Chapter Thirty-Five

"Boss, are we staying tonight?" Li Weide asked, peeking out.

Cheng Xiangbei wiped his face and said, "Of course I'll stay. The dorm doors are already closed this late."

“But…” Li Weide looked at the warm and cozy bedroom. Was it a little inappropriate for the group of them to be doing that here?

"No buts," Cheng Xiangdong said with a smile, "You and Nannan can stay at home tonight, we'll stay out."

Han Minglang nodded.

"You still want to go out when you're already at home?" Cheng Xiangbei looked at his brother reproachfully.

"Well, I still have some things to take care of." Cheng Xiangdong turned to Li Weide and the other two and said, "Big brother will take you out to stay somewhere, how about a five-star hotel?"

Several people nodded excitedly. "Yes!"

"Alright, the house is for the young couple. Take good care of Nannan. We're leaving now."

The group glanced at Lu Nan one last time, and seeing that he was breathing steadily and seemed alright, they left with peace of mind.

Cheng Xiangbei shook his head helplessly, his heart filled with gratitude.

The group checked into the hotel, and Cheng Xiangdong told them not to be shy and to put any expenses on his tab.

Li Weide and the others thanked him and ran off laughing.

"You just spoil the kid!" Han Minglang followed lazily behind him.

“Good children can’t be spoiled.” Cheng Xiangdong put his arm around his shoulder and led him into the room.

"Are you tired?" He handed her a can of beer.

Han Minglang, completely unladylike, propped his feet up on the coffee table, leaned back on the sofa, and gulped down a large mouthful of liquor. "Not bad, what a waste of this rare vacation I managed to squeeze out!"

Cheng Xiangdong sat down beside him and patted his head apologetically. "I'm sorry for what happened."

"Alright, stop being so polite with me." After finishing a can of beer, Han Minglang collapsed onto his lap. "Who knew kids these days could be so wicked? Luckily, Nannan is alright."

"Hmm." The short, stiff ends of his hair tickled his palms. Cheng Xiangdong smiled and said, "Go take a shower!"

"Wait, let me lie down for a bit." With a gentle stroke on his head, Han Minglang comfortably closed his eyes. The two of them had come to Haicheng on a whim to soak in the hot springs, but before they could even enjoy the hot springs, they rushed straight to the crime scene. Fortunately, everything was dealt with in time.

"Hmm..." In the middle of the night, Lu Nan slowly opened her eyes.

"Nan Nan?" Cheng Xiangbei called softly. The saline solution had long been removed, and seeing that Lu Nan wasn't sleeping soundly, Cheng Xiangbei simply climbed onto the bed and let Lu Nan sleep on him. "Are you awake?"

"Mm." Lu Nan nodded gently.

"Does it hurt somewhere?" Cheng Xiangbei asked anxiously.

"No," Lu Nan yawned. "I'm a little thirsty."

"Wait a moment." Gently placing Lu Nan on the pillow, Cheng Xiangbei poured him a glass of warm water. "Drink slowly."

Lu Nan sipped water intermittently, then gestured for Cheng Xiangbei to lie down, quietly nestling on her lover's body. "Tiger..."

"Hmm?" Only a small lamp was left on in the room, casting a dim, warm glow. Cheng Xiangbei gently embraced Lu Nan's uninjured areas and tenderly kissed his hair.

"very nice."

"Silly Nannan, you're already so badly injured, it's good that you're alright."

"It's so good to have you by my side."

"You are not allowed to leave my side for even a moment from now on."

"Are you going to sit next to me and watch me when I poop?" Lu Nan rolled her eyes.

"I'm just worried." He gave her a loving kiss.

"This was an accident. I will never talk to strangers again."

"What stranger! We must not let Chu Lian get away!"

Lu Nan reached out and drew circles on his chest. "A girl..."

"This is a matter of character, it has nothing to do with gender."

"They didn't do anything to me!" Lu Nan suddenly thought of a question. "Tiger, what if they really did something to me..."

Cheng Xiangbei squeezed his hand. "Don't overthink it. Don't worry, even if someone does something to you, you'll still be the most important person in my heart."

"Tch!" Lu Nan snapped at him. "That's not what I meant. I'm still very confident in our relationship."

"Then why are you asking this?"

"I'm wondering whether it's better for you to kill them, or for me to kill them?" Lu Nan frowned. "If someone dies, wouldn't that be excessive self-defense? What if you go to jail? I'll bring you food. What if I go to jail…"

"Stop! Stop!" Cheng Xiangbei quickly covered his mouth. "What nonsense are you thinking about! Be good, go to sleep, everything will be fine when you wake up."

"But……"

Gently stopping him. "No!"

Lu Nan blinked, looking aggrieved. "But I need to pee."

"Dad, are you asleep?" At the same time, after careful consideration, Cheng Xiangdong called his father.

"Hmm, I just fell asleep. What's up?" Seeing that it was his son calling, Cheng's father sat up against the headboard.

"There's something I need to tell you, but you'd better keep your temper in check."

