By the time they got home that evening, it was already late. Man Mingzhi was sitting in the living room, sipping coffee.
Nie Jun tugged at his arm outside the door, then quickly let go. “I’m not going in.”
Kong Wenyu turned his head to look at him.
Even though night had fallen completely, the courtyard was still full of people. The duty room had its window wide open, and Haiming’s head was visible, right in the middle, watching them.
“Being with me means you won’t be mistreated,” Kong Wenyu said, standing straight in the wind. Under the scrutiny of all those eyes, he added, “I can give you a hard time—but no one else can. Got it?”
“Got it,” Nie Jun said. “I’ll wait for you in the duty room. Call me when you’re done.”
“Okay.” Kong Wenyu pushed open the glass door. Nie Jun lightly tapped his arm again.
“Don’t be too impulsive. Keep your attitude in check.”
Kong Wenyu gave a small “mm” in reply and stepped into the living room.
Man Mingzhi looked up at the sound, then set her coffee cup down.
Kong Wenyu handed the two roses in his hand to Aunt Zhu, who came over to take them. “Find a vase for these.”
Man Mingzhi shot him a cold glance and asked sharply, “I heard Nie Jun’s back.”
“Looks like everything at the company is under control if you’ve got the time to worry about that,” Kong Wenyu said, sitting across from her, one arm draped casually over the back of the couch. “You really are a power woman. Impressive.”
“I’m talking to you about Nie Jun. Don’t change the subject.”
“Alright,” Kong Wenyu lifted a hand, “go ahead.”
“When did he come back?”
“What, just say what you mean,” Kong Wenyu replied.
Man Mingzhi took a deep breath and looked at him. “He took the money, broke the agreement, and came back. What do you think that says about his character—?”
“Let’s be clear—it was you who insisted on giving him the money,” Kong Wenyu cut her off. “He’s already transferred it to me. If you’re that tight on cash, I’ll send it back to you after this.”
All the money just circles back to the Kong family anyway. Man Mingzhi stared at him for a moment before finally speaking again. “It’s not money I lack. What I’m missing is a son with a brain.”
Kong Wenyu turned his head, looking out the door.
Nie Jun was no longer where he had been standing. Through the glass, only the flowerbed in the yard was visible now.
Man Mingzhi’s temper flared at the sight. “Can’t you show a little ambition? Stop throwing yourself at him. If you’re really serious about him, fine—but think it through. Be sure you’re ready to deal with the consequences. I’m not stopping you. I’m just saying—wait a little. If it’s true love, it can stand the test of time. If your feelings are really that solid, what’s two years?”
“Wasn’t it just one year?” Kong Wenyu shot back. “Now that he’s back, you’re changing your tune—suddenly it’s two years. If you keep flip-flopping like this, what do you expect me to learn from you?”
Man Mingzhi suddenly stood up, her fists clenched.
Kong Wenyu leaned back on the couch, relaxed and composed. “You always hated it when I threw my weight around, yet you went and locked someone up, tried to pay them off, and forced us to break up. If you’re really set on doing this your way, then I’ll have to start fighting back. First step—stripping you of your power in the company. I won’t hold back, just like I didn’t with Second Aunt. Think it over.”
Man Mingzhi’s throat tightened. “Now that you hold over sixty percent of the shares, you’ve got absolute say in the company. And that’s how you talk to your own mother?”
“I’ve always been this way. You know that.” Kong Wenyu replied evenly. “I’m not trying to scare you, and I’m not saying this to upset you. You think what you’ve done for me is good, but it only counts if I think so.”
Man Mingzhi took a deep breath and forced her emotions down, lowering herself slowly back onto the couch.
“This is the last time I’ll talk to you about this,” she said. “Are you really set on being with him?”
“Your identities aren’t equal,” she went on, not waiting for his answer. “It might be going well now, but over time, cracks will show. Then what? It’s easy to invite someone in, hard to get them to leave. Just put him up in that villa district—that’s already generous.”
“That’s my decision to make,” Kong Wenyu replied. “You and my dad were a business marriage. Your personalities were never compatible. You’re too controlling. He always gave in. That led to fights with his mom and his sisters. Everything spiraled.”
“Don’t bring up your father.”
Kong Wenyu went on anyway. “You two never even dated. It was a strategic alliance. No feelings involved.”
“I said—don’t bring up your father!”
Man Mingzhi slapped the table—not too hard, but loud enough. The coffee cup shook and nearly toppled over.
