Inside the major enterprises in City A, there have been rumors flying about recently.
Professor Lian Youqin, a famous finance professor who has been abroad for more than a decade, suddenly returned to China to hold her birthday party. In the financial circle of A City, many people were students of Professor Lian. After receiving the invitation letter, of course, they went to participate in the banquet.
Even if they couldn’t get in touch with the professor, they could at least take the opportunity to forge new business connections.
In the main hall of the Xia family’s first floor, guests had arrived. After the servants prepared tea, they all withdrew from the room under Xia Weiyi’s signal.
“How is the situation?”
Xia Weiyi poured tea for the guests and handed it over.
The guest said, “Children are all debts. If you offend someone you shouldn’t offend, what else can you do?”
Their business was restricted in all directions. If it’s not for their wealth, they might face bankruptcy directly.
Xia Weiyi asked, “The person that Xiaoxiao met at the racecourse is really Liu Jianbai?”
“He called me personally, how could it be fake?”
Thinking of that phone call now, He Biyou can’t wait to go back and beat his daughter again.
Xia Weiyi frowned and said, “Didn’t Liu Jianbai go abroad to develop a few years ago? When did he come back?”
The situation in A City a few years ago was different from now.
Liu Jianbai was like a dark horse that suddenly emerged. At first, nobody paid much attention to him. However, in just two years, he staged a powerful comeback, wielding ruthless methods and an unknown background to almost single-handedly dominate A City, making people fear and respect him.
After several years of development in A City, Liu Jianbai began to move abroad, giving everyone in A City a chance to breathe and develop.
But although he was not in A City, his influence was still there, and nobody knew when he would make a comeback.
He Biyou said, “I don’t know, I heard from Xiaoxiao that Liu Jianbai was very respectful to the child from the Zhu family when he was at the racecourse.”
“…”
Respectful?
A person like Liu Jianbai, acting respectful towards a child?
Xia Weiyi pondered for a moment and said, “If it’s because of Liu Jianbai, then it’s not surprising that the Zhu family has had smooth sailing in recent years.”
But over the years, when the child from the Zhu family was hospitalized due to illness and Zhu Shoushan was busy with work, there was never any mention of him having any contact with Liu Jianbai. So how could Liu Jianbai suddenly appear by Zhu Tong’s side?
And there’s Jiang Wan…
“I heard that Jiang Wan followed Zhu Shoushan into Zhu’s villa this afternoon. Maybe the Jiang family also heard some rumors.”
With Jiang Wan’s reputation for having many romantic escapades, if she went to see Zhu Shoushan at this time, she probably went because of Zhu Tong.
He Biyou furrowed his brows slightly. “Liu Jianbai’s attitude towards Zhu Shoushan is another matter, Lao Xia. If the Zhu family and the Jiang family form a marriage alliance, then perhaps there won’t be a place for us to stand in A City anymore.”
Xia Weiyi: “…”
He Biyou: “And I heard that the child of Zhu’s family returned to A City today, and he should also go to the birthday banquet in three days.”
The atmosphere sank for a while.
Liu Jianbai, who appeared at the racecourse on the outskirts of the small county town; Jiang Wan, who followed Zhu Shoushan into the Zhu family’s villa; and the young master of the Zhu family, who suddenly returned to the city.
There was silence in the main hall.
On the spiral staircase, Xia Yang, who had returned home for the weekend, stood at the turning point of the stairs, precisely within the blind spot of the living room where two people were discussing the “Zhu family.” He instinctively paused his footsteps upon hearing it.
What did he hear?
The Jiang family and the Zhu family… having a marriage alliance?
How can that be?
But if it’s true… what if it’s true?
Xia Yang’s eyes flickered slightly, and he became a little excited.
If the guesses of his father and Uncle He are true, then Shao Ming and Zhu Tong…
Xia Yang’s heart beat wildly, he took a deep breath, turned and went downstairs.
“Dad, I’m going back to school.”
Xia Yang spoke as calmly as possible.
Xia Weiyi looked up at him, his eyes darkened slightly.
Knowing his own son well, he could see the urgency hidden in Xia Yang’s eyes, and he understood that Xia Yang had just eavesdropped on their conversation. However, he didn’t expose him.
He picked up the teacup and said lightly, “Mn.”
Xia Yang greeted He Biyou again and turned to go out.
Seeing the figure disappearing at the door, Xia Weiyi lowered his head and sipped his tea, hiding the flash of light from the bottom of his eyes.
In Gongshui No. 1 Middle School, the campus on weekends was always very noisy. During the evening self-sstudy, the classrooms of Class 3 were also lively.
