IMPGS Chapter 112

By the time the kiss finally ended, the vibration of the phone had already stopped.

Xiao Cheng silently wiped away the glistening moisture at the corner of his lips, picked up his phone from the seat beside him, and saw that Jiang Zihe had called.

“What is he calling you for at this time?”

Luo Jingshu leaned over, naturally seeing the missed call on the screen.

“I don’t know.”

Xiao Cheng thought for a moment. “You should head back to school first.”

Luo Jingshu didn’t really want to leave. He was worried that Jiang Zihe would say something ridiculous again and upset Xiao Cheng.

Xiao Cheng guessed Luo Jingshu’s thoughts. Seeing that it was indeed getting late, he reached out and lightly scratched Luo Jingshu’s palm, his fingers gently brushing against the inside of Luo Jingshu’s wrist. “Be good, go back to class.”

“Trust me, I can handle this.”

Luo Jingshu stared at him for a long moment. “If he dares to upset you again, just ignore him, okay?”

Xiao Cheng smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll do as you say.”

Only then was Luo Jingshu barely satisfied. He seemed to have something else on his mind but, in the end, he simply adjusted his collar, stepped out of the car, and walked away.

Xiao Cheng watched him enter the school before finally instructing the driver to turn the car around.

Taking a deep breath, he finally called Jiang Zihe back.

The call was answered within seconds.

Xiao Cheng wasn’t sure what to say at first, so he quietly listened to the silence on the other end. But Jiang Zihe didn’t speak either—only the sound of their breathing could be heard through the receiver.

After a brief pause, Xiao Cheng broke the silence. “Do you have something you want to say to me?”

Too much had happened between their unpleasant parting yesterday and now. Jiang Zihe must have seen Jiang Ying’s apology letter by now, but Xiao Cheng had no idea where he stood.

To be honest, Xiao Cheng didn’t hold out much hope—though he knew Jiang Zihe was not someone who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong.

But people are often selfish when it comes to family. That’s why they say everyone has double standards.

It seemed like Jiang Zihe had been waiting for him to speak first. The moment Xiao Cheng finished his sentence, he responded immediately, “I want to apologize to you.”

In just two days, everything he had believed in was shattered. Jiang Zihe had been caught in a dilemma, tossing and turning all night without sleep, thinking everything over again and again.

By this morning, he had finally made up his mind.

Xiao Cheng opened his mouth slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out.

He realized that no matter what he said at this moment, it wouldn’t be appropriate. What mattered was what Jiang Zihe would say next.

So, he stayed silent, lowering his gaze and simply listening.

Jiang Zihe took a deep breath. “I was too impulsive yesterday. Learning something like that all of a sudden, I was only thinking about myself and didn’t consider that you were a victim too.”

Xiao Cheng’s voice softened slightly. “It’s not your fault.”

Jiang Zihe fell silent again, as if carefully choosing his words. Though he didn’t say much, it was clear that his thoughts were well-organized—these were undoubtedly his true feelings.

“I apologize on behalf of my brother for what he did.”

Then, after a pause, he asked, “Xiao Cheng, do you still hate him?”

Xiao Cheng couldn’t bring himself to say he didn’t hate him. But he knew that any answer he gave would be devastating for Jiang Zihe.

So, he said nothing—letting his silence speak for itself.

His response was expected. Jiang Zihe wasn’t surprised. In fact, he didn’t hesitate long before asking another question: “Are you still going to retaliate against him?”

Xiao Cheng told him, “It’s not about whether I want to retaliate or not, Zihe. Your brother never intended to let me go either.”

Jiang Zihe recalled how not long ago, Jiang Ying had openly declared war on the Xiao family during a media interview.

Back then, he thought Jiang Ying was doing it out of love for Luo Jingshu. Now, he realized how wrong he had been.

Jiang Ying and Xiao Cheng had already been fighting to the death long before he even knew it.

Just like Xiao Cheng said—even if he didn’t retaliate, Jiang Ying wouldn’t let him go.

Besides, Jiang Zihe knew his brother well. Just the humiliation the Xiao family had made him suffer online was enough for Jiang Ying to hate them to the core.

At the end of the day, this was Jiang Ying’s own fault.

Jiang Zihe let out a soft sigh, his voice carrying an exhaustion he couldn’t conceal. “I don’t want to get involved in this anymore.”

“My brother brought this upon himself.”

Jiang Zihe had a strange premonition—he felt that Jiang Ying would never be able to defeat the Xiao family.

“But, Xiao Cheng,” Jiang Zihe mustered all his strength to say the next words. “Can you not completely destroy the Jiang family?”

His family’s company was the legacy of several generations. Jiang Zihe couldn’t bear to watch it crumble at Jiang Ying’s hands.

Xiao Cheng had thought about this issue a long time ago. Now, he finally had the chance to say what had been on his mind.

“Zihe, have you really never considered taking your brother’s place?”

Jiang Zihe froze, then fell into deep silence.

Last time, Xiao Cheng had asked a similar question, but he had brushed it off as a joke.

The truth was—he had thought about it.

He knew that Jiang Ying’s kindness toward him was, in a way, an attempt to make him weak.

Because no matter how much Jiang Ying cared for him, he couldn’t afford to bet on whether money would corrupt him.

Jiang Ying treated him well, but at the same time, he was always wary of him.

