Chapter 19 The Glorious Gathering has come to an end, but...
Liang Qi left the residential area, walked straight to the roadside, opened the car door, and sat in the back seat.
As the car drove off, he leaned back in his seat, gazing at the night outside the window, his eyes deep and dark.
A moment later, he closed his eyes.
*
That night, Liang Qi, unusually, drifted into a dream.
In his dream, on the court, his footwork moved in a crisscross pattern, shuttling back and forth along the baseline;
"Thump"... "Bang"...
The deep yet crisp sound of the ball hitting the shuttlecock seemed to be right next to my ears.
He stood at the baseline, observing his opponents' positions calmly and deliberately, while his brain was quickly determining the best landing point before tossing the ball upwards.
Against a backdrop of blue sky and dazzling sunlight, his eyes locked onto the trajectory of the ball, he seized the opportunity to jump and unleash a powerful swing—
A precise, beautiful, and highly aggressive ace shot!
The audience, who had been holding their breath, erupted in cheers...
As light and shadow alternate and sound stutters and contracts, the vivid scene gradually becomes illusory.
The cold metal instruments pressed against his shoulder, humming and beeping softly.
When the medicine was injected into the wound, it felt cool; but the pressure caused a burning pain.
Countless ice packs, passive stretching and traction, repeated resistance, a long and silent tug-of-war.
Later, all that remained was a tearing pain in my left shoulder, like an endless cycle...
He suddenly opened his eyes, his chest heaving violently.
He was breathing heavily, and for a few seconds in the darkness, he couldn't tell whether the pain in his shoulder came from a dream or reality.
As his consciousness gradually returned, he closed his eyes, threw back the covers, and got out of bed.
An ice pack was placed on his shoulder, and the biting cold and pain mingled together instantly. He closed his eyes and frowned.
*
The next morning, Liang Qi's left shoulder condition had not improved. Peng Ze took him to the hospital.
In the period immediately following his retirement, he needed to travel back and forth between China and Switzerland for treatment and rehabilitation. His examinations and rehabilitation in China were conducted at this private hospital in Beijing.
Peng Ze had already contacted Dr. Yuan Jingyang in advance, and Liang Qi went straight to the fifth floor after getting out of the car.
When Liang Qi arrived, Yuan Jingyang had just changed into his white coat.
This sports medicine expert is quite famous in the sports world, having been in charge of rehabilitation programs for many top athletes. His experience and reputation are beyond question.
"Mr. Liang."
After shaking hands with Liang Qi, Yuan Jingyang's gaze immediately fell on Liang Qi's left shoulder.
Liang Qi nodded.
Yuan Jingyang's expression immediately turned serious. Since Liang Qi recovered, he had never visited the hospital unplanned, except for his annual routine check-ups.
As he prepared to check the equipment, he asked, "When did it relapse? Yesterday?"
"last night."
After a brief consultation, Yuan Jingyang began a series of basic mobility tests on Liang Qi's left shoulder.
As soon as he raised his hand, Liang Qi felt a sharp pain. He gritted his teeth and frowned, enduring the pain.
However, even with his ability to endure, his shoulder movement was clearly restricted, and his movements were stuck halfway through, unable to continue.
Yuan Jingyang's expression darkened further.
After the imaging results came out, he stared at the image on the screen with a furrowed brow: "Some areas of the rotator cuff muscles are not good... There is also fluid accumulation in the joint capsule."
Liang Qi stared at the screen, expressionless.
"Did you perform any acute overexertion actions?" Yuan Jingyang asked, "or did you continuously lift heavy objects?"
Liang Qi remained silent for a few seconds, neither confirming nor denying, before asking, "How will the treatment be conducted? How long will the treatment period take?"
Seeing this, Yuan Jingyang didn't press further. He took off his glasses and said, "First, we'll do about a week of injections, mainly for anti-inflammation and pain relief. After that, we'll combine it with systematic physical rehabilitation to reduce the fluid buildup and then gradually restore function."
He paused, then added, "Optimistically speaking, a full recovery will take at least a month."
Liang Qi nodded, almost without hesitation: "Okay, let's do it this way."
On the way back in the car, Peng Ze turned around before starting the engine, his eyes filled with worry: "Mr. Liang, about tonight's events..."
