Jiang Han was sitting across from Liang Meng eating breakfast when Liang Xing glided down the stairs, graceful and poised.

“You’re up so early — go back and sleep a little longer.”

Jiang Han was sipping congee with a spoon and spoke without looking up.

Liang Xing settled herself into her seat with unhurried elegance, glanced at Liang Meng, then replied: “Couldn’t sleep. You came to me once in the middle of the night, and again this morning — anyone would be woken up by all that tossing and turning of yours…”

Liang Xing was referring to the nightmares.

Liang Meng heard something else entirely.

She looked at her sister’s languid, morning-after expression, fought down the jealousy rising inside her, and made a show of eating without a care.

“You’ll need to get used to it gradually.”

What Jiang Han meant: Liang Xing, you’ll need to slowly get used to the fact that I drift over to your chaise longue now and then, having nightmares.

What Liang Meng heard: (content entirely unsuitable for young audiences.)

“Xiao Meng, how are things going at the Group lately?”

Liang Xing looked up brightly from her bowl, asking a question she already knew the answer to.

Liang Meng could flip the table at Jiang Han, but she could not do the same with her sister.

“Sister, Daiwei is threatening to resign. We might as well let him take early retirement.”

She deliberately added the word “honourable” in front of “retirement.”

For one thing, it was a face-saving gesture toward her sister. For another, it gave “Zhang Weimin” some dignity as well.

Otherwise, given her own temperament, she would not yield to any kind of pressure from anyone.

Daiwei had to go.

“I don’t agree.”

Liang Xing glanced at Jiang Han, then turned to Liang Meng, and refused.

“Why?! Daiwei, he—”

Liang Meng had not even finished laying out Daiwei’s crimes before Liang Xing cut her off: “I don’t agree.”

“Why?!” Liang Meng was indignant.

“There is no why.”

Liang Xing’s tone was as flat as if she were commenting on why they happened to be having egg-and-milk toast for breakfast.

“Sister, you don’t understand the situation…” Liang Meng pressed, eager to make her case.

Liang Xing had no intention whatsoever of hearing any appeals. “I am Longquan’s largest shareholder. I hold veto power. Daiwei cannot be dismissed.”

Liang Meng lost her composure. She stood up and gave her chair a furious kick behind her. “Sister! I’m still the CEO of Longquan! Daiwei challenged me openly in the senior management meeting like that. If I let his attempt at coercion succeed, and everyone else starts following suit, what authority will I have left in Longquan?”

“Authority is built through one’s own ability. Not through firing people.” Liang Xing took a sip of milk.

“Sister! If you won’t let me fire anyone, how am I supposed to demonstrate my ability? That’s rather funny.”

Liang Meng was deeply displeased.

On the surface, Liang Xing had handed Longquan Group over to her to manage. In reality, she was reaching her hands into everything behind the scenes.

When one person’s reach extends too far, the other person invariably finds their hands tied.

“Jiang Han, pass me the Himalayan salt.”

Liang Xing seemed not to have heard a single word from Liang Meng and simply changed the subject, addressing Jiang Han.

Jiang Han silently reached over and passed Liang Xing the Himalayan salt.

The two of them looked like they had a natural, wordless understanding between them.

As Jiang Han’s pale and slender fingers extended past Liang Meng’s face, she caught sight of the cufflinks that had been custom-made for him in England.

That was fuel poured onto the fire.

“Sister!!”

Liang Meng stamped her foot again.

“Jiang Han, the oil-free scrambled eggs today came out a little overdone. Help me finish them.”

With that, Liang Xing acted as though Liang Meng did not exist.

She wrapped a half-bitten piece of egg onto her fork, reached past Liang Meng’s lashes, and extended it to Jiang Han’s lips.

This back-and-forth exchange sent the jar of vinegar at the bottom of Liang Meng’s heart crashing to the floor.

Jiang Han’s gaze was clearly fixed on Liang Meng, yet he slowly opened his mouth and accepted the bite.

Liang Meng watched Jiang Han’s throat move, and the spilled vinegar caught fire and boiled.

The entire room was steeped in sharp, burning bitterness.

Who held power at Longquan hardly mattered anymore. Daiwei could go drop dead for all she cared.

Liang Meng knew rationally that Liang Xing and Jiang Han were already “husband and wife,” but emotionally, she could not let go.

First thing in the morning, and the sweetness between them came bite after bite, relentlessly fed to her.

And yet, there had been a time when Jiang Han and Liang Meng were like this: candy, I give to you. First heartbeats of young love, I give to you. Fondness, I give to you. Love — that too, I gave to you.

Not willing to give up, she finally fixed her gaze on Jiang Han’s eyes and asked: “Jiang Han! What do you say about Daiwei’s matter?”

