“Why do you love so much as to demean yourself ?” A question so many of us have asked our loved ones, and occasionally to ourselves. Why indeed ? Perhaps it’s just human nature.

Chapter 29

After lunch, Yan Liang returned to the company and holed up in her own office. In the end, she was unable to overcome her temptation, and walked towards the office of the Finance manager.

She stopped at the door, the name board read “ Zhou Cheng.” She knocked.

Soon, she heard a familiar voice from inside, “ Come in.”

Yan Liang pushed the door open. Inside the room , Zhou Cheng was sitting at his desk, working as well as eating his lunch.

As he raised his head from the file, he was surprised to see Yan Liang at the door.

He put down the chopsticks warmly greeted her: “What brings you here?”

This workaholic look of Zhou Cheng was not something Yan Liang liked. “ Why are you having your lunch here ?”

“I have just been really busy lately.” Zhou Cheng said, shrugging his shoulders.

The Chief Financial Officer was about to reach retirement age, the entire department was already quite busy, and month end were even busier. So naturally he did not have much free time.

Asking Yan Liang to sit down, he once again focussed on the file in front of him. Occasionally, he would raise his head to chat casually with Yan Liang, “Yesterday when you came for lunch at the mansion, we did not get any time to talk. Mr Xu put you up with Mr Lu, was it not as per your wishes? You certainly looked angry..”

Yan Liang smiled.

Seeing that he was really busy, Yan Liang sat in the guest chair in silence for a long time. Finally she said what was in her heart, “Today I saw Xu Ziqing together with Jiang Shi Jun at noon.”

As she said this, she could clearly see Zhou Cheng’s fingers around the pen stiffen. But soon, he relaxed and continued writing on the document.

Zhou Cheng did not even raise his head.

Yan Liang was more and more incensed, “Why are you not surprised?”

Zhou Cheng’s hand froze again.

After a momentary pause, he put down his pen and looked up at Yan Liang sitting opposite him. There was a trace of loneliness on his face as he stated lightly, “ Ziqing looks soft, but she has a mind of her own. I respect her decisions.”

Then he went back to his documents, as if to demonstrate the ‘respect’.

Yan Liang was stunned, She unconsciously repeated his words, “ You respect her decisions..” Suddenly she was angry. She stood up and leaning on the table, pulled away the file and pen. “You don’t mind that your woman is climbing into an old man’s bed ? You respect her decision?”

His eyes flashed with anger. But he had always been tolerant and composed, and the anger soon vanished. Looking up at Yan Liang, he gently said, “ Ziqing is merely taking advantage of Jiang Shi Jun’s affection for her. Its not like what you think.”

“Then you think that Jiang Shijun, that old fox ,will be easily persuaded ? If you want to benefit from him, you may end up paying more than him. You think Xu Ziqing can outwit him?… …”

“……” “…”

“……” “…”

Zhou Cheng no longer argued with her.

Looking at him, Yan Liang shook her head. She had messed up the desk, looking at the scattered documents, she laughed out loud and turned away.

She quickly walked towards the door. At the door, she paused, turned around to see the poor man and asked him a question never destined to be answered, “Why do you love her so much that you demean yourself?’

*** ***

This translation done for miumiu596.wotdpress.com. Please do not copy.

A month later, the Xu Group finally turned a corner.Xu Ziqing, the person in charge of Secret and Jiang Shi Jun, the president of Li Bo, reached an agreement to share the ‘Perfect look’ make up concept and its development across the borders in European and North American markets.

Due to the storm, the launch of Secret was delayed by nearly two months causing the company to lose tens of millions.However, this time, the outside voices that had belligerently questioned the eldest heir of Xu Group were gradually silent, the media that taunted and jeered at her also calmed down one by one. The reason was simple. Xu Ziqing was photographed more than once in public with Jiang Shi Jun. Although, both of them insisted they were nothing but friends, the media considered this a budding relationship.

