"In the future, if you ever need me for anything, even if it means going through fire and water, I, Cheng Xiao Dong, will never hesitate. I'll be there whenever you call! Please... give me one more chance..." He looked up, his eyes as red as a rabbit's, his face covered in tears, yet he stared intently at Jiang Cheng as if trying to carve these words into the other man's eyes.
The surrounding discussions seemed to fade away; in Cheng Xiao Dong's eyes, there were only Jiang Cheng's emotionless eyes.
Jiang Cheng looked at the kneeling Cheng Xiao Dong, then glanced at the shocked crowd around them, his brow furrowing slightly.
He hadn't expected Cheng Xiao Dong to be so willing to throw away his pride, especially in a place like a school with so many prying eyes.
Most of his anger toward Cheng Xiao Dong had already dissipated.
Cheng Gui was certainly willing to pay a heavy price.
Originally, for the project in the eastern region, Xingchen only held forty-nine percent.
Tianlong held fifty-one percent.
Now, they had directly gifted thirty-one percent to Xingchen.
The old man Cheng Gui knew how to conduct himself.
Given Cheng Gui's attitude in admitting fault, Jiang Cheng no longer felt much desire to suppress Cheng Xiao Dong.
Furthermore, he hadn't expected that after squatting outside his villa for so many days, Cheng Xiao Dong still wouldn't give up.
Now he had even come here and gone so far as to kneel directly.
After staring at Cheng Xiao Dong for a few seconds, Jiang Cheng shifted his gaze away, looking past the man's slightly trembling shoulders to land on a pale-faced Lin Weiwei a few steps away.
His gaze was indifferent, yet it felt like it had hooks, making Lin Weiwei's whole body freeze as she instinctively shrank back.
"Do you know her?" Jiang Cheng spoke, his voice not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
Especially the Twin Sisters standing behind Jiang Cheng.
Cheng Xiao Dong was stunned. Following Jiang Cheng's line of sight, he turned to look at Lin Weiwei, then quickly turned back to meet Jiang Cheng's eyes.
There were no ripples in Jiang Cheng's gaze, but for some reason, he felt a hidden scrutiny within it.
Cheng Xiao Dong had originally wanted to say "I don't know her."
But meeting Jiang Cheng's eyes, the lie at the tip of his throat was forced back down.
"I... I wouldn't say I know her," he stammered, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. "I've just... seen her. A while ago at the 'Night' bar in Chengdu, Linna brought her along. We met once."
"So you came here today to see her?"
"No! No, no, no!" Cheng Xiao Dong waved his hands frantically, his head shaking like a rattle, his tone urgent to the point of cracking. "That's not it, President Jiang! I was afraid you were angry earlier, but I actually came here specifically to find you! I'm sincerely here to apologize to you. It has nothing to do with her, nothing at all!"
Terrified that Jiang Cheng would misunderstand, his face turned red with anxiety, and his knees trembled slightly as he spoke.
Looking at him like this, Jiang Cheng remained silent for a few seconds.
The panic and urgency in Cheng Xiao Dong's eyes didn't seem fake, and that lingering fear and regret were also genuine.
It seemed he had indeed been woken up by the harsh lesson.
Finally withdrawing his gaze, he said indifferently, "Go."
Cheng Xiao Dong was stunned, not reacting for a moment: "Huh?"
Jiang Cheng said nothing more, only waving his hand. "Go back to Chengdu."
No accusations, no making things difficult, he didn't even mention the matter of Tianlong Real Estate.
This light sentence of "Go" was like a stone dropped into water, but it stirred up even greater waves in Cheng Xiao Dong's heart.
He stared blankly at Jiang Cheng, his eyes heating up again. He opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he just kowtowed forcefully.
With a raspy voice, he said, "Th-thank you, President Jiang! Thank you!"
Cheng Xiao Dong supported himself on the ground and slowly stood up. His knees were numb, but he didn't care to rub them.
