Chapter 117
Although they were supposed to be discussing cooperation, Jiang Chen never got down to business and just told the servants to prepare dinner.
Seeing that the candles were lit, Cheng Ya began to show a guarded expression. She gripped Jin Chuwan's hand tightly and stood up several times, wanting to back out and leave, but Jin Chuwan stopped her each time.
A short while later, Jiang Chen returned.
The three of them turned around to look at him.
"That was terrifying! I thought he was going to take this opportunity to propose..." Cheng Ya took a sip of water to calm herself down.
Jin Chuwan looked at the red wine in Jiang Chen's hand and couldn't help but smile.
To be honest, she almost thought the same thing.
The people at the table seemed distracted. Cheng Ya wanted to get down to business, but Jiang Chen remained silent. She tried to steer the conversation in that direction several times, but Jiang Chen ignored her each time.
Cheng Ya's smile gradually faded.
A mix of emotions surged across her face before she finally swallowed a glass of wine.
For her, bowing down to Jiang Chen was already humiliating enough, but now she clearly had to continue to be mindful of his feelings.
The brief silence made the meal difficult to swallow. Jin Chuwan glanced at her side; Jiang Chen's expression remained as calm and composed as ever.
Seemingly noticing Jin Chuwan's gaze, Jiang Chen also looked over, a hint of doubt appearing in his dark eyes.
"What's wrong? Doesn't it suit your taste?"
Jin Chuwan shook her head.
She felt that Jiang Chen was putting on an act tonight.
After dinner, the four of them went to the villa to play cards for a while. It was Jin Chuwan's problem to feel sleepy after drinking. After playing two rounds, she put down the cards and curled up in a corner of the sofa to watch them play.
Of course, feeling sleepy was just an excuse; the truth was that she couldn't afford to lose.
These guys are playing really high-stakes games; Kim Chu-wan has already lost two months' salary in just two rounds.
She backed down.
"Hey, do you not have any friends, so you have to find an excuse to drag us over here to play house with you?"
After winning three games in a row, Cheng Ya was in a much better mood and even had the energy to mock Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen chuckled softly. He was handsome and always seemed quite at ease when he smiled.
It's so annoying to look at.
Cheng Ya tapped her fingers on the table. "Want to bet something big?"
Jiang Chen glanced at the cards in his hand, then at the brother and sister sitting in front of him.
"Isn't it a bit unfair for me to fight two against one?"
Cheng Xiucheng smiled slightly after hearing this, "Don't be so discouraged, what if you win one against two?"
"Yeah, don't be such a sore loser."
Cheng Ya shuffled the cards while agreeing with him, giving Jiang Chen no chance to refuse.
The brother and sister were determined not to let Jiang Chen off the hook.
The atmosphere at the table became somewhat tense. Jin Chuwan also became interested. She originally thought that there would be some kind of amazing duel next, but who would have thought that they would actually play a game of drawing turtles with serious expressions.
Jin Chuwan lay back on the sofa out of boredom. She took out her phone and scrolled through it. Recently, many old friends had contacted her. Some wanted to catch up, some wanted to ask questions, and some, like Ran Min, were so awkward that she had to coax them a lot to get a kind look from them.
Jin Chuwan was replying to messages when she felt a weight on the sofa. She looked down and saw it was Cheng Xiucheng.
"You won so quickly?"
Sung Soo-seung was holding a coffee, his legs crossed, looking a bit like the spoiled rich kid he used to be.
"I'm lucky."
As the man spoke, he glanced at Jin Chuwan, who was huddled in a corner of the sofa. Although she was tapping her phone with her fingers, she seemed listless.
"If you're sleepy, you can borrow a guest room to sleep for a while. We'll call you when it's time to leave."
Jin Chuwan shook her head and continued tapping her phone. Ran Min had already started sending emojis, which meant that her attitude had softened. Jin Chuwan scrolled through the previous chat history and strangely found that she actually felt a little sense of accomplishment.
It's like completing a strategy game.
Jin Chuwan put down her phone, feeling that something was very wrong with her.
