In their minds, President Liang was upright and imposing, absolutely…
The next day at the construction site, Zhuang Fuyao made a video call to Madam Ji and Old Zhuang, who were far overseas, and introduced everything with high spirits.
“This area is the Tang–Song Pavilion. While dining, guests can play chess and listen to the qin. By then, we can select a famous painting to serve as the centerpiece of the pavilion. Over there is the Xianxia Pavilion, mainly based on mythological stories, combined with a cultivation system…”
As she spoke, she walked to a bamboo grove. “But the one I’ve put the most thought into is the Jianghu Pavilion. The scenery is all real, physical landscaping. Members can be divided into three sects and experience a hot-blooded Jianghu[1]Jianghu (江湖): A traditional Chinese cultural concept referring to a semi-fictional world outside official society, commonly associated with martial artists, wanderers, sects, and outlaws. It … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1585169_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1585169_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); world immersively…”
After days of working overtime to renovate and transform the site, it was getting closer and closer to the effect she wanted.
Meanwhile, Madam Ji and Old Zhuang had been traveling all over the world these days, and at this moment, no one knew which continent they had flown to again. Seeing that sixteen years later, her parents were still so loving with each other, Zhuang Fuyao felt both gratified and envious. “Madam Ji, when are you coming back to the country? Do you still remember the daughter you left behind at home?”
Ji Lan laughed. “In a few days, I’ll go to Africa with your father. After Africa, we’ll come back.”
“All right then.” Zhuang Fuyao pouted. “You two be careful, and remember to get your vaccinations…”
Zhuang Shaoping said, “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of your mother. You’re so young, why are you already so naggy?”
He was immediately pinched hard on the arm by Ji Lan. He hissed and complained to his daughter, “Your mom pinched me.”
“That’s what you get for calling me naggy. Madam Ji was standing up for me,” Zhuang Fuyao said, laughing as she watched the fun.
After ending the call, she went to have lunch with Beiguo.
Beiguo was currently working as a concept artist at a game company. Both of them had studied fine arts, so whenever they got together, they had endless topics to talk about. Seeing that Beiguo had already recovered her spirits, Zhuang Fuyao finally felt relieved and also told Song Qing, who was still performing out of town, not to worry.
When she returned in the afternoon, a guest had arrived at the Liang residence.
As soon as Zhuang Fuyao stepped inside, someone linked arms with her. “Aunt Fu, you’re back!”
The woman’s smile was bright. “I haven’t seen you in two years. I didn’t know whether your preferences had changed, so I bought things according to what you used to like. They’re just small items. Please don’t mind, you and Uncle.”
“You’ve spent too much. It’s very thoughtful of you.”
Zhuang Fuyao glanced at these “small items.” The most expensive one was a rare leather handbag with a premium price approaching a million. Even the least conspicuous items were from an Italian luxury porcelain brand, with any single piece costing tens of thousands. She could not guess who this was, so she smiled politely and courteously.
“They’re really not worth much. These past two years, between my studies and changes in my family’s business, I’ve been too busy and haven’t come to visit you,” Yi Han said as she sat down, holding Zhuang Fuyao’s hand and chatting warmly. “But I’ve always been thinking of you and looking forward to coming back to the country to go shopping and see exhibitions with you.”
Aunt Yuan served tea and pastries.
Zhuang Fuyao was not familiar with her and only exchanged a few polite remarks.
Yi Han noticed the unnatural movement of Uncle Liang’s hand when he moved and asked with concern, “Uncle Liang, what happened to your hand?”
Liang Huaixu smiled lightly. “I twisted it accidentally. It’s nothing serious.”
Hearing his calm tone, Zhuang Fuyao felt slightly speechless.
Clearly, wearing a support band would help with recovery, yet he had taken it off after only a few days. She did not know what kind of baggage he was carrying.
She suddenly felt like making a snide remark. “When you get older, your bones and tendons do get a bit brittle.”
