Chapter 31
I want to kiss you.
The door to the tea room wasn't closed tightly, leaving a two-finger-wide gap. Standing outside, one could clearly hear the voices and laughter inside.
Cheng Jiamo walked to the door of the tea room and was about to knock when she heard the sound of a bell ringing inside.
"I heard that Zhao Jinfan has acquired a new beauty, she's incredibly voluptuous, and her 'Eighteen Deadly Squats' move almost killed that old bastard."
He Zongxun said with disdain, "That old bastard will die from a woman sooner or later."
Xun Chen replied with a smile, "To die beneath a peony is to be a romantic ghost."
This was followed by the lewd laughter of several men.
Although Cheng Jiamo didn't know what "Eighteen Deadly Squats" meant, she knew from their inappropriate laughter that it wasn't anything nice.
She quietly lowered her hand and turned to look at He Qingzhao.
He Qingzhao noticed her gaze and gestured to her, indicating that she should push the door open and go in.
Cheng Jiamo shook her head and then quickly ran to him.
He Qingzhao patted her head: "Why don't you go in?"
Cheng Jiamo pouted: "They're talking inside, so it's not convenient for me to go in."
He Qingzhao said, "You're my girlfriend, they wouldn't dare say anything in front of you. Besides, the tea room is quite large, and there's a separate lounge area inside. You can stay in the lounge without disturbing them."
Cheng Jiamo tugged at his sleeve and shook it: "You didn't go in, so I'm too embarrassed to go in."
He Qingzhao smiled and took her hand, leading her towards the tea room.
As the two walked to the door, Zhong Qi said with a smile, "Director He and Zhao Jinfan are kindred spirits."
A burst of laughter erupted.
Cheng Jiamo looked up at He Qingzhao blankly.
What's so funny about people who share the same interests?
He Qingzhao knew she hadn't understood, and he couldn't possibly explain such vulgar language to her, lest he offend her ears.
He kicked the door open and yelled, "Zhong Qi, you better behave yourself!"
Zhong Qi glanced at Cheng Jiamo and coughed awkwardly.
The others remained silent, some even displaying expressions of anticipation.
He Qingzhao led Cheng Jiamo into the lounge, which contained a sofa, a TV, and a large balcony with flowers, plants, and an indoor bonsai tree. A round tea table was placed under the tree.
"You stay inside and watch TV for a while, I need to talk to them about something."
Cheng Jiaming gently agreed, "Okay." She glanced at the half-closed door, "Will you two talk in the outer room?"
He Qingzhao: "Yes."
Cheng Jiamo: "Is it not appropriate for me to be here?"
He Qingzhao smiled and said, "It's nothing."
Cheng Jiamo wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled into his arms: "Then hurry up, I'm bored by myself."
He Qingzhao smiled and pressed her down onto the sofa: "I'll try to be quick, and I'll take you out to play in a bit."
Cheng Jiamo: "Where can we go to play this late?"
He Qingzhao kissed her on the corner of her lips: "Let's go to Badaling to see the drone light show."
Cheng Jiamo: "..."
He Qingzhao opened the door and went out. A moment later, a waiter pushed a food cart in, bringing cut fruit and desserts, as well as a pot of rose, red date and longan tea.
The TV was on in the room. Cheng Jiamo was eating fruit and watching TV, but she kept getting distracted and couldn't concentrate at all.
Her mind was already filled with images of the "drone light show," her head brimming with dazzling visuals created by technology—images she had never seen in real life, and thus filled with anticipation.
Unable to concentrate on the TV, she turned her attention to He Qingzhao and clearly heard them talking about things like "land value growth," "property premium," and "industrial upgrading and monetization." It seemed they were discussing real estate.
Although she heard what they were saying, she could barely understand what they were saying.
No wonder He Qingzhao felt comfortable leaving her here; he probably already knew that listening to her would be pointless.
If she were already working and not an ignorant college student, or if she were a shrewd person, He Qingzhao probably wouldn't have let her listen to him talk here.
The tea room is just a door away.
He Qingzhao leaned back in his chair, toying with a celadon Ru kiln teacup in his hand, and said unhurriedly, "The old city renovation itself doesn't make much profit. Trying to squeeze money out of old residential areas won't yield much, but you can take advantage of this policy." He put down the teacup and tapped the table with his index finger. "When doing business, you have to be quick-witted."
Xun Chen waved his hand: "I dare not take on the old city renovation project. My Phase III Blue Harbor houses have not sold many units since the opening, and almost all of them are stuck in my hands."
Zhong Qi suggested with a smile, "You and President Ye can buy from each other."
Xun Chen glanced at Ye Hui and spread his hands: "But Boss Ye is unwilling."
Ye Hui said, "It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just pointless. The real estate economy is now severely structurally differentiated. Even if I bought all the houses in your Blue Harbor Phase III, I couldn't afford to speculate on them, and I would just end up with nothing."
Xun Chen retorted: "Aren't those from your second phase of Boye the same?"
Ye Hui: "That's right, so there's no need for us to buy from each other."
He Qingzhao said, "The government may introduce further regulatory policies for the real estate industry. Do what you can to minimize the risks, don't wait..."
Before he could finish speaking, his phone rang.
Seeing that the caller ID was Assistant Wang, he answered the phone: "Speak."
Assistant Wang: "President He, I've discovered that Luo Chenghao is selling a new type of pill. Should we notify Captain Zhao of the anti-drug squad?"
He Qingzhao instructed, "Take some men and keep an eye on him, don't let him escape. Have Zhao Yue take some men over there immediately."
Assistant Wang: "Okay, should we still deal with him?"
He Qingzhao: "You can deal with it after Zhao Yue is caught."
