Lee Sung-hwan + Jung Eun-chae (Part 7)
Afraid that Jung Eun-chae would misunderstand his words, Lee Sung-hwan quickly explained, "Now that you've obtained the information from Councilor Jung's computer, you don't need to put up with any more mistreatment at the Jung family's house. If you'd like, you can move to my place. I'll give you the house and I'll move somewhere else."
Jung Eun-chae declined: "No need. I may have to stay at the Jung family's house for a while longer. Although I copied the contents of Jung Chang-ho's computer, I don't know what they are or whether they are useful. I need to sort them out slowly. Also, I want to find an opportunity to go to his study again."
Time was of the essence today, so she only copied the files from the computer; she didn't check the documents in the bookshelf and drawers. She didn't know what she was looking for, but she believed that someone like Zheng Changhao, besides deceiving her mother, must have done something else, something unspeakable, that could bring him down.
"However, the copied materials need a quiet and trustworthy place to be organized. Can I borrow Brother Shenghuan's office?"
Li Shenghuan immediately agreed: "Sure. You can come to me anytime."
"Could Brother Shenghuan come to the Zheng family to pick me up? I can't leave if you don't come."
Although no one in the Zheng family physically harmed Zheng Encai anymore, they did not give up torturing her mentally.
Ever since that day when Jung Eun-ah grabbed her hair and tried to hit her, Park Geun-hye came up with a new trick: staying up late every night to keep Jung Eun-chae from sleeping.
Park Geun-hye had two bodyguards from the Park family keep an eye on Jung Eun-chae all night, trying to wake her up whenever she dozed off. This went on until dawn.
During the day, Park Geun-hye restricted her from going out. Whenever she approached the door, bodyguards would block her way. The two bodyguards would only disappear when Lee Sung-hwan came to see her.
In this way, even without physical injuries, one will eventually be driven to a mental breakdown by the torment.
No wonder she was able to fall asleep on his lap that day.
Lee Sung-hwan reached out and grasped Jung Eun-chae's hand. How much suffering and injustice has this young girl endured?
Jung Eun-chae stretched out her fingers from Lee Sung-hwan's hand, her fingertips slipping between his fingers, and their fingers intertwined tightly.
“Brother Shenghuan, don’t worry, I won’t give in. They only torment me at night, but I can still catch up on sleep during the day.”
They wanted to torture me back to America before the engagement so they could get Jung Eun-ah engaged to Sung-hwan again. I will never let them succeed. I will get engaged to Sung-hwan and then give you your freedom.
Li Shenghuan felt a dull ache in his heart. He got up from the dining table, took two steps to Zheng Encai's side, pulled her into his arms, and hugged her tightly.
"Eun-chae, let me protect you."
Zheng Encai didn't say anything, but reached out and gently patted Li Shenghuan's back twice.
No, she doesn't need Li Shenghuan's protection. She can protect herself, and she can protect him.
*
Lee Sung-hwan and Jung Eun-chae are probably the most loving couple in everyone's eyes.
Li Shenghuan would visit Zheng Encai at the Zheng family home every day, taking her to his office to accompany him to work, or dropping her off at school. He did this morning and evening without fail, rain or shine.
The engagement ceremony took place as scheduled two weeks later.
Jung Eun-chae had changed into a pink dress and was getting her hair done in the dressing room when her makeup artist assistant came in carrying a box.
"This was sent by Mr. Li Shenghuan early this morning. Miss Zheng, please choose one."
The box was opened, revealing three neatly arranged rose-shaped hair clips. Each one was similar to the one that had fallen and broken when Jung Eun-ah pulled her hair that day, yet each was slightly different.
"This one," Jung Eun-chae said with a smile, choosing a design with blooming flowers, full of vitality.
The makeup artist styled Jung Eun-chae's hair as requested, then took her arm and led her out of the dressing room.
Outside the door, Li Shenghuan was leaning against the wall, looking down at his phone.
His engagement to Jung Eun-chae was not only big news in South Korea, but also received widespread media coverage internationally.
After all, ST Group is one of the most famous conglomerate families in South Korea, and Jung Chang-ho is a re-elected member of the National Assembly backed by another conglomerate, the Park family. Their marriage is arguably the grandest event in South Korea.
Therefore, Song Yunxi should know about his engagement. Hopefully, she will stop blaming herself because of this, and hopefully she can completely break free from Chairman Lee's control.
