Chapter 9 Romeo and Juliet

Chapter 9 Romeo and Juliet

Zhao Shengge had just managed to leave the old family residence in the afternoon. Normally, he wouldn’t allow large banquets at the residence when he was there, but since he hadn’t had the chance to meet the branch families since returning to the country, the old patriarch had summoned everyone over.

The Zhao family didn’t have the usual dramatic feuds or power struggles you’d expect in wealthy families. The direct descendants were mostly pleasure-seeking, hedonistic second-generation heirs, living off Zhao Shengge’s support. Thus, the power structure of the Minglong Group had always been centralized and stable.

Except when dealing with the domineering and controlling Zhao Maozheng, Zhao Shengge had gained significant authority from a very young age. Moreover, in recent years, Zhao Maozheng’s health had declined with age.

Despite his youth, Zhao Shengge held a high position. Sometimes, uncles from the branch families in their fifties would call him “Young Master,” while the younger children in the family called him “Big Brother.”

Zhao Shengge, mature for his age, responded with composure on the surface, but inside, he was thoroughly annoyed, wishing he could toss these chattering kids into the pool.

From a young age, Zhao Shengge had been a prodigy. During festivals, both the direct and branch families loved to bring their children to him, and Zhao Shengge would have to give them red envelopes. Following family tradition, he would earnestly advise them to study hard and grow up quickly, as if his words had some kind of magical power.

When he returned to the old residence, everyone had already arrived. The long, circular table was full, with Zhao Maozheng at the head. No one touched their chopsticks until Zhao Shengge sat down, and only then did dinner begin.

With little intense competition for interests, the atmosphere was artificially warm. The women from various branches eagerly inquired about Zhao Shengge’s well-being and later joked about the younger members’ marriage prospects. But no one dared to bring up Zhao Shengge’s own affairs.

Neither his public nor private life was up for discussion.

No one could dictate his life.

The food at the Zhao residence had never appealed to Zhao Shengge over the years. He lifted the soup lid, glanced down, and sighed inwardly. After the meal, he rode with Shen Zongnian to Zhuo Zhixuan’s new hotel.

Next to Chen Wan sat Jiang Ying, a very amiable young man. A painter who had studied in the U.S., he came from a reputable scholarly family and was currently working as a curator and antique appraiser in Haishi.

Though not a business fighter, he was on good terms with Shen Zongnian and didn’t hesitate to bring up a topic that had been taboo.

“I heard from my elders that Mrs. Mai still goes to the Minglong Building every day to protest and demand justice.”

Tan Youming scoffed, “She wouldn’t believe it even if shown photos of her husband with young models at a nightclub. Before jumping to his death, Mai Jiahui transferred all the debt to his daughter, who hadn’t even graduated yet.”

Another person shook his head helplessly and said to Zhao Shengge, “The latest rumor is that Mai Jiahui’s last call before jumping was from you. Now everyone’s terrified, afraid they might receive your ‘death call.’”

Zhao Shengge seemed to be lost in thought, and only when everyone turned to look at him did he refocus. Often, during social gatherings or meetings, people thought he was calm and reserved, but sometimes he was just daydreaming about his own affairs.

Zhao Shengge was aware that the incident had caused quite a stir recently. He didn’t care much about his reputation, whether he was seen as a king of hell or a demon. He wiped his hands clean with a warm towel and calmly explained to everyone, “I didn’t make the call. It’s just that both parties chose different ways to fulfill the contract.”

Black and white, clear as day.

When the deadline arrived, Zhao Shengge, as the creditor, chose to apply for enforcement, while Mai Jiahui, the debtor, chose permanent bankruptcy.

Hearing his explanation, everyone fell silent for a moment before changing the subject.

Among those present, Chen Wan had the lowest seniority. He took the initiative to serve everyone soup. When the rotating tray reached Zhao Shengge, he was talking to Shen Zongnian and didn’t take any. Tan Youming wanted something else, so he turned the tray away.

Chen Wan tapped his wine glass, wondering if the previous encounters had just been coincidences. He knew Zhao Shengge was picky, but he had never been so difficult to please as he was tonight.

Or perhaps it had been too long, and the young Zhao Shengge who appeared in their school cafeteria during their student days was just a figment of his imagination.

Chen Wan could only guess that Zhao Shengge had no appetite today. But later, when the server served everyone a small bowl of abalone and lobster porridge, he slowly finished it.

Chen Wan drained his glass and caught a glimpse of his downcast eyes reflected in the transparent glass, feeling somewhat lost.

He spoke little and wasn’t familiar with most of the people present. Occasionally, he exchanged a few words with Jiang Ying, who actively engaged him in conversation, but for the most part, he quietly evaluated the culinary skills of the chef Zhuo Zhixuan had hired at great expense, silently scoring the dishes in his mind. He liked to see things through to the end, noting the flavors and textures of the dishes so he could later provide feedback and suggestions to his friend.

As the banquet drew to a close, everyone came over to toast Zhao Shengge, knowing it was rare to see him and that it would only become more difficult in the future.

Chen Wan was a bit hesitant, but he felt he might not have another chance to toast to Zhao Shengge in the crowd, so he filled his cup with a generous pour of baijiu.

Unfortunately, when it was his turn, Zhao Shengge checked his watch and left early with Shen Zongnian.

Chen Wan blinked, confused, his heart skipped a beat, his hand already about to raise the glass.

Fortunately, no one noticed his action, only Jiang Ying, sitting beside him, gave him a comforting look to ease his embarrassment.

