112: Calm Before the Storm

Calm Before the Storm

"I'm not going to cockblock you lovers from having sex!"  1

At Shengli's frank statement, Xue Ning sprang away from Jingwei. She nearly forgot Shengli was still there, something that she blamed Jingwei for. 

Jingwei had a way of drawing her entire attention - it was an ability she could still ignore when they first met, but after all their shared kiss, her eyes naturally drifted to his imposing figure whenever he was within her radius, like now.

"There's no sex! None!" Xue Ning exclaimed, cheeks hot with embarrassment. She glared at Jingwei; he was playing dirty. "Don't try to seduce me before we even sign the contract!" 

"So it was working!" Jingwei said delightedly. "Don't worry Xue Ning, I'll make it worth your while." 

"What kind of harebrained scheme have you cooked up now?" Shengli asked warily. He didn't want to know, but he had to. For the sake of his paycheck. 

Jingwei's cheerful grin sent warning bells ringing through his head.

"Xue Ning and I have a bet going on." He told him. "If I manage to seduce her to my bed, she gets one house. If I fail, she gets three houses!"

"But nothing has been confirmed yet," Xue Ning added. "I haven't signed any contract for this bet."

Both of them gave Shengli a meaningful look. Clearly they expected him to draft the contract for such a ridiculous bet, even with his towering workload. 

Shengli stared blankly at them both. 

"I'm not even going to bother about this now." Shengli said, because he had never met two idiots that were so terrible at romance that they had to use a contract to have an excuse to sleep with each other. 

He got up to leave, but he couldn't resist getting the last word after all they've put him through.

He tilted Xue Ning's head closer to him, delighting in the surprise in her eyes and the jealousy in Jingwei's. 

"Seduction doesn't only take place in the bedroom." He said smoothly, letting go to step further back before one of them (Xue Ning, most likely) threw punches. 

"But no matter where you're fucking, please avoid penetrative sex for now unless you have protection!" He smirked at their embarrassed faces. "You can't afford a pregnancy scandal. I bid you goodnight." 

The door closed, but not before Shengli got the satisfying glance at their red faces. 

Now, with Jingwei's jealousy riled up, maybe something will finally be done about that sexual tension, stupid bet notwithstanding. He wasn't going to waste his time drafting such a nonsensical contract! 

===

"Sun family's youngest son, Sun Jingwei, will be holding a press conference on the 3rd of September, 12 noon, to clarify the recent news regarding his involvement in the street racing culture in Shanghai. One must speculate on the sudden - "

Sun Haowei choked as the words from the newscaster finally registered in his mind.

"Turn up the volume," he ordered his chauffeur, who dutifully did so, but of course the newscaster had moved on to reporting other news. He scowled, was his ears too clogged with earwax that he didn't hear carefully? 

Was his youngest son willingly handing himself over for the press to eviscerate? 

Did Tianwei know about this?

He immediately called his oldest son. 

"Tianwei, what is this I'm hearing about a press conference?" He demanded, without even saying hello. 

"Father, while Jingwei had floated this idea to me, I've dissuaded him against it," Tianwei reported imperiously. "I told him that I would refuse to help him with such a harebrained scheme!"

"Then why is the news reporting that he's holding a press conference 3 days from now?" Sun Haowei asked. "Don't tell me your brother has decided to take matters into his own hands!" 

"That's impossible Father, he would never…" Tianwei trailed off, then he let out a hastily muffled curse. Clearly his son had seen the confirmation, but Haowei couldn't have known that it was from Lian Xingzi's phone - she was also another woman he found unsuitable for his son. 

"He apparently just did," Sun Haowei said through gritted teeth. 

"Father, are you going to help?" Tianwei asked cautiously. "I heard from Jingwei that you told him to handle it by himself. Are you really going to leave him to his own devices?"

"Yes," Sun Haowei scoffed. "I have told your brother time and time again to give up on illegal street racing but he didn't listen. This is his punishment! Don't you dare help him!"

"Yes Father, I understand." Tianwei agreed, mentally sending a prayer for his younger brother. Hopefully Miss Li would not leave him when he turned into Shanghai's number one pariah - and he would be, because Tianwei knew his brother, and he was impulsive and immature. 

The press would destroy him, and the Internet mob would land the finishing blow. Knowing how hungry netizens were for blood, they would take every word from his mouth out of context to make him look worse. 

His brother really shouldn't have picked this course of action.

Well, at least he wouldn't be any threat to Tianwei's position. Not that he ever was. Perhaps after this fallout, Jingwei would be sent to some backwater town to live the rest of his days with Miss Li. 

The phone call ended with a definite click. Sun Haowei let out a world-weary sigh that was at odds with the anger displayed in the call. 

How did his youngest son come up with this sort of plan? Surely it must be Miss Li Xue Ning that whispered into his ear, influencing him! And of course Jingwei would listen to her every word like it was gospel. 

His phone showed the video of eggs nearly hitting Jingwei, if not for that woman's quick actions. 

She saved him, but she had also put him in that situation to begin with. His stupid son most likely won't see it that way, and would grow more enamoured with her.

"Sir, do you still wish to go to the office?" His chauffeur asked hesitantly, sensing the change in his mood. 

"I've changed my mind," he leaned back and closed his eyes. He was initially going to the office to see if there was anything he could do, but his son had made his ill-advised choices and would have to deal with the consequences by himself. 

"Just go straight home." 

"Yes Sir," The chauffeur replied, and the car reversed. The rest of the ride was spent in silence. 

pqdm.com