Yan Liang finally raised her head and looked at his face. She knew his face so well, his slightly knitted eyebrows, his cold eyes, his thin lips, his arrogant chin¡­but in fact, she never knew the real him,¡±how long will you act ? I¡¯m tired ..¡±


    *** ***


    The news of the acquisition of Xu by Li Bo Group was spread through out the industry within half a day. Xu had already been thoroughly discredited, people were now laughing and saying Jiang Shi Jun was bullying widows and orphans. Xu was in a miserable state and was being ridiculed while people admired how the old fox cunningly played his game.


    Yan Liang moved out of her new home. As there were some documents she needed to take away, she couldn¡¯t depend only on the moving company. She had to go personally to get her files.


    Before she left, she had dinner with her mother.


    Yan Liang ate heartily; nowadays she did not brood too much on her defeat. Her mother , however, had not yet reconciled to the situation. She had no appetite, and after sometime, put her chopsticks away. Extremely annoyed, she said to Yan Liang,¡± If you had chosen Lu Zheng..¡±


    Yan Liang used her chopsticks to pick up a bit of food. She pretended she hadn¡¯t heard her mother. She did not know whether to laugh or cry and just sat eating quietly.


    After the meal was over, her mother left with the driver while she drove herself to Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s apartment.


    The main door was open. When she entered, she had not anticipated that apart from the employees of the moving company , there would be one more person in the apartment.


    He sat quietly on the couch in the centre of the living room, smoking. He was wearing the same shoes and suit that he had on since last night. He looked like a husband, tired after a days work, waiting for his wife to come back home from work. Or like a person who was bankrupt, allowing strangers to empty out his apartment. But all through this, he just continued smoking , his head down, his body language indifferent.


    There was no ashtray at hand, the soot fell directly on the floor.


    On the floor, by his shoes, there were numerous cigarette butts.


    Yan Liang had no idea how to process this scene.


    At this moment, strangers were bustling about in her home; she was standing at the door, he was sitting on the couch, and it felt as if the huge distance between them was covered with dense smoke.


    The sounds of the moving staff finally brought her back to reality. This place was not a home, simply a place of evil intentions.


    Sometimes reality is too harsh, sometimes clarity is too cruel. Yan Liang ignored all this and quickly walked through the living room to the study. She packed her files quickly, she wanted to leave as soon as possible. But when she was carrying the carton through the living room, a calm voice stopped her in her path, ¡° When will you send me the divorce papers?¡±


    *** ***


    The man was sitting on the couch, a fresh cigarette between his fingers.


    As he spoke, he looked up at her. The black pupils of his eyes were indecipherable, as if telling her how difficult it was to read the emotions of this man.


    Yan Liang looked back at him.


    What a beautiful illusion! An excruciating agony was reflected in his eyes, a pain that was deep and irrevocable. It seemed as if his eyes were telling the cruel world that the most important thing in his life, the only tool he had to fight the coldness in his heart, the only bit of warmth in his existence was leaving him for good..


    Yan Liang closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again; the illusion of love was destroyed as she tried hard to remember what this man was really like.


    This person had used the most cruel methods to teach her all about duplicity.


    ¡°Why would I want to divorce you ?¡± She laughed, ¡°One day Jiang Shi Jun will leave Xu¡¯s shares to you. As long as I am Mrs Jiang, I will get a share of that.¡±


    Saying this, she decided to leave.

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54


    Yan Liang formally proposed the dismissal of Jiang Yu Nan as CEO of Xu to the board.


    Nobody expected a divide between the two so soon after the news of the marriage was made public. The two parties kept to themselves, the directors had no idea about the real picture and the media inevitably added spice to the entire situation.


    This meant that in the shareholders meeting on the 1st of the month, there were two important things the shareholders needed to vote on : Jiang Shi Jun joining the board of directors and Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s fate


    Jiang Yu Nan seemed to have expected her to dismiss him. He did not even turn up at the office. Although they never met him, but from the media, they would get to know where he went for a meal, where he played tennis or where he played bridge. He seemed to be on vacation, in general, pretty happy.


    She was rapidly preparing for the hard battle this time. If Jiang Shi Jun managed to forcibly get on the board, Xu would not be easy to manage.


    However, Yan Liang did not understand why her opponents were sitting tight while she was so busy. She used up all her money to but a lot of Xu stock to ensure that in any circumstance, her position as the largest shareholder of Xu would not be shaken.


    Just a week before the shareholders meeting, early in the morning, her assistant rushed to Yan Liang and woke her up. Yan Liang had been working all night and had just taken a break for a few minutes. ¡° Ms Yan, Ms Yan..¡±


    Yan Liang rubbed her temple as she looked at her assistant standing at the door, ¡°What happened that is so urgent?¡±


    Her assistant finally took a deep breath and said, ¡°There is a package for you.¡±


    Yan Liang was surprised at the fuss. The assistant looked as if there wasn¡¯t a moment to spare, and put a gift box wrapped with a white ribbon on the table.


    Yan Liang looked at the box and the fancily knotted white ribbon and frowned.


    She hesitated to untie the tape and suddenly just took a peek by lifting the lid. As she had guessed, it was a new wedding dress.


    Even before she asked the assistant, she answered, ¡° Mr Jiang sent it.¡±


    As soon as she had finished the sentence, Yan Liang dropped the lid, pushed the box to the side and impatiently said. ¡°Please throw it away.¡±


    The assistant was a bit reluctant. Even though she had just glanced at the wedding dress, she could see it was made of excellent material and the workmanship was exquisite.


    Yan Liang immediately raised her voice, ¡°Throw it away!¡±


    The assistant nodded and took away the box.


    Nothing else of much importance happened this Monday.


    In the American and European branches, they met with the principals to discuss a reasonable lay of program.


    The revised company charter had also passed the final audit and would be read in the next shareholders meeting for the first time.


    One of the most important changes in the new charter was that the shareholders would only have one chance to apply for a board seat. Once the first application failed, they could no longer qualify for a board seat.


    If the new charter was implemented, her control over Xu would be doubly insured.


    It seemed the odds of that happening were high


    But Tuesday came with a prelude to despair..


    *** ***


    On Tuesday, Xu¡¯s share prices fell within one hour of the market opening. Yan Liang immediately smelled something wrong and instructed her subordinates, ¡° Just check, is Jiang Shi Jun selling his shares?¡±


    The results were as she had expected. Either Jiang Shi Jun was a fool¡­. or Jiang Yu Nan was playing a bad move.


    Yan Liang pondered on this and could not help but laugh. Jiang Yu Nan had calculated the amount of funds she had at her disposal to counter the hostile takeover, but he hadn¡¯t counted the 1 billion that Lu Zeng had given her. Did he think that his playing short in the market would kill her? Instead of a collapse, this provided her an opportunity to collect more shares.


    She immediately told the management, ¡° From tomorrow, whatever shares are sold in the market, I will buy.¡±


    If this plan went astray, it would be devastating. Zhou Cheng asked her , ¡° Are you sure?¡±


    The answer was definitely yes. She was forced to this, there was no other escape route.


    This cycle continued through Wednesday and Thursday. Yan Liang was psychologically prepared. Jiang Shi Jun continued selling and Yan Liang continued buying, the stock prices were steady, but the losses on Yan Liang¡¯s side were like a bottomless hole, getting bigger and bigger everyday.


    On Friday, with one swoop, Jiang shi Jun sold all his remaining shares. In order to deal with this, Yan Liang took the drastic step of using all her reserve funds.


    Finally, she had won.


    The moment the stock market closed, Yan Liang¡¯s office broke out in a loud cheer.


    Yan Liang¡¯s nerves were high strung for the entire week, finally she relaxed. She looked closely at the index on the computer screen , slowly closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.


    Someone suggested: ¡°Are we celebrating with champagne?¡±


    Others agreed.


    A cheer arose again. Only Zhou Cheng looked a bit worried. He solemnly detailed the losses of the week as he shared the file with Yan Liang.


    Yan Liang had just started relaxing and did not want to be faced with such bad news. Zhou Cheng solemnly reminded her, ¡°If the price falls by more than 7% next Monday, and we do not get additional funds, you will be faced with bankruptcy.¡±


    But he could continue no more as Yan Liang tried to dispel his worries, ¡°Jiang Shi Jun totally invested 5 billion. This will not exceed more than 4% of the total shares in the market. This week he has already sold more than 40% of the stock at a loss, he has no more money to engage in any new tricks. As long as he does not engage in any tricks, investors will not panic. How then will the share price go down more than 7%?¡±


    Zhou Cheng was silent for a moment with a ¡° I hope you are right¡± look .


    Everyone said , ¡° Mr Zhou, what the director said is right. Else, we can open the champagne next week. No, not just champagne, we should have a large celebration.¡±


    After a long time, Yan Liang finally smiled slightly and asked Zhou Cheng,¡± When that happens, what if Director Zhou does not approve the full cost of celebration?¡±


    But Zhou Cheng still did not smile , ¡° No problem.¡±


    *** ***


    The next week.


    Until noon, the stock market was calm, there wasn¡¯t the slightest ripple.


    The strange trend in Xu shares last week had led to a lot of disagreements within the stock analysts. The experts concluded that the stock market will fall this week as well, but the trend so far was steady, Some people worried while others were happy. At the noon break, Yan Liang was in office. Everyone was a bit relieved, especially Zhou Cheng , on how fortunate they were in that their fears were unfounded.


    The team had been working hard for half a month. Now they relaxed, the office was no longer dull and depressed.


    ¡°It seems that we can now celebrate with champagne.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately they were not aware that the Ming Group lent us a billion, otherwise we would not be able to defeat them.¡±


    Zhou had naturally become the target of good natured teasing, ¡°Director Zhou, you cannot run away from the evening celebration. How about lunch, are you coming?¡±


    Zhou Cheng smiled, ¡° Which restaurant?¡±


    Everyone started a loud discussion on the restaurant. Zhou Cheng went to the door and doubled back to see Yan Liang smoking by the window, ¡° You¡¯re not coming?¡±


    Yan Liang paused, finally smiled reluctantly and then said, ¡° I have something I need to do, you guys go ahead.¡±


    Zhou Cheng saw something in her face as he looked at her, something that caused his eyes to soften in mercy, but that look of mercy caused Yan Liang¡¯s eyes to harden in disgust, and Zhou Cheng subconsciously took a step back . Yan Liang turned her head to look out of the window.


    She had not smoked before, but now she couldn¡¯t stop smoking. Almost every night, she needed to smoke. The nicotine helped to calm her nerves and to escape the nightmares she had at night, her most vulnerable time.


    At this moment, as she stood smoking by the window, the nicotine filling her lungs, she thought.. ..


    Why is my mind never empty?


    She was uncertain why; she could only take a deep breath.


    The window was hazy with smoke. There was a transparent glass between her and the world outside, but she could not see through the glass to the other side.


    Zhou Cheng also left. After standing at the window for a long time. Yan Liang thought that she should do something apart from being shrouded in an inexplicable sadness.


    She had to express her gratitude to Lu Zheng, after all, his billion is what saved Xu.


    So she extinguished the cigarette and tried to contact Lu Zheng¡¯s secretary.


    The secretary said that Lu Zheng was in a meeting with his father Lu Ming Ting and would be there till about 1:30 PM


    Yan Liang looked at the time It was almost 1PM. She went to the parking lot and took out her car when her cell phone rang.


    She put on her Bluetooth and pressed the answer key at the same time that she took the car around the corner. The anxious voice on the other end immediately attacked her, ¡° The Xu stock price suddenly fell again!¡±


    Yan Liang braked suddenly. The tires issued a sharp sound of friction . Incredulously she asked, ¡° What did you say ?¡±


    *** ***


    Yan Liang abandoned her car and ran all the way to the office. She crazily rushed into the door and looked at the indices on the computer, ¡° We are finished..¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The stock price crashed ¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­ Crash


    Just this word struck her like a thunderbolt from the heavens.


    Of all the people, who made this move ?


    So quickly and so ruthlessly , Yan Liang was completely unprepared.


    Yan Liang gauged enough of what was happening in the three seconds she was in front of the screen. She rushed to the market, ¡° How much did we lose per share?¡¯


    Zhou Cheng did not have time to speak, Yan Liang said , ¡° Continue to cover the short positions.¡±


    He stated the cruel fact, ¡° We have no money.¡±


    ¡°Impossible.. Jiang Shi Jun obviously only had 5 billion..¡±, Yan Liang¡¯s eyes were still on the screen as the stock prices took a nose dive. Puzzled, she shook her head.


    But while she was talking to herself, suddenly a thunder bolt struck her.


    Perhaps Jiang Shi Jun had more than one shell company..


    Maybe he had another that had been secretly buying Xu¡¯s stock , waiting for today, when in one final swoop..


    If today was the day when he finally sold all his shares, the last Friday was just a diversion to confuse her..


    It also meant that Jiang Shi Jun had more than 50 billion at his disposal..


    Impossible..


    Maybe its not impossible


    Perhaps the intelligence provided by Xu Ziqing was fake..


    Perhaps the old fox fooled her.. or perhaps Xu Ziqing and he were


    in it together.


    She was thinking of all kinds of random things when her cell phone rang


    She looked down at it and was immediately alarmed.. this was .. Jiang Yu Nan..


    *** ***


    The office was chaotic, her brain was in complete confusion. At this moment, Yan Liang looked at the phone screen flashing a string of numbers


    She had already deleted this man¡¯s number from her address book. But unfortunately, his number had been engraved in her brain; even if she wanted to forget it, she could not.


    Finally she answered the phone.


    The ringing stopped as she pressed the answer key but in her ears she could hear a roaring noise, almost pushing her to collapse.


    The familiar voice came through the handset, ¡° If you sell the stock, I will certainly take the opportunity to buy it at a low price, so that my holdings will exceed yours and I will become the largest shareholder. Most shareholders will be under pressure then to appoint me to the board of directors. If you keep them, then you will be pushed to¡­.. bankruptcy.¡±


    In addition to the sinister voice on the phone, she was being bombarded by her colleagues, ¡° Ms Yan, should we start selling or..¡±


    ¡° We need to hurry..¡±


    ¡° We are winding up our position..¡±


    ¡° Yan Liang, if we do not add, we will go bankrupt.¡±


    Yan Liang was speechless. Her face was ashen , her hands trembled. At the other side, the voice continued, ¡° Ask the shareholders if they think a bankrupt woman can lead the company.¡±


    At this time, Zhou Cheng suddenly saw a glimmer of hope, ¡° May be we can ask Lu Zheng for more money..¡±


    The voice at the other end of the phone immediately extinguished that little flame of hope mercilessly, the timing so perfect, so cruel , that Yan Liang was completely unprepared, ¡° Of course, as long a Lu Zheng that kid continues to be emotional, you will be able to pull back a little bit. But unfortunately, Jiang Shi Jun is right now having tea with Lu Ming Ting.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Whether or not you think it was a blunder to sell yourself to Lu Zheng,I do not know. But Lu Ming Ting had always been a good partner of ours. Now thanks to you, when he sees how his son has taken such a big loss for a woman, our opportunities to promote more in depth co operation will only increase. I solemnly thank you for this.¡±


    Yan Liang heard him laugh contemptuously.


    He had completely reverted back to his original character. She had given up all hope, but his mocking laughter lifted her up from the hole she had fallen in; she calmed down.


    In a serene manner, she replied in a low voice, ¡° Jiang Yu Nan, you are quite ruthless.¡±


    The other end of the phone finally fell silent.


    After a moment, the emotionless voice sounded again. There were no pitch variations to show any feelings; in a leisurely voice he said , ¡° if you had accepted the wedding dress I had sent that day, you would have found the letter I write to you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°In the letter, I wrote down in detail what I was planning to do in the next week to break down Xu. If you had read it, you would have won this .¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, you did not ¡­¡±


    With a bang the phone was disconnected.


    There wasn¡¯t even a little bit of fondness left anymore..


    Miumiu : ok JYN is being a complete ass. All I can say is that he is hurt and he is lashing out at Yan Liang. He thinks she married him for the shares and he is also insanely jealous of Lu Zheng. This is the second time he used the words ¡° sell yourself ¡° to describe her relationship with LZ. I really don¡¯t like him here at all. I like that Yan Liang answered him calmly, that really hit him didn¡¯t it?


    As usual, pretty please.. leave me your comments on what you think about YL and JYN or I won¡¯t translate anymore. ( ha ha blackmail ????)

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55


    Around 12 o¡¯clock.


    Fog covered the Ming Ting Building.


    It was the chairman¡¯s office.


    For the next year, Lu Zheng and his father were discussing the largest investment projects, to determine which consortiums to join. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Lu Zheng raised his head to see his secretary standing at the door.


    The secretary respectfully greeted them, ¡°Mr Lu, Chairman.¡±


    After greeting them, he moved to Lu Zheng¡¯s side and whispered to him, ¡°Ms Yan just called, she wants to meet you. I asked her to come here around half past one.¡±


    Lu Xheng looked at his watch and nodded


    He turned towards his father and saw that his father was looking solemnly at him,


    His father quickly turned his eyes away and Lu Zheng did not pay too much attention. By 1:20, the meeting was over and Lu Zheng saw his father off.


    Once he returned to the presidents office, he looked at the watch, and figured she would be arriving soon.


    1:30


    1:35..


    1:40¡­


    Lu Zheng sat in his office and frequently looked at his watch, .He had two other appointments and needed to leave the company.


    Seeing that the the time was almost 2 pm, he picked up the handset and was just dialling her number when there as a knock on the door.


    His secretary came in, and with some hesitation, said, ¡° Mr Lu..¡±


    Lu Zheng frowned ¡° yes ?¡±


    ¡°Miss Yan ¡­ probably will not come.¡±


    Lu Zheng was irritated, ¡° Must I ask you till you tell me? Why exactly ?¡±


    The secretary handed his tab to Lu Zheng, ¡° The major news portals have just posted this news..¡±


    Lu Zheng took the tab. As he read the ten lines , his face became stiffer and stiffer.


    His fingers rapidly moved on the screen, every major news portal was talking about the same thing. ¡° Recently, an irrational trend had been noticed in the Xu shares. Our informed sources say that this is because of acquisition of Xu by Li Bo, and the resultant measures by Xu to prevent a hostile takeover. Today, just before the market closing, the Xu stock prices have crashed again. Our insider information says that this is because Xu Jin fu¡¯s daughter has been defeated in her efforts to stop the hostile takeover. Her funds have been exhausted, it is estimated she has made a loss of over 1.5 billion US dollars..¡±


    *** ***


    He no longer browsed the news. Immediately he put on his jacket and strode towards the door. ¡° Get my car.¡±


    The secretary quickly followed him while helping him put on his coat.


    Just as they had reached the elevator, the secretary saw Lu Zheng suddenly stop.


    It was unexpected that lu Zheng would suddenly be stunned in his place. In the elevator, there were two people ¨C the chief secretary of Ming Ting and with him was standing..Jiang Shi Jun.


    As he stood there dumbfounded, the chief secretary asked him,¡± Are you going out now ?¡±


    Lu Zheng quickly disguised his astonishment and said, ¡° Yes, it¡¯s a but urgent.¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun and lu Zheng nodded to each other slightly in greeting, but did not talk. Lu Zheng moved side ways so they could exit the elevator and then stepped in. Just when the doors were closing, the chief secretary called him,¡± Mr Lu, the chairman has asked to see you.¡±


    Before Lu Zheng could refuse, the chief Secretary continued, ¡° Please delay your trip for the meeting with the chairman.¡± There were a lot of people standing behind the secretary and Lu Zheng could not refuse.


    Lu Zheng was forced to come to the chairman¡¯s office. The chief secretary opened the door for him.


    As soon as the door was opened , Jiang Shi Jun greeted Lu Mingting warmly ,¡± Old friend, we meet again!¡±


    Lu Zheng¡¯s face suddenly turned angry. He stared at his father to see his reaction.


    Lu Mingting smiled at Jiang Shi Jun,¡± The last time you had recommended the Chengde restaurant for me and my wife. I know it was quite difficult to arrange, when do you get the time to eat out ?¡±


    Lu Zheng had a bad premonition. He forced down the uneasy feeling in his heart as he quietly listened to Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s answer ,¡± It¡¯s a private club. Even high ranking officials need to make an appointment. I just happened to renew my membership a few months ago.¡±


    He silently listened to the conversation..he could only sigh, Jiang Shi Jun was a cunning old fox..


    While he was silent, Jiang Shi Jun continued, ¡° I thought that the young man told me your wife was also with you..so the private dining room would be the best option.¡±


    Lu Mingting praised the young man,¡± You mean Mr Jiang. I have to talk about his chess skills. How nice of him to come and play chess with an old man. Nowadays the young people rarely play,and his skills are so good..¡±


    *** ***


    Jiang .. Yu .. Nan..


    It was in these words perhaps that Lu Zheng finally smelled the plot.. some of the true story..


    The two friends were gossiping together. Lu Zheng looked at the clock, his mind has long been on the time. But at this time, Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s voice ruthlessly pulled him back.¡±But this time I have come to talk about business. ¡°


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° Presumably you have heard the news about Xu stock.¡±


    Lu Zheng¡¯s heart suddenly had a bad feeling. He pretended to be interested in the conversation and turned his attention from the clock to Jiang Shi Jun. Jiang Shi Jun thoughtfully continued . ¡° It¡¯s a foregone conclusion that we will acquire Xu. There will be a big change in the domestic cosmetics industry. I hope that when you withdraw Xu products, we can replace them in your portfolio.¡±


    At this moment, Lu Zheng could no longer sit still. He got up from his chair and said, ¡° I have to hurry, you both talk, I will take your leave.¡±


    He turned towards the door,


    Lu Mingting¡¯s eyes followed him, but he did not call out to him. His footsteps were deliberately slow but became faster as he approached the door. Just when he opened the door..


    Lu Mingting called out with a disappointed voice, ¡° Lu Zheng, you have always separated your public and private lives. Why now is a woman causing such chaos ?¡±


    Lu Zheng stopped.


    Behind him, Jiang Shi Jun crossed his legs and added leisurely,¡± That too.. for a married woman..¡±


    His voice was not low, just enough for father and son to hear. Lu Zheng sighed and turned back. Ignoring Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s mocking smile, he faintly said, ¡° Dad, please don¡¯t try to control this.¡±


    His calm and assertive manner angered his father.


    Lu Mingting¡¯s voice became louder so that almost the entire office could hear him,¡± If you dare take another step,I will remove you from the CEO position, then I want to see how you can help her.¡±


    *** ***


    Overnight , the whole world knew that Xu was facing certain ruin. In business, the weak was never sympathised with, but was trampled on, survival was for the fittest..


    Yan Liang could not go to the company, or the Xu house or to her own apartment. Everywhere there were reporters guarding the place, desperate for photos.


    Her assistant had booked a hotel suite for her tonight.


    It was almost the middle of the night. Her assistant was really angry as she browsed the different news sites. She mercilessly closed the pages as she vented her anger, ¡° What insider ? Jiang Shi Jun must have fed all this news to push us to the wall. And now the whole world was avoiding us, no banks would loan us money, no friends would help us, Jiang Shi Jun will take the opportunity to make a clean sweep.¡±


    Yan Liang listened to her and actually laughed. Was everything really Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s fault?


    Yan Liang had the feeling that in her heart she had the clear answer. The real master was hidden in the dark, he manipulated everyone yet did not get the slightest infamy.


    This was destined to be a sleepless night.


    Xu¡¯s financial advisor had already sent bet the results, she had a debt of 1.5 billion dollars. This was similar to the number reported in the press.


    He even knew exactly how much she lost..


    Yan Liang was sitting on the bed in a daze. In her laptop was that data that was sent by the financial advisor and in her hand was the cell phone. She kept on writing, deleting, again writing and finally organised a message ,¡± Mom, if I told you that I want to sell the real estate in my names and use the cash out to deal with Li Bo, you will not¡­¡±


    In the end, she closed her eyes and deleted the text.


    She suddenly opened her eyes after a second, took out the phone and without giving herself time to think about it too much, she dialled a string of numbers she had yet to forget.


    It was 3:30 in the morning. The phone rang twice and then was connected, as if the the other side had been expecting this call for the whole night.


    Yan Liang looked at her assistant sleeping on the bed and said, ¡° Jiang Yu Nan ..¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    The entire suite echoed her despair, ¡° Can we meet ?¡±


    Miumiu : This novel has the author commenting often at the end of the chapter. Mostly she says how long she had worked and how many words etc so I haven¡¯t translated so far, but this one¡¯s interesting. The author says that she showed this chapter to her girlfriends in advance. Apparently the girlfriends said that if they met this man, they would take a knife and stab him to death ????

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56


    ¡°¡±Can we meet?¡±


    The phone on the other end was silent. Yan Liang was afraid he would reject her pleas when he finally spoke.


    But he said only two words, ¡°Time, place?¡±


    ¡° Half an hour later¡­¡± Yan Liang thought and then changed her tone, ¡°You decide.¡±


    She was now trying to be humble, the man said , ¡° Ming Ting Court Hotel..¡±


    ¡° .. room 1619.¡±


    Hearing this, Yan Liang finally reacted and frowned. He had hung up the phone. Yan Liang continued to hear the monotonous busy tone as wave after wave of distaste rose in her heart.


    Yan Liang drove to the hotel in less than 20 minutes. She stood in front of room 1619. The copper handle, the shining light, the flowers in the corridor¡­. none of these were unfamiliar to her.


    She took a deep breath and pressed the door bell. A moment later the door opened from inside. A man appeared in front of her, the expression on his face changed when he saw Yan Liang.


    He signalled her to come in and Yan Liang followed him inside.


    On the coffee table, there was half a bottle of whiskey, an ice bucket and a half filled whiskey glass.


    Yu Nan offered her a glass of water. He seemed to have drunk quite a bit, as he held the glass close to her, she could smell alcohol on his breath.


    She politely moved slightly away.


    He did not say anything, did not express the glee of the victorious. He only sat next to her in the single sofa and continued pouring his drink.


    Yan Liang picked up the glass but did not drink. The silence was like a mental contest, she felt like she was invisible.


    Finally she put down the glass with a bang. ¡° I can promise that I will allow you to remain on the board, but the chairman¡¯s seat cannot be moved , it has to stay within the family.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan paused in the act of picking up his glass. Across the edge of the glass, Yan Liang thought she saw him smile slightly.


    After clinking her glass with his, he raised his eyes to her, ¡° How are you qualified to talk to me about conditions?¡±


    ¡°I am still the largest shareholder of Xu.¡±


    ¡°After tomorrow¡¯s opening, Xu shares will continue to fall. All those shares you have will not be worth the paper they are written on.¡±


    Yan Liang paled; she could not defend this statement.


    She only had two choices in front of her ¨C continue buying the shares till she gets overwhelmed , apply for bankruptcy, drag down Xu with her, subject Xu to liquidation and restructuring till Li Bo completely wins over.


    Or she could give up, cheaply sell her shares to repay the debt partially, allow Li Bo to buy more shares till they become the largest shareholder of Xu and give them the opportunity to ruthlessly kick her out of the board because of her bad decisions and high debt rates.


    Both these options were impossible ¨C the only option left was to beg to this man for a way out.


    ¡°Would it be better to listen to my offer?¡± he asked with a smile.


    In her heart, Yan Liang did not want to listen to his offer at all , but how would she say so ? He was well aware of that; she had no other option.


    ¡°If you give up the chairman¡¯s seat, I will allow you to retain a seat on the board. In addition, I will ensure that the Xu brands are retained and not merged with Li Bo or sold off in parts to other businesses.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan slowly shook his glass. The ice bumped against each other , creating a pleasant tinkling sound. Even his voice was coated with an illusion of pleasantness, ¡° What do you think of my proposal?¡±


    She made rapid calculations in her head. She thought of what had happened in the past and all kinds of sarcastic comments came to mind. At that time, she had been confident that she could repel him, that she had friends in high places, in the banks, in the industry , even with the Ming group who would help her. Even Zhou Cheng and her mother had enough contacts, they too could help in pulling in more capital so they could sweep the capital market and reap the benefit.


    In contrast, she was sitting here now, considering this humiliating proposal.


    ¡°I need time to think about it.¡±


    It seemed that he expected her to say so, he decisively nodded, ¡°Ok¡±.


    Time means opportunity; if this man was willing to give her an hour, she would utilise that hour to find a breakthrough.


    She was about to relax her high strung nerves when she heard his follow up comment, ¡° But..¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You do not have much time,¡± Jiang Yu Nan looked at his watch, ¡°after all, the stock market opens in less than 5 hours.¡±


    How astute he was, with one whisper he had dashed all her hopes of stalling for time.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t get your reply by that time, I will assume you have rejected the offer. Is that clear?¡±


    He raised his head slightly as he spoke to her, his attitude like that of a nobleman explaining something patiently and systematically. Yan Liang wished she had a knife in hand so she could murder him and remove this man forever from her life.


    ( Miumiu : I think this is inspired by what the author¡¯s friends told her/him)


    But rational thinking was a terrible thing, also the best thing to help Yan Liang calm down and abandon this unrealistic idea.


    She had rushed out in a hurry and therefore forgotten to wear a wrist watch. She now looked at her mobile phone to check the time.


    She also saw that she had six calls she had missed in the last quarter of an hour when she had put the phone on silent mode. The calls were from Zhou Cheng. He had then texted her saying that the he was rushing to the airport to speak to a consortium in North America who were ready to help them.


    All afternoon she was looking for an opportunity and here suddenly one had fallen on her head!


    Her cold eyes brightened, she bit her lower lip to avoid displaying any emotions. She stood up to go. The man on the opposite end looked at her with half lowered eyes, ¡° I will get the contract made in five hours. You get ready to sign it.¡±


    But when she walked past the single sofa where he sat, Jiang Yu Nan called out, ¡° Wait !¡±


    She stopped abruptly.


    She had her phone in her hand.


    Jiang Yu Nan put down the glass and stood up leisurely.


    He must have found out something.. Yan Liang¡¯s heart beat increased, her fingers holding the phone stiffened, her hands trembled. When Jiang Yu Nan placed a hand on her shoulder, her whole body froze.


    The smell of alcohol moved closer.


    ¡°You seem to forget something¡± he said, his mouth close to her ears. His voice was melodious but sharp, and Yan Liang felt like his words were stabbing her nerves. Hurriedly she asked, ¡°What?¡±


    Her sudden shocked response may be termed as ¡®asking the obvious¡¯. But Jiang Yu Nan was not going to answer directly; he was playing a game where he was leading her to the trap little by little.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? When you came, didn¡¯t I ask you what qualifications allowed you to negotiate conditions with me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Based on Xu¡¯s condition now, I am at your mercy. What do you want?¡±


    As she finished speaking, Jiang Yu Nan slowly turned her around by her shoulders and looked at her.


    Yan Liang could see that his eyes showed the effect of alcohol, ¡°This suite is not unfamiliar to you, is it?¡±


    Such an obvious hint, along with the alcohol smell that was seeping into her body, raised Yan Liang¡¯s hackles.


    Even though she was in half a mind to call Zhou Cheng immediately, the other half of her brain was telling her to be quiet, to be sensible. She stood motionless ,secretly hiding her phone in her pocket.


    His face was near hers; to repel him, she closed her eyes.


    She could feel his breath on her cold lips, as if the next moment he would kiss her. But his mouth moved to her ear instead. The first thing she heard was a domineering laugh.


    She opened her eyes . He was standing so close to her, their heads were almost touching. His voice was gentle and warm, but merciless, ¡° Don¡¯t misunderstand me. I am not like Mr Lu, I don¡¯t need a sexual bribe.¡±


    *** ***


    Yan Liang felt he could read the humiliation in her eyes. She stripped her camouflage of humility in an instant. Stepping back, she raised her hand angrily to slap him


    (Miumiu : Ah!Alaykim gets her wish of smacking JYN..almost :))


    Jiang Yu Nan quickly captured her wrist and smiled, ¡°Why? I don¡¯t deserve the honour?¡±


    Yan Liang fiercely pulled back her hand. Her chest was heaving due to the anger she felt. But Jiang Yu Nan was unaffected with this display and put his hand in his pocket to take out something and place it in front of her.


    It was a suede box in a midnight blue color. The colour was as beautiful as the night sky, and the shape was soft and lovely. But what was inside, what was his ulterior motive?


    Yan Liang¡¯s eyes were captivated by the box as Jiang Yu Nan used two fingers to extract what was inside it.


    It was a wedding ring, one that Yan Liang was familiar with. This was the one they had selected when they had gone to the jewellery store early morning.


    The diamonds dazzled in front of her eyes, glaringly bright.Her fingers felt chilled as he put the ring on her finger.


    ¡°We will set up a wedding reception after the shareholders¡¯ meeting.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You should know that you have no power to say ¡®no¡¯¡±.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan lifted her face slightly, bent forward slightly and pressed a cold kiss on her lips , marking the end of this paradoxical romance.


    *** ***


    Yan Liang walked out of the hotel like a ghost. At this time of the morning, the dark clouds in the sky ensured there wasn¡¯t the slightest sunshine. The streets were still lit. Behind her, the Ming Ting Hotel shone brightly, but in front of her, there was only darkness.


    She did not venture any further into the depths of darkness. She stopped and touched the edges of the diamond ring. It was cold and hard, not giving her the slightest warmth.


    Finally she remembered she still had one path open to save herself.


    She hurriedly took out the phone and dialled the number. The phone was switched off. Had the other party already boarded the flight ?


    She looked at the time and estimated the time it took from the city to the airport. She shook her head. Quickly, she dialled another number.


    Just as she was pressing the last digit, her phone rang


    The caller ID showed that this was Zhou Shu¡¯s phone number.


    Yan liang did not want to answer immediately.


    ¡° Ms Yan!¡±


    There was a world of panic in the voice that spoke as soon as she connected.


    Her nerves tightened, ¡°Zhou Shu, what happened?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    He said, ¡°I drove him to the airport ¡­..there were reports¡­.. they said that he was involved with a financial fraud.. ¡­the police arrested him in the airport..¡±


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    Just at the point of a resurgence of hope, who orchestrated the last blow?


    Her ears were flooded with the elderly man¡¯s fragmented voice, as she thought about the curious coincidence.


    She turned back and looked at the Ming Ting Hotel behind her.


    Who was looking down from the windows above as the ants on the ground were being trampled mercilessly?

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57


    Yan Liang rushed to the police station. Zhou Shu was anxiously pacing the corridor, looking at the entrance and at the interrogation room frequently. When Yan Liang saw him, she felt a sense of inalienable sadness flood her.


    Hearing her footsteps, Zhou Shu turned back. His eyes glimmered with hope as if a small boat had finally found shelter in the stormy seas.


    But Yan Liang felt more and more shameful when faced with his hopeful eyes, how could she possibly help in this situation ?


    Zhou Cheng¡¯s position was compromised by her and Xu Ziqing.


    She tried hard to hide all her emotions. She went forward and sat down on the bench next to Zhou Shu.


    As they sat silently, time flew by. Yan Liang mentioned a few times, ¡° If you want to go back, I am here waiting for Zhou Cheng.¡±


    But Zhou Shu just waved his hands and refused the offer.


    Though Yan Liang kept Zhou Shu company, she herself had not rested for even a moment. She tried to send someone to contact the Johnny Weir side, but apart from her and Zhou Cheng, no one else was familiar with the situation.


    And Zhou Cheng was under trial , until now he had not emerged from the interrogation room. Without them noticing, the outside day gradually turned brighter. It was past 7 in the morning.


    She wanted to fly to New York, but in less than two hours the stock market would open.


    By her side, Zhou Shu¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, either because he was worried or because he had not slept at all the whole night.


    Yan Liang was really worried about him.¡± If you don¡¯t return the whole night, Aunt will be aware of the situation. She will certainly worry.Please go back.¡±


    Ignoring Zhou Shu¡¯s reluctance, Yan Liang called the driver to come to the police station. Soon the driver arrived. After hesitating a moment , Zhou Shu decided to leave for the time being.


    His wife was in poor health. She could easily become anxious if she learned about what had transpired during the night. Zhou Shu was here without the knowledge of his wife, now he worried that the secret may get exposed if he didn¡¯t get back.


    He did not forget to remind Yan Liang, ¡° Please call me when he comes out.¡±


    Around eight , the door of the interrogation room was finally opened. Yan Liang interrupted her conversation and immediately rushed forward. But it wasn¡¯t Zhou Cheng who came out of the room


    Yan Liang was shocked to see Xu Ziqing. She heard the police tell her, ¡° Miss Xu, we may call you back for further questioning if necessary.¡±


    Xu Ziqing¡¯s face showed unhappiness, she tried to say something when she glanced around and suddenly saw Yan Liang


    She was stunned for a moment then hurried away from the room. Once the door was closed, there were only two women in the corridor. With a stiff smile and cold eyes Xu Ziqing said, ¡° Yan Liang..long time no see.¡±


    Yan Liang was equally astonished and said, ¡° Weren¡¯t you supposed to accompany your mother abroad for treatment ?¡±


    Xu Ziqing¡¯s expression twisted a bit, then she shrugged noncommittally and looked at the interrogation room coldly, ¡°Zhou Cheng should be coming out as well..¡±


    Yan Liang did not say anything


    The disdain in her eyes were like knives scrapping Xu Ziqing¡¯s skin. It poked her sense of guilt and she felt wronged. ¡° Jiang Shi Jun is the culprit in this whole mess. If I continued to oppose him, I would still not be able to save Xu. On the contrary, I would die a worse death. Every man for himself , you cannot blame me!¡±


    Every man for himself..


    How was this a genuine reason to shift the blame..


    If Xu Ziqing had any remorse, this would not be in line with her innate character. Trying to reason with such people would be useless. The only thing Yan Liang could do now was to fight on behalf of Zhou Cheng, ¡° Xu Ziqing, I can only say that Zhou Cheng has done so much for you, if you dare let him down, I will not spare you.¡±


    Even if she hated her, she had no way to get back at her enemy. Yan Liang knew that her threat was weak, she was helpless. Xu Ziqing also tried to avoid the topic.


    She suddenly tried to persuade Yan Liang, ¡° I had been out of the country. But my agent suddenly informed me that he needed me here for some real estate issue. I came back secretly but the minute I was back, the police was at my door. This must be Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s doing, he is too ruthless, too clever. You can¡¯t fight him, before you lose the game, you should quickly vanish.¡±


    Xu Ziqing changed the topic so quickly, Yan Liang wondered what her attitude was on the issue of Zhou Cheng.


    Yan Liang said nothing. She had nothing left, what would she fear ?


    But an inadvertent phrase from Xu Ziqing immediately poked her,¡± That Jiang Yu Nan¡­ Yan Liang, I would advise you to stay away from him as well.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless you intend to fight till death, you will never win. If I were in your place, I would rather be bankrupt then sleep in the same bed as my enemy while both of us plotted ways to murder the other.¡±


    The small hole in her heart was mercilessly torn open.


    Every night she would be sleeping on the same bed as her enemy, while both of them plotted ways to kill the other ?


    Such a life..how painful would it be ?


    She was not willing..


    ¡°Jiang Shi Jun spent most of his life planning revenge. Jiang Yu Nan has lived with hatred since childhood. How painful their lives are, I don¡¯t know. But they succeeded and now they have all the power.¡± Yan Liang felt bitter as she talked about the success of her enemy, but finally smiled slightly, ¡° Why wouldn¡¯t I be able to do that ?¡±


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    She waited till Zhou Cheng was released. Xu Ziqing was long gone.


    When Zhou Cheng finally left the interrogation room, he saw Yan Liang sitting alone, leaning against the wall and waiting for him. His eyes looked around..


    Did you think that Xu Ziqing would wait for you to come out?


    Yan Liang thought this, but did not say it out aloud. She simply said,


    ¡° Come on.¡±


    It was almost nine in the morning when Yan Liang and Zhou Cheng kept the police station together.


    Standing next to the station, they looked up at the cloudy sky.


    This was the city¡¯s longest winter.


    Yan Liang¡¯s cell phone rang.


    She saw the caller ID and answered the phone. There wasn¡¯t the slightest change in her demeanour, she was a calm as water in the pond.


    The voice open other other side was placid as well,¡± Your time is up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° Your answer.¡±


    *** ***


    Yan Liang had to do nothing. Within a day , the news of her wedding reception had spread throughout the social circle..


    Xu Jin fu had been buried less than three months ago and his beloved daughter was hosting a wedding ?


    And with what the media was saying, people believed that this would be a luxury wedding with no expense spared.


    It was extremely difficult for such a marriage not to create a sensation within the city.


    How many people would be laughing at her thinking she had gone absolutely crazy ?


    They talked about the old saying, even before the father¡¯s bones had turned cold in the grave..


    Even now things were not smooth sailing at home. Aunt Liang was still trying to persuade her ,¡± Miss Yan, cancel this marriage. That bastard is not worth marrying.¡±


    ¡° Why should I not marry him? Even though he has taken away my father¡¯s business using despicable means, if I become Mrs Jiang, won¡¯t I get half of his property ?¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s words were bitter, but her mouth was smiling.


    (Miumiu : I presume they haven¡¯t heard of pre-nup agreeements!!)


    ¡° You are using your marriage as a bargaining chip, is it worth it ? Yan Liang , don¡¯t trade away your own happiness for material benefits.¡±


    Xu Ziqing had earlier given her similar advice. She looked at Aunt Liang and simply smiled.


    Full of hatred, her smiling eyes were bloodshot.

 Chapter 58

    Finally ! After evil doings in the last two chapters we get a glimpse of what is really going on in JYN¡¯s mind. Except for Krina and Liera I think all of us started hating JYN, but here he looks a bit sad !


    Chapter 58


    The situation was quite volatile in the morning.


    The shareholder¡¯s meeting was originally supposed to start at 10 but was delayed.


    Jiang Shi Jun , who was supposed to be sitting victoriously in the Xu building was now in the Li Bo office, and he was furious.


    In his hands he was holding the contract that Jiang Yu Nan had just brought


    Jiang Shi Jun was more and more incredulous as he read the contract. As he finished reading it, he sound not help but mercilessly bang the contract on his desk.


    At the same time, he stood to from the desk, and with a trembling finger pointed at the signatures on the last page of the contract.


    Jiang Yu Nan and Yan Liang had both signed the contract and stamped their seals. Angrily, Jiang Shi Jun asked, ¡° How could you sign this contract?¡±


    ¡°This is ridiculous ! ¡° Jiang Shi Jun could not even laugh. ¡° No wonder yesterday you suddenly stopped the attacks in the share market and the media suddenly started broadcasting the news of your impending wedding reception. I did think something was fishy but then I thought ¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was sitting in a chair in the opposite side of the desk. The office had a heated , angry atmosphere , but he did not move. With his arms crossed, he reckoned back slightly to look at Jiang Shi Jun. ¡° I just came to inform you that I have signed this contract, that¡¯s all.¡±


    It was clear Jiang Yu Nan thought that any further explanation was unnecessary.