"Oh?" Cheng's father frowned, sensing that his son's late-night call must be something important. "Go ahead."

As their conversation deepened, Cheng's father's brows furrowed more and more. "Damn it, they're bullying me."

"Dad, calm down. This time, the victim is Lu Nan."

"How is Lu Nan any different from our family?" Cheng's father was somewhat annoyed. "I've agreed to what you said, and this matter should be addressed as soon as possible. Let your Uncle Li set off now."

"But it's a regional manager..."

"That's alright. The company operates based on its systems. Without this big tree, it can't cause any trouble."

"That's good. I was worried you wouldn't agree."

"If you disagree, leave this to me."

"I understand, Dad. Goodnight."

"good evening."

After hanging up the phone, Cheng Xiangdong looked out the window; dawn was approaching. Beside him, Han Minglang lay awake, seemingly listening. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"You haven't slept, how could I bear to?"

"Just like that, a person's future is decided." Cheng Xiangdong looked at his hands, ordinary hands. But given power and influence, they could turn the world upside down. "Don't you think I've gone too far?"

"No, everyone has to pay the price for their actions."

“That makes sense.” Cheng Xiangdong lay down and rested his head on Han Minglang’s shoulder. “Suddenly I feel a lot of pressure; it can decide a person’s future in an instant.”

"We're all old men now, what future do we have?" Han Minglang chuckled.

"This is just the beginning," Cheng Xiangdong said solemnly. The road to the top of the pyramid will be long, but once you reach that position, the livelihoods of countless people will rest on your shoulders. The Cheng family has always been low-key and detests using power to oppress others. But being bullied by your own subordinates on your own turf... this is something no leader can tolerate.

The road ahead is long, and he may still use his power. How fortunate, how tragic.

"Xiang Dong." Han Minglang cupped his head, forehead to forehead. "In my eyes, you've always been the best."

Cheng Xiangdong nodded, his gaze slowly hardening. "Thank you."

"To hell with this momentary weakness!" Han Minglang pounced on him. "Go to sleep!"

Cheng Xiangdong reached out and hugged him. "Okay, go to sleep."

The next day, when the father arrived at the company, he was surprised to find a new announcement posted on the bulletin board.

Yu was dismissed from his position as general manager effective immediately, and all matters previously under his jurisdiction would be temporarily taken over by Wang. Yu's father turned pale immediately and went to his office amidst the furtive glances and whispers of the company's employees.

Two people were seated in the reception area: Deputy Manager Wang, who was about to succeed him, and Uncle Li, Cheng's father's confidant. If there was still a sliver of hope after seeing the announcement, the moment Yu's father saw Uncle Li, he knew that all was lost.

“Mr. Li,” Mr. Yu sighed.

“I think Mr. Yu already understands why I'm here.” Uncle Li remained seated and gestured, “You two may begin the handover.”

"Could I meet with General Manager Cheng?"

"Okay, I need to go back and report after I finish handing over my work. You can come with me."

As Mr. Yu sat in his executive chair for the last time, he looked around, his eyes filled with reluctance. But what was destined to happen would happen, and he lowered his head sadly, signing each document he had prepared.

After packing his personal belongings, he said dejectedly, "That's it."

"Please." Uncle Li stood up and led the way.

Mr. Yu took one last look at the office before leaving dejectedly.

Several hours later, he finally stood in front of Cheng's father.

"Mr. Cheng, my son did do something wrong, but your punishment is too harsh!" Mr. Yu said, dissatisfied. He had already severely criticized and educated his son, but he was still unhappy about being implicated.

"Old Yu, do you remember an old saying?"

"What?"

"It is the father's fault if the son is not taught properly," Cheng's father said sternly.

"I...this..." Mr. Yu said, embarrassed. "I've been too busy with work."

“Old Yu,” Cheng’s father shook his head. “Being busy with work is no excuse. You’ve been with me for ten years, and I know your ambition for your career. But have you ever thought about why you worked so hard in the first place?”

Mr. Yu was taken aback; after all these years, he had forgotten. "It was to give my family a better life."

"And now?"

Now… Mr. Yu lowered his head in shame. Because he was busy with work, he believed the best way to treat his family was to give them money. He never refused his son's material demands; the family became increasingly wealthy, but family ties grew increasingly distant. Until the incident, he hadn't seen his son for over a month.

"Old Yu, while you still have time, take care of your family." Cheng's father patted his shoulder.

"President Cheng...I..."

“I could have pursued Lu Nan’s matter to the end, but after thinking it over, I decided to give the child a chance.”

"Thank you!" Mr. Yu looked up gratefully.

"However, I hope your son can stay away from Xiangbei and his group."

"President Cheng, I will supervise him to make improvements."

Cheng's father shook his head. "Old Yu, I can let it go, but on one condition."

"What?"

"Leave Haicheng, go as far away as possible."

"this……"

"Old Yu, I know your wealth very well, this is not a difficult matter."

The father lowered his head dejectedly. "Alright."

Author's Note: Comrades! I'm jumping for joy... I suddenly realized this story is almost finished! Yay!