“Lin Qing, do you remember a comparison I once made to you?”

Under a brilliant, starlit sky, Jiang Han sighed and asked quietly.

“A comparison?”

Lin Qing racked her brain but drew a blank.

“Mr. Jiang, you make so many comparisons, I don’t know which one you mean.”

“Didn’t you once ask me why I couldn’t be with Liang Meng?” Jiang Han said.

Without even thinking, Lin Qing came back: “Didn’t you bring all of that on yourself?”

“No.”

Jiang Han’s tone was completely serious — not joking in the slightest.

Lin Qing recalled that time when Jiang Han had told her that the reason he and Liang Meng couldn’t be together was because —

“But suppose we succeeded — suppose Wang Xiancheng went bankrupt. Suppose he couldn’t take the blow and jumped from a building. Liang Meng is still Wang Xiancheng’s own biological daughter. Do you think, knowing all of this, she would still love me? Could the two of us ever be together without any lingering resentment?”

Jiang Han turned to Lin Qing: “What if I told you — that what I said was not a comparison, but the truth?”

“Stop joking!” Lin Qing scoffed dismissively. “How is that possible? Are you saying Liang Meng and Wang Zaiwu are biological siblings?”

Jiang Han didn’t say a single word. His face was utterly unsmiling, those eyes of his — deep and still as a cold pool — fixed directly on Lin Qing.

Biological… biological siblings…

Lin Qing froze, then immediately punched Jiang Han in his rock-hard bicep: “Stop telling tall tales! If Liang Meng is Wang Xiancheng’s daughter, then I’m Wang Sicong’s little sister!”

But wait — something felt off. Lin Qing had a nagging sense that something was wrong.

Jiang Han…

Surely Jiang Han hadn’t cracked under the pressure, had he? His mind hadn’t snapped, had it?

To be spinning a story this outlandish just to fool her.

Was he already starting to fear losing to Wang Xiancheng, and looking for a reasonable excuse to justify his own defeat?

“It’s true.”

Jiang Han looked Lin Qing in the eye with the utmost sincerity and said it.

Lin Qing immediately leapt to her feet, seized Jiang Han by the arm, and started pulling him toward the door.

“Come on, right now! Wanping South Road No. 600 — there might still be urgent appointments available. Mr. Jiang, your condition cannot wait another moment!”

Jiang Han shook Lin Qing’s hand off and sighed, then crossed his legs and sat back down.

“Really?”

Lin Qing sensed something was wrong too, and sat back down as well.

Helpless, Jiang Han had no choice but to walk Lin Qing through all the grievances and entanglements of the previous generation, one by one.

Lin Qing was completely stunned as she listened!

Real life could actually be this melodramatic?

This was wild — truly, absolutely wild!

“Wait… Jiang Han, you’re saying that Liang Meng is either your biological little sister, or Wang Zaiwu’s biological older sister — she’s definitely not actually the Liang family’s child?” Lin Qing couldn’t believe it.

After a long pause, Jiang Han gave a faint nod.

“Liang Xing obtained the hotel records from back then.” Jiang Han said. “When you do the math, during that period, Liang Meng’s biological mother was indeed spending time with Wang Xiancheng. And besides — don’t you think… if you look carefully, Liang Meng and Wang Zaiwu actually look somewhat alike? Especially the way they speak, their mannerisms.”

Jiang Han gave a bitter smile and bowed his head.

Lin Qing went limp and collapsed into the rattan chair.

“So what you’re struggling with is…” Lin Qing furrowed her brow and asked. “If you were to beat Wang Xiancheng, and Liang Meng then found out the truth about her own background, she’d be devastated?”

“Yes.” Jiang Han nodded, pained.

“She won’t be.”

If that was the issue, then Lin Qing felt very certain about this.

“To be honest, that glass today — Liang Meng bought it this afternoon to compensate Wang Xiancheng. I confirmed with Wang Zaiwu that Wang Xiancheng doesn’t normally use this brand of thing at all. So I suspect he was trying to set Liang Meng up in a trap.”

“There’s that too?” Jiang Han sat up straight.