    Hearing him, Jiang Shi Jun shook his head, ¡° This was not our original plan.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan only pressed his lips together , but did not answer.


    At this point , Jiang Shi Jun had no other power but to appeal to him earnestly. ¡° I spread the fake news earlier that we were planning to transfer our target to the smaller shareholders and get their power of attorney so as to divert her attention from the larger shareholders. All her funds would be stuck and would weaken her competitiveness. And , of course, she could no longer hinder our acquisition of the stock from larger shareholders. I obviously need to use the major shareholders to kick her out of Xu. What is this contract right now?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Even the old folks on the board, her supposed allies, have changed sides. After today¡¯s meeting, the Xu house is finished. And then you do something like this, isn¡¯t it equivalent to providing her a way out ?¡±


    ¡° That was your plan.¡± Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s time dad relaxed. Apparently he had no intention to continue on this topic. He stood up, adjusted his collar out of whet habit and looked up at Jiang Shi Jun , smiling expansively, ¡° From today, we will follow my plan..¡±


    He walked towards the door.


    .


    ¡° What is your plan ? Make a contract for a happy marriage ? Yu Nan, when I gave you the authority to make decisions, I did not expect you to make such a mess!¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan turned a deaf ear to his berating and continued walking, Jiang Shi Jun stood and watched him walk further and further away


    He was still in a trance, trying to understand what happened, ¡° Are you doing this now to punish me for telling you about the affair between her and Lu Zheng ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan paused.


    His subtle hesitation raised Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s hopes. ¡° Or do you think that if so this last act of kindness, you will regain something ? Although you were kept in the dark when I used Xu Ziqing to spread false news and did all those other things that followed, don¡¯t forget..the stock market manipulations were your masterpiece. ¡°


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° So you think that if you force her to surrender to you, rather than forcing her to die, she will be grateful to you ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s back was to him so he could not decipher the slightest emotion. Only his hands hanging by his side stiffened slightly.


    This young man with a deep heart was still maintaining a calm fa?ade. Jiang Shi Jun tried his last attempt to stir some emotions in him, ¡° It seems that you are not aware how hard hearted women can be. As long as you love them, they will find a thousand ways to torture you.¡±


    ¡­ Love¡­¡­


    This last attempt was the last straw on the camel¡¯s back. It tilted the whole balance; Jiang Yu Nan could hear something collapsing.


    But the words that issued from his voice were still calm and indifferent. He wasn¡¯t deceiving himself anymore and he wanted to make that clear. ¡° On that matter between her and Lu Zheng, I don¡¯t blame you. On the contrary , I am grateful to you for reminding me that I am a person¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    H seemed to laugh as the last traces of hope left his eyes, bit by bit,


    ¡° ..who doesn¡¯t deserve love.¡±


    *** ***


    Xu Building.


    As Yan Liang and Jiang Shi Jun were both absent, the shareholders meeting was postponed to 11. Was the meeting going to be canceled or delayed once again? Nobody knew the answer.


    The shareholders were looking at their watched and muttering to each other.


    Some people really did not want to wait. There were grumbles across the room , ¡° When are we going to start ?¡±


    The words were just out when the door was opened.


    Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s assistant opened the door .


    The first one to enter was a dour faced Jiang Shi Jun.


    The two directors sitting near the door silently questioned each other as they looked at Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s expression.


    Both raised their eyebrows, then looked at the door as Yan Liang entered. Their hearts sunk.


    Because one of them was Chen Shu, the erstwhile ally of the Xu family. It was true what they said.. there were no eternal friends, no eternal enemies, just eternal self interest..


    Two rivals entered at the same time, the audience was silent g.


    Jiang Shi Jun stood at the front. His eyes swept the assembled audience with a ¡°king of the world attitude.¡± Then he turned his head towards Yan Liang and said, ¡° You say it.¡±


    The viciousness under the calm appearance was evident. The only reason he had given her the right to speak was so she would be humiliated in front of everyone and the Xu¡¯s dignity would be torn to shreds.


    Yan Liang looked at the crowd, then at Jiang Shi Jun. She took a step back from her empty seat at the table, clearly showing the traits of one who was being humiliated. Her hands and feet were ice cold .


    ¡° As a representative of my deceased father, Xu Jin fu and my mother, the temporary chairman of the board, I would like to announce that my mother is giving up the chairman¡¯s seat. We would like to recommend the name of ¡­Jiang Shi Jun¡­..¡±. Yan Liang stopped, took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she calmed down the last traces of her struggle , ¡° ¡­ as the next chairman of Xu.¡±


    Pandemonium broke out in the conference room.


    *** ***


    ¡°She even has the leisure to plan her wedding? After handing over the company completely..¡±


    ¡°She has even been to the old man¡¯s grave. She has managed to lose everything he worked for inhis entire life. If it were me, I would be too ashamed to put flowers on his grave..¡±


    ¡°Your sister is the reason Zhou Cheng is in jail, how can you invite us to the wedding?¡±


    Meanwhile, the woman in the eye of this storm of negative public opinion was getting ready for a wedding photo session with her husband in a resort in the outskirts of the city.


    Jiang Yu Nan knew the senior management of the hotel well. They had arranged for security around the resort to stop reporters from stirring up trouble.


    Yan Liang was familiar with the hotel. This was not far from the best golf course in the city belonging to the Ming Ting group.


    Two sets of photos had already been shot. Yan Liang was back in her room putting on the wedding gown . Some others were helping her as the wedding gown had a long train almost two metre long train


    There were a total of four sets of wedding attire. All were of different style but all were magnificent. After nearly half a month of customization, the gowns had been flown back home for today¡¯s shoot.


    (Miumiu : This s really a distinctive feature for Chinese/Taiwanese weddings. The photo shoot! I remember seeing a couple in Prague freezing in the cold for the photo shoot.)


    Yan Liang looked at herself in the mirror after putting on the gown. The assistant enviously praised her, ¡°Each one is more beautiful than the other.¡± Yan Liang didn¡¯t even smile.


    Secretary Li was responsible for the photo shoot and the selection of the venue . As the make up artist was putting the final touches on Yan Liang, he knocked on the door, ¡° Mrs Jiang, its almost noon. Do you want something to eat?¡±


    Yan liang turned a deaf ear to his question. Once the make up was done, she stood up straight , picked up her train and walked out of the room.


    As she went out, she passed Secretary Li at the door but paid no attention to him. Li was stunned and then embarrassed and coughed slightly to hide his embarrassment.


    She had walked less than two steps when she saw Jiang Yu Nan sitting on a bench opposite the room.


    She slowed slightly, the two hotel employees carrying her train behind her were preparing to stop as well. But Yan Liang had nothing to say to her husband, In the next second, she hastened her pace.


    ¡° Lunch is arriving. Sit down and eat first¡±, Jiang Yu Nan suddenly called out.


    Yan Liang walked in front of Jiang Yu Nan. She stopped, gave him a scornful glance and continued, never looking back even once.


    The photographer was having difficulty keeping pace with her, but also thought about smoothening things over. ¡° Mr Jiang, you have your lunch. I will shoot some solo photos of your wife at the venue.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan did not speak. When the photographer thought he had acquiesced, and was about to walk away, he suddenly called out, ¡°Wait!¡±


    The photographer turned back. Jiang Yu Nan stood up.¡±Its cold outside. In between shoots, make sure she puts this on.¡±


    Then he gave him a jacket, ¡°This is a staff coat. I¡¯ll trouble you to carry this to her.¡±


    The photographer nodded vigorously and took the jacket. He could not help but think¡­. this couple is really strange.


    *** ***


    The cold was biting


    Yan Liang was wearing a wedding gown with a bra style bodice. Her skirt was flying like an undefeated army banner.


    They were in between shoots. The staff were busy adjusting the lighting as she rubbed her hands and looked at the green meadows. The meadows looked like summer had arrived but she could feel the chill in her body.


    At this moment, a warm jacket covered her shoulders. Yan Liang shrugged her shoulders and looked back and was stunned.


    *** ***


    In her startled gaze, Lu Zheng¡¯s eyes flashed slightly, ¡° I heard you came here for the wedding photo shoot. I was in the nearby golf course today.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    He finally sighed, ¡° I don¡¯t know what to say, I just wanted to see you.¡±


    Saying this, he took a box from the hands of his assistant. It was a beautifully wrapped box. He handed it to Yan Liang and gently said, ¡°Congratulations on your wedding!¡±


    Congratulations on your wedding¡­


    How ridiculous these four words were! His tenderness towards her was readily evident; her heart almost shattered.


    And such a wedding gift ¡­


    He said he was just here on a whim ¡­


    Yan Liang tightly pulled the sides of the jacket around her tightly. Without his jacket, this man was only wearing a thin shirt in the cold. Even though her mouth was stiff at first, finally she smiled a bit.


    Whose heart was beating¡­ and dripping blood?


    Looking at her smile, Lu Zheng suddenly thought of something, ¡° One more thing..¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° Do you have a coin?¡¯


    Yan Liang was surprised.


    Holding another coat, the photographer walked to Yan liang. ¡° Do you want a coin?¡±


    He soon provided her a coin.


    Taking the coin from Yan Liang , Lu Zheng smiled at her.


    As she smiled back at him, he said, ¡° On behalf of the Ming group, I inform you that with this payment, the company forgives your 1 billion dollar debt¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    Whose smile dispersed like tiny particles in the blowing wind?

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59


    Whose smile was it that dispersed like tiny particles in the blowing wind?


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    Fortunately, there was a sudden blow of gale like wind. The slight tremble in Yan Liang¡¯s voice was covered by the sound of the blowing wind. ¡°How can you promise this on behalf of the Ming Ting board¡­.¡±


    Suddenly her face froze. In the silence, her face , which looked like she was about to cry was instantly replace by indifference and precaution. Lu Zheng was also surprised and looked at the direction of Yan Liang¡¯s gaze..


    Jiang Yu Nan gracefully walked towards them.


    Unlike his elegant manners, the man¡¯s eyes were ice cold. Even though he came in front of Lu Zheng and greeted him politely, ¡°Mr Lu, what a coincidence to run into you here¡±, Lu Zheng did not feel the slightest trace of friendliness.


    She was wearing an elegant wedding gown, he was also wearing a suit. There was no need to remind Lu Zheng about the relationship between the two. Much as he would like to forget, he could no longer ignore the reality. Humbly, Lu Zheng said, ¡°Mrs Jiang and I are good friends. I was in the vicinity today, so I decided to come over and meet her.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±, Jiang Yu Nan raised his eyebrows and smiled at Yan Liang. His eyes subtly issued a warning.


    Lu Zheng had no intention to stay any longer. He looked at his watch and bid farewell to the two of them, ¡° I need to attend to some things, I won¡¯t disturb you anymore.¡± His eyes moved uncontrollably to the woman- he just wanted to say goodbye to her.


    He didn¡¯t have the opportunity to say the word after all , because at this time Jiang Yu Nan politely but indifferently said, ¡° Well, see you soon!¡±


    Lu Zheng¡¯s eyes moved from Yan Lian to Jiang Yu Nan, he nodded politely, ¡° See you soon.¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s body was still covered by his jacket. She could only tightly clutch the jacket as she looked at the upright figure slowly walk away; she could not bring herself to utter the word..¡±Stay¡±


    Go, and let him take with him the last piece of her uncorrupted and kind self. In the future, even if she turned vicious, at least in the eyes of the man who had left, she would still be the better person she had once been.


    When all the photo shoots were finally completed, the sun was setting. The weather had not been sunny, now the day was turning darker. Yan Liang was in the lounge, changing out of her clothes while the staff packed up .


    The rest of the room was very busy. There was an endless stream of noise from all the moving and shifting. Suddenly, all the noise ceased. Yan Liang was removing her eye make up, after a brief period of silence, she could hear the staff silently filing out of the room. She couldn¡¯t open her eyes to see what was happening, until she heard footsteps. These deliberate, calm footsteps only belonged to one specific person


    Her entire mind was filled with disgust. She pretended complete indifference as she stood in front of the mirror , picked up the cotton and continued removing her make up.


    He had quietly signalled the staff to leave. It seemed that he had the courage to approach her only when he was confident they would not be disturbed


    The mirror reflected Jiang Yu Nan standing behind her , but Yan Liang did not raise her eyes.


    Jiang Yu Nan looked down at her dress and saw that the zipper had only been pulled down partially. He quietly pulled down the zipper fully and then placed his hands on her shoulders, not removing the dress.


    His actions were very natural . Then he signalled towards the unopened gift box , ¡° Havent you unwrapped it yet?¡±


    Yan Liang removed his hands from her shoulder and completely ignored his question. Neither did she touch the gift box


    Instead Jiang Yu Nan picked up the gift box and opened it.


    It was a pair of high heels..


    The gift from Lu Zheng..


    Yan Liang was quickly removing her make up. She did not want to spend a minute alone with this man, but when she saw the shoes, she froze.


    After half a second, she stood up and took the box from Jiang Yu Nan.


    This pair of shoes, how could she not be familiar with them?


    The soles were engraved with the name of an independent designer- Elaine, and she was familiar with every stroke of that word.


    Jiang Yu Nan stared at the flowery script of the English word. While Yan Liang was still in a trance, she heard him suddenly laughing, ¡° So you knew each other since New York.¡±


    She looked up at him, but there were no emotions on his face. There was a world of mockery hidden under that laughter. Yan Liang was so shocked with his words, she blurted out , ¡° What do you mean?¡±


    ..New York..


    When she was studying and did not have the slightest interaction with these two men


    ..New York..


    Now she recalled her memories, no Jiang Yu Nan in her life, how happy she was..


    Jiang Yu Nan had been calm all along, as if he was a person completely unaffected by her emotions. Even if he spoke, there was trace of disturbance.But now he quickly changed the topic, ¡° I thought you intended to never talk to me for the rest of my life.¡±


    Yan Liang put the high heels in the box, She stood in front of the mirror to resume removing the last touches of her makeup, ¡° Do you think if I say two words to you it means I have forgiven you?¡±


    She sneered at him, took the jacket and bag from the sofa and walked towards the door.


    She couldn¡¯t wait to leave the room , when he commented cruelly, ¡° I do not want you to forgive me. On the contrary, if you hate me for the rest of my life, that would be the best outcome¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Yan Liang paused, thought a minute on whether to answer him, then banged the door behind her as she walked out


    *** ***


    What does marriage mean?


    In this wedding, apart from the bride, no one from Xu attended. All the political and business big shots, including Lu Zheng were invited.


    As she was busy entertaining guests , Yan Liang looked at the huge display of alcohol. Between getting drunk and keeping herself clear headed , she chose the latter.


    She soberly watched from the sidelines how this funny drama played out.


    Two renowned TV hosts were invited to serve as master of ceremonies. The big screen was displaying the story of their love, from the time they did not know each other to now, when they were on the brink of achieving the ultimate happiness.


    It was a fantastic wedding celebration, and in the hands of the masters, the packaging was done so well that it looked like the bride and groom were destined to meet, love and now live their happliy-ever-after.


    No wonder all the guests broke out in loud applause.


    Yan Liang looked at the big screen where their wedding photos were finally frozen, In the photo, one could not see how bad the weather had been, on the contrary, only cloudless blue skies were visible.


    But then who could tell from the pictures that the smile of the bride was also fake?


    After seeing off an official who had come to greet them, Jiang Yu Nan hugged her waist and leaned over her to whisper, ¡°You smile very well.¡±


    She wanted to laugh, but she just smiled brightly, worried that her laughter would attract attention.


    Just that this smile looked very fragile, as if it would collapse at any moment


    Even a professional actor would need a break. She went into the bathroom to temporarily take off hermask and listened to how the people outside were evaluating her performance.


    ¡° If I was in her place, I would definitely chose Lu Zheng. Even if Xu was given away, at least in the future I would be the co-owner of Ming. Jiang Yu Nan is capable, he is also well placed. Life would be first class with him, but it cannot compare to owning the entire Ming Ting. As a CEO, how can he even compare?¡±


    ¡° You are too materialistic. Maybe Jiang Yu Nan is her true love! Its not always about money, what about real feelings?¡±


    ¡° That¡¯s also true. The bride seems very happy. The outside world can call her crazy, but after today, when they see she is happy, maybe people will stop insulting her.¡±


    ¡° Hey.. after all, she has been through a lot. She¡¯s faced a reversal in fortunes, her father died, she lost her family business, after encountering so many mishaps, her man cannot possibly leave her on her own¡­¡±


    *** ***


    Yan Liang walked back to the hall, with a smile again on her face.


    The two women who were talking in the bathroom were companions brought by her friends from the business community. The men came to congratulate Jiang Yu Nan . Yan Liang also greeted the women with a rare bright smile.


    Once they left, Jiang Yu Nan noticed that her mood seemed better than before. He could not discern whether it was a fake smile or genuine happiness. Looking at her, he asked, ¡° You seem to know them.¡±


    To speak to her, Jiang Yu Nan had dropped his head . Yan Liang lifted her eyes and looked at him , ¡° Just now in the bathroom, I heard them discussing a problem.¡±


    ¡°What is the problem?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Why I chose you, not Lu Zheng.¡± Yan Liang¡¯s smile was now more beautiful, more brilliant.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s bright eyes turned dark


    Yan Liang was feeling good,. She took the initiative to hold his hand . His hands were stiff, revealing some emotion that he had successfully always managed to disguise earlier. Jiang Yu Nan brushed aside her hand , ¡° What do you want to drink?¡±


    Saying this, he walked towards the waiter holding a tray


    But she did not want to let go and held on to his arm.


    She looked at him with a smile , her eyes were almost gentle. ¡° But I forgot to tell them that i did not choose Lu Zheng, not because I could not let go of you, but because I felt I was not worthy of him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡®Do you understand? I am saying¡­¡± Yan liang¡¯s voice was sweeter and sweeter but her eyes were cold. She reiterated the words again, clearly and unequivocally, ¡° ..I¡¯m not worthy of him.¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s voice broke..


    Was this finally heartache?


    For the first time in the evening, Yan Liang smiled from the heart.

 Chapter 60

    This is a very difficult chapter to translate. Both of them are so tragic in this one..


    Chapter 60


    The organisers had made special arrangements for the after party. No one from the media was invited. Some of the stars were there, the guests particularly enjoyed the party till about two o clock in the morning


    No one noticed that the bride was absent from the party.


    After the wedding, Yan Liang left. It was her wedding night, she had nowhere to go. She drove blindly in the night time streets until she finally stopped. Unwittingly, she had returned to the Xu house.


    The property had been gifted by the Yan family to Xu Jin fu and his bride when they had got married. And now, apart from their properties in New Zealand, all other real estate, including this home had been listed for sale. In order to raise cash , this mansion had been spared.


    With the help of an agent, the house had sold at a fairly good price.Apparently the new owner was going to stay in this house.


    Aunt Liang had accompanied her mother to rest in new Zealand, the house had been lying empty for quite some time now. Yan Liang had the back up keys in her hand. Earlier whenever Yan Liang had come here, the servants had opened the door for her. But now she could only rely on her own strength as she struggled with the heavy iron bolt on the door and exhausted herself.


    She had parked the car out front and walked in.


    The gardens on both sides of the path were designed by that year¡¯s most famous designer. Yan Liang recalled that every day, early in the morning, the gardener would take care of the garden, so that even in winter , the garden maintained the greenery of spring.


    But at this moment, she could see that the garden had withered away.


    Eventually Yan Liang reached the main building and opened the door. She saw the empty living room and assumed that the new owner did not like the original decorations and had moved all the furniture.


    The wine cellar was intact. Yan Liang walked down the stairs . The aroma of the basement infiltrated her senses as she walked past the wine bottles to select one.. If Xu Jin fu had known that all the wine that he had so painstakingly collected over the years would be given off to the new owner, he would have been angry enough to beat her up..


    She could only laugh at herself.


    Holding a bottle and a glass, she came back to the living room. Her foot steps echoed in the tall room. There was no furniture so she could sit on the floor as she poured herself a glass of wine.


    She kept on pouring glass after glass till she was really quite drunk. She leisurely raised her glass, and facing the wall, she listlessly whispered, ¡° Hats off to you !¡±


    Who was it that she was referring to?


    Was she expressing her admiration for her enemies, her selfish relatives, or for her own disastrous foolishness? Yan Liang laughed, close her eyes and drained her glass in one shot.


    Her laughter was still ringing around thE room wheN she heard a click


    The sound of the door unlocking..


    Yan Liang looked at the door, her vision a blur.


    The door was slowly pushed open, and a tall figure entered the hall.


    Because of the dark surroundings , Yan Liang could not get a clear view apart from noting the tall and straight stature of a man. She narrowed her eyes to focus as he walked forward from the darkness to the light


    A pair of dark leather shoes, slender trousers, a thin shirt, and the emotionless eyes of Jiang Yu Nan.


    The minute she recognised him, she smiled disparagingly , bowed her head and poured herself some more wine .


    The footsteps moved closer and closer to her. When he was just half a metre away, he said in a low voice, ¡° You¡¯ve parked the car outside, the outside door is not closed, even your coat fell outside the car.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan showed her the coat, then put it on her shoulders,


    It was heavy coat, but Yan Liang could not feel even a trace of warmth, wave after wave of chill engulfed her body.


    He should have expected this woman would only be disdainful towards his hypocritical caring gestures; she murmured, ¡°This is a private place, you are not welcome here.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan laughed, squatted down to the level of her eyes and spread out his palm to show the keys in his hand.


    Yan Liang was stunned.


    Taking advantage of her astonishment, he took her glass. Her lipstick had smudged the rim of the glass. He took a sip.


    Yan Liang shook her head and smiled at him admiringly , ¡° You bought this property ?¡±


    Obviously this was a rhetorical question.


    Whatever had originally belonged to Xu he had robbed her of it all and so beautifully. Why would he not feel a great sense of satisfaction after the culmination of his revenge plan ?


    ¡° You. Scram¡±, he said.


    Yan Liang had a lot to drink, her body was unstable. As she slowly stood up and was ready to go, Jiang Yu Nan suddenly reached out and pulled her. Yan Liang was was attacked by a wave of dizziness.


    The wine bottle upended, the glass spilled and Yan Liang fell to the ground. If Jiang Yu Nan had not reached out immediately to pad her head, she would have been seriously hurt.


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at her body from top to bottom. The tears flowing from her reddened eyes ¨C who were they for ?


    Yan Liang lay against his shoulder, but in the next second he broke down all her defences


    .


    ¡°Since you are not willing to divorce now, you can expect that I am not willing to be a husband on paper only ..¡±


    As he said that, he bent towards her and the last trace of light disappeared.


    ¡°You are not worthy of Lu Zheng because, here..¡± his fingers traced her lips, ¡°..here ¡°, he said as his hands reached her chest after slowly tracing a path down her graceful curves , ¡° here..¡± as he lifted her skirt little by little, ¡° ¡­the name of Jiang Yu Nan had been engraved already.¡±


    Panicking, Yan Liang suddenly moved her face so that his kiss landed in her cheek.


    Jiang Yu Nan laughed quietly. There was no way to know if he was laughing from anger or from a silent appreciation of her desperate situation.


    But the nearby bottle could save her. She reflexively reached out to grab the bottle and started randomly kicking him. One of her kicks hit his abdomen and he cried out in pain. She was finally able to free her wrists . She grabbed the bottle behind her and threw it at him.


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan grabbed her hand holding the bottle and deflected it so that the bottle hit the wall.


    The mirror on the wall was shattered.


    Pieces of glass flew at Yan Liang¡¯s face. Before she could react, she felt a pair of hands in front of her face protecting it.


    After the loud noise there was silence. The pair of hands over her face loosened


    The sound of the mirror shattering echoed in her ear. She expected a tingling sensation but instead she felt warm liquid dripping on her face.


    Jiang Yu Nan glanced at the back of his hand. There was a small wound. He did not care. With his thumb , he erased the drops of blood that had accidentally dropped on her face and smiled.


    Was he relieved that she was not hurt?


    Or was he just laughing at her panic?


    The next moment, Yan Liang angrily pushed him. She used all her strength to push him. Jiang Yu Nan almost fell and barely managed to stop his fall by using his hands to support himself.


    Didn¡¯t it hurt to put pressure on his palms that were embedded with tiny pieces of glass ?


    Even Yan Liang frowned as she saw the blood dripping from his wound, but there wasn¡¯t a trace of pain on his face.


    If this man was so hard on himself, how could she be soft ?


    Yan Liang laughed. She finally realised where she was inferior to him. On the road to revenge , he was definitely her example


    Her coat had fallen to the ground, the red wine had dripped into it and stained it a bright scarlet. She thought for a moment, what was the first step in his revenge plan ?


    To get close to her, and win her trust¡­


    *** ***


    Yu Nan sat on the ground, his head bowed. In the darkness, it was impossible to see any emotions on his face. Yan Liang had left without a word


    He heard her footsteps moving away from him. She was gone¡­


    His lips curved into a mockery of a smile.


    She had left, taking with her the last traces of warmth.


    So be it.. so ..


    He didn¡¯t know how long he was sitting like this when he heard the sound of familiar footsteps approaching.


    This was a familiar illusion, but each and every time she refused to materialise, leaving him waiting forever in place. For a minute, a moment, a while, he would hear her footsteps coming back to him, but every time he raised his head, the room would always be empty.


    In front of him, the footsteps stopped.


    Jiang Yu Nan saw a pair of high heels crunching the glass pieces underneath it. At that moment, he found the courage to raise his eyes and feel the sharp pain of loss as his illusions disintegrated.


    The sense of loss was so profound that he needed to be strong enough not to let it overwhelm him


    And fortunately , he was habituated to the pain by now


    At present , apart from himself, the Xu house was empty.¡±Get used to it,¡± he said silently to himself as he raised his head.


    Yan Liang was standing in front of him.


    At that moment, Jiang Yu Nan felt as if he had forgotten everything.


    He forgot the withered flowers on his mother¡¯s grace, he forgot the blood flowing constantly from his father¡¯s wounds after he fell, he forgot the unforgettable hatred, he forgot¡­how to speak. Quietly he watched the face of his woman as she stood in front of him


    Only her


    She seemed to have ran all the way back, she was panting


    Apart from a coldness, there was no expression on her face. She handed him the bag she was carrying without a word.


    Jiang Yu Nan opened the bag.. bandaids, antiseptic cream, cotton..


    ** **

 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61


    The night was silent.


    Moonlight reflected on the floor,


    Yan Liang was dressing his wounds.


    They were both sitting on the windowsill. As she looked at the wounds in his hand, he looked coldly at the mess in the room.


    The moonlight from the window refracted from the scattered glass pieces on the floor and created an illusion of shine in his eyes.


    But even that was not enough to bury the deep rooted dullness in his eyes


    The heating for the room had been turned on. At least it was not so cold anymore. This man and woman were not looking at each other, but were trying to read each other¡¯s minds as they quietly played their respective roles.


    She was soft hearted, he was cold..


    No one spoke, the quiet was overwhelming.


    Suddenly the silence was broken by the ringing of a cellphone.


    It was Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s mobile


    The ringing was so loud, Yan Liang¡¯s body was startled and her hands tightened subconsciously.


    His wound stung deeply at the abrupt tightening , but his face was calm.


    Jiang Yu Nan took out the phone from his pocket and connected the call.


    It was so quiet that Yan Liang could hear the person on the other side. It was a very familiar voice, Jiang Shi Jun.


    ¡° It seems you are still alive..good.¡±


    His voice was full of ridicule, but Jiang Yu Nan didn¡¯t even smile, only looked at her. She was wrapping the bandage around his hand. She did not even raise her head at the interruption, as if to deal with his wound was the most important thing for her.


    Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s voice continued through the phone, it mirrored her own deepest thoughts, ¡° With her personality, I wouldn¡¯t put it past her to put a knife under the pillow to kill you directly on the wedding night itself.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan laughed in answer.


    His low laughter reached Jiang Shi Jun.


    He seemed to force himself to change the topic , ¡° My secretary told me a few days ago he had seen you at the hospital. I had forgotten to ask you before, the question is why,¡± he paused, his tone suddenly my serious , ¡° Did she really hurt you ?¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s fingers stiffened momentarily but soon returned to normal. She turned a deaf ear to the conversation and concentrated on her task.


    That is why she missed the sudden darkening of Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes at Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s comment.


    She never heard his answer


    After she had completed the bandage, she intended to deal with the glass pieces when he grabbed her wrist.


    She looked back to see Jiang Yu Nan looking at her and she shyly looked back at him


    She didn¡¯t know when he had hung up the phone


    In his eyes, she could see he was struggling with something


    In the dead silence, Yan Liang could read his eyes but could not understand what it meant.


    Should she play the role of a wife and express concern over her husband¡¯s health?


    It was best to do so without any hesitation; if she wanted to show she cared, it shouldn¡¯t look like¡­


    Jiang Yu Nan then heard her ask with an uncertain tone, ¡° Why did you go to the hospital ?¡±


    She thought she had asked the question casually enough, but an unprecedented sign of fear flashed in his eyes.


    Even if the traces of the panic disappeared immediately, Yan Liang was stunned


    She had never , ever seen this man get so alarmed..


    **** ****


    She was still stunned when he suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist again.


    Then she heard him say coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t try to learn how I bought the hearts of people. You will never learn.¡±


    She was concerned about his health and that angered him ?


    Yan Liang did not get any time to think of this problem, he suddenly stood up and pushed her body against the wall. He pressed his body tightly against hers and raised her chin. Looking at his eyes for a moment, he concluded, ¡° In your eyes I only want to see hatred towards me .¡±


    This was not going well, Yan Liang pushed against him.


    Jiang Yu Nan was pushed back a little, but he only smiled. When he looked up , he could see she was already angry. It was probably her reaction to him that made him ruthless, suddenly he took her face in his hands and kissed her hard.


    As his lips and teeth continued to attack her, she heard him say faintly, ¡°We haven¡¯t finished what we started..¡±


    Yan Liang reflexively bit his lips and raised her hand to push him away. But this time she could not shake him. She was completely trapped in his arms. When he pulled the zipper of her skirt down and slid her dress off her shoulders, she scratched at his hand insistently probing her.


    ¡° Let me go,¡± she was almost screaming


    In the scuffle, the bandage in his hand was again soaked with blood. But this was not enough to stop Jiang Yu Nan. She was firmly pressed against the wall, with one hand he pinned her wrists to the wall as he kissed her neck and shoulders.


    She struggled desperately but could not move him an inch.


    Even though the heating had kicked in, with her bare back against the wall, she could feel the chill seeping in. His lips were burning her, her heart was racing, his hand had long since moved away from her abdomen to her thighs.


    Suddenly , Yan Liang , with no sound at all, stopped resisting him.


    Like a hunter who enjoyed his hunt only if the prey was struggling, Jiang Yu Nan also stopped his fierce attack when he received no response from her.


    He lifted her chin with his index finger. Perhaps seeing his condescending attitude, Yan Liang looked at him contemptuously , ¡° If you want to touch me, you have to see what is the price you can afford to pay.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan finally frowned.


    He let go of her, straightened his body and looked at her. Although in his heart of hearts, he was disgusted , he jokingly asked her, ¡° The daughter of the Xu family is unexpectedly degrading herself ?¡±


    ¡° At the beginning, you pretended to be a big man and sold yourself in exchange for my trust. At least I am better than you, I¡¯m quoting a fair price for the trade.¡±


    Ha laughed mockingly at her in answer but Yan Liang was unmoved. She continued, ¡° Before Jiang Shi Jun took over Xu, Yan Yan¡¯s new project was slated to start this year. Now he has completely frozen the project funds. I want you to sign it back.¡±


    His eyes briefly fell, he seemed to think, then he looked at her. Already , the inner dull darkness had been restored in his eyes. ¡° If I remember clearly, the first tranche of money for the project is an eight digit figure.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think that today you are worth the price?¡±


    He looked at her with a perfect expression of arrogance and disdain , but Yan Liang for some reason felt that behind that perfect expression was a trace of ..fear.


    What was he afraid of ?


    She didn¡¯t know, just as she couldn¡¯t discern the reason for his panic when she mentioned the hospital.


    All she could do was challenge him..


    Yan Liang bit her lips, and moved in for the kill. ¡°What are you afraid of ? Are you afraid that using Ya Yan I will move out from under your control? In my opinion, my husband isn¡¯t such a coward.¡±


    She waited for one second¡­


    Two seconds¡­


    Three seconds¡­


    Suddenly , Jiang Yu Nan turned her around by her shoulders. Her whole body was pressed against the wall, as she felt his cold hands move all the way up her thighs under her skirt and rip off the last barrier.


    As his hands returned to her waist and held her there, she tried to pull his hands off her, ¡° No you can¡¯t..¡±


    His body clung to her; as she turned her face, he kissed her hard and his deep voice whispered, ¡°Deal.¡±


    At the same time, he pulled down the zip of his pants and guided his sex to break into her dry body.


    **** ****


    The pain instantly hit Yan Liang. She could not stop a muffled scream. Her legs weakened and could not support her weight. If Jiang Yu Nan had not been holding on to her waist, she would have fallen. She barely stood firm as Jiang Yu Nan moved without any rhythm or rule.


    He unhooked her bra and his hands moved to her chest as he kneaded her breasts.


    Yan Liang felt as if a storm had hit her. Even her gaze was trembling and she could no longer focus. Under the brutal rhythm, her hands pressed against the wall to support herself while her toes barely touched the ground; she struggled to maintain her balance.


    He withdrew the hand that was ravaging her chest and put both hands on her hips to position her for a more powerful impact


    Jiang Yu Nan bent his knees slightly to push her legs farther apart, held her bottom and clutched at her waist, wantonly fiddling with her body as he forced her to accommodate him even deeper inside her. Her toes were lifted even higher, her butt was tilted upwards, her soft core grinded against him. With his head down, he watched her as he imposed his passion on her.


    With the continuous push and withdrawal, her body¡¯s self protection instinct kicked in, and Yan Liang could finally feel her body gradually moistening. But her heart was calm and terrible, she felt as if even her soul had left her body and was sitting in the sidelines dispassionately watching her


    But this man was dissatisfied with her inanimate, non reactive state. Suddenly he pushed deep inside her , at the same time smashing the aloofness of her soul.


    Yan Liang spasmed, her insides were drenched. She tried to seize his hand and shook her head when she was unable to do so. Even she did not know what she was begging for.


    Jiang Yu Nan stopped as her body involuntarily tightened. The gush of moisture dampened the front of his trousers.


    Muffled moans issued from the woman¡¯s throat, as if to induce him to a faster and deeper possession.


    Jiang Yu Nan twisted slightly to wipe off the liquid, then looked into her eyes, ¡° Now that the fight is over, it is better to let go and enjoy.¡±


    Yan Liang did not speak. She buried her head lower, hatred and shame turned her lips pale. Another wave of merciless pumping followed , Yan Liang was finally defeated. The man who tortured her from behind was already nearing climax.


    The dangerous assault of lust in the tight confines of his body continued. Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes moved from her neck, to the beautiful butterfly shaped bones of her clavicle, her slender waist, to her bottom. Her skin was so white it was almost transparent, but because of his incessant rubbing, her waist and butt had turned red


    He closed his eyes and his nerves tightened as the wave hit him. Then he opened his eyes . His heart had long since been engulfed with desolation.


    As he let go of her, her legs could no longer support her and she fEll to the floor. Her hands were on the cold marble floor as she lay there shivering..


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at her , but did not come forward to give her a hand.


    At this moment, with her chest hanging outside the dress, her dress half off her body, and her legs weak, she looked pathetic.


    Jiang Yu Nan stood in front of her and started unwrapping the carefully wrapped bandage.


    The wound was small , but every place was enough to cause an ache in the heart.


    Her expression was numb.


    When he had unwrapped the last layer, he threw the bandage on the ground.


    Whether her concern for him was true or not, like the bandage, he had just ruthlessly thrown it away.


    Jiang Yu Nan squatted in front of her and raised her chin.


    The protest in her eyes was the most brutal awakening in this world. He tapped her chin, and said coldly, ¡° I¡¯d rather you hate me always.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° Like this¡±, he said as he looked into her eyes and saw a tide of deep hatred sweep through them.


    Finally, he had managed to destroy the last bit of affection she had for him. With his own hands..


    Finally he did it¡­


    This long planned deliberate ploy, did it satisfy his aching need? Was it bitter ? Jiang Yu Nan smiled

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 62


    Two years later.


    The city was reeling under the onslaught of continuous rains.


    For a long time, the sun had not shone in the morning. Yan Liang came down to eat breakfast in her night gown.


    The dining room was lit by lamps. The heavy rain continued to wash the glass wall. The green foliage in the garden planted during the summer was gradually dying under the heavy rain.


    At present, the Xu house had been re- decorated as per Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s preferences. Although Yan Liang had stayed in this house for two years, it still didn¡¯t feel like home to her


    And in the last two years, the number of meals she had here could be counted in one hand. Hence, she really couldn¡¯t blame the new servants for not being familiar with her likes and dislikes. As she looked at the food served for breakfast ¨C fried dumplings, scallions, chopped green onions, onion soup , she didn¡¯t touch anything but just picked up a glass to drink water.


    The servant saw her face, subconsciously looked at the empty seat opposite her and on her own tried to smooth matters, ¡° Madam, Master does not know that you have come back from New Zealand. He worked overtime last night ..so all night..¡±


    Yan Liang seemed to have not heard her at all. She picked up the newspaper on the other side of that table and asked, ¡° Where is my luggage?¡±


    ¡° It¡¯s upstairs, all back in the dressing room.¡±


    Yan Liang nodded and put the newspaper back on the table when her eyes widened.


    She froze for two seconds then took the newspaper again and opened it to the entertainment news section that she had earlier missed


    After the successful acquisition of the Xu Group by Li Bo, the media had been more or less silent. But this time , they entertainment headlines were full of news of the current CEO of Li Bo , Jiang Yu Nan and his visit to a private club with a mysterious woman.


    At the end of the news article, the reporter meaningfully added, ¡° At the time of the press release, the two had not left the club.¡±


    The accompanying photo had been shot last night. Because it was night and it was raining, that photo was not clear. The woman could not be recognised but by her graceful posture, it could easily be imagined that she must have been quite a stunner.


    And Jiang Yu Nan was easily recognisable even in the gray , cold light.


    The servant immediately started speaking , her voice trembling, ¡°Madam, Sir.. he..¡±


    Yan Liang said nothing. She folded back the newspaper. Her expression showed disinterest. She sandwiched a fried dumpling and stuffed it in her mouth. The onion flavour immediately hit her and jolted her from her reverie. She quickly swallowed the food. The servant stood beside her, anxiously looking at the newspaper as if she wanted to take it away immediately. Yan Liang put down her chopsticks and got up ready to leave. She herself did not realise why she was in a bad mood today, ¡° Remember, I don¡¯t eat onions.¡±


    She intended to return to the second floor. She had just turned and walked towards the stairs, when she heard a cry, ¡°Mr Jiang, good morning !¡±


    Yan Liang awkwardly stopped.


    She could hear the sound of footsteps coming nearer, then the noise of a chair scraping as he sat down to eat breakfast. She prepared to move forward when her wrist was pulled.


    ¡°Lets have breakfast together ,¡± Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s voice sounded behind her.


    ¡° I¡¯m done ¡±, Yan Liang did not even turn away as he tried to pull her wrist from his grasp. Jiang Yu Nan increased the pressure on her wrist and she was pulled back to her seat.


    Jiang Yu Nan then had her sit next to him


    The servants got the dishes. Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s hair and jacket were damp from the rain but he ignored it as he served himself.


    Yan Liang did not leave. Instead she watched him eat and said mockingly, ¡°isnt your appetite really good after doing overtime on a woman¡¯s bed yesterday ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was just about to take some food with his chopsticks but his hand paused midair. Yan Liang thought he would continue eating as if nothing had happened but he placed his chopsticks to the side.


    The servant standing to the side was suddenly afraid. She held up the stack of newspapers and mumbled, ¡° Sorry, it¡¯s my fault, I forgot to look at the newspaper before handing it over.¡±


    In contrast to the urgency in the servant¡¯s voice, Jiang Yu Nan was extremely calm. He used the napkin to pat his mouth, his actions slow and elegant. With his knife like sharp eyes, his gaze seemed to slice her body.


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled to comfort the servant ¡° It doesn¡¯t matter. My wife who keeps saying she is visIting her mother in New Zealand, isn¡¯t she regularly photographed with other men in New York ?¡±


    He said this as if to comfort the servant, his eyes away from Yan Liang. She stared at him and could not help but frown.


    At this moment, her heart was turbulent but on the surface she was extremely calm.


    Two years ago, Johnny Weir had recommended a consortium for Xu. But because Zhou Cheng had been arrested at the airport , they had missed the opportunity. Now two years later, once the incident had settled down, Zhou Cheng and she had travelled to New York to meet the head of the consortium. He was a famous businessman in the New York Chinese business district ¨C Liang Ruiqiang.


    Their visit to New York coincided with the annual reunion of their college. The reunion was a good cover story, even if this man found some clues she could lie to him.


    Unfortunately, Jiang Shi Jun had one by one terminated all the original Xu products. She only had ya Yan left. The value of the brand was low, the prospects were not very optimistic, it was very difficult to attract Liang Ruiqiang¡¯s capital with only ya Yan.


    Though Zhou Cheng and she had spent a full two weeks in New York, they had only managed to speak to the personnel in his operation, they had not managed to meet Liang Ruiqiang himself.


    ¡° You can leave now,¡± Yan Liang said to the servant.


    The servant was reluctant to get involved in the dispute between the couple, she nodded immediately and escaped quickly. Jiang Yu Nan seemed to be in a really good mood. He lifted her chin with his thumb and smiled at her, ¡° Why are you frowning? Seems you didn¡¯t have a good time playing with Zhou Cheng in New York.¡±


    All her hard work I¡¯m New Zealand and New York had not yielded even a bit of result, why would she not frown ? How would they make up for their losses ? With a hard tone, she asked him, ¡° Are you having me followed ?¡±


    ¡° I am so busy, how can I track your personal life ? The newspaper editor and I have a personal friendship, I suppressed the news.¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem to have discovered the real purpose of their travel to New York. Yan Liang was very relived. For some reason , his good mood depressed Yan Liang tremendously.