Liang Huaixu: “…”
Liang Huaixu cleared his throat lightly and did not get angry, instead turning to ask about Yi Han’s grandfather’s health. “How has Old Master Yi been lately?”
The surname Yi.
Zhuang Fuyao’s mind began working at high speed.
After marrying Liang Huaixu, she had met almost everyone who was closely connected with the Liang family.
Who were the ones with the surname Yi?
Once she thought along that line, clues emerged.
This young woman’s brows and eyes resembled those of Yi Han, the youngest granddaughter of the jewelry tycoon Yi Ziyun.
Yi Han was an important supporting character in the novel and also Liang Chaoluo’s childhood sweetheart, the daughter-in-law candidate favored in the story.
In front of close elders, Yi Han always presented herself as a well-educated and well-mannered young lady from a wealthy family.
But Zhuang Fuyao knew Yi Han was not that simple.
Unlike the Liang family, whose younger generation had only Liang Chaoluo as a single heir, Yi Han had nearly ten half-siblings above her, not to mention collateral cousins. Growing up in such an environment, Yi Han had matured far earlier than her peers. She was smooth, shrewd, and adept at maneuvering. From a young age, her goal had been very clear: to marry Liang Chaoluo.
The reason was not that she liked Liang Chaoluo that much, but that she had her eye on his status as the eldest grandson of the Liang family.
Over the years, she had bought over many people around Liang Chaoluo.
She had even managed to pull Zhuang Fuyao onto her side.
The two of them had colluded shamelessly, using many tactics to drive a wedge between the male and female leads’ relationship. Later, when the situation reversed and she could no longer gain any advantage within the Liang family, Yi Han turned on Zhuang Fuyao, kicking her while she was down. She ruined several projects they had jointly invested in and ran off with the funds.
Thinking of how the plot developed later, Zhuang Fuyao’s attitude cooled noticeably.
Liang Huaixu sensed it. After Yi Han left, he asked, “What’s wrong? Weren’t you always talking about Yi Han before?”
“Was I?” Zhuang Fuyao denied it outright, sat down, and took a sip of water.
Seeing the lipstick mark on the rim of his cup, a subtle emotion flashed through Liang Huaixu’s heart. “You’re using my cup.”
Zhuang Fuyao had not noticed at first. Hearing this, she immediately frowned unhappily. “Do you find me disgusting?”
Liang Huaixu had not expected her to ask that.
They had done far more intimate things than this, so he naturally would not mind. His remark just now had only been a polite reminder.
At this point, if he said he did not mind, it seemed inappropriate.
But if he said he did mind…
Given Zhuang Fuyao’s temperament, that would not be easy to get past.
Liang Huaixu, who was decisive and ruthless in business decisions, had not shown such a heavy expression in many years.
While he was still thinking, Zhuang Fuyao lightly brushed past the topic. “By the way, Madam Ji’s movie is being released. I have an extra ticket. Do you want to go?”
Compared to the previous question, this one was far easier.
Liang Huaixu let out a breath and agreed without much hesitation.
But by the afternoon of the day before the movie, he suddenly realized something, and his expression turned serious again.
Having an extra ticket meant that, besides her, there was one more. Or did it mean that, besides her and Qin Zhenglin, there was still one more?
If it was the former, why not invite Qin Zhenglin?
If it was the latter, would it be inappropriate for the three of them, given their relationship, to go watch a movie together?
He sent Zhuang Fuyao a message, tactfully expressing that he might not be able to make it.
Zhuang Fuyao did not reply immediately.
Liang Huaixu tended to become completely absorbed when working. Worried about missing her message, he deliberately turned the sound on.
She did not reply for a full two hours. After that, Secretary Cheng came to urge him to head into the meeting.
Today was reporting day. All the general managers of Changting’s five-star hotels from across the country had rushed to headquarters for the meeting.
In meetings of this nature, most of the speaking was usually done by Vice President Zhu, who oversaw the hotel division.
