The line was very quiet, only the sound of breathing could be heard. Cheng Yuan didn't know why he suddenly felt so uneasy. His tone softened a little, with a hint of coaxing. "Xiao Xiao, be good and tell me where you are. I'll come get you."
Xiao Xiao...
Jiang Xiao couldn't remember how long it had been since he last called her that. It seemed like a very long time.
"Didn't you always say I was annoying? This time I'm leaving as you wish. You should be happy."
"Jiang Xiao, what nonsense are you talking? When did I—" Cheng Yuan suppressed his anger with effort. "Be good, send me your location. I'll come get you."
"Cheng Yuan, there's something I've wanted to say to you for a long time."
"What is it?"
Cheng Yuan tugged at his tie, patiently continuing to coax. "If there's something you want to say, we can talk face to face. You've been worried about the Jiang Group, right? I've already sent Jiang Yu to handle it. The crisis will be over soon. And that bag you liked last year—I've had someone bid on it. It'll arrive in Jingbei tonight."
"Xiao Xiao, I know you're the most obedient. Tell the driver to stop the car, and wait for me by the roadside."
This was probably the gentlest Cheng Yuan had ever spoken. He thought Jiang Xiao would be moved and obey, but she wasn't.
Jiang Xiao laughed lightly. "Cheng Yuan, don't bother soothing me with words meant for little girls. I'm no longer the naive person I used to be."
"Jiang Xiao, what exactly do you want?" Cheng Yuan yanked off his tie and tossed it onto the seat, his jaw tight. "I've told you, the marriage between our families affects not just the two families, but also the companies and stock prices. If you mess around, both of our families will be ruined. What? Can you really bear to see your parents' hard work go down the drain?"
Others might not be good at moral blackmail, but Cheng Yuan had always excelled at it. That was how Jiang Xiao had spent three years of hellish married life—coaxed and tricked by him. Thinking about it now was truly pathetic.
"Is that so?" Jiang Xiao said. "I know you won't allow the company to fail."
"Jiang Xiao!" Cheng Yuan couldn't keep up the act any longer. His voice turned cold. "Tell the driver to stop the car and wait obediently for me to pick you up!"
"No need," Jiang Xiao said. "President Cheng, I hope we never see each other again in this life."
With that, Jiang Xiao ended the call first.
Cheng Yuan called back. The prompt said the phone was off.
He called again. Same prompt.
"Jiang Yu, I'll give you ten minutes. I want to know exactly where my wife is right now," Cheng Yuan said in a deep voice. "And who she met today."
Jiang Yu: "Yes."
In less than ten minutes, Jiang Yu had the information. "President Cheng, Madam is on her way to the airport. She met with Madam Zhang today. They talked for an hour."
"Madam Zhang arranged a private plane for her. It takes off in twenty minutes."
"Stop her!" Cheng Yuan gritted his teeth. "She is not allowed to leave!"
Jiang Yu: "Yes, I'll see to it immediately."
Cheng Yuan glared out the window, wishing he could fly to Jiang Xiao's side, trap her under him, and make her understand that unless he agreed, she could never shake him off in this lifetime.
The car sped forward. His phone rang again.
It was Zhang Rong. Cheng Yuan answered. "What?"
Zhang Rong: "Do you think Jiang Xiao will stay just because you want her to? A Yuan, don't waste your effort. She has to leave tonight."
"She's mine. If I don't allow her to leave, she won't," Cheng Yuan said, crossing his legs in a casual posture. But from the depths of his eyes, it was easy to tell he was in an extremely bad mood. "Mom, I told you, don't interfere in matters between her and me. Why won't you listen?"
"Mom, huh." Zhang Rong sneered. "Who's your mother? I wouldn't dare claim that."
"From the day I entered the Cheng family, I became a child of the Cheng family. Whether you agree or not, I am," Cheng Yuan said, his cold eyes shooting frost. "If you really disagreed, why did you let me in back then?"
"Why do you think!" If it weren't for being caught in bed by that scumbag Cheng Lin, Zhang Rong would never have agreed to his demand and allowed Cheng Yuan into the family. It was the most regretful thing she had ever done. "You're not worthy."
"Worthy or not isn't for you to decide." Cheng Yuan's eyes narrowed. He was no longer the frivolous playboy he pretended to be. His gaze was so fierce it was frightening. "Since we've come this far, there's no need to pretend anymore. Yes, I'm not your biological child. I'm the son of him and another woman. But you found out too late."
"Back then, you were the one who voluntarily let me in. The Cheng family can only belong to me."
About Cheng Yuan's acknowledgment of his lineage—it had caused quite a stir in Jingbei City at the time.
He was eight years old then. Zhang Rong's biological son had been kidnapped and killed. Zhang Rong's mental state collapsed, and she attempted suicide several times. To help her survive, Cheng Lin proposed adopting a child, preferably a boy for the sake of the family business.
The Cheng family had extremely strict requirements for adoption. After many rounds of screening, they finally found a suitable candidate.
That was Cheng Yuan.
To gain Zhang Rong's approval, Cheng Lin even sought out Zhang Rong's parents and asked them to help persuade her.
After a whole year, Zhang Rong finally relented and agreed to let Cheng Yuan into the family.
At first, Cheng Yuan worked very hard. He always tried to be a good child—studying hard, eating well. But later he discovered that whenever he was good, Zhang Rong would be unhappy. When he was bad, Zhang Rong would be in a great mood. Over time, he understood: Zhang Rong didn't want him to excel.
For the sake of "family harmony," he tucked away his abilities and played the part of a good-for-nothing. He became the notorious playboy of Jingbei City, the one everyone talked about with a shake of their heads.
Whenever people mentioned him, the first thing that came to mind was his romantic escapades.
Which actress he slept with today, which partygoer he hung out with tomorrow.
He disguised himself well, successfully fooling everyone around him.
"Bullshit!" Zhang Rong cursed angrily. "Why should a bastard like you get the Cheng family?"
She used to be indifferent to business matters, thinking anything was fine. But later, she gradually realized that to live well, one needed to hold power.
The old master had his eyes and heart set on Cheng Yuan. There was no way for her to intervene, so she had to take a backdoor approach—use what Cheng Yuan cared about most to threaten him.
At first, she was just testing. She didn't expect to actually find it.