Chapter 14

Chapter 14

*

Jin Mo truly hadn't expected that he would be willing to wear such an unremarkable, plain red string on his wrist.

After all, Yin Jihong couldn't stand fussiness more than anything and never wore any accessories on his person.

Old Master Yin was a Buddhist believer and had mentioned countless times that he should wear a string of prayer beads or a bracelet—first for protection, and second to ward off bad luck for his "reckless" grandson—but he never paid it any mind.

When she'd made her wish for him earlier, she had deliberately chosen this simplest double-loop red string, thinking that even if he didn't want to wear it on his wrist, he could keep it close in his clothes without it feeling burdensome.

She looked up at him, slightly hesitant, and asked, "...You really want to wear it on your wrist?"

This red string wasn't anything valuable. He attended many social occasions, and what he wore on his wrist should be eye-catching and expensive accessories. If he wore such an ordinary red string, people might gossip and call him cheap.

She should've just picked a nicer bracelet to make her wish on instead.

"What?" Yin Jihong raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't this red string look good on me? Or can't I pull off red?"

Jin Mo laughed at the cocky tone in his voice. "I just thought you'd find it a hassle to keep taking on and off."

"Not troublesome at all." Yin Jihong didn't hesitate for a second, obediently holding his hand out to her, barely hiding the anticipation in his eyes. "I won't take it off. I'll wear it forever."

She lowered her head, her fingertips gently pinching the red string, carefully slipping it over his wrist and adjusting it to just the right tightness.

His fingers were long and well-defined, and that simple red string somehow looked classy and striking on his wrist.

Only when she let go did Yin Jihong contentedly withdraw his hand. He looked at it left and right, liking how it looked no matter which way he turned it, unable to suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth.

Not content with just admiring it himself, he turned to the abbot and said, "Abbot, look—doesn't this red string suit me especially well?"

The abbot, who knew his troublemaking nature well, chuckled. "Yes, Mr. Yin, it suits you very well. But remember to take it off when you shower, and try not to get it wet."

"Alright." He slumped his shoulders, sounding resigned. "I was hoping I'd never have to take it off."

The word "forever" hit Jin Mo like a small flame, making her heart skip. Her ears turned faintly red as she muttered, "...It's not worth that much fussing over."

"How's it not worth cherishing?" Her voice was soft, but Yin Jihong still heard it. He looked at her with absolute certainty, his tone firm. "Anything you give me, I'll treasure."

Even if those words were just sweet talk to make her happy, Jin Mo's heart still felt warm and soft, like it had been soaked in warm water, and even her breath felt a little warmer.

Jin Mo had had a few drinks at the KTV and was feeling a bit sleepy. But after being dragged up the mountain by Yin Jihong for this superstitious little trip, any lingering sleepiness had completely vanished.

They sat in the temple for a little while longer. As they were leaving, Jin Mo stopped at the vermilion gate at the mountain entrance and suddenly asked softly, "Can you see the sunrise from here?"

Yin Jihong was walking ahead of her. The moment he heard that, he stopped and turned around.

"Do you want to watch the sunrise here?"

Jin Mo: "Can we?"

"If you want to, why not?" A smile tugged at the corner of Yin Jihong's mouth as he turned and walked back through the vermilion gate. "In a bit, people will start coming up the mountain in the early morning. I'll have the abbot point us to a quiet spot where no one will bother us, and we'll wait for the sunrise there."

-

Jin Mo had watched sunrises with him a few times before, but mostly back in college. After starting work, pulling all-nighters wasn't as easy as it used to be.

They sat on a secluded platform the abbot had arranged, with no one around and only the mountain breeze whispering by. She was the one who'd said she wanted to wait for the sunrise, but after chatting with Yin Jihong for a bit, she'd already yawned several times.

Yin Jihong wrapped most of the long blanket he'd borrowed from the abbot around her, then patted his own shoulder. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you when the sun comes up."

Jin Mo stubbornly shook her head, propping her eyelids open with two fingers, and cheered herself on: "I can make it."

He found it amusing. "Alright, let's see how long you last."

Yin Jihong's job never really had days off, and this time of day was when things with the US and Europe were busiest. Sitting beside her, his phone kept buzzing with calls and emails.

They'd always been able to talk about anything, so Jin Mo naturally had a good idea of what his work involved at each stage. Watching him handle his emails, she asked, "How's the progress on bringing in the A+ streaming platform?"

"Still stuck." Yin Jihong's fingertips flew across the screen. "We're negotiating with the authorities, but they're not budging. At the same time, plenty of others are eyeing this prize."

A+ streaming was the hottest platform in the world right now, with countless blockbuster original shows and movies. It was huge abroad, with nearly everyone having a membership. But the domestic market was only so big, already carved up by a few major platform giants. To bring in such a top-tier overseas platform—not only would the authorities be reluctant to green-light it, but the domestic platforms would never let it go without a fight.

