Seeing Jiang Cheng shake his head helplessly, Qiu Yihe curled her lips and pressed on. "We agreed—one question each. Answer seriously. I'm dying to know how many women you actually keep around… Do they realize you're a scumbag?"
The first time Qiu Yihe learned Jiang Cheng had more than one woman was when she crashed at his place in Chengdu.
Right after their fight, he'd gone back to his room and video-called Qiao Yinyin and Bai Xiaoxiao.
The second discovery came in Kyoto, when he was giving her a ride home.
The whole way, voice calls on his phone never stopped.
Qiu Yihe tallied them up: together with Qiao Yinyin and Bai Xiaoxiao, she already knew of six.
Of course, that was only what she knew; whether Yuan Jing from the sushi bar counted was anyone's guess.
Jiang Cheng cleared his throat and flat-out denied, "I'm not a scumbag. I'm a good man."
Seeing Qiu Yihe frown and let out a skeptical 'tsk,' Jiang Cheng smiled and continued.
"I never explain myself unless I mean it, and when I do, I tell the truth. You look at me and see a scumbag, but to the Girls at my side it might be different. When I say 'good man,' I don't mean the worldly definition…"
"Not the worldly kind? You're elevating it to the spiritual plane now?"
"If you put it that way, sure. My 'good man' is a relative term, based on what the Girls around me think. Picture this: one man sleeps with a woman, takes responsibility, provides materially and emotionally; another sleeps with her, tosses her some cash and kicks her out. Which one's the scumbag?"
Her first reaction was to nod.
Two seconds later she shook her head, as if trying to rattle the messy thought out.
"That's not the same thing. If the first man stuck to just one woman, of course he'd be better."
"Which is why I said I'm not a 'good man' in the usual sense—and I added the condition: from my Girls' perspective."
After that, Qiu Yihe fell silent.
In short: the Girls were willing.
Though she had no comeback, she rallied and retorted, "Sounds like sophistry to me."
Jiang Cheng chuckled. "With my family and my money, a new Girl every day—do you think I could manage it?"
Qiu Yihe rolled her eyes. "Don't forget what I do for a living. I mostly handle narcotics, but I sit in on ordinary criminal cases too. Forget you—even mid-tier tycoons or low-level 'imperial envoys' can swap partners daily if they want."
"Since you get that, the point's even clearer. The easiest, least troublesome route for me would be 'use once and throw away,' but I won't. I've promised them: as long as they're willing, they can stay by my side for life."
Qiu Yihe stared, mouth half-open, speechless for a long moment.
She still felt he was quibbling.
Yet his two arguments did hold water when applied to him.
After a pause she spotted a loophole.
"It's only your promise. Reality is reality. One day you'll have to marry for family alliance—will you still treat them the same?"
Jiang Cheng understood her implication.
No matter how powerful your background, when it's time to take over the family business,
every outside butterfly gets crushed by the family.
If he were just another second-generation heir, such promises might end up empty.
After all, even the strongest backing is still the family.
Like some hong kong circle scions:
however rich the family, however wild you play,
when it's time to settle down you still accept the family arrangement.
Worse, after the parents pass, the will sets up trust funds letting you draw only a few million a month.
So how can those second-gen kids give lasting promises to outside Girls?
At best they sneak off for occasional one-night tastings.
A few million pocket money a month sounds plenty to ordinary people,
but to Jiang Cheng—who has the System—it's just the cost of one shopping trip.
Backed by the System, he could say all this with full confidence,
and truly give these Girls a solid future.
Jiang Cheng smiled. "You're thinking long-term, but that's outside the scope of 'scumbag.' Doesn't count as the same question. You've used yours; it's my turn…"
Qiu Yihe itched with curiosity after his self-assured grin.
That smile clearly dismissed the problem.
If he dismissed it, he had a solution.
She was ready to hear it—how could the questioning end? She stamped her foot. "Of course it's part of the same question! An extension, basically the same issue, okay?"
Jiang Cheng glanced ahead; they'd finally reached their destination.
He sighed. "Your question's so long I'm parched. How about we sit up ahead?"
Following his gesture, a glass-walled room appeared.
"Wow, a sunroom—sounds perfect for a break."
Up close, she realized the glass was specially made.
Jiang Cheng opened the door and explained:
"Bullet-proof and privacy-proof—lots of functions."
She didn't catch the glint in his eyes, instead widening hers in delight.
"Amazing—I can see out but no one can see in. And there's a tea set—lovely."