The night when summer just arrived was wonderful. The sky was littered with stars, and the night breeze carried the fragrance of flowers. Lin Qian stood by the window and could see that under the bare wooden frame, there were several grape seedlings growing in the wind; the small fruits were supported by large green leaves, making them look delicate and cute.
When would they be able to grow bigger and mature?
Lin Qian remained silent for a while by the window, then took out her phone and gave Lin Mochen a call.
They had not contacted each other for a rather long time. Ever since she began traveling on behalf of Aito, it was as if Lin Mochen had also disappeared without a trace.
Actually, whether or not she called made no difference. He was clear about what would happen next and just like Li Zhicheng, everything was within his control.
It was still morning at the other end of the line and his voice seemed to have a pleasant sunshine yet lazy quality to it, "Hello, Lin Qian."
Lin Qian's heart softened the moment she heard his voice. She said, "Brother, thank you."
Lin Mochen paused for a while, before smilingly replying in a low voice, "You keep that part of the shares in your hands, understood?""Yup," Lin Qian did not reject him this time.
Why did her brother reach a consensus with Li Zhicheng about this investment agreement back then? Lin Qian understood once she thought it through a little.
Monetary benefits were simply still secondary. More importantly, once she had Mind's shares, her status was that of the third major shareholder. Looking at it in a certain light, she could be considered to be of the same level as Li Zhicheng and they no longer shared their previous relationship of a boss and his subordinate.
In his love for her, her brother had planned this path.
Taking it one step further, to Li Zhicheng, her having control of this part of the shares was not only of help to him, but could also serve as a restraint.
No wonder that day at Taiwan when Wang Taishi had met her for the first time, he said, "Mr Li prizes his business empire more than beautiful women." It was not impossible to raise 50 million, but he actually gave her 20 percent of the shares.
Lin Qian said softly, "Brother, I never wanted and never will scheme against him."
In response to these words from the bottom of her heart, Lin Mochen felt his heart ache, but refused to agree. He calmly answered, "That's why you should let me be the one who is calculating with him."
Lin Qian couldn't help but to laugh again. The scene from that day at Mind floated in her thoughts, when Li Zhicheng had held her hand and in a soft voice, asked her to feel free to use all her intelligence and scheme on him.
She still remembered that from beginning to end, Li Zhicheng had no complaints about this agreement, maintaining an extremely unperturbed disposition.
That was what her brother set up for, then that was what Li Zhicheng agreed to.
She felt a wave of strong palpitations in her heart. That was the feeling that Li Zhicheng often brought her. She did not know when it started, but it was as if it had already permeated into her bones, causing her heart to be deeply touched by this man's charm.
She asked, "Brother, now that you look again, has he qualified?"
Lin Mochen adopted his lofty stance once again, "I will conclude after further observation."
After hanging up, Lin Qian stood quietly for a while and walked to the desk.
Li Zhicheng's had good handwriting with a pen, but his brush calligraphy was even better. His words looked grand and had the style of a famous calligrapher. During his vacations, he would practice writing at home. At this moment, an inkstone and brush were placed at a corner of the desk.
Lin Qian did not know where the impulse had stemmed from, but she spread out a large piece of Xuan paper, ground a little ink and lifted the brush to start writing.
For someone who had never practiced calligraphy, the words that were written were a chore for people to look at. The first line of words she wrote was, "Things that seem fake are real, things that seem real are fake."
When she had written to the third line "Attain the goal with someone else's labor and money; Advance secretly by an unknown path", the door to the study let out a "click" sound.
Li Zhicheng pushed open the door and entered.
Lin Qian lifted her head and looked at him without saying a word.
He had just showered, and changed into a black short sleeve T-shirt with a dark grey lounge pants below. His wet, short hair was pressed against his forehead, and he looked like a… small boy who had just come home after playing basketball.
But the aura radiating of his entire body was not like that. The deep eyes were quietly staring at her, and he walked towards her not too quickly yet not too slowly. As compared to those 30 to 40 year-old men that Lin Qian had seen before, he was even more calm and stable.
Lin Qian lowered her head and continued writing.
Her feelings were somewhat complicated. Just now in the living room, she had not run from his side on purpose.
