In the bathroom, Xing Yuanzhi, who had already finished her evening bathing quota, draped the towel over her damp black hair, looked at herself in the mirror, and revealed a cold, simmering smile.
"Good, very good."
It was already 8 o'clock in the evening, no calls could get through, no messages either...
"You really have some nerve, Cheng Jinyang!"
She silently sat down on the sofa in the living room, blow-dried her hair, and then stared at the night outside for a while.
Taking out her phone, she dialed a number with slender fingers.
"I'm Xing Yuanzhi." After the call connected, she said coldly, "Connect me to the Ground Network."
The Xing Family in Hejian was involved in multiple industries, and most of the public transportation and logistics companies in the entire Yangtze River Delta region were either directly or indirectly controlled by the Xing Family.
Relying on the "quality effect" of family members, they regularly reduced the weight of goods in storage, thus greatly reducing the costs of warehousing and transportation, leading to few other companies being able to compete with the Xing Group in the market.
This was the surface explanation.
In reality, the Xing Family in Hejian was not content with just being the "logistics overlord."
Under the guise of logistics station construction, they had secretly woven a vast underground network in the Yangtze River Delta, digesting all the smugglers and intelligence traffickers from north to south into this huge network.
Soon, the head of the Ground Network in Pukou District connected, respectfully saying:
"Miss."
"Help me look up someone."
"Please tell me."
"Cheng Jinyang, a scion of the Cheng family in Shendu, with his father being Cheng Qinghe. He was supposed to be at the Wu Quemei's Clinic on Buyue Road in Wukou District at 10 a.m. this morning, but his whereabouts are now unknown. Help me find out his current location and who he's with."
"Alright, Miss, we have his information. We'll send you the results shortly."
Xing Yuanzhi hung up the phone, her cold eyes flashing with a hint of chill.
On the third day of living together, he already learned to stay out all night... Cheng, Jin, Yang!
She tossed her phone onto the sofa and strode angrily towards the bathroom.
First, a shower to calm down, but unfortunately, there's no bathtub for a bath.
I'll have to buy one.
.....
The KTV in this world, literati call it "night entertainment". As the name implies, it's a place for entertainment at night. Of course, karaoke, loudspeakers, and drinking culture have also been brought over by the predecessor Sima Yi.
It is said that he even intended to promote pop music in his later years, but eventually encountered failure: this proves that even the eternal emperor cannot determine the preferences of the masses.
Therefore, the song machine plays all classical Chinese songs, making Cheng Jinyang a bit overwhelmed... he really can't sing.
In the private room at this time, besides Cheng Xinnan, the mature and charming elder sister, there are also her two younger sisters and one younger brother, all called over by this elder sister.
Cheng Jinyang naturally understood that this is sister Xinnan introducing him to the Cheng family's children, rebuilding the family's connections, so he smiled and greeted his cousins.
The second daughter, Cheng Nan'an, who is about seventeen or eighteen years old, is said to have already married into the Tai'an Yang family, a delicate girl wearing glasses; the youngest daughter, Cheng Nandi, who looks about fifteen or sixteen years old, is very curious about Cheng Jinyang's relationship with their sister, Cheng Xinnan, and probes variously in their conversations.
As for Cheng Yan, he is the youngest brother in their family, undoubtedly receiving the unanimous favor of his three sisters.
However, there are no signs of him being spoiled. He speaks respectfully and addresses Cheng Jinyang as "Elder Brother Jinyang", leaving a very good impression on Cheng Jinyang.
"Bell chimes ceaselessly, banquets and outings are frequent, with robes and sashes adorned with silk and jewels~ Applying vermilion and powder, with plump skin and clear bones, bearing a demeanor full of innocence..." At this moment, Cheng Xinnan is holding the microphone, singing a love song tenderly—why it's a love song, Cheng Jinyang can only guess, because he can't understand the lyrics at all.
"...Dancing skirts, song fans, within the light of flowers, flipping back to snow, lingering clouds on a halted journey. With splendid banquet tables, bright phoenix lamps, who is the beloved. Oh oh oh, who is the beloved—"
She finished with a magnificent high note, and Cheng Nan'an and Cheng Nandi, the two little fangirls in the back row, applauded enthusiastically. Cheng Yan sat beside the song machine, smiling contentedly, also proud of his elder sister's singing skills.
"Brother Jingyang, aren't you going to choose a song?" he turned around and asked.
Cheng Jingyang: ???
Not only haven't I heard it before, but I also don't even know how to pronounce some of the characters in the lyrics!
"If you can't sing, you have to drink!"
Cheng Xinnan laughed heartily, throwing the microphone to her two younger sisters, then picking up a bottle of wine to pour.
Cheng Nandi agilely jumped up to catch the microphone, immediately instructing her younger brother:
"Hurry, hurry, play 'Butterflies Love Flowers' by Yan Shu! That's the one with 'bamboo chrysanthemums worry, smoke orchids weep dew'!"
Cheng Yan quickly swiped the screen and changed the song.
At this moment, Cheng Jingyang suddenly noticed a song on the list:
"Song of Water Melody. When Will the Bright Moon Appear," lyrics and music by Sima Yi.
Well, let's not mention the plagiarism and naming issues. Since the music was also composed by this predecessor, could it be that the song he copied was Deng Lijun's classic "When Will the Bright Moon Appear?"
Most likely! I don't believe that Senior Sima Yi had an original piece and didn't copy, then composed another!
"I think I can sing this one," he said.
"Oh, Brother Jingyang wants to sing 'Song of Water Melody'?" Cheng Yan was somewhat surprised and casually selected this song for him.
"Yeah," Cheng Jingyang smiled, "I'll give it a try."
"What, you also like Emperor Xuan's lyrics and music?" Cheng Xinnan suddenly approached, staring at the screen of the jukebox and asked.
At this moment, her face was so close that Cheng Jinyang could clearly see her delicate makeup, the deep and charming eyeliner, the fiery red lips, and the intoxicating scent of alcohol and perfume mixed together, making it seem as if he couldn't even move his body for a moment.
This distance... he could just slightly turn his head and kiss her, right? Then he could just say it was an accident...
These devilish thoughts surged wildly in his mind.
No, snap out of it, you have a fiancée!
So a balance quickly appeared in Cheng Jinyang's mind:
On the left was his cold and unrivaled fiancée. Although there wasn't much emotional foundation, and she only stayed by his side for her own interests, at least it was a legitimate cohabitation relationship, and he should take care of her feelings both morally and logically.
On the right was his delicate and charming cousin from the family. Although there wasn't much emotional foundation either, and her sudden appearance after so many years was suspicious, but she had been sending him money every month, and she was currently a crucial link between himself and the Cheng family of Shendu. Shouldn't he build a good relationship with her?
Of course, he should! But Ah Zhi...
Cheng Jinyang's mental balance swung violently, his mind filled with the fiancee and cousin playing against each other. One voice begged him to restrain himself, while the other voice tempted him to indulge himself.
Then his shoulder was hugged.
In the almost shocked gazes of Cheng Nan'an and Cheng Nandi, Cheng Xinnan affectionately hugged his shoulder and laughed, "I thought you were going to be the audience all night! Let's do a duet later, I want to sing with my little brother Jinyang."
As for Cheng Jinyang... his internal balance has completely tilted and overturned: the weight on the right end smashed the entire platform. Following his gaze, it slid down the deep, bottomless valley along the open neckline of cousin Cheng Xinnan.
All he could say was, "I'm sorry, Ah Zhi!"