Let you be a great man, not a scumbag

Chapter 1791 Actually, I'm not doing too well.

Hearing these words, Xu Zhi forced himself to put on an even more flamboyant smile, raised his glass, and said, "Don't worry! If I, Xu Zhi, have meat to eat, I'll never let my brothers have soup!"

He tried his best to maintain a confident, excited glow on his face as he responded to the compliments and clamor of those around him.

However, upon closer inspection, one can see that the smile on his lips is somewhat stiff, and there is a subtle hint of detachment and unease hidden deep in his eyes.

While tilting my head back to drink, my gaze unconsciously drifted towards the huge screen.

Pre-market trading volume was unusually high, but the stock price fluctuated subtly, like an eerie calm before a storm.

He has used his connections and even secretly verified the information through overseas channels in the past few days.

The news that Facebook's metaverse strategy was released ahead of schedule is absolutely true, and the pessimistic views in related technical reports are indeed circulating in a small circle.

All the information matched the "secret" he had overheard and the "sniper" script he had prepared.

But why... the closer he got to revealing the mystery, the more his heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, and he felt a vague sense of panic?

The feeling is like standing on the edge of a cliff, clearly seeing the treasure on the other side, but always feeling that the rocks under your feet are loose.

The image of Jiang Cheng's indifferent and languid gaze in the nightclub flashed through my mind.

Remembering Shen Shuang's flustered and dodging manner, remembering Jiang Churan sitting quietly beside Jiang Cheng...

These images flashed by like fragments, but instead of putting him at ease, they felt like fine needles pricking at the source of his unease.

Isn't everything going too smoothly?

Would someone like Jiang Cheng, with such an important plan, really let someone "overhear" key information in a public place so easily?

"Young Master Xu?" The voice of the person next to him pulled him back from his daze. "What are you daydreaming about? Thinking about how to celebrate tonight? Haha!"

Xu Zhi suddenly snapped out of his daze, suppressed the doubts surging in his heart, put on an even more exaggerated smile, and drank the rest of the wine in his glass in one gulp.

The spicy liquid burned my throat, trying to burn away that damned anxiety.

"Celebrate?" He raised his voice, trying to drown out everything with his bravado. "Celebrating is too early! When the market opens later, I want to watch the screen and see our account numbers jump faster than my heartbeat!"

"well said!"

"Let's celebrate the successful opening!"

The frenzied shouts once again filled the private room.

Xu Zhi sat back on the sofa, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the cold wine glass, his eyes fixed on the countdown on the screen.

The flashing numbers, at this moment, seem like a countdown to some kind of trial.

Inside the window, the revelry was in full swing;

Outside the window, the night was deep and dark, like a giant beast devouring everything, quietly waiting for its prey to offer its neck to its teeth.

While this place was filled with extravagance and debauchery, Wang Yuyan in the courtyard took the initiative to strike various poses.

She had been in a state of excitement ever since Jiang Cheng brought her into the courtyard house.

Her hotel training during this period gave her a deeper understanding of various types of architecture.

The impact Jiang Cheng had on her today was double, from the Hongqi car to the courtyard house.

Not only Wang Yuyan, but Jiang Cheng was also lying on the golden nanmu sofa, his hand supporting Wang Yuyan's waist.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, thinking that Wang Yuyan truly deserved to be the strongest automation girl besides Yu Xiaoxiao.

When he's with other girls, he usually takes the lead.

So she noticed the difference in this courtyard house as soon as Jiang Cheng led her through the porch.

Her delicate fingertips gently traced the lotus scroll pattern carved in the shadow on the pillars of the porch.

When my fingertips touched the recessed area of ​​the wood grain, I deliberately slowed my pace.

Seeing her actions, Jiang Cheng knew that this girl was probably acting out of professional habit.

His hand was still on her waist, but he didn't urge her to hurry up.

"Do you like it here?"