To which Jiang Han simply shrugged with complete indifference: “Listen to your sister.”

“Fine! Perfect!”

Liang Meng seethed, snatched up her own fork with barely contained fury, defiantly scooped a mouthful of egg from her own plate, and swallowed it.

Then she turned without another word and walked out.

Two steps away, Liang Meng couldn’t resign herself to it and turned right back.

Watching her sister’s chest heave with each breath, Liang Xing continued to cut her toast at her own unhurried pace and asked: “Was there something else?”

Liang Meng’s almond eyes bore into Liang Xing with sharp accusation: “Sister! Longquan Group was left to us by Mom and Dad, wasn’t it? On what grounds do you alone get to decide everything?!”

Liang Xing speared the cut toast into her mouth and gave a cold laugh. “Yes, it was left by Mom and Dad. But unfortunately, I am also Mom and Dad’s daughter.”

“You—!!!” Liang Meng was so furious she could barely form words.

She had never had any intention of fighting her sister over so-called “family assets” — her urgency, when all was said and done, was driven by concern for Longquan’s development. If her sister refused to loosen her grip and kept imposing her old management model, Longquan could only stagnate.

Liang Xing never argued with anyone, and yet she was never at a disadvantage. Without acknowledging Liang Meng at all, she turned to Jiang Han and asked: “Jiang Han, does an adopted daughter have no right of inheritance?”

Liang Meng cast one last desperate look at Jiang Han, hoping he would stand up and speak a fair word.

Back when Liang’s father and mother died in the accident, Longquan had passed into Jiang Han’s hands first. Once Liang Xing came of age, Jiang Han transferred Longquan to her.

The reason it had not gone to Liang Meng was that she had been too young at the time.

But it was undeniably true that Longquan had been little more than a seedling when it was entrusted to Liang Xing. It was only through her years of relentless effort that it had grown to stand above the rest.

Liang Xing’s contribution to Longquan entitled her to the highest authority.

The worst outcome Liang Meng was bracing herself for was Jiang Han coming out to play peacemaker.

But he did not.

He stood firmly beside Liang Xing and restated her position clearly to Liang Meng: “The majority shareholder holds veto power.”

The moment he finished, a faint, unmistakable gleam of satisfaction surfaced on Liang Xing’s otherwise cold face.

She spread her fork out toward Liang Meng in a gesture of declared victory. No further words were needed.

As for Liang Meng — it was as though someone had just subjected her to a thoroughly satisfying act of cold brutality, leaving her stomach full of smoldering rage with nowhere to put it.

Highly combustible. Ready to ignite.

At the moment when Liang Meng needed support, Jiang Han had chosen Liang Xing and stood against her.

She couldn’t stay in this house a moment longer.

Before she set the place on fire, she stormed out of the villa in a fury.

After Liang Meng left.

Only Jiang Han and Liang Xing remained in the Xitu Lanya restaurant.

Within a single second, Jiang Han’s face went cold.

He dropped his fork into the plate with a clatter and turned to Liang Xing: “Satisfied?”

Liang Xing curved the corner of her mouth upward. “I was doing it for her own good.”

Jiang Han’s jaw tightened. “So was I.”

“That’s why we’re ‘husband and wife’…”

“…”

Jiang Han — also nursing internal wounds — pressed a hand to his forehead and sank into the backseat of his Maybach.

Could those two sisters please stop dragging him into the middle of their wars at every turn?!

What exactly had he, Jiang Han, done to deserve any of this?

The secretary had heard everything that had just transpired in the living room, clear as day.

“President Jiang, do you need us to do anything about Longquan…”

Jiang Han rubbed his aching temple. “Do you have a solution?”

“If you’re truly troubled by it, we could always poach Daiwei to our Three Lives…” the secretary suggested, hoping to relieve Jiang Han’s burden.

“Is our Three Lives a dumping ground for rejects?”

Jiang Han lowered his hand from his forehead and looked at the secretary with imperious disdain.

The secretary pursed his lips and did not dare say another word.

Jiang Han let his gaze drift idly out the window and murmured to himself: “Kicking up a fuss at the drop of a hat — how is anyone supposed to accomplish great things like that?”

He was talking about Liang Meng.

Four Seasons Hotel.

That morning, just as Lin Qing was puzzling over where to move their luggage, she suddenly received a phone call.

“Lin Qing, where are you?” It was Lu Zhou’s voice.

Hearing that familiar voice, Lin Qing felt a sting behind her nose. She glanced back at her mother, still fast asleep from exhaustion, and lowered her voice as she answered: “Four Seasons Hotel.”

“Alright! I’m coming to pick you up right now — about fifteen minutes. Get packed and come on down.”

Lu Zhou did not ask Lin Qing why she was at a hotel, nor did he so much as wonder who she might be there with.