    The newspaper photo flashed in her brain, the two people were.. laughing


    Yan Liang was sitting erect. She had made up her mind to use the reunion excuse, but it seemed this was no longer required. With a calm face, she remarked, ¡° It seems we are both equally guilty, none of us can to blame the other.¡±


    After finishing the sentence she stood up from the table, ¡° I have to go to work, I won¡¯t interrupt your breakfast anymore. ¡°


    Jiang Yu Nan did not stop her this time. She had gone all the way to the bottom of the stairs when he suddenly spoke, ¡° Two days later we have to attend a friends wedding reception together. ¡°


    Yan Liang slowed her pace a little and said, ¡° Doesn¡¯t Mr Jiang already have a companion ready to attend all this, why do I need to accompany you as well?¡± She climbed up the stairs, and just when she was about to disappear from his sights Jiang Yu Nan added, ¡° It¡¯s your friend.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Lu Zheng.¡±


    Yan Liang stopped abruptly.


    How ironic did this action look like to the man who was sitting at thE table watching her steadily ? He bowed his head so as not to look at her directly anymore; by the time he raised his head again she had disappeared down the second floor corridor.


    Yan Liang was changing her clothes in the dressing room. She intended to go to work. Accordingly, she chose a black suit and was about to peel it off the hangar when she froze. Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s words echoed in her ears¡­attend a wedding reception together in two days time..Lu Zheng..


    She felt like she had known this person in an earlier incarnation; now when she heard this name, she only felt like that was a different life time altogether.


    She stood stunned before the hangar for a long time till she was jolted from her reverie by Jiang yu Nan¡¯s voice behind her, ¡° Take out some time to buy a new dress to attend the wedding.¡±


    Yan Liang regained her senses, but did not turn back.


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at the black and white dress on the hangar and remarked , ¡° I¡¯ve almost forgotten how you look like when you¡¯re not in a professional suit.¡±


    Yan Liang took off her robe, ready to change into her workwear, ¡° I will not go.¡±


    Even though she was ignoring Jiang Yu Nan, he didn¡¯t seem perturbed. He leaned against the door of the closet and said , ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious to see what kind of woman the man you love finally ended up marrying ?¡±


    If she took a deep breath, he could figure it out from looking at her back. So she adjusted her breathing and turned around to give him a polite smile, ¡°Please go out, I want to change my clothes.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    He looked at her and she looked at him.


    After a smirk, she didn¡¯t push him out. Instead, she turned her back to him and took off her night gown and put on her skirt and shirt.


    Thin shoulders and neck, slender waist, slender legs¡­


    In comparison to two years ago, she had lost a lot of weight, but he was familiar with every inch of her body.


    Jiang Yu Nan continued leaning against this door, but the light in his eyes became duller by a few degrees.


    Aa she zipped up her skirt, took out her bag and walked towards the door- from beginning to end, he kept staring at her.


    As she reached the door, she realised he was blocking her way


    Yan Liang bowed her head and adjusted her hair, and he moved sideways to let her pass.


    But he was in no mood to let her pass without any remark. Lightly , he said, ¡° The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference. Mrs Jiang, in the past two years , you have shown me a good demonstration of this sentence.¡±


    Yan Liang burst out laughing


    She looked up and down at the man standing in front of her, ¡°Love ? Don¡¯t use this word, it disgusts me. I chose you because I thought you could help me defeat Xu Ziqing. However, I finally suffered the consequences of my action- the destruction that you have unleashed on me. We should really ask ourselves, did we ever have the word ¡®love¡¯ in our heart¡­ ..¡± she pointed at his heart,¡± or were we only using each other.¡±


    She withdrew her hand, hit his shoulders with hers and left.


    Jiang Yu Nan rubbed his shoulders thoughtfully .The pain in his shoulder felt like it was piercing his heart as well.


    Then he recovered his calm manner.


    He stood there, lost in his thoughts, till he heard footsteps coming toward him. It was Secretary Li who found him standing strangely in front of the closet. ¡° Liang Ruiqiang¡¯s flight lands in half an hour. Mr Jiang we should start immediately .¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan came back to earth, knitted his eyebrows and looked back expressionlessly towards his secretary and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Half way down the stairs, Jiang Yu Nan couldn¡¯t help but stop and look back at the empty dressing room as the familiar words echoed in his head..


    Did we ever have the word ¡®love¡¯ in our heart ¡­


    Or were we only using each other?¡­ ..


    He withdrew his eyes and walked down the stairs. He had finally managed to leave behind the voice.


    *** ***


    Throughout the whole summer, there were heavy rains. Even after a week since her return, Yan Liang had not seen a clear blue sky, the days were always dark


    But in this bad weather , there was a trace of dawn in her life.


    It wasn¡¯t dawn for her alone, or Zhou Cheng¡¯s voice would not be trembling with excitement when he called her, ¡° Mr Liang is in the country. He has asked me to meet him.¡±


    This sudden good news was difficult to believe , so Yan Liang asked, ¡° Do you mean Liang Ruiqiang?¡±


    ¡°I am now at the hotel where he is staying, he only gave us thirty minutes, you bring all the information.¡±


    ¡­¡­ thirty minutes¡­¡­


    Now it was ¡­ ¡­ 4 pm.


    She pushed her chair and squatted in front of the bottom drawer on her desk. The last time she had travelled to New York, she had put all the information in the small safe.


    Time was short, in her anxiousness, she keyed in the wrong password twice. Finally, she retrieved all the information ,put it in her bag and left the office.


    Zhou Cheng had texted her the hotel address.


    Her mind was a blank. She only focussed on reaching there as soon as possible. In her ears, the only sound was that of the windshield wipers as they continued to wipe the windscreen.


    She was driving quite fast when she suddenly saw that the section of road in front of her was completely flooded. Immediately , she was worried and stopped the car.


    The sound of her thundering heartbeats were even louder than the sound of the wipers in her ears. She looked at her watch. If she took a diversion now, she would not be able to make it in time.


    The water was not too deep. She gritted her teeth, restarted the car and drove headfirst into the flooded road.


    As she drove in the centre of the road, the water level only reached till the window. She figured the car would be able to pass through the road successfully and breathed a sigh of relief.


    Suddenly there was a hiss sound and the car stalled.


    Outside the window, the rain was relentless.


    Miumiu : have you noticed how the author uses the weather as a metaphor for their relationship ? When they got married, it was cold and foggy, because things were not clear to Yan Liang. Now it¡¯s just dark and rainy , because she thinks there is no hope left for her¡­

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63


    When Yan Liang woke up, she was in the hospital


    The last memory she had was of her being in the car as the water level rose to completely flood the car.


    Just before she fainted, she remembered seeing the window glass break into small pieces and the water inside flow out.


    The panic she felt as she slowly choked was still stuck in her throat. She smelled the unique hospital smell of the disinfectant and frowned as a splitting headache momentarily engulfed her.


    Footsteps approached her. She wanted to open her eyes, but her eyelids seemed very heavy. Her eyelids trembled; it was difficult for her to keep her eyes open .


    The nurse took a look at the patient and took out the case card as she approached her, ¡°Ms Yan, are you awake ?¡±


    It was not easy for her to open her eyes. She opened her mouth but realised that her throats and chest was burning and she could not speak.


    ¡° The water in the stomach has been pumped out, but you will need to stay in the hospital overnight.¡±


    Yan Liang gingerly rose from the bed. As she used her hand to support her body, she realised that there was a faint pain on the palm of her hand. As she glanced down, she saw that there were laceration marks on the palm. These had been acquired when the window had broken. The nurses had taken care of it while she was unconscious.


    ¡°Who brought me here?¡±


    Even to Yan Liang her voice sounded very weak. The nurse finally heard her , ¡° This..¡±, the nurse turned around to look at the sofa in the corner. Apart from the wet jacket on the handle , there was nothing to indicate that anyone had ever been on the sofa.


    Puzzled, the nurse turned back to Yan Liang, ¡° I suppose he already left..¡±


    Yan Liang stared blankly at the wet jacket as her heart gradually collapsed. The nurse was getting ready to go out of the ward. While she was at the door, she murmured to herself, ¡° This is so strange.. he was so anxious that he literally tried to pull all the doctors to save this woman.. why did he silently leave ?¡±


    As the nurse was about to disappear , Yan Liang suddenly remembered something and called out to her, ¡° Have you seen any files?¡±


    The nurse turned around, completely puzzled, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡° I had them in my hands..¡±


    Yan Liang still remembered that when the car had flooded, she had called Zhou Cheng in alarm ,and had asked him to hurry .


    As she waited for a long time, the water level in the car was getting higher and higher. She could not roll down the windows. She hit the windows with her fist, her elbow , with her high heels.. her heels broke and her hand and feet were injured but the window remained unharmed. The file had scattered on the water, she had quickly collected it and clutched on to it.


    How long had she been in the car , panicked and choking ?


    She still remembered that fear of being suffocated to death. As the water reached the roof of the car, she stood on the driver¡¯s seat, desperately breathing the last bit of air in the car, the water level reaching to her chin..


    She was so close to Death, she could almost see what he looked like..


    Until she heard a bang!


    Followed by another. Bang ! Bang !


    The sound knocked Yan Yan from her inertia ,as it become more and more violent, she could feel hope rise in her heart and she coughed.


    When she looked out of the window, she could only see a calm face.


    Was this the face of death ?


    Bang ! With this, the window, which she could not break with her best efforts, finally broke and the water flooded out.


    Someone gripped her hand tightly.


    The determined grip pulled her out of the car; even death could not shake the determination of this person to save her.


    The relentless rain hit her face and the unconscious Yan Liang seemed to wake up slightly.


    Had she reached the other side ?


    There was a moderate pressure on her chest as her chest was being pumped.Cold lips met hers as bursts of fresh air was pushed into her mouth.


    Was this the police who was helping her ?


    Or..


    ¡°Zhou Cheng..¡±


    As her faint voice uttered the words, the other pair of lips grew stiff.


    She could feel that she was picked up, and then the bumpy ride as the person rushed forward. But she did not have the strength to open her eyes, or make out the words that were being anxiously said to her. But she did remember holding on to the file with all her might, without the slightest degree of laxity..


    The file was more important to her than her own life, but now it was missing. Yan Liang tried to get out of her bed. Seeing her, the nurse rushed back to help her. Through sheet perseverance she stood up but immediately felt dizzy and clutched at the nurse¡¯s arm to stabilise her body.


    ¡° You¡¯re still weak!¡±


    Her throat felt blocked. Yan Liang took a deep breath to speak but coughed instead.


    The nurse was very smart. She immediately understood. ¡° I heard the car was washed away by the floods. Even if there was something in the car, there is no hope of finding it..¡±


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The rain is very heavy. If you were not so lucky, you could have drowned in the car. Just think of your own life, what other things are more important than your own life ?¡±


    But this woman bent forward, loosened the hands of the nurse holding her and stood barefoot on the ground. Before she could take half a step though, she stumbled and fell back on the bed.


    Yan Liang finally compromised. She closed her eyes as dizziness overtook her. When the dizziness passed, she opened her eyes and asked the nurse for help, ¡° Can I borrow your phone please ?¡±


    The nurse took out her phone and handed it to her. Yan Liang immediately dialled Zhou Cheng¡¯s number.


    But when she was about to dial the last digit, anxious footsteps approached her. Yan Liang again felt a wave of dizziness overwhelm her so that her finger just hovered above the screen. At this time, the door opened.


    Zhou Cheng¡¯s figure flashed before her line of sight


    His panicked eyes swept the entire ward before it rested on Yan Liang sitting on the bed. He looked visibly relieved but did not slow his pace and reached Yan Liang in three steps.


    She hadn¡¯t the faintest bit of colour on her face, Zhou Cheng subconsciously reached out to touch her cheek but paused midair and abruptly withdrew his hand, ¡° Are you okay ?¡±


    No wonder the nurse knew her name! Zhou Cheng was the one who had saved her and admitted her to the hospital. Yan Liang muttered guiltily, ¡° I lost the file.¡±


    How deep was her frustration, she felt as if shE had lost half of her life. The opportunity that they had waited for two years had now been personally destroyed by her. How would she make up for this?


    ¡°It will take atleast a day to recreate the file, and Liang Ruiqiang will only stay in the country for a few days. We must try to see him before he goes back to New York. ¡°


    Zhou Cheng was speechless. He looked very confused and quickly interrupted her, ¡° Didn¡¯t you already send the file to the hotel ?


    Yan Liang stared blankly at Zhou Cheng. He turned and addressed the nurse, ¡° Could you please ask the doctor to come?¡±


    After the nurse left, Zhou Cheng tried to sort out the whole story: ¡° After your phone call, I immediately tried to call you back. Since I was with Liang Ruiqiang at that time, I couldn¡¯t attend to your call. When I called back, the person at the other side told me that you were already in the hospital, but your condition was not serious. He also told me that the file had been sent to Liang Ruiqiang.¡±


    Yan Liang found it hard to believe such good news, with a hoarse voice she said apprehensively, ¡° That.. Liang Ruiqianq.. he.¡±


    ¡° His secretary called me just when I arrived at the hospital. He is convinced of our sincerity and is willing to evaluate a co operation agreement with us.¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s heart finally relaxed. Her whole body, her hands, knees, elbows were all black and blue as she had repeatedly banged them against the window. Her whole body now hurt. She sat quietly on the bed not daring to move. But her mind was whirling. If they agreed to co operate she needed to plan ahead, every step will decide whether she succeeded or failed..


    She was still in debt. She could only rely on Liang Ruiqiang to strike Jiang Shi Jun. Two years ago, the acquisition had destroyed Xu but had also fatally harmed Li Bo. If not for her agreement with Jiang Yu Nan, Jiang Shi Jun would have sold off the entire products chain of Xu. In such a situation., how would she convince Liang Ruiqiang not only to invest but also to allow her to act in his name ?


    How would she convince Jiang Shi Jun to sell Xu to Liang ?


    The insidious desire to avenge herself was quietly burning in her. Zhou Cheng could see a glow in her face completely contrasting with the general pallor , ¡° I would like to personally meet Liang Ruiqianq.¡±


    He looked incredulously at her, ¡°Now ?¡±


    Yan Liang solemnly nodded.


    Zhou Cheng¡¯s face immediately became stern and he refused, ¡° Now you need to stay in the hospital, you can¡¯t go anywhere.¡±


    Yan Liang was trying to convince him when the doctor walked in the ward and checked her vitals.


    Zhou Cheng intended to leave the ward temporarily when Yan Liang stopped him , ¡° please get me some clothes from the nearby shopping mall.¡± She thought a bit and added, ¡° I will be discharged from the hospital in two days.¡±


    Zhou Cheng left and the doctor stood by the bedside, ¡°Please lie down , we will measure..¡±


    She interrupted the doctor, ¡° Can I be discharged now ?¡±


    Through sheet perseverance, she was able to convince the doctor finally to release her. When Zhou Cheng came back Yan Liang took the clothes from his hands and went to the bathroom to change.


    Zhou Cheng felt this was wrong, ¡° You can¡¯t..¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhou Cheng shook his head again and again, ¡° Are you crazy ? The wind can blow you away , you are so weak, you¡¯re not well enough to leave the hospital, and you want to meet Liang Ruiqiang now ?¡±


    But Yan Liang did not respond to what ever he said behind the closed door of the bathroom, even when he knocked on it.


    Soon she emerged from the bathroom fully dressed in a little black skirt which emphasised the pallor of her skin. Before Zhou Cheng could speak, she said, ¡° If the doctor is allowing me to leave, shouldn¡¯t I be listening to him ?¡±


    This Yan Liang only existed in his memory. In the last two years, she only seemed to have been picking thorns. Zhou Cheng could not resist this Yan Liang. She took this opportunity to walk out of the ward while Zhou Cheng helplessly followed in silence.


    *** ***


    Yan Liang was discharged immediately.


    She sat in Zhou Cheng¡¯s car. The relentless rain kept pouring down so that the windshield was blurred and she could not see anything.


    Zhou Cheng could not help but worry about Yan Liang . Her face was pale, and her body looked as if she would collapse any second now.


    But he didn¡¯t say anything and started the car.


    As he drove, the wipers continued wiping the windshield,


    Yan Liang had her eyes closed. As she sat there, her head was full of different thoughts ¨C who was helping her secretly?


    Would she be able to understand once she met Liang Ruiqiang ?


    How would she convince Jiang Yu Nan to destroy the agreement ?


    Apart from the wedding night two years ago, Yan Liang had never seen him angry, could she drive him to a rage ?


    How would she lure Jiang Shi Jun into her trap ?


    Her head ached more and more.


    She felt the car finally stop. She opened her eyes. The surrounding scenery was very familiar.


    Why would Liang stay here ? This was the Xu house..


    She could feel a roar in her ears, and Zhou Cheng¡¯s voice seemed to be coming from far away .¡°Listen to me. First you rest. We can meet him some other time. If we go now, it will cause more harm than good.¡±


    As Zhou finished , he brought the umbrella to her side of the car and pulled the door, ¡° I¡¯ll take you to the main building,¡±


    ¡° If you won¡¯t take me to to Liang Ruiqiang , I will go myself.¡±


    She tried to be brave and moved to the drivers seat. But as she moved, she suddenly blacked out. This was her body punishing her for her waywardness. Zhou Cheng bent his body into the car and helped her out.


    Zhou Cheng accompanied her to the house, bid farewell and left. Yan Liang opened the door , and walked in. It was evening but the rain had not stopped and the sky was dark.


    She went straight upstairs. She held the bannister as she slowly made her way up.


    She was trembling all the way till she finally reached her bedroom


    Just before she entered the room, she placed her forehead against the wall as she rested for a while. She couldn¡¯t hear any sound in the house because of the roaring in her ears, but suddenly a light caught her sight


    She looked into the room and realised that the door to the bathroom had opened. In the light from the bathroom, she could see the figure of a man.. Jiang Yu Nan.


    Heat issued from the bathroom, he had obviously taken a hot bath.


    But he looked strangely pale.


    Miumiu : Any thoughts as to who her secret guardian angel is ?

 Chapter 64

    This chapter is really huge so I am dividing this into two parts of the same length as usual ¨C nearly 2500 words.


    Chapter 64


    Jiang Yu Nan was surprised when he saw her.


    The light in the bathroom was behind him, the two people looked at each other expressionlessly, one in the light and the other in the dark.


    Because the light was behind him, Yan Liang could not make out the expression on his face , but his eyes were flashing brightly in the darkness. Instinctively, she wanted to avoid him.Standing up straight through sheer will power, she walked into the room.


    In her current state, Yan Liang basically wanted to lie down on the bed and sleep. As she stepped to the side of the bed, her foot stepped on something. She felt it was somewhat familiar and was about to bend down, when a tall shadow appeared behind her, engulfing her own shadow on the bed.


    He stood behind her but silently. Yan Liang gritted her teeth, bent down to remove the quilt lay down in the bed, pulled the quilt to cover herself and closed her eyes.


    She turned sideways. She had made up her mind that even if he asked her why she was looking so ill she would not respond.


    As long as she did not respond,, he would not be able to see her weaknesses and would not realise there was something wrong.


    While she was thinking all this, she waited for either his questions or his footsteps leaving her.


    However Jiang Yu Nan just stood silently near the bed. He didn¡¯t leave, neither did he say anything; he just stood there watching Yan Liang curl into herself and sleep.


    He stretched out his hand as if to touch her arm outside the quilt, but just before he could touch her, he changed his mind and withdrew his hand. Instead he squatted down and picked up two white tablets she had inadvertently trampled on earlier when she came near the bed.


    When the door finally closed, Yan Liang opened her eyes. She gazed out the window , the day was inky black. She no longer felt drowsy, her mind was crowded with all kinds of thoughts..how would she convince Liang Ruiqiang ?


    **** ****


    Nightmare¡­


    She couldn¡¯t breathe.


    In her sleep, she was back in the car, immersed in the cold water. She reached out to pull the door but it refused to budge. She couldn¡¯t breathe, couldn¡¯t breathe, the fear of dying was tightly stuck in her throat, desperately she tried one last time when the door miraculously opened. She was delighted and swam out of the car. Just when she had reached the surface of the water and could breathe in the air, suddenly a strong force grabbed her ankle and pulled her down into the water. When she looked down in horror, the person who was pulling her down to die with him had Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s face¡­


    Yan Liang woke up.


    Her ear was roaring as she emerged from her dream like state to reality. Her mouth and nose were still blocked, she breathed heavily. Looking up at the ceiling, she tried to remove the last traces of the face from her mind.


    Outside , the rain was heavier than usual.


    The constant ringing she was hearing was not because of her tinnitus; a cell phone was ringing.


    It was raining heavily in the summer season, her bedroom was both humid and hot. The air conditioning was off. Yan Liang was sweating . Though it was hot, the sweating made her feel slightly better. Her brain was calmer now. She got down from the bed and followed the sound of the phone. It was placed under a wet shirt and trousers in the laundry basket. She pulled out the phone.


    The phone was damp but still functional. As soon as the call was connected, before she could speak, the person on the other side hurriedly said, ¡°Mr Jiang, you finally took my call..¡±


    This was Secretary Li, a person dedicated to his master. Without the slightest enthusiasm in her voice, Yan Liang answered, ¡° It¡¯s me.¡±


    There was a short silence. Li quickly overcame his surprise and asked in a respectful tone, ¡° Mrs Jiang, I cannot contact Mr Jiang. Can you ask him to call me?¡±


    ¡° Why are you looking for him ?¡±


    ¡°That..¡±


    Li hesitated. Yan Liang did not want to hear some cliched response. She took the phone and peeked downstairs looking for Jiang Yu Nan. She was about to go downstairs when she saw a servant running upstairs. She stopped her, ¡°Have you seen master ?¡±


    She looked at her in surprise. The couple in this house hardly exchanged three words to each other in a year. Everyone was accustomed to the protracted cold war between the two. This was the first time ever that the madam cared about the whereabouts of her husband, how can she not be astonished ?


    ¡°He¡¯s in his room¡­¡±


    She said , ¡°Tell him Mr Li is looking for him.¡±


    The door was still locked, Yan Liang thought a bit, then told the servant , ¡°Take the spare key.¡±


    The servant quickly took the spare key and opened the door for Yan Liang. Just across her, Jiang Yu Nan was lying on the floor.


    **** ****


    Yan Liang was stunned. She rushed up to him. Kneeling next to him, she shook him by his shoulder, ¡° Jiang Yu Nan !¡±


    She put her hand on his forehead, it was burning up. Even as she called his name again and again, he did not give the slightest reaction.


    The servant heard her anxious voice and immediately rushed over. Yan Liang ordered her,¡± Take his arm. Help me pick him up.¡±


    The servant nodded again and again. The two of them tried to lift him by holding him on both sides. But his body was as heavy as iron and Yan Liang was already weak. So they failed and sat down again.


    After such movements, Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyelashes trembled slightly. He frowned and gradually opened his eyes. The servant took the lead and immediately remarked with pleasure, ¡° Sir has woken up!¡±


    Yan Liang reflexively looked at him. In that second, her eyes met his. His eyes were darker than the night, and seemed like two large bottomless pits.


    His eyes flashed slightly. It seemed as if he was indulging in a happy memory. As he looked at her, he smiled slightly and reached out his hand to caress her cheek.


    His movements were very gentle, as if the slightest bit of force would break this dream and it would be impossible to piece it together again ; his smile contained too many feelings he could not speak of; his gaze was too heavy with emotions. As he silently looked at Yan Liang , she was overwhelmed and shrank back subconsciously.


    She withdrew her hand, stood up and stepped back.


    The man watched drowsily as she swiftly escaped, but his movements were sluggish; he could only watch as she backed off little by little and then turned away..


    This was similar to the torment he had been withstanding for what seemed like ages..


    Yan Liang turned around and went back to her room. She picked up her phone and called the family doctor, asking him to come over immediately.


    Then she went back to the room. Jiang Yu Nan had closed his eyes again. The servant had helped him to the bed. Yan Liang looked at his pale face and wondered why he smiled at her like that. Her heart skipped a beat.


    **** ****


    Dr Sun was the family doctor for the Xu family. He was the doctor who looked after Xu Jin fu when he was sick. The relationship between him and the Xu family had been good so far. So it was no accident that the news of Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s illness soon travelled to Zhou Cheng.


    The first meeting with Liang Ruiqiang was not very effective, but he was fairly happy. Liang Ruiqiang did not get personally involved in all his investment projects. As long as he was interested in the ideas, she could consider herself successful. Liang Ruiqiang¡¯s secretary accompanied Yan Liang and Zhou Cheng till their car. Zhou Cheng kept looking at her as if he wanted to say something to her. When he looked at her through the rear view mirror for the third time, Yan Liang partially turned her head and looked at him directly, ¡° What¡¯s on your mind ?¡±


    ¡°I heard a few days ago that Jiang Yu Nan was sick?¡±


    ¡°It ¡®s just a mild fever. He won¡¯t die. ¡°


    Her tone was slightly cold. Zhou nodded his head and did not ask anything else. He redirected his attention to the road. After a moment of silence, he decided not to hold back after all and with a meaningful glance at her , he remarked , ¡° See you¡¯re still nervous about him.¡±


    ¡°Of course ! If he died right now, my whole plan would be wasted. Not only will I never get Xu back, Jiang Shi Jun will never let me go.¡±


    ¡° You really think so, or are you just reluctant to admit your mistake?¡±


    ¡° What do you think?¡± Yan Yan pulled her mouth into a semblance of a smile, but the fierceness in her eyes gave away the true answer to Zhou Cheng.


    Zhou Cheng carefully observed her. He wanted to strip the fierceness from her eyes and look into the real emotions behind the mask. But he ultimately gave up. He would never be able to completely guess her real motivations.


    At this point, he could only remind her, ¡° If our co operation with Liang Ruiqiang becomes a success, then you and Jiang Yu Nan would never be able to reconcile in this lifetime. You need to consider that carefully.¡±


    ¡° Why do you think I did not insist on divorcing him?¡± Yan Liang was angry now but her tone was only getting colder. ¡° I am not you, don¡¯t judge me by your sentimental ways of thinking.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not worry, I have already thought through things very clearly.¡±


    **** ****


    No one expected Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s minor illness to impact his relationship with Yan Liang. The protracted Cold War between the two had actually changed, not for the better, but for the worse.


    After two years, Yan Liang had again become the talk of the town. At night she was seldom home, the tabloids photographed her drinking with strangers. Some speculated that this was Mrs Jiang retaliating to the news of Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s affairs.


    Mr Jiang also seemed to ignore this behaviour. Whether it was because he was ashamed in his heart, or because any feelings between the husband and wife had really come to an end , he was completely indifferent to his wife¡¯s antics, to the point that he almost had a laissez faire attitude..


    It was already the third time in the week that Yan Liang had returned home really late at night.


    Jiang Yu Nan did not seem to be at home, but the family servant looked at her gorgeous clothes as she drunkenly made her way upstairs. The fact that Yan Liang had again spent the night outside would surely reach his ears soon.


    What was the limit this man had for her ? She was going to find out.


    Yan Liang removed her make up and stood under the shower. The alcohol and the brightness of the evening washed away into the sewers and she was only left with a blank mind and a tired body.


    She leaned her head back as the cold water poured over her when she heard a bang.


    Surprised , she suddenly turned around.


    She saw the bathroom door being pushed from outside with so much force that it hit the inside wall and swung back again.she realised immediately what was happening and as she stared at the door she saw Jiang Yu Nan standing there.


    His figure was steady, his face was sullen.


    Yan Liang turned back . She completely ignored him, raised her chin slightly and closed her eyes so that her head leaned back. Under the shower, she started rinsing her hair. He had not even taken off his shoes. She could hear his shoes treading on the ceramic tiles. She waited patiently for him to reveal why he was here.


    The glass door to the shower cubicle was opened. Even before she could get a towel from the rack, Jiang Yu Nan pulled her out.


    ¡° What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±. She knew.


    He was silent.


    Yan Liang¡¯s body was bare, her hair was wet. As he dragged her with him ,she dripped water on to the floor. She stumbled as he pulled her into the cloak room and then threw her on the stool


    The drops of water on the dArk red stool turned some areas black, but the man opposite her had deep black eyes on a face red with rage.


    Yan Liang pulled out a shirt from the closet to cover herself. When she looked up again, the man was coldly glaring at her face.


    Jiang Yu Nan did not say anything. He impatiently rummaged in the closet, fiddled with the hangers and soon took out a lingerie set and threw it on the sofa, ¡° Put this on.¡±


    ¡° Where am I going ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan gritted his teeth and repeated, ¡° Put this on.¡±


    Then he threw a nude coloured dress at her. Yan Liang knew wHat this combination meant. She sat there motionless, very reluctant to get up.


    Seeing her unco- operative attitude, Jiang Yu Nan looked even more gloomy. But instead of bullying her, he bent down, pinched her chin with his thumb and forefinger and raised it towards himself.


    ¡° I haven¡¯t forgotten our agreement. Unless you co operate, I will press criminal charges against Zhou Cheng and sell the Xu brand.¡±


    As he finished the sentence , he let go of her face suddenly in exasperation. Yan Liang could not match his strength and her face turned sideways.


    She did not react at all. In the ensuing silence, Jiang Yu Nan walked out from the cloak room and Yan Liang heard him order one of the servants, ¡° Get me a towel and this hair dryer.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan still remembered her size , the nude dress he had selected for her was the right size. The length of the dress was just half an inch above the knee. The dress tightly wrapped her body and showed off her curves to advantage.


    Two people were sitting at two ends of the rear seat of the car. Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes were closed. Yan Liang looked out of the window. Today was another rainy day, it was the time to get off work. Pedestrians were taking out their umbrellas. No one told her where this car was going, but when the car finally stopped outside the revolving door of the the Ming Ting hotel, Yan Liang was not surprised.


    This was the venue of Mingting¡¯s son¡¯s wedding banquet today.


    The groom was from a prominent family, the bride was the daughter of a senior party official. She had known of the engagement for a long time. Lu Mingting had established a fund for his daughter in law, this news was widely spread out, so it wasn¡¯t difficult for Yan Liang to know this.


    The guard opened the door for Yan Liang. Jiang Yu Nan got off the car and held out his arm in the direction of Yan Liang. She watched his gesture, but had no intention to co operate. She stepped towards the door but was instantly pulled back.


    Jiang Yu Nan grabbed her hand and put it on his arm. She wanted to pull out her hand but he held it down with force. And it was like this that this couple, who were secretly strangers to each other, entered the Ming Ting hotel.


    In the banquet area, there was a huge table. Lu Zheng had set up the banquet in his own hotel. Wherever she went, Yan Liang could see all the waiters were cheerful, as it was their boss¡¯s wedding.


    It was only once they entered the elevator that they separated . Jiang Yu Nan no longer forced her. The minute the doors closed, Yan Liang frowned, pulled her arm out and moved to the corner, her attitude clearly exhibiting her rejection of him.


    Jiang Yu Nan stood straight. He looked at the front, then back at her and haughtily asked her, ¡° How doesn¡¯t feel to see your old lover getting married ?¡±


    Yan Liang answered with a straight face, ¡° I don¡¯t want to live anymore .¡±


    From her vantage point, she saw his back tighten she made the remark.


    She smiled faintly. The elevator arrived at their floor and the doors opened.


    ( Miumiu : well JYN , you asked for it)


    This time, she behaved well. She moved forward to hold Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s arm and they walked out of the elevator like an intimate couple.


    After signing the guest book, the waiter led them into the main area.


    Jiang Yu Nan stood at the door and scanned the crowds to locate the important people. Seeing Lu Minting with his in-laws, he turned to Yan Liang by his side, ¡°Let¡¯s go and say hello¡±


    Hearing this, Yan Liang could not help but look. This tough looking elderly man in an antiqued suit- this was the father of Lu Zheng ?


    Wasn¡¯t he also the one who had helped Jiang Shi Jun destroy one of the allies of Xu ?


    Jiang Yu Nan walked all the way to the corner of the hall. Many people came forward to greet him warmly, he just nodded in response.


    However these so called friends whispered behind Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s back about his partner; the biggest question was.. ¡° That is.. Mrs Jiang ..isn¡¯t she ¡­the former girlfriend of Lu Zheng ?¡±


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° She¡¯s so glamorous and dazzling..but who knows what is in her heart..¡±


    In these years of ups and downs with Yan Liang, Jiang Yu Nan had honed the skill of ignoring all kinds of malicious gossips and slanders to an art form. He steadily walked till he reached Mingting¡¯s side.


    When Lu Mingting saw Jiang Yu Nan , he smiled at him in a friendly manner, ¡° Yu Nan !¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lu.¡±


    ¡°Why are you looking ill?¡±


    ¡° This is my wife¡±, Jiang Yu Nan said as he indicated Yan Liang at his side.


    ¡°Mrs Jiang ?¡± Lu Mingting immediately looked at Yan Liang , and his smile turned cold, hinting at a deeper emotion , ¡° I can see that.¡±


    In another corner of the venue, an assistant was whispering a reminder to lu Zheng when he suddenly looked up and saw his father at the other end.


    Time suddenly stopped¡­


    **** ****


    As if alerted by a sixth sense, Yan Liang looked up with some hesitation as well and saw lu Zheng. They were separated from each other by the wide expanse of the huge hall, but their eyes still found each other.


    There was silence for a while.


    Melodious music started up in the hall. As if he had seen her for the first time, Lu Zheng nodded at her slightly and smiled.


    Years had passed. At this moment, Yan Liang could only bow her head.


    This man had wanted to give her the love she had yearned for, but unfortunately, he was only destined to be a passer- by in her life.


    And the man by her side¡­..the man who had defeated her soundly at every turn in the name of love, was her own choice. Ultimately, she had to bear the responsibility for the consequences her choice had unleashed.


    Jiang Yu Nan and Lu Mingting were still talking when Yan Liang interrupted them , ¡° I¡¯m sorry , I need to go to the washroom.¡±


    After a moment, Yan Liang was sitting alone in the smoking area, smoking.


    The cigarette in her hand had burned down to half of its length as she stared at the distance, when the door opened.


    Footsteps approached her, and then stopped in front of the bench she was sitting on.


    The man silently sat down. Yan Liang still did not raise her head, until she heard him say , ¡° Can I borrow a light ?¡±


    She froze.


    He said: ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    Yan Yan looked up to see lu Zheng. ¡° Long time no see.¡±


    She smiled at him brightly, and Lu Zheng also smiled, ¡° Your dress is very beautiful.¡±


    ¡° My husband helped me select this.¡±


    Lu Zheng¡¯s smile stiffened for a moment.


    Just now , Yan Liang had been happy to see this man. But how could she forget that she did not deserve him and had no right to his affections? Those affections belonged to his future wife.


    Lu Zheng took out a lighter from his pocket and held the flame to the cigarette. Yan Liang laughed at him, ¡° You already have a lighter ! Why were you asking for one?¡±


    She had just wanted the conversation to be more natural, but her efforts yielded the opposite result.


    ¡° Otherwise how would I have the courage to come and find you ?¡±


    Yan Liang could not help but look up at him.


    His eyes were like the placid waters of the lake, but it had the power to draw people in.


    The cigarette butt burnt till her fingers. The sensation pulled her back from her reverie and she dropped the butt. It fell to the ground. After a flaring up one more time for a brief second, it was extinguished silently.


    ¡° I¡¯m sorry. I have to leave now.¡±


    Lu Zheng did not try to hold her back.


    He knew he could not hold her back , he had no rights to do so.


    Quietly he watched her as she left.


    Yan Liang ignored the sight behind her and walked out of the door.


    She hadn¡¯t yet reached the corner when she had to stop.


    Jiang Yu Nan was leaning against the wall.


    She was determined to ignore him and started walking again. But her footsteps were chaotic as she coldly brushed past Jiang Yu Nan.


    She knew that he would not let her go that easily. As she passed him, he grabbed her wrist. She was already prepared for this, but what he said next was completely unexpected, ¡° You gave your first love to Zhou Cheng, the last one to Lu Zheng, what did I get ?¡±


    For a long time, Jiang Yu Nan hadn¡¯t seen her emotionally affected like this..now she was..but for another man.


    He knew what was going on for a long time, sometimes he would compel himself to be glad that this was happening..but still¡­


    His voice reflected a trace of desperation and helplessness. But Yan Liang knew this was only a camouflage. She wanted to laugh. She looked up at Jiang Yu Nan , raised her hand casually and patted his check as she slowly enunciated each word, ¡° You¡¯ve got all my hatred.¡±


    She pulled her wrist from his clutch, but he only grabbed her hand more tightly.


    He pulled her with such force that she staggered and hit the wall. ¡° If you hate me so much, you should be praying that I die. Then why were you so worried when I was had a minor illness ?¡±


    Yan Liang sneered, ¡° Mr Jiang, when did you learn to be so romantic ?¡±


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° You are really acting strangely. Wasn¡¯t it your wish that I hate you intensely ? Why are you now suddenly acting like a dying person who is craving forgiveness from others ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan looked like he suddenly understood this fact. After a moment of silence, he laughed, ¡° Yes, I¡¯m confused.¡±


    ( Miumiu : Grr..when will you guys talk honestly ?¡±


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    He looked down and gazed into her eyes, ¡° I really should take the time to enjoy your hatred.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze shifted to her side. Yan Liang frowned and tried to turn her face too when Jiang Yu Nan suddenly turned around, grabbed her face and kissed her.


    This sudden kiss, it felt strange to her..


    She had no time to shore up her defences, his lips and tongue invaded her mouth completely.


    Suddenly all the feelings and sensations that had lain dormant for so long revived themselves. He had not touched her for the last two years, now..


    His attack was as ferocious as that of a wild beast . As he sucked the tip of her tongue, scorching heat invaded her body. All her resistance crumbled away as he robbed her of even her breath.


    He didn¡¯t let go of her until he was satisfied. When Yan Liang finally broke free, she raised her hand to slap him, but he easily grabbed her wrist.


    ( Miumiu : ah alaykim..sorry again..he never seems to get the smack he really deserves ?)


    Her chest was heaving in an effort to get some air into her oxygen starved brain. Her lips were faintly red. Holding her wrist, Jiang Yu Nan looked at her calmly.


    The waiters passing by frequently looked at them. Yan Yan pulled her hand from his grasp and walked way.


    After he watched her disappear around the corner, Jiang Yu Nan looked back. Lu Zheng, who had been standing just outside the smoking area a minute back, had disappeared as well


    **** ****


    Lu Zheng stood outside the door of the make up room.


    His bride to be was putting the final touches on her make up. As lu Zheng knocked at the door, a scene flashed in his brain.. a man and woman kissing , the woman extremely unwilling¡­


    This scene forced him to withdraw his hand.


    He had not yet turned away when someone rushed to him, ¡° Mr Lu, the chairman is looking for you.¡±


    Lu Zheng did not even think twice, ¡° Tell him you couldn¡¯t find me.¡±


    After he said this, he left, but before he could take even two steps, he heard the sound of the door opening.


    Lu minting came out of the room , his body resting heavily on the cane in his hand, ¡° Where are you going ?¡±


    Lu Zheng sighed, reluctantly turned back, ¡° Dad.¡±


    ¡° Zi Nan looks particularly beautiful today, have you seen her ?¡±


    ¡° Is it?¡± Lu Zheng raised his eyebrows, but did not delve too deep into the meaning of this statement.


    Lu Mingting heard his son¡¯s absent minded response and frowned, ¡° I invited them to the wedding so that your feelings for her could die completely.¡±


    Lu Zheng was surprised.


    Disappointed, Lu minting shook his head, ¡° There are many more women in this world. I can see that Yan Liang has two eyes, one nose; even if she is special in your eyes, she is someone else¡¯s wife now, what is the value of the feelings that you have in your heart ?¡±


    Could he even see into his heart ?


    His camouflage and relentless self discipline in the last two years had failed..


    Lu Zheng smiled bleakly.


    Lu minting was surprised at his smile, then his tone softened, ¡° Son, I have always clearly known what you want since you were a kid, but I also know that you have to learn how to strive for your goals. You should now understand what is best for you. Don¡¯t forget all the lessons you have learnt over the past few decades for one woman.¡±


    His father¡¯s words were reasonable, but lu Zheng shrugged helplessly, ¡° Maybe I just want to see for once why people go completely out of control. And perhaps..¡±


    And perhaps, just for once, he wanted something he liked, not something that had been imposed on him because of his responsibilities or someone else¡¯s preferences¡­


    Lu Mingting¡¯s secretary had been looking at them from the side. As lu Mingting looked speechlessly at his son, he wasn¡¯t sure if this was the right moment to intervene. Hesitating a bit, he ultimately decided to remind his boss, ¡° Chairman, Minister Lee has arrived.¡±


    Lu Minting nodded. He looked at lu Zheng, ¡° I am going to greet the guests, you go and see Zi Nan.¡± He did not leave immediately , but the secretary opened the door and waited so that finally, he left.


    The make up room was huge. The make up artist had a large collection of cosmetics. The bride¡¯s close friends were standing around the dresser, chatting and having fun. One of them rose when she saw lu Zheng, smiled and alerted the young woman sitting on the stool, ¡° Zi Nan, your groom has come.¡±


    Every body looked at him. The make up artist also put the brush aside and bowed to him deferentially, ¡° Mr Lu.¡±


    Lu Zheng smiled at him, then went straight to the dresser.


    The young woman called Zhuang Zi Nan saw him smile at her, but the smile looked emotionless . A trace of isolation¡­


    Finally he would get rid of his self deception¡­


    ¡°Can I talk to her alone?¡±


    Hearing his tone, they all looked at one another, then at Zhuang Zi Nan and then left. Leaving this pair of lovers alone.


    Could they even be considered lovers ?


    Every Saturday they watched a movie together. In the weekends, he accompanied her to a nursing home or an orphanage to volunteer. Twice a week they had dinner together, in case something came up, they would call each other. This year , the total time they had spent in each other¡¯s company had been well organised and planned in minute detail.


    He appreciated her ambition. She was eager to use the Lu platform to advance her own career. This kind of marriage between senior Government officials and business houses meant benefits to both sides.


    After a long moment of silence , Lu Zheng suddenly said, ¡° Remember you once asked me why I have so many pairs of high heels ?¡±


    ¡° Why are you suddenly saying this now ?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lu Zheng smiled.¡± Those are from New York, the work of an independent designer. Each pair of shoes is engraved with the designers logo. Her Chinese name is Yan Liang.¡±


    Zhang Zi Nan¡¯s face registered her surprise.


    Yan Liang..


    The only scandal this man had ever had¡­


    ¡°New York ¡­ ¡­¡± how old these memories were..


    ¡°I later learned that she was sent to the US by her family to study finance, but it did not work out and she later changed her subject of study to design.


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You probably also know that my mother has been living in


    New York for years.¡±


    Zhuang Zi Nan nodded, her expression wasn¡¯t very amenable.


    ¡°For this reason, I was always flying between China and the US. After a year of studying design, she and her friends opened a shop, but it was soon on the brink of collapse. I found her one day as she was pleading with her landlord so they wouldn¡¯t be evicted. The conversation was really funny . I couldn¡¯t enjoy it for long but I remembered that after returning home, I asked the servant to buy me a pair of shoes from the shop. I gifted it to my mother.