Liang Qi turned his gaze away from the window, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
“Last time we went back for dinner, you were because—” Peng Ze stopped himself in time and changed the subject, “This time, Elder Jing invited you alone, and if you refuse again… I’m afraid he won’t be too happy.”
Liang Qi didn't reply, his eyes fixed ahead, clearly weighing his options.
Peng Ze hesitated for a moment, then added, "Moreover, President Yao has been actively pursuing a cooperation agreement with Conti recently..." He stopped there, not finishing his sentence.
After a few seconds of silence in the car, Liang Qi said, "Go there tonight."
*
Jing Chengming usually lives in the northeastern suburbs of Beijing, saying that he is getting old and wants some peace and quiet.
When Liang Qi arrived, Jing Chengming was sitting alone in a side room. The old man was over eighty years old, but his hair was not completely white, and he was quite spry.
Jingru sat opposite his father, holding a cup of tea, and talked to him.
Although she doesn't live in Beijing often, she just finished a charity gala last night, so it's quite normal for her to stay an extra day to spend time with the old man.
Jing Yao was also there, which surprised Liang Qi slightly.
But he showed no sign of it on his face. After greeting everyone, he sat down next to Jingru.
Despite his best efforts to control it, the slightly stiff movements of his left arm still caught Jingru's attention.
She glanced at it and asked with concern, "...What happened to your shoulder?"
Upon hearing this, Jing Chengming's eyes swept over them, and he asked, "What happened to your hand?"
Liang Qi met their gazes and said, "It's nothing, it's alright."
Jingru clearly didn't think things were as simple as he made them out to be. "Has the old injury flared up again? Has Dr. Yuan seen it?"
"It's been taken care of, it's fine," Liang Qi said, then glanced at Jing Chengming on the other side. The old man was staring at him, his eyes cold.
Liang Qi looked away without offering any further explanation.
Jingru was still worried: "But... your shoulder injury has been fine for the past few years, how come it suddenly relapsed?"
"It was just an accident." Liang Qi didn't elaborate, but raised the corners of his lips to comfort her, "It's not serious, you'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Jingru frowned, thought for a moment, and then said to his son, "I was originally going to fly to South America tomorrow to meet up with your father, but if you need me, I can adjust my schedule and stay with you."
Upon hearing this, Liang Qi shook his head slightly: "No need, just follow the original plan."
Jingru understood his son's personality and knew that insisting was futile, so he helplessly instructed, "Then you must promise me that you will take the treatment seriously!" As he spoke, he lightly tapped his son's chest with his index finger, "Understand?"
Liang Qi nodded with a faint smile: "I know. Don't worry."
Jing Chengming, who was standing to the side, spoke up, his tone displeased: "Young people should know their limits. What kind of excuse is 'accident'?"
He said in a deep voice, "Maintaining good health is the most basic ability for someone who owns an industry."
Liang Qi didn't argue back, but nodded slightly: "Yes, Grandpa."
Jingyao, who had been looking down at his iPad, looked up and gave Liang Qi a mocking glance.
Liang Qi kept his eyes fixed on the spot, pretending not to notice.
Jing Chengming added, "If you hadn't been injured back then, you would definitely have made a name for yourself in the sports world. That would have been a source of pride for the family."
He paused for two seconds, then concluded casually, "What a pity."
Liang Qi smiled faintly, seemingly agreeing with Jing Chengming's words, but his eyes remained calm and indifferent.
Jing Chengming turned his gaze to Jing Yao and said, "These past two days, I've heard about your ideas for the Conti cooperation project from several senior members of the board of directors."
Upon hearing this, Jingyao quickly put the iPad aside: "Grandpa, I did talk to a few seniors, just to ask for their advice and hear their opinions from different perspectives."
Jing Chengming remained calm, as if he hadn't noticed Jing Yao's attempts to win over the board members in private, and his tone was devoid of emotion: "They all say that your proposal is quite good."
Jingyao smiled. He had been unsure of himself, but now that he heard Jing Chengming's tone, he felt a little more at ease.
He came back today precisely for this matter, so he took the opportunity to say, "Grandpa, my idea is that if the cooperation goes ahead, we should only focus on the top 1% of customers."