But at that point… she just wanted to be alone for a while.
Li Zhicheng watched her lowered head without speaking. She was exceptionally focused on her writing. He slowly squatted beside her. Looking at those words, a hint of a smile appeared at his lips.
Lin Qian's gaze was focused to the point of indifference, but her peripheral vision was following him. Hearing him laugh at her words, she suddenly felt embarrassed, saying to him a dejectedly, "I'm just writing for fun, is there anything wrong with that?"
Li Zhicheng did not answer and only stood quietly at one side, continuing to watch while rooted on the spot. This time, Lin Qian felt like she could not continue writing and after a few strokes, she found that her words were more sloppy with each stroke of the brush. Just as she wanted to put down the brush in anger, she unexpectedly felt a warmth at the back of her hand as his hand wrapped around hers from behind, making all five of her fingers lock around the brush once again.
Lin Qian stood without moving, and his other hand was supported against the desk, encircling her into his embrace. He lowered his head and said by her ear, "Try once more?"
"…Alright."
Just like that, he hugged her gently, his fingers intertwined with hers and the brush was lifted to write the remaining words in the phrase, "Turn the enemy's battery against himself..."
Very soon, they were done writing and he led her to put down the brush but continued to enwrap her from the back with their fingers entwined while looking at the words together.
She had to admit, even though it could not compare to his calligraphy, it was ten times better than the characters she had written. Lin Qian nodded her head, "Not bad, I want to mount this piece of writing in the future and hang it up."
"Okay." Just as the words were said, Li Zhicheng had already spun her around in his embrace, lowering his head and giving her a kiss.
The kiss was gentle and lingering; it was as if he wanted to tease out the deepest thoughts within her heart, slowly nibbling her bit by bit. That pair of bright eyes kept staring at her, his meaning obscured.
Lin Qian shut her eyes, rejecting his searching gaze.
However, her body language remained loyal to her inner feelings and she was unable to resist indulging in his kiss. Her entire body became soft and weak, and trembling slightly, her love for him silently crept into her heart.
She liked him… so much…
After quite a while, Li Zhicheng let go of her and propped her against the desk.
"Are you angry?" he asked in a soft voice.
Lin Qian shook her head.
"I'm just…" She said, "Li Zhicheng, I've got a very silly thought."
Li Zhicheng gazed at her with his dark eyes.
"A man like you…" There was a hint of a sigh in her voice, "Can I really have a complete hold on you? Can I really conquer your heart?" She paused then continued, "Aito is your abandoned brainchild, I understand that. But it is a combination of dedication and hard work of mine and the others. Yet you could get rid of it without much care. If… If one day, you no longer have any feelings for me, you could simply toss me aside without a second thought and by then I wouldn't even be able to fight back."
Li Zhicheng did not make a sound and she lifted her head to look at him, "Li Zhicheng, sometimes, you make me feel a little… terrified."
In Li Zhicheng's entire lifetime of 26 years, nobody had said these words to him before.
Li Zhicheng, you make me terrified.
And this person was his woman.
When she said those words, her expression was calm and her gaze was clear and touching. She used the gentle and loving gaze she always had when she looked at him, just that within that gaze, there were also traces of wavering helplessness.
Li Zhicheng was set thinking, and within a short while, his mind was already twisted with thoughts. He thought about it calmly. He imagined the worst-case scenario...his actions causing Lin Qian's heart to drift away from his, and ultimately she could leave him.
When this possibility was planted in his heart, his gaze turned cold. The various times that the two had spent together previously flashed through his mind as if there was an internal projector.
She remained loyal to him, when everyone thought that he was a useless soldier, she stood by him with much fervor; her heart ached for him, and could not bear her brother making things difficult for him. Could not bear him bearing too much burden; today, she had moved her belongings into his home on her own… Every bit of her that she had given was extremely precious because it was driven entirely by her genuineness.
But if there was a day that she wanted to take all these feelings back…
A wave of cold loneliness silently made his way into his heart.
Li Zhicheng's face was still as water when he lifted his hand and tightly wrapped around her waist, pulling her entire being into his embrace. This action was so sudden that Lin Qian took in a light breath and looked at him, stunned.
