Chapter 29: His habit of using his legs as a pillow was due to his inherent flaws.
Zhuang Fuyao lay down, resting her head on his lap, and played on her phone with her back to him.
She uses orange blossom and jasmine scented shampoo when she takes a shower.
The fragrance wafted up from her hair, filling his breath with her scent. Liang Huaixu's hands, which were hanging on the sofa, unconsciously clenched.
In the brief two minutes that he lay on her pillow, he hesitated countless times before finally speaking.
According to his code of conduct, this action of resting one's head on someone's leg can only occur during contact with a partner.
But for Zhuang Fuyao, it shouldn't be like that.
When he was at the Jiangda promotional booth, he saw her interacting with her female friend; they were snuggling together and behaving very intimately.
She had said that although they were divorced, they were still family and friends, and she told him not to avoid her...
So he thought that what she was doing now was probably just her subconscious intimacy with her friends.
If he were to abruptly ask her to get up, it might put their relationship in an awkward gray area.
Liang Huaixu unconsciously slowed his breathing, straightened his back, and dared not move, hoping in his heart that she would get up soon.
Zhuang Fuyao was completely unaware; she even shifted her body to find the most comfortable position and continued playing on her phone.
Just then, a friend request message came through.
The other person: [Hello, I'm Zhao Zilin, a friend of Brother Luo. I sat to your right at the bar last time [grinning].]
Zhuang Fuyao didn't have much of an impression of the individual people, but she remembered that the group of boys had exquisite makeup and all of them looked like members of a boy band.
The friend request was sent via a recommendation from Liang Chaoluo.
Thinking something was wrong, she accepted the friend request and replied with a "hello" emoji.
Zhao Zilin: [Actually, I wanted to add you as a friend last time, but I didn't have the courage. I've been regretting it lately, so I took the initiative to ask Brother Luo for your contact information.]
These few lines of text conveyed a great deal of information. Zhuang Fuyao's gaze finally settled on the sentence, "He asked Brother Luo for your contact information."
What is Liang Chaoluo up to?
Zhuang Fuyao: [Sorry, the bar was too dark last time, I don't quite remember who was sitting to my right.]
The subtext is that she doesn't remember what he looks like.
Zhao Zilin was very good at handling things. Instead of saying, "Then go check out my WeChat Moments," he directly sent over a few photos of his daily life.
Zhuang Fuyao glanced at the photos and saw that he seemed to be the warm and caring type, as they were mostly pictures of him with cats and dogs.
When faced with this situation, Zhuang Fuyao's usual approach is to first ask the other party what they want to do.
If there's nothing important, I'll most likely just go into her Moments and put her in the "Don't show" group.
From then on, I became one of those people who just lay around in my WeChat Moments.
But then she remembered that Liang Huaixu was still behind her, probably watching her chat.
She was testing the waters, so she deliberately replied: "I remember."
In fact, Liang Huaixu did see it.
When he realized that she was surrounded by many young and handsome men, he wasn't as carefree as he had imagined.
On the one hand, it further confirmed that her intimacy with him was only the kind she showed to family and friends.
On the other hand, it's hard to explain.
Zhuang Fuyao was eager to see Liang Huaixu's reaction, so she pretended to be having a great time chatting, turned over with a smile, and wiggled her toes a couple of times.
From this angle, if Liang Huaixu lowered his eyes slightly, the two could make eye contact.
Zhuang Fuyao openly scrutinized him, but couldn't discern anything.
Did they not see it, or did they see it but not care?
Zhuang Fuyao let her imagination run wild for a moment, but was quickly drawn to the faint blue marks left after he shaved.
She curiously reached out and touched it. "It seems more obvious than before."
She breathed softly, "But... Liang Huaixu, you don't have a double chin."
Liang Huaixu's voice was slightly hoarse, "If you control your weight, you won't have it."
Zhuang Fuyao blinked and chuckled softly.
She hadn't expected that she would so easily find herself resting her head on his lap.
This is unlike his usual self-disciplined and respectful manner.
Is it because you consider her family?
She didn't believe he would let his older sister rest her head on his lap.
Liang Huaixu's current appearance is nothing like a heartwarming family drama, but rather like Tang Sanzang accidentally entering the Women's Kingdom.
If you have nothing to hide, why don't you dare look down at her?
Her gaze was almost tangible, like a feather brushing against his cheek, chest, and then slowly creeping down his spine. Under her direct gaze, Liang Huaixu couldn't sit still any longer.