Jiang Zihe had always known this. He just felt that since Jiang Ying wanted that position, he wouldn’t fight or compete for it—he would simply be the obedient younger brother.

Maybe this way, Jiang Ying would always remain the loving older brother who doted on him.

Jiang Zihe had never wanted to think about this problem before. He had never considered that one day, Jiang Ying might be forced to step down from that position.

Did he want to take Jiang Ying’s place?

Jiang Zihe fell into a long silence, and Xiao Cheng didn’t rush him.

After a long time, Jiang Zihe finally spoke in a low voice, “I will protect the company.”

After hanging up the call, Xiao Cheng suddenly felt a little empty.

But he quickly pulled himself together.

This situation was bound to happen sooner or later.

Luo Jingshu returned to school, and Xiao Cheng also started his new semester.

When he saw Jiang Zihe again, there was a brief moment of awkwardness. However, Jiang Zihe simply smiled at him, as if the conflict between them had never happened.

Xiao Cheng felt relieved and quickly returned the smile.

Fang Hui happened to glance over at that moment and unintentionally noticed the slightly unnatural atmosphere between them.

He remembered that Xiao Cheng and Jiang Zihe had always been close. Had they had a falling out?

But before he could take a closer look, his boyfriend grabbed his hand, making him quickly look away.

Neither Xiao Cheng nor Jiang Zihe asked each other about their thoughts or plans. They silently pretended that nothing had happened.

Xiao Cheng, however, would sometimes mention Jiang Ying to Luo Jingshu. Although Luo Jingshu never hid anything from him, every time he heard Jiang Ying’s name from Xiao Cheng’s mouth, he would get jealous.

[Is Jiang Zihe making things difficult for you again?]

Every time Xiao Cheng saw this message, he felt helpless. In Luo Jingshu’s eyes, he seemed like some delicate and helpless little thing, constantly being bullied.

Perhaps it was because he had met Xiao Cheng’s family—Luo Jingshu seemed to have taken He An’s words to heart and now felt more confident around Xiao Cheng.

Whenever Xiao Cheng brushed him off, Luo Jingshu would bring up He An.

[I’m going to tell Auntie that you’re bullying me.]

He had never seen someone who tattled this much before.

And yet, Luo Jingshu would wear such a proud expression, making Xiao Cheng feel that arguing with him would be childish.

How had he ever thought Luo Jingshu was a quiet and obedient person?

Life continued uneventfully for a while until one day, Jiang Zihe suddenly received a phone call and rushed out.

Before leaving, he turned back to glance at Xiao Cheng, his eyes filled with determination.

Xiao Cheng immediately realized that something must have happened to Jiang Ying.

Sure enough.

Just then, Luo Jingshu also called him.

“Brother Cheng, things might not be safe right now. Be careful, and whatever you do, don’t trust Jiang Zihe.”

Luo Jingshu had never trusted Jiang Zihe. Other than Xiao Cheng, he was deeply wary of everyone.

Xiao Cheng agreed, but Luo Jingshu grew more uneasy the more he thought about it. “How about I move out and live with you?”

Jiang Ying wasn’t a good person. Who knew if, in his desperation, he might try to take Xiao Cheng down with him?

Even though Luo Jingshu had already arranged for people to protect Xiao Cheng, he still couldn’t rest easy.

Only if Xiao Cheng was right in front of him could he breathe a sigh of relief.

But Xiao Cheng considered that Luo Jingshu’s college entrance exams were coming up soon. No matter how good his grades were, he couldn’t afford to be distracted like this.

“If you’re really that worried, I’ll go back home for a while.”

Xiao Cheng could take a leave of absence, and his classmates could record the lectures for him.

Luo Jingshu agreed. “I’ll send someone to pick you up, then?”

Xiao Cheng didn’t refuse.

After hanging up, he noticed that both Xiao Yu and He An had also messaged him.

Xiao Cheng had a foreboding feeling, as if a storm was about to break.

He quickly requested leave from his advisor and got into the car Luo Jingshu had sent for him.

The driver seemed unfamiliar—someone Xiao Cheng had never seen before. That immediately put him on alert.

He sent a message to Luo Jingshu, but suddenly, the internet connection became slow. The message kept loading but never sent.

Xiao Cheng’s guard went up. He looked at the driver, only to meet the man’s eyes in the rearview mirror.

Immediately, Xiao Cheng reached for the car door.

He had wanted to grab the driver, but since the car was moving at high speed, he didn’t dare to act recklessly.

Despite that, in the next second, Xiao Cheng reached out and gripped the driver’s throat.

“You’re going the wrong way.”

His hand tightened slightly as he tried to steady his breathing. “Turn around!”

But the driver didn’t listen to him. Instead, he gave a strange, eerie smile.

Xiao Cheng’s heart sank.

His message for help still hadn’t gone through. He had just managed to dial the emergency number when everything suddenly went dark.

The car screeched to a stop on the roadside, and the emergency call was abruptly cut off. A phone was thrown out of the window.

No one had expected Jiang Ying to act so quickly.

Even Jiang Zihe himself hadn’t realized his brother had the audacity to kidnap Xiao Cheng outright.

Luo Jingshu couldn’t reach Xiao Cheng and immediately sensed something was wrong.

Without even taking the time to request leave, he bolted from school.

As he drove, he called Fu Ju, asking him to track Xiao Cheng’s location.

Before long, Xiao Yu and He An also received news that their son had gone missing.