Chapter 44 "Pleasant Things".
"...What?" Zhao Yingrui frowned, staring at the couple pressed together, his eyes wide with astonishment: "You're not...you're not?"
No, who tricked him? Who told him that these two don't get along? Wasn't Jiang Jiaoming involved in the news targeting Liang Kongxiang not long ago? How come they're standing together so sweetly now?
Everyone present was stunned; this was truly explosive news. They had only wanted to have a drink with Zhao Yingrui, never imagining they would offend Jiang Jiaoming. You see, among the second-generation elites, Jiang Jiaoming was a top figure, completely different from these playboys. He wielded real power; offending him was tantamount to jeopardizing their livelihood.
The soft cushion under my buttocks suddenly felt like it was being pricked by needles; I couldn't sit still, and I was restless, wanting to leave this place of trouble.
Jiang Jiaoming smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes, and his voice was cold: "Zhao Yingrui, you want to drink, don't you?" He loosened his tie, pulled out a chair and sat down, "Fine, I'll let you drink to your heart's content today."
Zhao Yingrui instinctively felt things weren't that simple, and took a step back, his back hitting the wall. His voice was icy: "I won't drink it, what can you do about it?"
Jiang Jiaoming raised his hand, put two fingers together, with the back of his hand facing backward, and waved it lightly towards the door: "Close the door."
Those who were afraid of trouble quickly rushed over to lock the door, and simply stood at the door and didn't come in.
“Young Master Zhao is indeed a good man. He not only drinks, but he also smokes quite a bit.” Jiang Jiaoming saw the cigarette butts on the table, took an empty glass, filled it with white wine, pulled out a tissue, stretched out his long arm, wrapped the cigarette butt in the tissue, and threw it into the glass.
The table was turned around, and a glass of clear wine was instantly stained yellow by a cigarette butt, emitting a pungent smell, and stopped in front of Zhao Yingrui.
Jiang Jiaoming raised his chin: "Young Master Zhao, please."
Those present gasped. This was a complete humiliation of Zhao Yingrui.
Liang Kongxiang stood behind Jiang Jiaoming, seemingly lost in thought.
"You...!" Zhao Yingrui glared at him angrily, holding back for a moment, trying to use leverage to calm this lunatic down: "You know perfectly well who my uncle is, how dare you?!"
Jiang Jiaoming impatiently pointed at two waiters: "Pour it in, 500,000 in one go."
Five hundred thousand in one go. Nobody turns down money.
The two men's hearts pounded. They exchanged a glance and, almost without hesitation, walked over to Zhao Yingrui, saying insincerely, "Young Master Zhao, please forgive us."
After saying that, they tacitly divided the tasks: one person went forward to hug Zhao Yingrui to prevent him from moving, while the other went to get a wine glass, intending to wait for the right moment to put it to his lips.
Zhao Yingrui flew into a rage when he saw the two lowly laborers approaching him. Pointing at Jiang Jiaoming, he yelled, "You fucking dare to kill me tonight! If you can't, I'll kill you!"
Jiang Jiaoming chuckled, not taking it seriously: "Pour."
Zhao Yingrui was forcibly restrained by a waiter, his arms pinned to his sides, unable to move. He tried to pull his hands away, but it was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree, completely ineffective. Seeing another deranged man pick up the liquor, he immediately kicked him wildly, making a few "uh-huh" sounds with his mouth tightly shut, and shook his head forcefully to prevent the man from pouring the liquor down his throat.
Jiang Jiaoming knew that he was not going to cooperate.
"Stop," he raised his hand to interrupt, standing up. "Give me the wine, and hold his head so he doesn't move."
“Yes, Mr. Jiang.” The man bowed slightly and handed the wine glass to Jiang Jiaoming with both hands.
Two cigarette butts were floating on the surface of the liquor, already swollen from being soaked. It was truly disgusting.
"Tell me, what kind of suffering do you want to make Liang Kongxiang suffer?" Jiang Jiaoming sat leaning against the round table, looking at Zhao Yingrui, who was being forced against the wall and struggling. This man was not old, just over twenty, but he had a big temper. Even now, he was still stubbornly glaring at him with red eyes.
