Chairman Husband, Too Boorish - 189

Chapter 189 : Jealousy

"... Liang Xi Cheng, you keep talking about personal feelings. Please get this straight, I have no personal feelings for you!"

The man's grip on the steering wheel tightened suddenly, his already furrowed brows furrowing even more. But now, he knew exactly what his purpose was: to prevent her from leaving Lati. As for her words making him unhappy, those were secondary.

He nodded, his voice low, "Hmm, since you say there are no personal feelings, then you don't need to leave Lati, right? That way, Zhuo Hui and I can continue our project collaboration. Perhaps we'll meet frequently at work in the future. I believe you can certainly handle business professionally then."

Yan Liang knew perfectly well that his words carried a hint of provocation, but she still closed her eyes and jumped in.

"Don't talk to me about separating public and private matters. Do you think I don't know what that means? Chairman Liang, if you can separate public and private matters, I certainly can too!"

"Then, Miss Bai, you won't resign?"

Yan Liang was taken aback, belatedly realizing what she had said. However, his address of "Miss Bai" touched her heart, forcing her to stubbornly retort, "Chairman Liang, I'm not your employee. Why are you so concerned about whether I resign?"

"I'm eager to find talent and cherish it."

The man's deep voice, tinged with pleasure, filled the cramped car. His voice, deep and magnetic, rang out, “Of course, if you want to come back to Liang Group, I’ll still give you a director position. If you feel that’s not enough and want another position, I can accommodate you.”

“…”

“Of course, I know this is just my personal opinion, but if you stay at Lati, we’ll have opportunities to collaborate. To be honest, I really want to work with you. A top student who graduated from SGA shouldn’t disappoint me, right?”

Yan Liang bit her lip, clenching her hands on her knees. She had a feeling that this man had used such casual words to manipulate her.

—He had dug a pit, waiting for her to obediently jump in.

But after willingly jumping in, she suddenly realized that she had fallen into a trap, but because of her pride, she refused to admit it, stubbornly resisting him to the end.

Yes, whether or not she had fallen into a trap, wasn’t that a matter of her own heart?

And she, having finally climbed to this position, why should she give it up because of him?

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Chairman Liang. I will definitely do my best to complete this project."

Yan Liang pointed to the intersection ahead and said without hesitation, "However, Chairman Liang, you're right about one thing: we should keep our public and private matters separate. So, it's best if we don't let outsiders know about our relationship—no, our past relationship. I wouldn't dare trouble you with driving me home again. Please stop at the intersection ahead; I need to get out."

"It's too late. Let me take you home."

"No need, I can get a taxi myself." Yan Liang's hand had already reached out and gripped Liang Xi Cheng's steering wheel. She frowned and said, "Chairman Liang, I insist. It's not good to force others to do it, right?"

Liang Xi Cheng looked at her soft little hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. His gaze momentarily lost focus. After a moment, he nodded and said calmly, "Alright, since you insist, I won't take you. But be careful on the road."

Yan Liang said nothing. After Liang Xi Cheng unlocked the car, she quickly opened the door and got out.

The man in the car didn't immediately start the engine and leave. He sat in the car, watching the woman standing by the roadside not far away. After about five minutes, still no car came. Seeing that she seemed to be heading forward, Liang Xi Cheng took out his phone, made a quick call, gave her a few brief instructions, and put his phone away. Sure enough, he saw the petite figure in the distance quickly walk away. He slowed down and followed behind, maintaining a safe distance. After about ten minutes, a taxi arrived. He watched Yan Liang get in before stopping the car.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a couple of puffs. It still tasted bitter; his mouth was filled with bitterness. He casually placed the hand holding the cigarette on the car window, absentmindedly fiddling with the half-smoked cigarette between his fingers, while pressing his temple with the other hand.

Regardless, she'd finally returned, and now she was standing very close to him. He had been worried she might impulsively leave Lati, but after his carefully crafted words, he figured that little woman wouldn't leave, even if she had the nerve.