“Ming-ge, are you really going to participate in the math competition?”
During the beginning of the self-study, Shi Wenshu happily announced the list of students from their class who would be going to A City to participate in the math competition.
In order to improve the competition awareness of top students in various schools, major provinces and cities hold various competitions every year to encourage students to actively participate.
When it comes to math competitions, the school leaders at Gongshui No. 1 Middle High School naturally hold high expectations for Shao Ming. However, the top student in their grade is a bit peculiar. He consistently wins in provincial and municipal competitions, but once it goes beyond the province, he refuses to participate in those competitions with higher prestige, claiming they are “too far away.”
There’s no need to walk to the competition anyway, so what does distance matter?
No matter how much the school leaders tried to persuade him, Shao Ming remained obstinate. In the end, the leaders had no choice but to settle for their second choice and pin their hopes on Lu Zheyu, who participated in competitions solely for the prize money.
This time, Shao Ming himself proposed to participate in the competition, which really surprised the school leaders.
It also shocked Luo Suo a lot.
Shao Ming calmly said, “What? I can’t go and win glory for the school?”
Luo Suo: “…”
You, a person who “cuts corners” during class cleaning, can have such a consciousness?
As the only person in the class who knew about the relationship between the two, Luo Suo had reason to suspect that this sudden decision to participate in the competition in A City might be due to ulterior motives.
If he remembered correctly, Zhu Tong just left this morning, right?
It’s not enough to escort him to the airport; he had to chase after him to another city?
…for what?
Comrade Luo, who was born to be a solo player, expressed his complete lack of understanding.
But Shao Ming pursued his goals with such nobility and legitimacy, presenting solid reasons. Participating in a math competition – how prestigious is that?
He can only wave a banner, cheering for him.
The math competition is scheduled for three days from now. The students participating in the competition will need to depart two days in advance and gather in the city for preparation.
After the evening self-study, before going down to the teaching building, Shao Ming sent Zhu Tong a WeChat message.
[Is the check-up over?]
After posting and waiting for a while, he didn’t receive a reply. He turned around and went downstairs. He rode his bicycle back to the homestay alone. The journey was a little light… because there was one less person in the back seat.
Halfway through the ride, Shao Ming even wanted to turn his head and say a word to the person in the back seat as normally done before.
Habits are really scary things.
He smiled helplessly, braked his feet at the door of the homestay, took out his mobile phone and opened WeChat.
Seeing the red number sign beside a certain someone’s chat, Shao Ming raised his lips slightly and opened the conversation.
<Zhu>: It’s over, I’ve gone home.
Shao Ming wanted to ask him how the test results were, but he deleted the words he had entered one by one.
Zhu Tong never took the initiative to mention his illness, and when asked, his answer was always very perfunctory.
Since he refused to speak, Shao Ming didn’t want him to make things awkward.
It’s just that it’s unavoidable.
Then another message popped up on the chat interface.
<Zhu>: I was just taking a shower, so I replied late.
Shao Ming: …
Does he really need to explain such a small thing?
It’s kinda… cute.
Shao Ming pursed his lips slightly and replied: [Do you know what you are doing?]
<Zhu>: Doing what?
<Shao>: Only long-distance couples need to report to each other what they were doing one second ago.
Zhu Tong was in his bedroom, drying his hair with a towel. His phone was placed on the bedside table, buzzing twice. Before the screen went dark, he took a closer look, and his heart skipped a beat.
‘Wh-what kind of nonsense is Shao Ming typing about?’
He couldn’t help but feel that since returning to A City, Shao Ming had become less restrained in his conversations with him.
Was it because the medium of conversation was text, so he could be even more shameless than usual?
‘I can’t take it seriously. I can’t take it seriously. I can’t take it seriously!’
Zhu Tong recited it several times more in his heart before his pounding heart calmed down.
He didn’t dare to talk nonsense any more, and replied directly: [I’m going to sleep.]
After thinking about it, he added two more words: [Good night.]
Shao Ming looked at the two words that popped up on the phone screen, and a smile crept onto his lips.
He replied via a voice note: “Good night, Young Master.”
After he finished posting it, he turned off his phone and pushed the bike to enter the homestay.
The dim streetlamp in front of the homestay cast light on his smiling face, and his radiant smile could be described as brilliant.
“Shao Ming.”
A person suddenly came out of the dark shadow of the tree ahead, interrupting his good mood.
