At 6 a.m., Cheng Xiyu was awakened by the vibration of his phone. It was a message from Wang Ye: “President Cheng, we contacted the military base last night. The old commander Cheng requests your presence. All first-class seats on today’s flights to the base have been reserved for you. You may depart at any time.”
He glanced at it and replied, “Understood. I’m heading over now.”
Beside him, Jiang Shu was still asleep. After being kept up late into the night, her small face nestled against his chest was flushed with sleep, her brows slightly furrowed as if restless.
Cheng Xiyu gazed at her steadily, feeling an inexplicable sense of peace. After a while, he changed clothes and pushed open the bedroom door—
The rain that had fallen all night had stopped, leaving a chill in the air.
He noticed two glass containers on the balcony, filled with plump, bright red strawberries covered in a layer of translucent rock sugar, soaking in what seemed to be either water or liquor.
It was Jiang Shu’s homemade Strawberry Wine. He never knew she had an interest in this.
A faint sound came from the bedroom behind him. Turning around, Cheng Xiyu saw Jiang Shu standing at the doorway, clad in a thin white nightgown, freshly awakened with the rosy hue still lingering on her cheeks.
Cheng Xiyu: “You’re awake. Why not sleep a little longer?”
Jiang Shu stirred and walked toward him, looking up with a soft, pitiable voice: “I couldn’t sleep without you. Are you leaving?” She picked up a nearby tie, stood on her toes, and wrapped her jade-like arms around his neck to tie it for him.
Cheng Xiyu looked down at her and gave a quiet “Mm.” Her hands occasionally brushed against his skin, and he noticed they felt unusually warm—perhaps she had caught a cold from indulging his whims last night.
After adjusting the tie, Jiang Shu watched him walk toward the door. Cheng Xiyu glanced back at her. Initially, he hadn’t intended to say more, but meeting her eyes, he found himself speaking almost involuntarily: “…I’ll be back in a few days. I’ll call you. Dress warmly when you go out.”
Jiang Shu pressed her lips into a faint smile: “Okay.”
Outside, Wang Ye was already waiting downstairs and had brought him a simple, light breakfast.
His trip to the military base would only last three days. Upon returning, he would need to focus on the land development project.
At the base, there was a conference hall. His father, Cheng Bin, was there primarily to discuss the supply and distribution of ammunition for the next quarter.
The Cheng family had always been a leader in military manufacturing. As the new head, Cheng Xiyu had already taken control of the Cheng military industrial division. However, Cheng’s father, as the former commander, still frequently visited the military base to negotiate collaborations.
When Cheng Xiyu called, it was Cheng Bin’s adjutant who answered: “Major General, the commander has been busy these past few days. He has set aside half an hour for you, from 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. Will that work?”
Cheng Xiyu: “I need to see him now.”
“………………………………………”
The adjutant hesitated, too afraid to speak: “Uh… well… I’ll go ask—”
Cheng Xiyu hung up and went directly to the conference room, pushing the door open and walking in—
Despite having been in business for over two years, his military ruffian demeanor still surfaced from time to time.
Cheng Xiyu: “My apologies, everyone, for the interruption—”
Cheng Bin glared at him, displeased: “What kind of behavior is this! You’re becoming more and more undisciplined!”
The others felt somewhat awkward, not knowing what to say, and began making light remarks: “Oh, it’s nothing, we’re all family here,” “Come on, someone get the Major General a chair,” “The Major General is becoming more outstanding by the day, truly worthy of being Old Chief Cheng’s son! The Cheng family is thriving under his leadership!” “Exactly, as the saying goes, like father, like son!”
Cheng Bin’s expression improved slightly, a mix of pride and feigned seriousness on his face. Although these remarks were somewhat exaggerated, it had to be admitted that Cheng Xiyu was indeed exceptional among the younger generation. In the military, he had become the youngest major general in history; after taking over the Cheng family, he demonstrated remarkable business acumen, gradually evolving from “Young Master Cheng” and “Major General Cheng” to the mysterious “Mr. Cheng” in others’ conversations.
At just 26 years old, he had far surpassed many of his peers in their twenties. The position he now held placed him on equal footing with patriarchs of other families in their fifties and sixties.
Cheng Xiyu sat in the seat below his father, his expression neither warm nor cold, devoid of any particular emotion.
The atmosphere gradually eased, and the discussion continued, with the focus shifting from Cheng Bin to Cheng Xiyu, the new head of the family. Cheng Xiyu’s tone remained cool and detached, yet his words struck directly at the key points, leaving some of the more cunning old-timers who had hoped to take advantage speechless.
Eventually, they reached terms satisfactory to both sides. After the others dispersed, only the Cheng father and son remained in the conference room. Though less than five meters apart, neither spoke.
Finally, Cheng Bin could no longer bear the tension and broke the icy silence: “If you have something to say, spit it out!”
“…………….”
“Are you planning to stay in the military forever?” Cheng Xiyu fixed him with a cold stare. “Do you want to see her go crazy again? Or are you only satisfied when she truly loses her mind?”
At these words, reminded of what Cheng’s mother had done, Cheng Bin frowned deeply and snapped, “Enough! I know what I’m doing with your mother. I don’t want to argue with that madwoman!”
The old chief’s face grew even darker than before. The mistake he had made years ago had cost him dearly. At his age, he wasn’t even fifty yet—not yet at the stage where he had to hand over the company to Cheng Xiyu, who was only 24 at the time. But after the incident three years ago, he was deeply shaken. His body, which had endured decades of hardship, suddenly gave out. Cheng’s mother had become increasingly unreasonable in recent years, and what was once a relatively stable family completely fell apart. Only Cheng Xiyu could shoulder the burden of the Cheng family.
Rumors circulated within their circles that Chief Cheng had an illegitimate child and intended to transfer his shares to the child upon reaching adulthood. These whispers inevitably reached Cheng’s mother’s ears. Later, for reasons unknown, this previously unknown illegitimate child vanished without a trace, and the Cheng family fell entirely into Cheng Xiyu’s hands.
Cheng Bin shot a stern look at Cheng Xiyu. “What happened between me and your mother won’t affect you. You can listen to what others say, but you need to understand right from wrong yourself.”
Cheng Xiyu remained silent, the air around him growing colder and heavier.
Right and wrong? Who was right and who was wrong?! Cheng Xiyu thought with irony: Was it right to choose a marriage of convenience for the family’s benefit yet cling to an old flame? Or was the woman who insisted on marrying him knowing he didn’t truly love her in the right?!After an unknown length of time, Cheng’s father had long since departed, and the tug-of-war in his mind finally ceased.
On the way back to Nan City, Cheng Xiyu felt something was off with his emotions. He desperately suppressed the urge to destroy everything within him and had Wang Ye call Gu Zhao, who had been privately providing him with psychological therapy. They arranged to meet at another one of his houses in Nan City where he could go back and rest.