Chen Wan wasn’t too concerned about saving face, he just felt a bit regretful, scratched the back of his head, smiling back at Jiang Ying, then slowly drank the baijiu himself.

It was under-fermented, leaving a slightly bitter aftertaste.

But since he chose the wine himself, he had to finish it, even if it was bitter.

People started to leave one by one, Chen Wan was the last one, as always, he stayed behind to clean up.

Sure enough, he spotted a cigarette case and a Zorro lighter left at Zhao Shengge's seat.

Chen Wan's gaze lingered, as if he'd stumbled upon a treasure, his expression remained calm, he walked over and stood still, coolly inspecting.

The brand was Romeo y Julieta, he thought the brand had stopped making cigarettes, focusing only on cigars. It turned out to be custom-made, the cigarette case featured a classic design with a fine texture, Chen Wan's nose twitched at the faint, citrusy scent.

From what he remembered, Zhao Shengge rarely smoked, and never smoked in public.

He had only seen it once from afar when the other went out for a breather during a dinner, holding a slim cigarette between his lips, which looked strikingly red and soft.

Chen Wan stood still, his eyes downcast, expressionless.

Take it.

Don’t take it.

This was a VIP room, without cameras, his fingers twitched with barely restrained eagerness.

Outside, the violin music swelled as people mingled, separated by a door, Chen Wan's face was still calm, but his heart was already racing, like a thief ready for everything.

Pandora's box lay before him, as enigmatic and alluring as its owner, just waiting for him to open it with his own hands.

Chen Wan's hand slowly reached over.

After a few seconds, it retracted.

Chen Wan quickly called over the manager, saying that a guest had left an item, and asked him to wrap the cigarettes and lighter and give them to Zhao Shengge's assistant.

The manager, having worked with Chen Wan that afternoon, trusted him implicitly, what Chen Wan specifically instructed must not be a simple figure.

After a while, the manager came back, sheepishly informing him that the other party was unreachable.

Chen Wan understood: "It's okay, this guest is quite hard to reach." After all, even the Zhao family had to go through second and third assistants to see him, Chen Wan took back the cigarette case and lighter, said, "You've worked hard, go ahead."

He wandered through the glittering VIP lounge for a bit before finding Zhuo Zhixuan, who looked radiant, it seemed the afternoon's hard work had not been in vain.

Zhuo Zhixuan asked: "Have you been drinking?" Chen Wan had a good alcohol tolerance, not easily showing it on his face, but now he didn’t look quite normal.

Chen Wan didn’t really want to mention his failed toast, mumbled a couple of sentences, handed him the cigarette case and lighter wrapped in kraft paper, asking him to pass it on.

Ordinary cigarettes and lighter would be one thing, but such custom-made items were almost personal belongings, if taken by someone with ulterior motives, a little investigation could reveal whose they were.

Zhuo Zhixuan opened the carefully wrapped kraft paper and took a look, the buzz from all the flattery tonight faded a little, he looked at Chen Wan for a while, speechless: "Couldn’t you just hand it to him yourself?"

"No need," Chen Wan originally didn’t plan to smoke, but the pack of Romeo had sparked his craving for a smoke. He pulled out his own cigarette, clicked the lighter, and took a deep puff. Just moments ago, he had hesitated to steal one of the other’s cigarettes, but now he seemed carefree. He specifically instructed, "If anyone asks, just say the waiter found it. Don’t mention me."

"...You’re crazy," Zhuo Zhixuan’s triumphant evening was completely ruined by him, and he cursed, "No need? Then what’s the point?"

Perhaps it was because he had been drinking, or perhaps he was feeling particularly pleased with himself today and couldn’t bear to see his close friend in such a pitiful state, Zhuo Zhixuan’s voice unconsciously rose a few notches.

Chen Wan looked at him oddly and blurted out, "I’m not looking for anything."

It was the truth.

He liked Zhao Shengge, but he wasn’t pursuing him.

He had never even thought about it.

Zhuo Zhixuan really couldn’t understand, "You really haven’t thought about it at all? Then why are you running around like this? Doing charity work?"

"..." Chen Wan found it somewhat amusing and looked at him with equal confusion, thinking about how to explain to his friend, who always acted on impulse rather than emotion, that giving doesn’t always require something in return. "No, not planning to pursue someone doesn’t conflict with wanting to occasionally catch a glimpse of them or doing something for someone you like, right?"

If he could completely restrain himself, he wouldn’t have let these feelings take root in his heart for years.

Zhuo Zhixuan still couldn’t understand.

Chen Wan, under his gaze, was at a loss for words. He stubbed out the cigarette butt and said helplessly, "If you must know, I just hope that wherever I am, he feels a bit more at ease and happy."

Chen Wan didn’t even need to become very familiar with Zhao Shengge; just occasionally seeing him in the same circle would be enough.

If his presence could make the other person happy for a few minutes, that would be great. It seemed that in those few minutes, his feelings had meaning. Just a few minutes would suffice.

A few minutes in real time could feel like an eternity in Chen Wan’s memory.

"..." Zhuo Zhixuan couldn’t comprehend his thinking and gave a thumbs up, sarcastically praising, "Alright, good, Mr. Philanthropist Chen."

"..." After seeing Chen Wan off, Zhuo Zhixuan called Zhao Shengge, who surprisingly hadn’t left yet. Usually, he wouldn’t stay a second longer after the usual social gatherings.