On My Way - Chapter 69

Chapter 69 - Fireworks on the Little New Year

I politely took my leave of Sister Shen, telling her that I had to go home for the New Year, and that I would come back to settle the payments after the holiday—at which point I would still need her help.

Sister Shen remained in a state of confusion. She believed that she had caused me to be caught red-handed by my "husband," and that if a divorce or some other mess ensued, it would be all her fault. Consequently, she didn't say much and left as if fleeing the scene.

Cheng Xia seemed satisfied with this outcome.

We didn’t leave Feng City; instead, we moved to a different hotel. It was a step down in quality from the one Sister Shen had arranged, but it was clean and had a fantastic breakfast buffet.

I carefully reviewed the documents Sister Shen had given me; I needed to conduct a more thorough background check.

It was simple logic: anyone who appears out of nowhere to help you, leads you into indulgence, and leaves your head spinning is someone worth being wary of.

Cheng Xia looked over the documents and said, “This Yiyuan Construction company you’re looking to acquire really doesn’t have any debt or equity disputes. The price is just a bit inflated.”

“That’s within a reasonable range, I suppose,” I said. “I’m more worried about some hidden landmine waiting for me.”

Cheng Xia pondered for a moment. “True. We need to inquire through other channels.”

He made a few calls and then turned back to me. “A senior of mine in the construction industry is also in Feng City. Should we go have a chat with him?”

“Now? This circle isn’t very big. Wouldn’t it be bad if Sister Shen found out?”

In truth, this was just an excuse. The real reason was that I was way too full, and if I drank anything else, I was pretty sure I’d end up with a perforated stomach.

Cheng Xia replied, “It doesn’t matter. I’ll go with you. Even if word gets out, it will just look like a married couple trying to start a company.”

He smiled. “I’ll have to wrong you a bit, my lady.”

That senior mogul was also in the municipal engineering business, and his schedule was packed tight. He told us he was about to fly out, so we had to reach his office within thirty minutes.

He was a kind-looking man who brewed us tea and asked Cheng Xia in a leisurely manner, “This is Da Hong Pao tea a tea-farmer friend of mine sent over. Give it a taste. How is your father lately?”

“He’s doing well. He keeps talking about traveling around the country to see old friends once he retires.”

“Oh, ho! Then I’ll be waiting for his grand arrival.” The senior laughed and naturally transitioned to the main topic. “You want to open a construction company, is that it? Do you have any projects on hand right now?”

“Yes, it’s a school project,” Cheng Xia said. “I want to avoid the hassle, so I’m looking to acquire a company directly—Yiyuan Construction. What do you think of them?”

“Ah, the person in charge there is Zhang Cheng.” The senior narrowed his eyes. “Their reputation is decent, but things might have been tough for them these past two years. How about this… I’ll call him over so you two can talk?”

Cheng Xia and I exchanged glances. My scalp went numb. I was just about to signal no, no, definitely not, when I heard Cheng Xia reply respectfully, “That would be a trouble for you.”

“Not at all. I’ll be out of Feng City next week anyway, so it’ll be more convenient if you just talk to him directly about any issues.”

He then mentioned a few other suitable construction companies and discussed the commercial environment in Feng City. It was the exact opposite of what Sister Shen had said; he believed that Feng City had too many companies, too few resources, and high costs, making it unsuitable for a startup.

I realized this wasn’t Sister Shen’s fault. People standing in different positions see different things and, naturally, reach different conclusions.

Within the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Zhang Cheng arrived.

I was so uncomfortable I felt like my skin was crawling. We had drunk together at Sister Shen’s dinner party just the other day, and at the time, we had been on the verge of signing a contract. Now that I was investigating him through other channels, anyone would feel awkward.

But he was a veteran in the business; he acted as if he hadn’t recognized me at all, shaking hands with the senior respectfully and greeting us with enthusiasm.

The senior introduced us: “This is Little Cheng, a nephew of mine, and his wife. He has a project in Jinbo City but wants to open a branch here in Feng City, so he’s looking for someone to consult with.”

“Ah, I see,” Zhang Cheng said. “Actually, you could just hang your business under our company, or are you looking to register a new one here? Whatever the issue is, I’m happy to help.”

...I truly found it difficult to reconcile the polite, mild-mannered President Zhang in front of me with the man who had been flushed bright red two days ago while lecturing me on success philosophy.

The senior left to catch his flight, and we chatted alone in the office.

Zhang Cheng once again mentioned the possibility of setting up a subsidiary for us to acquire, though the price was significantly lower this time.

Later, Cheng Xia told me that the senior had informed him that Yiyuan Construction had been poorly managed over the past two years and hadn’t had a new project in a long time; the price they had originally asked for was essentially trying to fleece a sheep.

Now, however, Zhang Cheng’s tone was much more humble: “There have been too few projects starting up in Feng City these last two years; we’ve had a tough time, too. If President Cheng has a project, we can certainly cooperate.”

Cheng Xia said, “I’ll consider it.”

Before we left, Cheng Xia went to the restroom. I couldn’t help myself and brought up Sister Shen.

“I owe Sister Shen for connecting us, but my husband is very thorough and always worries about me.”

In reality, my intention was to warn him not to tell Sister Shen that I was still here.

To my surprise, he interpreted this as me thinking that Sister Shen and he were colluding to pull a "hollow glove" scam, and that I was looking for a confrontation.

He quickly distanced himself. “Actually, I’m not very close with President Shen. She just makes a living in this circle by acting as a middleman; I have to give her some face.”

I was truly surprised then. “I remember her family’s transport company was quite large!”