Hearing the sound of the dressing room door opening, Li Shenghuan looked up.
Jung Eun-chae stood at the door, tilting her head slightly at him, with the charming cuteness that a girl her age should have, and a smile with dimples.
Lee Sung-hwan smiled too. He put his phone back in his pocket, took two steps forward, took Jung Eun-chae's hand, and led her towards the engagement ceremony venue.
Jung Eun-chae used her delicate fingers to pry open his fingers again. Lee Sung-hwan turned to look at her, smiled but didn't say anything, but his hands cooperated with her movements, opening his palm to allow her fingers to slip in without any obstruction.
She really loved holding hands. Because that way, every finger of hers could embrace him, and they could be close together.
The engagement ceremony was long and complicated, but fortunately all the procedures had been communicated to them in advance, so they just had to stand on the stage and cooperate obediently according to the master of ceremonies' requirements.
The engagement ceremony was held in the rooftop garden of a hotel owned by the ST Group. A summer breeze blew by, and a few strands of Jung Eun-chae's long hair fluttered down to Lee Sung-hwan's chest.
He turned to look at her, and after their eyes met, they smiled at each other.
This moment was captured by the media present at the ceremony, and after the photos were posted online, netizens were filled with lamentations. The national heartthrob that girls had been hoping for had been captured by a little girl with shallow dimples when she smiled.
"Next, this is a special gift from Mr. Lee Sung-hwan to Ms. Jung Eun-chae."
After the emcee finished announcing the proceedings, Jung Eun-chae turned to look at Lee Sung-hwan with a puzzled expression. Wasn't this long enough? Did he want to add more scenes himself?
Lee Sung-hwan leaned close to Jung Eun-chae's ear and whispered, "That day you asked me to stop Representative Jung, and I had no choice but to come up with a surprise engagement idea for you."
After speaking, he followed the staff's instructions and sat down next to the piano that had been carried onto the stage.
“That day, at Eun-chae’s school, she gave me a cello piece, and today I want to give her a piano piece.”
The piece Lee Sung-hwan played seemed to be newly practiced, just like the birthday song she played for Jung Chang-ho that day. Her technique wasn't very advanced, and some parts were even a bit disjointed. But she still felt that Lee Sung-hwan played it better than anyone else.
As the song ended, Lee Sung-hwan took the microphone from the emcee. "Eun-chae, I love you too." After saying that, he raised both hands above his head and, imitating Jung Eun-chae, made a heart shape with his hands for her.
The sudden confession brought tears to Jung Eun-chae's eyes as she smiled. What kind of surprise was this? Only he could come up with such a clumsy way of keeping her occupied.
Jung Eun-chae lifted her skirt and ran forward. As Lee Sung-hwan stretched out his arm for her, she threw herself into his arms.
"Thank you, Brother Shenghuan."
*
After their formal engagement, Jung Eun-chae's status in the Jung family rose accordingly.
Previously, when Park Geun-hye and Jung Eun-ah bullied Jung Eun-chae, Jung Chang-ho simply pretended not to see it. After all, he hadn't paid any attention to his daughter for so many years, and he didn't have much affection for her anyway. If he could successfully send Jung Eun-chae back to the United States, he would be rid of a ticking time bomb.
But now, Jung Eun-chae is engaged to Lee Sung-hwan, and she will be ST Group's daughter-in-law. If Jung Chang-ho wants to continue to receive ST Group's support, he may have to rely on this youngest daughter.
Therefore, Jung Chang-ho always greeted Jung Eun-chae with a smile.
On New Year's morning, Jung Eun-chae, dressed in a brightly colored hanbok, stood at the living room door waiting for Lee Sung-hwan to pick her up.
Hearing the sound of a car engine coming from the courtyard, she quickly pushed open the door and ran out. The moment Li Shenghuan got out of the car, she threw herself into his arms.
Li Shenghuan hugged her tightly, "Why are you so happy?"
"This is my first time wearing hanbok, and I want Seonghwan oppa to see it soon."
Lee Sung-hwan then pushed her away slightly, looked her up and down, and then patted her head twice. "Our Eun-chae is so beautiful."
Park Geun-hye sat in the living room with a sullen face, recalling when Jung Eun-chae first arrived and said she wanted to be the daughter-in-law of the ST Group. She had even called Jung Eun-chae delusional. Unexpectedly, this brat had actually captivated Lee Sung-hwan.