He simply gave Jiang Cheng another deep bow before turning around and walking away quickly, almost stumbling.
When he passed by Lin Weiwei, he didn't even lift an eyelid.
It was as if the "Xiao Dong Ge" she had been trying to please earlier and this wretched departing figure were not the same person at all.
When Cheng Xiao Dong's figure disappeared into the distance of the crowd, Lin Weiwei's fingers were still tightly twisting the corner of her clothes, her knuckles turning white.
The surrounding gazes were like fine needles, making her cheeks burn.
"Look at Lin Weiwei's face; she's a completely different person from her usual school belle self."
"When that guy knelt down just now, her face went white. Could it have something to do with her?"
"Didn't you see the twins' boyfriend specifically ask about her? Probably nothing good. This Lin Weiwei..."
Lin Weiwei's nails dug deep into her palms, the pain clearing her head slightly.
She had decided earlier that once Cheng Xiao Dong's matter was settled, she would definitely go forward to apologize.
Even if she had to lower her posture, even if she was mocked by Si Nian and Si Qing, it was better than truly being held in a grudge by Jiang Cheng.
But now that the moment had arrived, Jiang Cheng's gaze fell on her.
His eyes were as cold as ice, without a hint of warmth. The "I'm sorry" at the tip of her tongue suddenly got stuck and couldn't be said.
The surrounding gazes pricked her like needles—curiosity, disdain, and people whispering in low voices. Those fragmented sounds washed over her ears like a tide, making her almost unable to stand steady.
She wanted to chase after him and lower her posture as Cheng Xiao Dong had.
But her feet felt nailed to the ground.
She couldn't do it.
Apologize? How could she possibly apologize?
In school, she had always been the center of attention, like stars surrounding the moon.
People chasing after her to please her could line up from the teaching building to the school gate.
If she was seen by so many people chasing after someone to apologize, how could she ever hold her head up again?
Moreover, Jiang Cheng looked so cold. What if she offered her warm face only to be met with his cold rejection? Wouldn't that be even more humiliating?
But then she thought of Cheng Xiao Dong kneeling on the ground just now, and the billions that Tianlong Real Estate had lost.
Her mind was full of the scenes from the parking lot yesterday.
She had stood before Jiang Cheng with her hands on her hips, shouting with spit flying, "Just you wait for the lawyer's letter," and "My dad won't let you off."
Even after being slapped by him, she had still been stubborn. Her arrogance back then had now turned into thorns piercing herself.
Cold sweat broke out on her back again.
That was someone who could make the Cheng Family bow their heads. What did her little cleverness and sense of superiority count for in front of him?
But what if he held a grudge?
Two thoughts tore at her mind. Her feet were nailed in place, her eyes fixed on Jiang Cheng's direction, her lips pressed white.
While Lin Weiwei was struggling, Jiang Cheng had already turned to Si Nian and Si Qing and said, "Let's go, get in the car."
He didn't even give her another look, as if she were just an insignificant speck of dust by the roadside.
Si Nian and Si Qing had already hidden their surprise. The sisters exchanged a look, both seeing understanding in each other's eyes.
The two of them didn't take the opportunity to mock Lin Weiwei.
Instead, they followed Jiang Cheng into the car with silent understanding.
The sound of the engine starting was like a death knell. Lin Weiwei watched that black car slowly drive out of sight, her palms drenched in cold sweat.
The chance to apologize was gone, just like that.
She bit her lower lip hard until she tasted a hint of blood, only then snapping back to her senses.
The surrounding discussions continued, and some people even held up their phones to film her.
"What are you looking at!" Lin Weiwei suddenly roared, her voice trembling and lacking any real force.
The crowd was stunned for a moment, then erupted into even louder discussion.
She knew she would only be more embarrassed if she stayed, so she stomped her foot hard, turned around, and walked away quickly, her retreating figure showing a panicked mess.