Li Zhicheng did not say anything immediately but extended his other hand and traced the sides of her cheek, slowly grazing it.
"Lin Qian." His eyes were darker and more moving than the night sky outside the window, "You underestimate yourself and overestimate me."
Lin Qian's words just now were her feelings all along. Previously when they were fighting the battle against SMQ, she already had such feelings and thus avoided Li Zhicheng, refusing to accept him.
Now that she vocalized it, her heart felt a lot more comfortable. Hearing him say such things now, she felt like she understood his intention and her heart softened in an instant. Slowly, her hand extended to wrap around his waist and she did not say anything.
"I am a man before I am a businessman." He said slowly, "I will also have masculine desires to have such a woman…" He looked at her, "Pretty, smart, gentle, and with a talent and boldness not less than a man's. For her to never leave me and have such good compatibility."
These words were said very calmly, making Lin Qian's heart feel a wave of gentle sweetness. She said softly, "I'm not as good as you say…"
"Whether you are or not, I know clearly in my heart," he answered in a deep voice.
Lin Qian hugged his waist tightly, "Okay… I was actually just trying to be humble for a bit. Continue saying…"
"Before I became a commander in the army, I had to undertake a conceptual education, and it was not about the principles of battle but…" His voice seemingly got even deeper, "Loyalty."
Lin Qian's lips hooked up into a smile in a moment. This man, really… He was different from others even when he was saying sweet nothings to pledge his love.
He made it easy for people to be trapped in the love web he had spun.
Just then, he lowered his head and looked at her, "Lin Qian, I'm very clear about what I want. I'm also very clear about what is most valuable to me, during a business war or during a relationship.
"I can ditch Aito without blinking. That is because when money is gone, one can still earn more; when a brand collapses, one can still set up another; giving up certain benefits can give new benefits in return. As Aida's leader or as the director of my army, since my decision would impact hundreds or thousands of people, I need be able to manage such tradeoffs."
Lin Qian's heart skipped a beat as she listened, yet subconsciously nodded her head.
"But you're different." He propped her face up with his hand and said in a low voice, "Someone that I love with all my heart, I will not let go of no matter what."
The night when summer just arrived was wonderful. The sky was littered with stars, and the night breeze carried the fragrance of flowers. Lin Qian stood by the window and could see that under the bare wooden frame, there were several grape seedlings growing in the wind; the small fruits were supported by large green leaves, making them look delicate and cute.
When would they be able to grow bigger and mature?
Lin Qian remained silent for a while by the window, then took out her phone and gave Lin Mochen a call.
They had not contacted each other for a rather long time. Ever since she began traveling on behalf of Aito, it was as if Lin Mochen had also disappeared without a trace.
Actually, whether or not she called made no difference. He was clear about what would happen next and just like Li Zhicheng, everything was within his control.
It was still morning at the other end of the line and his voice seemed to have a pleasant sunshine yet lazy quality to it, "Hello, Lin Qian."
Lin Qian's heart softened the moment she heard his voice. She said, "Brother, thank you."
Lin Mochen paused for a while, before smilingly replying in a low voice, "You keep that part of the shares in your hands, understood?""Yup," Lin Qian did not reject him this time.
Why did her brother reach a consensus with Li Zhicheng about this investment agreement back then? Lin Qian understood once she thought it through a little.
Monetary benefits were simply still secondary. More importantly, once she had Mind's shares, her status was that of the third major shareholder. Looking at it in a certain light, she could be considered to be of the same level as Li Zhicheng and they no longer shared their previous relationship of a boss and his subordinate.
In his love for her, her brother had planned this path.
Taking it one step further, to Li Zhicheng, her having control of this part of the shares was not only of help to him, but could also serve as a restraint.
No wonder that day at Taiwan when Wang Taishi had met her for the first time, he said, "Mr Li prizes his business empire more than beautiful women." It was not impossible to raise 50 million, but he actually gave her 20 percent of the shares.
Lin Qian said softly, "Brother, I never wanted and never will scheme against him."
In response to these words from the bottom of her heart, Lin Mochen felt his heart ache, but refused to agree. He calmly answered, "That's why you should let me be the one who is calculating with him."