The standoff at the card table had reached its final stage. Jin Chuwan, seeing Cheng Ya staring intently at the two cards in Jiang Chen's hand, simply stood up and walked behind Jiang Chen.
But as soon as she walked over, Jiang Chen put the lid on the table.
What's the meaning?
"So vigilant...you suspect me?"
Jiang Chen turned to the side, looking up at Jin Chuwan with pure and sincere eyes.
“I didn’t,” he replied.
Jin Chuwan smiled, hugging herself. For some reason, she suddenly missed the aloof and arrogant male lead from back then. At least Jiang Chen wasn't as cunning as he is now.
"You blocked the cards as soon as I arrived; that's clearly what you meant..."
"I'm not..."
"If it's not you, then pick it up."
Jin Chuwan originally had no intention of coming to be a spy, but Jiang Chen was so wary that she had to help Cheng Ya today no matter what.
Cheng Xiucheng occupied Jin Chuwan's spot, resting his head on the cushion and looking at Jiang Chen, who was being relentlessly pursued by Jin Chuwan, with amusement on his face.
"If you don't reveal your hand, then we're done. You can't even trust me with something as small as this. I can't be friends with someone like that."
He loves to watch the drama unfold.
Jiang Chen glanced menacingly at the sofa, then slowly picked up the two cards.
It's obvious now that these three people are in cahoots.
They conspired to make him lose.
The moment Jiang Chen picked up the cards, he noticed a subtle movement behind him.
He felt something soft fall down, and a faint fragrance lingered in his nostrils.
Jiang Chen's breath hitched slightly, and in the instant he was distracted, Cheng Ya deftly snatched the Ace of Clubs from his hand.
The movement was so fast that he didn't even have time to react.
Jiang Chen looked at the Joker in his hand, then glanced back at Jin Chuwan, but she was playing on her phone with an open expression, looking like a completely innocent passerby.
"Aren't you going a bit too far?"
Jiang Chen's smile had now completely shifted to Cheng Ya's face. She stood up and took out the contract agreement from behind her.
"This is bullying! Don't be a sore loser, okay? If you lost, come over and sign the contract now. You'd better not break your promise!"
Jiang Chen was dragged away by Cheng Ya.
The two went to the other side of the living room to discuss the details of the contract. Sung Soo-seung pushed up his glasses and followed them. Kim Cho-wan yawned and lay down on the sofa to wait for them.
Seeing that the group had dispersed, the maid came over to tidy up the table and handed Jin Chuwan a light blanket.
"If you're cold, Miss, I'll go and turn the air conditioning down a bit."
Jin Chuwan quickly waved her hand: "Thank you, no need, you don't need to worry about me."
The maid nodded, smiled, and left.
But the living room did not quiet down.
Kim Cho-wan heard a conversation coming from the bar. If you didn't listen carefully, you would think they were arguing, but they were actually just discussing shares.
Jiang Chen wanted to become the largest shareholder, but Cheng Ya firmly refused.
Jin Chuwan had little interest in these business matters. In her previous life, she was at best a low-level employee. Even after transmigrating and being reborn, she still had the intelligence of an ordinary person. She didn't instantly reach the pinnacle of any field after her rebirth; she just lived an ordinary life.
Her only advantage was that she knew the future direction of economic development, so after saving money, she could buy stocks or real estate in advance.
She felt that this was enough; she should just take things as they come.
But when she said this to Jin Chaoyang, she was given a stern lecture.
"Can't you be a little more ambitious and learn from me? If you don't have money, borrow it! If you can't get a loan, take it out! I don't even look at properties outside the Third Ring Road. I'm just waiting to be a millionaire in ten years!"
Kim Jong-un could only reply: I admire you, you're amazing.
She simply couldn't bring herself to give up her present life for the sake of what's to come ten years from now.
Jin Chuwan lay down for a while and then sat up on the sofa. She glanced at Cheng Ya and thought they would reach an agreement in about half an hour, but now they looked anxious.
The maid brought over the coffee, and Cheng Ya and Cheng Xiucheng huddled together as if discussing something. Jiang Chen was on the phone, and Jin Chuwan listened for a moment; it seemed he was asking his assistant or secretary to come over.
