Chapter 47 Game

◎"Oh, it's an adult game!"◎

Zhang Jiale's eyes darkened at first, and his hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into fists. It was as if his cerebral cortex was being assaulted by a strong, acidic emotion. After suppressing it to the extreme, he suddenly felt relieved and looked lightly at Chen Jingshu, saying, "So it's an adult game!"

“I understand that my senior is bored with her life and wants to find some excitement. Anyway, as long as Mr. Chen hasn’t married her yet, I still have a chance.”

This time, Chen Jingshu was so angry at this innocent puppy that he gritted his teeth, his voice growing colder, "He really is a child, unable to understand the unspoken love between adults."

“My senior sister only doesn’t want to play those kinds of games with me because she cares about me.” Zhang Jiale shook his car keys. “Sooner or later, she will see my efforts and turn to the light.”

After saying that, Zhang Jiale turned around, ran to his car, and the white Mercedes sped away, leaving only a wisp of smoke behind.

Chen Jingshu pressed his tongue against his cheek and silently cursed.

-

The Lantern Festival is also a day for family reunion.

The unexpected events involving the Jiang family during the New Year disrupted the Chen family's peace as well.

This time, Chen Zhenfeng sent word early in the morning, asking everyone to return to the old house to celebrate the Lantern Festival.

At the antique rosewood carved round table, Chen Zhenfeng sat in the main seat, flanked by Chen Jingshu and Chen Jinyi on either side.

Since the scandal involving the Jiang family, the old man coughed up blood once, and his mental state has been fluctuating.

Only today, seeing my family gathered around me, did I manage a forced smile.

“We originally planned to arrange your joining Huaren after your wedding, but this happened unexpectedly.” Chen Zhenfeng sighed as he mentioned it. “Your father and I discussed it and decided to wait until Huaren holds its first quarter summary meeting at the end of April to review Jing Capital’s performance and then have the board of directors vote on it.”

Chen Jingshu originally didn't have much ambition to get a job at headquarters, but after talking with Jiang Yingzhi, he also felt that constantly backing down wouldn't do any good for their relationship.

Only by becoming the rule-maker can one gain the power of discourse.

He nodded, more obedient than usual, "You and my dad can decide."

Hua Jia, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up coldly, saying, "To accept such a powerful position without getting married is ultimately a sign of an unstable person. If it weren't for Father's timely intervention, who knows what kind of trouble Hua Ren would have caused regarding the matter on the 8th of the month."

Seeing that Hua Jia was about to provoke a fight, Chen Rongqing immediately spoke up in defense, "Sister-in-law, that's a very biased statement. Jin Yi isn't married either, but who dares to question her abilities?"

Hua Jia snorted, "Jin Yi was originally going to get married too, but she was worried that her grandfather would lose a capable assistant after she got married, so she took the initiative to cancel the engagement. But it's different from Jing Shu's situation."

Chen Zhenfeng was conservative in his thinking and also carried some feudal stubbornness of patriarchal rule.

The requirement for Hua Ren's successor is that they must be a direct descendant of the Chen family. However, in Chen Rongqing's generation, before Chen Jingshu was brought back, only Chen Jinyi met the requirements for succession.

The old man was also afraid that once his granddaughter got married, the power would fall into the hands of her husband's family.

Chen Jinyi, sensing her grandfather's concerns, took the initiative to break off the engagement and vowed to dedicate her life to Hua Ren.

Only then was I able to enter the Huaren headquarters.

Hua Jia gets furious whenever this is mentioned. "Besides, as you said, since Jin Yi joined Hua Ren, apart from good news about our performance, we haven't had any scandals."

Chen Rongqing, with a scholarly air, smiled and sighed, "Yes! That's why my father and I have lamented more than once that our Jinyi isn't a boy."

"You two have had enough. You can't even let people have a peaceful family reunion dinner." Chen Zhenfeng frowned and slammed his hand on the table. "Jin Yi is a member of the board of directors. Whether Jing Shu can pass the assessment and be hired depends on Jin Yi's vote."

Chen Jingshu and Chen Jinyi exchanged a glance and said, "Yes, Grandpa is right. I should take my eldest sister as a role model and study hard."

Chen Jinyi was not to be outdone, "If Grandpa needs me to get married, I can. I can't marry outside the family, but I can marry someone back home."

“My two grandsons are the most sensible.” Chen Zhenfeng patted their backs, as if to comfort them. “But while it’s important to establish a career, it’s also important to start a family. Jinyi is the most considerate and obedient. Grandpa is really looking forward to the day you wear your wedding dress.”

“Although Jing Shu is a bit rebellious, don’t forget that if he hadn’t come home, the old man would probably have died in the ICU that year, utterly despondent.”

