When Xiang Yuan got up in the morning and saw Xu Yan off, she returned to find Xiang Jia Mian dressed in a formal suit, carrying a transparent document folder, hurriedly preparing to leave. Xiang Jia Mian rarely dressed so formally unless there was an important occasion. Xiang Yuan took mental note of this, then noticed the words “equity shares” faintly visible through the folder. She immediately stopped him and, after questioning, learned that the flight base was going to be sold.
Xiang Yuan had grown up following her brothers and knew that her brother had quarreled with their grandfather countless times over this base, causing a citywide commotion. Everyone in Beijing knew that the Xiang family’s eldest son had no interest in the family business and was squandering the family fortune, constantly causing trouble. It seemed he wouldn’t rest until he had wasted away all of Grandfather’s assets. A flight base? He’d grown tired of things that ran on land and dove into the sea, so now he was heading to the skies. Jia Mian paid no attention to such gossip outside. After all, the label of “spoiled rich kid” was thoroughly written all over him. He couldn’t tear off this “second-generation rich” label, so he didn’t bother trying. But only he knew what he had experienced over the years, and he didn’t care to share these complicated stories with his sister like some woman would.
He and several brothers had pooled a significant amount of money to open this base without taking a penny from the family. However, they had gone through two rounds of financing afterward. The first time, he had used the Xiang family’s reputation to approach some of his grandfather’s old partners. They gave him some face because of his status as the Xiang family’s eldest son. For the second round, Grandfather Xiang personally spoke up, forbidding anyone from helping him. Desperate, he had to swallow his pride and go back to negotiate with his grandfather.
Because of this base, his relationship with his grandfather had been hostile for years. Xiang Yuan often mediated between them. Additionally, Jia Mian was getting older but still unmarried, which irritated Grandfather Xiang every time he saw him. A few days ago, Jia Mian had returned to the Xiang residence, and surprisingly, his grandfather didn’t lose his temper. For the first time, he sat down calmly to talk with him, expressing his hope that Jia Mian would return to take over Xiang Corporation.
From the moment he was born, Xiang Jia Mian had never had any interest in the family business. Having spent time with Lu Huai Zheng, his character had taken on some similar carefree and relaxed traits. Unexpectedly, his grandfather said that either Xiang Yuan had to work at Xiang Corporation, or he had to return. Xiang Jia Mian understood his sister well—she would rather have her head cut off than work at Xiang Corporation. This involved yet another family secret.
Xiang Jia Mian remained silent at that moment.
His grandfather then played his trump card: “That lousy base of yours lost three million last year. I heard you still paid your brothers their shares from your account. I know what you’re thinking, you silly boy! Do you know how much it costs every year to put on those flight shows for the children at Bai Mountain? You can’t even calculate that? Your wings aren’t strong enough yet, and you’re trying to be some kind of hero!”
Just as Xiang Jia Mian was about to accuse him of being money-grubbing, his grandfather cut him off: “Don’t call me money-grubbing. You still owe me ten million! If you don’t pay back the principal and interest by next year, I’ll mortgage your base!”
After returning to the base, Xiang Jia Mian thought for a long time. His grandfather was a man of his word, just as he had readily lent him money for financing when asked. Rather than waiting to be mortgaged, it was better to find a buyer himself. And if either he or Xiang Yuan had to return to Xiang Corporation, then it would be him.
Half of Xiang Jia Mian’s reason for selling the base was for Xiang Yuan.
And half of Xiang Yuan’s reason for not wanting to sell the base was for Xiang Jia Mian. Xiang Yuan knew that her brothers had been working on these projects for years. At first, like others in Beijing, she thought her brother was just pursuing a passing interest. Later, she accompanied them to Bai Mountain for rescue operations during a landslide, and only then did she understand their passion for flying. Her brother wouldn’t sell the base unless necessary.
Xiang Yuan clutched tightly to the contract that had been half torn, tears dropping onto it, her vision gradually blurring. She choked out softly, “Brother, is it a funding problem?”
Jia Mian didn’t answer, looking elsewhere with reddened eyes.
Xiang Yuan grew anxious, “Tell me! If you need money, I’ll ask Grandfather. He’ll give it to me!”
Seeing his sister cry like this, Lin Yi Hui’s heart ached. He tried to persuade him too: “Jia Mian, why don’t you reconsider?”
Jia Mian: “Shut up!”
Lin Yi Hui didn’t dare speak again and looked back at Lu Huai Zheng.
At this moment, Lu Huai Zheng led Yu Hao over. Yu Hao bent down to take a tissue from the coffee table and handed it to Xiang Yuan. Xiang Yuan took it but clutched it in her hand without wiping her tears. Lu Huai Zheng asked Lin Yi Hui to take Xiang Yuan away and pushed Jia Mian into the equipment room nearby.
