Chapter 80: The Overbearing CEO's Affection for His Wife

Yan He did not continue speaking, instead shifting the conversation with an air of calm indifference.

With backgrounds like theirs, family interests were too deeply entangled. Since Yan He held a position in a subsidiary of the Shang Group, the Yan family was surely reliant on the maternal Shang clan. