Chapter 151 Settling Scores

Zheng Jue was caught between amusement and exasperation.

When that woman was spraying perfume on both Liang Jinshang and himself, she definitely hadn't intended to use it as an opportunity for a prank. Yet, when faced with such an unformulated situation, her impromptu reaction was remarkably quick.

Zheng Jue himself didn't really care, but for a young girl like Liang Jinshang, it was better to avoid such tacky jokes.

"Yucheng, Jinshang and I..." Zheng Jue was just about to explain when he saw Le Quan making throat-slitting gestures and glaring at him, determined to stop him from talking.

He had no choice but to pause, resting his hand against one side of his face as his gaze drifted toward Liang Jinshang. He hoped to give her a look so she could explain it herself.

Who would have thought that Liang Jinshang, who usually kept a low profile and rarely showed her cards, could sometimes have even fewer bottom lines than Le Quan?

"Don't blame Zheng Jue either," she said directly, keeping her head down as she chimed in with Le Quan. "Best friends are supposed to do this kind of thing, right? Who told you not to be on your guard against me?"

Le Quan burst out laughing, "Hahahahaha!"

Zheng Jue: "..."

Though Shang Yucheng finally loosened his grip on Zheng Jue's hand, he commanded with a blank expression, "Zheng Jue, take your girlfriend out for a spin."

This was clearly a cue that he intended to "settle accounts" in private.

Zheng Jue let out a knowing chuckle, then coaxed and embraced Le Quan as he led her out to buy milk tea.

As soon as the two of them left, Shang Yucheng reached out and pulled Liang Jinshang toward him, closing the empty space that had separated them.

Still feeling it was not enough, he effortlessly lifted her and set her down on his lap.

"What are you doing?" Liang Jinshang wore a look of disdain. "Can't you even tell when we're joking?"

Shang Yucheng replied, "I could tell."

If Le Quan hadn't made such an exaggerated and fake reaction just moments ago, Shang Yucheng might actually have misunderstood something. Besides, if Zheng Jue were truly stupid enough to make a move on his woman, he might as well switch sides and support Zheng San as early as possible.

Liang Jinshang twisted her waist, struggling as she asked, "Then what are you doing this for?"

Shang Yucheng kissed her on the cheek. "Seeing that you're in a bad mood, I'm comforting you."

"I don't need—Mph."

He said he was comforting her, but when Shang Yucheng leaned in for a kiss, he had no intention of giving any prior warning. With her back against the table, Liang Jinshang had nowhere to run. Pinned against the edge of the table, she was kissed until she was breathless before he finally let her go.

"Feeling a better mood now?"

Liang Jinshang felt a vague sense of collapse—better my foot!

"Let me down!"

Shang Yucheng didn't let go, and the two of them remained pressed closely together.

Lowering his face, Shang Yucheng brushed his high-bridged nose lightly against her neck, inhaling gently. "You smell good."

Liang Jinshang tilted her neck back, taking shallow breaths. Le Quan had only sprayed some perfume on her wrists; how could it possibly smell like her neck?

How was she to know that even if she only had those lingering base notes left on her wrists, or even if she had just finished sweating, a man whose heart was set on something else would still likely only be able to smell her own unique, personal scent.

They were in an outside private dining room; even if the waiter didn't walk in, Le Quan and Zheng Jue could return at any second. It was truly inappropriate to be overly intimate.

Yet the hand Shang Yucheng had placed on her waist tightened steadily, his gaze growing slightly profound. "Can you really not have anything iced?"

Liang Jinshang paused for a moment before she realized what he was driving at. A man, sitting in such a posture with such a gaze, asking a question like that—what else could it possibly be for?

Who had the mood for that right now? Besides, the things he had said yesterday were still ringing clearly in her ears.

"Whether I can drink iced things or not doesn't seem to be any of your business," Liang Jinshang mocked him relentlessly. "You fail to fulfill a boyfriend's proper obligations, yet you spend all day惦记ing (harboring thoughts) about a boyfriend's perks."

