Qi Zhicheng seemed to sense something and turned his head slightly.
He saw Jiang Man.
“Manman?” He set down his wine glass, stood up, and walked over, “Why are you here?”
Jiang Man swallowed the chaotic thoughts in her heart, saying, “The dance troupe finished early, so I thought I would come straight here to find you.” Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the strange man on the sofa.
At this moment, the man on the sofa also stood up. He was tall, and his entire being exuded a kind of cynical elegance.
The man strolled over, smiling as he extended his hand toward Jiang Man, “Miss Jiang, long time no see.”
“Manman, you might not remember him,” Qi Zhicheng introduced, “Qin Size, a good friend of mine for many years, you two have met before.”
“Hello,” Jiang Man shook his hand lightly and released it quickly.
Jiang Man felt, for some inexplicable reason, that this man was very much like a certain kind of elegant and dangerous predator. Even though his smile was flawless and perfectly capable of showing friendliness, those eyes held none of the warmth that a social occasion ought to have. When his gaze locked onto her face, it made her want to step back out of instinct.
She thought of a black mamba snake she had once seen in a documentary.
Most of the time, that kind of creature simply coiled quietly in the shadows or rock crevices, its body presenting an inconspicuous dark color, even looking a bit lazy. It would not easily expose itself, merely using those eyes completely devoid of warmth to measure everything around it in the darkness. It could wait patiently in ambush for a very long time, just to strike precisely when it encountered its prey.
They say birds of a feather flock together.
Yet Qi Zhicheng was refined, humble, and had a gentle personality that was always restrained and courteous. How could he be friends for many years with a man like this?
Qin Size stepped back half a step at a very appropriate moment, picking up his coat and draping it over his forearm as he smiled, “Alright, I will not disturb the private world of you two as husband and wife, I wish you both a pleasant evening.”
Before leaving, his gaze briefly met Qi Zhicheng’s. In that single glance, some kind of tacit understanding seemed to be conveyed without words.
Only the two of them remained inside the vast CEO office.
Qi Zhicheng still wore his gentle smile, looking down at her, “I reserved the viewing deck seats at that restaurant, I heard that Alba white truffles were flown in today, and the head chef will prepare them live on-site. It should go very well with that Montrachet you liked so much last time.”
Jiang Man did not reply. After a few seconds of silence, she raised her head and could not help but ask, “Just now, I seemed to hear you and Mr. Qin mention Lu Wenqian?”
He paused slightly, “Manman knows Lu Wenqian?”
“He came to the dance troupe to look for me a few days ago,” Jiang Man told him the truth.
Hearing this, the gentle smile on the man’s face stagnated for a brief moment, and his voice seemed to turn a few degrees colder, “He went to look for you?”
Jiang Man felt there was nothing to hide, so she spoke truthfully, “Yes, that day he suddenly rushed out at the entrance of the dance troupe and gave me a fright, but he was quickly stopped by the security guards, he was very emotional at the time and shouted some nasty words.”
“Manman, why didn’t you tell me about this matter?”
“I felt it was nothing, just a minor episode, and he wasn’t able to get close to me, so I didn’t make a special point to mention it.”
“In the future, no matter how small of a matter you think it is, as long as any messy person comes to harass you, tell me immediately,” he held her hand and sat down on the sofa, his expression tender, “I will worry about you.”
Qi Zhicheng raised his eyes slightly, a hint of irritation hidden between his brows, and the tip of his tongue pushed against his upper palate in an imperceptible manner.
This Lu Wenqian, it seemed the lesson he had given him was still not profound enough, allowing him to still have the leftover energy to act wildly in front of his Manman.
Jiang Man remembered Lu Wenqian’s miserable appearance, pursing her lips, “And, he looks so wretched. The news said he was hospitalized with a cerebral hemorrhage, his properties are going to be judicially auctioned, and his wife and children seem to have suffered a lot of involvement too,”
“I also just saw the news, only then did I know he actually suffered such a misfortune,” an expression of pain and pity surfaced on Qi Zhicheng’s face, and he let out a sigh, “No one can predict what will happen tomorrow.”
Seeing the look of sympathy on his face, Jiang Man hesitated for a moment but still asked softly, “Is this matter related to you? When he came to find me that day, his words were full of curses directed at you.”
Qi Zhicheng did not reply.
He stood up, walked to the office desk, picked up a document to look through, and did not even raise his eyelids, “Business competition has never been black and white. Woshi’s predicament stems from their own choices and aggressive expansion strategy, a break in the capital chain was inevitable.”
He paused, lowering the document in a slow and deliberate manner, “As for Lu Wenqian, he might have excessively personalized his business failures, which is why he turned himself into the way he is now.”
