"I'm just helping your mother clarify certain matters!" Gu Feng's face hardened as his eyes quickly swept over Ding Jia. He wasn't pleased with Kong Chengyi's sarcasm. "Your behavior will only hurt your mother!"
"Chengyi!" Gasping for breath, Lin Xiao finally caught up with them. She looked at Kong Chengyi sorrowfully, her lips trembling as if wanting to say something but feeling it was inappropriate, taking a step forward to get closer to him.
"Never thought even my mother has things that need you to investigate. Indeed, Xing Weekly's greatest talent is digging into others' privacy. Unfortunately, I've decided to make Xing Weekly disappear from the media world!" A sarcastic smile curled on Kong Chengyi's lips. He clearly didn't believe Gu Feng's words at all, and openly declared that he had already taken action against Xing Weekly.
"Chengyi, Xing Weekly is your Uncle Gu's lifetime achievement. What nonsense are you up to? Do you plan to acquire Xing Weekly? Chengzai Group's business isn't in that sector at all!" Lin Xiao stepped forward, grasping Kong Chengyi's arm. Her sorrowful eyes instantly turned sharp. Forgetting that she might anger him, she looked him straight in the eyes.
"Remember, you are a member of the Kong family. The interests of Chengzai Group are your interests!" Unhappy, Kong Chengyi narrowed his eyes and firmly grasped Lin Xiao's wrist. Applying some force, he threw her off. Then he took Ding Jia's hand and strode away decisively.
"Xiaoxiao…" Gu Feng quickly stepped forward to catch Lin Xiao as she stumbled back.
"Chengyi, listen to Mom for a moment…" Supported by Gu Feng, Lin Xiao cried out bitterly, huge tears falling rapidly down her cheeks. Through her blurred eyes, she stared mercilessly at Kong Chengyi's departing back.
Tightly gripped on the left, Ding Jia barely hurried to keep up with Kong Chengyi's pace. Fixating on his broad back, her thoughts quickly gathered. She looked back at Lin Xiao, who was being supported by Gu Feng, lips slowly curling upward to reveal a strange smile she couldn't suppress.
Swiftly striding forward, veins on Kong Chengyi's forehead bulged. His thin lips pressed tightly, clearly restraining boiling anger.
Eventually, Kong Chengyi only took Ding Jia back to Chengzai Hotel to dine. Throughout the meal, no matter how much Ding Jia tried to act coquettishly or be considerate, he kept a cold face. Before the meal even ended, he had Ke Jie send Ding Jia away, then returned alone to the company.
All afternoon, Kong Chengyi focused intently on reviewing Xing Weekly's materials. Quickly organizing his thoughts, he devised a meticulous acquisition plan in a very short time. Methodically, he gave instructions to Ke Jie to gradually swallow up Xing Weekly in his own way.
After completing the initial strategic arrangement against Xing Weekly, night had already fallen. Kong Chengyi chose a seat facing the large floor-to-ceiling window, staring out into the pitch-black sky sprinkled with distant stars. The vast, empty night sky matched his current mood exactly.
He turned on his phone and swiped through contacts until he found Ran Fang's number. "Meet me at the bar in half an hour!" Without waiting for a response, he hung up and grabbed his jacket from the chair back, walking straight out of the office.
The flashy lights swung wildly, quickly sweeping over the densely packed crowd wildly dancing. The pulsating music was like an incendiary elixir, and the crowded dance floor exuded heavy ambivalence.
In a private booth around the dance floor, Kong Chengyi held a wine glass skillfully in one hand and a cigarette in the other. His sharp, hawkish eyes stared vaguely at the dancers, as if watching the frenzy or lost in drifting thoughts. His usually cold and handsome features betrayed no hint of his thoughts.
He sipped the spicy amber liquid, the burn in his throat unmoved his indifferent expression. As the wine slid down his throat, he took a deep drag of his cigarette. His movements were so practiced and urgent, like a drunken man drowning his heartbreak.
He beckoned a waiter over and pulled out a stack of cash from his wallet, pointing at the empty bottles on the table to signal more drinks.
Soon, two more bottles of amber-colored liquor were placed on the square bar table. A young waiter attended closely. Kong Chengyi repeatedly drained his glass and quickly refilled it; the two worked silently in tandem.
Ran Fang strode up confidently, dressed in a sharp suit and trousers, legs long and rhythmically stepping. Holding his coat, his shirt unbuttoned at the top two buttons, revealing a well-defined neck, he raised an eyebrow and plopped down beside Kong Chengyi on the left.
Taking a long drag of his cigarette, Kong Chengyi lazily eyed the man who was more than half an hour late, then raised a hand to have the waiter top off his glass. "Late? Three shots penalty!"
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Ran Fang's mouth. Without a word, he drank down the shots.
Kong Chengyi extinguished his cigarette only after watching Ran Fang drink three more, then he clinked glasses with him and threw back his own.
Ran Fang pulled out a cigarette and leisurely lit it up, also watching the fiery, dynamic dance floor quietly. The smile on his lips gradually froze.
"Tonight, we'll get drunk and won't go home!" Raising his glass, Kong Chengyi nodded to Ran Fang, emptied another full glass in one gulp without blinking.
"Alright, let's really get drunk tonight!" Ran Fang swirled his glass and tossed it back with equal flair.
The dance floor roared with noise, but in the small private booth it was deathly silent. The two poured drink after drink, sinking quietly into their own worlds without a word.
