Chapter 137: Full of Indignation

Liang Jinshang hung her head, poking at the potatoes in her bowl with a plastic spoon.

She had lost all appetite.

If only the curry hadn’t cooled down, she would have loved to smear it all over Shang Yucheng’s suit.

Shang Yucheng gripped her slender, pale wrist, stopping her from continuing to churn the curry. Liang Jinshang, however, was determined to defy him. In the ensuing struggle, she lost control of her strength. The entire container of curry rice flipped over onto her bed.

"!!!" Liang Jinshang’s expression turned to one of disbelief, and she lashed out angrily, "Shang Yucheng, did you do that on purpose?"

"No," Shang Yucheng said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Clean this up and move into my place."

There was no point in having a presidential suite booked while still squeezing into this tiny room with her. But as soon as he said it, his previous actions seemed all the more intentional.

"I’m not going!"

Liang Jinshang wanted to strip the bedsheets herself, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Forget it; she would just call room service to change them and pay for the damage. She crawled toward the head of the bed to make the call, but suddenly, she was lifted into the air.

Shang Yucheng had picked her up. His patience had finally run out.

He intended to carry her away first and have the hotel staff deal with the mess later. Liang Jinshang, naturally, refused to go along with it, kicking and twisting; if not for Shang Yucheng’s immense strength, she would have been dropped several times over.

"Ding." The elevator doors slowly opened.

Liang Jinshang continued her struggle, but Shang Yucheng’s gaze shifted forward. He came to a halt. Liang Jinshang instinctively turned her head as well.

What is a "bad fate"? A bad fate is a love triangle that never fails to show up.

Seeing their posture, Yuan Xi smiled, though it was impossible to discern any real emotion. She even took the initiative to greet them, "Mr. Shang, Xiao Liang." She even offered a show of concern, "What happened to Xiao Liang? Does she need help?"

Liang Jinshang knew Yuan Xi always maintained the air of a poised "official mistress." But Liang Jinshang had no desire to be the subject of her magnanimity.

"Shang Yucheng, put me down!" she hissed into his ear, teeth gritted. Unlike the earlier bickering, she was genuinely anxious and angry now.

Shang Yucheng knew exactly what she was angry about; she had been upset with him earlier over Yuan Xi. He didn't put her down, but instead asked Yuan Xi, "Did you miss your floor?"

Yuan Xi replied, "I’ve arrived."

With both hands occupied, Shang Yucheng tilted his chin toward the door. "Then why aren't you getting out?"

His tone was as flat as ever, but the words were far from polite. The smile on Yuan Xi’s lips faltered for a moment before returning to normal. She stepped out in her high heels, managing to offer a polite farewell before departing.

Shang Yucheng stepped into the elevator and adjusted his hold on Liang Jinshang, gesturing for her to press the floor button. Liang Jinshang reached out from his arms and pressed it. She looked up at him with a complex expression and remarked, "Shang Yucheng, you have no class, treating your date like this."

"No class" was a phrase Le Quan often used to describe him, and Liang Jinshang had adopted it. She had used a similar comment when he stood by and watched Gong Xueyuan get into trouble last time. The more she used it, the more she felt it hit the mark.

This time, Shang Yucheng had a retort.

"What date? She is my subordinate now; does that not clarify things?" Shang Yucheng raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like the kind of person who can't separate business from pleasure?"

Liang Jinshang: "..."

Shang Yucheng certainly didn't look like someone who would get involved with his subordinates. Work was his top priority. But how could his relationship with Yuan Xi be innocent? Not to mention the period after they returned from the remote town, when Shang Yucheng had been driving Yuan Xi everywhere. And then there was the night Liang Jinshang saw a pile of dresses on the floor of his room. How could he explain that?

However, Shang Yucheng never explained what happened that night. In truth, a woman stripping down to nothing only to be wrapped in bedsheets and tossed out was hardly an honorable affair. While Shang Yucheng was no gentleman like Chao Jingyu, he wasn't the type to badmouth a woman behind her back. Even if he wasn't as refined as others, he respected Yuan Xi’s professional capability, and he didn't mind showing a bit of grace.

Since Shang Yucheng wouldn't explain, Liang Jinshang refused to make excuses for him or trust him. So, as soon as they reached his suite, she immediately picked a guest bedroom and walked in, intending to lock the door and rest.

Shang Yucheng braced his hand against the door, showing no reaction to her attempt to draw a line. He just looked at her with a cryptic smile. She had been willing to share a bed with him yesterday, and even before meeting Yuan Xi, she had tacitly allowed him to enter her room and do as he pleased. Therefore, to him, her current behavior could be summarized in two words: "jealousy."

Just as Liang Jinshang was about to explode with embarrassment and rage, he said in a bland, indifferent tone, "You can't get full on just jealousy; you need to eat something."

Liang Jinshang gave a smile that couldn't have been faker, and then, right in front of him, slammed the door shut with a "Bang!"

Jealousy might not fill her stomach, but she was angry. And anger was enough to keep her full.

...

The next morning, Liang Jinshang went out alone. Although Shang Yucheng claimed he was staying to keep her company for a couple of days, he was clearly keeping company with more than just her.

She didn't care anymore. Besides, she had something to do today, and she didn't want anyone tagging along.

But to her utter shock, when she arrived at the private collection gallery from the previous day, the counter that had held Fang Xin’ou’s sketchbook was empty. The curator, the same one as yesterday, asked why she had returned.

"Where is that sketchbook?" Liang Jinshang asked urgently.

The curator replied, "It has gone to a person of destiny."

"You clearly said yesterday that you weren't selling it!"

The curator, who looked refined and respectable, displayed a sharp, vicious tongue. "I was mostly afraid you couldn't afford it."

Liang Jinshang felt so discouraged that she didn't even feel the sting of the insult. She returned to the hotel, feeling lost and empty. Her own room had been checked out by Shang Yucheng without a word, so she had no choice but to return to the 33rd floor.

Entering the living room, she found Shang Yucheng absent. She was drinking ice water on the sofa when she suddenly noticed a stack of documents on the table.

The first page was a printed photograph. The photo was none other than the cover of Fang Xin’ou’s sketchbook. She hurriedly flipped through it and saw it was a purchase contract.

Liang Jinshang’s eyes lit up.

Shang Yucheng had actually bought it! Though she didn't know what he and Yuan Xi were doing at that gallery yesterday, he must have seen the name "Fang Xin’ou" and bought it for her.

Liang Jinshang was so excited her hands trembled. Hearing the door open, she immediately stood up, wanting to express her gratitude without a second thought.

But before she could speak, she heard Yuan Xi’s voice: "I hope we can find a lead this time; I’m really looking forward to it..."

The next second, Yuan Xi saw Liang Jinshang, whose smile had frozen in place. She stopped mid-sentence. Glancing at what was in Liang Jinshang’s hand, she instinctively looked at Shang Yucheng.

Shang Yucheng asked calmly, "Where did you go so early in the morning?"

Liang Jinshang ignored Yuan Xi’s presence and looked at him with eyes full of anticipation. "Shang Yucheng, did you buy this for me? Where is the real thing?"