"I just asked her to come over and have a drink with me! She hasn't even had a drink yet, and you're already here. What right do you have to humiliate me like this?!" Zhao Yingrui roared, veins bulging on his forehead, his chest heaving.
“You think you’re worthy of serving drinks?” Jiang Jiaoming suddenly grabbed his chin.
Zhao Yingrui's mouth was suddenly choked shut by a strong force. He tried to shut up but couldn't move. He struggled and made a few "ah ah" sounds, staring at Jiang Jiaoming in disbelief.
Jiang Jiaoming pinched his chin, forcing him to tilt his head back and open his mouth. Without hesitation, he poured the liquor mixed with two cigarette butts into Zhao Yingrui's mouth.
He couldn't swallow that much at once. He tried to spit it out with his tongue pressed against his palate, but the burning liquid stung his throat and nasal cavity. He coughed violently, panting heavily. Although he had been released, he was already exhausted. His legs trembled, and his back leaned weakly against the wall. He was completely drained. His eyes were downcast, and he muttered under his breath, "Madman! I'll have my uncle kill you!"
"Let him come." Jiang Jiaoming, his hands slightly damp with alcohol, carefully wiped his fingers with a handkerchief and handed the phone to Zhao Yingrui: "Call him."
The phone screen displayed the name "Tian Lei," which was his phone number.
Zhao Yingrui immediately snatched the phone and pressed the dial button. After a few rings, the call connected.
"Uncle!" Zhao Yingrui wailed, sobbing, "I was bullied at Minru Banquet!"
There was a two-second silence on the other end, followed by the soft sound of a lighter striking the surface. He must have taken a puff of his cigarette. His voice was muffled but very calm: "Let Jiang Jiaoming answer the phone."
“Uncle…” Zhao Yingrui called out again.
"Stop talking nonsense," Tian Lei said impatiently.
Zhao Yingrui then shut his mouth.
"Mr. Tian," Jiang Jiaoming began, "Good evening."
"What's so good about it?"
The other party asked casually.
"Uncle, he doesn't respect you at all!" Zhao Yingrui cried out, "Come save me! None of these people are any good!"
Tian Lei took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled, "Understood."
Jiang Jiaoming didn't say anything. After hanging up the phone, he put his hands into the water handed to him by the waiter, washed them, disinfected them, dried them, and then walked over to take Liang Kongxiang's hand. He raised his other hand, waved the back of his hand behind him, and signaled everyone else to leave.
“Zhao Yingrui,” Jiang Jiaoming asked again, “if I hadn’t come tonight, what kind of trouble did you plan to make her suffer, hmm?”
A crisp "snap" sound.
Zhao Yingrui's face was turned to the side by the blow, and he almost lost his balance while leaning against the wall. Incredulously, he slowly raised his hand and pressed it against his burning face.
“Young Master Zhao, think before you speak.” Liang Kongxiang withdrew her hands, crossed her arms, and looked at him coldly.
She exuded an icy purity and indifference, which made Zhao Yingrui hesitate to retort. He just covered half of his face and glared at her for a while, then whispered and sobbed, "Uncle, come quickly."
"Does it hurt?" Jiang Jiaoming pulled her hand and rubbed it in his palm. Then he pulled her into his arms and hugged her, resting his head on her shoulder like a giant dog. He sighed, "I've never been slapped by you before. This kid stole it from me."
Liang Kongxiang frowned and gave him a push, "Don't joke like that."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yingrui cried even louder.
From quiet sobs to muffled whimpers, she was completely immersed in her own sorrow, unable to understand why all she had done was try to show off among her friends and it had turned out like this. Wasn't he the boss? How was he supposed to get along in Gongtai City now?!
Liang Kongxiang glanced at Zhao Yingrui, who was crying like a child, and looked at Jiang Jiaoming.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Jiang Jiaoming waited for Tian Lei to come over so they could settle all the old and new scores together. Zaiying Pictures and Hechuan Pictures were originally rivals. A partner who used to be on good terms with Hechuan Pictures switched to Zaiying, which created a rift and conflict between the two companies. Over the past ten years, they have clashed repeatedly, fighting fiercely. Both sides have used various tactics, and the grudges between them have only grown.
