Chapter 55 - Caller ID: The Best One
Spring gradually became warmer, and the sun shone brightly.
Zhao Mei Lan exited the beauty salon contented and pinched her pale face. She couldn’t help but lament her fate. She thought about how she had been a shopping guide in Su Zhou, working herself to death for a year but not being able to make the amount she had just spent in the spa, and she found it ironic and ridiculous.
She went to the mall and shopped without restraint, ordering two sets of formal attire. The annual charity dinner held by the He family was approaching. As the chairman’s wife, it was natural that she had to attend while looking impressive.
Zhao Mei Lan was born with a delicate and gentle appearance typical of a Jiang Nan beauty, so she was especially distinguishable. The moment she stepped into the high-end luxury brand store, dedicated sales staff immediately came over to serve her.
The young Mrs He’s habit of spending money was very different and unexpected from her appearance — she was very extravagant with money and was well-known in the first-class brand circle.
When the store manager saw her, he came out to entertain her personally, picking out the latest spring and summer attires with care. Zhao Mei Lan loved the feeling of being the centre of attention, her mood was beautiful and she chose several more outfits to look at, requesting for the sales staff to make it in her size.
Closing the books, the store manager happily placed the order, then looked up to see Mrs Gu stepping in through the door. He thought to himself, What a good day it was today, and ran over to receive her.
Li Yan was chatting happily with her friends and didn’t notice Zhao Mei Lan until she greeted her. “Mrs Gu, you’re also here to look at formal attires?”
With the pleasant-sounding dialect, it wasn’t necessary to see who it was.
Li Yan turned her head. The smile on her face remained unchanged but it was evident that her heart was too lazy to deal with her as she said, “Mrs He, what a coincidence.” Then asked the store manager to bring the brochure and discussed the designs with her friends.
Zhao Mei Lan almost stomped with anger.
In their circle of rich wives, Li Yan was a recognised beauty. She was in her forties but still looked like she was in her twenties with a well-maintained and lithe figure. The most infuriating thing was that Li Yan was born to an influential family, and looked stylish and charming; she also had an excellent education and temperament. Compared to her, Zhao Mei Lan seemed small-minded and unqualified to take her place in higher circles.
Moreover, this woman was very arrogant, and no matter how she showed her goodwill, it was not acknowledged favourably. Fortunately, her son was more outstanding than the woman’s son! In another three to five years, we’ll see how she can still be so harsh and unreasonable! After this thought, Zhao Mei Lan relaxed. She was about to leave when she heard Li Yan’s friend say, “We haven’t seen Ming Ren for very long. Did he get more handsome?”
Li Yan said with a smile, “That kid has been in a bad mood recently. In two days, he’ll need to go to Beijing to compete. When he comes back, you can have a look.”
Gu Ming Ren was going to Beijing to compete?
It was difficult for Zhao Mei Lan to dispel her resentment. Towards Li Yan, she could only find a sense of superiority in her son, so she called He Cheng Ming right afterwards, asking him to take part in whichever competition this was and that he needed to take first place!
He Cheng Ming didn’t refuse. He had to give Zhao Mei Lan appropriate reassurances — his obedience to her equalled his freedom.
It was a physics competition for middle school students. He applied with the school and was approved right away.
Ever since he and Ji Liao made it public, he had basically taken over the boy’s afternoon.
When they ate together, although Ji Liao didn’t have much of a temper, he was actually very picky with food. He didn’t eat coriander, spring onions, or anything with a strong taste like mutton that had even a slight odour. He was more difficult to serve than a young master like him.
What to do if the wife was picky with food?
“Being picky with food means unbalanced nutrition. You can’t do that next time!” He Cheng Ming lectured him and at the same time implemented the twenty-four standards of a good boyfriend, avoiding these items when he ordered.
JI Liao nodded compliantly like an obedient hamster, as adorable as he could be.
After eating, they would go to the library to study, work on homework and discuss unsolved problems. Occasionally, Ji Liao would be very sleepy and would take a nap on his arm. Once, he slept so soundly that he drooled on the other boy’s sleeve.
He Cheng Ming didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he couldn’t bear to wake him. It wasn’t until Ji Liao woke up, felt the area beside his mouth was sticky and wiped it, did he discover that he had drooled. He was very embarrassed and his face reddened till the base of his neck. He didn’t dare to take a nap on He Cheng Ming for several days.
He Cheng Ming comforted him, “It’s okay baby. I wouldn’t dislike you.”
Anyway, he had consumed this saliva before. What was a little bit on his clothes?
Ji Liao softly told him to stop talking, but it stirred up He Cheng Ming’s animalistic nature, making him bite down on his tongue till it was numb.
Within the next two days, He Cheng Ming went to Beijing to compete. That night, he called Ji Liao to complain, “Baby, I miss you. Do you miss me?”
In the midst of homework, Ji Liao’s hand stopped and, leaning back in his chair, he said, “It has been less than twenty-four hours. You must be exaggerating!”
He Cheng Ming grumbled, “You’re too much!”
Ji Liao thought it couldn’t be that bad. So he asked, “What’s too much?”
“You’re so cute, trying to captivate me.”
It was the sound of someone who couldn’t hide his smile. Ji Liao was shy, but at the same time felt it was sweet. He covered his face, then revealed eyes that were a little shiny, as he whispered, “I miss you too.”
Suddenly, there was a “thud” from the other side of the phone.
Ji Liao straightened immediately and asked, “What happened?”