Conti originally focused on high-end content, so this smooth transition would save them a lot of unnecessary setup costs. Once they gain customer trust and loyalty, the profit margins and pricing power later on will be very substantial.
Jingyao's plan was precise in its objectives and well-organized, and he even had several veteran members of the board of directors vouch for it. Just as the rumors had suggested, he had come prepared.
Liang Qi listened with a calm expression, and when he looked up, he met Jing Chengming's gaze.
Jing Chengming said, "Conti's people will be here soon. Since you are injured, it might be too much pressure for you to handle this alone."
He looked back at Jingyao and said, "Your proposal is sound and competitive in all aspects. Go into negotiations with Liang Qi. As for how you will reach an agreement, that depends on who can persuade the other party better."
"Understood, Grandpa." Jingyao couldn't hide the joy in his eyes and quickly nodded in agreement.
Jing Chengming raised his teacup, his gaze lingering on each of the two young men for a moment, as if saying to one of them, "Do a good job."
Although the topic concerned Yun Jing, Liang Qi remained silent.
He had been in charge of Yunjing for more than half a year, but Jingyao was still unwilling to give up and was eyeing the situation covetously, wanting to regain control.
The collaboration between Tianqi and Kangdi is a done deal; the only variable is the form of cooperation. And Jing Chengming is determined to give Jing Yao this opportunity, something he can't stop.
In this family, opportunities may be yours, but they could also belong to someone else at any time. He knew this all too well.
After dinner, Liang Qi was the first to take his leave.
Just as he was about to get into the car, Jingyao called out to him from behind, "Cousin—"
Liang Qi stopped and turned around; Jing Yao walked over slowly.
Liang Qi was only ten days older than him, and although he called him "cousin," he naturally didn't acknowledge him. He was just feeling smug about getting the opportunity to work with Conti, and he also wanted to use the term "cousin" to mock Liang Qi's non-Jing family status, hoping to provoke him.
Liang Qi looked at him without saying a word.
Jingyao glanced at his left shoulder and said, "You're injured, yet you still made this trip today. Is it because you care about Grandpa? Or are you afraid that if you don't show up soon, Conti's cooperation deal will really be handed over to someone else?"
"Last time Grandpa called us back for dinner, I remember you seemed to be..." He paused, his tone ambiguous, "...going to be with a woman, so you didn't come, right?"
Liang Qi glanced at him for a few seconds, smiled faintly, and didn't respond to his comment: "It's a minor injury, it won't cause any problems."
His evasive attitude made Jingyao sneer. He said, "Admit it, you came here today because you value your cooperation with Conti."
Liang Qi raised an eyebrow, glanced at him indifferently, and did not deny it.
Jingyao said, "If I really manage to get my hands on Condi, your influence in Yunjing... will be in danger."
Liang Qi nodded and said, "That's not wrong."
“President Liang,” Jingyao’s expression turned cold, “Yunjing will not always be yours.”
The two stared at each other. Liang Qi remained calm, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, disappearing in an instant.
He curved his lips slightly, but the smile was so faint as to be almost imperceptible: "Then I'll wait and see."
After saying that, he looked away, turned around, and got into the car.
*
Jiang Nuanyu ate a simple dinner, washed the dishes, and changed the water in the transparent flower bucket with roses in it.
She really loved the bouquet. When she changed the water, she carefully plucked off the slightly wilted petals, put each stem back in, and then carried the flower bucket to the dining table.
These few steps were not easy. After arranging the flowers, she leaned back on the sofa and lifted her left leg to relieve the pressure from standing.
I applied ice to my ankle last night and it didn't swell up again. It doesn't hurt much when I'm not walking, but the dark purple bruise looks a bit scary.
She touched the bruise, but the scene from last night uncontrollably flashed before her eyes for the 10th time.
She grabbed a cushion, rolled over, buried her face in it, and began to vividly recall the kiss as if watching a movie in her head.
The house was so quiet. Her heart was pounding, and her face flushed rapidly, as if she could warm the cushions.
But when Liang Qi left at the end, the little flame of her passion was instantly extinguished as if doused with a bucket of cold water.
