Chapter 111: Everyone Has Their Own Battlefield of Romantic Entanglements

Outside the door, the steady knocking continued for a while before stopping.

Just then, Le Quan, having just won a round, called out, “That’s satisfying!”

However, no sooner had she spoken than the sound of a key turning in the lock came from the doorway.

The door opening drew everyone's attention.

Guanlan Courtyard was an old residential complex from years ago, back when fingerprint electronic locks weren’t popular.

Though later tenants gradually replaced their locks with electronic ones, this unit had remained unoccupied for some time, still using the traditional mechanical lock.

If Shang Yucheng had entered by entering a password, Chao Jingyu could at least deceive himself a little.

Because as the investor, the password could have been set by him.

But Shang Yucheng had a key to this place.

What kind of relationship allowed Liang Jinshang to confidently hand over a key?

This was ironclad—no chance of luck here.

The only one who could have come in was Shang Yucheng.

Except for Zheng Jue, no one greeted him.

Shang Yucheng behaved as if he were returning home, kicking aside the mess on the floor and fetching himself a glass of water.

Leaning casually against the cabinet, he sipped with a relaxed air.

There was no sign of embarrassment or guilt on him.

Chao Jingyu and Le Quan were sitting on the carpet in front of the sofa playing video games.

Le Quan glanced at Shang Yucheng’s easy demeanor and, irritated, suddenly felt thirsty too. “Chao Jingyu, pass me the water!”

Chao Jingyu held the game controller with one hand. “Water or the sobering tea?”

He had just brewed some sobering tea and poured a cup each for the Liang siblings.

Le Quan said water.

Chao Jingyu handed it over and heard Liang Jinshang also say she was thirsty.

He was seated close to her head, so he could easily hand her the cup by turning his head.

He didn’t ask what she wanted to drink—drunk as she was, she had no choice.

The sobering tea tasted bad, and since Liang Jinshang was lying down, she spilled a few drops on the sofa.

Refusing to drink more, she handed the cup back.

Chao Jingyu was about to feed her as before but paused and looked at Shang Yucheng. “Yucheng, you do it.”

Shang Yucheng’s gaze was fixed on them.

It was unclear whether he was looking at Liang Jinshang or Chao Jingyu.

But the two, one lying down and the other sitting, looked like Liang Jinshang was resting her head against Chao Jingyu’s back.

One playing games, the other sleeping—ignoring Le Quan and Zheng Jue nearby, it appeared quite harmonious.

Shang Yucheng didn’t refuse and walked over.

Taking the cup from Chao Jingyu’s hand, he helped Liang Jinshang sit up since it was hard to feed her lying down, letting her lean against his chest.

Liang Jinshang said she wasn’t that drunk.

At least she was clear about who she was leaning on and why she was drunk.

So she turned her head away, “Not thirsty anymore.”

Her tone was restrained; she still remembered not to make a scene in front of others.

Someone who couldn’t fully relax even when drunk—Chao Jingyu could imagine how tightly she must hold herself in daily life.

Thinking about it, he felt an inexplicable pang of sympathy.

Shang Yucheng, however, had no such sentimentality. He simply brought the glass closer again, his usual commanding tone in place, “Drink a little, or you’ll have a headache tomorrow.”

Liang Jinshang couldn’t avoid being forced to drink. Drunken people can’t control their strength well, and she pushed too hard in refusal.

With a “pop!” the glass hit the floor.

Before it landed, half a glass of water spilled onto Chao Jingyu’s back.

Liang Jinshang scrambled up, guilt weighing heavily on her mind, clearing her head somewhat. “Sorry, sorry! Doctor Chao, I’m sorry!”

Seeing her sway unsteadily on the sofa, Chao Jingyu quickly steadied her.

“It’s okay. I’ll go to the bathroom to clean up.”

Since they were indoors, he had taken off his windbreaker, and the thin knit sweater underneath was soaked—there was no quick way to dry it.

At that moment, Shang Yucheng suddenly spoke, “There are some of my clothes in the wardrobe. Change into them first.”

Liang Jinshang’s reaction was a beat late; Shang Yucheng had already turned and headed toward her room.

But what clothes of Shang Yucheng’s were here?

He entered so effortlessly and said he had clothes here himself. Wasn’t he blatantly telling everyone they lived together?

With him already saying this, any explanation she gave would only make things worse.

Besides, Chao Jingyu probably already guessed their relationship.

Still, Liang Jinshang couldn’t shake off the feeling of being schemed.

After a moment, Shang Yucheng returned, holding one of his garments.

It was the same one he had worn the night of Liang Jinshang’s birthday, the night he stayed here.

He had been a mess then, the clothes stained with all sorts of things.

Even if it was his own, it was disgusting.

Shang Yucheng urged Liang Jinshang to throw it away and change into the new clothes the assistant had brought.

But he knew her well enough to know that with Liang Jinshang’s frugality, she wouldn’t throw away clothes.

So today, those clothes were used by Shang Yucheng as part of this little play.

Chao Jingyu said nothing, took the clothes, put them on, and meaningfully remarked, “Not bad, fits perfectly. Like it was made for me. Anyone who saw it would think it’s mine.”

“No matter how well it fits you, it’s still my clothing. Limited edition, first come first served,” Shang Yucheng said with a faint smile. “Besides, you only see how you look in it. You don’t know how much better it looks on me.”

Le Quan seized the opportunity and immediately chimed in, “I think this suit looks best on Chao Jingyu. It’s a waste having you wear it.”

Shang Yucheng gave Le Quan a half-smile that was not quite a smile, his eyes cold.

Le Quan wasn’t afraid and even threw a jab at Zheng Jue, signaling him to back her up.

Zheng Jue was sharp; even if he didn’t know the tangled relationships among these few, he could catch the underlying wit.

He wouldn’t offend Shang Yucheng, especially since he still needed him in the power struggle with Zheng Shan.

If his information was correct, Zheng San’er was also trying to make contact with the Shang family.

But Zheng Jue wouldn’t dare upset his girlfriend, since the cooperation with the Shang family was arranged through the Le family.

“I don’t know much about clothing,” Zheng Jue said vaguely, “but if you really like a piece and it’s sold out, you can look for the same style elsewhere. It might suit you even better.”

Good—nobody liked that answer, and just like that, he offended all three.

“The cripple seems to be awake,” Shang Yucheng tactfully changed the subject.

Liang Jinshang hurried toward the room. “His mood might be a little volatile. Please don’t go in.”

When Liang Jinshang entered, Liang Xizhou lay quietly on the bed, neither arguing nor angry, just staring at the ceiling in a daze.

“Xizhou, you’re awake? Hungry? You didn’t eat much just now. I’ll make you something?”

Liang Xizhou shook his head. “Liang Jinshang, you said she would come. Was that a lie? A lie doomed to be exposed? What are you after? Just wanting me to experience gaining and losing again?”

“But maybe that’s for the best. Why should Nan Yi take over a cripple like me?”

“You’ve got a new home and want to completely dump me on someone else? What a cunning plan you’ve made!”

Liang Xizhou spoke sentence by sentence, and Liang Jinshang couldn’t interrupt.

A noise came from the doorway; Shang Yucheng had appeared there without anyone noticing.