Liang Huaixu only needed to control the key decisions.
Just as things reached a critical point, the phone of one hotel manager vibrated a few times and was immediately met with a scolding from Vice President Zhu. “How many times have I emphasized meeting discipline? Phones must be on silent. Submit a written self-criticism tomorrow.”
The words had barely fallen when the meeting room suddenly went “beep beep.”
This time, it was not even vibration.
Vice President Zhu was about to flare up again when it rang once more.
“—Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep.”
Vice President Zhu nearly lost his breath. “Who is it!”
Everyone’s gaze converged in one direction. Vice President Zhu looked over as well and then instantly fell silent.
“Sorry.”
Liang Huaixu raised a hand to signal for the meeting to continue, switched his phone to silent, and began reading the messages.
Zhuang Fuyao had sent over more than ten messages in a row, every single one without profanity, yet every single one scolding him.
This reminded Liang Huaixu of many years ago, when they were still in university.
There had been several times when he had been temporarily called away by a professor and had no choice but to stand her up. Zhuang Fuyao would bombard him with messages like this to scold him.
Unlike his reserved nature, Zhuang Fuyao had grown up in an environment full of love. She was someone who knew how to express herself well. Her emotions were flamboyant and intense. Whether she liked someone or disliked someone, it was always very obvious.
Yet it was precisely someone like her who, in the later stages of their marriage, had begun to grow silent, keeping everything bottled up inside.
People often say that loving someone is like tending a flower. When a once-brilliant flower withers, it is impossible for the caretaker to bear no responsibility.
So back then, Liang Huaixu blamed himself deeply. He wanted her to vent it out, even if it meant scolding him harshly, or even hitting him.
Now, seeing her scolding him through messages again, an involuntary hint of a smile surfaced.
He was preparing to explain things to Zhuang Fuyao, carefully considering his wording.
Looking at the “The other party is typing…” on the screen, which took forever without producing a single word…
Zhuang Fuyao took a deep breath and sent him another message: [I’ll ask for the last time. Are you going or not?]
Liang Huaixu’s eyelid twitched. He replied: [Going.]
……
This small incident spread out and sparked a heated discussion among the gossip crowd in the pantry.
“Maybe it was a work message?”
“I’ll bet it definitely wasn’t work. Think about it. Anyone sending messages to President Liang would have to weigh every word carefully. Who would send more than ten messages in a row? Forget that. Let’s just talk about you. When do you send messages the fastest?”
“When I’m scolding my boyfriend.”
“Exactly!” Everyone exchanged knowing smiles.
“Doesn’t that mean Changting is about to have a new Madam soon? Honestly, I’m dying of curiosity about what kind of person managed to win President Liang over.”
“Who isn’t curious? Just wait patiently.”
What they did not expect was that they would catch new developments over the weekend.
Within Changting, there was an internal gossip group made up of employees’ alternate accounts. That day, someone posted a photo in the group. The group, which had been quiet for a long time, suddenly came alive.
In the photo, the man wearing a white shirt and black suit trousers was undoubtedly President Liang.
But beside him, who was the youthful, bright young girl wearing a light yellow camisole?
Although rumors about a new Madam had been spreading like wildfire recently, everyone in the group felt it could not be the person in the photo.
She looked far too young. At a glance, she looked young enough to be President Liang’s daughter.
In their minds, President Liang was upright and imposing, absolutely not that kind of person.
[She must be a relative from President Liang’s family. A niece or something.]
[What a letdown. I thought we were finally going to catch a glimpse of the new Madam.]
Liang Chaoluo also had a small alternate account lurking in the group. When he saw the messages, he was still miserably working overtime at the company.
He clicked the photo open, enlarged it, and examined it carefully. He could almost be certain that he did not recognize this fashionable-looking young woman.
As for what the group was saying about nieces or other relatives, he knew that was even more impossible.
Then…
Liang Chaoluo stared at the photo in a daze, unable to articulate what he was feeling inside.