But if Yin Corporation could be the one to bring in A+ streaming, the platform would bring immeasurable returns—whether from membership fee cuts or the global resources and industry influence it would bring. It would be enough to make Yin Corporation unstoppable across the entire Asia-Pacific media landscape, with no competitors left.

That was exactly why Yin Jihong ran into so many obstacles when he decided to push forward with negotiations to partner with A+ streaming.

His father, Yin Cheng, was the first to oppose him.

Yin Corporation's deep roots in S City went back to Old Master Yin's generation. Yin Cheng was a conservative and steady operator. After taking over from Old Master Yin, he had been expanding the company step by step, solidly and steadily, always engaging in healthy competition.

But Yin Jihong's style was completely different from Yin Cheng's.

He was aggressive and untamed, bold and decisive. He was used to gambling the smallest cost for the most astonishing returns, often taking shortcuts that Yin Cheng would never touch. He ambitiously planned a broader future for Yin Corporation—like this insistence on bringing in A+ streaming, a "reckless" decision Yin Cheng wouldn't even dare to imagine.

So in the years since Yin Jihong formally took over most of the company's operations, the father-son relationship had fallen into a rather rigid deadlock. Whenever the two met, a few words in and they'd be arguing. That was why Yin Jihong had simply moved out of the Yin family estate and lived on his own.

Yin Cheng completely disapproved of Yin Jihong's methods, even though Yin Jihong had multiplied the company's market value by more than tenfold.

In Yin Cheng's eyes, this son of his was too young and arrogant, never leaving himself a way out. Especially on the matter of bringing in A+ streaming, Yin Cheng firmly opposed the idea, because he felt it not only didn't fit the country's conditions but also pushed all other competitors to the wall—not something a stable, established media empire should do.

If even Yin Cheng held such an attitude, let alone the other major platforms and rivals quietly sabotaging from the shadows, Yin Jihong was being backed into an increasingly tight corner.

So for the past six months, Yin Jihong had been trapped in a situation of being attacked from all sides.

But the pressure and difficulties he faced—she had never heard a single word about them from his own mouth. Most of what she knew came from observing and piecing together clues from Yin Jihong's mother, Deng Ying, from her work in the propaganda department, from Cheng Shu, and even from social media.

Jin Mo thought for a moment, then took the words he had said to her that evening, broke them down, and distilled their essence to send back to him: "A deal that's meant to be made can't be stopped by anyone. You do your part, and leave the rest to timing and fate."

Yin Jihong couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, Teacher Momo's guidance is noted. Even if the road ahead is full of difficulties, I'll dedicate a song to myself—'Lonely Warrior.'"

"Most people fear the unknown and change. In ancient times, court officials pushing for reform would use blood and sacrifice to make their stance clear and sway others. Bringing in A+ streaming won't just rewrite Yin Corporation's future—it will upend the entire industry's landscape. So no one wants to see it succeed."

Jin Mo's voice was calm and clear. "The current stable stalemate in the media industry looks like a win-win for everyone, but if it continues like this for too long, the whole industry will slowly lose its vitality and might even head toward decline."

Every word she said aligned perfectly with his own thoughts.

Yin Jihong looked at her, a mix of relief and emotion surging in his eyes, though his words still carried a hint of playful banter: "Momo, you're probably the only person in the world who genuinely wants me to pull this off. If my dad and the others heard this, they'd probably call you an accomplice to my villainy."

Jin Mo met his gaze and said seriously, "I'm just saying what I truly think. I'm not deliberately taking your side."

"Good." His smile was radiant, fine light shimmering in his eyes. "Thank you for not taking my side."

Yin Jihong continued handling work for a while, and when he glanced sideways, he happened to catch sight of a small head that had already drifted to lean against his shoulder.

The person who had so confidently sworn she'd hold out until the end had long since succumbed to sleepiness, her breathing steady and even.

He quietly curled the corners of his mouth, carefully settling her head fully onto his shoulder, then wrapped the half of the long blanket on his side around her as well, tucking the edge snugly around her neck so the mountain wind couldn't sneak in.

Only after doing all this did he lower his phone to silent mode and continue with his tasks.

Before sunrise, the abbot came by to check on them on his way to prepare for New Year's Eve duties.

Yin Jihong, hearing the footsteps, immediately turned his head, pressed a finger to his lips, and made a shushing gesture toward the abbot.

The abbot understood and handed him a long blanket.

Yin Jihong took it, gave a slight nod, but had no intention of letting the abbot leave.

He raised the hand wearing the red string bracelet, gazing at the abbot with a knowing, half-smiling look, as if hoping the abbot might secretly reveal to him what the red string was meant to wish for.

The abbot was amused by his mischievous yet stubborn demeanor and shook his head helplessly.