Sitting next to Park Geun-hye, Jung Eun-ah was so angry that she smashed her teacup and ran upstairs.
Jung Chang-ho didn't care. In any case, whether it was Jung Eun-ah or Jung Eun-chae who married into ST Group, they would still be his Jung family's daughters.
Lee Sung-hwan and Jung Eun-chae paid their New Year's greetings to Jung Chang-ho and Park Geun-hye, then left the Jung family home with her. After paying their respects to Chairman Lee and his wife, the two drove to the cemetery where Jung Eun-chae's mother is buried.
The tombstone bears the image of a young and beautiful face; if she hadn't been deceived by a man and committed suicide, she would now be an elegant woman in her forties.
Jung Eun-chae knelt on the ground and bowed deeply to Kang Ji-young's tombstone. "Mom, I've come to see you."
Li Shenghuan then knelt down beside her. "Auntie, my name is Li Shenghuan, and I am Eunchae's fiancé."
Jung Eun-chae turned to look at Lee Sung-hwan, who then took her hand.
The two talked for a long time in front of Jiang Zhiying's grave before leaving hand in hand.
It was too cold, especially in the cemetery where it felt even more chilly. After Lee Sung-hwan got into the car and turned on the air conditioning, he turned around and rubbed Jung Eun-chae's frostbitten hands.
Zheng Encai's voice rang softly in his ear: "Actually, my name is Jiang Cailin. I came up with the name Zheng Encai on the spot before I returned to China."
Li Shenghuan looked up at her and asked with a smile, "So, from now on, would you like me to call you Cailin or Enchae?"
"Eun-chae, lest someone notice something amiss."
"Okay," Li Shenghuan agreed, continuing to rub her hands to warm them.
Lee Sung-hwan knew that she definitely didn't want to be called Jung Eun-chae. How could she possibly want to share his surname when she harbored such resentment towards Jung Chang-ho?
However, Jiang Cailin sounds nice too. He can call her "Cailin" privately now, and once everything is resolved, he will call her "Cailin" every day.
"Chailin, come to my house?"
Since neither of them wants to go back to the Zheng family nor the Li family, why don't they spend the New Year together?
Jung Eun-chae looked up at Lee Sung-hwan; this was the second time he had invited her to his home.
She nodded slightly. "Mm."
Lee Sung-hwan then started the car with a smile and drove to his apartment in Samseong-dong.
As soon as Jung Eun-chae entered, she was shocked by the darkness inside. Apart from the walls, the floors and all the furniture in the house were black.
Seeing Jung Eun-chae's expression, Lee Sung-hwan smiled and said, "If you don't like them, you can change them."
"No need, it's fine as it is."
The key point is that it's too late to change it now.
While Jung Eun-chae was getting familiar with her surroundings, Lee Sung-hwan made a phone call to his assistant: "Have someone send over some New Year's dishes. And..." He turned to look at Jung Eun-chae and whispered, "And some pajamas and toiletries for girls."
The assistant was incredibly quick. While Lee Sung-hwan and Jung Eun-chae were still standing at the window watching the sunset, the assistant had already brought the food with others and dutifully set the table for them. Before leaving, the assistant respectfully placed a bag containing pajamas and toiletries in the room Lee Sung-hwan had indicated.
Lee Sung-hwan poured some juice into Jung Eun-chae's glass.
Jung Eun-chae pointed to his wine bottle and asked him, "Can't I drink?"
"This wine doesn't taste good. Girls should drink juice instead."
"Does this mean men can drink alcohol?"
"Yes. Men can."
Jung Eun-chae picked up the juice, took a sip, and thought it tasted good, so she temporarily gave up struggling.
"Happy New Year to Brother Shenghuan."
"Happy New Year to our Cailin as well."
The two laughed and bumped their cups together.
However, while Lee Sung-hwan was in the restroom, Jung Eun-chae still picked up his glass and took a big gulp of red wine. Finding the taste indeed unpleasant, she quickly grabbed a glass of juice and took a sip to calm herself.
Lee Sung-hwan placed some food into Jung Eun-chae's bowl, but when he looked up, he saw that her cheeks were flushed.
Why is your face so red?
"Are you blushing?" Jung Eun-chae cupped her face in her hands and looked at Lee Sung-hwan with a smile: "Maybe you're shy because you saw Sung-hwan oppa."
Li Shenghuan was amused by her words and suddenly realized that he should be the one who was shy.
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