"I suddenly remembered I have a callback to make, I'm going out to make a call."
He helped her up, walked to the stairwell outside, lit a cigarette, and felt a little calmer as wisps of smoke curled from his fingertips.
He was analyzing the reason for her earlier agitation: was it because she was resting her head on his lap, or because she was chatting with someone else?
The former indicates impure motives, while the latter stems from possessiveness.
Regardless of the cause, it stems from the inherent flaws in human nature; it's pathological and needs to be suppressed. He cannot deprive her of the right to choose someone else after the divorce simply because they were once the closest of friends.
He needs to learn to loosen that string and help her reach a wider sky.
……
The sound of the combination lock turning rang out.
Liang Chaoluo held her phone between her ear and a screen, looking at documents while talking on the phone with a friend. "Is Zhao Zilin a good person? Someone with questionable character is unacceptable, someone with complicated relationships is unacceptable, someone with a bad temper is unacceptable, someone who's unfilial is unacceptable, someone who's stingy is unacceptable..."
After hearing a string of "no"s, his friend asked, "With so many requirements, who exactly is worth all this trouble for you, Young Master Liang, to go to such lengths to play matchmaker?"
“In terms of seniority, she is my elder.” Liang Chaoluo stopped there.
My friend was surprised and didn't dare to ask any more questions.
Liang Chaoluo suddenly remembered the ab avatar on Ms. Zhuang's game account and added, "By the way, is Zhao Zilin in good shape? Hmm... does he have abs? She likes people with good bodies."
He had previously wanted to find a handsome man for Ms. Zhuang because he mistakenly thought that Lao Liang was two-timing her. He acted on impulse to stand up for Ms. Zhuang.
This time, however, it was the result of many days of careful consideration.
After inquiring about their daily interactions with Shu Run, he was greatly shocked. Not only their temperaments and personalities but also their ways of handling things, the person Shu Run described was completely different from the Ms. Zhuang he knew.
Thinking about it carefully, Ms. Zhuang has been quite different lately. Not only has she become exceptionally easy to talk to, but she has also "hit" him for the first time in a long time.
He was so curious that when he visited his maternal grandparents, he casually mentioned it, which resulted in shocking news: Ms. Zhuang had lost more than ten years of her memory!
After hearing the news, he held it in for a long time in front of his grandparents, but when he got on the bus and was alone, he burst into tears.
Such a big thing, and they actually kept it from him!
No wonder Lao Liang took Ms. Zhuang hiking. She really needed to relax in that situation. If that's the case, then he misunderstood Lao Liang as two-timing.
However, even if Lao Liang wasn't two-timing, he still felt sorry for Ms. Zhuang. She had no memory of divorcing Lao Liang, meaning her impression of him was still from when she was in her twenties.
They must have had a very good relationship back then.
In other words, Ms. Zhuang may still have feelings for Mr. Liang, while Mr. Liang already has a new love.
In a novel, this would be a tragic ending.
He was very worried about Ms. Zhuang and was eager to know her whereabouts.
Through Shu Run's account, he successfully found Ms. Zhuang's Weibo and NetEase Cloud Music accounts and secretly took a look. Sure enough, he discovered the key point—Ms. Zhuang had recently shared several love songs.
This is a good opportunity.
The fastest way to forget a relationship is to start a new one.
Liang Chaoluo immediately got serious and started looking for young and outstanding men to distract Ms. Zhuang.
It just so happens that Zhao Zilin has been secretly inquiring about Ms. Zhuang recently. Liang Chaoluo thought that once he finished his background check on Zhao Zilin, he would create an opportunity for the two of them.
The motion-sensor lights in the main building lobby were off. Liang Chaoluo had come back to get some documents and didn't want to make a big fuss, so he only turned on a small light as he went upstairs.
A shadow was cast on the wall at the turn of the stairs. When Liang Chaoluo looked up, he saw it and a chill ran down his spine. He slowly backed away.
"...Dad! You scared me to death. Why are you here all alone without turning on the lights?"
After saying that, Liang Chaoluo suddenly took a breath. Could Old Liang have overheard what he was saying on the phone?
That would be even scarier than encountering a ghost at night.
Liang Huaixu's face darkened slightly, and he parted his thin lips, finding Liang Chaoluo particularly displeasing tonight.
It turns out that the guy who just added Zhuang Fuyao was introduced to her by Liang Chaoluo.
The treacherous son.