Kong Wenyu stared at her. After a moment, he asked, “The day he died, you fainted crying—more than once. Why?”
Man Mingzhi looked at him for a long moment, then turned her gaze away, tilting her head slightly to look up at the winding staircase.
“You loved him,” Kong Wenyu said softly. “Even people who didn’t love each other can learn to love. We like each other. Why can’t we be together?”
Man Mingzhi sat still, her eyes reddened. Then she stood up again. “Get some rest.”
As she turned to leave, Kong Wenyu said, “I looked for him for a long time.”
Her steps paused.
“The year my dad passed, you were seriously ill. I went abroad to handle business alone—young, inexperienced, and got played. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have made it back. Later, when your mental health declined and you kept changing hospitals, Second Aunt got even more aggressive. I almost gave up on searching. I almost accepted it.”
He paused, then looked her in the eye. “All I ever wanted was for him to walk into this house with his head held high. To be seen by you. To not hear insults. To not get treated like a stain. Is that really so hard?”
The spacious living room was dead silent. Even the sound of soup simmering in the kitchen had long stopped. Aunt Zhu had gone to get a vase and hadn’t come back.
No one knew how much time passed before Man Mingzhi wiped the corner of her eye. She walked back over to the couch, picked up a set of keys from the corner, and tossed them to Kong Wenyu.
She had always been composed, stern, and forceful. This was one of the rare times her gaze was lowered, her expression subdued. “The keys to Nie Jun’s apartment. Giving them back to you both.”
“I’ll hold the company and the Long family front for you,” she added after a pause. “The rest… it’s up to you.”
Kong Wenyu looked at her.
She raised her moist eyes, turned, and slowly walked toward the bedroom. Her voice was as cold as ever: “Don’t notify me when you register the marriage.”
From a distance, Kong Wenyu called out to her back: “Thanks, Mom.”
Man Mingzhi waved a hand behind her without turning around and disappeared around the corner.
Nie Jun looked at the caller ID on his phone, motioned for Haiming to wait a moment, then turned to take the call.
When he came back, Haiming had already lit another cigarette.
“I was just following orders, don’t hold it against me,” he said, exhaling smoke toward the window with a sigh and a smile. “You’re back now, that’s what matters. Love is love—but you still gotta make money, right?”
“Right.” Nie Jun chuckled. “I’ll treat you to a meal tomorrow or the day after—depends on your schedule.”
Haiming hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Alright.”
Nie Jun slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Then I’ll head out first.”
Haiming froze for a second, then realized what was happening. “…Going to talk about feelings, huh? Go on, then. But I really am curious—our boss’s temper, can you handle it?”
“I don’t mean anything bad by that,” he quickly added. “It’s just… he’s pretty intense, and you’re not exactly soft either. If you two get into a fight…”
Nie Jun, who usually looked cold, was actually very even-tempered. He gave a small smile but didn’t answer the question. “He’s not intense.”
His phone buzzed again in his pocket. Nie Jun didn’t even need to take it out to know who it was.
He picked up the call while waving at Haiming and quickly stepped out of the duty room.
“How long does it take to walk a few steps?” Kong Wenyu asked on the phone.
“I’m almost there,” Nie Jun said reassuringly. As he pushed open the living room door, he felt a bit nervous. But seeing the room empty, he exhaled in relief. “I’m on my way upstairs now.”
“Look up,” Kong Wenyu said.
Nie Jun looked up and saw Kong Wenyu leaning casually on the second-floor railing, waving at him.
Nie Jun tucked his phone away and bounded up the stairs, taking two steps at a time.
“Not bad,” Kong Wenyu said. “Any slower and I’d have to punish you.”
Nie Jun laughed. “Oh? How would you punish me?”
“…” Kong Wenyu suddenly felt something was off. “A serious punishment. No laughing.”
Nie Jun wiped the smile off his lips, but it still lingered in his eyes.
“Did you two argue?” he asked, standing in front of Kong Wenyu and looking at him.
“No.” Kong Wenyu looked down at the empty foyer. After a moment, he said, “Don’t look at me. Come stand over here.”
Nie Jun moved beside him and leaned on the railing the same way, staring at the vacant living room below.
From here, you could see the foyer and part of the kitchen, but Man Mingzhi’s bedroom felt miles away. No telling whether she was asleep yet.
“She agreed,” Kong Wenyu suddenly said.
Nie Jun didn’t need to ask who he meant. Kong Wenyu continued, “She’s strong-willed, but not completely unreasonable.”
