Chapter 63: Zhao Shengge: Not Your Average Guy

Chapter 63: Zhao Shengge: Not Your Average Guy

Zhao Shengge spotted the irregularities in the recent scattered stock transactions of Rongxin.

Minglong wouldn’t bother with a failing family business, but Song Qingmiao was still part of the Chen family. Zhao Shengge had noticed Song Qingmiao calling Chen Wan a few times, though it might not have been about this, and Chen Wan always answered the calls in his presence.

But Zhao Shengge was overly suspicious.

He wasn’t exactly a paragon of virtue; even if it was his mother, Zhao Shengge didn’t like Chen Wan spending too much energy on other people.

If you’re not serious about pursuing someone, how can you expect to win them over?

Rongxin was all bark and no bite. The Ge family of Taiji and Xu Zhiying were both eyeing it for a takeover. Zhao Shengge wouldn’t allow Song Qingmiao to involve Chen Wan.

Shen Zongnian advised him not to bother: "He’s an anonymous partner at Kexiang. Even if there are changes, they won’t be made public."

"But he doesn’t need to do this, and—" Shen Zongnian sent his location to Tan Youming before continuing to Zhao Shengge, "Isn’t he obedient to you now? Finding out anything should be easy."

Zhao Shengge shook his head: "You just don’t get him."

"..." Shen Zongnian closed his laptop, "Anyway, it seems like it’s got nothing to do with him."

Zhao Shengge picked up his coat and stood, saying, "That’s good."

Chen Wan got flowers again.

Still peonies and hydrangeas. It was late autumn, and these flowers weren’t in season, but fortunately, Haishi is in the tropics, so the flower supply was abundant.

"Why’d you get me flowers again?" Zhao Shengge asked.

Chen Wan looked up at him seriously and said, "Because I’m still pursuing you. I’m scared you’ll forget me when we’re apart."

Zhao Shengge looked at him for a while, then said quietly, "So you’re aware."

"..."

Chen Wan touched the tip of his nose.

At Central’s peak, the setting sun filtered through the palm leaves.

The orange light streamed through the car window, landing on Chen Wan’s earlobe. Zhao Shengge reached out and touched it, as if catching a golden butterfly.

He thought Chen Wan would probably rock earrings.

Prince Edward Road was jam-packed, but Zhao Shengge didn’t feel unhappy. He still took the flowers when he got out of the car.

"Not leaving them in the car?"

Zhao Shengge said, "Flowers are meant to be shown off."

Chen Wan thought he was kind of serious... and cute, and chuckled: "Alright."

Pedder Street was lined with duty-free shops, bustling with tourists. Zhao Shengge carried the flowers, and when people looked at him, he remained unperturbed, as if no one else was there.

Chen Wan walked beside him, shielding him and the flowers from the crowd.

He vaguely remembered his school days when male classmates would go on dates with their girlfriends, buy flowers for them, and then take them out to eat.

They were eating Cantonese cuisine. Chen Wan looked at the menu, and Zhao Shengge looked at him, saying, "Chen Wan, don’t you ever rest?"

"Huh?"

He reached out and pressed on Chen Wan's under-eye circles, saying, "They look really dark." You look tired.

Chen Wan touched his own eyes, pouring tea while joking, "Yeah, working hard to make money so I can chase you."

"..." Zhao Shengge looked at him calmly, making Chen Wan feel guilty under his gaze. Then he said lightly, "Chen Wan."

"You don’t need a ton of money to chase me."

"I do," Chen Wan set the teapot down and looked up, serious but with a hint of disapproval, "I need a lot of money."

"..."

Zhao Shengge looked at him for a moment, and after the waiter left, he said, "Come over here."

Chen Wan dutifully sat next to him, their knees touching, and Chen Wan didn’t move away. He thought for a moment and spoke first, "Zhao Shengge, chasing you can’t just be lip service."

Zhao Shengge looked at him without speaking.

Chen Wan continued, "I know you have everything, you don’t need anything, but I still should give you the best I have."

"This is what I need to do."

Otherwise, what kind of affection, what kind of pursuit would it be?

Chen Wan said, "It’s fine if you don’t like it or don’t need it, but I must have it."

"I’ll do everything I can to treat you right."

This is what Chen Wan’s love is all about. Even if Zhao Shengge doesn’t agree, Chen Wan will see it through.