Assistant Wang: "At that point, I'm afraid we won't be able to get involved anymore."
He Qingzhao: "Then let him suffer in there. In a little while, call Zong Zhengping, the head of the second prison ward, and tell him to send Luo Chenghao to the second prison ward after the verdict is handed down."
After hanging up the phone, he lit a cigarette with a sullen face.
Zhong Qi hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
He Qingzhao didn't say anything. He leaned back with a cigarette in his mouth, took a deep drag of the cigarette with a cold face.
He Jingyang spoke up: "Big brother, which blind bastard offended you?"
He Qingzhao stretched his arm onto the tea table and shook the ash from his cigarette in the ashtray.
Huo Junhou said, "Just ask if you need our help."
He Qingzhao smiled: "It's nothing, no need to trouble the Marquis."
"Lord Hou" is the nickname given to Huo Junhou by everyone. When they play together in private, they all call him that.
He Qingzhao didn't mention Luo Chenghao's matter, and changed the subject to industrial upgrading.
Cheng Jiamo couldn't understand what they were saying and was too lazy to listen anymore.
She picked up the remote, intending to watch a historical documentary to pass the time.
However, just as she turned on the program, her phone, which was on the table, rang.
She frowned when she saw the caller ID, picked up her phone, went to the balcony to answer it, and asked bluntly, "Mom, did you give my number to Luo Chenghao?"
Cheng's mother: "Yes, he asked me for it, so I gave it to him."
Cheng Jiamo shouted angrily, "You give it to him just because he asks for it? What if he told you he wanted to marry me, would you agree to that too?"
She thought that if she made a phone call from the balcony, the neighbors wouldn't be able to hear her, but she didn't know that the balcony was open, separated only by a bamboo curtain.
So when she yelled, He Qingzhao and the others all heard it.
Cheng Jiamo sat with her back to the bamboo curtain at the tea table, propping her elbows on the table, and said angrily, "Mom, are you trying to drive me to my death!"
Cheng's mother: "What nonsense are you talking about? I just gave Luo Chenghao your phone number, how is that forcing you? No matter what, he is your cousin. With him around, you can still have someone to look after you in Beijing."
"Take care of what? Take care of me in his bed?" Cheng Jiamo said, her voice choked with sobs, trying to suppress her grief. "Luo Chenghao is Yu Shijie's nephew, we have no blood relation whatsoever. He did some disgusting things to me when I was twelve years old, I don't believe you've forgotten."
Cheng's mother: "Momo..."
Cheng Jiaming interrupted her: "You pretend not to know that Yu Shijie treats me badly, just to please him. Now you even have to curry favor with Yu Shijie's nephew. You know he has dirty thoughts about me, but you still give him my number. Mom, you really break my heart."
After saying that, she hung up the phone and blacklisted her mother's number.
She shouldn't have had any hope for her mother. Every time she was full of hope, she was met with disappointment and even despair.
He Qingzhao lifted the bamboo curtain, walked to her side, and picked her up.
Cheng Jiamo: "..."
She was first shocked, then her heart pounded in panic.
"Why...why didn't you tell me the balcony was connected?"
He Qingzhao carried her back to the room and placed her on the sofa.
"It's okay, they didn't hear me. I told them all to leave."
Cheng Jiamo asked, "Did you hear that?"
He Qingzhao: "Yes, I heard you."
Cheng Jiamo: "..."
He Qingzhao squatted down in front of her, hugged her, pressed her head to his shoulder, and gently stroked the back of her head with his large hand.
Cheng Jiamo wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed her face against his neck: "Did I interrupt your conversation?"
He Qingzhao: "It won't delay anything. There was nothing important to do anyway. I just had a meal with some friends and chatted for a bit."
Cheng Jiamo: "That's good."
What she didn't know was that He Qingzhao had arranged to meet Zhong Qi and the others here today to discuss something, but he deliberately said it was nothing to put any pressure on her.
Cheng Jiamo hugged him: "He Qingzhao, I'm so sad right now."
He Qingzhao sat down with her in his arms and kissed her forehead.
"Don't be sad, baby, I'm here for you."
Cheng Jiamo wrapped her arms around his neck: "Are you still going to watch the light show?"
He Qingzhao looked at her rosy and delicate lips, his Adam's apple bobbing: "I want to kiss you."
Cheng Jiamo leaned closer and pressed her lips to his. Just as she was about to pull away, he grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her lips passionately.
He Qingzhao didn't want a fleeting kiss; he wanted a deep kiss, to enter her mouth, to swirl inside her, to suck on her tongue, and to draw out her juices.
And he did just that, his big hands tightly around her waist, pressing her down on the sofa and kissing her, his tongue swirling wildly in her mouth, sucking on her soft, wet little tongue, and licking the walls of her mouth.
Cheng Jiamo's body went limp from his kiss, and she sobbed, her hands pressed against his shoulder.
"Stop kissing, what if someone comes in?"
He Qingzhao wiped the water from the corner of her mouth with his thumb: "No, they know you're here, they won't come in."
Afraid that he would kiss her again, Cheng Jiamo quickly said, "I want to see the light show."
He Qingzhao: "Don't you want me to kiss you?"
"No, I just..." Cheng Jiamo met his gaze and couldn't continue her explanation, so she opened her mouth and bit his chest. She was so scared that she quickly let go after biting him.
He Qingzhao let out a low, hoarse groan, stroked her face, and slowly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.
Cheng Jiamo: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
She didn't expect it to be such a coincidence, hitting the exact right spot.
He Qingzhao: "No need to apologize, I'll bite back tonight."
Cheng Jiamo: "..."
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