“Xiao Cheng—you know, that demon from the Xiao family. Even though he’s not in our circle, you’ve definitely heard the name, right?” He Feng, afraid that Jiang Run might not know exactly who he was talking about, gave an explanation.
As he spoke, he even exaggeratedly shuddered.
Seeing this, Jiang Run instinctively sat up straighter, his expression shifting twice. After a few seconds of silence, he voiced his confusion: “What does this have to do with Xiao Cheng?”
Lin Aiyun and Xiao Cheng? Two people who had absolutely nothing to do with each other—why would He Feng bring them up together?
As for Xiao Cheng, how could he not know him? Before Old Mr. Xiao passed away, Xiao Cheng had been the model example among the younger generation in the capital’s high society—outstanding in appearance, proficient in both academics and special skills, with nothing he couldn’t master.
His name was constantly on the lips of the elders from various families.
He’d even gone to the same school as Xiao Cheng when they were kids, though they weren’t close.
It was inevitable for peers of the same age and gender to compare themselves to one another, especially among men. But back then, no one dared to drag Xiao Cheng into that competitive circle, because there was no outcome other than humiliation.
But everything took a turn after Old Mr. Xiao’s death. In a short span of time, Xiao Cheng went from being the universally praised sun to a demon that everyone avoided yet had no choice but to ingratiate themselves with.
His methods were ruthless and merciless. At a young age, he swallowed up all the enterprises his father had left behind, and even under the circumstances at the time, he managed to expand them further and further—it was simply appalling.
The Xiao family relatives who had been eyeing the pie and trying to get a piece of it were almost all crushed by him. A pack of old foxes in their fifties and sixties couldn’t outmaneuver a half-grown kid—it became a laughingstock at tea tables everywhere.
Could someone like that have any connection to Lin Aiyun?
Jiang Run tapped his palm with his fingertips, and a smiling, radiant face involuntarily surfaced before his eyes. He still didn’t want to believe it.
“Oh! Have you forgotten?” He Feng stood up from the sofa in exasperation, clasped his hands together and rubbed them back and forth, then suddenly turned to Jiang Run and blurted out the key piece of information: “Wasn’t he going around the city at the end of last year with a portrait looking for a woman?”
Even though it was done under the radar, people like them definitely knew about it.
“That woman looks exactly like Lin Aiyun!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Jiang Run’s thin lips pressed into a straight line. If he still couldn’t remember after He Feng had spelled it out that clearly, he might as well throw his brain away.
But inexplicably, he didn’t want to believe it, and shot back: “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely sure! You don’t trust me?” He Feng looked just as dumbfounded, grinding his molars. Then he suddenly clapped his hands and made a suggestion: “What do you think—should we tell Xiao Cheng about this? Even though the Xiao family donated all their assets, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The connections and resources he has in his hands…”
“Why should we tell him? He stopped looking afterward, didn’t he? Maybe he doesn’t want to look anymore. Why should we meddle in other people’s business?” Jiang Run’s tone was flat, betraying no emotion, but only he knew that something was off with his mood.
Very off.
“Besides, she can’t possibly be the woman Xiao Cheng was looking for. She only came to the capital a while ago. The timeline doesn’t match at all.” Jiang Run’s gaze shifted to a cabinet not far away, where several embroidery pieces were displayed. Among them, a peony painting was especially eye-catching—vibrant and bold in color.
A while ago, when the display wall downstairs was rotating embroidery pieces, he’d inexplicably brought this one back.
The atmosphere fell silent for a few seconds before Jiang Run concluded: “They probably just look alike.”
“That’s true. How could it be that much of a coincidence.” He Feng nodded in agreement. After a moment of thought, he changed the subject: “By the way, Xiao Cheng got married last month. I heard the ceremony was very grand.”
They weren’t close, so they’d only sent a congratulatory gift as a token gesture—enough to keep up appearances.
“With a new love in his life, the old flame naturally wouldn’t be on his mind anymore.”
Coming from He Feng, that sentence carried a strange sense of irony. After he said it, the two exchanged glances. He Feng rubbed the tip of his nose awkwardly and took the lead in changing the subject.
—
Back to Lin Aiyun—she had no idea that she and Xiao Cheng had become the subject of someone else’s conversation. She was busy discussing with Yang Xi and the others what to bring for their hike tomorrow. Since climbing to the top would take a long time, they planned to bring some food to eat along the way.
After they’d each decided what to bring, it was almost time to clock out.
As usual, Xiao Cheng drove to pick her up. Once she got in the car, Lin Aiyun chattered on about the good news from today. When she got to the key parts, her face glowed with excitement, and a flush crept up her cheeks—she was simply radiant.
Xiao Cheng was genuinely happy for her too. When they got home, he helped her share the news again in front of the family.
Such good news was certainly worth celebrating. Since they were going hiking tomorrow, Lin Aiyun went to the market with Zhang Wenhua, along with Xiao Cheng and Lin Wenkang as bag carriers. The four of them did a thorough shopping spree.
“That girl A-juan has a boyfriend now, and she’s hardly ever home these days.”
By the time they got back from shopping, Xiao Juan still hadn’t returned. Only Lin Jianzhi, who had just come home from work, was there. Zhang Wenhua couldn’t help but laugh and tease.
“She’s probably eating out. Shen Liang’an will bring her back later. We don’t need to worry.” Xiao Cheng, on the other hand, was very relaxed, showing no sign of concern at all.