Lin Qian couldn't help but to laugh again. The scene from that day at Mind floated in her thoughts, when Li Zhicheng had held her hand and in a soft voice, asked her to feel free to use all her intelligence and scheme on him.
She still remembered that from beginning to end, Li Zhicheng had no complaints about this agreement, maintaining an extremely unperturbed disposition.
That was what her brother set up for, then that was what Li Zhicheng agreed to.
She felt a wave of strong palpitations in her heart. That was the feeling that Li Zhicheng often brought her. She did not know when it started, but it was as if it had already permeated into her bones, causing her heart to be deeply touched by this man's charm.
She asked, "Brother, now that you look again, has he qualified?"
Lin Mochen adopted his lofty stance once again, "I will conclude after further observation."
After hanging up, Lin Qian stood quietly for a while and walked to the desk.
Li Zhicheng's had good handwriting with a pen, but his brush calligraphy was even better. His words looked grand and had the style of a famous calligrapher. During his vacations, he would practice writing at home. At this moment, an inkstone and brush were placed at a corner of the desk.
Lin Qian did not know where the impulse had stemmed from, but she spread out a large piece of Xuan paper, ground a little ink and lifted the brush to start writing.
For someone who had never practiced calligraphy, the words that were written were a chore for people to look at. The first line of words she wrote was, "Things that seem fake are real, things that seem real are fake."
When she had written to the third line "Attain the goal with someone else's labor and money; Advance secretly by an unknown path", the door to the study let out a "click" sound.
Li Zhicheng pushed open the door and entered.
Lin Qian lifted her head and looked at him without saying a word.
He had just showered, and changed into a black short sleeve T-shirt with a dark grey lounge pants below. His wet, short hair was pressed against his forehead, and he looked like a… small boy who had just come home after playing basketball.
But the aura radiating of his entire body was not like that. The deep eyes were quietly staring at her, and he walked towards her not too quickly yet not too slowly. As compared to those 30 to 40 year-old men that Lin Qian had seen before, he was even more calm and stable.
Lin Qian lowered her head and continued writing.
Her feelings were somewhat complicated. Just now in the living room, she had not run from his side on purpose.
But at that point… she just wanted to be alone for a while.
Li Zhicheng watched her lowered head without speaking. She was exceptionally focused on her writing. He slowly squatted beside her. Looking at those words, a hint of a smile appeared at his lips.
Lin Qian's gaze was focused to the point of indifference, but her peripheral vision was following him. Hearing him laugh at her words, she suddenly felt embarrassed, saying to him a dejectedly, "I'm just writing for fun, is there anything wrong with that?"
Li Zhicheng did not answer and only stood quietly at one side, continuing to watch while rooted on the spot. This time, Lin Qian felt like she could not continue writing and after a few strokes, she found that her words were more sloppy with each stroke of the brush. Just as she wanted to put down the brush in anger, she unexpectedly felt a warmth at the back of her hand as his hand wrapped around hers from behind, making all five of her fingers lock around the brush once again.
Lin Qian stood without moving, and his other hand was supported against the desk, encircling her into his embrace. He lowered his head and said by her ear, "Try once more?"
"…Alright."
Just like that, he hugged her gently, his fingers intertwined with hers and the brush was lifted to write the remaining words in the phrase, "Turn the enemy's battery against himself..."
Very soon, they were done writing and he led her to put down the brush but continued to enwrap her from the back with their fingers entwined while looking at the words together.
She had to admit, even though it could not compare to his calligraphy, it was ten times better than the characters she had written. Lin Qian nodded her head, "Not bad, I want to mount this piece of writing in the future and hang it up."
"Okay." Just as the words were said, Li Zhicheng had already spun her around in his embrace, lowering his head and giving her a kiss.
The kiss was gentle and lingering; it was as if he wanted to tease out the deepest thoughts within her heart, slowly nibbling her bit by bit. That pair of bright eyes kept staring at her, his meaning obscured.
Lin Qian shut her eyes, rejecting his searching gaze.
However, her body language remained loyal to her inner feelings and she was unable to resist indulging in his kiss. Her entire body became soft and weak, and trembling slightly, her love for him silently crept into her heart.
She liked him… so much…
After quite a while, Li Zhicheng let go of her and propped her against the desk.