Chen Rongqing nodded repeatedly, and kicked Chen Jingshu's foot under the table when no one was paying attention. "Jingshu, Grandpa has high hopes for you. Don't let Grandpa down. Quickly toast Grandpa."

Chen Jingshu took the wine dispenser from the table and poured wine for Chen Zhenfeng. "Yes, Grandpa, don't worry."

"Then listen to your grandfather and get the marriage arranged before the end of the year."

"Grandpa, as long as you nod your head, I guarantee you'll be able to hold your great-grandson next year."

Chen Zhenfeng paused for a moment, then immediately understood what he meant. The wine in his mouth tasted different. He then cursed, "Bullshit, eat your food."

-

After the meal, Hua Jia pulled Chen Jinyi to a small meditation room in "Fangyuan Tiandi" for a chat.

She was holding her laptop, still revising the investment conference materials she had only half-read yesterday. Even without listening carefully, one could tell that her mother was still upset about the romantic scandal involving Chen Jingshu that the reporter had photographed on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year.

However, before the matter could escalate, Chen Zhenfeng learned of it in advance and forcibly suppressed it.

"Your grandfather is so biased!" Hua Jia said angrily, patting his chest.

Chen Jinyi didn't think Chen Zhenfeng was only doing this for his beloved grandson, and replied, "Grandpa is doing this for Huaren. Chen Jingshu just broke off his engagement, and immediately there were rumors of him seamlessly moving on to a girlfriend. I'm afraid the company will follow in Jiang's footsteps."

Hua Jia rolled her eyes. "They're just taking advantage of the fact that you've never been married and don't understand men. They're not afraid of those scandalous rumors; ultimately, it's because they love their grandson."

Chen Jinyi pouted, "Mom, it's not worth getting angry over such a small thing. You can be dissatisfied later if Grandpa protects him and allows Huaren to embezzle funds."

"He also wants Huaren to lose money!" Hua Jia crossed his arms, his cheeks flushed with anger. "Then you absolutely must stop Chen Jingshu from entering headquarters, understand?"

Chen Jinyi sighed, "Mom, there's more than just me on the board. If he's capable, he can get in without my vote. If he's not capable, even if I vote, he still won't get in."

"You're always taking the side of outsiders!" Hua Jia said angrily. "But what's the background of that girl who was photographed with him? I'd only ever heard that Chen Jingshu never got involved with women, so I thought he had some kind of illness."

"They actually brought people to live on the top floor of Wanxiang without our knowledge." That place is known throughout Beijing as the heart of Huaren.

When Chen Zhenfeng agreed to give it to Chen Jingshu, Hua Jia was secretly angry for a long time. It was at that time that she felt an extreme sense of crisis.

Later, when Hua Jia heard that Chen Jingshu had built a courtyard house there, she thought that the second wife had found a feng shui master to calculate a wealth-gathering position.

However, it was soon revealed by the media that even Chen Rongqing and Chen Zhenfeng were not allowed to go there, and many netizens jokingly called it "Young Master Hua Ren's Secret Base".

"Mom, just relax and don't waste your energy on her," Chen Jinyi said calmly.

"Chen Jingshu openly challenged the old man today for her sake. The two of them are definitely not simple," Hua Jia said with certainty.

"She's not important."

"Isn't it important?"

Chen Jinyi stopped typing and said seriously, "You must not touch her! If she is important, your second uncle will take care of her. You will get the same result, and you will also have a father and son falling out."

"If she's not important, you don't need to bother with her."

Hua Jia's expression changed, and she sat down warmly next to Chen Jinyi, "Okay, okay, of course Mom will listen to her precious daughter."

"I'm working." Chen Jinyi immediately closed her computer screen.

Hua Jia looked at her actions with displeasure, "You're still trying to protect yourself from your own mother!"

"Work-related items."

"Okay, let's not talk about that. You'll come with me to the temple tomorrow to fulfill my vow. I was worried that Chen Jingshu would really marry that girl from the Jiang family, but now that I've lost that in-law, I'm finally a little relieved."

Chen Jinyi was speechless and stood up abruptly, "I have a department meeting tomorrow, you should invite those aunties to hang out instead."

After saying that, Chen Jinyi made an excuse to go to the company, picked up her coat and car keys, and left without looking back.

Hua Jia cursed angrily, "You brat, you really gave birth to a nemesis."

-

After lunch, Chen Jingshu was called away by Chen Rongqing. The father and son never got along and exchanged a few words. Before they could even warm their seats, he said he felt unwell and left.

As soon as I stepped out of Chengyuan's gate, I saw Chen Jinyi.