"I won’t make the same mistake I did when you were sick again." Chen Wan looked at him earnestly.

Zhao Shengge's fingers moved imperceptibly. He heard Chen Wan say, "Honestly, I’ve always wanted to apologize."

He smiled self-deprecatingly, "Back then, I was scared you’d find it annoying."

"I hope you won’t hold it against me."

"That night after we hung up, I couldn’t sleep at all, worried about your fever, and afraid you didn’t have medicine."

Chen Wan slowly shook his head, looking at him with lingering fear, saying, "I’ll never let that happen again."

But then he pursed his slightly dry lips and added, "I’m not just saying these things to get you to agree to my pursuit."

Zhao Shengge’s expression remained calm, but his palms were growing warm, and his heartbeat wasn’t as steady as it seemed. Being looked at by Chen Wan like this felt like basking in a winter sun.

Zhao Shengge looked away and said lightly, "I forgave you a while ago." He's not the type to hold grudges.

"Your list of offenses is endless; I probably can’t keep track of them all."

"..." Chen Wan was speechless, then looked at him with some teasing, smiling, "That's good."

"When we were bowling, you barely paid any attention to me, I was afraid you hated me."

Zhao Shengge's lips moved.

Not getting an answer, Chen Wan asked, "Did you forgive me because of the Christmas tree?"

Zhao Shengge said, "What do you think about that?"

Actually, that wasn’t the case; he had already forgiven him over the Taiping Houkui tea.

Chen Wan thought for a moment and said, "I guess so."

He smiled with his eyes and sighed, "Zhao Shengge, if I make you angry again in the future, I’ll make a Christmas tree for you as an apology, okay? Please forgive me."

Zhao Shengge didn’t fall into his sweet trap and narrowed his eyes, "So there’s going to be a next time?"

"..." Chen Wan smiled helplessly, "I’m just saying *if* it happens."

Zhao Shengge said, "It depends."

With someone like Chen Wan, you can’t give him a free pass. Without one, he’s already bold; with one, he’d be unstoppable.

Chen Wan touched the tip of his nose and said, "Okay."

After thinking for a while, he added, "But I’ll still make you a Christmas tree. Even if you don’t forgive me, it’s just my way of wishing you happiness."

"Chen Wan," Zhao Shengge asked, "Why would you do that?"

"What?"

Zhao Shengge rephrased, "What is it you like about me?"

Chen Wan found it strange, "Do I need a reason to like Zhao Shengge?"

He said very matter-of-factly, "Who wouldn’t like you?"

"..."

Zhao Shengge thought silently, I’ll throw that line right back at you.

He pointed out objectively, "Logically, I think you should see me for who I really am."

But Zhao Shengge didn’t continue.

"See you for who you are?"

Zhao Shengge spoke very directly, whether evaluating others or dissecting himself, there was a cruel objectivity and calmness, "We’ve been together for a while now, and you’ve probably noticed—without the titles, status, and halo, I’m just an ordinary person."

His quiet and steady demeanor made him seem aloof, but he was actually very clear-headed. His success wasn’t mostly due to his own efforts.

"If I weren’t a Zhao, I’d probably be just another nine-to-five commuter, stressing over bills."

"You could take the subway," Chen Wan said, "There’s nothing wrong with that. If you took the subway, we’d meet there, but," Chen Wan said earnestly, "Zhao Shengge is anything but ordinary."

"Even on the subway, Zhao Shengge wouldn’t be ordinary."

Chen Wan didn’t love Zhao Shengge because he was a prodigy.

"..." Zhao Shengge’s heart skipped a beat, and he cut the conversation short, saying, "Let’s eat."

Chen Wan didn’t move, staring at him, sensing something else, and smiled.

Dinner ended, and the car was parked in an open-air parking lot not far away, requiring a short walk.

Chen Wan was very happy. Victoria Harbour was alive with people—strollers, cruise-goers, and tourists. There was no light show tonight, but a nearby sports venue was hosting a concert, and the songs clearly reached them.

"If the heart's voice truly has healing power,

Who would fear exposing more,

Even if the teeth start to chatter,

Don't lie, talk with me,

Tell me why we grew apart."

People were walking their dogs along the riverbanks, and Chen Wan would politely step aside.

Some tied their dogs to tree roots, letting them play on their own. When they passed the park, a large German Shepherd appeared from behind a tree and approached them, only to be shooed away by Zhao Shengge.