"Are you angry?" he asked in a soft voice.
Lin Qian shook her head.
"I'm just…" She said, "Li Zhicheng, I've got a very silly thought."
Li Zhicheng gazed at her with his dark eyes.
"A man like you…" There was a hint of a sigh in her voice, "Can I really have a complete hold on you? Can I really conquer your heart?" She paused then continued, "Aito is your abandoned brainchild, I understand that. But it is a combination of dedication and hard work of mine and the others. Yet you could get rid of it without much care. If… If one day, you no longer have any feelings for me, you could simply toss me aside without a second thought and by then I wouldn't even be able to fight back."
Li Zhicheng did not make a sound and she lifted her head to look at him, "Li Zhicheng, sometimes, you make me feel a little… terrified."
In Li Zhicheng's entire lifetime of 26 years, nobody had said these words to him before.
Li Zhicheng, you make me terrified.
And this person was his woman.
When she said those words, her expression was calm and her gaze was clear and touching. She used the gentle and loving gaze she always had when she looked at him, just that within that gaze, there were also traces of wavering helplessness.
Li Zhicheng was set thinking, and within a short while, his mind was already twisted with thoughts. He thought about it calmly. He imagined the worst-case scenario...his actions causing Lin Qian's heart to drift away from his, and ultimately she could leave him.
When this possibility was planted in his heart, his gaze turned cold. The various times that the two had spent together previously flashed through his mind as if there was an internal projector.
She remained loyal to him, when everyone thought that he was a useless soldier, she stood by him with much fervor; her heart ached for him, and could not bear her brother making things difficult for him. Could not bear him bearing too much burden; today, she had moved her belongings into his home on her own… Every bit of her that she had given was extremely precious because it was driven entirely by her genuineness.
But if there was a day that she wanted to take all these feelings back…
A wave of cold loneliness silently made his way into his heart.
Li Zhicheng's face was still as water when he lifted his hand and tightly wrapped around her waist, pulling her entire being into his embrace. This action was so sudden that Lin Qian took in a light breath and looked at him, stunned.
Li Zhicheng did not say anything immediately but extended his other hand and traced the sides of her cheek, slowly grazing it.
"Lin Qian." His eyes were darker and more moving than the night sky outside the window, "You underestimate yourself and overestimate me."
Lin Qian's words just now were her feelings all along. Previously when they were fighting the battle against SMQ, she already had such feelings and thus avoided Li Zhicheng, refusing to accept him.
Now that she vocalized it, her heart felt a lot more comfortable. Hearing him say such things now, she felt like she understood his intention and her heart softened in an instant. Slowly, her hand extended to wrap around his waist and she did not say anything.
"I am a man before I am a businessman." He said slowly, "I will also have masculine desires to have such a woman…" He looked at her, "Pretty, smart, gentle, and with a talent and boldness not less than a man's. For her to never leave me and have such good compatibility."
These words were said very calmly, making Lin Qian's heart feel a wave of gentle sweetness. She said softly, "I'm not as good as you say…"
"Whether you are or not, I know clearly in my heart," he answered in a deep voice.
Lin Qian hugged his waist tightly, "Okay… I was actually just trying to be humble for a bit. Continue saying…"
"Before I became a commander in the army, I had to undertake a conceptual education, and it was not about the principles of battle but…" His voice seemingly got even deeper, "Loyalty."
Lin Qian's lips hooked up into a smile in a moment. This man, really… He was different from others even when he was saying sweet nothings to pledge his love.
He made it easy for people to be trapped in the love web he had spun.
Just then, he lowered his head and looked at her, "Lin Qian, I'm very clear about what I want. I'm also very clear about what is most valuable to me, during a business war or during a relationship.
"I can ditch Aito without blinking. That is because when money is gone, one can still earn more; when a brand collapses, one can still set up another; giving up certain benefits can give new benefits in return. As Aida's leader or as the director of my army, since my decision would impact hundreds or thousands of people, I need be able to manage such tradeoffs."
Lin Qian's heart skipped a beat as she listened, yet subconsciously nodded her head.
"But you're different." He propped her face up with his hand and said in a low voice, "Someone that I love with all my heart, I will not let go of no matter what."