As the night deepened, the dance floor reached its peak around dawn. The DJ pumped up the crowd repeatedly; the swaying bodies became more uninhibited. Couples pressed tightly together, waiting impatiently, while a daring young woman with fiery red hair slid onto Kong Chengyi's arm.
"Hey, buy me a drink? Can you take me home afterward?" Wearing revealing shorts and a cropped top, the young woman flirted, pressing close to Kong Chengyi, tossing him seductive looks.
He raised his glass and took a sip, then slammed it down and pushed her roughly away. His voice low and steady as he scolded, "Get lost!"
"Hmph, so what if you're handsome!" Surprised to be pushed away so abruptly, the red-haired beauty indignantly twisted her waist and left the booth.
Holding his glass, Ran Fang glanced sideways at Kong Chengyi with a slight smile. "Bro, no interest in all these passionate beauties, huh? Or are you drinking because of Hua Lianxi?" They hadn't spoken since sitting, and Ran Fang had no clue why Kong Chengyi was drowning himself in drink. Seeing how pitiful the rejected beauty looked, he finally teased.
With a sharp "snap," Kong Chengyi lit a cigarette without answering Ran Fang's question. His dark eyes remained fixed on the dance floor; his cold features exuded indifference.
Raising an eyebrow, Ran Fang signaled the waiter for another bottle. He hardly touched it, generously pouring most into Kong Chengyi's glass, who continued smoking silently as if unaware of Ran Fang's actions, eagerly drinking it down.
"Who's that?" Hua Lianxi, clutching a glass of milk, held her breath and quietly asked from behind the door. She hadn't been able to sleep and got up after 2 a.m. The sudden doorbell ringing startled her.
After a few seconds of silence, Hua Lianxi nearly turned back inside, but the doorbell rang again—ding-dong, ding-dong.
Frowning, she stepped back a few paces and stared at the solid door, heart suddenly racing with a flash of fear.
"I'm Ran Fang. Kong Chengyi had an accident!" Ran Fang's voice floated in from behind the door, tinged with urgency.
Her heart clenched tightly. Hua Lianxi's hands trembled as she held her milk. Warm milk splattered onto the floor. She mouthed words but no sound came out.
"Open the door. There's something I need to tell you in person!" Ran Fang's large hand pounded impatiently on the door, almost kicking it.
Taking a deep breath, Hua Lianxi steadied her voice. "He has nothing to do with me. You're mistaken!" Repeatedly telling herself that even if he had an accident, it was none of her concern, she chose to refuse.
"Whether or not you're involved, he entrusted me to tell you. I must tell you in person!" Ran Fang's tone turned colder as he twisted the door handle. "Hurry up, open the door!"
"What happened to him?" Staring at the door, Hua Lianxi asked hesitantly, imagining the possible accident. Her hands and feet instantly grew icy.
"Open the door! I don't have time to waste with you at this hour!" Behind the door, Ran Fang finally cracked a smile. His shoulder twitched as he pulled the nearly unconscious Kong Chengyi closer. Kong Chengyi was already drunk out of his mind.
Breathing deeply several times, her heart pounding wildly, Hua Lianxi finally gave in. She gripped the door and yanked it open with a "click." "What exactly happened to him?"
The door had just opened a crack when Ran Fang's long leg pushed through to prevent Hua Lianxi from slamming it shut.
"He's drunk, unconscious, and before he passed out, he gave orders to come to you!" Ran Fang sobered the silent man by force, then drove him straight here.
"Drunk? Take him away. I have nothing to do with him!" Seeing the drunk man dangling on Ran Fang, Hua Lianxi glared fiercely, utterly disgusted by Ran Fang's lies.
Quickly surveying the room layout, Ran Fang dragged Kong Chengyi straight toward Hua Lianxi's bedroom and hurriedly laid him on her bed.
"You're crazy! Why did you put him here? I have nothing to do with him! I don't care where you dump him, but it absolutely cannot be here!" What was this? Drunkenly barging in like it was natural?
Shaking off sore arms from carrying Kong Chengyi so long, Ran Fang strode out of Hua Lianxi's home, ignoring her shouts.
Rushing after him, Hua Lianxi was caught off guard when the door slammed loudly with a "bang." Furious, she clenched her fists and turned back to her bedroom.
"Mr. Kong, please leave immediately. This is my home, and I can sue you for trespassing!" Glaring, Hua Lianxi angrily bent down to grab the slumbering Kong Chengyi.
He lay sprawled across her bed, frowning in displeasure. He vaguely sensed someone disturbing his sleep and turned his head, trying to avoid the disturbance.
Using all her strength, the drunken man didn't budge, even sleeping more soundly. Hua Lianxi puffed out her cheeks and knelt on one knee by the bed, placing a delicate palm firmly over his nostrils, blocking his breath viciously.
"Kong Chengyi, you bastard, get up…"
His breath stalled. Suddenly, Kong Chengyi's clear eyes snapped open. The first thing he saw was her delicate face. He grabbed her wrist and, with a quick move, flipped her over and pinned her beneath him.
"Ah!" Hua Lianxi screamed, dizzy as she lay pressed against the bed while the once unconscious man stared intently at her with bright eyes.
"You bastard, Kong Chengyi, let me go and get out of my house…" Before she could finish, his handsome face loomed larger and larger, silencing her completely.