In his memory, Old Liang had always been very strict with him, while Madam Zhuang would secretly take him out to buy toys, eat snacks, and cause trouble everywhere. At times like that, Old Liang would scold him, and then Madam Zhuang would scold Old Liang in return.
So when he was little, he was especially mischievous, carrying a kind of smug pride from relying on Madam Zhuang’s protection and fearing nothing.
Later, he went abroad for middle school and saw them far less often.
Old Liang and Madam Zhuang’s relationship also gradually became less intimate and loving than he remembered.
He slowly realized that in families like theirs, a courteous and distant relationship seemed to be the norm.
Some people even believed that as long as both sides’ stocks remained stable, it was tacitly accepted that the other partner might be keeping a lover outside.
So when he learned that Old Liang and Madam Zhuang had divorced, he was sad but not surprised. Just like this time, even though emotions churned in his heart, he still felt it was an inevitable trend.
At the shopping mall
After finally getting Liang Huaixu to come out, Zhuang Fuyao was certainly not satisfied with just watching a movie.
She had long wanted to try the escape rooms that were popular among young people, but both Beiguo and Song Qing were cowards and did not dare to go, saying it was extremely scary.
Zhuang Fuyao thought, how scary could an escape room be compared to a haunted house? After her relentless persuasion, Liang Huaixu, this old-fashioned man, finally agreed to go with her.
……
“Ahhh, help!”
When she was being chased by an NPC, she realized she had spoken too soon.
She perfectly embodied what it meant to be terrible at something yet still loved playing.
She had even chosen an A-level scenario.
As a result, she did not dare to open her eyes fully the whole time, clutching Liang Huaixu’s shirt hem and hiding behind him.
At that moment, a gust of wind suddenly blew from behind, and eerie background music started playing nearby.
She was so frightened that she instantly leapt onto Liang Huaixu. The young couple who had teamed up with them were not much better.
In contrast to their constant shrieking, Liang Huaixu looked as if nothing was happening. So most of the puzzle-solving segments were handled by him, extremely efficiently, without needing any hints.
Zhuang Fuyao leaned close to his ear and asked in a trembling voice, “How… how are you not scared?”
Liang Huaixu lowered his eyes to look at the shirt she had wrinkled from grabbing it and said helplessly, “I believe in science.”
Yeah right, Zhuang Fuyao thought.
She used to be able to use that to encourage herself too, but now that she had transmigrated sixteen years into the future, how could she still believe in science?
“Then I believe in you.”
Before Liang Huaixu could process what that meant, she suddenly clung to him like a koala.
“This way— no, wait, maybe that way instead.” Zhuang Fuyao chattered like a little bird in his ear. As she spoke, a few strands of her hair would either brush against the tip of his nose or graze the side of his neck, stirring an uncomfortable ticklish sensation.
Afraid she might fall, he had no choice but to support her by the waist, maintaining that position until they cleared the room.
After coming out of the escape room, Liang Huaixu went to the restroom to tidy himself up.
Only then did he realize that she had pulled open two buttons at the top of his collar, and there was a red mark on his neck from where she had grabbed him. Half hidden beneath his collar, it looked rather ambiguous.
He splashed his face with cold water and looked at himself in the mirror, the tips of his ears slightly red, and sighed.
In truth, he had not been as calm as she imagined.
He had not gone to a haunted attraction in many years, and his life in recent years had been quite plain, with little excitement.
This time, whether it was because he was older or because she had been clinging to him, his heart rate had been hard to control.
He was even regretting why he had agreed to come to the escape room with her.
On the other side of the wall, Zhuang Fuyao was not nearly as conflicted. She only felt thrilled and exhilarated.
She had finally satisfied her craving for an escape room. Thinking back to Liang Huaixu’s performance inside, she felt he truly had not lost his edge. Not only was he the brains of the team, playing a key role in solving puzzles, even holding someone with one hand, he was still so strong.
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