The onlookers gradually dispersed.
Lin Yi Hui told them to go back to their classes.
Xiang Yuan sat on the sofa, unable to stop her tears, crying bitterly. Eventually, she simply buried her face against Yu Hao’s shoulder, wiping her tears and snot all over her.
Yu Hao had never been this intimate with a stranger before. Even with Zhao Dai Lin, they would only walk side by side, never hugging like this. Neither of them was the type to act coquettish, and they had met when they were past the age of acting like young girls, so they didn’t behave like young girls who would be affectionate with each other.
But Xiang Yuan treated her as if she weren’t an outsider at all, hugging her neck intimately as she cried. She considered her one of them. It was as if a strange current passed through Yu Hao’s entire body. This feeling of being accepted felt especially good, and she grew increasingly fond of this young girl.
For the first time, Yu Hao stiffly extended her arm and awkwardly patted Xiang Yuan’s back in a comforting manner, her movements stiff and unnatural. Nevertheless, she tried to console her: “Don’t cry…”
The young girl hugged her and cried even more bitterly.
She wasn’t crying about anything else but the swollen handprint on her face—it hurt!
…
The equipment room was dark, with no lights on. Inside were rows of neat shelves stacked with various items and some abandoned old model aircraft.
The two men leaned against shelves facing each other.
Xiang Jia Mian impatiently unbuttoned his suit. After hearing him explain everything, Lu Huai Zheng, arms crossed, asked, “Does Xiang Yuan know?”
“No, don’t tell her. If she finds out, she’ll cause another scene. Right now, I just want to sign this contract quietly without anyone giving me trouble.” At this point, he tilted his head back, leaning against the shelf in defeat: “I’ve figured it out. My whole life, I’ve had too strong a sense of responsibility. Can’t help it—who told me to be born an Xiang?”
Seeing that he was still in the mood to joke, Lu Huai Zheng figured there wasn’t much of a problem. He reached out to pat his shoulder and sneered: “Come on, don’t try to put yourself on a pedestal even now. Is the buyer reliable? Have you investigated thoroughly?”
“Of course they’re reliable!”
Just as he finished speaking.
There was a sound at the door. Both men turned to see Yu Hao standing in the doorway. Lu Huai Zheng asked gently, “What is it?”
Yu Hao glanced at Jia Mian and said to Lu Huai Zheng, “Where’s the ice? Xiang Yuan’s face is a bit swollen.”
…
“Ow, ow, ow!!! Ah, it’s freezing!!! Lin Yi Hui, do you have a grudge against me or something?!” Xiang Yuan sat on the sofa with puffy cheeks, grimacing and trying to dodge.
Lin Yi Hui held the ice pack, showing no mercy as he grabbed her head, reprimanding her: “Don’t move!!”
Xiang Yuan shouted: “Your hands are rough! You’re not gentle at all.” She pointed to the side: “Let sister-in-law do it!”
Lu Huai Zheng leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, whistled, and signaled to Lin Yi Hui with his eyes, then looked at Xiang Yuan and jokingly scolded, “Who gave you the courage to order my people around!”
However, Yu Hao had already walked over and taken the ice pack from Lin Yi Hui’s hand. “Let me do it.”
Lin Yi Hui was stunned. He glanced back at Lu Huai Zheng, and seeing no objection from the young master, he handed the ice pack to Yu Hao as if he’d been given a great favor, not forgetting to tease Xiang Yuan: “Perfect! You’re chirping away so noisily—anyone would think I was doing something to a sparrow!”
When Xiang Yuan was young, she had a nickname. Because she talked a lot, her brothers all called her “Xiang Big Sparrow.”
Hearing this, Xiang Yuan became agitated and made a move to hit Lin Yi Hui: “Are you personally attacking me now?!”
Lin Yi Hui dodged nimbly, taunting: “Xiang Big Sparrow!”
Xiang Yuan brushed her hair back with her left hand, letting Yu Hao press the ice pack to her face, while her right hand grabbed a model controller from the coffee table and threw it forcefully, cursing: “Lin Fat Boy!”
But Lin Yi Hui reacted incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, he raised his hand to block it, and in the heat of the moment, even accompanied it with Bruce Lee’s standard fighting sound: “Ah-da—”
The controller immediately flew straight back toward Xiang Yuan.
With a loud “bang,” it hit Yu Hao squarely on the forehead. She hadn’t been prepared, focused on applying the ice pack to Xiang Yuan, and the dull pain in her forehead left her stunned. She let out a pained groan.
At the same time, Lin Yi Hui felt a sharp pain in his buttocks as someone kicked him hard: “What are you doing?!”
Lin Yi Hui howled in pain, while the man beside him had already gone over, bent down to examine Yu Hao’s forehead carefully. Yu Hao pushed him away: “It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt.”