Yan Liang heard from her mother that her father was unhappy with the scandal. He called Xu Ziqing home and they spoke for a whole afternoon in the study behind closed doors. After that, everything was calm.

Her mother could not guess how Xu Ziqing was excused, and Yan Liang was not even interested enough to guess. The agreement meant the advantages that Ya Yan was so far enjoying were now at stake , and Yan Liang had to make arrangements for that.

She had a busy day.

When she used to stay alone, she could work overtime every night, No one would stop her when she stayed back late. Now the situation was different.From time to time, she would be disturbed by the ring of her cell phone which she ignored. Then suddenly the office phone rang.

At one o clock at night, who would be calling her at work?

Yan Liang picked up the phone. The other side said , “ You are really at work !”

She was surprised. She put down the documents she was working on and stretched the chord so she could lean back on her chair. Massaging her sore neck, she said “ Arent you on a business trip? When did you come back?”

“ About an hour and a half ago, “ Jiang Yu Nan’s voice had a trace of tiredness. “ I came home, I didn’t see you so I guessed you were still at work.”

“We intend to extend Ya – Yan’s range to drug store cosmetics next year, I was looking at the project plan, we really don’t have much time.”

“When I am on a business trip, you work overtime. When I come back, you are still working overtime. It seems at the end of the year, I have to personally give you an award for perfect attendance.”

What was the charm in the man’s voice at the other end , that, just by listening to him,all her weariness was swept away?

Yan Liang did not want him to hear her happy, so she quietly composed herself. Then she heard him whisper at the other end, “Why is the door to your department locked?”

Yan Liang was surprised for a moment: “What?”

“……” “…”

“You … you haven’t…”

He did not wait for her to finish, Jiang Yu Nan cut off her words, “Come out and open the door for me.”

His voice travelled through the telecom waves to her ear, but Yan Liang sat still with the handset, stunned. After three seconds, she jumped up from her sear and rushed towards the door. Half way to the door, she realised her access card was still on the table and she doubled back to take it. Then she sped through the office to the corridor.

Jiang Yu Nan was standing behind the glass doors, still in the suit he had travelled in

Yan Liang held the car to the door, the door opened and even before Yan Liang came out, he stepped forward to hug her. The door hadn’t even opened completely.

Mr Jiang had travelled more than seven days and had really missed her. All his longing was poured into a lingering kiss.

Since there was no light in the corridor, the only source of light being the elevator behind Jiang Yu Nan, the kiss felt somewhat dark, hidden and secret. Yan Liang could feel her neck aching, but she did not want to let go of the sweetness.

Suddenly there was a strong beam of light that hit her eyelids. Jiang Yu Nan could also feel something and he stiffened. Yan Liang opened her eyes, Vaguely, she was able to discern a security guard standing behind Jiang Yu Nan, holding up a flashlight beamed at them both.

Yan Liang subconsciously stepped back but Jiang Yu Nan just hugged her again and pulled her closer.

He firmly guarded her face, and turned around his head to look at the security guard coldly. “ Mr.. Mr Jiang?”, the security guard’s voice was trembling.

He calmly ordered him, “You can go now.”

The guard quickly shut down his torch and turned away, Yan Liang could hear his footsteps moving farther and farther away. Taking a long indrawn breath, she struggled to move out of his arms but Jiang Yu Nan refused to let her go. Tightening his arms around her, he bent to her ear, “He is still looking at us.”

She immediately held on tightly to his chest, not daring to move.

Then she felt his chest vibrating, and heard him laugh softly. At that moment she realised she had been conned and angrily pushed him back. The security had long ago left in the elevator, how would he be watching them?

(Miumiu : Ha ha another playful con by our JYN. And a super sweet gesture. I cant help but feel this novel would make a great drama. The author is so visual. You can almost see the two of them kissing in the dark corridor, only a thin stream of light from the closed elevator.sigh !)