Jiang Cheng laid Fang Yuan on the bed.
A hush filled the room; moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting a faint glow across Fang Yuan's delicate face.
Her eyes were dazed, lips slightly parted, exuding a mesmerizing allure.
Looking down at a face eighty percent identical to Zhou Ying's, a tremor rippled through his heart.
Damn it—Jiang Cheng felt himself falling in love all over again.
This woman is really thirty-six?
Inside, Fang Yuan was torn between anticipation and guilt.
At this moment she was struggling; she knew she shouldn't get too close to Jiang Cheng—after all, he was Zhou Ying's boyfriend.
But tonight she felt unbearably lonely.
Apart from Zhou Ying, she had no family left.
After what happened tonight, she craved warmth and care more than ever.
Fang Yuan's lips slowly moved toward Jiang Cheng.
Warm breath brushed his cheek.
Her fists clenched the sheets as two voices battled within her.
In the end, reason won.
She turned her face away, her voice grateful yet resigned: "Thank you, Jiang Cheng. You're a good man."
Watching Fang Yuan hand him the classic "good-guy card," Jiang Cheng merely smiled, unbothered.
"No need to thank me; it's what I should do. Rest well, Auntie. I'll be going."
With that, he walked straight out of the room.
Jiang Cheng knew Fang Yuan had feelings for him.
He wouldn't make the first move; they were adults—lights off, everyone looks the same.
Why complicate things?
Wait—he almost forgot Zhou Ying's special trait.
He wondered if that silky fairness was hereditary.
If so, those twin tigers… would be fierce.
Regrets aside, Jiang Cheng would never turn back.
As the front door clicked shut, tears finally spilled from Fang Yuan's eyes.
She didn't know why she was crying.
Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe the weight inside her heart.
She couldn't tell whether Jiang Cheng's desire came from her face or something else.
At her age, the thrill of ambiguity still set her pulse racing.
A part of her yearned to explore what might happen with Jiang Cheng.
Settling into the rolls-royce, Jiang Cheng told Wang Sheng, "Back to the Deer Lake villa."
Yesterday his father had told him they were moving there.
"Yes, Young Master Jiang. Just now Qing Zhong reported: both documents checked out. Back then their family was brought down by a coalition led by Shengchuang, with Zhengde secretly involved. How would you like to proceed?"
Jiang Cheng's expression was cold. "That's the tide of competition; it has nothing to do with me. My only concern is acquiring Zhengde."
The marketplace is a battlefield—deceit and scheming are routine.
In this dog-eat-dog world, only the strong survive.
Zhou Yings Father failed and his family was ruined—that's his own affair.
At heart, Jiang Cheng was an egoist, no philanthropist.
As for Zhengde, he acted because its owner cursed his woman to his face.
A man has to stand up for his own.
That was his duty and responsibility as a man.
Two separate matters.
Wang Sheng nodded, understanding perfectly.
"The second file is verified; we'll draft a plan and launch tonight."
"Be careful."
"Yes, rest assured."
Jiang Cheng said nothing more and picked up his phone.
Reading a message from Zhou Ying, he hesitated over whether to tell her what Fang Yuan had revealed.
She clearly didn't know.
But recalling Fang Yuan's state tonight, he decided she should.
He gave Zhou Ying a brief summary.
She called back almost instantly.
Her voice brimmed with anger and worry.
"darling, how could this happen?? Is my mom okay??"
"Babe, your aunt was drunk; it wasn't right for me to stay."
"My mom actually got drunk? She holds her liquor; I've never seen her tipsy. This must have hit her hard."
Jiang Cheng could feel Zhou Ying's concern for Fang Yuan.
He comforted her for a while before hanging up.
Of course Jiang Cheng knew Fang Yuan hadn't been drunk.
Although the Mind Perception Skill isn't mind-reading, it can sense whether someone's words are true… When he reached the Deer Lake villa, his mother was arranging antique vases in the living room.
She wore an emerald qipao that showed off her figure perfectly.
His father stood nearby, grinning and pointing things out.
"Dad, Mom, all packed?"
Seeing Jiang Cheng, Li Yan greeted him in her usual teasing tone: "Well, if it isn't the young master finally coming home?"
Jiang Cheng chuckled, "Blame Zhou Zhiyun—he dragged me into ranked matches; the noob made me lose all night."
Li Yan rolled her eyes. "Why hasn't Zhou Zhiyun gone back to college?? Found a girlfriend and can't bear to leave??"
"Him? Far as I know he's still single."
Seeing Jiang Cheng's casual attitude, Li Yan set down a vase and huffed, "Don't lie. I ran into his mom at the supermarket; she was over the moon, saying her son's girlfriend is gorgeous, and asked when you're going to get out of singlehood."
Jiang Cheng frowned; it didn't sound likely.
With Zhou Zhiyun's personality, the instant he got a girl he'd post it, then brag to Jiang Cheng and Huang Cheng in turn.
"How come I haven't heard he's dating anyone??"
"Hmph, he goes out drinking and some pretty girl sees him home. You go out every night—never see a girl bring you back," Li Yan shot back.
Jiang Cheng suddenly realized: "You don't mean Zhong Chuxi, do you?"
"You know her?? What's she like?? Your Aunt Chen couldn't stop singing her praises."
"Not bad, but Zhong Chuxi isn't his girlfriend."
Li Yan's eyes lit up with gossip. "What?? Really?? Aunt Chen said when the girl walked him home they were laughing and chatting."
"We drank together that night; Zhong Chuxi gave three of us guys a ride home."
Li Yan looked surprised: "So they really aren't together??"
Jiang Cheng shook his head firmly. "Nope, just friends."
After his last public embarrassment in the class group chat,
finding a girlfriend in Chengdu won't be easy for him.
He's worse off than Huang Cheng—at least that drunk auntie Huang Cheng hugged last time might stand a chance.
Li Yan gave an "oh," then suddenly remembered: "Your Aunt Chen says the girl is beautiful and classy—aren't you interested?"
Jiang Cheng sighed helplessly. "What could I possibly be thinking?"
Li Yan bristled. "How can you not be? When are you planning to get out of singlehood??"