It turned out it was Gu Ming Ren, who had been assigned to the same room with He Cheng Ming. Coming out from his bath, he had heard someone chatting on the phone and suddenly sprouting a cheesy line of endearment. It was nauseating, so he threw a towel across, hitting the boy on the head.
Since He Cheng Ming was in a good mood, he didn’t make a fuss. He took the towel on his head and threw it onto the ground, telling Ji Liao, “It’s nothing, just jealousy from the single dog.”
With a cold expression, Gu Ming Ren turned and went out.
That night was also the He family’s charity dinner, which had the wealthiest people from all walks of life attending.
Zhao Mei Lan was holding He Yue Jin’s hand as they walked slowly on the red carpet under the attention of the public. Used to this kind of scene, He Yue Jin felt bored. He took the opportunity to chat with the person beside him about family matters. “How has Xiao Ming been recently?”
He was very busy with the company’s business as he dealt with a host of problems every day. So the area of educating his son was mostly handed over to Zhao Mei Lan, while he only looked at the results. So far, the results were good and He Cheng Ming had been outstanding.
There was a flash of guilt in Zhao Mei Lan’s eyes before she put on a smile and said, “Xiao Ming is very obedient. Today, he went to Beijing to participate in a physics competition. I heard that the Gu family’s child also went.”
The child of the Gu family was Gu Ming Ren. He Yue Jin knew that both children did well, but in terms of performance, their family’s Cheng Ming was obviously better. There were no parents who didn’t hope for their own child to be excellent, so He Yue Jin’s favourable impression towards the young son improved further. He said, “Be more meticulous on Xiao Ming. After his college entrance exams, he can familiarise himself with the company’s environment first.”
This meant he was preparing to train He Cheng Ming as a successor. Zhao Mei Lan almost cried at his words and believed that she was finally seeing the prize of her many years of hard work. She quickly replied, “I will. Xiao Ming will learn it well.”
As the opportunity approached, the ticking timebomb that was Ji Liao was becoming more unsightly.
Zhao Mei Lan put her plan into action. Taking advantage of her son being at the competition, she invited the little vixen out.
Ji Liao received the text message and contemplated whether or not he should tell He Cheng Ming. But he was afraid that if he were to say something, it would interfere with his competition. So, he went to the appointment without mentioning anything.
Walking into the restaurant, he saw the familiar woman with sunglasses. He walked over and greeted dryly, “Hello Auntie. I’m Ji Liao.”
Although it wasn’t the first time he met He Cheng Ming’s mother, he was still very nervous and at a loss as to what to do.
Zhao Mei Lan didn’t even take off her sunglasses. Seeing the boy clenching the sides of his pants in embarrassment, her belief that he couldn’t amount to anything grew. She raised her chin and asked him to sit on the opposite side.
Ji Liao sat down and the waiter handed them the menu.
He only wanted a glass of plain water and was once again labelled as a pauper by Zhao Mei Lan.
“Which stage are you and my son at?” She didn’t beat around the bush and questioned straightforwardly about how far the two of them had gone. If they had gone to bed together, she would give a little more. If they hadn’t, he wasn’t at a disadvantage and she didn’t have to give too much.
Ji Liao lowered his head as he didn’t know how to reply.
Zhao Mei Lan thought he was a shrinking violet, no wonder he was gay. She simply asked, “Have you done it?” It was a pretty voice, but it was laced with impatience and anger.
Ji Liao felt her anger and bit his lip, lowering his head further. This was too embarrassing.
Zhao Mei Lan clicked her tongue and slapped the tabletop. She raised her voice and said, “I’m asking you something. What’s the matter, you little boy? Where are your manners?”
Feeling cornered, the tip of his ears burned red. He couldn’t walk away or continue to sit in silence, so he shook his head stiffly.
Behind her sunglasses, Zhao Mei Lan’s eyes were full of surprise. It was reasonable to say that adolescent boys have strong desires. Her son had been with him for a while but they never had that type of relationship?
But it was fine and easier.
She picked up the branded bag beside her, unzipped it and took out a cheque, writing down an amount.
“One million. Break up with him.” The cheque was pushed in front of Ji Liao.
Ji Liao stood up slowly, understanding the purpose of their appointment. But he couldn’t do it. As he was about to walk away, Zhao Mei Lan took off her sunglasses and asked him, “Do you know why Xiao Ming likes you?”
The soles of his feet seemed to fill with lead, making him unable to move. Even though he knew it must not be anything good, he still wanted to know. Ji Liao’s heart trembled. Looking at the woman in front of him, his right eyelid twitched.
Zhao Mei Lan was smiling slightly. “Sit down, let Auntie tell you.”
When he sat down, Zhao Mei Lan slowly took a sip of the coffee on the table. Changing the subject, she said in a taunting voice, “If Ji Qing Wen knew that you are together with a man, he’ll probably come back from the dead in anger, right? Oh, by the way, did Xiao Ming tell you? Your father used to work for the He family.”
Because Ji Qing Wen was mentioned, Ji Liao’s eyes suddenly became indignant and ice-cold, and his heart sank. Could He Cheng Ming really have something to do with his father’s death?
But the incident with his father was obviously an accident.
But what if it was true?
He didn’t know and didn’t want to face it. His panic made him afraid and cowardly. So he grabbed the schoolbag beside him and ran.
As he sprinted out of the restaurant with the wind whistling in his ears, his phone vibrated in his pocket and he took it out to see who it was.
Caller ID: The Best One