Nie Jun responded with a quiet “mm.” “All parents love their kids. They just show it in different ways.”
Kong Wenyu nodded, then turned to look at him. “From now on, when you see her—don’t step back.”
“I’ll try,” Nie Jun said. “You’re amazing, honestly. You always get things done.”
Other people could flatter Kong Wenyu endlessly and he wouldn’t even blink. But when Nie Jun said something offhand, it always hit home.
“Where do you want to go tomorrow? I’ll go with you.”
Nie Jun’s elbow brushed lightly against his. “You’ve got work—just let me tag along.”
Kong Wenyu smiled, then reined it in. “No rush. Let Madam Man have something to do—give her a distraction.”
He looked down at the quiet living room, and after a pause, explained, “The year my dad passed, her mental state was really bad. We tried so many doctors, nothing helped. In the end, only time worked. I stir up some trouble for her—make her mad, give her something to focus on—then she won’t spiral. Otherwise, being idle is dangerous.”
Nie Jun was silent.
Kong Wenyu glanced at him. “But I promise—I’ll never let you suffer.”
Nie Jun paused, then gave a small smile. Before he could say anything, there was the sound of a door opening downstairs, followed by footsteps.
It sounded like Man Mingzhi was coming out.
Nie Jun immediately straightened up and took a step back—just far enough to see the back of Kong Wenyu’s head.
A few seconds later, sure enough, Man Mingzhi walked across the living room.
Kong Wenyu raised a hand and gave a casual “Hey.”
“Don’t bother hiding,” Man Mingzhi said without even looking up as she walked toward the dining room. “I saw you a while ago.”
After a week of overcast skies, the new harbor finally welcomed several days of sunshine.
Plenty of people in the city owned private yachts, but Kong Wenyu’s was notably large, having completed multiple long-distance voyages—it looked more like an industrial vessel from a distance.
“I added another engine and twenty lifeboats,” Kong Wenyu said, wearing sunglasses, his hair whipping in the wind. “Safety’s not an issue—but try not to get into any brawls on board.”
“Who’s fighting?” Ao Qingqing stood not far off, also in sunglasses, and walked up to him. “My opponent didn’t even show up. Otherwise, this would’ve been the perfect opportunity.”
Big voluminous waves of hair, a flowing red dress, black high heels.
She had the unmistakable air of someone one step away from snapping—like the second she took off those shades, she’d start shouting.
Kong Wenyu glanced at her. “Go inside first. Five minutes in this sun and you’ll roast.”
Ao Qingqing wasn’t fazed.
“It’s hard to get even a minute with you.” She stood with the morning sun behind her, red lips like fire. “Can’t reach you by phone, you ignore my messages, I tried coming to your place but your guards wouldn’t let me through. Said you weren’t home. You don’t go to the office, you’re not home, and you don’t show up to any social events. What the hell have you been doing?”
Truth was, he had been busy—most days were spent entirely with Nie Jun, from sunrise to well past sunset.
“You still have the nerve to smile?” Ao Qingqing snapped. “I’m exhausted over here.”
“Shouldn’t you be focusing on your career? What do you want from me?”
“Money,” Ao Qingqing said bluntly. “The goods have shipped, but I haven’t gotten paid. Cash flow is stuck. I need you to sign off on two more checks.”
Kong Wenyu sighed.
“Don’t sigh. You’ve got shares now—asking you for money is perfectly reasonable.” Her posture didn’t shift as she glanced past him to Nie Jun, who was holding up a sun umbrella. “Do it now, before the boat leaves. I’ll have my assistant come pick them up.”
“Didn’t your parents invest in you?”
“You heard about that too? Was it some reporter leaking again, trying to probe me?” Ao Qingqing flicked her hair. “Unbelievable—some people never learn. If I catch them again, I’ll slap them senseless.”
She stood tall, chin lifted, straight-backed—eerily reminiscent of Man Mingzhi back in the day. “I can’t keep relying on them. People will just look down on me. I have to prove myself. Show them I can make it on my own.”
Kong Wenyu stared at her for a few seconds but didn’t say anything.
“You’ve never felt that way?” Ao Qingqing asked, sunglasses reflecting his.
“Nope.”
Kong Wenyu replied without hesitation. He’d had enough of the sun, and turned to Nie Jun behind him. “Write her the checks.”
Nie Jun asked quietly, “How much?”
“Up to you,” Kong Wenyu replied, patience worn thin, and walked off toward the deck.
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