Chapter 3 A Check

On the way home, Cheng Ti received a call from an unfamiliar number. The caller claimed to be Mr. Ye's assistant, surnamed Hu.

It turned out to be Ye Siheng's father.

But what kind of matter requires the assistant to convey the message so formally?

"The day after tomorrow, the General Manager's Office of the Group will hold a meeting to discuss and present the patent dispute case involving Ancheng Technology. Since there will be foreign lawyers and experts present, the Group has temporarily assembled a translation team. We would like to ask Ms. Cheng to come and help."

Cheng Ti's first reaction was, of course, to refuse. "Mr. Ye's son, my husband, Ye Siheng, is a lawyer by training. He's much more communicative than I am. I don't have much legal knowledge, so I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do this."

Assistant Hu said, "Mr. Ye's mother is ill, and he has been in the hospital taking care of her these days. I'm afraid he can't get away."

Cheng Ti secretly thought that this was not good and blamed Ye Siheng for not informing her in advance. However, Assistant Hu did not express any doubt in his tone. He only said that a specialist would be responsible for the specific technical content and she only needed to do partial translation.

His words implied that this was Mr. Ye's intention and there was no room for refusal. Finally, he said that some relevant documents would be delivered in the evening and Cheng Ti could prepare in advance.

Even with the documents in hand, Cheng Ti was still confused and felt that things would not be that simple.

Although she was prepared to step into the conspiracy, she felt a sudden shock in her heart the moment she walked into the meeting room.

Then it suddenly occurred to me: No wonder Ancheng Technology sounded familiar, it was clearly the company where that person worked!

Assistant Hu's supposed request for her help from the translation team was more like a backup. By the time Cheng Ti was brought into the conference room, the meeting was already halfway through. Old Master Ye sat to the right of the main seat, befitting his status as Intime's major shareholder and second-in-command.

At this moment, he was quite friendly and said to Cheng Ti, "Our technician has a bad accent and can't explain this clearly. Xiao Cheng, please help him communicate with Mr. Andre."

She had been listening intently in the waiting room. Combining the information with the documents, she had already figured out the purpose of the meeting: Ancheng Technology was currently embroiled in an intellectual property dispute, with the defendant being a German technology company, thus involving a transnational lawsuit. This meeting was like an internal hearing within the group, not only to brainstorm a response plan but also to hold Ancheng's leadership team accountable.

Judging from the situation, Ancheng Technology is also a subsidiary of Intime Group, and the person who is answering the directors' questions at this moment is its vice president Shao Mengdong.

This man was also at the table, sitting across from the director. His expression was impassive, his lips tightly pursed, and he had the air of a lone man standing guard. He was dressed meticulously in a black suit with a light-colored shirt underneath. His tie was slightly loose—he tugged at it.

It seems that he is in a bad situation now.

But this person's aura is very strange. Normally he is too calm, but when he is angry he is more likely to smile. The more dangerous and difficult the situation is, the more cold-blooded and aggressive he becomes. People don't even want to get close to him, let alone worry about him.

Cheng Ti passed by him and couldn't help but take two quick steps.

Even though he didn't look at her directly.

The conference room was spacious, with a long conference table. Everyone sat far away, the sounds were vague, and the air conditioning was strong. Cheng Ti glanced around and was inexplicably reminded of the meeting of Buddha and gods in Journey to the West: several directors were like golden statues sitting in a circle, with different postures. Some did not speak, some spoke politely, and some spoke sharply, listing the public opinion impact caused by this incident, the damage to the group, the dereliction of duty of Ancheng's management, and so on.

The wording seemed fair, but even Cheng Ti could sense the obvious implication of encirclement and suppression behind it.

Shao Mengdong fought back every question he raised. He maintained a tough stance and seemed to be fighting back without losing the upper hand. There were a few times when he seemed to have barely gotten away with it.

Cheng Ti was sitting at the end of the table, only occasionally translating a few words from the side, but he couldn't help but hold his breath and concentrate, feeling terrified.

The verbal battle gradually subsided until the last director said, "I have no questions."

The oppression in the air has not dissipated.

Then the chairman came out to speak, followed by a discussion with the legal advisor. Cheng Ti did not care about her own business and just wanted the meeting to end.

Little did they know that when Mr. Ye spoke at the end, it was like a bolt from the blue: the previous paragraphs were all nonsense, nothing more than echoing the chairman and spouting some official rhetoric about working together to overcome difficulties. Then the tone changed: "...Although the translation team was formed on a temporary basis, everyone has done a very good job. There is also one person who does not belong to our group, Miss Cheng——"

Cheng Ti's heart sank when her name was called. She thought, here it comes.