No matter how powerful or well-connected he was, the abbot could not "give away" the content of Jin Mo's prayer because of him. But seeing that he wouldn't let him go until he got an answer, the abbot, before leaving, had no choice but to raise a finger and point toward his own heart.

Yin Jihong automatically looked down.

The abbot's meaning was: the answer lay within his own heart.

...

As if something unseen were guiding her, just as the first light of dawn was about to break through the clouds, Jin Mo slowly opened her eyes, before Yin Jihong could even wake her.

The night sky, with its subtle gradations of light and dark, was fully receding; the lights dimmed, and the morning sun rose.

She instinctively turned her head and met the gentle smile shining in Yin Jihong's eyes.

In the next instant, dawn broke.

Golden-red morning light pierced through the night, pouring down in a flood, instantly illuminating the entire world.

In that moment, Jin Mo's heart gave a violent lurch.

And then, it all clicked.

In the early hours of New Year's Eve, he had carried her up the long, steep mountain path to make their wishes; he treasured the unremarkable red string she had gotten for him like a treasure; he waited with utmost patience for a sunrise that didn't really matter with her.

And before all that, over so many years, every bit of kindness he had given her, little by little.

No matter what his reasons were in doing all this, it could not change the fact that her heart had long been racing for him, unable to settle.

Those feelings she had hidden for so many years, never daring to voice, were finally brought into the light by the dawn in this journey called "superstition."

In the end, true superstition was never about incense or prayers.

It was about knowing full well that the world is unpredictable and the road ahead is rough, yet still choosing to believe.

Believing that the person before her was the only answer she needed when it came to love.

——————————

Author's Note:

"Update schedule for the four days after the VIP launch": Please read this carefully—the update times for the next four days will be adjusted. This Sunday (4.12) at midnight, the story goes VIP, and I'll update nearly 10,000 words four hours later. Monday (4.13) at midnight, I'll update 6,000+ words. Tuesday (4.14) will be a rest day. Wednesday (4.15) at 10 PM, I'll update nearly 10,000 words. That means 26,000 words in four days! You'd better hype me up! In all my years writing 20 books, I've never been this hyped! This time, for President Yin and Momo, I've gone all out like a mad dog! Then Thursday, I'll be back to the regular daily update at 8 PM~

I'll be dropping 66 red packets at random! Please keep hitting me with favorites, comments, and power-ups~ Love you all! Also, don't forget to favorite my column! You're also welcome to check out and favorite my next new book "The Crane" in my column, a Beijing circle story (might also switch to a Beijing circle ensemble piece), anyway it's all mature men and women, very exciting, haha.

Ahhhh this chapter really!! Our reserved Momo has finally, finally recognized her own heart!!! The various plots coming up definitely won't disappoint everyone! Whether it's President Yin being absolutely stunning! Or President Yin's rivalry with the second male lead! Or President Yin chasing his wife! Or the career line! It's all explosively exciting!! And there are all the old friends cameos you've been most looking forward to! Just wait in anticipation! Reading one book should only cost the price of a cup of milk tea. Thank you everyone for buying Sang Sang milk tea; Sang Sang will update desperately to repay you all!! Muah!

Here's the blurb for "The Crane," which should still be revised:

Beijing circle's ruthless big shot x rebellious hedgehog princess

Chasing wife into the crematorium/old house catching fire/extreme tension between mature man and woman

My darling, stay gold.

May my beloved you forever smile with pure innocence.

#

Chen Xinghe had never loved any man in her life.

Except Wen Ling.

The world said Wen Ling treated her like a pearl in his palm, afraid it would shatter if he held it too tightly. As long as she said one word, even a casual joke, he would truly carry it out.

Over the years, he took care of her, doted on her, gave her everything. But just when she thought she could finally reach him, he turned around and married another woman.

He had always insisted she call him "Uncle Ling," but on the night she completely gave up, he held her tightly in his arms, with a frantic demeanor she had never seen before, whispering desperately in her ear: "Little Crane, can you call me A Ling?"

"God says we are not allowed."

"Then come with me and love each other in hell."

#

Wen Ling never showed his emotions, but once he lost his temper at his driver, and the reason was only because the driver had thrown away an old, worn-out safety charm he had tied to the rearview mirror.

Later, no one knew how he managed to retrieve the charm, and somehow this matter reached Chen Xinghe's ears.

That evening, Chen Xinghe deliberately leaned close to him and sniffed hard, pinched his ear, and teased him: "I heard President Wen went digging through the trash with his bare hands today?"

Wen Ling's expression stiffened slightly.

Chen Xinghe laughed: "Just throw it away, can't I go get you a new one?"

He shook his head: "That was the safety charm that sixteen-year-old Chen Xinghe got for me. You only have one sixteen in a lifetime."

SC/HE/Staircase Series Part Two