Cheng Zhili curled his lips, a glint flashing in his eyes. “So, do you still want to win me back now?”
Zhao Chao remained silent.
He lowered his head and after a long pause, finally said, “Excuse me.”
Cheng Zhili grinned. “Cheng Zhixia sent you to seduce me, and you failed. Aren’t you afraid of making him angry?”
“Zhixia won’t be angry with me. He’s not like you, narrow-minded.” Zhao Chao instinctively retorted.
Cheng Zhili’s eyes curved into crescents. “Oh~ yes, I’m indeed narrow-minded, not as noble and pure as Cheng Zhixia!”
Zhao Chao’s words had clearly indicated that Cheng Zhixia had sent him to the Fu Group. Just think about it, Cheng Zhixia using Zhao Chao, how could he truly be as noble and pure as a snow lotus on Tianshan? It’s laughable that Zhao Chao still held him as a treasure. Was he under some divine influence, forcibly lowering his intelligence?
Cheng Zhili found it pitiful.
But he no longer cared about Zhao Chao, so he just quietly watched him leave and close the office door.
Bang.
The office instantly fell into silence.
Meanwhile, the door to the adjacent lounge swung open, and Fu Laiying emerged with a stern face.
Cheng Zhili propped his chin up, grinning like a mischievous child, baring his teeth. “Brother-in-law, did you enjoy the show?”
Fu Laiying gazed at him coldly, remaining silent.
Cheng Zhili maintained his smile.
After a long pause, Fu Laiying spoke. “I know your purpose. You want me to hate Zhixia. Yes, he used Zhao Chao against you, which was wrong, but the real culprit is you—Cheng Zhili. Without you, Zhixia and I would be happy! So don’t think I’ll change my view of you. A homewrecker is always a homewrecker!”
Cheng Zhili’s pupils contracted sharply.
He narrowed his eyes, staring coldly at Fu Laiying, then suddenly laughed. “I see.”
Fu Laiying frowned slightly.
What did he mean by that?
Then he saw Cheng Zhili stand up from the sofa, stretch lazily, and say, “I’m tired. I’m going to sleep. Bye-bye.”
Fu Laiying was puzzled.
What did Cheng Zhili mean?
But he never got an answer.
In the elevator.
Cheng Zhili leaned lazily against the wall.
“Zhili, are you disappointed in Fu Laiying?” Reinhardt asked curiously.
“I never had any expectations of him, so how could I be disappointed?” Cheng Zhili rolled his eyes at him before slowly saying, “I just realized something.”
“Oh? What did you realize?” Reinhardt was puzzled.
Cheng Zhili curled his lips. “People in love are blind.”
“Hmm?” Reinhardt was even more confused.
Cheng Zhili explained, “You see, Fu Laiying likes Cheng Zhixia, so no matter what Cheng Zhixia does, he can find countless reasons to forgive him. And he dislikes me, so no matter what I do, he thinks it’s my fault.”
Reinhardt squinted his eyes. “Now that you mention it, that’s really the case…” After a pause, he curiously asked, “So, are you still planning to seduce Fu Laiying?”
“Of course.” Cheng Zhili smiled slyly. “That’s what makes it interesting, doesn’t it? Imagine one day he sees Cheng Zhixia doing something bad with his own eyes. Do you think he would be so shocked that his worldview would be shattered? I’m really looking forward to seeing him dumbfounded!”
“Emmm… what does that have to do with you seducing him?” Reinhardt was puzzled.
“Of course it has something to do with it! Think about it, at that time, who will he turn to? The pure white lotus isn’t truly pure, so what about the black-hearted lotus buried in the dirt?” Cheng Zhili smiled meaningfully. “It’s actually the black-hearted lotus…”
Reinhardt said nothing.
Ding! The elevator doors opened.
Cheng Zhili was in high spirits. “Let’s go buy a phone.”
*
A week later, Cheng Zhili visited the famous antique city in D City—Feng Xia Li.
Feng Xia Li not only had antique shops but also a street dedicated to gambling stones. Almost all the best gambling stone shops were located here. Every weekend, the place was bustling with countless tourists and treasure hunters.
Cheng Zhili walked down the street, noticing a few beggars begging and the occasional sounds of stray dogs and cats coming from dark alleys.
Cheng Zhili stroked his chin and casually walked into a gambling stone shop. “Oh dear, what should I do? I don’t know how to gamble on stones.”
Reinhardt floated beside him and said, “Do you want X-ray vision? I can give it to you.”
“Really?” Cheng Zhili’s eyes lit up.
“But using this ability too much will harm your eyes. I suggest you only use it three times a day,” Reinhardt said.
Cheng Zhili curled his lips. “Three times a day is enough. Once I find a gambling stone expert to select the raw materials for me, I just need to make the final decision.” If the raw materials he bought didn’t yield any jade, he’d suffer a huge loss.
“Alright then.” Reinhardt shrugged and snapped his fingers at Cheng Zhili.
Cheng Zhili felt as if his eyes had been washed with water, and the world before him became a bit brighter.
“Is it done?” Cheng Zhili curiously touched the corner of his eye.
“It’s done. You just need to focus on a target and silently say ‘X-ray’. Oh, and you can see through people too! You can use this ability to see men or women naked. Isn’t that convenient?” Reinhardt chuckled lewdly.
Cheng Zhili rolled his eyes.
Who cares about seeing others naked?
He walked up to a piece of raw material and silently said ‘X-ray’.
He was in luck. The center of this raw material contained a fist-sized piece of jade, but unfortunately, the color indicated it wasn’t of good quality. Cheng Zhili’s knowledge of jade was limited. He only knew that the top-quality jade was called Glass Type or Imperial Green, while the worst was known as dog dung ground.