Xia Yang returned to A City early in the morning and missed the evening self-study session. It wasn’t until now that he rushed back to Gongshui County and immediately came to this homestay, unable to contain his excitement.
He watched Shao Ming ride his bicycle to stop at the door of the homestay, and watched him take out his mobile phone to chat with someone. The expression on his face was brighter than he had ever seen.
Surprised, hesitant, and teasing.
Who is he talking to? Zhu Tong?
Xia Yang walked out from under the shadow of the tree, and Shao Ming frowned when he saw him.
He immediately turned away.
Xia Yang clenched his palms tightly, and subconsciously took a step forward, “Do you like Zhu Tong?”
“…”
Shao Ming paused his steps.
His slight movement lifted Xia Yang’s spirits. Seizing the opportunity, he spoke in a tone that sounded like a warning, “I advise you not to like him.”
Shao Ming’s gaze turned slightly cold, and he turned around, saying, “Oh my, I don’t know that Young Master Yang is the person in charge of all heavens and earth, you’re even in charge of the matters of other’s romance?”
Xia Yang’s heart was tight again.
Shao Ming is… admitting it?
Admitting that he likes Zhu Tong?
Jealousy and bitterness surged fiercely in his heart as Xia Yang’s tense expression softened slightly. With an urgent tone, he said, “I’m just reminding you, Zhu Tong is not worth your liking at all…”
“Whether it’s worth it or not is my business.”
Xia Yang was startled by Shao Ming’s sudden fierce gaze. He took a half step back in fright, but he refused to compromise.
Shao Ming did this to him just because he didn’t know the truth. He would make Shao Ming sober up.
Xia Yang said, “Do you know why he returned to City A this time? He is to marry someone else.”
“…”
“I know you find it unbelievable. Yes, he’s not even of legal marrying age yet. But this kind of thing is not uncommon in A City. You and Zhu Tong, it was impossible from the start. He’s stringing you along while discussing marriage back in A City. He doesn’t have you in his heart at all. He’s just using you for entertainment. If you like him, you’ll regret it for sure!”
Xia Yang’s voice sounded both immature and resentful, as if he was venting. It echoed outside the homestay, only to be dispersed into the air by a gust of cool wind.
Shao Ming sneered and said, “Then I have to thank you for reminding me.”
Xia Yang was startled. “You don’t believe me?”
Shao Ming pushed his bicycle into the courtyard of the homestay.
Xia Yang became more urgent, “I’m telling the truth. Zhu Tong has always been weak since childhood. He was born useless. He’s of no use to the Zhu family except for the purpose of marriage. He…”
Before he finished speaking, Xia Yang’s pupils suddenly shrank.
Something sharp lunged directly towards him, causing him to recoil in fear. His back hit the door frame of the courtyard gate, and the impact caused an indescribable dull pain to radiate through his back.
He looked at the young man still standing in disbelief.
Shao Ming held a tree branch in his hand, which he had just broken off from a large potted plant near the courtyard gate. The broken end was sharp and pointed. If he hadn’t dodged just now, his eyes…
Compared with the tree branch in Shao Ming’s hand, what shocked Xia Yang more was Shao Ming’s face.
He stared straight at himself with sharp and cold eyes.
Shao Ming seemed to be very satisfied with Xia Yang’s reaction, and his voice was bitingly cold as he spoke, “Since you know you are afraid, just keep your mouth shut. If you don’t want to see blood, it’s best not to appear in front of me again.”
After speaking, he threw the tree branch in his hand and turned around indifferently.
Xia Yang was terrified.
Not only did Shao Ming not believe him, he also threatened him!
Why doesn’t he believe it?
Did Zhu Tong coax him? Or maybe he knew it for a long time, but didn’t care at all!
Xia Yang was full of jealousy.
Why does Zhu Tong get Shao Ming’s bottomless patience?
Why did he, in contrast, only meet with Shao Ming’s hatred and rejection?
Obviously he came to Shao Ming first, obviously he liked Shao Ming first!
Why did Shao Ming treat him like this?
All along, he had been deliberately ignored, rejected. Because of Shao Ming, he had lost face in front of others. He had given up his self-esteem, given up the comfortable campus life, and in the end, he still couldn’t get any response from Shao Ming.
From start to finish, it was him being delusional. In the end, he’s the joke!
With nowhere to vent his resentment, Xia Yang looked at the person who left him without hesitation.
If this person can be so heartless, then why should he let him live easily and happily?
Xia Yang blurted out, “Do you know that Zhu Tong is dying!”
Shao Ming’s footsteps stopped suddenly, and he turned his head and said, “…What did you say?”