They had a good meal and went for a walk afterward. But since the weather was getting colder and Lin Aiyun disliked staying outside in the cold, they didn’t stay out long and soon headed back to their rooms.
After closing the bedroom door, Xiao Cheng turned his head to look at her, staring for a few seconds. Then he suddenly leaned in, his large hand wrapping around her small one. With his other hand, he raised his index finger to hook a strand of hair by her ear, his warm palm rubbing her earlobe that had been chilled by the wind.
“Very cold?”
His deep voice slowly sounded. Lin Aiyun’s long lashes trembled slightly. She was caught off guard by Xiao Cheng’s sudden flirtatious move and instinctively took half a step back, shrinking her neck. She swallowed twice before stammering out: “I-it’s actually not too bad. Not especially cold.”
The north and south were different—at this time of year, people in the south were still wearing light clothes, but in the north, coats were already necessary.
The wind stung the face when it hit, and it took a long time inside to warm back up. She was a native southerner, and although she’d gotten used to the cold during her previous life in the capital and could handle it, this body was experiencing it for the first time, so she couldn’t quite bear it.
Xiao Cheng nodded. “That’s just how the weather is in the north. Tomorrow when we head out, I’ll grab you a thick coat and a scarf—make sure you dress warmly.”
As he spoke, his hand moved from her earlobe up to her hair, hooking a few strands and wrapping them around his fingertip twice before letting them go. He repeated this playfully three or four times before finally stopping, revealing her ear—now flushed a deep crimson.
Noticing this change, Xiao Cheng’s lips curled upward slightly. His palm slid down to grip her slender waist, feeling her body tremble. He leaned down and lowered his voice, almost as if murmuring to himself—but she heard every word clearly.
“Wife, do you want it?”
The words came out slowly, one by one—just four short syllables. But to Lin Aiyun’s ears, they stretched on endlessly, landing with a thud that made her heart quake.
After asking, Xiao Cheng fixed his deep, narrow eyes on her without blinking, like a master of the push-and-pull game, his voice soft and bewitching, seeping little by little into her heart, tickling unbearably.
Lin Aiyun parted her pink lips, about to say something, when his face suddenly drew close. The full, superior lines of his lips filled her vision. They hovered at a teasing distance, exchanging each other’s hot, rushed breaths.
Almost as if possessed, she rose on her tiptoes, looped her arms around his neck, and kissed him softly.
With so much good news today, she deserved a treat—and well, a handsome man who delivered himself to her door was not to be wasted.
In the dim light, their lips were sucked till glistening and wet. Her whole body looked as if she’d just been pulled from a hot spring, flushed pink all over, her graceful figure swaying along, her long hair slipping down over her shoulders.
Her lashes half-lowered, a smile playing on her lips—enticing without even knowing it.
The bet from yesterday was now perfectly fulfilled in another form.
Lin Aiyun felt as though she were riding the clouds, bobbing up and down. “I’m really tired!”
“The fun is yet to come,” Xiao Cheng coaxed. His long arm wrapped around her, steadying her slender waist so she wouldn’t fall. His voice had long gone hoarse, and an ambiguous teeth mark had somehow appeared around his Adam’s apple. He looked utterly languid, occasionally using a bit of force to help adjust her position in a leisurely, unhurried way.
Looking closely, one would see that his amber pupils were filled with satisfaction.
Lin Aiyun licked her dry lips. Her hair, damp with sweat, clung to the sides of her cheeks. Her breathing was ragged and rapid. Her long neck arched backward as she finally, through practice, came to believe his words.
Since they had plans the next day, neither dared to overdo it. They each reached a point of barely sufficient satisfaction and tacitly called it a night. Lin Aiyun had no energy left to wash up, but fortunately Xiao Cheng didn’t hesitate for a second—he scooped her up in a princess carry and, using a towel and warm water, carefully cleaned her from head to toe.
She was happy to laze around, and at some point, she fell asleep.
When she woke again, dawn was just breaking. They quickly washed up, had a bowl of noodles each, grabbed the food they’d prepared the day before, and set off.
Yang Xi and Qin Shuang’s family didn’t have a car, so Lin Aiyun and Zhang Yaoyao each took responsibility for picking up one family. They gathered at the agreed meeting spot, and by the time the four men and four women came together, the sun was fully up.
The weather was nice today—a clear, sapphire-blue sky with a few white clouds drifting about, forming all sorts of shapes. A tall mountain loomed ahead, and what met their eyes was a boundless maple forest.
Green and red intertwined, weaving together a beautiful natural tapestry.
The temperature was neither too hot nor too cold. Lin Aiyun took off the thick coat she’d worn out in the morning and switched to a lighter one. Happily linking arms with Zhang Yaoyao, she walked ahead. Two steps behind them were the pack mules—Xiao Cheng and Gu Yuan—carrying all the supplies.
“Mr. Xiao actually has time to come out hiking today?”
“And Dr. Gu doesn’t?”
Xiao Cheng deflected the question with ease, tossing the exact same words back. Though his eyes appeared to be taking in the scenery, they never actually left Lin Aiyun up ahead.
Hearing this, Gu Yuan smiled and answered seriously: “My wife wants to go out and have some fun, so I have to make time even if I don’t have any. I’m sure Mr. Xiao can understand that.”
Xiao Cheng glanced at him without a word—which was as good as an admission.
Just then, Lin Aiyun and Zhang Yaoyao suddenly changed direction and headed toward Yang Xi and the others not far away, splitting the men and women into two separate camps.
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