Jiang Man was not completely ignorant of business matters.
The winners are kings and the losers are thieves, there was indeed nothing much to say about it. It wasn’t that her saintly motherly heart was overflowing, it was just that anyone who saw Lu Wenqian’s wife weeping loudly and their young child in the news video would not be able to help but feel pity. This was an innate empathy that came with being human.
The fingers resting on her lap twisted tightly, and Jiang Man’s heart felt complicated, “I just saw his wife and child and felt they were too pitiful. If, one day, you also,”
She paused for a moment, appearing to feel it was bad luck, and changed her wording, “If I, as your wife, face that kind of desperate situation one day, being forced into a dead end by someone, I think, I would also humbly hope the other party could give me a hand, so that I wouldn’t be so ruined and miserable,”
“There will never be such a day.”
Before her voice could fall, Qi Zhicheng immediately interrupted.
Jiang Man was startled into a moment of daze by his suddenly cold voice.
Qi Zhicheng seemed to react, drawing the curve of his lips once more into a smile, “As long as I am still alive, I will absolutely never let you fall into that kind of situation. Manman, I promise you.”
He smiled, the smile in his eyes not diminishing, yet growing colder and colder.
If.
If there really came such a day, the mountains exhausted and the waters trapped, a situation beyond redemption, he would absolutely never let his Manman face the cruelty and trampling of this world alone. He would take her along to die with him.
Qi Zhicheng remained silent for a short while, “Seeing Lu Wenqian’s situation makes me very sad too, now that things have reached this point, I am also thinking about what I can do for him. Compared to a pile of patents and technologies on the brink of bankruptcy, I think what Lu Wenqian and his family need most right now is cash.”
“After taking over Woshi, I will settle all his hospital fees on his behalf to ensure he can receive the best treatment. In addition, I will also arrange a trust fund sufficient for his wife and child’s life for the next few years, at least to allow them to be free from worries about food and clothing, and the child can continue to go to school.”
“So Manman, stop worrying, alright?”
He spoke sincerely and charitably, just like a generous benefactor.
Manman, look, see how kind I am.
Jiang Man only half-understood what she heard, but at least the innocent wife and child of Lu Wenqian were finally properly arranged for. The heavy stone in her heart finally dropped to the ground.
On the other side, Qi Zhicheng was standing in front of the desk organizing a document, when he suddenly asked her, “Right, is the final of that ballet competition in Beicheng about to arrive?”
“Yes, I fly to Beicheng the day after tomorrow in the afternoon.”
“The day after tomorrow, I have a meeting that finishes around four o’clock, what time does your flight take off?”
“Six twenty.”
He placed the document into the information rack, “Then the time is just right, I will send you to the airport.”
She gave an affirmative sound, her gaze following Qi Zhicheng as he moved, watching him walk to the other side of the office desk and pick up the internal phone line to give low instructions, “Have the driver prepare the car, my wife and I will go down in five minutes.”
Jiang Man watched him quietly.
His white shirt was crisp, and the lines of his profile were sharp. He was the embodiment of an industry elite.
For the first time, Jiang Man felt that this refined and gentle husband of hers might not merely be the way he appeared to her. At the very least, in the business world where one needed to strategize, he would absolutely never be as harmless as he was before her eyes.
Two days later, Jiang Man flew to Beicheng to participate in the finals of the ballet competition.
The rhythm and atmosphere of the finals week were entirely different from the preliminary week. There were fewer contestants left after being filtered out, but the pressure was greater.
The finals week lasted for five days, the first day being the semifinals, which were divided into morning and afternoon sessions. The judges would filter out the contestants who would finally enter the finals based on their comprehensive performance.
At seven o’clock in the evening, the organizing committee announced the contestants who had successfully entered the finals and drew lots to determine the performance order for the finals.
Having just finished drawing her lot, Jiang Man came down from the stage, took out her phone, and sent a message to Qi Zhicheng.
Jiang Man: [Image]
Jiang Man: [Successfully advanced! [Flower Scattering] [Flower Scattering]]
That Zane Chyi, who had a beach sunset profile picture, replied very quickly: [Congratulations, what are the arrangements tomorrow?]
Jiang Man: [Tomorrow is the first rehearsal with the symphony orchestra, it will be a bit busy [Crying]]
Zane Chyi: [Hard work.]
Zane Chyi: [When is the final?]
Jiang Man: [Friday, starting at seven in the evening.]
Jiang Man: [What for, are you coming to see my performance?]
It was originally just a casual joke made during small talk, she didn’t expect the other side to actually reply with a single “Yes.”
