A Chan – CH 139

Chapter 139: Unbecoming

Li Weiyi had never felt so humiliated in her life!

Her face flushed, she stood beside Zhang Jingchan, her heart ashen, watching him greet everyone nonchalantly. When Li Weiyi passed her parents, her mother even pinched her arm.

Everyone took their seats.

Li Weiyi’s smile was still somewhat stiff. Zhang Jingchan was already gently inquiring about Ding Chenmo’s health and even chatted briefly with Zhang Moyun about company matters. Li Weiyi felt resentful! She had lost face so badly, all because of him. He was the one who lifted her up; he was the one who pushed her legs apart and positioned her. And yet, everyone saw her willingly clinging to him.

Li Weiyi covered her eyes with one hand, glaring at him fiercely.

Zhang Jingchan had already taken off his suit jacket, and since he was off work, he hadn’t worn a tie. His shirt collar was open, and he sat casually, exuding an air of refined elegance. When he listened to people, his eyes were focused; the 27-year-old man’s gaze was deep and sharp. Because of his somewhat restrained aura, no one, not even her father, could completely relax when talking to him.

He seemed oblivious to Li Weiyi’s angry glare, still chatting with Ding Chenmo.

Li Weiyi stared, her gaze involuntarily falling on his fair profile under the lamplight, on the lines of his shoulders and waist outlined by his shirt, and on his long legs encased in suit trousers.

Why did he seem… even more handsome than before? This life had certainly been smooth sailing, full of youthful vigor.

Zhang Jingchan, in the middle of their conversation, suddenly turned around, reached out, and pressed the back of her head, almost hugging her, asking in a voice only the two of them could hear, “What are you up to now?”

Li Weiyi kicked him under the table. Under everyone’s gaze, he acted as if he were thoroughly doting on her, smiling and patting her head before turning back to continue talking to others.

Li Weiyi: …

What a good actor.

Everyone at the table watched the couple’s little antics with amusement, except for Li Yunmo, who covered his eyes in disgust and shook his head, saying, “They’ve been together for seven years, and she’s like an old house on fire, starting a second spring. Can you handle it? I certainly don’t want to see it again.”

Li Weiyi tossed a pack of tissues to him, and the whole table burst into laughter.

Li Weiyi laughed too, all the embarrassment and shyness from before vanishing. She wagged her tail and said to Li Yunmo, “We two are just good at having a relationship; aren’t you envious? Aren’t you jealous? You are a single dog!”

Li Yunmo: “Brother Chan, you need to control her! She’s bullying me!”

Zhang Jingchan, holding onto the back of Li Weiyi’s chair, picked up the teapot and filled Li Weiyi’s cup, saying, “I can’t control her; I’ll listen to her.”

The room erupted in laughter again. Li Weiyi thought Zhang Jingchan was unusually cooperative today. She leaned back, gently resting in his arms, and made a face at Li Yunmo, looking like she was taking advantage of his position.

Unbeknownst to Li Weiyi, her small gesture struck Zhang Jingchan’s heart like a gentle bump. His most important family and friends were all there, safe and sound. And she, relying on his favoritism, beamed with joy, swaggering and arrogant. Her presence was in his arms, in his fingers; from that moment on, she belonged only to him.

Today, they were long-lost friends reunited, and also family and friends who had spent every day together. Recalling the past, everyone could only sigh. On that night in 2014, Cheng Chuan and Xu Yi died on the spot, Liu Ying committed suicide by jumping into the river, and Zhang Fengming was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The other involved parties were sentenced to varying degrees according to the law.

The cycle had completely ended: ashes to ashes, dust to dust. From this day forward, the timeline moved forward relentlessly, and no one looked back.

Afterwards, the Zhang father and son joined forces to establish a new company, Huicui. In the past five years, Zhang Moyun had largely retired behind the scenes, but with his father’s experience and connections, Zhang Jingchan’s wealth in this lifetime was several times greater than in his previous, most successful life.

During the meal, Li Weiyi went out to take a work call, which lasted about 20 minutes. As she walked back down the corridor, before she even turned the corner, she heard two familiar voices.

“When are you planning to get married?”

“No rush, we have our own plans.”

Li Weiyi smiled and was about to walk around when Wu Xinhui’s voice became agitated: “Are you having other ideas? Let me tell you, you can’t let Weiyi down; your father and I absolutely won’t allow it.”

Li Weiyi stopped.

Zhang Jingchan’s helpless voice came: “Mom, what are you thinking? What could I possibly have other ideas about? Don’t provoke me just because you want a grandchild.”

“Then when will you let me have a grandchild?”

“In two years.”

“In two years you’ll be twenty-nine!” Wu Xinhui said with exasperation. “Do you expect to be thirty and still not have a child? Listen to your mother; at the latest, get married next year, get pregnant, and give birth the year after. Weiyi is twenty-five this year; twenty-six or twenty-seven is the best age for childbearing.”

Zhang Jingchan remained unhurried: “Whether or not to have the baby is up to her, and when to have it is also up to her. The baby isn’t on my body; I have no say in the matter.”

“You!!!!”