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    In the end, what kind of memories were these that put a smile to his face ?


    Zhuang Zi Nan lowered her eyes. She did not know how to face this man..his expression was so indulgent and genial..


    ¡° Unfortunately, that pair of shoes did not pass muster with my mother. I imagine the quality wasn¡¯t very good that year..¡±


    ¡° Since then, every month , I would ask the servant to buy a pair of shoes from her shop. With every pair, there would always be a personal letter. Apart from thanking me , sometimes she would write about her circumstances , or talk about her dreams for the future. I had only seen her once, but actually I already knew her very well.¡±


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Even I could see that her designs were getting better and better, but a year later, she told the servant to tell me that she and her friends intended to close the shop.


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° When she came to Ming court to plead with me for Ya Yan, I realised that she had repeated my mistake- to sacrifice her own self for the family business.¡±


    £¢¡­¡­£¢ ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°There is a very thin line between compassion and love.¡±


    Zhuang Zi Nan tried to laugh, but her mouth was too stiff .


    But Lu Zheng smiled, relieved, ¡°Zhuang Zi Nan, I think you have to consider carefully, such a man, is he really worthy of your whole life ?¡±


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    The wedding ceremony had began. Lu Zheng, dressed in an elegant suit and tie, walked to the main table as per the guidance of the emcee.


    The master of ceremonies announced, ¡° I invite Ms Zhuang now to come to the stage.¡±


    There was no response.


    The master of ceremonies could not help but speak out again : ¡°Welcome Miss Zhuang!¡±


    When the emcee repeated his invitation the third time, the audience got restless, the waiters started looking at each other and the guests started whispering.


    Lu Mingting stood up.


    The prospective bride had run away.


    When the news came out, the entire venue descended into chaos.


    Jiang Yu Nan sat calmly in his place. The surrounding chaos did not affect the cold light in his eyes.


    The seat next to him was empty. When lu Mingting left the stage with his family, at that moment, his eyes moved from the empty seat next to him to the face of the lone man still standing by the side of the stage.


    The groom seemed to be surprised at the unprovoked departure of the bride from the venue, but for some reason, his sight was fixed on the empty seat next to Jiang Yu Nan.


    His expression was cold and desolate..


    **** ****


    After leaving Ming Ting hotel, Yan Liang again did not return home that night.


    Yan Liang stepped out of the bubble bath and wrapped herself in towels from the bathroom.


    She spent too much time inside, the man was asleep.


    She sat on the bed, bluntly reaching out to take the man¡¯s face in her hands; he still did not wake up.


    The man had bronzed skin. He was a DJ in an underground bar with beautiful fingers and a charming smile. She thought she had a little bit of a good impression of this person, but now as she carefully observed him in his sleep she could only feel this face, very strange.


    Suddenly, she felt a trace of fear.


    She was in the Presidential suite with a round bed, clothes strewn untidily. Yan Liang got up, found her clothes in the untidy mess and put them on. From the wallet, she took some notes and stacked them on the bedside table.


    She went to the door of the suite, trying to pull the door. Suddenly she saw the mirror opposite the door and could not help but stop.


    It was the image of a woman with no soul. The pair of eyes staring at her from the mirror were empty


    ***


    When she reached home, it was early morning.


    The two servants at home were new. Although they are aware of the blow hot blow cold relationship between the mistress and the master, whenever they met, they would respectfully call her Madam.


    She drove back. When the car had entered halfway into the garage, the servant rushed to her car and told her: ¡°Madam, master is in the living room, waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Although she acknowledged her verbally, Yan Liang parked her car, then used the stairs to go upstairs. She went back to her room and directly to bed.


    As she was drifting off to sleep, the phone began to vibrate. Yan Liang fumbled with the phone. It was a string of text messages from a strange number.


    ¡°I am an adult man, how can I take money from a woman, not to mention we didn¡¯t even do anything.¡±


    Yan Liang carefully tried to think back ¨C when had they left their contact numbers to each other? She had no clue. Suddenly she heard the sound of the door opening. Reflexively, she put the phone back on the bedside table and closed her eyes, feigning sleep


    ***


    She could hear the sounds of footsteps coming near.


    She felt the blanket being lifted, then the bed side depressing as he sat on the bed. Yan Liang was very tired, and turned over to the other side of the bed to sleep.


    Sitting on the bed, the man watched her as she turned. She moved out of the blanket, but he could also feel the heat she left behind.


    He turned to look at the antique clock in the corner ¨C it was two in the morning.


    His wife was increasingly absent from home, but as he thought about it, he did not feel angry. He leaned closer, and covered her body with the blanket.


    At this point, he saw a hickey on the woman¡¯s neck


    ***


    Yan Liang was angrily grabbed by the man and hauled up by her hair.


    She tried to pull her wrist from the man as he pulled her, but he threw her back down. She landed on the bed forcefully, the force knocking down the lamp by the bedside.


    In the mottled scattered light of the lamp thrown on the floor, Yan Liang could vaguely see that he was about to slap her face, but stopped in the middle of the action, as if in that moment his rational side was restored. He paused, after a moment, he gently lifted her chin : ¡°Hey where were you tonight? Do you not know to clean up yourself before you come back?¡±


    It was an intimate action, his voice restrained. The change from aggressive to intimate was too fast .Seeing this , Yan Liang was surprised for a moment, then smiled provocatively: ¡°I¡¯m tired, get out.¡±


    ¡°Get out?¡± He gave her a condescending look and at the same time, his hands were moving to her chest ¨C


    Yan Liang¡¯s collar was ripped.


    She tried to stop his hand, but failed. He easily hauled up her upper body, her back on the bed.


    He seemed to want to strangle her, but controlled himself . He forced her face to the side, exposing the side of her neck. He did not hesitate to lean over, and bit deeply, covering the hickey there in a brutal way.


    Yan Liang tried to free her wrist and chin, hysterically screaming: ¡°Jiang Yu Nan! Are you trying to kill me?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan released her neck, the general atmosphere was cold. With a kind of elegance, he said, slowly: ¡°I am a law-abiding citizen, how can I kill you? It is best if I were to set the evidence in such a manner that Zhou Chang gets imprisoned¡±


    Her eyes widened at the comment.


    Suddenly, there was a sound of the skirt being ripped off.

 Chapter 65

    The chapters are getting longer so it¡¯s getting difficult to post daily.


    We finished the translation of les interpretes. It¡¯s quite a great novel with a strong female character, so do peek in if you are interested in such novels.


    I am now looking around for my next project as this one will be finished in another 20 days. I have two maybes-


    1. Same room but not same bed- prologue and a few chapters here


    2. Black and white- this is another very strong hero like JYN. The summary here


    If you have something you would like to recommend , please let me know in the comments section. My only two requirements are that it isn¡¯t too long ( < 100 chapters ) and that the female character is strong..


    On to rolling Love now. Lu Zheng just steals my heart..????


    Chapter 65


    As her body was jolted, Yan Liang moved her face to the side.


    The torment never stopped. The metal headboard of the bed was about to hit the wall as this man covered her body with his. His strength was extreme, but he entered her slowly, very slowly, till he was deeply embedded in her .


    He ground against her, probed and pounded, as sweat and other body fluids flowed Cheng constantly. But in her heart there was nothing but numbness.


    In the silence, Jiang Yu Nan suddenly raised her chin


    This jolted her from her apathy, and she tried to grab his wrist.Not only did she fail to grab it, he managed to twist her arm


    Because of this action, her legs, which he had placed on her chest to subdue her, pressed down mercilessly on her internal organs . In a flash, all her senses were heightened, she almost blacked out and her body spasmed in a series of contractions. Jiang Yu Nan stopped , his peripheral senses told him that this woman had been pushed to the extreme.


    He was trapped in the continuous spasms of the woman, he could neither advance nor retreat. He bowed down to look at her flushed face.


    Futilely, she tried to move her face sideways. But her chin was still in his grip and she had no other choice but to glare at him with resentment


    ¡° Why can¡¯t you look at me ? We are husband and wife.¡±


    His voice wasn¡¯t affected by the same emotions that heated their bodies, it was as cold as always.


    ..Husband and wife¡­


    Yes, husband and wife


    Till she was able to deliver a crushing defeat with her own hands to him, they would still remain husband and wife.


    The sweat on her forehead dripped down into her eyes, as she blinked, it seemed as if a tear flowed down.


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at her. An unfathomable emotion surged in his eyes. It seemed as if something was about to break through his defences. But the calm was quickly restored . Jiang Yu Nan moved her legs down. Their bodies were still close. He turned her over so she was kneeling on the bed. He knelt behind her, holding on to her buttocks as he prepared for a second round.


    Her cell phone was still on the bedside table and suddenly started vibrating. Yan Liang gritted her teeth. She was numb all over , but as he dragged her arm behind , even her numbness dissipated.


    The knees grinding against the bed had already turned numb. Her enemy was tightly attached to her body. As the phone vibrated and he pounded her, her mind was blank for a moment. Bursts of heat were generated where they were joined together, and she was moist and smooth as silk.


    The sound of the the phone stopped. As he continued grinding against her, moist heat seeped into her body and she could not help the trembling that travelled from her waist to her hip


    The phone vibrated again.


    When the screen lit up once again, Jiang Yu Nan reached out from behind to take her phone.


    Over the decadent sound of their bodies colliding, she heard a male voice answer the phone when Jiang Yu Nan picked up the call.


    ¡° Wait a minute¡± , he said as he threw the phone straight at her.


    Jiang Yu Nan withdrew the hand that was holding her arm. Without his support, her upper body fell softly to the bed while her lower body was still in his hold. She could see the phone in front of her. Was it the DJ, who couldn¡¯t wait for her to call back and had called her himself ?


    She looked at the phone display carefully and stiffened¡­


    Yes..


    It was Lu Zheng..


    It had been two years since he had last contacted her¡­


    This was the most inconvenient time to re-appear again..


    Yan Liang wanted to hang up the phone. But when her fingers touched the screen, the man behind her pushed her body to the extreme. As the tide swept through her, her body trembled and her vision blurred¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    Jiang Yu Nan stood by the side of the bed as he put on his trousers. As he zipped up his pants, there was a brief sound, then the sound quickly dissipated, restoring the eternal silence in this house.


    Only the lamps on both sides of the bed were lit in this room. The light was dim. He glanced back at the woman wrapped in the soft light. Her body lay curled up in the bed, not a stitch of clothing on her. Her eyes were emotionless, her knees red and her hands were folded in front of her chest , holding the mobile phone.


    It looked like a scene from an oil painting, where her hands were not holding a phone, but praying to wash out all the dirt and evil..


    ¡° He¡¯s just cancelled his own wedding and he¡¯s already in a hurry to find a married woman to nibble on. Not only that, he doesn¡¯t hesitate to call her. Should I admire the tenacity of such a man or laugh at him?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s voice resounded through the bedroom and soon scattered into tiny invisible pieces. Finally there was the sound of the bedroom door closing, and peace was restored once more in the room.


    Yan Liang lay curled up in the bed for a long time, before her brain repeated and comprehended the last words of Jiang Yu Nan before he left, ¡° Are you tired of our marriage ?¡±


    Yan Liang learned the news about Lu Zheng and his prospective bride in the next day¡¯s newspaper.


    Lu Zheng and Zhuang Zi Nan¡¯s impending marriage had created quite a sensation in the city. Now that it had been called off, the failed marriage was destined to be hot news throughout the city. There was a lot of speculation by the media , the gossip mills were working over time, there were wild guesses and rumours about why Zhuang Zi Nan had broken her betrothal.


    Thinking of the phone call in the early morning , Yan Liang put aside the newspaper and picked up her coffee.


    The table was laden with breakfast items made to her taste, there wasn¡¯t a trace of the onion shallots she disliked. But she still didn¡¯t have the slightest appetite.


    Even the cup of coffee was put back after she had taken just one sip.


    Yan Liang raised her head to look at Jiang Yu Nan. His clothes and hairstyle were all meticulously groomed. Jiang Yu Nan was holding his coffee cup. As she looked at her, his eyes met hers for just a moment, then he grabbed the newspaper with his other hand and accurately found that article his wife was just reading.


    After reading it, he laughed.


    With the hand that was holding the newspaper earlier, he raised her chin. This sudden movement bewildered the servant who had just entered the room . She paused at the door and dared not get closer, thus leaving Jiang Yu Nan undisturbed. Jiang Yu nan gazed deeply into his wife¡¯s eyes, ¡° Your lover has removed the obstacle between you two, why do I not see the slightest bit of happiness in your eyes ?¡±


    Her chin hurt from his tight grip, but she looked happy and laughed at his question, ¡° It seems you slept badly last night. You look exhausted.¡±


    She even raised her hand to touch his cheek.


    Her faux concern obviously stunned Jiang Yu Nan for a moment. Then he brushed off her hand, put down the coffee and sat down at the other end of the table to have his breakfast.


    Yan Liang restrained her urge to laugh. She looked up and caught sight of the servant hovering near the door. ¡° Zhu Jie , did you buy the things I asked for ?¡±


    The servant walked up to her. Looking at the man sitting at the opposite end of the table, she hesitated to give Yan Liang the bag. Yan Liang herself reached out to take the bag from her.


    Jiang Yu Nan only looked up once. Then he concentrated on cutting the bacon, as if he was not aware of the scene in front of him. Yan Liang opened the bag and took out the medicines inside it. Her actions were deliberately noisy , but the man opposite just kept his head down.


    Finally Yan Liang had no choice but to give up. She took an oral contraceptive with her coffee and stood up, ¡° I¡¯ll get to work, you continue with your breakfast.¡±


    She turned away. The sound of her high heels moved farther and farther away till the sound disappeared.


    This time Jiang Yu Nan looked up.


    The servant was still standing there. She could clearly see what Jiang Yu Nan was looking at, so she confidently called out to him, ¡° Master..¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan did not seem to hear her, he only looked quietly at the medicines strewn on the table opposite him.


    His eyes reflected an emotion akin to grief. The servant could not bear to look directly at him. She could only quickly remove the medicines from the table and go back to the kitchen.


    ***** *****


    Half an hour later, Yan Liang parked her car in the company¡¯s


    underground car park.


    After parking her car, she started walking towards the elevator, but was abruptly stopped when she passed a Maybach parked in her path.


    ¡°Miss Yan!¡±


    Yan Liang stopped . The driver of the parked car had stuck out half of his body from the car to call her.


    Yan Liang quickly scanned through her memories to confirm that she had never met this person in her entire life.


    Seeing Yan Liang still standing in front of the car and not making a move, the driver added helpfully, ¡° I am the driver of Mr Lu.¡±


    Yan Liang stiffened


    Her heart thundered in this huge desolate parking lot.


    She hesitantly approached the window at the rear of the car.


    When the window was rolled down, Yan Liang was surprised..


    The man sitting in the car, with hair at his temples that seemed to have greyed overnight ¡­


    Was none other than Lu Mingting.


    Yan Liang sat in the car. She didn¡¯t know what to say and had no idea of the destination. The only certainty she had was that this elderly man was completely indifferent to her. His face was calm, he pretended she did not exist.


    Then why had he come to see her ?


    Yan Liang could not think of any reason.


    Lu Mingting was silent throughout the trip, he seemed to have no intention to speak to her.


    Last night , at Lu Zheng¡¯s wedding, this man seemed to be middle aged. Today he looked like he had aged a lot overnight


    Eventually the car entered a hospital.


    Aa they approached the hospital, she tightened her hands in a fist, and her hands remained in a fist till the car finally stopped in the open parking lot.


    Once the car stopped, the driver came out and held the door open for Yan Liang.


    Yan Liang looked back at the other side. She wasn¡¯t sure what Ming ting intended to do, but before she asked him, he himself ordered the driver, ¡° You go with Ms Yan.¡±


    Yan Liang could only nod slightly to say goodbye and followed the driver all the way to the ward.


    It was a luxury ward. There was security outside to grant the patients inside privacy. All the rooms were exclusive and didn¡¯t have any namer cards. The driver opened the door and seemed to have no intention to enter the ward. To Yan Liang he said, ¡° Miss Yan, please go in.¡±


    Although she had somewhat guessed it, she was still surprised to see lu Zheng sitting alone on the bed holding a newspaper.


    When lu Zheng saw her, his face registered equal surprise.


    Face, neck, left hand, right leg.. there wasn¡¯t a single part of his body that seemed unhurt. There were bandages all over, some places just had antiseptic ointment on them. This transformation of the romantic suave groom of yesterday was shocking.


    Yan Liang frowned, and asked him the question she couldn¡¯t solve herself, ¡° How ..what happened.. ?¡±


    Lu Zheng smiled superficially at her, but just that smile caused his wounds to ache and he grimaced in pain.


    Somehow Yan Liang could not bear to look directly at him. She bent her head to look at the newspaper spread on his knees..wasn¡¯t this the same article she was reading in the morning?


    ¡° Isn¡¯t it ridiculous ? I am an adult now, but my father beat me up like a disobedient child. ¡°


    Yan Liang didn¡¯t know how to respond to this.


    Looking at her , Lu Zheng laughed.


    How could this man always smile at her ?


    No matter how pathetic she looked, how unbearable her shame.. she was so ashamed she couldn¡¯t look at him.


    Especially when she thought of the phone call early that morning, did he hang up ?


    Had he heard her heavy breathing inspite of her tightly covered mouth..


    She wanted to ignore all this.. but she didn¡¯t know how.


    After thinking about it , she said, ¡° If your fianc¨¦e decided not to marry you, it is her fault. Are you supposed to tie her down and force here to marry you ? You shouldn¡¯t be blamed for this.¡±


    Did he realise that she said this to evade her own disturbing thoughts ? Why else would he smile at her so helplessly ?


    But as was his nature, he did not have the heart to expose her. He only said, ¡° My dad told me some things, but I know it¡¯s not comprehensive. Since you are here, can you answer some of my questions ?¡±


    She didn¡¯t comment.


    ¡° The destruction of Xu ¨C in addition to Jiang Shi Jun, was Jiang Yu Nan also responsible for it?¡±


    The woman seemed to be stunned. Lu Zheng couldn¡¯t read her expression and couldn¡¯t guess what was going through her mind, but he had lots to say and so he dismissed her lack of response. He didn¡¯t for a moment regret his own obsession with the woman


    Yan Liang did not answer him so he continued tempting himself , ¡° You haven¡¯t divorced Jiang Yu Nan because someday you plan to use this relationship to revive Xu ?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    He looked at her shyly, and slowly enunciated the next few words. There was a kind of firmness in his tone as he stated, ¡° What if I said I will help you ?¡±


    Yan Liang suddenly looked up.


    The emotions in her eyes betrayed her.


    Lu Zheng could clearly understand everything now. He recalled various incidents he had witnessed in yesterday¡¯s banquet and the word that kept echoing in his heart was , ¡° no wonder ¡°


    No wonder she smiled so brightly, no wonder when he looked at her he felt so distressed and irrational, no wonder he was finally able to stand up to his father..


    Yan Liang¡¯s eyes flashed several times, them she finally asked him, ¡°Do you think that I will once again believe that someone is willing to help me with no agenda of his own after Jiang Yu Nan betrayed me ?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Yan Liang shook her head again and again, ¡° I can¡¯t promise you Xu¡¯s shares , but I can¡¯t afford another one billion of debt.¡± Then she shook her head again and rectified her earlier statement, ¡° I should say, even if I can afford it, your father will never allow you to do so.¡±


    There was no smile on Lu Zheng¡¯s face, but there was a hidden smile in his eyes. With that smile, there was a trace of self deprecation, ¡°My father has already controlled half of my life. I can only use the remaining half of my life to disobey him.¡±


    Two years ago, he had easily agreed to his father¡¯s conditions : her debt of a billion dollars would be forgiven if he forgot her.


    But now he was determined.


    Although his smile was still tranquil, there seemed to be something hidden behind that smile. Yan Liang was again confused.


    ¡° If you really want to know what my interest in this is..¡± Lu Zheng paused, ¡° I want you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Obviously the ward was still quiet, but in Yan Liang¡¯s ears she could hear the ringing sound of a besieged city collapsing


    ***** *****


    When Yan Liang returned to the company from the hospital, the regular weekly meeting was nearing completion.


    In the last two years in the company, her attitude had been lacklustre. When she came in late, no one was surprised.


    However, what Yan Liang did not expect, however was that Jiang Yu Nan was actually absent.


    Till the end of the meeting, she did not see Jiang Yu Nan.


    Jiang Shi Jun only occasionally visited the company was not too involved in the day to day operations.


    When Yan Liang pushed the door of the door conference room open, the atmosphere in the company was slightly awkward. Jiang Shi Jun was sitting in the main seat, Yan Liang sat to his right. It was clearly evident to the other people present in the room that the two found each other¡¯s presence disagreeable.


    Fortunately, the meeting would soon he over . Everyone packed up their documents to leave. The secretary also packed up . Jiang Shi Jun was still sitting there , listening to his secretary narrate the next items on his schedule, ¡° 10:30 your slated to visit the new R&D centre. 11:30 is lunch with the governor. And 2 pm you¡¯re playing with Liang Ruiqiang.¡±


    As Yan Liang heard this at the door of the conference room, her footsteps , which were earlier sluggish suddenly became lively.


    The secretary saw her paused and could not help but call out , ¡° Ms Yan ?¡±


    With her back to the secretary, she waved her hand indicating that it was nothing. She looked over her shoulder and her gaze swept over they Secretary and Jiang Shi Jun briefly before she turned back and walked out of the room.


    Once she was back in office, her next meeting was only an hour later. She had enough time to look through the documents to see what she had missed.


    As she was turning the pages of her documents, her fingers unconsciously paused.


    At 2 pm, Jiang Shi Jin and Mr. Liang Ruiqiang would play together ¡­ ¡­


    Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s secretary¡¯s voice still echoed in her ears. Yan Liang closed the file


    Ming ting Group, Liang¡¯s consortium.. she closed her eyes and leaned back on the chair..for the first time in a long time , she could see a ray of hope..


    ***** *****


    Yan Liang was still staying out late every night. But she was no longer going to night clubs to kill time. Lu Zheng¡¯s injuries were still serious, for a short while, it wasn¡¯t clear when they would heal and Yan Liang visited him at hospital every night.


    She most often met the Lu family chef as he delivered healthy food , but Lu Mingting only came once.


    Yan Liang sat outside the ward, she didn¡¯t want to disturb the conversation between father and son when she saw Mr Lu leave the room


    She was helping Lu Zheng open the window he was finding difficult to raise when the silhouette of Mr Lu appeared downstairs in the front courtyard of the hospital. Lu Zheng pointed at the silhouette and said , ¡° My head injury is because he hit me with a cane made of a rare wood species. It¡¯s as hard as stone, one knock is enough to give someone a cerebral concussion. ¡°


    He was laughing , and when he looked up, their faces were very close to each other.


    Her smile was reflected in his eyes.


    Instinctively , Yan Liang shrunk back. Seeing this, Lu Zheng placed a hand on her shoulder.


    Yan Liang looked around and saw a basket of fruit at the bedside, she immediately moved back, ¡° I¡¯ll wash the fruits. ¡°


    As she left the room, Lu Zheng¡¯s gaze followed her.


    What she was to him.. even if she was purely using him for her own purposes, he was willing to be used.


    After staying in the hospital for the night, Yan Liang went home to change her clothes before going to work. Lu Zheng had the staff prepare an extra room and bed specially at the hospital so she could stay overnight. The quality of her sleep there was the best she had in the last two years.


    When she breathed in the morning air , she always felt refreshed. But whenever she was at home, she was always on high alert.


    Today , something seemed unusual. Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car was parked outside the main building and the rear door was open. Did Jiang Yu Nan just come back or was he preparing to leave immediately?


    Yan Liang only looked at the car but did not greet the driver and went in.


    Just when she reached the second floor, she heard a sound in the cloak room.


    Aa she approached the cloakroom, she saw Secretary Lee stuffing clothes in a suitcase. Both his movements and expression were full of anxiety.


    When Yan Liang suddenly appeared in front of him, the secretary was momentarily stunned. He put aside the things and nodded his head at Yan Liang in greeting


    ¡°What is this?¡± Yan Liang stood at the door and asked.


    Secretary Li reluctantly smiled and answered, ¡° Mr Jiang always travels every ten days or so.. I just need to pack some things for him.¡±


    Realising this trip of Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s must be urgent, Yan Liang stepped aside and Secretary Li quickly packed the suitcase and left.


    He carried the suitcase downstairs in a hurry , sat in the car, shut the door and then instructed the driver, ¡° Drive back to the hospital .¡±

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66


    ¡° Go back to the hospital.¡±


    The driver started the car.The curtains on the second floor window were lifted. Yan Liang was standing there. She quietly watched as Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car left the Xu house. Then she turned around and looked at the deserted bedroom. Suddenly the joy of victory dissipated from her heart , it only felt empty.


    So far, she hadn¡¯t heard anything from Jiang Yu Nan.


    The disrupted wedding banquet became the focus of the media. The news of Lu Zheng¡¯s hospitalisation spread like wildfire, but many news outlets also photographed an unidentified woman who frequently visited Lu Zheng at the hospital. This was the reason attributed to Lu Zheng¡¯s indifferent attitude and added colour and suspense to the entire saga.


    In fact, the news was released by Yan Liang to the media. While the photos were pixelated, but people familiar with Yan Liang would recognise her.


    In this way, she wanted to challenge the limits of someone without a direct attack.


    Nearly half a month after the incident of lu Zheng, with the help of Ming Ting Group,Liang Ruiqiang finally accepted Yan Liang¡¯s proposal. Yan Liang, accompanied by Zhou Cheng went to New York to meet Liang Ruiqiang.


    After a secret signing , the name of the company in collaboration with Liang Ruiqiang was formally established as J¡¯appelle.


    Everything was now ready, all they had to do no was to wait for the enemy to fall in the trap.


    Finally, Yan Liang received Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s phone call. When she saw the caller ID on the phone, her heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± he said.


    She wasn¡¯t sure if the connection was bad or there was some other reason, but in this short sentence, it sounded as if the man was very tired.


    Because of this, Yan Liang froze for three seconds before answering , ¡° I thought you intended to disappear completely.¡±


    ¡°Oh..¡± Jiang Yu Nan laughed coldly.


    The laugh jolted Yan Liang, she realised it was just her illusion, his tone only had a hint of callousness, where were there any signs of fatigue ?


    And what he said next, it didn¡¯t have the slightest trace of feeling , ¡° I just called to say that our previous agreement is null and void as of today.¡±


    ..called to say..


    ¡­null and void..


    ¡° You..¡±, Yan Liang had just uttered this one word when the phone was abruptly disconnected on the other end.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s next step would be to allow Jiang Shi Jun to dismantle Xu


    Or would they report Zhou Cheng to the police ?


    Yu Nan would answer all her questions with practical action..


    The next day Jiang Shi Jun announced the convening of an emergency board meeting.


    When Yan Liang saw the looks between the board of directors and Jiang Shi Jin , she had an inkling of what was going to happen next.


    Sure enough, Yan Liang finally heard from Jiang Shi Jun the words she had been looking forward to for the last few months, ¡° This emergency meeting is to announce some good news. Liang Ruiqiang of the Liang consortium intends to take over all the brands of Xu, including Ya Yan, secret, skin key ¡­all the ten sub brands.¡±


    As he finished his sentence, all the directors were stunned and naturally looked at Yan Liang sympathetically.


    ¡° Of course,¡± Jiang Shi Jun pointedly looked at Yan Liang, ¡° I expect some people to oppose this when we put this to vote in the general meeting.¡±


    Under his watchful eyes, Yan Liang made every effort to keep her face expressionless, and not laugh out in joy.


    After the meeting, Yan Liang was the first to get up from her seat. As she walked through the room, some people looked at her sympathetically, but it was worrying that some were simply indifferent.


    When she returned to her office, she closed the door and immediately placed a call to Zhou Cheng to tell him the good news.


    As she called, she didn¡¯t expect the call to be picked up so quickly. She was in an ecstatic mood. In a low voice so she wouldn¡¯t be heard outside , she exclaimed, ¡° The old fox has finally taken the bait.¡±


    The response on the other end was not expected, Zhou Cheng did not seem excited, but his short silence seemed lonely. Finally, he said, ¡° Yan Liang.¡±


    Zhou Cheng uttered her name solemnly, as if he wanted her to calm down before he said the next words.


    ¡° I have been arrested by the police.¡±


    ( Miumiu : sorry but I have zero sympathy for you. You knowingly fudged the records for a b**tch just because of some wrong headed notion of love.)


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    Yan Liang kept holding the handset for a long time. In her ear, the monotonous and harsh sounds of the busy tone continued to reverberate.


    Her secretary knocked at the door, and panicked when seeing her in this condition. ¡° Ms Yan!¡±


    Yan Liang was pulled out from her reverie and looked up to see her.


    ¡° I just received a call from the police station. They want to speak to you. I wanted to transfer the call, I wasn¡¯t sure if you were in,¡± the secretary looked at her holding the phone , ¡° but your line was busy.¡±


    ¡° What¡¯s up?¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s voice now was completely different . The exhilaration she had felt earlier had disappeared and had been replaced with panic.


    The secretary seemed to realise that Yan Liang was scared . She gulped and continued, ¡° The call was from the Economic Crimes investigation department. They received an anonymous report , supposedly from a Xu staff, reporting the misappropriation of company funds two years ago. Since you are a high level manager in Xu, they expect your co operation in this matter.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° Tell them that I am in a business trip and can¡¯t be contacted¡±, Yan Liang thought for a long time and finally said.


    The secretary was in a dilemma, but Yan Liang reiterated, ¡° Tell them this, now you leave.¡±


    Clearly she found it difficult, but she obeyed Yan Liang and left.


    Although the quietude should be conducive to thinking, Yan Liang¡¯s mind was completely blank. Instead of coming up with a mitigating plan, she subconsciously reached for her phone to dial a specific number.


    As she was about to dial the last digit, she suddenly paused. Did she really think if she called him now, Jiang Yu Nan would show her some mercy ?


    No..at most, he would ridicule her and create further damage.


    The last sentence Zhou Cheng said before he disconnected the phone echoed in her ears: Yan Liang, my parents are not aware of this incident, I have no other request, I just want you to help me hide this from them ¡­


    Must hide this from them¡­


    Thinking of this Yan Liang hung up the phone, and instead dialled the number of the landline of their New Zealand house.


    The phone was picked up by Aunt Liang.


    For a long time, Aunt Liang had not heard from Yan Liang , so it was no wonder she was very happy to hear from her :¡± Yan Liang , you finally thought of us,your mother and I miss you..¡±


    Yan Liang interrupted her, ¡° Aunt Liang, I needed a favour.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Her tone was dead serious, and there was something hidden in her voice. Aunt Liang¡¯s voice also turned solemn, ¡° No problem, tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡° Zhou Cheng had an accident , his parents must not know. Please invite Uncle and Aunt to New Zealand on behalf of my mother as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll call Zhou.¡±


    Yan Liang hung up .


    To save Zhou Cheng, did she have to destroy Xu ?


    Jiang Yu Nan ¨C you have indeed forced me to make a cruel choice.


    **** ****


    In the name of Liang Ruiqiang, J¡¯appelle and Li Bo were engaged in an orderly manner. Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s asking price was USD 2.56 billion, once she hired a professional manager to lower the price to two billion, she would have won all the Xu brands.


    On the other hand, the economic crimes wing was busily collecting evidence, but as Yan Liang refused to co operate, the police failed to contact the key personnel in Xu and this delayed their case.


    She knew now that Jiang Yu Nan was the mastermind behind the scenes that year. So, what was he up to now ? Where was he hiding ?


    Was he thinking of how to punish his disobedient wife, or was he thinking of the best way to end the failed marriage ?


    It was a silent night.


    Yan Liang was in the throes of a nightmare. In the last scene , she was in the trial court, and Zhou Aunt was crying and cursing her, ¡° You are the reason my son is in jail.¡±


    She suddenly woke up.


    When she opened her eyes, she was lying in her own bed, a thin film of sweat over her forehead.


    As she became aware of her surroundings , she found him sitting alone on the bed.


    She wondered how long the man had been sitting there, watching her quietly.


    And as she looked in his eyes, she noticed..in his eyes the emotion that was reflected¡­was of tremendous regret ..


    For a moment, they looked in each other¡¯s eyes. Then he quickly withdrew his gaze, and Yan Liang put up all her defences.


    She sat up from the bed and sneered at him, ¡° Jiang Yu Nan, you finally decided to appear ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was silent. He looked at her expressionlessly, then lay down on the other side of the bed and closed his eyes.

 Chapter 67

    The next chapter is my favorite. There¡¯s something definitely wrong with JYN- health wise I mean .


    Chapter 67


    Holding the thin quilt, Yan Liang sat on the bed and looked at the man sleeping. How much darkness was hidden behind the calm surface ? Nobody knew.


    The only thing she could do now was to lie back and close her eyes, and endure the rare company of this strange man till she fell asleep.


    After a long time, Jiang Yu Nan open his eyes.


    Although there was no expression on his face, there was a thin film of cold sweat on his body.


    He looked at the woman curled up on the other side of the bed, she was so close to the edge that she could fall off at the slightest movement. She was clearly avoiding him.


    Jiang Yu Nan slowly unclenched his fist and stretched out his hand. It seemed he wanted to touch her. But ultimately, he couldn¡¯t bear to touch her; gritting his teeth he got out of bed.


    He slowly walked into his room. Every step was heavy, although he was silent, his face was pale with pain.


    In the cabinet there was a safe. Jiang Yu retrieved his medicines from the safe. Even the simple action of pouring the medicine made his hand shake uncontrollably.


    Perhaps the medicines worked quickly, or perhaps the pain had settled into a numbness, but Jiang Yu Nan could feel his body become lighter and he put the medicine back . His tall body slid along the body of the cabinet and finally fell to the ground. The whole process happened so quietly that Yan Liang, sleeping next door, never heard a sound.


    As the night passed, the first rays of the sun pierced through the gap in the curtains and softly shone on the man¡¯s eyelids.


    Jiang Yu Nan found it difficult to open his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot as he looked at the open window.


    This ray of light in front of his eyes seemed to remind him that he had successfully survived one more day.


    He stood up holding the locker for support. Then he picked up the tablets he had accidentally dropped yesterday and put them in the trash. Then he took a shower to wash away the pain, changed his clothes and came downstairs to have breakfast.


    At the table , he spread the butter on the bread. Just as he took the first bite, he heard movement on the staircase. His eyes followed the sound. Standing at the middle of the stair case, Yan Liang looked back at him.


    Watching the suited and extremely gentlemanly looking Jiang Yu Nan, Yan Liang reminded herself: She was going to confront such a powerful and cold blooded enemy every day.


    Just as she had expected, when she sat down at the table, he couldn¡¯t resist a taunt, ¡° Why didn¡¯t you let me know about Zhou Cheng ?¡±


    Yan Liang sneered, ¡° To beg you to help me ?¡±


    He replied: ¡°No.¡±


    ¡° No?¡± , she calmly said, as she sipped some fruit juice.


    To make big changes, she had to keep her composure. She was now able to face her enemy calmly and have breakfast face to face ¨C she considered this a big progress on her part.


    He seemed to realise something, silently he looked at her for a moment and then faintly spoke,¡± You¡¯ve changed¡­¡±


    Yan Liang thought he wanted to express his opinion, but instead he ridiculed her, ¡° With your new lover, you don¡¯t care about your old lover, this isn¡¯t your usual style.¡±


    Yan Liang gritted her teeth, closed her eyes briefly and finally could no longer hold back. With a bang she put her cutlery back on the table and stood up but didn¡¯t leave immediately.


    Jiang Yu Nan was still sitting there, but he wasn¡¯t looking at her. His eyes stared at the wall opposite him. He hadn¡¯t eaten a bite , but his black pupils seemed to be overflowing with some unknown emotion.


    Yan Liang took the car out of the garage. Her heart was both disturbed and angry, how could she watch Zhou Cheng go to prison ?


    Maybe he had flouted some rules for Xu Ziqing, but she couldn¡¯t allow him to take the fall for Xu Ziqing..


    All she could do now was to delay the investigation until she could find Xu Ziqing. If she was willing to take the initiative to plead guilty¡­..


    But this possibility was minimal.


    So Yan Liang drove down with a troubled heart. The heavy iron gates slowly opened, Yan Liang¡¯s car was about to leave the mansion when a car appeared suddenly in her path.


    Yan Liang braked abruptly.


    She almost hit the car, but fortunately she had braked just in time.


    She was about to roll down her window when two people emerged from the back seat of the other car.


    Seeing Yan Liang, the public officials greeted her, ¡° Ms Yan, we¡¯ve been waiting for a long time.¡±


    Frowning, Yan Liang looked at the person. Then realisation hit her, she looked at the car , yes, it was a police car.


    ¡° I¡¯m sorry, I have to attend to something urgent right now, we can do this some other time.¡±


    The two plainclothes policemen were unmoved. Yan Liang had no intentions to convince them, nor did she have any intention to stay. She reached for the steering wheel and started the car. In the next second, the policeman reached into the car and turned the car off. ¡°We just want to ask you to co operate with our investigation. The sooner the Zhou case is cleared, the better it is for Xu. You really shouldn¡¯t use excuses to avoid us.¡±


    Yan Liang looked at the arrogant police officer, and sneered in her heart. Better for Xu ? Xu had long since ceased to exist¡­


    **** ****


    With no other choice, Yan Liang accompanied the two police officers.


    From the police, Yan Liang learned that because of the acquisition of Xu by Li Bo, most of the original staff of Xu were no longer present and this hampered the investigation and evidence gathering.


    Jiang Yu Nan had all the evidence that could incriminate Zhou Cheng clearly. Why were the police still looking for evidence? Could it be that he had only submitted a small part of the information he had ?


    In the absence of any real information, Yan Liang could only rely on her own guesses to try and figure out the next direction of this saga. But not when she was facing the police. The police were unable to get anything useful from her. She was extremely professional , but eager to leave, and the police had no choice but to postpone the discussion for a later date and release her.


    The investigation was very low key at this moment. There was no annoying media. She walked to the car uninterrupted, but just as she reached the parking lot, she encountered someone unexpected..


    It was one of the partners of the Wan Kang law firm, the ones who had been responsible for all the affairs of Xu.


    Lawyer Gao was assisting Zhou Cheng this time. From what Yan Liang knew, Zhou Cheng had not been called today. Then what was he rushing into the police station for ?


    Yan Liang had opened the door of the car and was getting ready to sit inside when the lawyer¡¯s figure disappeared inside the police station. Decisively, Yan Liang banged the door and followed the lawyer into the police station.


    Finally, she caught him outside the interrogation room.


    ¡°Mr Gao..¡±, Yan Liang was about to speak when the door of the interrogation room opened.


    The solemn voice of the interrogator could be heard, ¡° We now have enough evidence to ensure that you cannot get away with this crime.¡±


    The interrogation room was apparently opened for the lawyer. The interrogators and the lawyer slightly nodded to each other. As the lawyer entered the room, a voice floated out, ¡° I am still going to repeat the same sentence ¨C before my lawyer comes, I have only two words to say , ¡®no comment¡¯.¡±


    As the lawyer walked in, the door was closed and Yan Liang could hear no more.


    She stood at the door, silently laughing. The police were one step ahead of her.. they had found Xu Ziqing .


    ***** *****


    How did Xu Ziqing get implicated ? It was impossible that Zhou Cheng had given her up.


    The police had found evidence pointing to Ziqing ?


    Why hadn¡¯t lawyer Gao mentioned this to her ? What else had he concealed from her ?


    Yan Liang looked at the closed door. Now, she could trust no one. Even if the lawyer had something more to hide, she wouldn¡¯t be very surprised.


    The interrogation continued for two hours. When the door opened again, only the lawyer came out, not Xu Ziqing.


    Yan Liang sat in a bench directly opposite the door. From her point of view, she could see Xu Ziqing sitting angrily in the room.


    Then she moved her attention to Lawyer Gao.


    Seeing her there, the lawyer was momentarily stunned.After regaining his composure, he came up to her, ¡° Why are you here ?¡±


    Yan Liang looked at him, stood up and gave him a false smile, ¡°Maybe you should answer me first. Why is Xu Ziqing here ?¡±


    The lawyer was embarrassed.


    ¡° I can¡¯t tell you too much, but I can tell you one thing . Though I don¡¯t know what evidence the police have in place, in this situation, your sister will go to jail.¡±


    Yan Liang anxiously asked, ¡° What about Zhou Cheng?¡±


    This woman did not seem to care about the life or death of her sister; this didn¡¯t really surprise the lawyer, and he ambiguously shook his head.


    Although he hadn¡¯t given a positive answer, a glimmer of hope arose in Yan Liang¡¯s heart.


    If the police really thoroughly investigated the matter, Xu Ziqing would pay for her mistakes, Jiang Yu Nan would simply be doing her a great favour..


    **** ****


    By the time Yan Liang returned to the company it was 12 o clock.


    Most of the staff had gone for lunch. Her assistant was still waiting for her at her desk; she seemed agitated. When she saw Yan Liang, she stood up.


    Looking at her, Yan Liang froze, ¡° What happened ?¡±


    The assistant immediately replied, ¡° Mr Jiang wanted to meet you for lunch. He is waiting for you.¡±


    Although there were a lot of rumours about Jiang Yu Nan and herself, in the eyes of the staff, they were still respected as a couple. Yet they actually had a poor relationship . The assistant was therefore not clear what to do. No wonder she was so nervous.


    Yan Liang frowned and didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡° I¡¯ll tell him you¡¯re not available¡±, the secretary said and immediately picked up the phone.


    Yan Liang stopped her.


    ¡° I¡¯ll have lunch with him. Are you afraid that he¡¯ll poison me ?¡±


    This was funny for Yan Liang, but the assistant was stunned. As Yan Liang turned back to the elevator, the assistant still seemed to be in a daze.


    Yan Liang pressed the button for the top floor in the elevator without any expression.


    She¡¯d like to see what Jiang Yu Nan would try to sell to her this time.


    Soon she reached the president¡¯s office. She knocked the door, got no response, then pushed the door open.


    From the entrance, she could see a figure lying on the desk; he seemed to be napping.


    She really didn¡¯t expect herself to be in this situation- Jiang Yu Nan seemed to be sleeping deeply.


    She hesitantly approached him, ¡° Jiang Yu Nan..¡±


    But till she came to his side, he was still lying there, completely unresponsive. Yan Liang gritted her teeth and pushed his hand. His hands were stone cold.


    Yan Liang was surprised. ¡°Jiang Yu Nan!¡± Her voice was louder now.