That was for the best. He should proceed gradually. He couldn't rush this woman who seemed to want to retreat into her shell. He had indeed been too hasty at the hotel. From now on, he had to take it one step at a time.

A cool night breeze blew.

The night in City C wasn't much different from City A, but the air quality in China has been getting worse lately; the sky was so blue in England that day.

She lived there for over a year; will she find it hard to adjust to being back?

Lost in thought, Liang Xi Cheng's phone rang. He flicked away the ash from his cigarette, took out his phone, and answered, "Hmm, what is it?"

The person on the other end said something, and his gaze instantly turned serious. No one could see the sharp lines on his brow and the tightness of his thin lips in the night. "... Is that so? How many times this month? ... Hmm, just keep having people follow her. Remember what I asked for, keep it safe ... Hmm, leak some information to Ye Sheng Ming ... Yes, he's thrown off balance, that's the best opportunity ... Chu Yi Sheng? Tell him I'm in B City, and I won't be back for a week. I'll contact him when I get back."

Hanging up, Liang Xi Cheng narrowed his eyes, the sharpness in them still lingering. As the white smoke swirled around him, his sharp gaze was also obscured by the smoke.

***

The next day.

Zhuo Hui rarely came to Lati's general manager's office, but recently, probably after the design director was parachuted in, Manager Zhuo had been coming to work on time.

Especially today, early in the morning, there seemed to be several sounds of arguing coming from the office. The employees outside were all incredibly curious. They already suspected that Bai Yan Liang had gotten her position through underhanded means, and hearing her slamming her fist on the table with Manager Zhuo only confirmed their suspicions!

"… Hey, tell me, is Bai Yan Liang really a graduate of SGA? Or did he graduate from Master Zhuo's bed?"

"Pfft … Your mouth is so sharp!"

"Seriously, didn't you hear? It was so noisy inside just now, who would dare talk to Master Zhuo like that? Would you?"

"I wouldn't dare …"

"Then that's it! He must have a very special relationship with Master Zhuo, I'm telling you …"

"What are you all saying together? Aren't you supposed to be at work?!"

The manager's authoritative voice rang out, and the group of gossipy women immediately sat obediently in their seats, pretending to be focused on their work …

***

Inside the General Manager's office.

Yan Liang slammed the project list on Zhuo Hui's desk, his expression clearly displeased. "Manager Zhuo, there are some things we need to clarify before I take this project."

"Director Bai, whether or not you take a project isn't exactly your decision."

Zhuo Hui, with a touch of spoiled brat about him, had a golf club in his office. Dressed in a casual suit, he held the club, aiming it, speaking somewhat nonchalantly. "Didn't you read the contract carefully? Once it's signed, the company makes all the decisions, and the company is under my control, understand? If you don't take this project, who do you plan to get?"

"…"

"As for the question you want to ask me, I know, Liang Xi Cheng, right?"

Aiming at the small white ball, Zhuo Hui moved his arm, and the ball slowly rolled into the hole. He tossed it into the bag beside him, smiled at Yan Liang, and said with a dashing air, "... Yes, I did know him before, so didn't I remind you during the job application? You were the one who didn't tell me the truth, so you shouldn't blame me for the later problems."

"When did you remind me?"

Zhuo Hui raised an eyebrow. "I asked you what your relationship with Liang Xi Cheng was before. Wasn't that a reminder? Since you admit that you were just employer and employee, isn't this kind of cooperation more conducive to communication between you and him?"

"…"

"Alright, if you really don't want to take this project, I won't force you. But I'm a little surprised. I thought you were someone who clearly separated work and personal life ..."

"Clearly separated work and personal life again ..."

Yan Liang had been tossing and turning all night because of those words, and now those words again!

She stepped forward, took the project proposal directly from the table, and said through gritted teeth, "Manager Zhuo, don't worry! I will definitely keep public and private matters separate!"

"Ah, that's best. Oh, by the way, Director Bai, there's a meeting this afternoon. Please prepare accordingly; the materials you have will be needed."