“So, I’m planning to use a switch. Earlier I ordered one on Pinduoduo — an identical-looking knockoff for 29.9 yuan — to be sent to Liang Meng by flash courier tomorrow.” Lin Qing said. “Whatever scheme Wang Xiancheng is planning against Liang Meng, with this layer of protection, he won’t be able to succeed so easily.”

Jiang Han nodded, agreeing with Lin Qing’s plan.

But very quickly he shot to his feet: “What if Liang Meng was trying to poison Wang Xiancheng? You let me drink from that glass — that makes me the one who’d end up dead in her place!”

Lin Qing was perfectly calm: “Don’t worry. I soaked it in bleach. The bottle from the bathroom.”

“You—!” Jiang Han jabbed a finger furiously toward Lin Qing’s nose. He was so flustered he could barely get the words out. “You, Lin Qing, you are my next assassination target.”

Lin Qing pulled him back down into his seat and continued with the real matter at hand: “What you’re saying is, Wang Xiancheng and Liang Meng currently don’t know a blood relation exists between them. So as long as Wang Xiancheng has wronged Liang Meng, in her eyes, your guilt in going after Wang Xiancheng will be greatly lessened. And furthermore—”

“Furthermore what?”

“Furthermore — from everything I’ve observed of Liang Meng over all this time, what matters most to her heart has always been Longquan. Now that Wang Xiancheng has taken Longquan from her, she must be carrying some resentment toward him.”

“That’s also a fair point.”

Having been talked through it by Lin Qing, Jiang Han no longer looked quite so downcast.

Jiang Han asked Lin Qing to refill his glass. He lit a cigar. “Lin Qing, I feel… you’re different from a lot of the young women out there today.”

Lin Qing sat up properly and grabbed herself a bottle of cola with a smile. “Different how?”

Jiang Han tapped his cigar and said: “Truthfully, there are so many popular streamers these days, and even tutorials teaching girls how to hook up with wealthy men for money and resources. A lot of girls are influenced by this and become quite mercenary. They always hope to latch onto a tycoon or two, grab some money, grab some resources, and take a shortcut to the top.”

“That’s exactly what I think too,” Lin Qing said cheekily. “What a shame I’m not pretty enough for that.”

Jiang Han smiled: “You’re quite attractive. Though compared to Liang Meng, you’re a bit behind.”

Lin Qing knew perfectly well that Jiang Han was flattering her, yet somehow hearing it still brought a small flutter of sweetness — which she couldn’t quite explain.

And so she too gazed up at the starlit sky and opened up to Jiang Han: “Ah, I really am a stubborn, proud sort of person — like my mother. I’d never stoop to being a climbing vine that clings to a strong tree. I tried dating a wealthy second-generation once, but found my pride was too great — I couldn’t stand to compromise even a little. Now I’ve accepted my lot in life. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s that I didn’t try hard enough when I was choosing which family to be born into — I didn’t end up in the womb of some wealthy society lady. Honestly, sometimes I’m really quite envious of Liang Meng…”

“Envious of what?”

Jiang Han lazily brought the cigar back to his lips.

“Envious that she has money, envious that she doesn’t have to worry about money, envious that she can live in a grand villa and also pack up and leave home whenever she likes.”

Lin Qing had an endless list of envies when it came to Liang Meng.

“Envious that she has Longquan, envious that she became a female president at her age, while I… I’m still a conscientious worker, a little cog turning faithfully in the machine.”

Jiang Han smiled listening, his face wearing that rare, warm grin, and continued to listen.

“Envious that Liang Meng is not only beautiful, but carries that refined, wealthy air about her. You like her, Wang Zaiwu likes her, and who knows—” Lin Qing paused, then finally bowed her head and said quietly, “who knows whether Lu Zhou likes her too.”

Jiang Han found Lin Qing genuinely interesting. He picked up on the key word: “That Lu Zhou — do you like him very much?”

Lin Qing nodded firmly.

“We grew up together. But I’ve always had such deep insecurities about my upbringing that I was never able to accept his kindness openly and proudly. But then that day, when I saw the two of them standing together — so perfectly matched — I felt that ache in my heart for the very first time. A world champion paired with a domineering female president makes for a beautiful story; but a world champion marrying a small assistant — that would just be a farce.”