    Still she did not get a response. She placed a hand in his forehead. His hands were cold, but his forehead was very warm.

 Chapter 68

    And this * drum rolls* is my favourite chapter. Let me know what you think ¡­


    Yan Liang¡¯s monologue¡­ oh my poor heart..


    Chapter 68


    Yan Liang put her hand on his forehead. This time, the man was still asleep but stirred slightly. Then he suddenly frowned and moved his shoulder. Before her mind could process this, she had instinctively withdrawn her hand.


    Jiang Yu Nan opened one heavy eyelid. His vision was fuzzy at first. As he gradually focussed, he was finally able to recognise the person standing in front of him.


    His eyes seemed to flash for a moment, but in the next second the usual coldness was restored .


    Jiang Yu Nan sat up straight, adjusted his collar. He stood up, looked at his wristwatch, then finally glanced at Yan Liang , ¡° Come on, we will eat and talk.¡±


    After he finished speaking he withdrew his gaze and walked around the desk.


    Yan Liang looked at him as he very obviously wanted to rush out of the room and ignore what had just happened. Although she couldn¡¯t say what it was, but there was certainly something strange going on. Seeing that he was on the verge of leaving the room, still in deep thoughts , she suddenly couldn¡¯t help but remark , ¡°Your face doesn¡¯t look that good.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was startled.


    He paused for two seconds , retraced his steps and approached her. With a taunting voice he said, ¡° This is unusual ! You actually care about me ?¡±


    All her doubts immediately disappeared after seeing his mocking smile. She laughed at herself in her heart. Wiping off all the emotions from her face and heart, Yan Liang was ready to leave the room.


    ¡° It¡¯s so unusual for you to invite me for lunch. So I thought even I should pretend, and pretended to care a little about you.¡±


    It was the perfect counterattack.As she finished the sentence, all the sarcasm on Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s face disappeared instantly .


    The restaurant Jiang Yu Nan had selected for lunch as far away from the company.


    Offered a seat by the window, Yan Liang hesitated to sit down. But not because Jiang Yu Nan was sitting opposite her. But because ¡­she hadn¡¯t been here in a long time..


    The same lunch time, the same seat by the window.. the last time she had been here was just after they had received the marriage certificate.


    At that time , to keep their relationship away from prying eyes, they had not dared to eat together at the company canteen. This restaurant had been newly opened, it was quiet so they were unlikely to be disturbed by anyone.


    Like now, she sat in this seat, drinking lemonade. She was chatting with the man sitting opposite her about work, and occasionally taking a sip of her drink.


    He was looking at her quietly, silently listening to her. Inadvertently, a lock of her hair fell on her forehead. Very naturally, he reached out to tuck that lock behind her ears as she continued to talk.


    She looked up at him, and saw the warmth in his eyes, as warm as the sun at the window.


    It seemed like all this happened just yesterday.


    But now, there was no need for any more hypocrisy, he would no longer tuck her hair.


    And she ? She would never be as na?ve and soft as she was then.


    There was only official business they needed to discuss,¡± Our second marriage anniversary is coming up soon. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s necessary to throw a party to dispel all the rumours about us ?¡±


    Yan Liang sipped her juice. Without raising her head, she replied, ¡° Don¡¯t drag me into all this. The rumours about you are still going on, but I have been very well behaved recently and there are no rumours about me.¡±


    ¡° Do you think that just because the photos of you going to the hospital to visit Lu Zheng are pixelated, I would be the only one to recognise you? How much you are involved with Lu Zheng is unclear, but if Jiang shi Jin decides he wants to go after you, the results of that won¡¯t be good for you . ¡°


    What was he trying to camouflage with the faint trace of smile on his face? Was it intended to disguise his concern for her ?


    But unfortunately Yan Liang had already seen this kind of behaviour before. She only responded to him with ridicule, ¡° It seems you weren¡¯t only busy pulling off your vanishing act this month, you¡¯ve even concerned yourself about my movements. You¡¯re worried about how Jiang Shi Jun will deal with me..shouldn¡¯t you first be worried about whether or not I am two-timing you ?¡±


    Her mocking words were like a sharp dagger thrust mercilessly at the weakest point in his heart. Although he was usually restrained in the display of his emotions, he couldn¡¯t help stiffen. Blood dripped from his wound.


    He remained silent.


    At a this point, the waiter came to serve them. Yan Liang missed the very visible reaction of Jiang Yu Nan as she glanced at the waiter . By the time she looked back at Jiang Yu Nan, everything was as usual. Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes were like the layer of ice on a frozen lake, no waves and no heat. ¡° You don¡¯t need to handle anything. Just get dressed prettily and attend the party.¡±


    **** ****


    The event organiser responsible for organising the party kept sending dresses to Yan Liang. She returned them all , the packaging intact- she had no time to waste on a party that was intended to showcase some sham of a happy couple. Discerning people could already see how unhappy their marriage was, why should she indulge in self deception ?


    Contrary to expectations, on the eve of their second marriage anniversary, Yan Liang did not anticipate receiving one good news after another. The frequency of the police summoning Zhou Cheng had reduced considerably. Although Zhou Cheng was not disclosing anything to Yan Liang, she could guess that the police were suspecting someone else. And from the frequent visits of Lawyer Gao to the police station recently , it wasn¡¯t difficult to guess who that ¡®someone else ¡® was ¨C Xu Ziqing.


    Jiang Shi Jun had finally given in, he was no longer adamantly holding on to the 2.56 billion number. It was likely that he would soon be able to reach an agreement with Liang Ruiqiang. The signing of the deal was naturally just around the corner.


    Who would think that she was the one behind Liang Ruiqiang?


    On the day she succeeded, she would probably buy a bouquet and visit her father¡¯s grave. She would tell him, ¡° the daughter you hated the most is the one reviving the family fortunes now.¡±


    But before that, she would need to continue to be in the shadows..


    Her secretary knocked at the door. ¡° Ms Yan, the event organisers sent someone to meet you again.¡±


    She guessed they had sent a dress again.


    Yan Liang had just finished speaking to J¡¯appelle. She put down the handset and instructed her, ¡° Just ask them to leave the stuff and go.¡±


    ¡° Sure.¡± The secretary tried to close the door as she left when she suddenly screamed out , ¡°Ah!¡±


    Yan Liang looked up as a figure pushed the secretary and barged in the room.. it was Xu Ziqing.


    Yan Liang stood up and watched as Xu Ziqing angrily approached her.


    She came to her side , her eyes glaring.


    Before she would understand her intentions, Xu Ziqing raised her hand and slapped Yan Liang hard.


    The sound of the slap crisply rang out through the room..


    The secretary had chased Xu Ziqing into the room. Now she changed direction and came to Yan Liang¡¯s side. There was an angry red mark on one side of Yan Liang¡¯s face.


    Xu Ziqing tried to slap her again, but this time, Yan Liang unerringly caught her wrist.


    Xu Ziqing yanked away her hand from Yan Liang¡¯s grip. Yan Liang moved away from her to avoid her, but Xu Ziqing lost her balance due to the momentum and leaned heavily on the table.


    She regained her balance and approached Yan Liang once again, but this time she was finally stopped by the secretary.


    ¡° You would be very happy to see me in jail, isn¡¯t it ?¡±, Xu Ziqing screamed at her as she realised she couldn¡¯t hit Yan Liang.


    Yan Liang looked at her coldly, ¡° What craziness brought you here ?¡±


    ¡° Haven¡¯t I made a financial loss because of you and your foolishness? So you think I don¡¯t know that you are the one who reported me ? Finally , after two years you want to implicate me? All this time you were just looking for the right opportunity to stab me !¡±


    Yan Liang did not bother answering her. The secretary was struggling to hold on to Xu Ziqing. Yan Liang quickly picked up the phone and called security. ¡° Send two guards to my office immediately.¡±


    Xu Ziqing furiously interrupted her, ¡°Considering that you are my sister , and also because of Zhou Cheng¡¯s earnest request, I had originally thought of concealing this matter from you for the rest of my life, but now seeing that you want me to die, I must tell you that you have no right to punish me on behalf of the Xu family.¡±


    Yan Liang was stunned. She looked up to see Xu Ziqing arrogantly looking down on her.


    Her heart twisted. She walked towards Xu Ziqing, raised her hand and..


    ¡° Snap!¡± Yan Liang slapped her hard.


    The slap split her lip and blood appeared in the corner of her mouth.


    Xu Ziqing was stunned for for a few seconds, then strangely, she calmed down. She looked at Yan Liang and actually smiled, ¡° Dad left me a letter. In that, he wrote clearly that you are not his child.¡±


    ¡­the whole world was shrouded in a deathly silence¡­


    ***** *****


    Late at night was a good time to get drunk.


    Yan Liang had her head down on the bar. Her eyes were closed. In her hands, there was an empty glass.


    The loud music and the flickering lights had woven an intricate net around her, this is where she wanted to stay.


    The voice of Xu Ziqing echoed over and over again in her ear, ¡° When your mother heard about our father¡¯s affair with my mother, and the fact that he also had a daughter with her, she angrily aborted her own child. She adopted you later to conceal this matter. Dad never exposed this, because he felt bad for your mother.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° Haven¡¯t you always thought that I was the interloper in the family and looked down on me ? In fact..¡±, Xu Ziqing cried out fiercely, her fingers poking at her shoulder, ¡° you are!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° I¡¯ve shown Zhou Cheng the letter. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You are not our father ¡®s daughter at all.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° Isn¡¯t it ironic ? I have true Xu blood in my veins, and yet I didn¡¯t want revenge, only a stable life. And you.. you sacrificed all your life¡¯s happiness to avenge the Xu family!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡± You are such an idiot!¡±


    She finally pulled out the last bits of her strength. With shaking hands, she took out the phone from her bag. She pulled out Zhou Cheng¡¯s number on her address book. But before she could press dial, her finger shook and her vision blurred. She shook her head to clear her vision , but she still couldn¡¯t see the phone screen.


    The bartender poured a glass of water for her. He saw her looking crazily at the phone and couldn¡¯t help but ask her, ¡° Can I help you with something ?¡±


    Yan Liang very slowly raised her head and hiccuped, ¡° Help me ..call..him..¡± as he finished, her head dropped, and she lay down drunk on the bar.


    She didn¡¯t know how long she was in a daze, but she regained consciousness as she felt someone helping her out of the high chair at the bar.


    After a moment, she was in a car. The door closed with a bang in her ear.


    Yan Liang heard a man sitting in the driver¡¯s seat. The car started. She was drunk, where was he taking her ?


    A part of her brain that was still functioning panicked. But though she tried desperately, she couldn¡¯t open her eyes. The man leaned over to fasten her seat belt. Through the haze of alcohol, a familiar breath hit the tip of her nose. Whoever was in the car was someone she knew.


    ¡°Zhou Cheng ?¡± ! She murmured.


    The other person placed his hand on the back of her hand and shook her, ¡° It¡¯s me .¡±


    This finally calmed her down.


    The car started.


    Yan Liang, with her arms around the seat belt , suddenly laughed, ¡°What she said, is it true ?¡±


    The man in the car ignored her muttering. The driver was so quiet it was as if there was no one else in the car.


    Yan Liang thought of why Zhou Cheng was silent, and the smile on her lips disappeared.Even she did not know how bitter her laughter was, ¡° What¡¯s the point of my existence ?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡° My whole childhood and adolescence, I hated my father, my sister¡­now I¡¯m told he is not my father, she is not my sister..¡±


    Yan Liang continued to smile. Silently , a tear slid down from the corner of her closed eyes and over the smile on her lips.


    ¡° I always thought that it was for me that my mother was tolerating all sorts of grievances to maintain the integrity of the family. Turns out I am just a pawn she used to maintain her dominant position in the family.¡±


    The tears were now flowing steadily down her face.


    ¡° If I weren¡¯t the daughter of the Xu family, what would I be now?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Poor ? Just an ordinary person ? A boring but contented life ?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° I wouldn¡¯t have to envy Xu Ziqing till I went mad, I wouldn¡¯t have to hide in New York on the pretext of studying with no home to go back to; I wouldn¡¯t have to give up what I really liked doing ; I wouldn¡¯t have to become this Yan Liang who is only full of hatred and darkness.¡±


    Alcohol was really a good thing in that it allowed her to say things she would not dare admit when sober. ¡° Jiang Yu Nan would not rack his brains to get close to me, he would not lay so many gentle traps to ensnare me¡­ I wouldn¡¯t ¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have fallen in love with him¡­¡±


    The car suddenly stopped.


    Zhou, or whoever this man was, gently raised her chin with his hand. Was it because of the tears streaming down her face that his hand could not stop trembling ?


    But Yan Liang didn¡¯t notice this, she was immersed in her own thoughts, ¡° If I never met him in this life, would I be ¡­ happier? Or , would that be even more unfortunate¡­¡±


    Her words were interrupted by a vicious kiss. Her lips were caught. This man kissed her so desperately, so hard¡­


    But there was no heat in the kiss, only despair¡­.


    As if struck by a thunderbolt, Yan Liang suddenly realised this man..this man was not Zhou Cheng.. he was..he was..


    Yan Liang could taste the saltiness of tears, but she wasn¡¯t sure whose tears they were, hers or his ?


    But the alcohol had paralysed all her senses. Yan Liang couldn¡¯t even open her eyes. It was too late for her to try and identify this man who was kissing her so deeply. She was completely intoxicated and passed out¡­

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69


    It was late at night.


    Not a single star was shining. The lights of a running car were thrown in sharp relief against the black night.


    The speedometer needle in the dashboard was trembling, indicating that the car was speeding dangerously. But Xu Ziqing was totally unconcerned.


    She didn¡¯t know where she was going, she didn¡¯t know where she was at present.


    The car was playing music at a deafening volume. The


    engine was growling. At this time, her phone rang.


    The ringing of the phone could not be heard over the music. Xu Ziqing glanced at the mobile phone screen, she did not intend to answer, but the phone continued ringing. Finally, irritated, she turned the music down and answered the phone.


    The moment she connected, the voice on the other side asked her worriedly , ¡° Where did you go ? Why are you not in the hotel?¡±


    ¡° I just came out for some air.¡±


    ¡° Come back quickly. I am waiting for you outside the door of the suite.¡± Zhou Cheng was whispering to her, but his voice sounded very serious, ¡° I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡° I can already guess what you want to tell me. I just wanted to teach her a lesson ¨C why are you feeling bad ?¡±


    Zhou Cheng was silent


    Xu Ziqing immediately realises her guess was correct. She snorted, ¡°She has already caused me so much harm, are you really going to scold me for what I did to her?¡±


    Finally, he sighed helplessly, ¡° You can¡¯t be sure that it was Yan Liang who have the evidence to the police. And I believe that Yan Liang wouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    This simple sentence further angered Xu Ziqing. She stopped the car, uttered a curse under her breath and growled at the handset, ¡° Saying anything now is useless. I have told her that actually she is an unknown¡­¡±


    Suddenly, her car was hit.


    Bang !


    A car hit hers from the passenger side. It was a solid hit. Because of the impact, Xu Ziqing¡¯s body crashed against the door and her phone fell to the floor.


    The collision of metal against metal caused her ears to rings Xu Ziqing felt slightly dizzy. She touched her forehead ¨C her forehead had hit the window and there was a little blood.


    The call was still connected. On the other side, Zhou Cheng heard the sounds. Anxiously , he shouted at the other end, ¡°Xiao Qing, Xiao Qing !!What happened ?¡±


    XuZiqing was holding her forehead, she had no time to retrieve the phone.


    She was in pain but still conscious, she unlocked the seatbelt, and got off the car to see who crashed her car.


    But just as she got off, a figure rushed towards her. Before she had the time to respond, she was pushed against the car and he grabbed her throat.


    In the hall of the street lights, Xu Ziqing finally looked up and could see the face of the person in front of her clearly. Shocked, she stared at him uncomprehendingly, ¡° Jiang..Jiang Yu Nan ?¡±


    With his figure backlit by the street lights, his eyes were burning with a cold flame of pure rage.


    Silently, he continued grabbing her throat. In a panic, Xu Ziqing tried to pull his arm off hers. But she couldn¡¯t budge him.


    Her face was flushed, her lips paled and gradually her resistance collapsed. Just as she thought she may faint, Jiang Yu Nan released her.


    She fell to the ground and she desperately gulped down air.


    A pair of shoes slowly came into her field of vision.


    On the ground, his shadow engulfed Xu Ziqing¡¯s body.


    His voice was ice cold, ¡° You should desperately pray that Yan Liang is part of your Xu family. Otherwise, the next time I come back, my target will be miss Xu you ¨C and your Xu family. ¡°


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    He squatted down to her.


    He raised her chin, ¡° At that time, my methods will be even more ruthless, I can promise you that.¡±


    Aa he finished, he let go of her chin.


    Xu Ziqing turned her face away.


    Jiang Yu Nan stood up and left. A long time after the footsteps disappeared in the distance, under the street lights, the woman continued to lean against the car.


    **** ****


    When Yan Liang woke up with a headache on the next day, it was already three pm


    Yan Liang used her palm to block the bright light as her eyes adjusted to it. She was on a soft bed.


    She sat up on the bed, and bent down to see herself. She was in pyjamas. She could still smell the scent of alcohol on herself


    Seeing that she had woken up, the servant pushed the door open and brought in a rich brunch.


    Yan Liang had no appetite. She just picked up the glass to drink some water. Then she waved her hands signalling the servant to take away the rest.


    The servant said ¡° Ok¡± and picked up the tray. Yan Liang sipped a bit of water, and felt a slight discomfort in her throat.


    Then she suddenly thought of something and asked the servant, ¡° By the way..¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° Who dropped me home ?¡±


    The servant looked at her, as if wondering what to say.


    After a long time, she finally said, ¡° It was Mr Lu..¡±


    Yan Liang couldn¡¯t help but frown when she heard the answer.


    Although she was drunk to the point of unconsciousness, but when the man desperately kissed her, she had seen his eyes. She desperately tried to recall the memory, she could just remember a fuzzy outline¡­


    The eyes were more like..


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s¡­


    She shook her head hard, and instantly denied the idea.


    The servant was still standing there, she finally decide to promise to Yan Liang, ¡° Please didn¡¯t worry about it, we will not tell anyone.¡±


    Yan Liang laughed and dismissed the servant with a wave of her hand.


    The door silently closed as the servant left.


    Yan Liang frowned as she got out of bed. She thought of finding her phone and placing a call.


    When she heard the other side say hello, she suddenly did not know what to say.


    The other side seemed to be waiting for her to speak, but as she kept silent, he spoke..¡± Have you woken up?¡±, Lu Zheng softly asked.


    It looked like he was the one who dropped her home. Yan Liang wasn¡¯t really sure if she was more relieved or more worried.


    Confused for some time, she finally spoke, ¡° I drank too much last night. In fact, I ..¡± suddenly she realised what had happened, and immediately changed her tack,¡± I hope you forget whatever happened last night.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lu Zheng¡¯s voice was mildly flippant, it seemed he was in a good mood, ¡° can you specifically tell me what are the things that happened last night I should forget ?¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s thoughts were chaotic. She could not help but try to recall what happened last night in the closed space of the car. Apart from that desperate kiss, she could not remember anything..


    Her head hurt..


    After a long time, she finally said, ¡° Whatever I told you last night.. please forget all that..¡±


    This time, lu Zheng on the other side of the phone also paused.


    ¡° Deal?¡± He smiled. ¡° I will forget all that, but as compensation, you have to take me out for dinner tonight. ¡°


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡±


    She was still hesitant when lu Zheng sealed the deal,¡± I¡¯ll pick you up after work.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    There was silence at the other end again. Lu Zheng spoke again. ¡° I have to go to another meeting. You go back to sleep.¡±


    Yan Liang thought she could not longer shirk and hung up the phone as well.


    At the other end of the phone, in the Ming Court building, Lu Zheng¡¯s secretary knocked on his door and entered the room to see him holding the phone with a thoughtful look.


    The assistant knocked at the door again, and lu Zheng woke up from his daze.


    ¡° Mr Lu, the meeting is about to begin..¡±


    Lu Zheng heard the reminder. At the same time , he realised that the phone he was holding was giving off a busy tone.


    ¡° Mr Lu..¡±


    Then suddenly he recovered his composure, gestured at his assistant to keep quiet, hung up the phone and dialled a number on his mobile phone.


    The call connected after a couple of rings.


    The other party did not speak.


    Lu Zheng didn¡¯t beat around the bush, he directly asked him,¡±Yesterday , late at night, you called me to drop your wife home. What exactly are you up to?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° If you want to get what you want most, then don¡¯t ask anything, don¡¯t mess up anything.¡±


    Lu Zheng waited a long time but this sad the only answer he received.


    And the other side had already hung up the phone, leaving Lu Zheng to silently weigh his options.


    **** ****


    Xu Ziqing was frequently summoned to the police station. So for Yan Liang , it wasn¡¯t difficult to find her; she just went to the police station to wait for her.


    But when Yan Liang reached the station, she was told that Xu Ziqing was in the hospital.


    ¡° Why is she in the hospital ?¡±


    In answer to her question, the police officer in charge of the case said, ¡° What do you think? I think she is looking for an excuse to hide from us.¡±


    Yan Liang had the same thought in her heart as the police officer when she went to the hospital. She didn¡¯t think Xu Ziqing was genuinely hurt


    The injury wasn¡¯t very serious.


    When Yan Liang reached the ward, Xu Ziqing was lying on the bed. Not sure whether she was sleeping or not, Yan Liang quietly came out of the ward. Zhou Cheng was sitting on the bed. He got up when she saw Yan Liang come in.


    ¡° How did she get hurt ?¡±


    Zhou Cheng wasn¡¯t very clear, ¡° She said she fell.¡±

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70


    ¡°She said she fell down.¡±


    Yan Liang looked at the inside of the ward through the window. With her back to the door, Xu Ziqing was still lying on the bed.


    Although the injury wasn¡¯t serious, this man had still come to take care of her. Xu Ziqing was always very lucky ¨C and Yan Liang was already accustomed to it.


    Jus then she heard Zhou Cheng say to her, ¡° I hear that she rushed to your office yesterday and shouted at you. I apologise to you on her behalf.¡± Yan Liang did not hold back, and smiled sarcastically.


    With a dry cough, Zhou Cheng changed the topic, ¡° Were you looking for her for something ? I can tell her when she wakes up.¡±


    Yan Liang looked at the window again. She wasn¡¯t sure what to do. She looked at Zhou Cheng and struggled to decide whether or not to tell him. Then she finally said, ¡° No, I¡¯ll come back tomorrow. You take care of her.¡±


    Although the words were neutral, her tone was very cold. As soon as she finished saying this, she turned and walked away.


    Once she was out of the hospital, she stood on the steps. The sun was very bright at this time. She looked around, there was a slight haze. After standing like this for a long time, she took out her phone.


    Was the sun in New Zealand as bright as it was here ?


    Just as she was thinking this, the phone was connected and an excited voice came through , ¡° Miss!¡±


    For a long time , Yan Liang had no contact with her family. Now , as she heard Aunt Liang¡¯s cordial voice, she felt strange.


    The sunshine was so bright, she should be feeling warm. But Yan Liang suddenly felt a chill, because in her ear, those sarcastic words reverberated.


    ¡° Isn¡¯t it ironic ? I have true Xu blood in my veins, and yet I didn¡¯t want revenge, only a stable life. And you.. you sacrificed all your life¡¯s happiness to avenge the Xu family¡­.¡±


    But she tried to keep her voice calm, ¡° Uncle and Aunt Zhou, did they have fun there?¡±


    ¡° It was nice to fly to Sydney last week and listen to the opera. Now they are having tea.¡±


    ¡° That¡¯s good..¡±


    ¡° Don¡¯t you want to speak to your Zhou aunt and uncle? You haven¡¯t called for so long , were you busy ?¡±


    ¡° Aunt Liang..¡± , Yan Liang bit her lip and failed to continue.


    This time finally, Aunt Liang realised there was something strange, ¡°Why are you hesitating ?¡±


    Yan Liang tried to inject some cheerfulness in her voice, ¡° Nothing , Aunt Liang. You don¡¯t need to worry about me. I am very well.. you should take care of yourself. ¡°


    ¡° Child, you care about me, you should also be a bit concerned about your mother. Last time when we went to see a shoe exhibition, she talked about you, she said you would have definitely liked it.¡±


    But Yan Liang was eager to hang up the phone. ¡° I¡¯ll call you again next time, I am a bit busy right now, I can¡¯t talk anymore. ¡°


    Saying this, she hung up the phone, descended down the steps and briskly walked away.


    Through the window, Xu Ziqing watched as she stood at the stairs, made the call and then finally left.


    Before she could pull down the curtains, she heard Zhou Cheng behind her, ¡° What did the two of you quarrel about yesterday ? Both of you are behaving so abnormally today. ¡°


    Xu Ziqing turned back to see Zhou Cheng. Without saying anything she lay back on the bed again.


    Zhou Cheng stood at the door watching her every move . Helplessly, he shook his head.


    Yan Liang visited the hospital in the afternoon again. She deliberately selected a time when Zhou Cheng would not be there. Both women were clearly reluctant to have him involved in this.


    She had just entered the ward when she saw that Xu Ziqing had changed out of the hospital pyjamas and was packing her bags.


    Yan Liang did not knock on the door and directly came inside the room.


    When Xu Ziqing saw Yan Liang, she was momentarily taken aback,


    ¡° So you heard me tell Zhou Cheng I will come back tomorrow and decided to get discharged today afternoon ?¡±


    Xu Ziqing pretended as if she didn¡¯t hear her and continued to quietly tidy up her things.


    ¡°I need to see the letter that Dad gave you.¡±


    In the middle of her packing, Xu Ziqing paused.


    Yan Liang waited for her answer.


    But she hadn¡¯t expected Xu Ziqing to actually retract her own words, ¡° That¡¯s ridiculous ! Don¡¯t tell me you actually believed what I said. Dad didn¡¯t give me any letters. ¡°


    The woman was lying, her face clearly gave her away.


    Xu Ziqing finished packing, pulled the chain and walked out of the ward with her bag.


    Yan Liang tried to stop her, but at that time she suddenly caught a glimpse of something on the bedside table and froze. In the process of catching up with Xu Ziqing, she stopped.


    As Xu Ziqing disappeared through the door, Yan Liang walked back all the way to the bedside table and picked up the comb that Xu Ziqing had left behind..


    **** ****


    Yan Liang herself sent samples of her own hair and Xu Ziqing¡¯s to the DNA identification lab.


    As she waited for the results, at the same time , she was about to usher in their second marriage anniversary and the signing ceremony of J¡¯appelle.


    Whether it was just a coincidence or because Jiang Yu Nan had deliberately arranged this, the anniversary party was at 7 pm and on the same day, at 11 am, Li Bo officially signed the J¡¯appelle agreement.


    The signing ceremony was held in the offices of the LiBo Group. For two billion US dollars, all the Xu brands, including Yan Yan, secret, skin keys was sold off.


    A new cosmetic empire was born.


    Outside, there were strong rumours of why Liang Ruiqiang suddenly wanted to get involved in the cosmetics industry he had never been involved with before. Apparently this was all for his third wife. J¡¯ appelle was equivalent to a legacy to his 30 year old wife in advance.


    Earlier, Yan liang had received a call from the hospital, ¡° Ms Yan, the DNA results are already out. Please collect your report as soon as possible.¡±


    Yan Liang hung up the phone and decided to hurry to the hospital to collect the report.


    But just as she picked up herself bag, her assistant knocked on the door. ¡° Mr Jiang has invited you to attend the signing ceremony.¡±


    He wanted her there to witness the humiliation of Xu?


    She put her bag on her shoulder and said, ¡° I need to go out, by the time I come back it will be too late. I¡¯m leaving now.¡°


    In less than half an hour she reached the hospital.


    She picked up the report, put it in her bag and then returned to the parking lot and sat in her car.


    As soon as the door closed, in the sealed space, she could finally hear her own thunderous heart beat.


    Earlier when she had quickly rushed to the hospital , she was in too much of a hurry to think. But now she panicked slightly


    She tightly held the steering wheel in her hands, so that her knuckles were white. For a long time, she didn¡¯t start the car but kept staring at the file on the passenger seat.


    When she finally opened the file, her hands were shaking.


    In the file, there were nearly ten lines with complex comparisons of data, but her attention went directly to the results column.


    ¡® No blood relationship.¡¯


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    Yan Liang went back to her office.


    When the assistant saw her face looking so despairing, she could not help but worry, ¡° Ms Yan..¡±


    Yan Liang recovered enough to notice the secretary. She plainly asked the secretary, ¡° Has the signing ceremony ended?¡±


    ¡° It shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    Yan Liang nodded and turned back to the elevator.


    Within a few minutes, she was at the door of the conference room.


    There were many people to welcome her as soon as she opened the door.


    Jiang Shi Jun mocked her, ¡° Now is the time .¡±


    Yan Liang quietly glanced at the gathering. Jiang Yu Nan, sitting next to Jiang Shi Jun was the only one who did not look up when she entered.


    And Liang Ruiqiang , sitting opposite to Jiang Shi Jun only nodded at her slightly.


    Yan Liang saw an empty seat near Jiang Yu Nan and walked towards it.


    Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s ¡° Now is the time ¡° comment meant that it was time to sign the contract between Liang Ruiqiang and Jiang Shi Jun.


    Soon after she entered, they both signed the contract , exchanged it, stood up and shook hands.


    Loud applause broke out in the conference room.


    After the ceremony ended, the rest of the people gradually left. Liang Ruiqiang, Jiang Shi Jun and some others were the only ones remaining.


    Yan Liang also stood up, as if ready to leave with the others. While speaking to Liang Ruiqiang, Jiang Shi Jun glanced at her, his eyes shining with the glee of joy and then he turned back to smile at Liang Ruiqiang .


    But unexpectedly, Yan Liang actually went straight to Liang Ruiqiang instead of leaving the room as he had anticipated.


    Jiang Shi Jin had just sipped his drink. He looked up to see Yan Liang and was momentarily taken aback. She came up to Liang Ruiqiang and greeted him, ¡° Mr Liang.¡± Then she whispered in his ears.


    It wasn¡¯t clear what she said, but Liang Ruiqiang burst out laughing, ¡°Good!¡±


    Liang Ruiqiang then turned to Jiang Shi Jin, ¡° Mr Jiang, let me formally introduce you. This..¡± Liang Ruiqiang and Jiang Shi Jin looked at Yan Liang, ¡° .. is the boss of J¡¯appelle.¡±


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡° Snap!¡± The glass in Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s hand cracked, tea spilled all over the place.


    But Yan Liang calmly smiled at Jiang Shi Jin, as if meeting him for the first time, ¡° Hello.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was sitting in his place. This time he looked up to see the smile of this irresistible woman.


    He looked at her so silently, that she never even noticed.


    **** ****


    Within a day, Li Bo was turned upside down.


    Public opinion exploded , the board of directors at the centre of the storm all resigned from their positions, the Li Bo floor was completely empty.


    The media gathered outside the building. Yan Liang had left from the back door but now she had been driving around the building watching the media block the main entrance. She slowed down to look, then accelerated the car and left.


    Without her noticing, it was already 7 pm- the original time when the party was supposed to be held.


    Her deception was that talk of the town, the grand party to celebrate their second anniversary was surely going to be cancelled


    ¡­


    ¡­¡­ 8 o¡¯clock¡­¡­


    .. 9:00¡­¡­


    Yan Liang was quietly waiting in the study room of the Xu house for someone, she did not go anywhere.


    Standing in front of her desk, she quietly placed a document on the desk and signed it.


    It was 10 pm


    Outside it was already dark, but she was still waiting for Jiang Yu Nan.


    After thinking for a long time, she suddenly thought of a possibility. Leaving the Xu house, she drove directly to the venue of the party.


    The party was supposed to happen on the top floor.


    The venue was completely empty, there wasn¡¯t a single guest around. This wasn¡¯t unexpected to Yan Liang, but what she wasn¡¯t expecting was the melodious music she heard playing at the venue.


    It was actually a live performance.


    A pair of people were sitting on the stage holding cellos.


    Dozens of tables were all vacant, crystal glasses , porcelain white tableware were all placed on the tables. But there was only one lonely figure sitting at the main table at the centre of the room.


    The only light in the venue was not shining in the man, it from where she was standing at the door, to Yan Liang, the man looked terribly lonely.


    She approached him quietly


    She wasn¡¯t glamorously dressed or elaborately made up. As he heard her footsteps, Jiang Yu Nan raised his head only to see her expressionless face. ¡° These are the divorce papers. ¡°


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° I have already signed it. It needs your signature.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan silently smiled and lowered his gaze to look at the divorce papers.


    This was her gift to him on their second marriage anniversary¡­


    Miumiu : So Yan Liang tastes victory at last. I am not at all clear why Jiang Yu Nan arranged the party in the first place..any ideas? Surely he doesn¡¯t still think there is hope of reconciliation ? Or is he testing her feelings for him?

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71


    The melodious music ceased abruptly.


    ¡° Now that you have Xu back with the help of Liang Ruiqiang, this marriage is of no value to you anymore, is it ?¡± Jiang Yu Nan shook his glass slightly and laughed.


    ¡° I don¡¯t want any kind of divorce settlement, you can rest assured¡±, Yan Liang deliberately answered a different question as she pushed the papers on the table toward him.


    ¡° If I sign, what then ?¡± Jiang Yu Nan asked her ¡°Will all the grudges between be settled ? Will we continue to be in touch for the rest of our lives ?¡±


    Yes.. what then ? Yan Liang also asked herself.


    She had loved this man, and then hated him deeply. But the DNA report was still lying in her bag. Earlier when she had called Liang Aunt in New Zealand , she had been sobbing speechlessly. All the time she reminded herself, she had put in all her efforts, but now this was all such a big joke now.


    Aunt Liang had asked her to promise that she wouldn¡¯t reveal all this to her mother. This woman had raised her for so many years. Their relationship had been more than that between blood relatives. She couldn¡¯t give her up,


    But the man standing in front of her now..


    It was time to let go, set him and herself free..


    ¡­ ¡­


    In the silence between the two, the man suddenly stood up.


    Yan Liang subconsciously took a step back, fully alert. Seeing this, Jiang Yu Nan laughed self- deprecatingly. He raised his own glass, with his other hand, he took another tulip glass, and poured champagne in both of them. Then he extended the glass towards her. ¡° Happy anniversary !¡±


    Yan Liang just looked at the glass, but didn¡¯t take it.


    Jiang Yu Nan didn¡¯t force her. He tilted his glass slightly so that the champagne poured on the divorce papers lying on the table.


    He had expressed his position through his actions.


    Yan Liang put a business card in the table. ¡° When you want to sign, call up my lawyer on this number¡±, she said.


    Then she was gone..


    Jiang Yu Nan stood at the same position. He did not watch her leave. With his head down, he seemed to be looking at the business card on the table, but in reality his eyes were so misty he couldn¡¯t see anything at all. His head was bowed as he heard her footsteps leave the room. Then he sat down.


    The cellists on the stage weren¡¯t sure whether to leave, they looked at the lone gentleman who was their only audience.


    His body was shrouded by intense despair so that others felt guilty leaving him alone like this.


    ¡°Please play a song ¡­¡± he said softly.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t go on. Was it his emotions that choked his throat?


    But he was just as calm, sitting there with no expression on his face. What deep emotions were hidden behind that calm fa?ade ?


    The cellist thought a bit and sat down again. The music started again.


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    Goodbye, my almost lover Goodbye, my almost lover


    Goodbye, my hopeless dream Goodbye, my hopeless dream


    I¡¯m trying not to think about you I¡¯m trying to think about you


    Cant you just let me be Can¡¯t you just let me be


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    Goodbye, my almost lover Goodbye, my almost lover


    Goodbye, my hopeless dream Goodbye, my hopeless dream


    I¡¯m trying not to think about you I¡¯m trying to think about you


    Cant you just let me be Cant you just let me be


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    That night, Yan Liang moved out of the Xu house.


    As the car left the gates, Yan Liang looked at the house through the rearview mirror. The house that had been her cage for the last two years


    ¡­¡­ Goodbye¡­¡­


    See you later¡­¡­


    The next day she woke up in the hotel room. She looked at the strange ceiling. Even she didn¡¯t know if she finally attained a rebirth , or whether she had just left all her emotions and feelings in the house and had only moved out with her body.


    Jiang Yu Nan did not try to find her again, it seemed that night had finally snapped all connections between them


    As a new brand, j¡¯appelle started its new journey. But of course, as Yan Liang and a lot of other people had anticipated, Li Bo was not going to let her off easily.


    Jiang Shi Jun used all possible resources to try and block J¡¯appelle; it could not get any advertising agencies that Li Bo used. It could not enter large malls where Li Bo had significant pull. Many negative reports appeared in the market about J¡¯appelle. These were all Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s doing. Even the allergic reaction news about Yan Yan was dug up by him again


    But J¡¯appelle carried out its crisis management in PR in an orderly manner.


    Relying on their agreement with the Ming Group and using their country wide sales network, new promotional activities were carried out across the country, including celebrity endorsements and other publicity tools.


    Three months had already passed


    After Xu¡¯s acquisition by Li Bo, a lot of the suppliers had been terminated. Yan Liang personally visited the old suppliers one by one. Naturally, they were willing to extend their contacts and resources to her.


    In order to eliminate the negative PR about the allergic reaction, Yan Liang even decided to take a big risk ¨C she published the formula.


    From the moment the formula was published, Lu Zheng was in a cold sweat, ¡° You are too bold. There are no other entrepreneurs in the country who behave the way you do.¡±


    But it turned out that the strategy worked


    From time to time, Lu Zheng would invite her to have dinner with him. At the dinner table, Yan Liang was finally able to smile as she handed the sales report to Lu Zheng. The numbers were clear, Yan Liang was finally able to feel some relief, ¡° You see, in this world , the ones who don¡¯t dare will starve and die.¡±


    Lu Zheng smiled . While looking at the report, he could only repeatedly say , ¡°Yes.¡±


    In the war between Li and J¡¯appelle , although Ming Group officially maintained neutrality , Yan Liang was very much aware how much Lu Zheng had helped her.


    She appreciated it, but perhaps she had changed a lot. If others did a good deed for her, she was pleased to accept, but she no longer thought of how to repay them


    Lu Zheng¡¯s feelings for her were becoming more and make deep, but she ignored the evident signs.


    She had really changed, even Zhou Cheng figure this out soon.


    In recent times, she had little contact with Zhou Cheng. It was rare for him to call her, and the topic was Xu Ziqing. ¡° Xiao Qing¡¯s case will be heard in the court day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhou Cheng sounded hesitant, but Yan Liang was in no mood to be kind to him,¡± Is it possible that you want me to attend the hearing with you? I can go , but I cannot promise you that when they declare her guilty, I will not stand up and clap.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    After a long time, Zhou Cheng finally sighed, ¡° Yan Liang, you have changed completely.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± Yan Liang¡¯s mouth curved up in a smile. ¡° You are finally disappointed in me, but I love this horrid persona of myself nowadays.¡±


    Love this horrid persona of myself nowadays¡­ only living for my own selfish interests..


    Love this horrid persona of myself nowadays..where the emotions of my heart no longer distract me ..


    In the three months that had passed by, Yan Liang did not take even a single day off. If Liang Ruiqiang had not invited her to participate in the wedding of his daughter in New York, Yan Liang would have continued working.


    Liang Ruiqiang was her greatest benefactor, Yan Liang naturally had to postpone everything and fly down.


    ¡° I really want to thank you Mr Liang. If not for you, this girl was not planning to take a holiday in her whole life¡±, he said.


    Yan Liang did not expect him to say this, she was momentarily nonplussed.


    Liang Ruiqiang looked at the two of them thoughtfully. At last, he gave them a very meaningful smile, as if he had finally pinned down the relationship between these two young people.


    In this situation, Yan Liang could only cough with embarrassment.


    Liang Jiaqian¡¯s wedding was held for three days in New York and Long Island.


    The last night of the party was in a mansion in Long Island. Many domestic and foreign dignitaries were invited to attend. Yan Liang had also heard that Miss Liang¡¯s fianc¨¦ had served as the personal assistant of a major financial wheeler dealer , and was now appointed as district manager for the fund in New York. Whoever saw the couple together could see that they were absolutely in love with each other.


    On the night of the party, Liang Ruiqiang¡¯s wife was naturally dressed to the nines. She was really young and beautiful.


    Although this was the first time that Yan Liang had seen her, she felt she had seen this woman before. She looked very familiar.


    Yan Liang frowned as she looked at her, until she suddenly heard someone say , ¡°Why are you unable to turn your eyes away from her?¡±


    Yan Liang was surprised for a moment. She withdrew her gaze to see Lu Zheng standing in front of her.


    He handed her a glass of wine.


    She looked down at the glass as she took it.


    She sipped it and then couldn¡¯t help but look at Liang Ruiqiang and his wife again.


    But this time, Mrs Liang caught her staring at her.


    Slightly perplexed, Mrs Liang nodded at Yan Liang with a smile.


    To conceal her embarrassment, Yan Liang tried to smile as well when suddenly something flashed in her brain and her smile stiffened.


    She immediately put down her glass and took out her phone from the handbag.


    Her sudden eagerness to look for her phone attracted the concern of Lu Zheng, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Yan Liang just shook her head silently, and kept looking at her phone.


    Finally she found what she was looking for, the scandal about Jiang Yu Nan nearly a year ago.


    At that time, the entertainment news networks had caught Jiang Yu Nan entering a private club with a mysterious woman.


    At the end of the news item, the reporter had even suggestively added, ¡° At the time of the press release, the two were still in the club.¡±


    The photo with the news was not clear, but at that time she was able to recognise at a glance who that man was.


    ..and the graceful woman on the photo..


    At this moment in the party, her brain had flashed this image, forcing her to look at Mrs Liang..


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    Wasn¡¯t she the woman who had been photographed with Jiang Yu Nan entering the private club ?

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72


    Wasn¡¯t she the woman the media had photographed? The one who entered the private club with Jiang Yu Nan ?


    Yan Liang took a step back.


    Fortunately, Lu Zheng caught her in time.


    Looking at her, Lu Zheng saw her perturbed. ¡° What¡¯s the matter ?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling ill?¡±


    Yan Liang looked up to him, reluctantly shook her head and smiled .


    The villa on the first floor was connected to the garden and swimming pool and the banquet was arranged around the pool. The house was full of guests. Yan Liang waited till Liang Ruiqiang toasted everyone with his wife. Half an hour later, Yan Liang was chatting with Mrs Liang. They were both of a similar age . While they chatted, Lu Zheng was slightly worried, but when he saw her face was relaxed, he was assured enough to leave and moved towards his own friends.