He greeted her proactively, "Auntie, are you leaving already?"

Chen Jinyi maintained her usual cold expression, her eyes filled with disdain for everyone else. "Aren't you going to stay with Grandpa?"

"Grandpa is tired, and my heart isn't feeling well either, so I'm thinking of going back to rest early." This was half true and half false; he didn't seem entirely sincere.

Chen Jinyi responded with a dismissive smile, got into her car, and drove off.

Chen Jingshu opened the driver's side door at the same time, but didn't rush to locate the Wanxiang Hotel.

-

Lin Yujing was taken by Zhang Jiale to Leyi Plaza, the most competitive shopping mall in Wanxiang Mall, and the puppy's secret intentions were obvious.

She loves hot pot, and Zhang Jiale even asked someone to help him queue up in advance at the store.

"Senior, why aren't you living at school this year?" Zhang Jiale asked as she scooped shrimp paste for her. Her eyes held a wary curiosity.

Lin Yujing was drinking tomato beef soup with a spoon, the celery being crushed in her mouth, the taste sweet, sour and refreshing.

However, his questions were too targeted.

Lin Yujing didn't intend to hide it from Zhang Jiale, nor did she intend to waver between the two. She told the truth: "I spent the Spring Festival in another city and had nowhere to stay when I returned to Beijing, so I stayed at his house."

"I see... But I feel that senior and President Chen are getting a little too close."

Lin Yujing put down her chopsticks. "Lele, the situation between him and me is complicated. We can't go back to the past, but I don't plan to have a future with anyone else either. Do you understand?"

That was a subtle yet obvious rejection.

Zhang Jiale, being stubborn, shook his head and said, "Senior, you haven't given anyone else a chance, so how do you know there won't be other futures?"

Lin Yujing was momentarily lost in thought. "No need to try, I know."

Her life has been full of ups and downs, and the emotional bond she formed with Chen Jingshu has long been deeply ingrained in her destiny.

While not giving others a chance, she didn't actually give Chen Jingshu a chance either.

Perhaps, she never gave herself any other chances.

Deep down, she was both insecure and arrogant.

On one hand, she felt unworthy of anyone, and on the other hand, she was unwilling to give up the achievements she had worked so hard to make.

"Senior..."

"I'm stuffed."

Lin Yujing didn't want to continue talking to him about relationship issues, so she took out a tissue and started wiping her mouth.

Just then, her phone vibrated. It was a message from Chen Jingshu: 【Where are you?】

Lin Yujing directly replied with the location of Haidilao in Leyi Plaza in the chat box.

Chen Jingshu: [Fine! Going to someone else's house with another man!]

Lin Yujing was both amused and exasperated. "It makes no difference to me."

Chen Jingshu: [Wife, I won't be happy if you talk like that.]

I don't know if it's because they're unwilling or simply unwilling.

Lin Yujing ignored him.

"Senior, the movie doesn't start for another two hours. Shall we go to the arcade next door and have some fun first?"

"good."

The arcade is almost right next to a hot pot restaurant, and today, on the Lantern Festival, many young couples are playing there.

"Senior, I'm going to exchange for game coins. See if there are any dolls you like, we'll buy them all in a bit."

Lin Yujing knocked on the claw machine several times, but still couldn't figure out how to play it.

Or perhaps, she simply never liked places with such a vibrant atmosphere of young boys and girls.

She used to live a frugal and difficult life, and she only dared to spend her time on painting and studying.

Especially as she grew up, a series of things happened to her.

Others think her eyes are beautiful and have a story, but it's only because her heart is as withered as wood and as calm as flowing water.

Zhang Jiale quickly returned carrying a small basket filled with game coins. "Senior, which one are you going to catch?"

Lin Yujing pursed her lips, not wanting to dampen Zhang Jiale's enthusiasm, and casually pointed to a machine containing Monet's famous painting puzzles, "This one will do."

"Senior, you really never forget your major."

"I don't know much about the others either."

The two were initially full of confidence as they stood in front of the machine, but half a basket of game coins were swallowed by the machine, and they didn't succeed even once.

"Senior, I'm so stupid," the puppy said, blaming itself.

Lin Yujing shook her head, taking responsibility, "I've never played this before, so I'm not very good at it."

"How could that be? Girls all like it," Zhang Jiale said in surprise.

Lin Yujing pursed her lips, too embarrassed to tell him that she actually felt a little resistant to this kind of overly girlish game.

Just then, a slightly roguish voice came from behind them. He said, "Your senior is a female knight-errant, so naturally she doesn't like this kind of game full of girlish fun."

A note from the author:

Ah Shu: Today was another day of mixed feelings.

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