Zhang Cheng smiled. “Sigh, their finances were split a long time ago. In the early years, it was Sister Shen who was willing to 'give it her all' to build the empire. Once the company got big, her husband started keeping a clean, young college girl. They’re just a couple in name only now.”

I stood there in a daze.

Having spent a long time rolling around in the world of men, I knew exactly how meaningful that phrase "give it her all" was when applied to a woman.

I could even imagine the lewd looks they must have exchanged behind her back.

Just then, Cheng Xia returned. As we were leaving, Zhang Cheng added one last line to me: “Since you and your husband are so close, you shouldn’t hang out with Sister Shen too much. It’s easy for people to get the wrong idea.”

I forced a laugh, feeling as if I had swallowed a fly—it wouldn't come out, and it wouldn't go down. I just felt sick to my core.

Zhang Cheng suggested we eat together, but Cheng Xia refused. We spent the rest of the day in a flurry of meetings with several other construction company owners, finally returning to the hotel after nine in the evening.

Cheng Xia asked, “Yiyuan Construction had the lowest asking price, and they don’t have any ongoing projects. It’s quite suitable.”

I didn’t speak.

He asked again, “So, what are your thoughts?”

I said, “Actually, after talking to the senior today, I don’t think we have to stay in Feng City. We could look at surrounding cities. Ideally, we should find a company that has never been operated and has completely clean books.”

Cheng Xia said, “He offered to set up a subsidiary; that wouldn’t have been operated either.”

I fell silent again. After a long time, I said, “I don’t like that Zhang Cheng.”

For one, acquiring a company is a complex matter. I always had the feeling he was a petty man, and there were likely hidden traps in the company books. If we really worked together, we wouldn’t be able to defend against them.

For another, I had a bit of selfishness. I felt that since Sister Shen had been running around for me for so many days, it would be underhanded to sign this deal behind her back.

Cheng Xia sighed. “Alright. Then we’ll just have to wait until we go back and look in Jinbo.”

I felt a pang of guilt. We had put in so much effort, only to end up right back where we started.

But I wanted to stick to my intuition—once you feel something isn't reliable, the best thing to do is to cut your losses immediately.

I said, “Sorry about that, Cheng Xia.”

“It’s fine. You’re going to be the boss soon, and your judgment is the priority.” He stood up. “Are you hungry? I’ll go boil you a bowl of noodles.”

We had spent the afternoon drinking tea and chatting, skipping lunch and missing the hotel buffet.

Fortunately, there was an induction cooker in the room, and Cheng Xia cooked two bowls of instant noodles.

If you eat this stuff all the time, you’d get sick of it, but occasionally, eating a hot bowl of it makes it taste like a feast—especially when you haven’t had dinner.

Just as we were eating, a massive firework burst into bloom outside the floor-to-ceiling window, followed by a sea of colorful sparkles.

This room was on a high floor. It was my first time watching fireworks from such close proximity, and I nearly dropped my chopsticks in shock. “What day is it? Why are there fireworks?”

“It’s the Little New Year!” Cheng Xia said.

It suddenly dawned on me. I checked my phone, and sure enough, it was the Little New Year. I had been so busy I’d forgotten.

My family always took the Little New Year quite seriously. Every year at this time, we would fry pork cracklings, make dumplings, or fry oil cakes.

I wondered how Grandma was doing. I had been out for a week and hadn’t contacted her once.

The sense of escape vanished. Suddenly, I remembered a hundred and eighty things worth worrying about, and my mood grew heavy.

Cheng Xia asked from the side, “What’s wrong?”

I forced a smile. “Nothing… just feeling like we’re both pretty pathetic, having to eat instant noodles on the Little New Year.”

Cheng Xia chuckled. “I feel quite happy.”

His eyes turned toward me, filled with a gentle warmth, like a shimmering sea. “As long as I’m with you, I feel happy.”

Countless fireworks bloomed across the sea of the night, grand and magnificent.

I looked away and said, “Stop with the cheesy talk.”

The atmosphere began to feel a bit strange. I belatedly realized that I was in a room alone with him, and behind me was a very soft bed.

My face felt a bit hot. I finished my noodles in a rush and said, “I’m going back.”

I retreated to my own room as if fleeing.

I turned on the faucet, letting the water wash over my flushed body while thinking: I am truly shameless.

In my life, the thing I hate most is owing people favors. I didn’t even want to owe Sister Shen.

Yet, deep down, I did have a selfish and dirty thought.

I wanted Cheng Xia to stay by my side as a friend.

He could provide me with resources, and with his attentiveness and thoughtfulness, help me handle things.

Most importantly, I could see him at any time, feeling the infinite tolerance and support he gave me. It was an important source of strength that kept me going.

I didn’t want to be in a relationship with him, but I wanted these things. So, I pretended not to feel the way he looked at me every time—gentle, sorrowful, and carrying a humble hope.

—Just like he had treated me many years ago.

When I stepped out of the bathroom in my bathrobe, I had already made up my mind.

I had to keep my distance from Cheng Xia. Even if I lied to myself ten thousand times, we were just childhood friends.

But in my heart, I knew that the entanglement of all these years had closed off every other path. Beyond being lovers or strangers, we had no other way.

Just then, my phone rang. It was Cheng Xia. He said, “There’s a gala on tonight. Should we watch it together?”

“How old are you? There’s nothing worth watching there.” I said as I wiped my hair.

He replied, “Let’s watch it together. It’s too lonely watching it by myself. I’m right outside your room.”

I looked toward that door and hesitated.

Outside the window, the fireworks were still blooming fervently, burning with all their might to exhaust every ounce of light in their lives.

On the other end of the line, there was silence. He didn’t say anything more; I could only hear his soft, steady breathing.