    Mrs Liang was actually interested in cosmetics. She spoke about ther intention to participate in J¡¯appelle in the future. Liang Ruiqiang looked on indulgently as the two women chatted. Such an all powerful figure like him, stood to the side, quietly holding his glass, listening to them and nodding his head from time to time.


    Till his servant found him and told him,¡± Miss is looking for you.¡±


    He hugged his wife and said ¡° I¡¯ll go and check.¡±


    And finally there was just Yan Liang and Mrs Liang. The waiter carried in a tray, Mrs Liang took two wine glasses from the tray and gave one to Yan Liang. ¡° What were we talking about ?¡±


    Yan Liang smiled and took the glass, then suddenly changed the topic, ¡° Mrs Liang, do you know Jiang Yu Nan ?¡±


    Mrs Liang was clearly surprised.


    She was silent for a few seconds, then took a sip and immediately coughed. She replied, ¡° I have heard the name but haven¡¯t seen this person, why do you ask suddenly ?¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing !¡± Yan Liang said as she sipped her drink. She had no idea what the drink tasted like. ¡° You just said that you were working in a cosmetics company before you met your husband . You also mentioned that you worked on the full-win sales model. As far as I know, the CGCM company was the one that first implemented that model.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t I remembered it correctly?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mrs. Liang said, still smiling, but this smile had stiffened.


    Yan Liang nodded and continued : ¡°I just suddenly recalled that Jiang Yu Nan was the executive president of CGCM before he joined Xu. He was promoted very fast and even became the first Chinese president of that company since its inception. He won that post because he was the one that proposed the implementation of the full win sales model to increase profits.¡±


    ¡° This person is so outstanding ? Unfortunately , I was only in CGCM for a few months , I don¡¯t think Mr Jiang was around at that time.¡±


    The woman hid her emotions very well. Yan Liang was about to push her a little bit more when she suddenly interrupted , ¡° A friend is calling me. I¡¯ll leave . We should talk again later.¡±


    Yan Liang followed her line of sight and looked back to see a white man waving at her.


    She quietly straightened, looked up and took a sip from the glass.


    Yan Liang left before the reception was over and returned to the hotel. She had yet to change her dress, she had just taken off her high heels and was pacing up and down the room.


    She could not figure out anything, she dared not think about some likely conclusions, her mind was going numb from all those thoughts.


    After hesitating for nearly half an hour, she decided to dial a number.


    Why has my lawyer still not heard from you ? After thinking for half an hour, this is what she decided to start the conversation with. But unfortunately she felt very anxious as the phone rang.


    The phone connected and she immediately started, ¡° Jiang¡­¡±


    ¡° The number you have dialled has been switched off.¡±


    A cold and mechanical voice answered her.


    She was stunned, and couldn¡¯t think of what to do next. She only recovered from her daze when the prompt was repeated a third time and she finally hung up the phone.


    At this point, she suddenly heard the door bell.


    ¡°Ding dong -¡±


    The crisp sound of the bell sent a chill through her heart. In the next second, it rang again. Yan Liang looked at her cell phone and then at the door..


    Impossible..


    She rushed to open the door. What she was anticipating, even she didn¡¯t know clearly. Until she opened the door and saw the person standing outside ¨C not that person, but Lu Zheng. At this time, her inner voice faintly told her : she had finally lost all connection with him completely¡­


    Lu Zheng looked at the woman at the door,¡± Why haven¡¯t you changed yet ?¡±


    Yan Liang kept standing at the door without any expression. It seemed she was reluctant to allow him into the room. Lu Zheng only smiled ,¡± Are you ill?¡±


    Yan Liang did not answer him, she was silent. Suddenly she called him, ¡° Lu Zheng !¡±


    Although her voice was neutral, lu Zheng felt something was amiss.


    ¡± ¡°I booked my return ticket for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you planning to stay for two more days?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Zheng¡¯s smile inadvertently disappeared. But he was a gentleman, and he smiled again, ¡° Ok. Which flight did you book yourself in? I will return with you tomorrow as well.¡±


    ¡°No, really, its fine .¡±


    In so long, this was the first time that she had explicitly rejected the


    man.


    ¡° A person once lived here¡±, Yan Liang pointed to her own heart.


    ¡°Do not say it¡­¡±


    Unfortunately , his protests fell on deaf ears. She continued to speak. ¡° Later , I ruthlessly ejected that person from my heart. Even I don¡¯t dare to think back how much pain I had to go through for that. You really think, after all that, someone can live in my heart again ?¡±


    Finally , his smile had completely disappeared.


    ¡°You should leave now¡±, Yan Liang said as she prepared to shut the door,


    At this moment, the situation was dire. He could see the door gradually shutting, and the woman¡¯s face slowly disappearing from his view. He suddenly raised his hand to stop the door from closing .


    He had never been angry with her. But this time there was a sudden surge of anger. He pushed the door back with such force that it banged against the wall with a loud noise.


    It seemed Yan Laing had anticipated his reaction , she had anticipated all his actions and even expected him to roar at her.


    Assault her ? He would like to be good, but what he did next was completely unexpected¡­


    He smiled. As he looked at her, all his wrath seemed to have vanished instantly and was replaced by a huge sense of loss and helplessness. ¡° Don¡¯t I already know that ? If it were earlier, I would have calmly let you go, telling myself there are many other fishes in the sea . But ¡­¡±


    He seemed to be stymied for words. The first emotional statement in his life was badly articulated, like that of a child.


    After a pause, he finally spoke , ¡° I have heard the story of Zhou Cheng and your sister .¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡±Ninety-nine percent of people would despise her, wouldn¡¯t they ?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I do not know what to say, but I can tell you now that I am your Zhou Cheng.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I love you, there is no reason for that love, no principle. Just love.. ¡­ ¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ No dignity


    She couldn¡¯t speak. She wished she had never heard anything, she wished he wouldn¡¯t be as calm as he was now. Then she wouldn¡¯t be so ¡­.distressed.


    Lu Zheng took a step to come closer to her. Now there was only a small distance between them- an invisible line. Should he cross it ?


    He raised her chin.


    He looked down in the eyes of the woman, his reflection humble in her eyes.


    He bent his body slightly


    Eventually he just kissed her forehead.


    He was humble, and he was careful..


    ¡°Good night !¡±


    *** ***


    J¡¯appelle managed to survive on its own even under the pressure from Li Bo.


    Her last holiday was the five days she spent in New York, after that , she poured herself into work.


    She stayed at home very little. No matter how busy, no matter which city she was in, every night she would always wish good night to one man.


    ¡°I love you, there is no reason for that love, no principle. Love.. ¡­¡±


    Every word of that sentence still echoed in her ear. Every ¡° Good night ¡° was like a knife to her heart.


    Was it a knife that eliminated the scars in her heart, so she would accept a person in her heart ?


    Yan Liang would rather die of overwork than think of the answer to this question.


    J¡¯appelle¡¯s flagship store was inaugurated. Yan Liang was scheduled to be on the field, she had no intentions to rush back and participate in the opening ceremony, so she informed her assistant and the Vice President was to cut the ribbon.


    Fortunately, she completed the contract earlier than anticipated. She did not inform her assistant and just bought her own tickets to come back.


    She caught the ribbon cutting ceremony of the store in the nick of time.


    An MC presided over the opening ceremony, as he announced the name of the guests, the Vice President suddenly saw Yan Liang at tHe door of the lounge.


    Everyone was surprised, ¡° Ms Yan !¡±


    The others were very happy. Only the assistant was a bit fearful, but she soon put on a delighted look,¡± How did you make it back ?¡±


    Yan Liang smiled in answer, but she didn¡¯t speak. Then she turned her attention to the spokesperson and the top team downstairs.


    The spokespersons were a line up of stars. The store was already surrounded by fans and the media. The scene was very festive . The MC announced the ribbon cutting, Yan Liang was given the scissors and she cut the ribbon. A historic moment.


    The media frantically clicked pictures of the smiling faces.


    As the shutters flashed, Yan Liang¡¯s eyes swept across the crowd, but because of the continuous flashes, she could not see anything.


    When the flash was interrupted for a few seconds, her vision was partially restored. Opposite her, there was a sea of people. In the light and shadow, her eyes suddenly widened..


    There was someone in the crowd..


    Yan Liang never thought that she would see jiang Yu Nan in this place¡­


    But before she could be sure, the flash went off again and a bright blue light engulfed her line of sight.


    ¡­¡­ ¡­

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73


    Finally the flashes stopped. As her eyes adapted to the light, Yan Liang hurried and looked around the crowd ¨C where was he ?


    She looked at the sea of strange faces, her expression gradually turned to disappointment- was it just her illusion ?


    People noticed her still standing motionless, they all looked at each other in askance, till her assistant came up to her side and whispered in her ears, ¡° Ms Yan?¡±


    Yan Liang recovered her composure, turned around and walked back to the room.


    Just as she was about to step through the door, she was suddenly curious, stopped and looked back again.


    In the distance she could see a figure at the periphery of the crowd, evidently moving in the direction of a black car parked by the side of the road.


    The man was dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans, his back was to the crowd, but his height and carriage made him stand out in the melee so that Yan Liang could see him immediately


    Someone came down from the car, walked around and opened the door for him. Seeing that this person was about a to get into the car, suddenly an idea flashed in Yan Liang¡¯s brain, she rushed out of the store, surrounded by journalists and countless spectators, straight towards the car


    ¡° Jiang Yu Nan!¡±


    The noise around nearly overwhelmed the shout, but the figure froze.


    However, after a second, he quickly got into the car, closed the door and the car accelerated away immediately.


    The reporters all looked at this woman in surprise as she chased the car for some distance. Finally, she had to stop.


    Yan Liang stood in the middle of the road, staring in the direction of the car, her eyes soulless.


    The black Bentley quickly merged with the traffic. The side mirror still reflected the lonely figure of the woman. The driver looked at the mirror, and then at Jiang Yu Nan sitting in the backseat. He was just quietly sitting there , the driver didn¡¯t know why he thought Jiang Yu Nan looked both depressed and pained.


    Finally, he couldn¡¯t help but tentatively ask, ¡° Mr Jiang, should I ..stop?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan raised his face, the looked at his own image in the rearview mirror. How can he meet her now?


    Finally, he just smiled, shook his head and looked at the small card in his hand.


    The organisers had distributed these cards just before the opening ceremony as a small gimmick. People were supposed to write their wishes on this card, and a lucky draw would¡¯ve determine the winner who would get his wish.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s wish was only four words: I wish you success


    The opening of the flag ship store was the first step of success. Jiang Yu Nan chose to witness this. This should just have been a simple blessing, but ultimately he had no courage, he didn¡¯t feel he was in any position to send this to her¡­


    The car moved farther and farther and the lonely figure reflected in the mirror became smaller and smaller till it disappeared completely.


    Before leaving the hospital, the injection he had taken was now showing its potent effects. At home, he changed his clothes and looked at himself in the mirror .. he still looked like the cool Jiang Yu Nan, no flaws were visible.


    ¡­¡­ This home ¡­


    Jiang Yu Nan didn¡¯t even know if this place could be called ¡®home¡¯. He hasn¡¯t been living here for a long time, but the staff still cleaned the rooms everyday, watered the gardens everyday, the dressing room still had that unique fragrance, as if everything was unchanged, as if she had never lived here..


    As he wore his watch, he came downstairs. Secretary lee had arrived and was was waiting for him in the living room on the first floor.


    As he saw Jiang Yu Nan, he worriedly asked him , ¡° How did you get discharged ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan only faintly said, ¡° Lets go back to Li.¡± The secretary closely followed Jiang Yu Nan as he walked towards the door.


    Secretary Li frowned as he saw Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s resolute back. He knew he was in no condition to be discharged, but he gritted his teeth to stop himself from saying anything.


    As he drove , Secretary Lee updated Jiang Yu Nan about the details of the situation.¡± This month, Li Bo¡¯s turnover fell by 30%. Jiang Shi Jun had actually sold Xu to alleviate the pressure on capital due to the acquisitions by Li Bo and to lay the groundwork for expansion in foreign markets, but now¡­¡±


    ¡° How does he intend to deal with J¡¯appelle?¡± Jiang Yu Nan asked as he continued to look down and scan the documents the secretary had given him.


    ¡° Jiang Shi Jun now intends to change the strategy, so that they focus on the domestic industry. If Li focusses in the domestic industry, they are the big boss, and j¡¯appelle will lose market share and dealers. But he has another problem. After all , he was the one that proposed the sale of Xu to Liang Ruiqiang and that turned out to be a huge mistake. Now whatever proposal he will bring , the board will carefully consider. Now his most distressing problem is how to to get the consent of the board. ¡°


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan did not make any comments. Sitting in the front seat, secretary lee looked back at him in order to figure out what he was thinking, ¡° You intend to protect J¡¯appelle from harm I presume ?¡±


    It¡¯s his default position, isn¡¯t it ?


    Secretary lee continued, ¡° So as long as we urge the Board of directors to reject Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s proposal ..¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan interrupted him,¡± Not so fast..¡±


    That confused Secretary Lee.


    Jiang Yu Nan explained, ¡° We need to think of ways to make the board agree to shift focus from overseas markets to domestic markets. Once Jiang Shi Jun thinks he can recover lost ground in the domestic market, we will create a fiasco so that investments are stopped and the board goes against him.


    Miumiu : this guy is so Machiavellian!!


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° Make a detailed plan that we will submit to each of the directors to persuade them to support Jiang Shi Jun.¡±


    Secretary Li opened his mouth slightly in astonishment. His mind quickly tried to comprehend the plan and finally he was able to understand the words of Jiang Yu Nan. He nodded again and again, ¡° Ok.¡±


    Secretary lee then called the relevant departments, issued orders. As he spoke on the phone, he couldn¡¯t help but look back .


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes were closed, he looked tired.


    Who would have thought that this capable businessman had been greviously ill for so long¡­


    He shook his head and once again paid attention to the call.


    As soon as the car arrived in Li building Jiang Yu Nan walked to his office. He hadn¡¯t been in the office for more than ten minutes when Jiang Shi Jun heard the news and came in, ¡° I thought that woman hit you so badly, you were planning to hide away for the rest of your life.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan quickly signed the numerous documents lying on his desk awaiting his signature. Then he raised his head , ¡° I gave myself a long holiday to adjust and now I¡¯m back at work.¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun nodded, sighed along with Jiang Yu an Nan and then irritably pulled the chair opposite Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s to sit down. ¡° I warned you many times that to deal with her is like putting your head into the lions¡¯s mouth. It is hard to tame a beast, sooner or later your head will be bitten off.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan paused while signing, looked up at Jiang Shu Jun and smiled self deprecatingly.


    Jiang Shi Jun seemed to gauge the pain behind the simple smile. He actually gently comforted him, ¡° Don¡¯t worry. You help me take care of Li Bo. Is she trying to build an aircraft carrier from the scraps of Xu ? She is still inexperienced.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was noncommittal. In a neutral tone, he asked him, ¡° I heard you want to turn the focus back to the domestic market? The board of directors must be difficult to convince. ¡°


    The old fox immediately suspected something , ¡° Two years ago, weren¡¯t you willing to help this woman out ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan smiled ambiguously, but did not answer the question. He just gave the old fox a satisfactory solution, ¡° I have people working on a plan that should help you persuade the shareholders.¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun finally breathed a sigh of relief and remarked , ¡°For a long time , I haven¡¯t seen this ruthless side of you. I really missed it. This is what you were before you started worrying about a woman. ¡°


    Then he looked at the watch and got up. ¡° I told Luo Dong to come in half an hour later. Today we are entertaining several directors. Come and join me. I will let your assistant know which nightclub it is.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan nodded his head with a smile.


    As soon as Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s figure disappeared outside the office, his smile disappeared. In this game, no one was better than him.


    At 9 pm, Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s assistant called up Secretary Lee from one of the city¡¯s famous nightclubs.¡± Where is Mr Jiang ? Didn¡¯t you tell me half an hour ago that he is on his way ?¡±


    Secretary Lee silently sighed. As far as possible , he tried not to sound too strange, ¡° I¡¯m sorry Mr Jiang had some urgent work.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    After a few more words, he hung up the phone.


    At this time , there was a sudden gust of wind in the corridor.


    Holding the phone, Secretary Lee was sitting on a bench.From time to time, he looked up anxiously at the operating theatre opposite the bench.


    The door was closed and the red light was still on..


    What Jiang Yu Nan said in the ambulance still echoed in his ear, ¡°I can¡¯t be sick now, this is the time to attack¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡± ¡°If ¡­ ¡­ I don¡¯t survive the operation, please get this CD safely to the police..¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° For her, I¡­I ..can only¡­ do this much¡­¡±

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74


    The surgery went on for more than ten hours.By the time Jiang Yu Nan was moved out of the operating theatre, it was afternoon on the next day.


    The surgeon had been invited from abroad by the attending physician. When he saw the secretary run up anxiously asking about the situation, he was too tired to talk and only nodded gently indicating a positive result.


    Jiang Yu Nan was wheeled into the intensive care unit. Secretary Lee looked in from outside, a thousand thoughts going through his head when the attending physician also walked in the ICU.


    To see this figure in coma surrounded by myriad medical equipments, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh.¡± It¡¯s really tragic. He has no family to support him and sign documents when he is so critically ill.¡±


    ¡°Mr Jiang anticipated that unexpected situations may arise. He had authorised me in advance to sign surgery related documents in case he was unconscious or in a coma.¡±


    ¡° He has survived an operation and two more surgeries to go. God will bless him.¡±


    The success rate of each operation was only 10 % . The conditional probability of surviving all of these operations , multiplied three times by itself ¡­Secretary Lee shook his head, he couldn¡¯t bear to calculate.


    The attending physician quickly left. Intending to go home to rest, Secretary Lee left the hospital and drove Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car back to Li. As he took the elevator from the parking lot , he bumped into Jiang Shi Jun and his assistant on the first floor.


    Secretary Lee was taken aback for a moment. He instinctively bowed to avoid Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s eyes .¡± Mr Jiang, good afternoon.¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun looked around but couldn¡¯t see any sign of Jiang Yu Nan and asked ,¡± Where is Jiang Yu Nan?¡±


    ¡° He went to visit the new site and I came back to get some documents.¡± His answer seamless, Jiang Shi Jun nodded in satisfaction.


    The elevator soon arrived at the 61st floor. Secretary lee finally left and bid farewell to Jiang Shi Jun respectfully. Then he walked all the way from the elevator to the presidents office, got in and locked the door.


    Jiang Yu Nan had mentioned a safe behind the painting. The secretary used the password to retrieve the CD from the safe.


    Just as he put the CD into the computer, his phone rang.


    This was an overseas call from the other side of the Atlantic.


    At this time, the disc had started playing. It seemed to be footage from a close circuit camera of the roof of some building.


    The footage had no sound and Lee watched it as he answered the phone.


    It was a woman¡¯s voice. As soon as the call was connected, she said, ¡° Has she figured out everything ?¡±


    ¡° You mean Yan Liang?¡± Secretary Lee¡¯s tone was derisive, ¡°No!¡±


    ¡° That¡¯s impossible!¡± She said. ¡° I told you earlier. In my stepdaughter¡¯s party she asked me a bunch of puzzling questions. She was certainly trying to trace back the connection with Liang Ruiqiang , and she clearly realised you were involved. She should be eager to confirm this , how is it possible that she hasn¡¯t acted on it yet ?¡±


    Secretary Lee continued staring at the computer, but unfortunately, till now, all it was showing was an empty roof. Even the camera had not moved


    ¡°I promised Jiang that I would not tell Yan Liang the truth, which I must do, but I never promised that I will not give her some clues. So when you told me about this situation, I did not tell Jiang. I am beginning to doubt the real relationship between her and Jiang. She had a good start, I have been waiting for her to come here , but all she seems to care about is the new company. She simply decided not to continue to investigate this trail.¡±


    ¡° She must be a terrible woman. What is she worried about ? Knowing that Jiang has always been behind her to pave the way for her ? Because this will upset all her earlier misconceptions ?¡±


    In this regard, Secretary Lee remained non committal. On the one side, there was a patient fighting for life, and the other side there was her, smiling in front of the media while cutting a ribbon, the epitome of a strong woman. The two pictures juxtaposed themselves in his mind, the contrast was ironic. He sighed helplessly,¡± I¡¯ll speak to you later on this matter. Now the top priority is to manage Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s condition, so as to avoid..¡±


    He suddenly stopped what he was saying.


    Two figures appeared one after another on the computer screen, it was no longer solitary on the roof. The two people seemed to be talking, but their backs were to the camera so the faces were not visible.


    Secretary Lee¡¯s sudden silence puzzled the woman on the other side of the phone, ¡° Why aren¡¯t you talking ?¡±


    ¡° Nothing..¡±, the video was silent so Lee had no idea what they were talking about. He pulled his attention towards the conversation on phone, ¡° Just need to deal with Jiang¡¯s condition¡­.¡±


    Suddenly the two people started physically fighting.


    Secretary lee was stunned. He saw one of them lose balance and fall off the rooftop, his whole body hanging mid air.


    The man desperately grasped the railing. Seeing he was about to fall, the other man standing on the rooftop reached out to help him finally. Secretary lee was in a cold sweat. He breathed out in relief and was about to sit back when there was a sudden action. ¡° No!¡± He shouted and stood up. On the screen, the man who was about to be rescued had fallen off the rooftop to the ground floor.


    Everything had happened too fast, Secretary Lee had missed the most important scene. He rewound the disc.


    This time he finally saw how the dangling man grabbed the other man¡¯s hand, and how the so called rescuer used his other hand to pry apart his fingers one by one..


    The murderer wiped the railing with his sleeve and turned his face away from the camera. But this time,Secretary Lee did not miss it.For a split second , he clearly saw the face¡­Jiang Shi Jun.


    *** ***


    In the huge office of the president, secretary lee stayed staring at the computer screen for more than an hour.


    The face reflected on the window clearly showed that he was shell shocked.


    Opposite the Li Bo building, a car had been quietly parked for more than an hour.


    Sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, Yan Liang looked at the building through the window . She had seen Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car parked in the underground car parking not far from the entrance .


    On the 61st floor was the president¡¯s office. Yan Yan was now looking at the window, imagining him in his office, frowning. But she had not courage to even take half a step forward , whether to step into the Li Bo building or whether to step into¡­ the man¡¯s heart.


    She anxiously drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. Time was passing very slowly. Many times she started the car to drive away, but every time she turned it off again and continued her meaningless wait.


    Soon it was evening. When she saw Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car come out of the parking lot, she immediately thought, should she follow him? Follow him and say something ? If he is really connected to Liang Ruiqiang, what did that mean ? Was it another trap for her, a bigger one ?


    ( Miumiu : my heart breaks for them.even at this point she can¡¯t trust him completely..)


    She had already tasted the bitter pill of betrayal. How hopeless, how bitter it was¡­ she , more than anyone else was aware of that.


    She could see the car hidden in the traffic. After a moment of thought, she instinctively started the car and accelerated to catch up with his car.


    The rush hour had just started, the congestion was serious, Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car seemed to be in a hurry to go somewhere. It kept honking to clear the way whenever it¡¯s way was obstructed.


    Yan Liang trailed behind. She tightly held the steering wheel,as if this would allow her to drain the tension she was feeling. Finally she followed the car¡­to the hospital.


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car stopped at the gate. Ten meters away, Yan Liang also braked suddenly. She frowned as she looked through the window, her eyes catching the signs of the hospital. She shook her head, it was too late to think now, so she speeded in through the entrance .


    She had not yet entered the parking lot when Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car parked suddenly. What was this huge rush to the hospital about? Was someone sick ?


    Yan Liang was causally guessing when she was astonished to see Secretary Lee get off the car and disappear from her field of vision. Even if Yan Liang now got off the car, she would not be able to find him.


    The hospital was huge, sick patients and their companions were coming and going. Yan Liang looked around and could not figure out which way to go.


    At that moment, a terrible idea flashed in her mind.


    Her mind flashed back to the ribbon cutting ceremony the day before. When the flash lights had stopped and her vision was cleared, she suddenly recalled that when she saw Jiang Yu Nan hiding in the crowd, his face looked weak and pale..


    She shook her head hard, as if to dislodge this terrible idea from her brain. Rationality back in place, she arrived at the reception area and went straight to the nurses on duty. She asked, ¡° Is there anyone called Jiang Yu Nan as a patient here ?¡±


    The answer felt so unreasonable to her, ¡° Sorry, we can¡¯t disclose patient information ¡°


    With no evident clue, she would just have to search ward by ward.


    In the next two hours , she visited numerous wards and read the patient¡¯s name on every single door. In her heart, her inner voice was praying, ¡° Please let me not see Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s name, please¡­¡±


    And when her prayers were answered in all the general wards, when she didn¡¯t see ¡® Jiang Yu nan¡¯, these three words on any card, her heart felt some relief. But in the next moment , she tensed again..if not the general ward, then the ICU..


    Her head blank, she almost rushed to the ICU. The moment she pushed the door, she lost all her courage. She knew more than anyone else what this meant.


    Her hands stiff as she stood outside for a long time , she ultimately didn¡¯t have the courage to open the door. She only gazed inside through the door.


    She could see Secretary Li anxiously pacing up and down, and from time to time looking solemnly inside the room.


    Panicked, she looked down at the floor.


    In her heart, a voice screamed in protest, forbidding her to look up again. But Yan Liang raised her head again, and held her breath as she looked into the ICU.


    Just one look and she anxiously stepped backwards, bumping into a cart being pushed by a nurse.


    With a ¡®crack¡¯ , the things on the cart fell to the floor. Scared, Yan Liang looked back. Her eyes were soulless as she stared at the broken glass scattered on the floor¡­


    *** ***


    Jiang Yu Nan took a full three days to wake up from his coma.


    Secretary Li had been keeping vigilance at the hospital. Looking at the exhausted man, Jiang Yu Nan guessed, ¡° Have you seen the contents of the disc?¡±


    Secretary Lee nodded.


    In the silence, the medical equipment issued a monotonous sound. ¡° Drip- drip- drip.¡± Like a man¡¯s life gradually passing away..


    ¡°You..when did you learn that your father did not commit suicide due to depression but rather¡­¡± secretary lee found it difficult to say.


    ¡° Soon after the funeral of Xu JinFu.¡±


    Secretary Lee stared at him. Now wonder he had started implementing his plan¡­


    In contrast to the shocked expression of the secretary, Jiang Yu Nan only frowned slightly, ¡° My father¡¯s grave was the first place I went. I wanted to tell him, Xu is finished, but I couldn¡¯t because of my personal feelings. It¡¯s ironic , I didn¡¯t get any joy, but got this disk instead.¡±


    His laugh was so bitter.


    Fate was using the most devious ways to tease him, and the most brutal ways to end him.


    Secretary lee could not bear to look at him directly. He bowed his head and said, ¡° Mr Jiang , you rest well. Don¡¯t talk too much..¡±


    But Jiang Yu Nan was recalling the past. He tore apart the bandages on those old wounds, as if to remind himself he was still alive, ¡° When I saw the reports first, they told me I would live till next year at least . But now..I had calculated that I had enough time before my death to implement every step. But I didn¡¯t realise that after every step was implemented, I would not be alive to see the day when Jiang Shi Jun becomes bankrupt and goes to jail.¡±


    Secretary lee gritted his teeth and finally blurted out, ¡° Mr Jiang, I ¡­¡±


    Did Jiang Yu Nan guess what he was going to say ?


    Otherwise why would he quietly interrupt him and say, ¡° My only wish now is that before I die, I am able to give her everything back but still have her hate me. That is the only way she can live happily even after I die.¡±


    He really had guessed Secretary lee¡¯s intentions, else why would he warn him so coldly, ¡° If you tell her what she shouldn¡¯t know, that would be the most cruel thing you could do to me.¡±


    *******


    Miumiu : And Now.. I just felt like sharing a scene from the novel I am reading now ..The male lead is Qin Shao and the female lead is Lu Xin ran. Her family was bankrupted 7 years ago and she had learned QS is responsible for it..


    Qin Shao was silent and didn¡¯t speak. After a long time, his mouth issued one syllable. Over the sound of the steam coming through the vents, I heard him faintly and doubted my ears, ¡° What did you say ?¡±


    Qin Shao looked at my eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡±


    Since I had learned that Qin Shao hated my family, I had sealed up my heart in transparent vacuum bags. No matter what he said, I was going to be unmoved and carry out my plans. But these three words were like bayonets piercing into the sealed bags. His word let the air whistling in , and I lost my sanity.


    I took the coffee mug on the table and threw it at the glass wall. The glass immediately shattered, the mug fell on the outside steps, shuddered and then fell apart. I told the shattered glass, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Next to us, the shop assistant looked in horror. Someone even suggested calling the police.


    I looked at Qin Shao, ¡°Did you see?I said ¡® I¡¯m sorry¡¯. You tell me, how are the glass pieces not taking the initiative to obediently get back together, in their respective places, and then happily tell me that it doesn¡¯t matter? Qin Shao, when you say you¡¯re sorry, that¡¯s what you mean. You want me to thank you for Xie Longen, thank you for your generosity. Incredibly you still have the evil spirit to put up an apologetic posture and say sorry? I¡¯m not so magnanimous . I¡¯m sorry . I can¡¯t live with you. ¡±


    Qin Shao Looked at me, his eyes full of sympathy and affection. I couldn¡¯t stand his stare, especially that look. He made me unable to discern, whether this was his true personality or merely a pretence to bully me


    But under his gaze, I felt words bubbling out. I could participate in the National speech contest, I picked up a broken piece of glass and slit my left wrist with it. Blood immediately welled up then dropped on to the white tiled floor. I stretched out my left hand for him to see, ¡° Qin Shao,were you waiting for me for a long time?


    That day when you put me in with the wolves, I still slept. Were you uncomfortable ? I am telling you, I am not afraid of anything, not even of death. I have begged you to kill me before, so you think that now that Wen Xiotian is back, you can use him to make me do what you want ? I am telling you ¨C no way!¡±


    Qin Shao pressed down on my wrist desperately and pulled me to go out. He looked at me with my bloody hands, my face pale, and he was really scared.


    I stood where I was , insisting on facing him : ¡°Are reluctant to let me die?How can you allow me to die so easily? You asked me why you should promise me, this is my answer. ¡±


    Qin Shao¡¯s face was suddenly stiff. He slapped me hard: ¡°Are you crazy? You dare to throw a tantrum and trifle with me because of Wen Xiotian ?¡±


    I stayed calm as he slapped me. I said: ¡°Not just Wen Xiaotian, there is Zheng Yanqi, and 30,000 bucks for December .¡±


    I did not hear Qin Shao¡¯s answer. He held my wound and lifted me up, and the blood slowly dripped on the white shirt he wore. A drop spread out like a flower on the spring mountains or the open azaleas in the plain.


    .


    He did not take the coat on his seat and rushed out. The teller chased behind him. He ignored him , and just took big steps forward. The teller ran over, pointing at the windows, probably wanting to ask for compensation. Qin Shao looked sideways and said: ¡°There is a wallet in the jacket with my business card. You first take care of it, I will then ask someone to contact you.¡±


    Miumiu : dramatic much ??????

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75


    It was ten o¡¯clock in the morning. The weekly meeting for J¡¯appelle was in progress.


    After the CEO and CFO had spoken, the advertising department announced some good news, ¡° We have already got 15 seconds of prime time in the TV station¡± , the head of the department said as his assistant circulated the relevant documents.


    This was the first time that J¡¯appelle was able to break Li¡¯s attempts at blocking a favourable advertising slot for J¡¯appelle


    But this was also the fourth time that Yan Liang¡¯s mind seemed to be somewhere else during the meeting.


    The assistant again reminded her, ¡° Ms Yan.¡± Yan Liang suddenly recovered, looked around and realised it was her turn to say something now.


    After the meeting, Yan Liang was back at her office. Computer , files on desk.. all were waiting for her attention.


    The Ya Yan project that was shelved two years ago was also restarting, and would keep her very busy for a while.


    The thought of visiting the R&D centre in the afternoon and then have dinner with Lu Zheng so she could socialise with the industry big wigs gave her a headache.


    She had not slept at all at night. As she forced herself to stay awake, her brain wondered and she unconsciously doodled on the document in front of her. When she looked down to see what she had written , she was startled¡­


    You can¡¯t do this now..


    Don¡¯t..


    Don¡¯t do this ¡­


    Wrong


    This is retribution..


    Retribution..


    Scrunching the paper , she threw it in the dustbin. She widened her eyes to keep the sleep away. While opening the document she dialled the intercom and asked her secretary to get her some coffee.


    Soon someone knocked on the door. She thought this was her secretary, she could smell the mellow aroma of the coffee. Yan Liang took the coffee while looking at the document.


    But the secretary did not leave. Puzzled, Yan Liang put the one down and looked up.


    Lu Zheng was standing at the table, his arms folded as he looked down at her . She was surprised by his appearance and faintly smiled,


    ¡° Why are you here ?¡±


    ¡° I was just passing by. Thought I¡¯d come up and see you.¡±


    She smiled in response. Then she picked up the phone to instruct her Secretary again,¡± Please get Mr Lu some coffee.¡±


    She hung up the phone and gave Lu Zheng an apologetic smile,¡± I¡¯m very busy today, I have no time to chat with you.¡±


    Lu Zheng did not react. He looked at the table full of documents and looked at her with worry, ¡° I heard your assistant say


    that you are working very hard for a long time. You are not getting enough rest.¡±


    ¡° There is..¡± lu Zheng suddenly leaned close, he bent his head near her neck. Her neck had always been her most sensitive place, Yan Liang immediately sat back, but Lu Zheng moved back as well.¡± How some you smell of hospital disinfectants ?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° Are you sick ?¡±


    How could she tell him that she had been going to the hospital every night, not because she was ill, but to just sit there


    night after night ?


    She couldn¡¯t


    So she only smiled


    She knew he was gentleman enough not to ask again.


    **** ****


    In the evening dinner, although there were enough senior officers of J¡¯appelle including the marketing manager and so on, as host , Yan Liang had to drink a glass or two of wine and felt slightly fuzzy.


    There were some large scale distributors. Many of the second and third tier cities that J¡¯appelle could not touch earlier were in the hands of these people. They were old friends of the Ming Ting Group and had no direct interest with Li Group. Hence Yan Liang was asking them for their co operation .


    Many of them agreed , ¡° Ok! No problem. Tomorrow we can sign the contract. If Lu Zheng is here, how can we say no ?¡±


    After a while , the dealers were helped by their assistants out of the hotel. A follow up event was arranged in a nightclub . People scattered in all directions and Yan Liang got into her car.


    As she got into the car, she told the driver the name of the nightclub. Unexpectedly, Lu ZHeng came to her car. With half of his body leaning down, he told the driver, ¡°Please take Ms Yan home.¡±


    Yan Liang turned around to see him.


    ¡° I asked him to take you home, I will continue to accompany them to drink in the next event.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Before going to bed, remember to drink a cup of honey and


    water. ¡° Lu Zheng finished speaking and stood up again


    The driver, seeing that Yan Liang had no other orders, silently started the car.


    Yan Liang¡¯s hand rested on the window , her forehead rested on her arm. The driver thought she was asleep. Suddenly, she spoke in a faint voice, ¡° Go to the city hospital.¡±


    The driver thought he had heard it wrong. He looked back and saw Yan Liang sitting up straight , squinting at him with a pair of drunk eyes and reiterate, ¡° City hospital.¡±


    Then she lowered the window, and the darkness of the night flowed in the car like water.


    As soon as the car entered the hospital, Yan Liang was out of the door.


    She looked up and saw that the sky had brightened.


    She came here every night. And like all days, she came to the intensive care unit and sat down in the bench opposite.


    She still did not have the courage to open the door of the ICU. Every night she would just sit outside the door. As long as she didn¡¯t see the doctor rushing to see the patient, in the morning, she would return back to the office.


    This was a good time to come and go, she never bumped into Secretary Lee


    But she couldn¡¯t stop the nurses from approaching her ,¡±Which patient are you related to?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer and went out to the smoking room to smoke a cigarette. By the time she came back , the nurse had already left.


    Today there were nurses keeping an eye on her. Maybe because she was drunk, they looked at her suspiciously. Yan Liang did not look at them directly. She just went out for a smoke occasionally.


    Unexpectedly , this time when she came back she heard the nurses chatting ¡°¡­ he was being treated in a private hospital earlier. He was sent here because of a sudden worsening ..¡±


    ¡° It¡¯s no wonder he has his own medical team. He does not need to use public hospital facilities¡±


    ¡° I asked Director Lin. He says that if we transfer him now, he may lose his life.


    I think they will wait for his condition to stabilise before they move him back to a private hospital.¡±


    ¡°Oh.. don¡¯t know if he will live long enough to move into a stable condition.¡±


    The strength in her whole body suddenly drained out. She leaned against the door for a moment before she slid to the ground


    He may lose his life if we transfer him now ¡­.


    He may not live long enough to move to a stable condition ¡­.


    The words continued to echo in her ear as darkness gradually covered her eyes


    It seemed as if the dizziness had only claimed her for a few minutes, but it also felt as if she had been sleeping for several years. When she woke up, Yan Liang saw a face in front of her and was momentarily confused


    The specific hospital disinfectant smell was still all over her. She tried to move her fingers and found she was able to do so. She was no longer sitting on the cold ground but on a soft bed


    When she moved her fingers , she realised someone was holding her hand. She looked down. She saw a man sitting by the bed. He was the one holding her hand


    The hand being held was numb. She tried to withdraw her hand. This was what had woken her up


    As her sleepy eyes adapted to the light , he stood up suddenly and hugged her. In a relieved voice said, ¡°Finally you have woken up!¡±


    His embrace made Yan Liang a bit dizzy ,¡±You ¡­¡±


    ¡° I called you to find out if you had reached home safely. A nurse answered the phone and told me you had fainted in the corridor of the hospital.¡±


    Yan Liang tried to push him.Lu Zheng reacted, let go of her and carefully helped her lean against the headboard.


    ¡°You have been sleeping for two days.¡± His voice now had a trace of concern


    Yan Liang did not speak, she was still feeling dizzy.


    ¡°Doctor diagnosed that you are suffering from an extreme lack of sleep, neurasthenia. How did you get it this time? And how did you faint in the hospital? ¡°


    *neurasthenia ¨C an ill-defined medical condition characterized by lassitude, fatigue, headache, and irritability, associated chiefly with emotional disturbance.


    There was so much doubt, so much worry, so much concern that the normally clear thinking Lu Zheng sounded incoherent. Finally , looking at her pale face, he stopped questioning her.


    After a pause , lu Zheng caressed her forehead ,¡± You rest now. I will get the nurse to check on you.¡±


    His anxious footsteps echoed in the hall, leaving her alone, muttering to herself ¡°..two days?¡±


    ..Two days ¡­


    Was he still alive ?

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76


    Lu Zheng soon came back with the doctor. After inspecting Yan Liang the doctor told Lu Zheng : ¡°There should be no major problem, her only problem is that she is exhausted, it is best to stay in the hospital for a few days.¡±


    Lu Zheng felt some relief and asked the doctor what they needed to be careful about.


    The doctor narrated all his instructions one by one , then indulged in a bit of light hearted banter , ¡° Your husband is really nervous. In the last two days when you were unconscious , I haven¡¯t seen him look anywhere else but towards the bed.¡±


    Husband ?


    When Yan Liang tried to correct the doctor , he had already turned to Lu Zheng intending to say goodbye. ¡° I¡¯ll be with the intern visiting other rooms. I¡¯ll leave now but you can call me any time .¡±


    Lu Zheng accompanied the doctor to the door. When he came back , he saw Yan Liang silently staring at him


    He seemed to have instantly guessed what was going on, and before she opened her mouth, he walked to the window and explained, ¡°I did not specifically tell your doctor about our relationship, and did not realise that he misunderstood. ¡°


    Saying this , he pushed open the curtains.


    Yan Yan looked behind , it wasn¡¯t too late at night, but rather, evening. The last traces of sunlight were fading from the sky.


    Yan Liang looked at the sky, but her mind was somewhere else


    The CEO of a large company took full responsibility of her meals. He called home to ask the chef to prepare four dishes and a soup.Hearing him , Yan Liang gave a lot of specifications ¨C spicy , not too much salt , no onions, rice needs to be cooked till soft etc


    Lu Zheng¡¯s driver got food from his home for the first time. Lu Zheng watched as Yan Liang ate but barely moved his own chopsticks.


    There was a sudden throb of pain in her hand and she frowned as he pulled back her hand , unaware that Lu Zheng had noticed this.


    He didn¡¯t say anything. He pulled the stool to sit down near her , took the spoon in his hand , scooped the soup and brought it near her lips


    This only made Yan Liang even more uncomfortable so that she was unable to swallow


    Yan Liang stared at the spoon , then suddenly picked up the chopsticks from the bowl and devoured the food


    This was a refusal in disguise. Lu Zheng was taken aback , but as was his nature, he didn¡¯t say anything and quietly put the spoon down.


    Yan Liang finished the food soon and put aside the chopsticks. ¡° I am ok now , you go home and rest.¡±


    He smiled: ¡°You really do not want to see me?¡±


    Although his tone was joking, his eyes revealed a fragile emotion. In front of this man, even if she didn¡¯t have the courage , she couldn¡¯t be cruel, ¡°You are the one I rely on. I can¡¯t imagine how I can manage if you are tired.¡±


    Lu Zheng carefully thought about it and finally smiled and stood up ,¡±Then I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    Yan Liang didn¡¯t know whether she felt relieved or guilty as she watched Lu Zheng disappear through the door. But he suddenly came back and said,¡± You have already said no one can live in your heart anymore. But as long as I believe it, my dictionary will not have the words ¡® give up¡¯. I will take the time to prove you wrong.¡±


    His voice was very gentle, as if to heal all her scars.


    Can you really ?


    Yan Liang could almost believe she would get a second chance.


    (Miumiu : Isn¡¯t it ironic that Yan Liang envies XZ for having ZC by her side in the hospital, but when LZ literally provides the same support to her she can¡¯t wait for him to leave ? The heart wants want and it wants and is so irrational..)


    But after a few hours, in the dead of night, when Yan Liang woke up from a nightmare , when she could once again visualise the figure lying in the intensive care unit behind her closed eyes, the invisible scars starting throbbing with pain again


    This faint but consistent pain made her pull out the infusion needle , put on her slippers and leave the ward.


    From her ward to the intensive care unit, the journey normally took less than three minutes.