“I like it.” Wang Yuyan looked up at him, her eyelashes still tinged with the blush from earlier. “The painted decorations on these beams are Suzhou style, aren’t they? I saw some catalogs in my advanced course. They said that this kind of ‘Hexi painting’ requires a base layer of gold leaf first, then mineral pigments are mixed. It’s very complicated…”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng glanced at it; he had visited it once before when he moved in.

However, it's only something you can look at.

It had been a long time since I'd seen Wang Yuyan. Although we'd exchanged a few words in the car earlier, the space was limited.

At this moment, Jiang Cheng's mind was filled with images of the scenery beneath Wang Yuyan's bodycon skirt.

"Weren't you in a hurry to take a shower? How can you still be studying architecture?"

The warm breath brushed against her earlobe, and Wang Yuyan's face instantly flushed again.

My breathing suddenly became erratic.

Clutching the hem of Jiang Cheng's shirt, she looked up at him and said, "I was thinking about it just now, but the look you gave me made me forget it instantly."

Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow, and his other hand had already slipped under her skirt. When his fingertips touched her delicate skin, Wang Yuyan couldn't help but tremble.

However, Wang Yuyan did not dodge.

She found that the bodyguards here were highly professional.

It can be said that wherever they went, the bodyguards who were lying in wait would give way.

How was your time abroad?

Although this wasn't the first time she'd heard this question, hearing Jiang Cheng ask it to her face-to-face still warmed Wang Yuyan's heart.

She instinctively wanted to nod.

But when he thought of the beautiful Xia Li he had just seen, he stopped moving instantly.

A perfectly timed hint of sadness rose on her face.

“Jiang Cheng…” she began, letting a sob linger in her voice, touching yet not annoying. “I… I’m actually not doing very well.”

What Wang Yuyan said was indeed the truth.

She had always been too sensible and restrained herself from causing Jiang Cheng any trouble.

So I always kept my negative emotions hidden.

But after seeing the look in Shirley's eyes, she suddenly realized that she couldn't be so sensible.

As the saying goes, a crying child needs a good scolding.

By constantly telling Jiang Cheng not to worry, I only made myself less noticeable.

Jiang Cheng is never short of people around him.

In front of a man like Jiang Cheng, pure flattery or physical attraction are the easiest substitutes.

But "the truth in vulnerability" and "the dependence in loneliness" might evoke something different.

So all she could do was seize every moment she could spend alone with Jiang Cheng.

Then, say what you can say in the way that will move him the most.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng stopped what he was doing.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Although there was a hidden agenda behind her "not good," the heartache in Jiang Cheng's question still made Wang Yuyan's eyes well up with tears.

After burying her face in Jiang Cheng's chest, Wang Yuyan spoke in a muffled voice.

“It’s not material things, it’s just that something is wrong… Everything you’ve arranged is so good, so safe, you have everything, it’s just… it’s that I feel empty inside. Especially when I’m alone, sometimes it’s so quiet I can hear my own heartbeat, one beat after another… especially during the New Year.”

She took a deep breath and tried to smile, but it looked worse than crying: "You know, back home... even the New Year wasn't very interesting, I didn't even have my own room, but at least there was some human presence, even if there were arguments. But there... I really felt like I was exiled, like a kite with a broken string, floating in the sky with nothing below."

This was the first time she had so directly told Jiang Cheng about this "badness".

It wasn't a complaint, but rather a frank confession that bordered on revealing one's vulnerabilities.

Just as Wang Yuyan expected, upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng had already stopped rubbing her buttocks.

He pulled his hand away and hugged her tightly.

Before Jiang Cheng could even offer any words of comfort to Wang Yuyan, she looked up again, tears glistening in her eyes, yet she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"I'm actually... very scared. Scared that you'll forget about me when you get busy, scared that my messages will go unanswered, scared that if I don't come back for a long time, you'll forget about me..."

In fact, Jiang Cheng knew that Wang Yuyan would be lonely and sad, but there was nothing he could do. The more capable a person is, the harder it is for them to be in two places at once.

Moreover, if someone stays by your side, you must be prepared to endure loneliness.

As the saying goes, you reap what you sow; to keep your wealth, you must endure loneliness.