Does he even know what kind of person she is before introducing her to someone? What's her family background? What's her job? What's her character like? Is she clean of past relationships?...
Liang Huaixu himself did not realize that his meticulous logic had a flaw. He overlooked the fact that even if Zhuang Fuyao was only twenty-two years old in terms of mental age, she would already have the ability to judge people.
And just recently, he was vehemently criticizing his possessiveness and deciding to fly a kite.
In the dim light, Liang Huaixu's eyes were unfathomable. "Why did you come back?"
Liang Chaoluo whispered, "Take...take something."
It seems the work at the branch office isn't demanding enough. I'll talk to the people at the branch office tomorrow and ask them to increase Liang Chaoluo's workload.
Liang Huaixu waved his hand.
It's unclear whether they were trying to disperse the smoke or shoo people away.
After returning to his room, Liang Chaoluo angrily punched the wall.
What was he being cowardly about?!
Ms. Zhuang and Mr. Liang are both divorced.
Does Lao Liang really dare to interfere in Ms. Zhuang's love life? He can date young beauties, but can't Ms. Zhuang date young handsome men?
One shouldn't be too hypocritical.
Moreover, he noticed that no one else lived on the second floor. In other words, Lao Liang's new love interest had moved to the third floor.
The third floor is a place even he can't go to casually. If that woman can live there, it means that Lao Liang is really serious this time... He might even have another stepmother.
Before learning that Ms. Zhuang had lost her memory, Liang Chaoluo actually maintained a neutral attitude. He had seen too many couples in his social class who were just putting on an act and being polite to each other.
He felt that his parents were not even forty years old, and it was inevitable that they would each form new families with other people after their divorce.
But after learning that Ms. Zhuang had amnesia, the scales in his heart shifted.
His heart was completely devoted to Ms. Zhuang.
He wouldn't accept the stepmother that Lao Liang found until Ms. Zhuang found him a stepfather.
After taking the items, he left Boya Bay in anger.
I don't want to stay here a moment longer.
-
Jiang City's CBD is filled with skyscrapers.
Among them, Changting Group has become one of the landmark buildings in Jiang City because its exterior design resembles a scroll.
Opposite the pavilion is the Hu family, a long-established real estate group in Jiang City.
The two companies have been rivals for many years.
At 10 p.m., Hu Xuzhe had not yet gone home. He leisurely brewed himself a pot of tea at the tea table in his office.
Through the floor-to-ceiling window, he glanced at the pavilion across the way, a knowing smile on his face.
His spy, who had been lying low for years, finally proved useful at Changting.
Liang Huaixu's phone broke down, and he heard that there were important documents and data on it. So he went to great lengths to copy the data.
The people in the Ministry of Information are currently cracking the program, which is very complex, including both anti-loss and security features.
This is precisely why Hu Xuzhe is even more eager to find out what shady things are on Liang Huaixu's phone.
When the pot of tea was half finished, the people from the information department finally arrived.
He smiled expectantly. "What's inside?"
The IT staff member's expression was subtle. "Mr. Hu, I'll copy it onto your computer. You can take a look for yourself."
"OK."
After the people from the information department finished their work, Hu Xuzhe called them out.
Before looking at the cracked files, he deliberately opened a bottle of 1990 Romanée-Conti. After taking a sip of the wine, he slowly opened the folder.
There are three files inside—
1. Fufu's preferences.
2. A collection of letters to Fufu.
3. A photo with Fufu.
Hu Xuzhe's smile suddenly froze.
What is this thing?
Click on the first one: Dislikes cilantro, only eats pre-cut fruit, likes desserts, likes seafood, favorite flower is Freud, likes silk bedding...
It was all nonsense. Hu Xuzhe clicked on the second one, scanned it, and then fell even more silent.
Before today, he would never have imagined that Liang Huaixu was someone who could write love letters.
The writing is quite good; each letter is written in pen on letter paper and then photographed for safekeeping.
What era are we living in? Why are we still doing this kind of pure love story?
This absolutely must not be told out, especially not to his wife, or she'll drive him crazy.
He focused his attention on the third one, with a slight sense of anticipation, thinking that if it were some kind of explicit bedroom photo, releasing it could have a negative impact on Changting.
However, after he finished reading it—
Hu Xuzhe wanted nothing more than to smash the computer.
The most intimate thing we do is hold hands! Is that really worth all these precautions?!
He gritted his teeth and deleted all the cracked files, wanting to avoid seeing them altogether.
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