    But Yan Liang took more than ten minutes. When she reached the door, she was already tired. She slowed down as she felt dizzy


    At this point , she heard someone speak to her, ¡°Hello.¡±


    She looked up and saw a nurse looking like a young girl staring at her a while before continuing ,¡±Aren¡¯t you the lady who fainted here a couple of days ago?¡±


    Yan Liang looked at her but couldn¡¯t recall where she had seen her earlier


    The nurse however seemed to have recognised her ,¡± I just wanted to tell you that the patient has been transferred out of the ICU.¡±


    ¡° Transferred out ?¡±


    Did that mean that he had survived this time ?


    Yan Liang was unable to understand if she was shocked because she was overjoyed or because she was unwilling


    ¡° Every time I used to go there at night, I always found you sitting outside¡±, the nurse turned back and said, ¡°would you like to meet him now?¡±


    Thousands of words choked in her throat, but all Yan Liang said was ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan had now been transferred to a private hospital which meant that Yan Liang had again lost the connection.


    This time, Yan Liang thought back to the time he had disappeared for nearly half a month. Perhaps he was sick then too..


    And she couldn¡¯t speak to anyone about this


    What were the happenings in the past trying to to tell her ? Even Yan Liang was unable to understand clearly.


    ¡° I now believe in karma¡± she said. ¡° You treated Song Jinpeng unfairly, the Xu house was destroyed. Now Jiang Yu Nan destroyed the Xu house, and he is seriously ill, Xu Ziqing is on bail. But what about Jiang Shi jun? How did God spare him?¡±


    But opposite her, there was only Xu Jinfu¡¯s black and white photo to answer her, only his indifferent eyes.


    Hiwever Jiang Shi Jun had not stopped playing his tricks..


    Yan Liang was in a meeting when her assistant answered a phone call on behalf of her. But after listening to two or there sentences, the assistant¡¯s face changed and she anxiously walked to the conference table and interrupted Yan Liang¡¯s speech, ¡° Ms Yan.¡±


    As soon as Yan Liang looked up, the assistant whispered to her, ¡° The R&D manager ¡­¡±. Then she gave the phone to Yan Liang, ¡°.. it¡¯s urgent.¡±


    Yan Liang took the phone and moved towards the window to answer it


    The R&D manager was talking very fast, clearly showing he was anxious, ¡° Ms Yan, we¡¯ve received reliable information that Li is developing a new range of cosmetics similiar to Ya Yan.¡±


    ¡°What ?!¡± Yan Liang could not help but exclaim out loud.


    ¡±And they also intend to release it before us.¡±


    The severity of the problem was evident. Yan Liang¡¯s brain was immediately searching for a solution. She asked: ¡°Where did you get the


    news?¡±


    The R & D manager did not answer, but went on to say: ¡°We got some of their samples, we just sent it to the laboratory for comparison. ¡°


    This time Yan Liang left the meeting and walked toward the door of the conference room, ¡° After the results come back, send it to the head office immediately.¡±


    The results were out in less than half a day and placed on Yan Liang¡¯s desk. She quickly read the reports and felt as if she was hit by a thunderbolt


    She suddenly remembered when Xu Ziqing had worked with Jiang Shi Jun, ultimately the North American release of Secret had been obstructed because of allegations of plagiarism . Angrily she slammed the file on her desk.¡±How can the same thing happen again ?¡±

 Chapter 77

    Nothing much happening in here but it sets the scene for Chapter 78 which is very angsty.. you can¡¯t help but feel bad for JYN and YL in that one and wonder whether their love is actually doomed¡­


    I¡¯m going to wrap up this novel by Sunday latest. Then start on Same room..


    It is a short one, only 21 pages. Right now some major life changes are scheduled from May so I don¡¯t want to pick up something too long.


    But if you have suggestions for my new project after Same room ( which should be done by May end) feel free to drop me a comment..and I may pick it up depending on how things look like after May


    Chapter 77


    Yan Liang¡¯s assistant had seldom seen Yan Liang in such a rage. The R&D manager sitting opposite also did not dare say a word


    Yan Liang calmed herself down, ¡° We are lucky that this thing was discovered early.The two formulas are so similar , this cannot be a coincidence. There is a spy inside your R&D team.¡±


    The manager nodded in agreement, ¡° What we need to do now is to quickly oust the spy.¡±


    If they wanted to prevent Jiang Shi Jun from launching his products before them , not only could they not stop the R&D process, they would in fact need to speed it up a lot.


    But they couldn¡¯t have a day of peace till the spy was identified.


    Yan Liang thought about what to do. She finally said , ¡° Jiang Shi Jun not only copied the formula of Secret, even the product packaging and the positioning was similar. I think there are more than one spy in this matter. I will give you ten days to find them.¡±


    ¡° I will now call the project and program directors. First let¡¯s have a meeting with them, then we can do a verification of the employees, find out who is involved..¡±


    Ten days¡­


    Time was short, the manager did not have much time to think. Seeing Yan Liang pick up the phone, he said , ¡° First I will suspend the R&D process, then , once we uncover the spies..¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Yan Liang exclaimed. ¡° The R&D must continue as usual.¡±


    Obviously the manager was unable to understand and could only ask Yan Liang, ¡° What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°If the process is now suspended, Jiang Shijun will soon receive the news, he


    will either decide to stop, or to speed up the pace, so they can launch the product before us. No matter what he decides, I will be at a disadvantage. ¡±


    The R & D manager looked at Yan Liang smiling faintly, and understood.


    Yan Liang , her face again solemn, then instructed him,¡± If he loves plagiarism so much, I will let him copy a problematic product.¡±


    *** ***


    The spy was hidden really deep. In order not to alert Jiang Shi Jun, the manager could not check blatantly, so it was taking a lot longer to find the spy. Instead of sitting quietly, it was better to take the initiative to attack.


    She hadn¡¯t wasted her two years in Li Group. As far as she knew, Li insiders were not a cohesive group at all.


    Yan Liang soon locked her target on the Li Group¡¯s Deputy director in R&D ¨C Zhu Chengzi


    Zhu Chengzi refused to kowtow to Jiang Shi Jun. Thus he was not in Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s favour. But he was really talented. Jiang Shi Jun would not utilise his talent, but neither was he willing to let him join another company and create benefits there.


    Keeping him in Li, but not using him, this was the source of Zhu Chengzi¡¯s unhappiness.


    Yan Liang quickly found out which places Zhu Chengzi visited in his free time.


    In particular, he regularly patronised a restaurant belonging to the Li Group near Chaoshan.


    Yan Liang took Zhou Chang to go there and have a meal a few times. Zhou Chang was not a fool, and soon guessed something was up. Yan Liang never intended to hide her original intentions from him, but Zhou Cheng, after knowing her plan showed a little resentment ¡° Yan Liang..now you have become so terrible¡­¡±


    Yan Liang was determined , she only smiled in response


    ¡° What are you going to do to Jiang Shi Jin?¡±


    Yan Liang was amused by him: ¡°Xu Ziqing did so many bad things, don¡¯t you still love her so much ?I¡¯m just playing some tricks to punish my enemies, and yet you¡¯re so disappointed with me.¡±


    Xu Ziqing was his Achilles heels, Zhou Cheng¡¯s face paled.


    ¡°If you still do not agree with what I do,


    you don¡¯t need to accompany me there, I will not blame you.¡±


    Although she said this , would he really want to stand by while she fought alone ?


    This, Zhou Cheng could not do. So ultimately he compromised , and continued to go with her.


    That day at noon, when Zhu Chengzhi walked into the restaurant, and saw Yan Liang and Zhou Cheng inside , he did not seem surprised


    When Zhu Chengzhi noticed them , he hesitated for a moment , and then walked straight to


    Yan liang¡¯s table. Yan Liang immediately put on a surprised expression: ¡°Deputy


    Director Zhu¡±


    ¡°This is my third time seeing you here¡±


    ¡°Is it? I did not pay attention.¡±


    Zhu Chengzhi smiled ambiguously.


    Yan Liang silently judged his expression and chatted casually , ¡° No need to greet me . I don¡¯t work in Li anymore.¡±


    As she smiled , his expression changed


    After a pause , he leaned slightly closer and said in a low voice ,¡± Today I am not eating alone. Jiang will soon join me.¡±


    Yan Liang was startled. After a moment her face stiffened and she looked at Zhu with a complex expression


    ¡° I am sure you do not want Jiang to know that we have had such ¡®encounters¡¯ several times ?¡± Zhu Chengzhi warned her.


    After a few times of such ¡®encounters¡¯ , Zhu Chengzhi had already guessed something.That was why he was subtly warning her. Yan Liang thought and then stood up , ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Zhou cheng also stood up.


    Taking her bag, the two of them quickly left the restaurant. Suddenly Yan Liang thought of something and stopped in her tracks


    Puzzled, Zhou looked back at her and saw her biting her lip, as if in a quandary.


    ¡°What happened ?¡±


    Yan Liang looked at Zhou Cheng, her eyes were glittering. Finally she said ,¡± I want to place a bet on Zhu.¡±


    And then she turned towards the restaurant and ran.


    Still standing in the same place , Zhu Chengzhi watched the young woman come back. Before he could speak , she stuffed a business card in his hands


    But her words were unambiguous ¡°Deputy director Zhu, I know you have your own ambitions,


    you have always wanted to do independent research and develop new products. Jiang Shijun


    must be forcing you to copy Ya Yan¡¯s formula , and your boss, he will just follow what Jiang Shijun wants. If you work with them , you will


    never have a platform to display your talents.¡±


    Zhu Chengzhi looked at the business card in his hands and slowly grimaced.


    ¡°This is my business card, hope you contact me in the future.¡± Yan Liang smiled at him, ¡°see you.¡±


    Zhou Cheng , standing outside the door, saw the whole process. He saw Yan Liang walk back


    to his side and only sighed, not knowing how to express his helplessness.


    When they entered the elevator, Zhou Cheng said in a low voice ,¡± In case he doesn¡¯t move , but also reports to Jiang Shi Jun about what happened , all your efforts will come to naught.¡±


    Yan Liang just smiled, as if telling Zhou Cheng : if you dare to gamble, you can¡¯t be afraid to lose


    Seeing her smile, Zhou Cheng also smiled : ¡° Yes, Jiang Shi Jun is such a bad person, he has done bad things, God will definitely be on our side this time .¡±


    As Zhou Cheng spoke, the elevator door slowly shut, the gap between the doors becoming smaller and smaller


    Through that narrow gap , Yan Liang saw Jiang Shi Jun step out of the elevator opposite to them


    Although her field of vision was limited ,


    she was sure of his identity. She couldn¡¯t help but be secretly glad that they had left at the right time


    As the elevator door closed, in the last moment , just when Yan Liang was breathing out in relief , another figure stepped out of the elevator behind Jiang Shi Jun


    ¡­ This figure ¡­


    An invisible force took away Yan liang¡¯s breath.


    The elevator door closed in front of her silently.


    *** ***


    The elevator came down gently.


    Zhou Cheng frowned. He was not sure if what he had seen was right: ¡°Just now those two people¡­ Jiang Shijun and ¡­ ¡­ Jiang Yu Nan?¡±


    Yan Liang recalled the scene she just saw. Her eyes widened. She was looking at the front , now she could only see the elevator door


    The elevator quickly arrived at the ground floor. Zhou Cheng walked out first ,then realised she hadn¡¯t followed and looked back, puzzled. He saw Yan Liang standing in the elevator in a daze.


    ¡° Yan Liang ?¡±


    His words jolted her awake


    Yan Liang looked at him, the confusion in her eyes gradually cleared. ¡° You go ahead , I suddenly remembered that I need to go somewhere .¡±


    ¡°l¡±ll drop you off.¡±


    She bluntly refused: ¡°No, no way.¡±


    Zhou Cheng suspiciously looked at her for a long while, and ultimately could not understand why she was behaving in an abnormal manner. In accordance with her wishes, he said goodbye and left her alone


    Yan Liang took a taxi and kept it running in the parking lot not far away.


    In the scorching sun, the air conditioning in the car made a low humming sound. The driver tapped on the steering wheel and looked at the female passenger on the back seat from time to time.


    The electronic meter kept ticking away for almost an hour


    Finally , three people came out of the building


    Zhu Chengzhi, Jiang Shijun, Jiang Yu Nan, these three people soon parted ways and drove away.


    Yan Liang saw one car move in the opposite direction of Li building and asked the taxi driver, ¡°Follow that car.¡±


    In the scorching sun, the black Bentley shone brightly. Yan Liang clenched her fists, her eyes were tightly locked to the front , her brain was blank. She had no reasonable excuse for doing what she was doing now


    Finally , the Bentley entered the underground parking lot of a hotel. Yan Liang felt relieved


    She unclenched her fist. Her hands were sweaty


    From her wallet , she pulled out a fistful of cash. She didn¡¯t even count it. She handed it over to the driver immediately and quickly opened the door. The driver stuck his head out of the window ,¡± Hey! This is too much!¡±


    His words drifted into her ears , but she was no longer listening , she couldn¡¯t ¡­


    From the parking lot she walked to the elevator. There were several people with her. She finally set foot on a long corridor outside the suites. The corridor was carpeted, her high heels were silent. But she could still hear the thundering of her heartbeats.


    As long as she could see that he was safe and sound , she would be able to safely put this man called Jiang Yu Nan out of her life forever.


    At this moment, he was only a few feet away .. but even this distance ¡­


    She could never cross this chasm


    This awareness was like an invisible force pressing down on her relentlessly . She had to pause.


    When she looked up again , she had lost Jiang Yu Nan


    The corridor was empty. YanLiang panicked, she looked around frantically , her eyes full of dismay; she couldn¡¯t believe she lost him in the last minute


    At that moment, the door diagonally in front of her suddenly opened and someone forcefully pulled her in


    Her back hit the back of the door as the door closed. A burst of familiar feeling overwhelmed her.


    Yan Liang raised her head.


    ¡° Why are you following me ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan looked expressionlessly at her, his hand clutching her arm


    Miumiu : Ah! Finally JYN again


    And now. Because I couldn¡¯t resist .. an excerpt from Chapter 78


    As if affected by an evil wind blowing around them, two pairs of eyes met, then Jiang You Nan bent his head to kiss her


    She didn¡¯t try to escape


    And he kissed her in the same manner as she remembered , he would suck her lower lip, then deepen the kiss, till his tongue scraped against her teeth.


    Doesn¡¯t this remind you of LMIYD?

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78


    When he suddenly appeared in front of her, Yan Liang instinctively froze


    He looked down at her in silence as he waited for her answer. Yan Liang also stared at him without blinking. He seemed to be taken aback by her stare


    When was the last time she had seen him looking like this ? A bit of longing, a bit of panic, and then those emotions disappeared completely from his eyes


    As if affected by an evil wind blowing around them, Jiang You Nan slowly bent his head to kiss her


    She didn¡¯t try to escape


    And he kissed her in the same manner that she remembered, first he nibbled her lower lip, then deepened his kiss till his tongue scraped her teeth.


    Yan Liang suddenly regained her senses and in the next second ,Jiang yu Nan was caught off guard and was pushed back


    He took half a step back and wasn¡¯t able to resist a sarcastic smile.


    For a long time , he was used to disguising his real emotions with this cold facade


    As early as at the Chao Shan restaurant , he had spotted her. Even though she was in the elevator , his eyes could spot her through the narrow gap. He had walked into the restaurant quietly


    He really knew her well. He had sent evidence of Li¡¯s plagiarism, and her emergency measures were exactly as he had expected. Without wasting any time she had targeted Zhu Chengzi


    This woman really had a flair for business. As long as she followed the plan he had set up, she would definitely defeat Jiang Shi Jun


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you came all the way here to seduce me and then push me away?¡±


    But she only watched him quietly. Her eyes flashed and she suddenly stepped forward and ruthlessly kissed him


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s sarcastic smile melted away in shock.


    She had never initiated something like this , kissing this man crazily as if to express all those words she could never say. Whose heart would be the first one to collapse under this siege ?


    What she had thought was dead and buried , ignited like dry hay on fire. None of them thought that the fire between them would be like a prairie fire ¨C quick to ignite and then burn ferociously


    With drunken footsteps , they moved from the entrance, passed the sofa , the locker , until they entered the bedroom and slammed the door shut. Yan liang¡¯s spine hit the back of the door hard but she couldn¡¯t feel any pain. He grabbed her hard ¨C his hand reached below her dress, his wrist moving constantly till she trembled


    You can throw away the memories in the mind, throw away the memories of love and hate, but the memories of the body persisted.


    He pulled down his zip and at the moment he entered her , she moaned softly and he kissed her deeply


    The man in front of her was still fully dressed , but she was stripped down to her underwear. His black ink like trousers and her white legs close together were like chocolate and cream


    What cannot be said , was better expressed with their bodies¡­


    At the end of his long kiss, Jiang Yu Nan looked up to see that the woman dared not look into his eyes


    It seemed like she wanted to tell him something


    He seemed to guess what she wanted to say, but he didn¡¯t have the courage to listen


    He was already numbed to the despair he had been feeling for so long now, even a little bit of hope would slice through that protective layer and hurt him again.


    Yan Liang opened her mouth slightly , but she only managed to utter his name before he covered her mouth


    Jiang Yu Nan turned her around by her shoulders so that her back was to him. Standing behind her , he held her waist, positioning her so he could enter her again


    This change of posture brought them closer together , intensifying the sensations . Yan Liang could not speak as he kept his hand firmly in place over her mouth


    He didn¡¯t allow her to speak or even look back at him. With his other hand , he continued to hold her body ,as he continued to move inside her


    Yan Liang braced herself with her hands against her the door. Under this stimulation of her senses , both her body and mind were crumbling , she could hear herself moaning as she clamoured for release, and over that, the sound of ¡­


    Knocking


    Knock ¨C knock ¨C knock


    ¡°Mr Jiang ! Mr Jiang!¡±


    Stunned, Yan Liang widened her eyes as she felt the hand in her mouth stiffen at the same time


    The knock on the door ceased immediately , followed by the sound of a door opening


    Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s eyes narrowed , he immediately extended his hand to lock the door


    In the next second there was a knock on the bedroom door


    The haze of passion dissipated quickly and he moved away as Yan Liang bent down on the ground to retrieve her dress


    The knock on the door was even louder this time and Secretary Lee¡¯s anxious voice filtered through ,¡± Mr Jiang !¡±


    ¡°Mr Jiang!¡±


    Holding her clothes , Yan Liang rushed into the bathroom. As soon as the door closed, Jiang Yu Nan opened the door of the bedroom


    The secretary almost forced the door open.Seeing him standing there , he was stunned for three seconds then heaved a sigh of relief


    Jiang Yu Nan had given him the suite¡¯s duplicate access card while saying almost jokingly ,¡± If one day I die and no one discovers me, you use this card to come and collect my dead body.¡±


    So just now when he was knocking at the door and getting no response , Secretary Lee¡¯s head continually echoed this statement


    ¡°Thank goodness, I was afraid you were sick again ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan immediately interrupted him ,¡± We have to meet the lawyer in half an hour, you go to the lawyer¡¯s office ,I will drive myself. ¡°


    Secretary Lee has always followed orders obediently , he just muttered ¡°Ok¡± and left


    Jiang yu Nan held the door, his expression solemn


    Yan Liang emerged from the bathroom fully dressed


    The distance between them.. was it just four steps? But no one was willing to take the first step to bridge the gap


    He looked at her , his eyes dark ,¡± You won¡¯t let me rest in peace , tell me, what do you want? ¡±


    What do you want ?


    Yan Liang bitterly thought , yes, what did she want finally ?


    Tell him that she really doesn¡¯t belong to the Xu family , so all his previous calculations were invalid now ?


    Or tell him that she didn¡¯t want him to die,


    But what can she say ?


    To return to the beginning , return to the love they had ?


    But this man .. did he even love her ?


    ¡° Tell me who is the spy that Jiang Shi Jin placed in my team¡±, Yan Liang heard herself say


    He was surprised that she would ask him this. Then he frowned. ¡° Why would you think I know who his spies are ? Why do you think I will tell you , instead of reporting this to Jiang shi jun?¡±


    He had again reverted to the Jiang yu Nan she hated ,and this made her feel cold , but she wasn¡¯t stupid enough to show this and only smiled.


    ¡° I don¡¯t have to answer this hypothetical question. My cell phone number is unchanged. I¡¯ll wait for you to call. Of Course you can call Jiang Shi Jun immediately, I won¡¯t blame you .¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan seemed surprised , and a trace of disappointment marred his features before it disappeared quickly


    Yan Liang finished her speech , picked up her bag and did not even turn back to look at him as she walked towards the door


    But alone, outside in the corridor , she shed the facade and gave in to the overwhelming weakness she felt


    She leaned against the wall for a while and then left


    She didn¡¯t take a taxi. She walked all the way. Would the body¡¯s passion make up for the wound in her heart ? Experience gave her the most brutal answer.


    Yan Liang was deep in thought when she looked up and saw a roadside pharmacy. She suddenly walked toward the pharmacy. At least the contraception pills could help prevent any future troubles


    Not far from her , a car was slowly following her. When she stopped in the pharmacy , the car also stopped , until she disappeared through the door. Then it sped off.


    The car was parked in the lawyer¡¯s office half an hour later.


    Secretary Lee had been waiting at the lawyer¡¯s office for a long time.


    Jiang Yu Nan did not greet them , he started immediately,¡± Did you read the documents Secretary Lee has given?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°As I said before, when I die, all my possessions are to be put under a charity foundation in my name, and the names of the people in charge of the foundation I have told you, and this ¡­¡±


    He swept a glance over the lawyer¡¯s desk, presumably something was missing, then he looked at Secretary Li standing by his side.Very reluctantly, secretary Lee handed him a document.


    Jiang Yu Nan handed the folder to the lawyer: ¡°I have already signed this.¡±


    The lawyer opened the folder, it was a divorce agreement.


    Jiang Yan Nan was always expressionless. Even in the deepest of unhappiness, he looked calm, his eyes would not reveal any emotion.


    He continued,¡± But I haven¡¯t filled in the date. If I die, please fill in the date and send it to the Wan Kang Nina law firm.¡±


    The lawyer solemnly closed the folder. ¡° I heard from Secretary Lee that your first operation was successful.¡±


    His expression finally showed a minute change. His eyes showed an undercurrent of emotion and there was a bleak smile on his face, ¡°Did he not tell you that the second operation failed ? The probability of my survival dropped from 10% to 5%¡±


    ¡°Do not be so pessimistic, be optimistic, what if ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan was still smiling : ¡°I was never the kind of person who was lucky. The only time I felt lucky , the experience was quite enough for me to digest.¡±


    The lawyer did not know how to comfort him. He looked at Jiang Yu Nan , and got up.¡± Are you finished with your work now?¡±


    The lawyer smiled at him ¡° I know a good restaurant nearby, I¡¯m inviting you to join me for dinner.¡±


    All three left. The lawyers car was in the front. Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s car was following it. He sat at the back while his Secretary drove it.


    After keeping quiet for a long time, the secretary finally spoke,¡± You just said, that one time you felt really lucky. Are you referring to the time when you harmed Xu miserably but she was still with you ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan just smiled but did not speak


    Miumiu : I know what you¡¯re going to ask.. again !! Yes it¡¯s a happy ending although now I just want to know I their two blockheads together in frustration !!!

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79


    After keeping quiet for a long time, the secretary finally spoke,¡± You just said, that one time you felt really lucky. Are you referring to the time when you harmed Xu miserably but she was still with you ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan just smiled but did not speak.


    *** ***


    Yan Liang did not wait for Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s phone call.


    The business world was like a battlefield, it wasn¡¯t easy to see through people. Now Yan Liang was only glad that Jiang Yu Nan did not tell Jiang Shi Jun that she was already aware of a spy in her team.


    Jiang Shi Jun was now complacent, thinking that she was in the dark.This was the best of opportunities. Yan Liang did not worry too much about Jiang Yu Nan, if he didn¡¯t help her, the detective agency would find the truth for her.


    Today, Yan Liang visited the country¡¯s largest chain of duty free shops to talk about mutual co operation. When she came back to the company ,her secretary told her that the person in charge of the detective agency was waiting for her in her office.


    Yan Liang had a meeting in fifteen minutes. Within that gap she met that person.


    The head of the detective agency sat opposite Yan Liang, and switched on the recorder. Who was the spy ?


    If the R & D manger had not found this out, she would be in the dark till now. She had spent so much money, finally the answers were in her grasp.


    He pressed the play button and a familiar voice spoke out, ¡° Mr Jiang, I can¡¯t carry on like this anymore.¡± .


    Yan shivered and immediately pressed the pause button.


    ¡­ This voice..


    The director of the news agency pushed the information about the person in front of Yan Liang on the table. ¡° Yao Liwei, age 51 years. He has been working at the company since the beginning of Xu. He rose from an apprentice to Chief coordinator. He is probably a relative of Aunt Liang..¡±


    Yan Liang glanced at the familiar picture. This was Mr Yao, who had been with the family for decades, a person who was least likely to be suspected.


    It was ironic, Aunt Liang was unmarried, her sister was married to Mr Yao. A few years ago they had even come with their one year old grandson to the Xu mansion to visit Aunt Liang


    Yan Liang found it difficult to overcome the shock, but she remained calm and continued to listen .


    Mr Yao was clearly excited, ¡° And if.. if they found me.. then I am completely finished, I only have a few years to retire, I really don¡¯t want to get caught.¡±


    ¡° Oh really ?¡±


    His words were followed by this sentence by ¡­Jiang Shi Jun , that crafty voice..


    ¡° When your son had such huge gambling debts, didn¡¯t you kneel in front of me asking me to help your son?


    When you helped me with Secret so well that ultimately they couldn¡¯t enter the North American market, I was very satisfied and decided to continue to use you.¡± Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s voice was low but the sarcasm was evident


    ¡° Mr Jiang, Mr Jiang, you¡¯ve always given me a raw deal, I will give you your money back. I will immediately resign, never again..¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun interrupted him coldly, but referred to a third person, ¡° Yu Nan , what do you think ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan ! She never thought he would be present..Yan Liang could not help but tighten her hands around the head phone.


    ¡° You have proposed we use the earlier method again, and you were the one who decided we continue with Mr Yao. You have the most say in this.¡±


    You proposed we use the earlier method¡­


    Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s words were like thin and sharp wire, casually wrapped around her heart, cutting through her flesh and blood.


    Pain ? Yan Liang actually found herself surprisingly calm. She suddenly thought of how, not long ago, she was worried about his life and death and could not help but laugh at her na?vet¨¦ .


    ¡°Should I take back the 5 million?Since I can¡¯t bear the betrayal of others, should I tell your ex wife what he had been up to?¡± Although Jiang Shi Jun was apparently asking Jiang Yu Nan , in fact he was trying to intimidate Yao Liwei.


    ¡°Mr Yao¡±, hearing the voice of Jiang Yu Nan, Yan Liang¡¯s nerves became taut, ¡°¡±You are smart. You know that once some things are done, we cannot allow you to leave halfway.¡±


    The recording was over.


    Yan Liang asked herself ¨C was she doing herself an injustice ? Not only did she never suspect Mr Yao, but with respect to Jiang, whether she wanted to maintain this animosity between them , or treat each other like total strangers, both strategies were wrong.


    In this contest, the person who was more ruthless would inevitably win.


    Yan Liang took off the headset. ¡°There are certainly more than one spies. You continue to verify , let me know whenever something new comes up.¡±


    In the next two weeks, the spies were identified one by one . Yan Liang was finally able to see the whole plan of Jiang Shi Jun. Not only the formula, but the packaging, the publicity plan, the distribution strategy ¨C Jiang Yu Nan intended to do every step similarly , just one step faster so that he could block her in every manner leaving her no where to go.


    Yan Liang now faced two options ¨C


    One, she could expose the evidence collected in front of Li when the new product was launched. This would be done in public, the true face of Jiang Shi Jun would be exposed. But if that happened, Mr Yao would inevitably end up in jail.


    Or secretly they could modify their own products and use the spies who had been left in place to pass on the formula. With the help of Zhu Chengzi, they could ensure that the product passed all the tests. She would then let Li have their news conference, start mass production, invest money in publicity. At that time, if the flaw was revealed, Li would suffer the maximum losses.


    She would only need to launch her product after a month and capture the market.


    Unfortunately, since the last time they met at Chaoshan , Zhu Chengzi had not contacted her.


    After another very busy day, when Yan Liang had still not received a phone call from Zhu Chengzi, with barely concealed disappointment , she carried her bag to the car parking lot when she suddenly heard a car horn.


    She was getting ready to pull the door of her car, when with renewed hope she looked at a car that stopped near her. From the window, Lu Zheng waved at her.


    Yan Liang walked over, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡° Weren¡¯t we supposed to meet tonight ?¡±


    The expression on her face clearly said, ¡° I forgot.¡±


    Lu Zheng smiled helplessly, ¡° Get in the car, I have booked us in a restaurant.¡±


    Yan Liang was still a bit hesitant. Lu Zheng took the car keys from her hand, and pressed the remote to lock her car.


    Yan Liang sat in the car. She could not help but look at him. The man seemed to be in a particularly good mood.


    ¡° What happened?¡±


    ¡° You¡¯ll find out soon.¡±


    Yan Liang was a bit curious after hearing him say this. As she went with Lu Zheng all the way to his favourite restaurant, from the elevator to the restaurant door, she couldn¡¯t find anything special.


    Just as they reached the door, her phone rang. Yan Liang took the phone out of her bag while walking , saw the strange string of numbers and suddenly paused.


    In fact it wasn¡¯t an unknown number ¨C it was Zhu Chengzi


    Although Yan Liang had never called him, the detective agency had given her this number. She knew this by heart.


    She hurriedly answered.


    ¡°Miss Yan,¡± it was indeed the voice of Zhu Chengzhi, ¡°are you busy now?¡±


    ¡°No not busy,¡± she herself didn¡¯t know how she could speak so calmly when she was so excited. ¡° Tell me.¡±


    ¡± I have been thinking about the offer you made last time.¡±


    ¡°Okay, where are you now, I¡¯ll be right there.¡±


    Lu Zheng had been waiting patiently by her side,


    seeing her hang up the phone, a big smile on her face, he could not help but ask, ¡° What happened?¡±


    Yan looked up at him, then suddenly opened her arms and gave him a big hug


    This was so unusual, even Lu Zheng was taken aback ¡°Why are you suddenly so warm to me?¡±


    Unable to conceal the inner excitement, Yan Liang grinned and then laughed out loud, ¡° I need to go somewhere now, we can eat together later.¡±


    With that statement, she turned around and left


    Lu Zheng watched her till her figure disappeared behind the closed doors of the elevator, looked down, thought for a bit and then walked into the restaurant alone.


    As soon as he walked in, the manager made a gesture and the violinist started playing. Melodious music filled the air.


    Lu Zheng smiled faintly, and waved his hand , indicating the violinist to stop.


    The violinist was unsure, he looked at the manager, who looked at Lu Zheng in return and asked, ¡° Mr Lu, why are you alone?¡±


    Lu Zheng swept a glance over the vacant tables and chairs, as if he could find the answer there.


    He sat at the main table , beside that there was a cart of flowers.


    And on the table was a beautiful bouquet of flowers, in which there was a birthday card.


    The lonely man looked at the card in a daze for a long time. The waiter arrived at his side, hesitated for a long time then finally came forward and asked, ¡° Mr Lu, this is the ¡¯82 vintage Lafayette you booked.¡±


    Lu Zheng looked at the waiter, sighed, and put forward his own glass indicating to the waiter that he should fill it up. One sixth of the glass was filled up and in one flash he downed it all, the wine bitter in his mouth.


    *** ***


    Yan Liang and Zhu Chengzi¡¯s meeting went surprisingly well. Could it be that God was finally looking after her ?


    Yan Liang went back to her long term private room in the hotel, washed up and prepared to sleep.


    The night was deep and the sense of victory quietly filed up her heart


    Just when she was using a towel to dry her hair, the doorbell rang.


    ¡° Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Room service.¡±


    Yan Liang opened the door and saw the waiter push a dining cart inside.¡± Ms Yan?¡±


    She looked at the cart, today¡­


    She suddenly recalled and patted her head, she had clearly forgotten. ¡° I haven¡¯t ordered any room service.¡±


    ¡° A gentleman ordered for you.¡±


    Yan Liang looked at the cake and the wine, which gentleman was so generous ?


    This was problematic. Suddenly she remembered the words she had heard earlier in the evening..you will find out..


    She shook her heard silently.


    She closed the door and silently looked at the cart.


    A cake, wine, a bunch of flowers..very simply arranged. She pulled off the towel and ran to the bed to take her phone.


    She dialled lu Zheng¡¯s number


    The first words he said when they connected were strange , ¡°Our hearts seem to be in alignment.¡±


    ¡° What ?¡±


    To answer her, the door bell rang.


    No way !


    This was the second time this evening that inexplicable things were happening. Yan Liang smiled and opened the door. It was really Lu Zheng.


    She looked at him, her eyes fell on what he had brought and she laughed, ¡° What ? There is already a bottle of Pramel , why do you have a bottle of Lafayette?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± This time it was lu Zheng¡¯s turn to be surprised.


    After entering the room he saw the cart. Yan Liang said , ¡° Thank you.¡±


    Lu Zheng stared at the cart for a second, then frowned and reluctantly flashed a smile.


    At the door of the suite, Jiang Yu Nan stubbed his cigarette and quietly left.


    His cell phone began vibrating and he picked it up while walking back.


    ¡° Mr Jiang, I have spoken to her as instructed.¡±


    ¡° Okay. Thank you.¡±


    ¡° I want to ask you something.¡±


    ¡° Please go ahead.¡±


    ¡° Why are you bending over backwards to help a woman, that too your ex- wife?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan stopped.


    He looked at the closed door of the suite.


    He lowered his eyes, his emotions were no longer visible.


    ¡° As long as I am alive, she is my wife, my only family.¡±


    Yes..saying ¡° my love¡± seemed too superficial, she was his family¡­

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80


    Outside the suite, the man silently left.The lamps on the wall of the corridor elongated his shadow as he walked down until his footsteps disappeared.


    In the suite.


    Two bottles of red wine were enough to make Yan Liang drunk


    She heard the sound of the wine being poured again in a glass. She looked up and accepted the drink, then sat down on the ground. Lu Zheng was playing with the glass in his hands. There was some strange emotion in his eyes. He looked at Yan Liang opposite him,¡± What makes you so happy today ?¡±


    Yan Liang made a face at him, ¡° That¡¯s a secret.¡±


    Lu Zheng did not ask again.


    The air conditioner was at a low temperature, Yan Liang rubbed her arms absent mindedly. Lu Zheng saw this and immediately put down his glass. ¡° I¡¯ll get you a coat.¡±


    When he came back with a coat, he saw her really drunk, lying on the ground next to the coffee table. He was angry at himself


    On the white carpet, her black eye shone, but he could not figure out the emotions behind her eyes


    Lu Zheng also sat back on the carpet and leaned near her to hear her humming a song


    This was the first time he had heard her singing . It was like the whining of a mosquito. He could not help but laugh. He was about to pat her shoulder and laugh out loudly when his smile froze


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    Want to get out of your control


    But compared to your arrangements for this war situation


    I am not prepared enough


    And there is no retreat


    Want to escape your snare


    But fell into another trap


    I have no courage to win


    Not lucky enough to escape


    I¡¯m like a pawn


    It¡¯s all up to you now


    I am not even important in your eyes


    Just a humble soldier


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡­


    The song gradually faded. Lu Zheng looked at her as she lay there with her eyes closed


    Lu Zheng finished the rest of the wine. But strangely he wasn¡¯t drunk at all. His mind was in fact more sober as it echoed her song again and again ..


    I¡¯m like a pawn


    It¡¯s all up to you now


    Was in your control..


    Looking down at her, he realised she was asleep


    He looked at his watch, then gently held her up and took her to the bedroom


    After settling her down on the bed, he hesitated. He was in no rush to leave.


    He looked at her for a long time, them leaned over. He almost kissed her eyebrows, but stopped , then kissed her lips


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t really a kiss, just a light touch on her lips, but he saw her eyelashes tremble


    He knew she had woken up, he put his hand on the bed and leaned against it till she opened her eyes.


    ¡° Give me a chance, but also give yourself a chance.¡± His voice was very soft


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not rush to answer me.¡± He stood up before she could push him, ¡°every year our family goes on a vacation during the Christmas holiday. This year we are going to Zurich. Come with me.


    You should not be busy at that time. If¡­ when you are willing to go with me, you give me the answer. ¡± ¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°good night.¡±


    *** ***


    Christmas was getting closer and closer, but Yan Liang was still hesitating.


    The Li Launch was also getting closer and closer


    The more the conspiracy, the more quiet the surface. At this point, Yan Liang was absolutely sure of what she was doing


    Jiang Shi Jun had picked November 1 as the day of the Li news conference. Of course apart from the date of launch, everything else was a big secret so that there was a layer of mystery over the entire Li Group


    J¡¯appelle scheduled it¡¯s news conference on November 3. Yan Liang also kept the reason for the conference a secret.


    The two companies obviously keeping things in the dark meant the media was making all kinds of speculations. They gathered outside the company to accost Yan Liang


    She had intended to get caught, otherwise she would have avoided the main entrance.


    The moment she was visible, the reporters flocked to her.¡± Ms Yan, J¡¯appelle set up its news conference on the third and Li Bo set it up on first. Do you think you should also move the conference ahead ?¡±


    ¡° November 3 is an important day for Xu. It was the day Xu was officially set up. And I believe that this will help us continue the the good luck.¡±


    ¡± ¡°This time you are so secretive of your new product, are you also worried about ¡­ ¡­¡±


    Yan Liang did not answer, only smiled at the reporter. Her security escorted her to her car


    The driver immediately started the car , Yan Yan glanced through the rearview mirror at those reporters, then looked at the time on the phone, today was ¡­ ¡­


    October 21. She and Zhu Chengzhi had reached an agreement a month ago.


    According to her,complete victory was only ten days away , she could not


    wait to see Jiang Shijun suffer a crushing defeat.


    ¡­ And as for Xu Ziqing, she was already in the first step of learning a very painful lesson..


    The final verdict of her case was to come out on October 26


    On that day she arrived at the court. Zhou Cheng spotted her, was surprised , and interrupting his conversation with the lawyer, walked towards Yan Liang, ¡°Why did you come?¡±


    ¡° To see the fate of the wicked.¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s words were full of ridicule, Zhou Cheng seemed to be angered by her and he frowned.


    He was the woman who always fought for Xu Ziqing, Yan Liang was long accustomed to his anger and turned a blind eye


    He sighed, glanced at the entrance of the court and almost begged her, ¡° Please don¡¯t go in. If she sees you, she will feel even worse.¡±


    She smiled and walked around him to enter the court


    In half an hour, Yan Liang saw Xu Ziqing in the court.


    In fact, she was not behaving as expected. Her head was down as she was sitting in the gallery, was this because of her emotional instability ?


    Infact, some people did not even recognise the defendant. Her appearance had not changed but her entire demeanour had changed, she was no longer the smart and arrogant Xu Ziqing


    She was desperate


    Only when the final verdict was announced did she raise her head


    This time, she cried hoarsely.


    Yan Liang sat in her place, motionless as she saw Xu Ziqing cry piteously when she was sentenced to imprisonment


    For the first time in her life , she saw her sister helpless, but she didn¡¯t feel any joy


    Neither was she sad.


    The lawyer sitting at the defence table also bowed down his head aa he went up to the gallery, ¡° I¡¯m sorry¡±


    Zhou Cheng bit his lips but did not say anything, and continued looking at Xu Ziqing


    He told the lawyer, ¡° Did you not say that your firm had the lowest number of defeats ?¡±


    ¡° We have lost the lawsuit, we will think of other ways, Ms Xu may get a medical parole.¡±


    ¡° That¡¯s the only way left.¡±


    As he said this, a figure passed by. He looked up. It was Yan Liang. She exited without even saying hello


    This woman acted like a true bystander. She only wanted to see the outcome of the trial.


    With her back to everyone, she would finally bid farewell to all this and really begin her new life


    *** ***


    Yan Liang was really looking forward to the new conference of Li Bo


    Li Bo was the biggest trend in the cosmetics industry for the past two years, the conference therefore attracted a lot of attention


    Yan Liang did not get the invitation, but Lu Zheng did. With Lu Zheng as her companion, they walked into the hall and were blocked by a horde of reporters interviewing the Li Bo CEO Jiang Yu Nan


    Feeling Yan Liang at his side slow her pace, lu Zheng could not help but look at her


    Although there was no sound, Jiang Yu Nan suddenly looked up , and over the hordes of reporters, his eyes met hers.


    It was too late to withdraw his gaze, the reporter immediately caught on and rushed to her side


    They called out ,¡± Ms Yan! Mrs Jiang !¡± Yan Liang was stunned at first then laughed


    The reporters were most interested in her. Not the conference. ¡° Miss Yan, did Li Bo invite you ? You are..¡± their eyes meaningfully glanced at Lu Zheng on her side


    Obviously everyone was guessing, she would surely not be invited to Li bo conference with the identity of Mrs Jiang , right ?


    But with a smile, Yan Liang slowly moved forward through the reporters and remarked, ¡° Although we are now divorced, we are still friends. Mr Jiang, aren¡¯t you going to welcome me ?¡±


    miumiu- and because I couldn¡¯t resist ,,an exceirt from chapter 81


    The other people in elevator looked at him, but Jiang Yu Nan acted like there was no one else.


    If he could, he would look at this woman quietly forever, memorising every inch of her face, but after all, he had to stop himself.


    ¡° I do not think we will meet again later¡±, he said


    He withdrew his hand from the door of the elevator and the door again slowly closed. Suddenly he reached out through the door and pulled Yan Liang out


    Everyone was stunned. The door closed and Jiang Yu Nan pushed her against the wall and kissed her


    There was an air of overwhelming despair around Yan Liang, as if she was back to that drunken night , late at night, when a man kissed her in anguish .


    That man.. that night..


    Was it him?

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81


    When the PR staff of Li saw the chaos, they immediately stepped in and secured a ring around Jiang Yu Nan so that the reporters could not approach him


    Yan Liang looked at his direction as he departed and smiled coldly


    Lu Zheng on her side could not read anything from her eyes. He bowed his head as she whispered softly , ¡° To pretend nothing has happened is the most ruthless revenge. The more he provokes, the less I will care.¡±


    Yan Liang looked back and forth over his shoulder


    Lu Zheng reminded her, but he also reminded himself , ¡° I will wait for the day when you completely put him out of your mind .¡±


    The reporters were quick to pick up the breaking news , they chased Yan Liang for the details of the divorce


    Unfortunately, both parties kept silent


    Ming Ting was the only one to help J¡¯appelle. The conference was arranged in the Ming court hotel , but no one thought Lu Zheng would bring her. This was blatant provocation. The other people


    greeted Lu Zheng and Yan Liang with smiling faces but there was surprise in their eyes


    Yan Liang did not mind. She sat in her seat and waited for the conference to begin


    As the first session of the conference, Jiang Shi Jun gave a high level speech and the audience applauded


    Li Bo¡¯s new products were launched.


