Chapter 147: The Wingman

Xiao Mingyu looked the man beside him straight in the eyes and said without hesitation, "The Kent Investment Group, which has risen abruptly in the Western venture capital sector in recent years, is headed by a man named Lucifer."

Rong Shen lowered his eyes slightly, his handsome face wearing an inscrutable expression that outsiders could not decipher. "Anything else?"

"Lucifer is a mysterious person with an elusive trail, but his investment tactics are incredibly formidable. In just four or five years, the Kent Group's wealth has become immeasurable. Ninth Master Rong, if I hadn't told you this, it would have taken you a very long time to find out. So, shouldn't that be worth you acting as my wingman once?"

The man pinched out his nearly extinguished cigarette, met Xiao Mingyu's gaze, and replied calmly, "Of course."

He spoke only two simple words, lacking force, yet they were incredibly convincing.

Xiao Mingyu even felt as if he caught a trace of… admiration in Rong Shen's eyes.

Admiration for him?

Was it because he had uncovered the Kent Group, or because he had chosen to reveal this information?

Xiao Mingyu looked at the man again, attempting to discern the meaning behind his expression.

But Rong Shen was simply too unfathomable, having already returned to his usual composed and indifferent self, making it impossible for anyone to guess his true thoughts.

...

Less than half an hour later, Rong Shen and Xiao Mingyu returned to the living room together.

An Tong was nowhere to be seen; only Rong Xian and Ruan Danling were sitting on opposite sides of the sofa.

"Where is An'an?" The man frowned, scanning the room, but could not find her.

Hearing this, Rong Xian glanced at him with an unhurried look, while Ruan Danling smiled and said, "She went to the restroom. Look at how anxious you are; could she possibly get lost in her own home?"

Rong Shen’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, but he said nothing, walking straight to the single sofa under the window to sit down.

Xiao Mingyu naturally chose the seat closest to Rong Xian.

The living room was not particularly quiet, as the television, occupying half the wall, was still replaying the Spring Festival Gala.

Rong Xian shot a cold glare at the man beside her and asked in a low voice, "How much longer do you plan on lingering at my house?"

Xiao Mingyu crossed his legs. As he turned his head, he deliberately tugged at the collar of his polo shirt, revealing a vivid scratch mark. "Didn't I answer that question last night?"

Rong Xian wanted to reach out and tear the mask off his face, wishing she could let everyone see his true colors.

"Do you have no shame at all?" Rong Xian bit her back teeth, the words practically forced through her clenched jaw. "Do you think I don't dare to let everyone know you're just a kept man I'm supporting?"

Xiao Mingyu opened his left palm in an inviting gesture. "Manager Rong is a pillar of strength; I haven't seen you shy away from anything yet. Please, be my guest."

Rong Xian was choked with anger: "..."

Clearly, Xiao Mingyu was certain she wouldn't dare to broadcast their "illicit" relationship.

Even though they hadn't been together long, he could tell that for a woman raised with traditional education and family values, no matter how rebellious she might be, she wouldn't dare to openly tell her parents about her scandalous affairs outside.

...

Time ticked by, but An Tong still hadn't returned.

Rong Shen checked his watch for the third time; half an hour had passed since he entered the house.

This was clearly abnormal.

The man furrowed his brows imperceptibly, shoved his phone into his pocket, and stood up to head toward the guest bathroom on the first floor.

Ruan Danling was still watching the gala replay, laughing uncontrollably.

Rong Xian was truly impressed; what exactly was so funny about those awkward skits and crosstalk acts?

She leaned back against the sofa, bored, intending to close her eyes and rest for a moment. However, less than half a minute later, her earlobe suddenly grew hot, and Xiao Mingyu’s malicious voice crept in, "Does your waist still ache?"

Rong Xian kicked him in the calf and prepared to walk away.

Just then, the skit on TV ended. Ruan Danling, having little interest in the song and dance numbers that followed, wiped the corners of her eyes and asked with a smile, "Mingyu, do you know how to play mahjong?"

"Auntie, I know a little."

Ruan Danling nodded in satisfaction and immediately signaled the servants to set up the table, also calling for Rong Shen to return.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, it wouldn't feel like the holiday without a game of mahjong.

"Mom, you guys play, I'm going back to—"

"No." Ruan Danling swept a cool glance at her. "If you leave, we'll be one short; we don't have enough players."

Rong Xian looked up at the ceiling. "Isn't An'an still here?"

"An'an is so sweet, she probably doesn't even know how to play. You sit down and wait until she gets back."

Rong Xian covered the left side of her face with one hand, the urge to run away from home growing stronger.

...

On the other side, Rong Shen arrived at the guest bathroom on the first floor and found the door open and the room empty.

The young lady didn't usually run around, and even in her own home, she would always announce where she was going.

Unless... she was feeling unwell.

Rong Shen inadvertently thought of last night, pursed his thin lips, and prepared to give her a call.

"Young Master."

A servant passing by on the way to move the mahjong table to the lounge called out respectfully when she saw him.

Rong Shen paused his phone call, his expression as indifferent as water. "Have you seen the Young Mistress?"

The servant nodded hurriedly. "I just saw her go upstairs; it looked like she was on the phone."

In the sunroom on the second floor, the warm winter sun spilled through the large glass panes into every corner.

As soon as Rong Shen reached the second floor, he saw a slender, upright figure standing in the sunroom beyond the balcony.

His expression softened, and his demeanor became gentle.

The sunroom had excellent thermal insulation, but it lacked underfloor heating, so it was inevitably a bit chilly in the winter.

The man stepped forward, intending to bring her out, but as he drew closer, An Tong's soft and calm voice drifted toward him.

His first reaction was that it wasn't Mandarin.

His second reaction was that she spoke Italian—which wasn't surprising, as Yi Ke had once mentioned she learned it so she wouldn't need a translator while skiing.

His third reaction was: who was she talking to?

Rong Shen disdained the act of eavesdropping like a petty person. Seeing she was on a call, he turned and walked toward the side parlor.

But disdaining to eavesdrop was one thing; hearing something by accident was another.

The Italian sentence An Tong had just spoken was: "It has indeed been a long time. How did you know today was our New Year?"

About three minutes later, the man standing in the parlor with his hands behind his back, looking at a mural, heard the sound of the sunroom door opening.

He turned around to look, and An Tong seemed to sense him as well; she glanced over and then paused.

"When did you come up?"

She asked as she walked toward the parlor. If not for the fact that her eyes were rimmed with red, Rong Shen wouldn't have thought much of it.

The man reached out to touch the corner of her eye, squinting, his expression still gentle and refined. "Why are you hiding here all by yourself to make a call?"

The question carried a hint of subtle probing.

An Tong tugged at the corner of her mouth. "I wasn't hiding. Just now... I got a call right after coming out of the bathroom and found myself walking here without realizing it."

She wasn't telling the truth, mainly because she couldn't calmly tell Rong Shen that she had used the bathroom as an excuse out of sheer desperation.

Because just moments ago, Auntie Ruan had been discussing what color to paint the nursery with her, and had even flipped through the renovation effect photos on her phone to show her.

An Tong hadn't even known how to respond, and if it hadn't been for Rong Xian stepping in to save her, Ruan Danling probably would have kept talking until they reached the issue of school district housing for when the child started elementary school.