Shang Yucheng let out a scoff, the curve of his lips carrying a wicked, sexy edge. Judging from the involuntary feedback she had given in the past, it was genuinely hard to say who was providing perks to whom.

Although Shang Yucheng was currently the one who more urgently needed some "perks," he still deliberately provoked her. "You have to enjoy the perks first before you can fulfill the obligations."

As expected, this thoroughly irritated her.

Liang Jinshang used both hands and feet trying to climb down from his lap, causing Shang Yucheng to frown slightly. "Don't move around."

Having messed around with him so many times, she naturally knew why he was telling her not to move. Looking at the dark flames burning in Shang Yucheng's eyes as he forced himself to endure, she finally felt a slight venting of her frustration.

Shang Yucheng pinched Liang Jinshang's cheek with one hand, forcing her lips to pucker uncontrollably. He pecked her soft, pouty lips once before finally setting her down.

Holding her any longer would have been entirely inappropriate. Primarily because the images flashing through his mind were completely inappropriate.

Le Quan and Zheng Jue returned shortly after. Zheng Jue had only knocked twice and hadn't even waited for a reply before Le Quan forcefully pulled him inside.

Seeing the two of them sitting upright and proper, Le Quan let out a regretful sigh and glared at Zheng Jue. "That's why I told you not to knock! They didn't do anything at all! You men are just so sneaky!"

Taking an innocent bullet, Zheng Jue sat down and glanced across the table at the detached and composed Shang Yucheng. Could it be that he really had overthought it?

Yet the very next second, he saw Shang Yucheng casually pick up the milk tea Liang Jinshang had already taken a few sips from and drink from it.

Zheng Jue chuckled inwardly, lowering his head to mask his knowing look.

Just at that moment, as if she had discovered a new continent, Le Quan asked, "Shang Yucheng, there's a new one right here, why are you drinking Liang Jinshang's leftovers?"

Shang Yucheng simply acted as though he hadn't heard.

What else could it be for? Because this thing was cold enough!

With all the dishes finally served, the group at last began to discuss business.

After listening to Zheng Jue recount the cause and effect, Shang Yucheng expressed his approval of his approach.

"There's one thing I still don't understand," Le Quan chimed in first, acting as a rather naive socialite from Jinocheng. "With someone as endlessly greedy as Zhong Fu, why would he donate to your Zheng family? Once he donates it, what benefit does he get out of it? And I don't understand your Zheng family either—holding a charity auction with such a grand setup, yet refusing to even draw out a single auction item. In the end, neither the items nor the money belong to you. Are you really just doing it for that tiny bit of reputation?"

Zheng Jue replied, "First of all, of course Zhong Fu isn't donating out of selflessness. He and Zheng Shan reached some kind of deal behind the scenes that I'm not aware of, but in the end, Jinshang's standing sculpture would definitely make a round trip right back into Zhong Fu's hands. Rather than letting them operate in the shadows, I might as well push it out into the open and let us bid for it fair and square."

Le Quan opened her mouth, and Zheng Jue immediately knew what she was going to say. "Of course the money isn't coming out of our own pockets."

With that, he glanced at Shang Yucheng.

Shang Yucheng said indifferently, "Zhong Family Jewelry isn't worth all that much. If one branch store isn't enough, they can put up two to cover it."

Le Quan had an epiphany. The almighty CEO aura was about to awaken—the weather is getting cold, time to acquire Zhong Family Jewelry!

Being very patient with Le Quan, Zheng Jue continued, "As for your last question, to put it in terms from our financial industry: taking a piece of fatty meat out of the refrigerator and putting it back in, the meat doesn't get smaller, but your hands end up greasy. Understand now, baby?"

"Understood," Le Quan asked Liang Jinshang, "Do you understand, baby?"

Liang Jinshang nodded, and then she and Le Quan spoke in unison: "There's no such thing as an honest merchant, after all!"