    ¡° We introduce now the new series ¨C Vitality.¡±


    With the spokesman¡¯s introduction , Li Yu , president of Li and chairman Jiang Shi Jun came together to unveil the new product


    This was the empire of Li group. Jiang Yu Nan habitually swept a glance over the audience like an emperor. When his eyes passed Yan Liang , he ignored her


    ¡°Developed by Japan¡¯s top medical laboratory and


    Li team.¡±


    Yan Liang wanted to laugh when she heard the speaker. Then she looked at the two people standing on the podium and fell into deep thought. The outside world would only see their achievements, envy their ability to be among the top leadership in the country. But no one would know how many people they climbed over to reach the top of the pyramid


    The product director soon released the product concept to the audience. For every word he uttered , Yan Liang smirked ¨C what product concept ?


    It was all plagiarism: ¡°The whole series has environmentally friendly packaging, the design concept is close to nature ¡­¡±


    According to Zhu Chengzhi , the scale of production of this new product was unprecedented. It was evident Jiang Shi Jun had invested a lot. The marketing director who appeared next echoed Zhu Chengzi ¡®s words: ¡° The moment the conference is over , vitality will be available in the department stores, pharmacies, Li stores, duty free shops . Tonight at eight, six major channels and five provincial channels will show the new commercials for vitality. You can watch them here. ¡±


    The big screen immediately switched to playing the commercials. The audience sighed


    *** ***


    Several stars also appeared as spokespersons for vitality


    During the break , the stars, media and the business magnets mingled with each other


    Jiang Shi Jun decide to greet not his friends or the stars but Yan Liang.¡±Ms Yan , do you really have to stay here ? I really admire your fortitude.¡±


    ¡°Everything is a foregone conclusion, even


    if I leave now,nothing will change.¡± She also ambiguously answered back.


    Jiang Shijun laughed, looked around, then suddenly dropped the smile , leaned towards her and whispered: ¡°The day after tomorrow is your company¡¯s conference, and I believe that your products have already been dispatched all over the country. I am curious to see how you end up.¡±


    Yan Liang assumed that her expression would be interpreted by Jiang Shi Jun as very miserable, she did not mind at all. Jiang Shi Jun left


    Lu Zheng was standing on the other side, chatting with his business partners. He caught a glimpse of Jiang Shi Jun walking towards Yan Liang and his expression changed. He knew that Jiang Shi Jun was not a fair player. He immediately interrupted his chat and walked back to Yan Liang.


    Jiang Shi Jun had left by that time. He thought the woman would be upset but it seemed that her expression , after a brief thought, changed to a laughing expression


    He narrowed his eyes at her thoughtfully and she smiled at him


    ¡°I am curious about what you are thinking.¡±


    ¡°You will know when the time comes.¡±


    At the end of the intermission, the conference continued. They proceeded to show the much awaited segment where the makeup artist used the new product on the spokesperson Ms Ji Kewei and several models.


    The people responsible for the promotion explained , ¡° The vitality series uses herbal and traditional Chinese medicine extracts . Both awaken the vitality of the soul, without increasing the burden on the skin. We can see that Miss Ji is using vitality . The moisture meter shows that the moisture content increased by 30 percent and we can witness it¡¯s moisture lock impact.¡±


    The descriptions were vivid, Lu Zheng looked at Yan Liang beside him looking completely carefree and laughed, ¡° The conference of your opponents is so successful. Yet you are so calm. I am looking forward to your conference.¡±


    Yan Liang turned to him and smiled, ¡° My conference will not be as amazing as the Li conference.¡±


    The media was naturally focused on Ji Wei. At this time, one of the models in the corner seemed to be leaving the podium. The media was only photographing Ji Wei, but some of them noticed the make up artist , with his back to the audience , whispering on the intercom. He seemed to have got some instructions and the model left . No one was paying attention to her earlier, but now this move attracted the attention of the journalists. Someone shouted out , ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a rash on the face of the model ?¡±


    Seeing the journalists becoming a bit chaotic, the Li Bo spokesman quickly came out ,¡±The model excused herself from the demonstration. She was not suitable.¡±


    ¡° Was it because of the use of your product¡­¡±


    ¡° Absolutely not..¡±


    Before the sentence was finished, a reporter suddenly pointed out, ¡° Even Wei¡¯s face is affected!¡±


    Everyone was stunned.


    *** ***


    All the models who tried the product, including Ji Wei had varying degrees of abnormal redness, tingling and burning sensations on their face.


    The media area was surrounded by security to maintain order. But now the journalists broke through the cordon,and flocked to the podium.


    Li Bo¡¯s security immediately withdrew the stars but the models were not so lucky. They were surrounded by the reporters.


    Suddenly, the stars, the fans, the PR staff, the make up artist.. all of the people were running helter skelter , the scene was chaotic. Yan Liang almost did not realise that her phone was vibrating.


    Lu Zheng in fact drew her attention to it, ¡° You have a phone call.¡±


    When Yan Liang picked out up , the person on the other end said, ¡° Ms Yan, the recording has been sent to all major media outlets.¡±


    Yan Liang hung up the phone and enjoyed the chaotic scene. She brought her mouth close to Lu Zheng¡¯s


    ear, ¡° Let¡¯s go.¡±


    What she had just said earlier was not her being modest; truly no one could surpass how ¡°amazing ¡± this conference turned out to be


    Lu Zheng looked at her, looked at the podium, then decided to not ask anything and stood up with her.


    Yan Liang did not even look back as she exited the scene.


    The reporters on the scene meanwhile received calls from their companies, ¡°Did you not say that Yan Liang was on the scene? Quickly get to her. We have just received an anonymous recording where Li Bo is suspected of copying J¡¯appelle!¡± But when they turned around, Yan Liang was long gone.


    *** ***


    Yan Liang had reached the elevator by now


    With her was Lu Zheng, and one or two other guests who wanted to escape the scene


    When the elevator arrived, Yan Liang had just moved forward when she heard urgent footsteps behind her. Wei was furious, ¡° We must claim damages from Li Bo.¡±


    Yan Liang looked back. Ji Wei and her assistants had actually escaped the journalists.


    ¡° Ofcourse we will. Now quickly go to the hospital¡±, her manager said while holding the elevator door for Ji Wei.


    Obviously Ji Wei recognised Lu Zheng and Yan Liang . She smiled and nodded at them. Seeing the door close, the people in the elevator were finally relieved when suddenly a hand stopped the door from closing.


    Yan Liang heard Wei take in a sharp indrawn breath


    The doors reopened, but it wasn¡¯t a journalist in front of them.. but Jiang Yu Nan.


    ********


    He stood there , looking at Yan Liang.


    Yan Liang froze then laughed, ¡° Mr Jiang,your products have already been dispatched throughout the country. I am curious to see how you end up.¡°


    She recklessly repeated the remarks Jiang Shi Jun had made a bit earlier


    The only mistake this man had made was not to tell Jiang Shi Jun that she had realised there were spies in J¡¯appelle.


    He had underestimated his opponent, and now had been defeated


    The other people in elevator looked at him, but Jiang Yu Nan acted like there was no one else.


    If he could, he would look at this woman quietly forever, memorising every inch of her face, but after all, he had to stop himself.


    ¡° I do not think we will meet again later¡±, he said


    He withdrew his hand from the door of the elevator and the door again slowly closed. Suddenly he reached out through the door and pulled Yan Liang out


    Everyone was stunned. The door closed and Jiang Yu Nan pushed her against the wall and kissed her


    There was an air of overwhelming despair around Yan Liang, as if she was back to that drunken night , late at night, when a man kissed her in anguish .


    That man.. that night..


    Was it him?


    Yan Liang was stunned.This warm kiss, could it even be called a kiss ? It was two desperate people clinging to each other, both their hearts in pain, and yet it also felt like one where he was bidding her farewell before he went far , far away from her.


    Tears flooded her heart, but were not allowed to emerge in her eyes.


    He let go of her.


    ¡° Goodbye¡±


    Those were the last words he said to her.


    *** ***


    The conference site was now a mess with some of the media still waiting


    Jiang Shi Jun was backstage with the responsible personnel


    The R&D director said in a trembling voice, ¡° I think the product used in the conference room was switched.¡±


    ¡° Then look at the surveillance video ! Look at the warehouse !¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun was so angry, his orders were immediately followed. Even deputy director Zhu Chengzi went and got the surveillance recording to the security


    The tape was played in front of everyone on the big screen


    Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s back was to the screen as he warned everyone with a voice that sounded like hell,¡± Let me find out who is engaged in this, that person will not leave Li Bo alive.¡±


    There was no sound on the video, Jiang Shi Jun did not look back till he realised there was a strange silence in the crowd, their expressions were also very weird..


    Suddenly, one of his subordinates staring at the screen screamed.


    He frowned, as the expressions of the people turned even stranger, and people looked at him with horror


    Now he looked back at the screen


    The big screen wasn¡¯t playing the surveillance video of the conference, but a scene familiar to Jiang Shi Jun on a rooftop


    There were only two people on the rooftop, and one of them was dangling in mid air


    Seeing this , Jiang Shi Jun roared at his assistant, ¡°Turn that off.¡±


    The door of the conference room was pushed open.


    A team of people wearing police uniforms strolled in. They moved towards Jiang Shi Jun,¡± You are suspected of murdering Song Jipeng. Please some with us.¡±


    At this point, the big screen showed that the person who was dangling mid air was about to fall


    The second person finally reached out his hand to him.


    No, it wasn¡¯t an attempt to rescue, but an attempt to murder¡­


    Miumiu : in case you didn¡¯t get it , Zhu Chengzi is actually working for Jiang Yu Nan. He is the one who speaks to JYN at the end of the mast chapter ( I spoke to her., why are you bending over backwards to he,o your ex wife etc etc) and also the one who switched the surveillance tape


    But oh! What is happening with JYN? Unfortunately this is not the happy resolution of everything we thought it would be

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82


    Jiang Shi Jun was arrested under suspicion of first degree murder


    The news was quickly spread through out the industry and Li stocks came crashing down as the emperor was arrested


    Li was also now suspected of plagiarism, but this did not get much attention. Nevertheless, some reporters wanted to interview Yan Yan , there were numerous phone calls to the company. The spokesperson answered on behalf of Yan Liang, ¡° We will have a press conference the day after tomorrow, we will specifically answer any questions at that time. The only thing I can disclose now is that we identified a problem with the formula during the experimental stages. The product that will be launched the day after tomorrow will be an improved version. Li Bo probably has this problem because their spy stole the discarded formula.¡±


    Two days later


    The J¡¯appelle conference created more interest than normal. Earlier due to Li Bo¡¯s pressure, J¡¯appelle could not get adequate media coverage, but this conference was fully packed.


    As Yan Liang looked at the news articles, the stones in her heart finally dissolved .


    After the end of the conference, she had been really busy till late at night. By the time she came back home she was always exhausted. So this was the first time she switched on the TV. She saw Jiang Shi Jun in TV.


    The reporter was outside the Public Security Bureau.


    Jiang Shi Jin was out on bail. Outside the bureau, the night sky was as bright as daytime with the continuous flashes of the camera.


    Jiang Shi Jun did not face the reporters, his body guard escorted him to the car immediately and they drove away


    Although the police only announced the name of the victim, Song Jinpeng, they did not announce anything about the footage . But in Li¡¯s conference room, so many people had witnessed the video, this was the most sensational news and hence, it spread through the grapevine rapidly .


    It was obvious to everyone in the industry that Jiang Shi Jun was ruthless, but pushing someone off the roof was really extreme madness


    At that moment, Yan Liang thought to herself ¨C how could anyone accept the cruel truth that someone he revered as a father figure was actually the murderer of his own father?


    From his childhood, he had lived in hatred of his father¡¯s murderer. How would he face the rest of his life ?


    But she immediately got rid of these thoughts. She forced herself to see the news, as the two rear lights in the car gradually became smaller and smaller on the screen


    When the news was shot, Jiang Shi Jun was sitting in the back seat with his lawyer while his assistant was on the front seat. The assistant was on the phone and looked back at Jiang Shi Jun, ¡° This call is for you.¡±


    Jiang Shi Jun sat up and took the phone from his hands.


    The other party was slow to speak


    Jiang Shi Jun finally laughed, ¡° You¡¯ve indeed proved yourself a worthy descendant. The student surpasses the master.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° How are you so sure that I am the one behind this?¡± Although the silence was finally broken, the tone was very calm.


    Jiang Shi Jun sighed. The word ¡® defeat¡¯ was one he faced after a long time.


    ¡° Yu Nan , I have always treated you like my own son, I never thought that you would betray me. You were always the most trusted person. You know how much I loved your mother, not long after Ya Yan died, your father wanted to marry another woman. He even hypocritically asked me to be understanding, I would rather personally murder him , than allow him to destroy Ya Yan¡¯s memory.I believe you will understand me.¡±


    ¡° Are you now asking for my forgiveness because you fear that the shareholders of Li will drive you out and the whole company will fall in my hands ?¡±


    He had really hit the mark with the comment.


    Jiang Shi Jun had no time to say anything


    Jiang Yu Nan hung up the phone.


    *** ***


    Jiang Shi Jun was the soul of Li. The industry estimated that if he was unable to avoid prison , then the Li stock would be depressed for almost five years.


    J¡¯appelle on the other hand, was flourishing rapidly. In December, the new products that were launched had numerous orders, sales naturally rose.


    Based on their new launch, J¡¯appelle quickly seized the market and was one of the top selling counters in Ming court.


    Earlier, her co operation with the Ming Group was subject to a lot of satire, but now the media turned one eight degrees and started calling it a strong combination.


    After inspecting the counters in the Ming Court, she made a trip to the headquarters.


    Outside Lu Zheng¡¯s office, the Secretary greeted her.


    ¡° Is Mr Lu busy?¡±


    ¡°No, you can go in.¡±


    She knocked on the door and the voice of Lu Zheng came, ¡° Come in.¡±


    Yan Liang entered to find that Lu Zheng was in a meeting. She guessed it would be ending soon. She went out quickly and waited outside for a while. When the meeting ended, and the others left, Lu Zheng personally came out to lead Yan Liang inside.


    ¡° Why didn¡¯t your Secretary tell me you were in a meeting and that I shouldn¡¯t disturb you ?¡±


    ¡° I told her that no matter how busy I was , she was supposed to tell you always that I was not busy. Otherwise I would have to wait for you to come next time, I don¡¯t know how many years or months later that would be.¡±


    Lu Zheng revealed so much about himself, Yan Liang bit her lips in consternation.


    Luckily, he was iron hearted enough to tease her the next second , ¡° So why are you looking for me ? Is it a business or personal matter ? I personally prefer the latter.¡±


    In fact, Yan Liang now hesitated for a bit.


    As Lu Zheng waited for her to answer , he dialled for the secretary to send in two cups of tea when suddenly he heard Yan Liang say , ¡° please help me buy a ticket to Zurich.¡±


    Snap !


    The handset in Li Zheng¡¯s hand fell on the table.


    He froze, completely stunned, them slowly turned around to see the woman sitting in the sofa opposite him.


    Suddenly he was overwhelmed by too many emotions to express, he was speechless, but his breathing was slightly erratic and finally he just said , ¡°Ok.¡±


    After telling him about her decision, Yan Liang was completely relaxed. She got up and said, ¡° You¡¯re busy, I will leave now.¡±


    *** ***


    The tickets to Zurich were booked on the 20th


    This time the city was really cold


    On the night before their departure, Lu Zheng called her, ¡° If you have already packed, I will come and pick you up.¡±


    Yan Liang was driving at that time. ¡°No, I have something I need to deal with. I will come directly to the airport.¡±


    ¡° You can be really busy¡±, lu Zheng said , ¡° don¡¯t cut your holiday in half and rush back to office.¡±


    ¡° Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    No. This night was enough for her to bid farewell to all this.


    Her car was parked in the same hospital where Xu jinFu had been sick for so long


    She got out of the car and looked up at the night sky


    It was a dark night. There were tiny ant like aircraft lights flashing in the dark ¨C was this flying to New York ?


    It was on the flight that she had seen the man for the first


    time.


    And it was in this hospital, that she met the strange man for the first time and learned who he was .


    What was she going to do next?


    Yan Liang parked the car under the Xu building, her next destination


    Once the building had been acquired by Li, they had sold it. Now it was a mixed commercial complex.


    There were originally forty three floors and four conference rooms. Now the whole space had been divided into tiny cubicles and there were people working overtime. Yan Liang could no longer find her own room


    Was this the room when Xu Ji Fu had thrown a hot glass of water at her ? When she had been embarrassed and he had taken off his suit to help her out in that awkward situation ?


    Unconsciously, Yan Liang drove her car from one place to another. She surprised even herself. She had many places to go


    Eventually, her car was parked outside a jewellery store.


    This was the store that made their customised wedding rings. They had not yet started their business. Yan Liang was surrounded by the morning mist . She stood alone, clad in a windbreaker , as she looked through the display glass of the store.


    In fact, she couldn¡¯t now recall where the counter was . The slinger where the man had handed over a ring to her and said, ¡° Lets get engaged.¡±


    *** ***


    When Yan Liang finally parked her car and took a taxi to the airport, it was almost noon.


    The radio was broadcasting their next program at that time, ¡° With the investigation lending in the Jiang Shijun case, the former cosmetics industry emperor may be destined to imprisonment .After the unanimous decision of the shareholders of the Li group, Jiang Shijun was officially dismissed. The internal staff broke the news. One of Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s close confidantes Li Yugan, president of theGroup, has also formally submitted his resignation to the Board of Directors. Finally, will Jiang Yu Nan compromise under the pressure of the board, or does he have no future hope in Li as well ? To find out more, tune in to our special news at 9 on today.¡±


    It was finally over.


    Even she would soon move with a new man to a new place.


    The end¡­


    Was she sad ? Happy ?


    There was a slight ripple in her heart, but nothing was left anymore.


    She switched off the radio


    Now she could only hear the low purring of the engine. Just then her phone rang.


    ¡° Where are you?¡±


    ¡° I¡¯m just ten minutes away.¡±


    He seemed to be in a good mood, ¡° I¡¯m waiting for you. Call me when you come in, I will come out to meet you.¡±


    Yan Liang hung up the phone , shifted the acceleration, and with a speed of 120 kmph, accelerated away rapidly, leaving her past behind.


    She could see the airport signs in front of her when there was a call on her phone from an unknown number.


    ¡° Hello?¡±


    ¡° Miss Yan¡±


    Yan Liang was momentarily surprised, ¡° Secretary Lee?¡±


    ¡° Where are you now ? Mr Jiang wanted me to give you a copy of some documents.¡±


    ¡° If I remember correctly, I have nothing more to do with Mr Jiang.¡±


    Yan Liang could not wait to hang up the phone. She was about the press the button when..


    ¡° It¡¯s a divorce agreement, he¡¯s signed it.¡±


    Yan Liang suddenly stopped the car.


    *** ***


    The sound of the brakes was as harsh as the tone of the Secretary, ¡° Now that you know what the document is, you can¡¯t wait to get your hands on it.¡±


    Yan Liang closed her eyes and started the car again. Her voice was as cold as the wind blowing outside. ¡° I will be waiting for you at the airport. But you only have forty minutes. If you don¡¯t want to rush, you can send it to my lawyer directly.¡±


    In fact, both of them knew that forty minutes would not be enough time to reach the airport from the city.


    Yan Liang parked her car in the long term parking lot in the airport. With her luggage , she walked towards the airport and called lu Zheng on her phone.


    ¡° Where are you ?¡±


    ¡° Are you in the second VIP room? I will come there.¡±


    Because it was a private plane, right after crossing the expressway, the second VIP room was close to the airport hangar. It¡¯s front was fully glass, giving a panoramic view of the terminal and the airport.


    Yan Liang could see lu Zheng from a distance


    He was chatting with a slightly older well dressed lady


    Yan Liang approached them, she could not help overhear her telling Lu Zheng, ¡° One of your cousins has a son, the other one is getting married a second time, how long will you drag on till you get married?¡±


    Realising that someone had approached them, lu Zheng turned to look at her and then smiled at his aunt, ¡° That depends on her.¡±


    His aunt had rarely seen him smile like this. The smile almost brightened up his whole face. Curious, she turned to see a tall young woman coming towards them


    Yan Liang approached them and she immediately greeted her eagerly, ¡° Yan Liang ? I¡¯m long yang yang.¡±


    Lu Zheng looked at her and laughed, ¡° Why are you staring at her like that ?¡±


    Yan Liang looked around. This was really a family vacation. The whole family seemed to be here.


    Lu Zheng sensed her embarrassment, and took her to a seat in a corner.


    Yan Liang said, ¡° I didn¡¯t realise there would be so many people. It¡¯s a family vacation and I¡¯m an outsider. ¡°


    Lu Zheng lowered his head to look at her passport and said, ¡° It¡¯s a little late to regret now.¡±


    Yan Liang was silent.


    She turned to look at the other side of the waiting room. There were old and young people, the room was really bustling , but there was no sign of Lu Mingting. ¡° Where is Mr Lu?¡±


    ¡° Hs is in New York. If he doesn¡¯t personally request my mother to come, my mother will never come to Zurich.¡± Lu Zheng briefly introduced Yan Liang to his relatives and said, ¡° There is an exhibition of shoes in Paris. If time permits, we can return back via Paris.¡±


    Seeing that Yan Liang just smiled, he realised she did not want to talk about this topic. Slightly disheartened, he looked at the bar not far away,¡± Do you want to drink something?¡±


    ¡° Coffee. ¡°


    Lu Zheng went towards the bar to get the coffee. Yan Liang was bored and looked around. The children were chasing each other. One of them hugged Lu Zheng¡¯s legs and refused to let go. Yan Liang smiled.


    At this time, the door of the waiting room was pushed again.


    Yan Liang turned her sight from the bar, the smile still on her face. She caught a glimpse of Secretary Lee standing outside the door,


    Yan Liang was stunned.


    After a moment of thought, she finally got up and walked toward the door.


    ** **


    Secretary Lee took her to the secluded smoking area.


    ¡° How did you know I was in the VIP room ? How did you reach here?¡± In forty minutes , a person had dashed from the city, had a security check and even accurately found her in the VIP room, this was a bit impossible.


    Secretary lee did not say anything and handed her the file.


    The divorce agreement was only a few sheets of paper, but the file he handed over to her was quite thick.


    ¡° Where is the divorce agreement?¡±


    Secretary Lee just coughed and said, ¡° Ms Yan, please see this.¡±


    ¡° Then you can go now.¡±


    Secretary Lee was still standing there so Yan Liang simply turned and left.


    The boarding time was almost approaching, she could no longer waste any more time here. While walking, she opened the file to check if the divorce agreement had really been signed.


    The divorce agreement had indeed been signed, the elegant Jiang Yu Nan¡¯s signature she was very familiar with was at the bottom of the page, but he seemed not to have put in the date.


    Yan Liang looked over the document carefully when the phone in her pocket suddenly rang. She tried to retrieve the phone to see if Lu Zheng was calling, but at this time, her other hand lost its grip and the file fell to the ground.


    All the papers inside the file scattered on the ground. With a tired sigh, Yan Liang could only bend over to pick it up. She was aware that Secretary Lee was still watching her.


    She bent down at the waist, but didn¡¯t straighten up immediately..


    She saw a document with the signature of Liang Ruiqiang.


    The phone stopped vibrating but started again.


    Footsteps approached her.


    Secretary lee approached her, squatted down and picked up the documents for her.


    ¡° You think it was so easy to buy Zhu Chengzi?¡±


    In the next second he said, ¡° Where did you think the recording you heard was obtained from?


    Who did you think handed over the evidence of Xu Ziqing¡¯s criminal actions to the police ?¡±


    The fourth part pertained to the document Yan Liang was holding stiffly in her hands, ¡° Who did you think helped you connect with Liang Ruiqiang? ¡°


    Yan Liang slowly looked up at the Secretary, her eyes reddening, her ears roaring as the secretary relentlessly placed the last straw to break the camel¡¯s back, ¡° Think. Who saved you when you were trapped in the flooded car by pulling you out?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°impossible!¡±


    After keeping silent for so long, the woman finally uttered just one word.


    Secretary Lee looked at her like she was being absurd. ¡°It¡¯s all here in black and white. Just because you hate him, you think these are all false?¡±


    Yan Liang suddenly stood up and took the documents from his hands. Ruthlessly, she went through page after page. She had once in all happiness trusted one person, only to be pushed into a deep abyss in the end. The memory of that scar was still deeply ingrained in her, she could not believe in the same man for a second time.


    ¡­¡­ But in the documents in her hands ¡­ ¡­


    ¡°You already know that Liang¡¯s wife is a former subordinate of Jiang, I have been trying to understand why you did not follow this clue and investigate further. Later,I finally figured out, you are now so accustomed to hating a person, you fundamentally don¡¯t want to change anything anymore. Because changing it would mean your original wounds would be opened once again and you would have to go through all that pain again . But why did you never think that it may be more painful for him?¡±


    Secretary Li was clear and lucid. She turned a deaf ear to his harsh voice, but her head was bent down to see the files.


    She kept reading till the last page, when she finally dropped her hands. The black and white truth again scattered on the ground. She took gulps of fresh air, but still felt as if no air was reaching her lungs.


    ¡° I know that you went to the hospital every day when Jiang was there. Every day I hoped that you would finally push the door to see him, but till he was transferred, you did not do it.¡±


    Her head was down as she looked at the files. Hearing him, she looked up with surprise in her eyes.


    ¡° It¡¯s not that difficult. The nurses saw you several times. Naturally I heard about it. I thought you still cared about him. Otherwise , in that recording, Jiang Shi Jun¡¯s voice was clearly there but you edited out Mr Jiang¡¯s voice.. was this not to keep his reputation ?¡±


    Yan Liang¡¯s heart thundered


    But this time she lowered her head, and the glimpse of emotion in her eyes was no longer visible.


    His earlier angry voice now gradually sounded dismal , ¡°Unfortunately, it was wrong on my part to meet you. But I also wanted to praise you, you have been really ruthless to him, and also so merciless to yourself. Jiang will never tell you himself, but this time he cannot control me. Because this time he may die on the operating table. If I tell you that, would you be satisfied ?¡±


    *** ***


    Her brain was unable to accept this fact for a moment.


    He legs felt weak and she slowly sunk to the ground.


    Secretary lee left a business card, ¡°Maybe the day he is buried , you can rejoice in the fruits of your victory.¡±


    It was the business card of a private hospital. Yan Liang picked it up as her fingers trembled uncontrollably.


    She was most afraid of giving up on all her hate all of a sudden and regretting it later . Suddenly , she remembered a month ago, in the elevator outside the Li conference, that kiss of despair, and that word, ¡° Goodbye¡±.


    Now she felt that sentence was actually ..


    Really to say farewell to her..


    Farewell..


    Secretary Lee left her and walked away.


    But his pace was slow, as if waiting for someone..


    Finally, he heard footsteps rushing after him


    Yan Liang crossed him, bumped against his shoulders but did not stop at all.


    She was so anxious, she did not even look back at him.


    The big stone on his heart was finally dispelled..


    As if he had been through a battle, Secretary Lee turned sideways and leaned against the wall as he breathed a sigh of relief.


    He took out the phone from his pocket and viewed the text message


    It was only a few short words, but it heralded the beginning of a new dawn,¡±The surgery was successful.¡±


    *** ***


    In the waiting room, they were about to board the plane but Yan Liang was untraceable on phone. Lu Zheng paced back and forth anxiously .


    Seeing him as anxious as ants on a hot wok, his aunt also felt anxious, ¡° She¡¯s not reachable on phone ?¡±


    Lu Zheng looked back at his Aunt and helplessly shook his head when the phone rang.


    His taut nerves finally relaxed, ¡° Where did you go? Quickly..¡±


    ¡° Lu Zheng¡±


    Her voice sounded shaky, as if her emotions were turbulent.


    But her tone was firm.


    Lu Zheng was unsettled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry ¡­¡± she said to him.


    Lu Zheng froze.


    In the window in front of him, he could see planes landing and flying off while the voice continued talking in his ear..


    *** ***


    A flight suddenly took off and soared in the sky. At the same time, the first ray of the winter sun pierced the sky and shone down on earth


    One lone car was also speeding away from the airport.


    The woman in the car looked calm.


    Her voice was not as calm as her expression, ¡° I have to go back to him.¡±


    Just as she was about to say the next words, her heart felt a pang. But she still completed the sentence.¡±..regardless of whether he lives or dies.¡±

 Chapter 83(End)

    And finally the cute epilogue. Thank you for being with me in this journey, thank you for your likes and comments. It has been a really rewarding journey to me so far.


    Thank you ¡­


    I will soon start posting my next project ..


    Epilogue ¨C Because I am Jiang Yu Nan


    On a rare weekend, Mr. Jiang and Mrs Jiang were sitting in the renovated home theater, watching a European art film. Mrs. Jiang was engrossed in the film, but Mr. Jiang, whose legs were being treated as a pillow by his wife, was bored. He thought for a while and said, ¡°Cut an apple for me. ¡°


    Yan Liang did not lift her head, reached out her hand to grab an apple from the fruit basket on the table and threw an apple at him. She refused to cut the apple.


    ¡°Peel a grape for me.¡±


    ¡°Sir, is this your office ?¡±


    Mrs Jiang reached out to the fruit basket and realised there were not enough grapes, so she simply withdrew her hand and pretended she did not hear him while continuing to watch the movie.


    Mr Jiang really regretted his decision to build a home theatre at home. This was perhaps the most egregious mistake in his life.


    An old film was playing, he couldn¡¯t even use the remote control to switch off this boring movie.


    Mrs Jiang¡¯s chin was suddenly pulled upwards.


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at her, his face was just above her.¡° I am a patient and you are bullying me ?¡±


    Yan Liang shook her head and found that she couldn¡¯t move her chin away from his hand. But she was indifferent to this.¡±First, you were discharged from the hospital nearly half a year before. Secondly, I saw your reports and there is no indication of a recurrence. Mr Jiang, how do you still have the nerve to call yourself a patient ?¡±


    As if to cover up his guilty conscience, Jiang Yu Nan frowned. The film¡¯s heroine¡¯s excited voice reminded Yan Liang that something wonderful was going to happen soon. Without any explanation, she pulled his hand down and turned sideways to watch the movie.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother me while I am watching the movie. This is wonderful.¡±


    Just when Yan Liang¡¯s eyes rested on the actress¡¯s face, he held her chin again. This time his grip was tighter, she couldn¡¯t get rid of his hand so easily.


    ¡° I finally turned down all my work to stay at home, not to watch this horribly boring movie.¡±


    His eyes gazed down her neck, almost as if he wanted to look into her collar. At his obvious hints, she pulled up the neckline of her dress.


    ¡° Come on , you are the manager I hired, if the boss is not tired, you work for me, how can the manager be tired ?¡±


    She looked at his face with an annoyed expression and Jiang Yu Nan pinched her nose, ¡° As you wanted, I put other professional managers to look after Unique. You rush to set up a small shoe shop but even in one year, you were unable to sell more than a few pairs of shoes. Then you expect that since you are my wife, I will start selling high heels as your manager? Not only do you not give me additional manpower, but even Secretary Lee has been transferred to Unique to work for you. This is why I am so busy these days.¡±


    Mrs. Chiang shrugged indifferently: ¡°The shoe shop is just to satisfy my hobby of designing shoes, I do not expect it to make money for me. Besides, if not for Lee Secretary, we would have never been with each other today. You have the nerve to keep him as your secretary ? I will give him a promotion and make him equal to you.¡±


    As she spoke, she forgot to secure her collar. This time Mr Jiang was not satisfied just by looking, his hand crept into the collar.


    But in the next second, his hand was mercilessly pushed off.


    ¡° You don¡¯t let me do that, I won¡¯t let you do this.¡± Mrs Jiang left no room for a discussion.


    Ordinary people would not understand what she meant, but it took Jiang Yu Nan just a second to understand.


    He helplessly said, ¡° I don¡¯t want a baby because I am worried that the disease may be inherited. But you can¡¯t ask me to suppress my normal physiological needs because of this reason.¡±


    ¡°By the time the baby reaches your age, science and technology will be much more advanced,¡± Yan Liang could not stand his clich¨¦d agreement, and raised her hand to tweak his nose, ¡°old, ancient, Director!¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan caught her fingertips, with his other hand he raised her face and pecked her lips, ¡° You really want a child?¡±


    This movie was destined to remain unwatched. Yan Liang sighed and hugged his neck.


    ¡° From childhood to adulthood, you and I have never felt the warmth of a family, don¡¯t you want a real sense of a family of three?


    Think about it, we can meet other parents, we can join the school¡¯s parent child activities. If it¡¯s a girl, we will buy cute little skirts, if it¡¯s a boy , we can take him around the world. He will grow up, and eventually have his own family while we grow old quietly. ¡°


    What a beautiful blueprint ¡­


    He looked sad, his eyebrows drawn together. He seemed to be imagining what she said, but then he laughed and shook his head, ¡° I don¡¯t dare think of too much happiness.¡±


    Yan Liang teased him,¡± When did you become so timid ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan picked up the apple and tapped her head with it. ¡° Now that I have you, this is the ultimate happiness that I have ever dreamed of. This is not timidity, this is called contentment.¡±


    Yan Liang was really disappointed with him. His cautious and careful approach was not to her liking. Feeling bad for him was one thing, but sticking to her guns was another matter. ¡° Doesn¡¯t matter. If you do not want children, don¡¯t touch me.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan recovered from the negative emotions he had sunk in. He admired the solemn and beautiful woman in front of him,his mood improved. ¡° What will happen if I touch you ?¡±


    ¡° If you touch me, I will..¡±


    Before Mrs Jiang could complete her intimidating comment, Mr Jiang kissed her


    He removed her clothes faster and faster, but she put them back on with greater speed. When Mr Jiang finally pressed her to the ground in front of the big screen, she had just put on her clothes again.


    The light from the big screen created mottled shadows on their face. Jiang Yu Nan was completely defeated. Caressing her forehead, in a soft voice, he said, ¡° Wife..¡±


    Yan Liang was panting. It was a hard battle, he had almost succeeded in removing her clothes. Fortunately, even when he kissed her, she remembered to maintain her line of defence. At this moment, although her body was under his, she was clearly the winner. Arrogantly, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t bargain with me, all my ancestors will call me useless.You don¡¯t let me do that, I won¡¯t let you do this.¡±


    Mrs Jiang said the same phrase more than 365 times before a small lion quietly began to grow in her body.


    Mr Jiang was very worried when he heard Mrs Jiang was pregnant.


    ¡° You are a very persistent woman.¡±


    Yan Liang understood that he was actually praising her.


    ¡° If you hadn¡¯t really loved me, I believe that with your personality I would have definitely died in your hands, and a very miserable death at that.¡±


    Yan Liang frowned, ¡° Don¡¯t talk about death, we don¡¯t want the baby to hear all that.¡±


    Mrs Jiang was looking at him. Now she looked down at her abdomen , and in a softer voice said, ¡° Baby, don¡¯t listen to your father, he¡¯s spouting nonsense.¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at her in amazement, and then remarked sincerely, ¡°The baby is only two months, how can it hear us ?¡± But despite his remark, he couldn¡¯t help but reach out to cover his wife¡¯s abdomen. Although it was still very flat, he thought he could feel that there was already a small life growing inside.


    Mr. Jiang¡¯s so-called ¡°misdeeds¡± became part of the baby¡¯s pre school education once he was born. Although Mr Jiang protested, his protests unfortunately never took effect.


    ¡° Son, if your mother had not fought for one whole year, your father was not going to allow us to have you now.¡± She said these words several times in his presence.


    When Jiang Yu Nan came back from work,he entered the nursery to see Yan Liang narrating the same story to the baby. He stood in the door, listening for a while, tiptoed close and picked her up with one hand under her knees and one hand supporting her back. She screamed in fright.


    ¡° Let me down¡±, she whispered in his ears. Although she was annoyed, she deliberately lowered the volume. Fortunately, the child had not woken up, or else, it would be difficult to put him back to sleep again.


    ¡° Why are you indoctrinating our child with anti- father thoughts ?¡± Jiang Yu Nan smiled and pecked at her nose .


    In fact he knew for a fact that she would only enumerate his shortcomings in front of the child when he was present. He always found her amusing, such as her reaction now, when he surprised her.


    ¡° You are aware of your son¡¯s temper. He is like a little lion. No nanny will take him. The other day when Aunt Liang came back from New Zealand to see him, he was so noisy. My old heart can¡¯t take it . Mr Jiang, please can you do me a favour and not wake him up?¡±


    Her soft gaze at Jiang Yu Nan was very useful, he immediately put her down. He came to the crib and kissed his son¡¯s forehead gently. Although his son was sleeping, the little one was immediately defensive, and his little hand grabbed one of his father¡¯s fingers. Jiang Yu Nan looked at him and silently laughed. He was indeed a powerful little lion.


    Yan Liang , standing beside Jiang Yu Nan also saw this and she used her fingertips to gently tease his fist. But just as he released his father¡¯s finger, she was again lifted up by his father. This time Yan Liang did not scream. Obediently , she put her hands around his father¡¯s neck.


    Holding her , Jiang Yu Nan walked out of the nursery


    The nanny and aunt were busy in the first and second floors. Jiang Yu Nan carried her all the way to the master bedroom in the third floor. Before he had even closed the door, he buried his face in her neck, sniffing, ¡° Is this a new shower gel?¡±


    It had a very refreshing fragrance.


    ¡° I tried it before giving this new brand to our son.¡±


    ¡° I have to try it again.¡±


    ¡° It¡¯s a yellow bottle in the bathroom adjoining the master bedroom.¡±


    As she said this , she struggled to be released from his arms. As a result, he brought his face closer to her and kissed her on the lips.


    ¡° Have a bath with me¡±, Jiang Yu Nan didn¡¯t even wait for her answer before he strode toward the bathroom with her in his arms.


    ¡°Mr Jiang, Jiang boss, I am really tired¡±. She must have been really tired, or else she wouldn¡¯t be resting her forehead against his shoulder.


    He put her on the bed and had a shower alone in the bathroom. He rushed out after his bath to see Mrs Jiang sleeping. Jiang Yu Nan sat on the bed, and looked at her,


    Like his son, she had a temper. Even while asleep, she was frowning. Jiang Yu Nan smiled and kissed her lips and his hands inadvertently caressed her skin along her calves.


    His wife had very good skin, fair and soft. But, in her abdomen, the Caesarean section had left scars. Her body was like before. But this scar was like a medal to him, for him, this woman had been so brave.


    At the beginning , his life was full of lies, now that he had so much happiness¡­


    Jiang Yu Nan gave up the idea of awakening her, tucked in the corners of the quilt and stood up and left.


    He went to the nursery to see his son. He did not want to wake him up, but he saw that his eyes were already wide open. With rounded eyes, he was looking at him. He was not crying or causing any trouble.


    His son had his eyebrows, his nose and lips were like Yan Liang. He had inherited the best genetic traits from the two of the . Suddenly Jiang Yu Nan thought, every time Yan Liang was with their son, the child would cry. Whenever he came to see him, he would be quiet. At such a young age, the child had realised that Yan Liang would coddle and coax him. But his father already had his hands full coaxing his own wife, so he had no energy to coddle another person. Because of this, the child treated him differently¡­


    He laughed at his own thoughts when the household help knocked on the door, ¡° Sir, dinner has been served.¡±


    ¡° Has madam eaten?¡±


    ¡° Madam was busy with the baby and then she went to sleep.¡±


    ¡° Then I¡¯ll wait for her to wake up and have my dinner with her.¡±


    The servant already knew that he would not wake her up. He would wait for her to naturally wake up , the food would be cold by then.


    ¡° Sir , please have your dinner first.¡±


    ¡°No, I need to work on some documents.¡± Once the servant left, Jiang Yu Nan bent towards his son , ¡° Little lion, don¡¯t wake up your mother, ok?¡±


    His son winked, Jiang Yu Nan figured that he agreed.


    Yan Liang slept till twelve o¡¯clock at night. The corridor lights were dimmed. Only the gap under the door of the study room leaked out bright lights. Yan Liang pushed the door and entered to see Jiang Yu Nan was really reading documents .


    ¡° What are you reading ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan looked up when he heard her. She was standing at the door, gesturing at the documents.


    Yan Liang came to the table and sat on the handle of his chair. Jiang Yu Nan naturally put his pen down, and embraced her waist, pulling her down from the armrest into his lap.


    Yan Liang turned over the documents on the table. Then she looked up at him with surprise.


    ¡°Why are you so surprised ?¡±


    Unique¡¯s annual income was good, and this was definitely as per Yan Liang¡¯s expectations. But the performance of the shoe company was also good. Yan Liang was overjoyed, ¡° Didn¡¯t you say that the business performance was poor?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan looked at her with an expression of surprise, ¡° You were so convinced of what I said?¡±


    Yan Liang wrinkled her nose, and continued to look at the documents. Jiang Yu Nan wanted to take credit, ¡° Didn¡¯t you get a great bargain when you hired me on as a manager?¡±


    Yan Liang looked at the zero annual salary of the manager. In her heart she thought, how was this a bargain ? It was such a high price that there was practically no profit.


    Before tonight, Yan Liang always thought that the company was just a hobby for her , and Jiang Yu Nan was simply helping her manage this small set up named Elaine because of his natural disposition to help her. But evidently, this was not the case. What had she missed ?


    Shock was written all over her face as she looked at him, ¡° How did you do that ?¡±


    ¡° It seems you are now completely awake ?¡±


    He asked the question lightly as he stroked her cheek.


    Yan Liang looked at him, then bent to look at the file again. Now Jiang Yu Nan suddenly covered the file.


    ¡°Then how about a deal ?¡±


    ¡° What ?¡±


    Jiang Yu Nan placed her on the table, with his fingers he slightly lifted her nightgown . ¡° You let me satisfy myself, I¡¯ll tell you the answer.¡±


    Yan Liang looked at him as he unclasped his belt and dropped it to the floor.


    ¡°Can I not agree ?¡±


    With her hands around his neck, she looked up at his eyes. But there was no ambiguity in her eyes.


    Jiang Yu Nan responded to the desire in her eyes. He gently took off her night gown, clearly the answer to her question was , ¡° No way..¡±


    It was almost two in the morning and the study was silent.


    Fully sated, Jiang Yu Nan hugged his wife, lifted her from the table, and put her down. He picked up the nightgown from the floor and gave it to her. As she put it on, he whispered in her ears, ¡° The answer is very simple. Because I am Jiang Yu Nan.¡±