Jiang Man hurriedly typed on the screen: [Real or fake, don’t, I am joking, work is still more important.]
Zane Chyi: [It is fine, the project on hand just happens to be finished.]
Receiving the message, Jiang Man was stunned, hesitating as she deleted and revised in the input box, and in the end, she still only replied with a “Kitten spinning around” emoji.
Today was the first time the contestants were combining their music with the symphony orchestra. Each finalist would be allocated a dedicated time slot to polish the final details on stage.
Finishing the rehearsal, it was already eight o’clock in the evening, and Jiang Man changed her clothes, preparing to return to the hotel.
Right at the corner leading to the exit, she almost collided with a figure.
“Excuse me.”
She raised her head and recognized that it was the chairman of the art committee for this competition, Mr. Meng.
“Miss Jiang, studying hard so late? Just finished rehearsal?”
“Good evening, Mr. Meng,” she replied politely, but an unexpected thought could not help but flash through her mind. She remembered that she had only had a brief contact with this chairman during the group photo of the contestants before the opening ceremony. He actually remembered her?
Although feeling surprised, Jiang Man still continued to reply with a smile, “Today is the first time combining the music, it requires a bit more time to run through and adjust.”
That Mr. Meng smiled, but there was a bit more of an understanding meaning in the smile that Jiang Man could not decipher, “Relax, just enjoy the final stage, do not have too much pressure.”
Jiang Man only took Mr. Meng’s words as an official form of encouragement, responding along with the topic, “I will do my best, it is just that the dancers participating in this competition are all very excellent, so pressure is inevitable.”
“Miss Jiang, we are all very clear about your strength.” He reached out and lightly patted her shoulder, his smile deepening, “Since the result has long been set, you only need to perform normally, the thing that belongs to you will certainly not run away.”
Mr. Meng’s face hung with a familiarity that implied a mutual understanding between them, making Jiang Man’s expression stiffen, yet she still forced a smile to ask, though when she opened her mouth, her voice was uncontrollably trembling slightly.
“What do you mean by this?”
“Miss Jiang, reaching this point in time, there is no longer any need to say these testing words. Having accepted that sum of money from Mr. Qi, I will naturally fulfill my promise.” He smiled meaningfully, “After all, we all hope to see the most suitable person standing on the highest podium.”
In the deep winter of Huaicheng, the heavy snow fell as if it had gone mad.
The flights were delayed as expected, and private planes were no exception. The airport was enveloped in a vast expanse of white, and the takeoff and landing runways were all closed.
Qi Zhicheng waited in the VIP lounge for nearly four hours before he was finally able to board the plane.
When he arrived in Beicheng, it was already late at night, and the roses in his arms were meticulously prepared before departure. The temperature in Beicheng was as low as below zero, but under his care, this bouquet of roses was still exceptionally delicate and dripping, with fresh moisture still remaining on the petals.
He came to the hotel where Jiang Man was staying and knocked on her room door.
The door opened from the inside.
He saw Jiang Man lowering her head, her long hair draped loosely behind her back, and a few loose strands of hair covered her profile.
Qi Zhicheng vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
“Arrived early, wanting to give you a surprise. Originally I could have arrived in the afternoon, but this snow was too big, causing runway control, which delayed me until now.” The corners of his lips pulled up as he handed the bouquet of flowers over, “I thought, the earliest I would be able to see you would be tomorrow.”
Jiang Man took that overly magnificent bouquet of roses, saying nothing.
Top-tier Ecuadorian champagne roses.
Magnificent, piercing to the eye. Such a brilliant color originally did not belong to this season.
“Is that so,” Jiang Man spoke without much emotion, “I thought you were omnipotent.”
She picked up the card tucked inside the flower bouquet. The card was handwritten, containing only four short words: Quietly awaiting coronation.
“Quietly awaiting coronation,” she let out a self-mocking laugh, raising her eyes to look at him, “The final hasn’t even started yet, and you know I can be crowned?”
She pulled the corners of her mouth, and though she was clearly smiling, her voice held no warmth, “Or should I say, you knew the competition results long ago?”
Qi Zhicheng looked into her eyes.
Silence.
“Why?” Jiang Man’s voice trembled, “Qi Zhicheng, why did you have to do this?”
The anger and humiliation that had been suppressed in her heart for a long time finally poured out completely at this moment, and Jiang Man fiercely slammed the bouquet of roses in her hand toward his chest.
Petals scattered all over the ground.
Jiang Man was almost screaming hoarsely, “Do you know, you made all my efforts during this period of time turn into a complete joke!”
In the next moment, tears finally broke out of her eyes uncontrollably.