Although she had never been in a relationship, as an adult, she understood her body's reactions when she kissed Liang Qi. She knew what she was craving at that moment.
However, Liang Qi did not take it any further.
Although he stayed briefly at her invitation, he eventually left.
Is this... a polite refusal?
"Oh no..." she thought, feeling both ashamed and annoyed. Why was she in such a hurry?
The misunderstanding with Jingyao hadn't been cleared up yet, and she made this overstepping move.
Things seemed to have become so complicated overnight that she couldn't handle them.
But on second thought, Liang Qi did indeed respond to her.
She will probably never forget the moment he grabbed her neck and pulled her towards him, the moment he opened his lips and kissed her.
During the kiss, his breath was so close, their breaths mingling, their softest parts pressed together, rubbing and caressing each other. Even later, he seemed completely absorbed and engrossed…
Jiang Nuanyu quickly opened her eyes, promptly cutting off her new round of reminiscence. At the same time, she suppressed the glimmer of expectation that had unconsciously arisen in her heart.
I can't think about it anymore!
She turned her head, her face flushed, her laptop still on the coffee table.
She hasn't finished her work for today.
To capitalize on the upcoming Milan Fashion Week, the magazine is planning a joint cocktail party in mid-September.
With only two weeks left until the event, everyone's focus has shifted entirely to this cocktail party in the past few days.
As the head of the cultural sector, Jiang Nuanyu needs to draft a preliminary list of guests in her field, which will then be reviewed by the public relations department before the writing of the invitation letter can proceed.
She had planned to go to the office to work overtime today, but unfortunately she sprained her ankle and could only coordinate remotely from home. Furthermore, since her mind wasn't fully on work, the back-and-forth communication made her even less efficient.
She sat up, sighed, rubbed her burning face, and sat down at the computer to start working.
*
The day the Conti Group's negotiating team arrived in Beijing happened to be a Monday.
After nearly a week of multiple rounds of communication, Conti has gained a preliminary understanding of the two cooperation paths proposed by Tianqi and has shown great interest in both.
On Friday afternoon, Liang Qi sat behind his desk, listening to Peng Ze report on the latest progress.
"The Conti team has completed preliminary negotiations and will take a two-day break over the weekend. The preliminary plan is to sign a letter of intent next Monday."
Liang Qi nodded slightly.
This time was about what he had expected.
Although Tianqi presented two plans, Conti clearly didn't want to appear superior in terms of stance, deliberately synchronizing the announcement of his choice with the signing of the letter of intent. This confined his competition with Jingyao to within Tianqi itself.
This was also within Liang Qi's expectations.
Peng Ze continued, "According to inside sources, Candela from the other side has clearly indicated that he prefers President Yao's proposal. Candela is one of the group's vice presidents and also the eldest son-in-law of Old Conti, making him the most powerful person among those who came this time."
"It seems that President Yao has also grasped this point, and has been in frequent contact with Candela..." Peng Ze's tone revealed worry, "but it's unclear how much influence Candela's personal inclinations will have on the final decision of the entire Conti team."
Liang Qi's gaze fell on a certain spot outside the window. He didn't respond immediately, but gently kneaded the muscles at his left shoulder joint.
After nearly two weeks of recovery and treatment, although the pain has been relieved, he still feels uncomfortable maintaining the same posture for a long time.
He turned his gaze back to the table, and after a moment, put his hand down and looked up at Peng Ze: "Send an invitation to the Conti team to go to the Dream Island Resort."
They planned to use these two days to rest and assess the situation, so we provided them with a place to rest and a reason to choose it.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he said, "Julie, make sure she's there no matter what."
Peng Ze was taken aback and didn't understand.
Liang Qi said, "As far as I know, this youngest daughter of old Conti has never been involved in the group's affairs before. But she came this time."
He looked at Peng Ze, "She can't possibly be here for fun in a business setting like this, can she?"
"You mean..." Peng Ze slowly realized, "Old Conti sent her here intentionally to represent a certain market orientation of the group in the future?"
Liang Qi looked at Peng Ze, his eyes deep and bright. Although it was just a guess, he asked with apparent confidence, "What do you think?"
Peng Ze already understood and nodded, "I understand, I'll make the arrangements right away."
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