Chapter 109: A Battle of Wits

“In the office?” Those words rolled off Shang Yucheng’s tongue with a low, rich voice tinged with ambiguous meaning. “Is eye strain forbidden in the office?”

“What?”

Shang Yucheng leaned back and closed his eyes. “Come and massage them for me.”

“Oh…”

Liang Jinshang rubbed the acupuncture points around his temples and eyes, then pulled an unopened bottle of eye drops from her bag and applied some for him.

The sharp lines of the man’s jaw lifted slightly, his handsome profile undiminished from this angle.

Shang Yucheng opened his eyes slightly, blurred from the distance, and suddenly saw Liang Jinshang leaning closer.

What she intended was obvious.

Shang Yucheng’s lips curled into a teasing smile.

Then he felt a light peck at the corner of his mouth.

After kissing him, Liang Jinshang felt deeply embarrassed—how had she let herself be so swayed by beauty, so unable to resist?

Yet Shang Yucheng clearly enjoyed it. “Bribing me?”

Liang Jinshang’s voice roughened. “No, just taking advantage of you!”

...

Liang Jinshang took this banquet very seriously.

That day marked the reunion of Liang Xizhou and Nan Yi after eight years; more importantly, she now had a home.

A home, friends, a lover.

So buying clothes for Liang Xizhou was only one part of it—she also purchased many home decorations, fresh flowers, and ingredients.

Even more places than when Mulan prepared for war.

Shang Yucheng knew Liang Jinshang was a meticulous person, but as a young master aloof from mundane affairs, he couldn’t understand why such a small gathering for a meal required such a grand setup.

It occupied her from after work until bedtime.

Among them, only those involved truly knew who bore the cost.

“Because this is very important to me,” Liang Jinshang said, holding a pen between her fingers as she drafted the menu for the day. “Shang Yucheng, you must arrive on time. You helped me find a home, and you’re the person I most want to have here.”

On the day of the Wenju banquet, Shang Yucheng had an important contract to finalize but promised he would come afterward.

“If I promised, I won’t break my word. Don’t worry.”

The night before the banquet, Liang Jinshang stayed at Guanlan Courtyard and rose early to prepare.

Le Quan and another friend met the Chao family brothers downstairs and came up together.

Le Quan held the model set Liang Jinshang won at Yunxi Fort. “Here, your housewarming gift.”

Liang Jinshang silently scolded her with a glance—how shameless and stingy some people could be.

Zheng Jue, standing nearby with an arm around Le Quan’s shoulder, handed over a neatly wrapped bag. “This is a decoration Le Quan and I picked out together. Hope you like it.”

That was more like it.

Liang Jinshang took it and made a mouthing gesture toward Le Quan. “Xiao Le.”

Le Quan pretended to grab her hair, but Liang Jinshang dragged her off to the kitchen. “Xiao Le, help me scrub the crabs.”

Le Quan rolled her eyes helplessly. “He insists on a nickname only he can use—he can’t call me Xiao Quan!”

Her tone was sweet, making Liang Jinshang’s shoulders twitch with envy.

Le Quan asked, “Who else is coming?”

Liang Jinshang said Liang Xizhou and Nan Yi would be there.

Le Quan, hearing that Liang Xizhou had difficulty walking, asked how he would arrive.

“Shang Yucheng sent someone to pick him up...” With only the two of them present, Liang Jinshang lowered her voice. “Le Quan, Shang Yucheng and I...”

She spoke halfway through what she had said in the office that day. Listening to Liang Jinshang’s hesitant tone, it was easy to connect the dots.

“You and Shang Yucheng, involved again?”

Liang Jinshang shoved her. “Use another phrase.”

Le Quan: “Oh. You’ve got Shang Yucheng wrapped around your finger again? Is he really that irresistible?”

Liang Jinshang flipped shrimp into the pan with a flick, ignoring her.

Le Quan opened up, glancing toward Chao Jingyu outside. “That guy, you know what I mean?”

Liang Jinshang shook her head.

“Bad woman.” Le Quan recalled the mood outside the bar last time. She hadn’t expected her worries—that Chao Jingyu might suffer heartbreak over Liang Jinshang—to come true. “Stop leading him on. He’s such a good guy.”

Liang Jinshang didn’t explain she wasn’t leading Chao Jingyu on, but gently agreed that he was indeed a good person.

“When Shang Yucheng arrives, Dr. Chao will naturally find out.”

Since Chao Jingyu hadn’t openly confessed to her, it would be awkward for her to bluntly clarify her relationship with Shang Yucheng.

Judging by Shang Yucheng’s recent possessiveness toward her, once he arrived, anyone with eyes would see their connection.

Le Quan was silent for a while, then smiled again.

“Chao Jingyu’s really splurging today—I just saw him carrying two bottles of Romanée-Conti.” She waved her hands up and down. “Starting at six figures, I guess. Alas, the prince is interested, but the goddess is indifferent. I just pity his fine wine.”

Liang Jinshang was surprised at how Le Quan, her close friend, was so subtly hinting at things.

After a while, Liang Xizhou arrived.

Driver Xiao Wang brought him up.

Chao Jingyu approached and helped Liang Jinshang assist Liang Xizhou inside.

Naturally, Chao Jingyu knew Shang Yucheng’s driver and casually asked, “Is Yucheng not coming?”

Logically, since Liang Jinshang invited him, she wouldn’t leave Shang Yucheng out.

Someone as self-aware as Chao Jingyu, though considering himself a competitor for Shang Yucheng, understood that in Liang Jinshang’s heart, Shang Yucheng’s position was probably more important.

“Our boss will definitely come, right, Miss Liang?” Xiao Wang winked at Liang Jinshang.

As a witness to that night’s “romantic” events, he thought he knew more than others and couldn’t help but get carried away.

Chao Jingyu’s gaze remained on Liang Jinshang. Watching Xiao Wang chat with her, the faint smile on his lips faded somewhat.

Pushing Liang Xizhou, he casually said, “I’ve been busy attending medical seminars in the continent, haven’t had time for anything. Didn’t even hear when you bought a house.”

Liang Jinshang tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered, “How could I afford one?”

Liang Xizhou glanced at the two of them but unusually stayed silent.

This was a battle of wits.

Chao Jingyu, perceptive as ever, knew Liang Jinshang’s financial situation made it impossible to buy such a nice home in just one or two weeks.

Before Xiao Wang’s exaggerated “face-slimming exercises,” he had maintained enough discretion not to pry into where she got the money.

But now... he was suspicious.

So he asked in front of Xiao Wang to find out if the house had anything to do with Shang Yucheng.

Liang Jinshang’s retort only denied that she bought it herself.

If she had caught Chao Jingyu’s implication, then her words confirmed the house was related to Shang Yucheng.

At that moment, Le Quan came out of the kitchen. “The soup’s ready. Is anyone else coming?”

She didn’t ask about Shang Yucheng directly, but Chao Jingyu answered, “Yucheng hasn’t arrived yet. Let’s wait a bit longer—he can’t be missing today.”

Le Quan glanced at Liang Jinshang without a word.

Did she understand?