Chen Wan gave Zhao Shengge a subtle glance, perhaps Zhao Shengge didn't like dogs, Chen Wan thought.

In the evening, they returned to Zhao Shengge's mountain villa.

Perhaps because Chen Wan had said many nice things today, Zhao Shengge was quite gentle when he removed Chen Wan's clothes, gently touching his face, feeling that Chen Wan hadn't rested well, so he was more considerate than last time.

However, Zhao Shengge took a long time, kissing for a long time, and lingering in affection.

After it was over, he personally fed Chen Wan water, helped him bathe, and dressed him, barely letting Chen Wan act on his own, his presence commanding and intimate.

Chen Wan thought groggily, Zhao Shengge is very sexy when he's fierce, but when he's considerate, it's easy to get lost in it.

The next day, both were attending a commercial event in the high-tech zone.

Zhao Shengge rarely attended these personally, but the project was about to build momentum and prepare for roadshows, so it was necessary to make public appearances to increase the confidence of the shareholders.

Chen Wan could barely stand, Zhao Shengge watched for a while, then walked over and helped him put on his socks and fasten his belt directly.

Chen Wan's body was left with many marks of various shapes, green and red, distinct, but all neatly hidden under a well-fitted suit. Zhao Shengge personally fastened his cufflinks and tie, bowed his head to kiss his lips, like sealing a perfect gift.

Chen Wan instinctively leaned in for another kiss, but was gently pushed away by Zhao Shengge, who said, "We’re running late."

Shen Zongnian, Tan Youming, and Zhuo Zhixuan had all arrived, and Chen Wan followed behind the group, blending in.

Upon entering the venue, Zhao Shengge instinctively wanted to check the time.

He still had to return to Minglong later to meet with the executives, and might not stay long, but his wrist was empty, likely because he’d taken off his watch last night to avoid hurting Chen Wan and didn't know where he had thrown it. He wasn't sure, Zhao Shengge stopped and turned back to ask Chen Wan, "Do you remember where I put my watch?"

His tone and expression were extremely natural, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, but to the ears of those around, it was like thunder.

Chen Wan himself paused for a second, instinctively smiled and said, "It might have just been left in the car, wait a moment and I'll go find it for you."

Thus, the expressions of those around returned to normal.

Only Zhao Shengge looked at Chen Wan with a faint gaze, but said nothing.

Chen Wan walked to the front desk to get the list of inner seats, looking around at the surrounding guests along the way.

Only after getting the seating list did he confirm that several executives of Rongxin, Chen Yu, and Chen Baoying could not enter the inner area, they wouldn't see Zhao Shengge, and Chen Wan felt a wave of relief.

Zhao Shengge didn't stay long and left, and in the evening, Chen Wan said he wanted to pick him up, and Zhao Shengge didn't refuse.

But for some reason, completely different from last night, Zhao Shengge's gentleness and consideration were gone, and he had turned back into the fierce Zhao Shengge.

Chen Wan felt several times that he was going to die, and no matter how he cried for help, he couldn't get a bit of gentleness.

After they finished, Zhao Shengge received a phone call, his tone calm, contrasting sharply with his sweat-drenched, sexy appearance.

After hanging up, he got up to get dressed. Chen Wan craved a bit of affection and touch, asking somewhat dazedly, "Do you really have to leave this late?"

Zhao Shengge looked down at him indifferently and said, "There's work."

However, his movements had already stopped, and his feet no longer moved, his intense gaze fixed on Chen Wan.

"Alright then," Chen Wan even got up to walk him out, "I'll take you."

"..." Zhao Shengge pressed him down, his expression less than pleased, and said, "Can you even get up?"

Chen Wan indeed had no strength left, weakly lifting his eyes, his eyes glistening with exhaustion, and his fingers, which had been clutching Zhao Shengge's clothes, fell limply.

Zhao Shengge quickly caught his hand, firmly enveloping it in his palm, his face stern as he firmly tucked Chen Wan into the blanket.

His large hand easily grasped Chen Wan's fragile neck, exerting force, and he asked in a deep, ambiguous tone, "Chen Wan, are you trying to have a secret fling with me?"

After waiting in silence for a response, Zhao Shengge looked down to see that Chen Wan had already passed out from sheer exhaustion.

"..."

Author's note:

Today's golden song on Hong Kong Radio is "Shall We Talk," performed by Xu Jingyun.