Before leaving, Zhuo Hui couldn't resist adding a gloating twist, "... Um, calm down. Liang Xi Cheng is still coming this time. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll need to keep discussing and refining this project. We'll need to hold meetings and discussions for about a week, so ..."

Yan Liang's hand gripping the doorknob tightened suddenly. Her chest felt tight and dizzy, but she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

She knew perfectly well that Zhuo Hui was doing this on purpose, yet she still had to bite the bullet and go along with it!

***

In the afternoon, someone from Liang Group indeed arrived. Since it was the first meeting, all the participating companies had heavyweight figures present. However, the most important parties in this project were Lati and Liang Group. Liang Group was leading the charge, and a man of Liang Xi Cheng's status was naturally the most distinguished.

His seat was arranged at the very top. Because it was Lati's turn, the center seat was given to Zhuo Hui.

This meant that Liang Xi Cheng's seat was next to Yan Liang's, and the two sat side by side.

Yan Liang felt extremely uncomfortable and awkward, but the phrase "keeping public and private matters separate" clearly reminded her that she had no right to be uncomfortable; this was just a meeting, just business ...

The first half of the meeting went smoothly. A slight disagreement arose in the middle, but it was quickly resolved. The final part concerned the overall design concept. Yan Liang's design philosophy was always vibrant and bold. Due to her personality, she used relatively light colors, yet the overall effect was very striking. A designer from another company disagreed with her design concept, leading to a dispute and extending the meeting time.

What was originally planned as a two-hour meeting stretched to four hours, still without a result. Yan Liang's throat was dry, but she felt no frustration.

Compared to when she first sat down, when she was always mindful of the man sitting next to her, now she was completely focused on her work. The designer from the other company was also a young man, probably in his early thirties. Although he had completely different ideas from her, Yan Liang did not deny that his ideas were also very good. So she felt as if she had a formidable rival, or perhaps it could be said that he was both a rival and a friend.

The two men engaged in a lively discussion. Midway through, Zhuo Hui had some food specially prepared and brought in. While everyone else began eating, Yan Liang and the designer exchanged their drafts and whispered amongst themselves.

These two were clearly strangers, yet now, having met, their initial antagonism had transformed into mutual appreciation, tinged with a sense of regret for not having met sooner …

Liang Xi Cheng sat to the side, his gaze fixed on the two, his handsome face growing increasingly grim.

Zhuo Hui, always eager for a spectacle, hadn't expected such a show to unfold on the very first day of the meeting. He eagerly picked up a piece of mung bean cake, took a bite, and found it melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

"Come on, everyone, let's eat something. This project is quite large, so time is very tight. I've already had my assistant print out the schedule for this week. We need to get the first step done this week, and today's step is even more crucial. It's unexpected that our two chief designers disagree, so the time has been extended."

"Well, everyone, please have something to eat first. Later, after we finish, I, Zhuo, will treat everyone to dinner."

Everyone naturally smiled and agreed.

Yan Liang, however, continued her discussion with the designer as if no one else was there, occasionally nodding and smiling at each other. Watching this, Liang Xi Cheng felt a burning jealousy within him intensify.

Architectural design was something he used to dabble in. Speaking of design drawings, wasn't he her mentor who guided her to where she is today?

Who encouraged her to keep pushing forward? Who encouraged her to have confidence in herself?

With her achievements today, should she forget about Liang Xi Cheng?

Any objections? Can't get through to him? He, her "teacher," is sitting right next to her; why doesn't she ask for his opinion first?

After all, Liang Group is the most important partner in this project. Is Liang Xi Cheng someone to be ignored?

"... Chairman Liang, have some water."

An assistant brought over a water glass. Liang Xi Cheng frowned, and as he turned, he accidentally bumped into the glass. The assistant was standing right next to Yan Liang, and the glass trembled, spilling water everywhere. Half of the water landed on Yan Liang's buttocks, and the other half soaked Liang Xi Cheng's thigh …

"Ah …"

Chapter 188        |        TOC        |        Chapter 190