Liang Kongxiang knew that Jiang Jiaoming wasn't an impulsive person, and that his ruthless actions tonight were not without reason. Taking advantage of Tian Lei's arrival, she called Cao Lengyu and told her not to come, assuring her that Jiang Jiaoming could handle it.
Cao Lengyu asked her if Tian Lei had arrived.
Liang Kongxiang hummed in agreement. Wang Jianbai really loved stirring up trouble; even knowing how much Cao Lengyu resented Tian Lei, he still provoked her while she was drunk.
Fortunately, Cao Lengyu wasn't so thoughtless; she knew her own temper, so she simply stayed in the private room and said, "Call me when it's over."
Liang Kongxiang agreed and just as she hung up the phone, the door to the private room was pushed open.
The heavy black door slowly opened, and a man of medium build walked between two bodyguards. His eyes were slightly narrowed as he entered and stared at Jiang Jiaoming. "Little Jiang, how have you been?"
Two years later, Tian Lei hadn't changed much. He still had short black hair, a pair of cloudy, greasy eyes under his narrow double eyelids, a medium-length black beard, a short, thick neck, a muscular upper body, and his legs tucked into his trousers. He walked towards them unhurriedly.
"Uncle! Uncle! You're finally here, Uncle!" Zhao Yingrui cried as he dashed past Jiang Jiaoming and lunged at Tian Lei, but was stopped by two bodyguards. He felt no shame whatsoever; instead, he slid down and hugged the bodyguard's leg, crying as if he had seen his own father. He began to recount how Jiang Jiaoming had humiliated him: "Waaah, he put cigarette butts in my drink and fed it to me. I still have two cigarettes in my stomach."
Tian Lei walked to the table, pulled up a chair, and sat down: "Xiao Jiang, is that true?"
His voice was so loud it hurt people's eardrums. Liang Kongxiang frowned.
Jiang Jiaoming stared at him coldly for a second, and Zhao Yingrui was startled. He suddenly stopped talking, then spat hard on the floor and pressed his face tightly against the bodyguard's leg.
"What did my nephew do?" Tian Lei asked.
“We live in a society governed by the rule of law. What kind of behavior is it to force a woman to drink alcohol? Don’t you think so?” Jiang Jiaoming’s gaze shifted to Tian Lei, looking into his eyes.
"Oh," Tian Lei said knowingly, his eyes, sharp as snakes, slowly fixed on the woman being led by Jiang Jiaoming. This woman, who had suddenly appeared and caused a sensation in the entertainment industry, was indeed quite captivating. Just standing there silently looked like she was posing for a poster. It was a pity she was so clueless; she hadn't slept with him two years ago. He chuckled, looking at Liang Kongxiang, but speaking to Jiang Jiaoming, "So you've been complaining to me." Then he asked Liang Kongxiang, "What, is he giving me better resources than I am?"
“You’re wrong, Tian Lei,” Liang Kongxiang shook her head. “With your limited vision, you wouldn’t have any good resources. You have to admit that from the moment you entered the door, you called Jiang Jiaoming ‘Little Jiang’ not out of politeness, but out of a guilty conscience.” She looked at him again and called him by his name. “Tian Lei, resources aren’t something you can get by sleeping around. Why do you have such a misunderstanding about this? This has made me doubt my opinion that you’ve been lacking in talent all these years.”
Tian Lei, who had been feigning composure, suddenly turned sour, glaring fiercely at Liang Kongxiang. He wasn't stupid; he could tell she was subtly mocking him for relying on selling his body to gain fame in the past, implying that now that he was older and had nothing left to sell, he had no good works.
"You're still as good with words as ever," Tian Lei stared at her lips, smiling lewdly. "You've certainly used that mouth to serve people quite a bit, haven't you?"
Just as Jiang Jiaoming was about to smash the bottle, Liang Kongxiang swiftly stopped him. She shook her head, disapproving of Jiang Jiaoming's actions: "I don't feel ashamed because of such words. On the contrary, I think the person who said such words is pathetic. I don't understand why anyone would try to pressure the other person with topics about sex."