He randomly picked two more pieces of raw material and used X-ray on them, finding them both empty.
Cheng Zhili left the gambling stone shop, stretching lazily. “Ah, it seems I need someone knowledgeable to help. Where do you think I should find one?”
Reinhardt rolled his eyes. “Why don’t you hire someone?”
“Forget it. I’ll just wander around for now.” After all, there was nothing to do at home.
Cheng Zhili strolled leisurely down the antique street, listening to the vendors’ shouts and finding a different kind of enjoyment.
Soon, he reached the end of the street and discovered a unique stall.
This stall didn’t sell antiques but wooden carvings. The carvings were of adorable little animals, so lifelike in Cheng Zhili’s eyes, yet unfortunately, almost no one visited the stall.
Cheng Zhili raised an eyebrow, noticing that the vendor seemed to be disabled. The person sat in a wooden chair, legs hanging limply, hair disheveled, and face so dirty it was hard to discern any features, resembling a beggar. But his eyes were bright and dark. More astonishingly, his hands were clean and slender, skillfully carving the wood in his hands.
Cheng Zhili’s heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, “Reinhardt, don’t you think that vendor’s hands are beautiful?”
Reinhardt was puzzled. “Are you a hand enthusiast?”
“Of course not!” Cheng Zhili rolled his eyes at him, then carefully observed the vendor’s hands, squinting as he asked, “Don’t they look like artworks meticulously crafted by God?”
Reinhardt replied, “Emmm… sorry, in the East, it’s your goddess Nuwa who crafts humans.”
Cheng Zhili: (；＿)……
“Then what are you, a demon, doing in the East?” Cheng Zhili was speechless.
“I’m an exchange student, with an ID and everything.” Reinhardt smiled proudly.
Cheng Zhili was at a loss for words.
Are there exchange students in heaven too? I’ve learned something new…
No, is that the point?
Cheng Zhili was speechless, almost led astray by Reinhardt.
Thinking about it, he stepped forward, squatted down, and casually picked up a cute monkey carving, playing with it for a moment before looking up to ask, “How much for this carving?”
“Five bucks.” The man in the wooden chair spoke with a slightly hoarse voice, as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time.
Cheng Zhili smiled and asked, “Can I pay with Alipay?”
The man shook his head.
Cheng Zhili didn’t say anything else, pulling out five bucks and handing it to him.
The man reached out to take it.
Cheng Zhili looked down, noticing the man’s hands were like jade, white and slender, without a speck of dirt between the fingers, in stark contrast to his dirty face.
This person valued his hands greatly.
Cheng Zhili curled his lips and said, “Sir, your hands are really beautiful.”
The man was startled, silently withdrawing his hands and covering them with his clothes over his stomach.
Cheng Zhili chuckled. “Do you come here every day? I really like your carvings. I’ll come back to buy more.”
Upon hearing this, the man slowly responded with a “hmm.”
Cheng Zhili laughed lightly. “Alright, see you next time.” With that, he stood up and left.
Reinhardt followed beside him, puzzled. “Zhili, what are you up to?”
Cheng Zhili grinned. “I’ve found my personal gambling stone expert.”
“Hmm?” Reinhardt was even more confused.
Cheng Zhili said no more, smiling as he left.
The day’s harvest was truly great.
*
Half a month flew by.
Every weekend, Cheng Zhili would go to Feng Xia Li to use his X-ray ability three times, then wander over to the “beggar” vendor to buy a wooden carving. He never asked for the vendor’s name, nor did the vendor tell him. The two occasionally exchanged a few words, barely acquaintances.
On this day.
The most luxurious hotel in D City hosted a grand wedding.
The third floor of the hotel was the banquet hall, bustling with waiters and filled with wealthy businessmen, the air thick with the scent of perfume and the clinking of glasses.
Cheng Zhili wore a deep black suit, one hand linked with Fu Laiying’s arm, the other holding a wine glass, smiling as he faced the endless stream of wealthy guests coming to toast.
Fu Laiying kept a stern face, as if suffering from facial paralysis, not cracking a smile the entire time.
Cheng Zhili didn’t mind, his smile radiant.
Not far from them, Cheng Zhixia wore a white suit, like a prince from a fairy tale. His gaze was melancholic, his expression haggard, looking at Fu Laiying with eyes that seemed to accuse him of abandoning him.
The sympathetic or mocking gazes around him only made Cheng Zhixia’s face paler, as if he might collapse at any moment.
Zhao Chao, acting as a bodyguard, stayed close to Cheng Zhixia, watching him with concern. “Zhixia, are you alright?” he couldn’t help but ask.
Cheng Zhixia just shook his head, not even glancing at Zhao Chao, his eyes fixed on Fu Laiying.
Zhao Chao instinctively clenched his fists.
Meanwhile, not far from them, Cheng Wenbin was all smiles, constantly chatting with the bigwigs attending the banquet. Beside him, Zheng Xue’s face was ashen, not even bothering to smile, merely following her husband mechanically like a puppet. Her sidelong glances occasionally fell on Cheng Zhili, revealing a strong hatred that was impossible to ignore.
Cheng Zhili took it all in, his smile growing even brighter.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was toasting, he whispered, “Brother-in-law, should I step away and let you and Cheng Zhixia have some time alone? Who knows, Cheng Zhixia might strip and beg you to take him!”
Fu Laiying’s face instantly darkened like coal. “Shut up!” he snapped.
Cheng Zhili blinked innocently. “You don’t believe me? Want to bet on it?”
Fu Laiying glared at him coldly. “Cheng Zhili, you better know when to stop!”