Lu Huai Zheng noticed her skin was indeed sensitive, already turning red from the impact.
He rubbed it gently with his hand, then casually pressed the ice pack on her forehead.
This made Xiang Yuan cry even louder in frustration!
Yu Hao quickly took the ice pack off and pressed it back on Xiang Yuan’s face. “Just teasing you.”
Xiang Yuan looked up at Lu Huai Zheng, who looked down at her with a straight face and teased: “Hmm, why is your face swollen like a pig’s head…?”
Xiang Yuan closed her eyes, about to cry again. “All of you—”
Then she sobbed and fell into Yu Hao’s arms seeking comfort: “Sister-in-law, hug me!”
Since childhood, her brothers had loved teasing Xiang Yuan. This girl had so many expressions, all comical, and importantly, she never truly got angry with them. No matter how much they teased her, she wouldn’t get angry; she had an extremely good temper. Sometimes when you were unhappy, she would make faces to make you laugh. She was simple.
Xiang Yuan had a natural talent—wherever she appeared, the atmosphere would never be bad. Whether happy or sad, she could always resolve tensions without awkwardness. Even someone like Yu Hao, who didn’t easily get close to strangers, could be drawn into the atmosphere by her.
This was also the first time Yu Hao truly and concretely felt that she seemed to be accepted by Lu Huai Zheng’s friends.
The harmonious atmosphere was so evident that even Lu Huai Zheng noticed it.
Although he doted on her, he couldn’t explain Yu Hao’s issues and conflicts to Jia Mian and the others. Even with his high emotional intelligence, he couldn’t immediately change their perception of Yu Hao. Xiang Yuan had effortlessly drawn her in, making Lu Huai Zheng all the more fond of his little sister.
Joking aside, Lin Yi Hui leaned against the wall behind them and sighed genuinely: “Whoever marries this sister in the future will be so happy.”
It would be like buying an expression pack generator.
Those little expressions, one after another, are so vivid!
…
The contract was torn up, and Jia Mian printed a new one. When they were finally about to leave, Xiang Yuan was still sitting on the sofa looking dejected. Although she knew that once her brother made a decision, no amount of crying, making a scene, or even threatening to hang herself would change his mind, she still expressed her indignation before he left.
Jia Mian ignored her and walked to the car door. Just as his hand touched the handle, he turned back and called Lu Huai Zheng out.
In the end, it was Xiang Jia Mian, Lu Huai Zheng, and Yu Hao who went to sign the contract.
The location had been set by the other party—a teahouse with few people, empty and quiet all around. When the three of them entered, the waiter was joking with the cleaning lady. Seeing them, she quickly put down her things and came over with a smile. “How many? Do you have a reservation?”
Jia Mian mentioned the private room name, and the waiter led them upstairs.
The other party hadn’t arrived yet. Xiang Jia Mian put his things down, asked the waiter to bring a pot of tea, and went to the door to smoke.
Lu Huai Zheng pulled out a chair for Yu Hao to sit down.
He half-sat on the edge of the table, head slightly lowered, casually playing with her, sometimes pinching her ear, sometimes tickling her chin, like teasing a cat. Yu Hao grew impatient and opened her mouth, pretending to bite his restless finger. As she tilted her head back, he lifted his finger slightly, and Yu Hao’s eyes followed his finger, also tilting her chin up slightly.
Then a pout.
He bent down and swiftly kissed her.
When Xiang Jia Mian finished smoking and returned, he witnessed this scene from the doorway and was so frustrated he pounded his chest.
Lu Huai Zheng slowly turned around, sat down in the chair, and poured a cup of water for Yu Hao, placing it in front of her before asking: “They haven’t arrived yet?”
Xiang Jia Mian adjusted his tie and sat down next to him. “They’re downstairs.”
Just as he finished speaking, the waiter brought in tea.
The private room was quiet, with bright sunlight outside. Light filtered through the thin window glass, casting shadows as tree leaves rustled softly.
“Tap, tap, tap—”
Two sets of footsteps echoed in the corridor, one steady and unhurried, the other slightly quicker, seeming somewhat nervous while deliberately matching the pace of the steadier one.
“They’re here.”
Xiang Jia Mian put his phone back in his pocket and said.
The footsteps stopped outside the private room. The waiter was just going out and ran right into them as she opened the door. A commanding voice resonated: “Bring some Dragon Well tea.”
Lu Huai Zheng first listened to the voice, staring at the ground, and glimpsing a familiar pair of custom-made leather shoes through the gap at the edge of the table. He suddenly looked up, and recognizing the visitor, he chuckled dryly, patting Jia Mian’s shoulder. So that’s who it was—no wonder he had said this was the only chance.
He knew this man too well—he would never give anyone a second chance.