Jin Chuwan felt that they wouldn't be able to finish anytime soon, so she simply lay back down on the sofa.
Jin Chuwan didn't know when she fell asleep, but she vaguely felt as if someone had picked her up.
She opened her eyes, only to see a face that shouldn't be there.
"Xing En?"
The gentle young man chuckled in response, then looked down at Jin Chuwan and soothed her, "Go to sleep."
His voice was low and gentle, and Jin Chuwan had the illusion that she was being coaxed.
She closed her eyes in a deep drowsiness, then suddenly opened them wide in the instant she came to her senses.
It was already broad daylight outside.
Jin Chuwan looked around the spacious yet unfamiliar room with a mixture of surprise and confusion.
Cheng Ya lay beside her, but her eyes were dark and swollen, as if she hadn't slept all night. Jin Chuwan lifted the covers and found that she had been dressed in a lace nightgown again.
The maid outside heard the noise and knocked on the door.
"Is Miss awake?"
Jin Chuwan opened the door and went out. The maid outside bowed slightly and looked very kind: "Would you like to wash up? I'll go prepare it for you."
Jin Chuwan quickly shook her head: "No need, no need, I can do it myself." Then she asked: "Um...where are my clothes?"
The maid smiled upon hearing this, "I've taken the young lady's clothes to be washed, but Mr. Jiang has sent over some new clothes. You can go to the dressing room later and take a look; there are several outfits."
Jin Chuwan frowned after hearing this, and glanced down the escalator.
The three men were each occupying a sofa, all appearing to be half-asleep. Jin Chuwan only realized that the person she had seen last night was real when she saw Li Xing'en resting with her chin propped up on her hand.
"What time did they talk yesterday?"
The maid smiled and replied, "It seems to have ended around 4 o'clock. Mr. Li arrived at 11 o'clock last night."
Jin Chuwan nodded, then followed the maid to the bathroom to wash up.
When she came downstairs, Cheng Xiucheng was still smoking, but when he saw Jin Chuwan, he seemed to reflexively put out his cigarette and throw it aside.
"You're awake?"
Cheng Xiucheng adjusted his glasses. A pile of documents lay on the table, some already signed, some not. Last night, he and Cheng Ya had only brought a five million contract, but after the negotiations, it had now become fifty million.
To be honest, he's a little confused about what these two people mean.
They were so ruthless when they were besieging the Cheng family, but now they're so reckless with their money.
That's fucking insane.
Jin Chuwan looked at Cheng Xiu's face, which alternated between gloom and mockery, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Did the investment deal fall through?"
Her voice seemed to wake the other two. Jiang Chen rubbed his temples and opened his eyes, while Li Xing'en stood up immediately.
His gaze was steady, but he kept stumbling as he walked. Jin Chuwan was worried and went to help him, but as soon as she reached Li Xing'en's side, he pulled her into his arms.
To be precise, he was practically clinging to her.
"Auntie, I'm so tired..."
The gentle young man wrapped his arms around her waist and gently nuzzled his head against her shoulder.
As Jin Chuwan listened to Li Xing'en's coquettish grumbling, she hadn't yet figured out how to respond when, in the next second, the weight on her body suddenly disappeared.
Jiang Chen and Cheng Xiucheng each grabbed Li Xing'en by the back of the neck and his shoulders, showing no mercy whatsoever.
Chengxiu's injured hand hasn't healed yet, but that doesn't affect his output at all.
"I'm telling you, at your age, stop pretending to be innocent. You're just trying to take advantage of me by calling me 'Auntie.' Is it so hard to be a little more shameless?"
Li Xing'en, who stumbled slightly after being pushed, lowered his head and smiled. He lay back on the sofa, his gray eyes slightly narrowed, as if he was looking at something and yet he wasn't looking at anything at all.
He braced himself against the sofa to steady himself, and then began to slowly straighten his disheveled collar.
"You're thirty and you can still act like this, so what's wrong with me doing it for a bit?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
