Two hours later, Jiang Cheng walked out of the bedroom carrying Lin Qingxue, her face flushed, her whole body glowing with an alluring rose tint.
Lying on the bed, Jiang Cheng slipped into a brief sage mode, picked up his phone, and started replying to messages.
First, he answered Zheng Zhigang and He Youjun one by one.
After he finished, he quickly created a temporary group chat and pulled in Zheng Zhigang, He Youjun, and other friends like Wang Congcong.
The moment everyone joined, Qi Yuan couldn't wait to change his group nickname: "Daddy's here."
The name popped up and instantly irked Wang Congcong, who immediately @Jiang Cheng.
Wang Congcong: "@Jiang Cheng, kick him out."
Wang Zheng: "Seconded."
Chen Hao: "Seconded."
Qin Fen: "Seconded."
Zheng Zhigang and He Youjun replied with two laughing emojis.
With the atmosphere set, Jiang Cheng simply typed: "Everyone, your daddy has arrived."
Wang Congcong: "Daddy, my real daddy~"
Qin Fen: "Daddy~~"
Wang Zheng: "Daddy!! Daddy!"
Chen Hao: "Daddy, what's our next order?"
He Youjun: "Daddy, thanks for taking us in."
Zheng Zhigang: "Daddy, thanks for taking us in~~"
Seeing the stark contrast in replies, Qi Yuan answered helplessly: "You guys are toxic, @Jiang Cheng. Daddy, please kick them all out."
Wang Congcong: "@Qi Yuan, do you still have any shame left?"
Qi Yuan: "I lost that the day I met you."
Qin Fen: "Heard there's big gossip in this group."
Wang Zheng: "Sharing the same melon~~"
Wang Congcong: "Ugh. If it weren't for the money, I'd have left… spit."
Qi Yuan: "Leave, hurry up~~"
Wang Congcong: "Not leaving~~ I was the first to call him daddy~~"
Qi Yuan: "@Wang Congcong, where's your integrity?"
Wang Congcong: "Sorry, don't have any~~"
Seeing the two about to clash again, Jiang Cheng quickly spoke up.
Jiang Cheng: "@everyone, if you're in, transfer your funds to Xingchen Company's account within three days. All trades will be executed solely by Xingchen; once profits are realized, everything returns the same way. Reply 1 if you agree."
Wang Congcong: "1."
Qin Fen: "1."
Qi Yuan: "1."
Wang Zheng: "1."
Chen Hao: "1."
He Youjun: "1."
Zheng Zhigang: "1."
...Leaning against Jiang Cheng, Lin Qingxue stared at the chat, secretly stunned once more.
After joining, everyone had tweaked their group nicknames.
She hadn't expected to find Qin Fen, Wang Congcong, He Youjun—even Zheng Zhigang... Last night at the bar had already been eye-opening.
Now, watching so many big shots call Jiang Cheng "daddy," she could barely keep her expression in check.
Just what kind of titan had she latched onto??
Unable to resist, Lin Qingxue ran her fingers gently over Jiang Cheng's chest, feeling the solid muscle.
Noticing her little movement, Jiang Cheng glanced down. "Didn't you say you were done for?? Ready again?"
A shy flush crept across Lin Qingxue's cheeks.
Her fingertip traced small circles on his chest.
She cooed, "I'm just touching, nothing else."
Jiang Cheng caught her hand, teasing, "I think you're just feeling itchy."
Lin Qingxue slipped free, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed close. "More like sore... I'm still red, you know..."
Even as she complained, she inexplicably lifted her head and kissed him.
Ever since becoming Jiang Cheng's, she found herself constantly craving his touch.
She knew it stemmed from her own insecurity.
But what could she do? The man beside her was no ordinary guy.
The moment her soft, sweet lips touched his, Jiang Cheng tossed the phone aside and kissed her back... While the two of them lost themselves in each other,
Not far from Lin Qingxue's apartment, on a Food Street curb, Wang Jian, Wu Kun and their buddy had just grabbed some grilled skewers and were heading back to the dorm.
Wu Kun glanced at the beer bottles in his hand and frowned. "Boss Wang, let's skip the booze and grab some cola instead."
Lu Chuan beside him quickly nodded. "Yeah, you only checked out of the hospital at noon; your body still needs rest. Alcohol's no good—let's buy drinks from the canteen."
Wang Jian shook his head firmly. "No way. You two stayed with me at the hospital; tonight we drink."
Just then his phone rang.
He looked down: an unknown number.
When Shen Lang's voice came through, Wang Jian's face darkened instantly.
To his surprise, Shen Lang wasn't arrogant at all; instead he apologized sincerely, admitting he'd gone overboard.
He even said he'd come to the hospital at noon.
But Wang Jian had already been discharged, so Shen Lang had tracked down his number.
Wang Jian knew Jiang Cheng's move that night was to protect him.
He just hadn't expected everything settled in a single day.
Stunned, he ended the call and told Wu Kun and Lu Chuan everything.
After hearing it, the two looked no less shaken than Wang Jian.
Unlike Wang Jian, they were from regular families.
They'd never imagined the gap between Wang Jian and Jiang Cheng could be this vast.
When they first met Jiang Cheng, they could still treat him as an equal.
But after this incident, awe toward Jiang Cheng grew in each of them.
That sense of shock and reverence made them feel miles apart from Jiang Cheng.
The next day Jiang Cheng slept until after eleven.
Truly worthy of the black-silk senior: from the day she became his, she knew exactly how to play her part.
Jiang Cheng remembered other women rushing to the bathroom right afterward.
But Lin Qingxue simply swallowed.
That dazed, entranced look had struck him hard.
Of course it stayed burned into his mind.
Yet the more carefully this silly girl behaved, the more his heart ached for her.
Looking at the big cat in his arms, still fast asleep, he couldn't bear to wake her.
He slipped out of bed gently and got dressed.
After tiptoeing into his clothes, he ordered takeout before leaving, adding a note: Leave at the door, don't ring the bell.
Only then did he head off to the College of Finance.
He'd already texted Wang Jian and the other two; the four met in the canteen.
When they saw Jiang Cheng, all three greeted him warmly.
Usually they followed his every move online.
But since witnessing his overwhelming presence two nights ago, they now treated him with a mix of respect and distance.
It wasn't strange—this was simply human nature.
In a group, if you're only slightly better, peers may grow jealous and resentful.
To surpass you, they might resort to smears or drag you down.
But when you're powerful enough to leave everyone far behind,
They won't even dare envy you.
All that remains is admiration—and perhaps self-doubt.
They'll love you, fear you, even revere you.