He simply said, as naturally as breathing, that he was coming to pick her up.

When Lin Qing thought back on it, the last time she had seen Lu Zhou was two years ago.

Lu Zhou had come to Shanghai for a competition. After it ended, he rushed to Lin Qing’s university, and the two of them quickly devoured a meal of spicy hot pot on the dubious food street behind campus.

Once they finished, Lu Zhou had to leave — he needed to catch a late-night flight, with another competition in another city the next day.

Two years. Over six hundred days.

To be honest, Lin Qing had grown a little fuzzy on Lu Zhou’s face.

She only remembered his outline — very tall, radiating sunshine and warmth.

Lin Qing walked into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face.

She quietly picked up her cushion compact, opened it, then put it back down.

She thought about touching up her lipstick, then worried it might seem too deliberate, too formal.

So in the end, she chose to sweep her long hair up into a high bun and walk downstairs to meet Lu Zhou with a completely bare face.

“Where’s your luggage?”

That was the first thing Lu Zhou said when he saw Lin Qing.

He rolled down the window of his Volvo SUV, and a glimpse of his handsome profile flashed across Lin Qing’s eyes.

She immediately regretted everything.

She should have done a full face of makeup before coming down.

Right now she looked completely like a bedraggled little assistant standing next to a blazing celebrity.

“Upstairs.” Lin Qing pointed awkwardly toward the building above.

“Then I’ll go up with you to get it.”

Lu Zhou was dressed head to toe in white golf wear. The moment he swung his legs out of the car and stepped down—

Lin Qing thought those legs might be longer than her entire future.

“That’s not really appropriate, is it?” Lin Qing moved to stop him.

She didn’t understand why Lu Zhou needed to go up and help her carry luggage, and she had even less idea where they would go once it was collected.

It wasn’t as though she could ask Lu Zhou to drive them back to campus, surely?

“What’s inappropriate about it.” Lu Zhou caught Lin Qing’s sleeve and walked her straight toward the lobby.

Lin Qing pulled back, dragging her feet: “Where do we go after we get the luggage?”

“To the place I’ve found for you two to stay, of course!”

Lu Zhou had no time to go back and forth with Lin Qing about this — he had a competition in Macau the following day.

He could have flown directly from New Zealand to Macau, but for Lin Qing’s sake, he had made a detour and returned to Shanghai first.

He had eight hours here at most.

“My mom is upstairs sleeping.” Lin Qing said, flustered and a little flushed.

“Your aunt came?” Lu Zhou was clearly surprised, but quickly settled. “Then let’s wait here until she wakes up, and then go up.”

On a sofa in the Four Seasons Hotel lobby, Lu Zhou and Lin Qing talked through the plan going forward.

“Lin Qing, I haven’t been able to find a suitable apartment yet. You and your aunt can stay at my place for a while in the meantime.”

“Your place?!” Lin Qing’s jaw dropped.

“Don’t get the wrong idea.” Lu Zhou quickly clarified. “I don’t mean anything by it.”

How could anyone call this not meaning anything?

Lin Qing didn’t believe it for a single second.

Lu Zhou continued: “I bought the apartment this year on a mortgage — it’s not big, about forty square meters. I just needed somewhere to land when I’m in the city. I’m away competing almost all year. I won’t be back anytime soon. You and your aunt can move in and make yourselves at home.”

“And what if you do come back?”

Lin Qing could not avoid thinking about this most significant “risk.”

“Well—” Lu Zhou pointed upstairs and grinned. “Then I’ll come stay at the Four Seasons!”

“No no no no.” Lin Qing refused at once, shaking her head like a rattle drum.

The debt of gratitude would be far too enormous.

Even if she sold herself, she could never repay it.

You don’t accept gifts without reason, and there is no such thing as a free meal.

Even a meal funded by Lu Zhou’s generosity wouldn’t sit right.

“If you’re worried about owing me a favour…” Lu Zhou looked at her as though his eyes contained some sort of X-ray capability, capable of seeing straight through her. “Then help me keep the place in good order. They say a home that goes unoccupied for too long loses its warmth and ages faster. I flew straight from the plane to come find you — I have no idea how many mushrooms have sprouted in my bathroom by now, or whether there are enough to stir-fry a whole dish.”

Hearing this, Lin Qing considered for a moment and understood that Lu Zhou genuinely wanted to help her.

Sincere goodwill shouldn’t be refused.

So Lin Qing bowed her head and pressed her lips together, then looked up again to meet Lu Zhou’s earnest gaze and offered: “Then let me pay you rent.”

“Alright.”

Those who accomplish great things do not get caught up in small details.

As long as Lin Qing agreed to accept his goodwill, Lu Zhou would agree to anything.

Charging a little rent was nothing at all.