"She's also my son's new wife. Many people have seen her at Yuezhong's wedding. Actually, she's Mr. Shao's biological sister."

Some of the people present knew about it, while others didn't, but they all looked surprised. Cheng Ti subconsciously looked at Shao Mengdong, and seeing his indifferent expression, she could only grit her teeth and smile, bowing to everyone in response.

Shao Mengdong finally spoke slowly, "It's not fate, it's unexpected fate... My sister and I haven't seen each other or been in touch for almost ten years. I thought we would never meet again in this life, but I happened to witness her wedding. What else could it be but fate?"

He leaned back in his chair, glanced at the crowd, and finally looked at Cheng Ti and smiled: "I didn't know about my sister and Mr. Ye's wedding in advance, so as a brother, I didn't say anything. I will make up for it later, okay?"

His tone was gentle and distant, which made her even more nervous than before.

After he expressed his stance, the others gradually began to speak up, chatting and talking, and the atmosphere began to ease somewhat. It was because the situation had been too tense earlier, and now that the meeting was drawing to a close, the situation was settled, and it was time to put away the cold fronts and hidden arrows. So everyone found a way out, and soon the clouds cleared.

Cheng Ti didn't understand the complicated interpersonal interests in this conference room, nor could she understand the deeper meaning of the words between the two people.

She only knew that she must have been tricked by the old man and rushed in headfirst, becoming the after-meal dessert for all the cunning people in the room.

It was already six in the evening after the meeting. Shao Mengdong ran into An Cheng's technical director, Zhao, in the elevator. After a few pleasantries, Director Zhao couldn't help but whisper, "An Cheng is very successful this time thanks to you."

Shao Mengdong only gave a polite smile in return, and the other party quickly changed the subject, "Mr. Shao, are you going home?"

"I'm going back to the company. I still have some things to deal with."

"It's hard work. Where's your sister?"

"Someone sent her."

Shao Mengdong drove out of the headquarters and got off the car halfway to buy a cup of coffee. There were few customers in the cafe and the music was soothing. He caught a glimpse of a woman in a light-colored suit sitting in a booth deep in the light, leaning lightly against the wall beside her, as if she had fallen asleep.

Assistant Hu had wanted to send a car to take Cheng Ti home, but Cheng Ti was in a state of turmoil. She didn't want to go back to Ye Siheng's house, and she had nowhere else to go, so she declined and walked around the street. She was wearing her new high heels, and she hadn't noticed them when she was standing, but after walking for a while, her ankles were rubbed raw. It was raining, so she had to find a cafe to rest.

He took the coffee and walked out. When he reached the door, he turned back and knocked on the table in front of her.

Cheng Ti shuddered slightly and woke up.

"Go back to sleep."

"W-Why are you here?"

She looked at him, then around, dazed and confused. Her eyes were watery, her cheeks flushed with heat, and her lipstick was a little smudged, shiny and smudged around her lips. Still half-conscious, she remembered her original plan. "Oh, I'll go get something to drink."

Then he stood up.

Just now her legs were hidden in the dark, and when she stood up, he found that her high heels were taken off and placed aside.

She was barefoot and afraid of the cold, so she tiptoed towards the front desk.

He frowned: "When did you get this problem? Go back and put it on."

"My feet hurt."

Her tone was softer than usual. She lowered her head to look at the wound, only her toes touching the ground, as if she were wearing transparent high heels, the whiteness of the heels making the scraped flesh even more glaring.

He quickly looked away, his expression not looking good: "What do you want to drink?"

Cheng Ti paused and told him, "Iced Americano."

Shao Mengdong glanced at her.

Cheng Ti was silent. The first time she drank coffee was also with his.

Back then, he was still in college, working part-time, on scholarships, and in the student union, constantly on the go. Of course, Starbucks wasn't an option, and the most he could afford was instant Nestle. To Cheng Ti, this dark brown liquid was like Doraemon's memory bread; taking it would make him as energetic and exceptional as he was. One day, he finally managed to sneak a taste of his black coffee, but afterward, he felt betrayed and ripped off. He muttered, "What did I think it was? It's just cigarette butts soaked in water with some coptis root. What kind of taste do you have? I'll never drink it again."

But she didn't know when she developed the same habit as him.