Wu Xinhui suddenly hesitated: “Could it be that she’s not satisfied with you? Girls in the arts value purity of spirit above all else. You and your father, reeking of money and full of cunning, sigh…”

The more Wu Xinhui thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Her son was handsome and capable, but Wu Xinhui had grown accustomed to her husband’s immense wealth since she was young and didn’t think her son was particularly impressive. Moreover, she knew that the father and son were cut from the same cloth in the business world—seemingly upright and righteous, but actually insidious and shameless.

Zhang Jingchan said decisively, “You’re overthinking it. She likes someone like me.”

—

Late at night, Zhang Jingchan and Li Weiyi returned home. Zhang Jingchan, who had been drinking, took off his suit jacket and hung it up, saying, “I’m going to take a bath.”

Li Weiyi shook her head behind him. “Sigh! He reeks of money, is full of schemes, and has an impure spirit—how did I end up with such a boyfriend?”

Zhang Jingchan turned around, his cheeks flushed from the alcohol. He shoved one hand into his suit trousers, tilted his chin slightly, and said, “What boyfriend? You were calling me ‘husband’ yesterday.”

Li Weiyi: “…That doesn’t count.”

Zhang Jingchan walked towards her step by step, his usually deep eyes now gleaming with a dark light: “You also called me ‘male god.'”

Li Weiyi’s face flushed. Yes, she had, in bed.

Zhang Jingchan suddenly lifted her up, leaned her against the wall, his eyes half-closed, and said nothing. Li Weiyi gazed at his brow bone, nose bridge, and jawline, and said sincerely, “You definitely have that god-like aura. But I think you were most handsome when I first met you by the river; you were incredibly beautiful, strong, and tragic. Unlike now, you’re all high and mighty, getting whatever you want, lacking that pitiful quality.”

Zhang Jingchan slightly raised his eyelids, leaning his head against the wall with a rare air of nonchalant charm. He said, “You flatter me; we are alike. You also have that goddess-like aura, especially the first time I saw you; you were so delicate and endearing. Unlike now, all bared teeth and claws, riding on top of me, choking me while you talk.”

For Li Weiyi, wrapping her legs around his waist was a completely natural physical reaction, and her choking was also a way of touching him. She awkwardly loosened her legs, wanting to slide down. Zhang Jingchan lifted her up forcefully with both hands. The overly close body lines and the distinct sensation made Li Weiyi’s heart skip a beat. He casually asked, “Why are you getting down? Isn’t it nicer to hang on your boyfriend?”

Li Weiyi immediately recalled a familiar scene—once, she had wrapped her legs around his waist in the same way. After kissing for a while, Zhang Jingchan tried to let go, but Li Weiyi clung even tighter, asking, “Why are you getting down? Isn’t it nicer for your girlfriend to hang on you?”

Zhang Jingchan, whose arms were already sore, could only force a smile and continue to hold on. That night, he spent a long time shaking his wrists before going to bed.

What went around came around. Later, Mr. Zhang went to the gym every day to lift weights, and it did have some effect. Wasn’t this the day he washed away his shame?

Li Weiyi smiled broadly and lowered her head to kiss him.

—

The bathtub was in the bedroom bathroom. Zhang Jingchan went to take a bath, while Li Weiyi rinsed off in the other bathroom. Then, resting her chin on her hand, she sat in the living room, gazing at the large house, lost in thought. The apartment, a spacious 300 square meters, had only one bedroom, one bed, and not even a spare guest room. She remembered that this apartment had been prepared before they moved in together.

Li Weiyi now faced a serious problem: where would she sleep tonight?

Zhang Jingchan finished showering, changed into his pajamas, and read a book in bed for a while, but still hadn’t seen Li Weiyi come into the room. He put the book face down on the bed and went out.

There was an extra blanket on the living room sofa. Li Weiyi was nestled inside, only her head peeking out, looking quite natural: “I’ll sleep here tonight. You can have the bed; don’t be shy. I’m short; you won’t take up as much space. The sofa is just right.”

Zhang Jingchan, who had been half-drunk, was completely sober after his shower. He stood about five or six meters away for a moment, expressionless, then walked over, picked her up along with the blanket, and turned to walk towards the master bedroom.

Li Weiyi: “You broke your promise!”

Zhang Jingchan placed her on the bed in the master bedroom, then tried to pull off her blanket. Li Weiyi, looking as if she were about to be humiliated, clung to it tightly. Zhang Jingchan laughed, forcefully pulling the blanket away and throwing it on the cabinet. He then covered her with the oversized down comforter from the bed before lying down beside her, saying, “I only promised not to touch you, not that we’d sleep in separate beds.”

He turned off the light. Li Weiyi turned her head, looking at him in the darkness. He was very well-behaved; the bed was big enough that he didn’t even touch her.

Zhang Jingchan genuinely didn’t intend to do anything to her. He was never a man with those kinds of thoughts on his mind. He also hoped that those things would happen naturally. Now that they had transmigrated back and were living together, it was indeed awkward.

Adding to the fact that he had indeed drunk a bit too much today, he put the back of his hand on his forehead, just about to fall asleep, when he heard the person next to him say, “I was actually quite touched. You just wanted to be with me; that’s true love.”

“And then?”

“Then I remembered something: Zhang Jingchan, you’re shameless. When I was 19, you slept with me. Now you can take that blanket and roll around on the sofa.”