“There’s no need to put yourself down like that.” Jiang Han patiently offered a word of comfort.

“I’m not putting myself down. That’s just the reality.”

Lin Qing gazed up at the vast blue night sky, so far beyond reach — just like the future she could not touch.

“Ah, you really don’t understand men.”

Jiang Han stubbed out his cigar with a slightly rueful air, stood up, and turned back toward Lin Qing: “Whether a man is a world champion or a billionaire — the meaning behind all of a man’s striving is to win the woman he loves and be with her forever. Without that, everything else loses its meaning.”

With those words, Jiang Han rose and went back to his room.

“By the way — your mother’s follow-up appointment at the medical center is the day after tomorrow. Don’t forget.”

“Thank you, President Jiang.”

…

The next day, Liang Meng was at the office, discussing the next steps in their plan with Daiwei and several senior executives.

“Wang Xiancheng has agreed to lease us the ‘Baoquan Herbal Tea’ brand name, which means our distributors are protected and can continue live-streaming as before.” Liang Meng said.

Daiwei nodded, quite satisfied with this outcome.

“Then the refrigerators we’d planned to roll out can get moving. All that stock sitting in the warehouse is bleeding money every day.”

“Good. As quickly as possible.”

Liang Meng then raised the question of office space.

“Now that Baoquan is operating independently, it’s not really appropriate for us to keep our offices inside the Longquan building.”

“Exactly — you can’t let another rooster crow in your own coop. If we stay here much longer, Wang Xiancheng might start to entertain the same thought Emperor Taizu had before annexing the Southern Tang.”

“But office rentals aren’t cheap right now, and we don’t have a lot of cash on hand.”

“That’s exactly what’s been weighing on me too.”

Liang Meng thought for a moment, then swiveled her office chair around to face everyone: “I do have an idea. I’m not sure if it’s workable.”

“Please share it, President Liang.”

“I’m thinking of moving into Ling Xue SOHO.” Liang Meng said.

Those words landed, and the entire room fell silent.

After a pause, Daiwei helplessly offered his agreement: “That is an option. Ling Xue is currently running at a loss, so the rent shouldn’t be too steep. The only concern is Jiang Han…”

He gave Liang Meng a meaningful glance.

Liang Meng shrugged it off and gave her armrest a brisk pat: “Don’t worry about that. Given the relationship through my sister, Jiang Han will rent it to us.”

“But…”

Daiwei hesitated — he wanted to bring up Lin Qing but didn’t dare.

One must never underestimate the power of a word whispered on a pillow.

But Liang Meng seemed to read minds — she reassured him immediately: “The opinion of uninvolved parties doesn’t count. It’s not worth considering.”

“In that case!” Daiwei gave his thigh a light slap and volunteered: “I’ll go handle the negotiations.”

“Good.”

“There is still one more issue,” Daiwei said. “Ever since Longquan dropped the collaboration with Zhou Zelong, the Baoquan brand ambassador slot has been empty. The new packaging has been on hold, waiting for a brand ambassador announcement so both can go live at the same time.”

Liang Meng: “That you don’t need to worry about. Since it’s a new company with a new face, we’ll use a brand ambassador from the new generation.”

“President Liang, do you still have the same person in mind as before — Lu Zhou?” Daiwei asked.

“Yes. I have great confidence in him. I’ve already decided to sponsor his Three Sanya Tour next month.” Liang Meng said.

The moment she said it, an executive immediately voiced objection:

“This Lu Zhou doesn’t have enough national name recognition. Golf was never a mass-market sport in China to begin with.”

“And he had that incident during a competition — his foot made contact with the ball and he was penalized by the referee.”

“This is too risky. Baoquan can’t afford even a hint of risk right now.”

“Right, my view on the brand ambassador is: don’t aim to score, just aim not to lose.”

Having listened to everyone’s opinions, Liang Meng exchanged a look with Daiwei.

Liang Meng announced her decision, just as firmly as before: “My mind is made up. Daiwei, please handle the title sponsorship arrangements yourself. Everyone else, support him.”

“Very well then.”