He placed his order and took back his coffee. She had already put on her shoes and there was a cup stopper in his hand. Cheng Ti saw it, but before she could react, she heard him say, "I'll go get the car."

Huh? Is he going to take her home?

"I'll wait for the rain to stop and take a taxi back..."

He has already walked out.

It was still drizzling outside.

This is the wet rainy season.

In the dim dusk, the car merged into the endless river of lights. Shao Mengdong drove without saying a word. The air was stuffy. Cheng Ti listened to the quiet ventilation from the air-conditioning outlet. The faint sound seemed to carry its cautious thoughts.

Sipping her coffee, she whispered, "Have I gotten into trouble?"

At the wedding, everyone called him brother, and now everyone knows about it. The situation does not seem optimistic.

The other party said calmly: "You have caused enough trouble, haven't you?"

After a while, she asked again, "Is Ancheng Technology a subsidiary of Intime?"

"Um."

"A wholly owned subsidiary?"

"no."

"The board of directors—"

He interrupted her: "I'm not interested in providing you with a corporate background check. If you want to know anything, ask him."

"who?"

He ignored her, and Cheng Ti turned away to look out the window. The car fell completely silent. Silence was good, especially since a call soon came to his phone. Shao Mengdong was also busy, and he answered several calls along the way.

The car stopped at the door of Ye Siheng's house. Cheng Ti thanked him politely and said, "It's late today, so I won't invite you to come. Wait until Siheng is at home next time."

He didn't answer, and another call came in. This time he hung up without even looking at it. Cheng Ti didn't hear any response, so she turned around and pulled the car door. With a swish, the car lock was also locked.

The false peace seemed to be unable to maintain. She looked back at Shao Mengdong in a panic, and his eyes were heavy. "I only have one question."

"……Um."

"That day you said you'd been with him for three years."

What is the problem?

"...Yes." Cheng Ti was confused.

"So when you called me, it had already started, right?"

It was the winter of her twenty-second year, the third year of her new life in that new country.

On a very ordinary and quiet night, Cheng Ti picked up the phone.

There was a number she knew by heart, how to add the international dialing code, how to add the area code—it was incredibly complicated, and she'd studied it thoroughly, yet she'd never been able to dial it. She'd grown accustomed to the cold, "The number you've dialed is powered off" response, and that's why she felt comfortable dialing again and again. Until that day.

"Hello?"

The low voice came suddenly, like a star hitting the earth. Before Cheng Ti could react, tears were already welling up in her eyes.

"Who?" There was a brief silence on the other side. "Cheng Ti?"

“…”

"You're crying? What's wrong?"

“…”

His tone hardened, sounding a little anxious: "Speak. Where are you now?"

“…”

"Cheng Ti!"

A month later, she received a check in US dollars from an American bank, signed by Cheng Lu.

A friend of Shao Mengdong from his college days.

Of course it was Shao Mengdong who asked him to send it.

Cheng Ti later confirmed that Lu Cheng was studying in the United States at that time. As for her address, she must have asked it from Zhao Yu.

She looked carefully and found nothing but a check, not even a single message.

Could it be that he had developed a habit of asking her for money and support whenever she cried and showed weakness to him? He had only been graduated for two years at that time, so where did he get so much money from?

Cheng Ti smiled bitterly in his heart and quickly sent it back according to the address.

Nothing came of it, and they completely lost contact after that.

After the lease on the house expired, Cheng Ti moved and never called that number again.

Cheng Ti came back to her senses and lowered her head, which was her gesture of agreement. She heard his cold voice above her head, "Why are you calling me?"

"I called the wrong number."

He sneered, "Really? Did you make a wrong international call?"

Cheng Ti was speechless again.

"Since you called me, why did you return the ticket? Are you afraid he'll find out? Look at me when you speak."

He reached out and turned her face, his fingers were cold. Cheng Ti was startled and subconsciously struggled to break free. He seemed to have just realized that this action was inappropriate at this time. He was stunned for a moment, put down his hand and looked away.

At this moment, he was almost lonely.

In silence, Cheng Ti finally spoke: "I've called before, but couldn't get through. That time you answered, it was so sudden that my mind was confused and I didn't know what to say. I just wanted to ask how you were doing, nothing else. What else could I do?...Sleeping with someone else while wagging my tail and begging for mercy?..." Her eyes became more and more hateful, her nose became redder, but she smiled softly, "Anyway, I have always been a shameless woman, right, brother."