She looked at Tian Lei again and continued, "You're trying to make me angry, but what gives you the right? Tian Lei, you have time to accumulate experience as a rogue, why don't you learn more from Cao Lengyu how to make movies? After all, if you keep going down this path, River Films will go bankrupt."
These words struck a nerve with Tian Lei. He was angry for two seconds, then laughed: "Really? Then you wait and see what happens to your film. It's almost impossible for an art film to become famous overnight in this market environment. Cao Lengyu just won an award that I've won several times before and she thinks she's someone special. As for you, you're just a pretty face. Your way out is to follow the right person."
“You just got in the water early, it’s nothing to brag about,” Liang Kongxiang said with the same certainty as before. “You’re swimming too slowly, you’re not far from being eliminated.”
Tian Lei stared at her sideways for a few seconds, let out a cold snort, and left with Zhao Yingrui.
As Liang Kongxiang stepped out of the private room and stood in front of the door, she suddenly felt as if her heart had been opened, and a sense of exhilaration washed over her.
Jiang Jiaoming took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Knowing that she wasn't in the mood for flirting, he didn't tease her. He simply took her hand and led her back.
"Wait a moment," Liang Kongxiang called Cao Lengyu, "She's still in the private room, and I don't know if anyone is taking care of her."
The call connected quickly.
Cao Lengyu's voice was slightly hoarse: "Kong Xiang."
“Okay,” Liang Kongxiang led Jiang Jiaoming toward the private room Wang Jianbai had booked. As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw Cao Lengyu slumped on the table, her phone next to a pile of empty wine bottles, on speakerphone. Knowing that Cao Lengyu had drunk too much, she took off her coat and wrapped it around her head: “Let’s go, I’ll take you home first.”
She helped Cao Lengyu out, and Jiang Jiaoming opened the back door and helped Cao Lengyu inside, letting her lie down in the back seat.
Throughout the journey, Liang Kongxiang glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror many times, only to see Cao Lengyu huddled in her coat, lost in thought—a rare display of vulnerability. She was strong-willed and prone to putting on an act; she rarely acted like this.
The car was quiet, a faint fragrance enveloping the already intoxicated Cao Lengyu. She lay on the stable seat, but her heart was racing, drifting back to her early twenties. She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.
Half an hour later, the car stopped downstairs at Cao Lengyu's house. Liang Kongxiang got out of the car and helped her upstairs, with Jiang Jiaoming following behind them.
Before leaving, Cao Lengyu suddenly cupped Liang Kongxiang's face in her hands.
She was drunk, her eyes glazed over but focused as she looked at Liang Kongxiang. Liang Kongxiang was taken aback, and heard her whisper, "Kongxiang, you know, we've all had it tough."
A few seconds later, Liang Kongxiang hummed in agreement: "I know."
Cao Lengyu felt relieved and went inside after hearing this.
Liang Kongxiang sat in the car absentmindedly and fastened her seatbelt. It was only after a long time that she realized Jiang Jiaoming seemed to have been staring at her the whole time.
"What's wrong?" Liang Kongxiang asked.
Jiang Jiaoming suddenly reached out and pinched her cheek; it was cool and soft. "It's nothing."
He started the car only after he finished speaking.
Liang Kongxiang didn't think much of it; Cao Lengyu's unusually vulnerable face was still vivid in her mind.
She thought that she and Cao Lengyu would definitely fight their way through the crowd once again. This time, she wouldn't be alone; Jiang Jiaoming would be by her side.
Thinking of this, Liang Kongxiang turned her head and glanced at Jiang Jiaoming, who was driving.
Suddenly I realized something was wrong.
She frowned.
"Where to?" Liang Kongxiang asked, looking at the road that was driving further and further away from the city center, somewhat confused.
"Finally remembered me." Jiang Jiaoming raised his eyebrows.
"Let me take you to do something fun."
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Author's note: Zhao Yingrui used to be very arrogant among his friends: "My uncle is xxxxx."
When Zhao Yingrui turned around today and found no one there, he realized that he hadn't gained any followers while showing off, and he cried even louder. Hahahahahaha.
Jiang Jiaoming: Even a demon child needs a demon king to subdue him.
Liang Kongxiang (nodding in agreement): Yes.
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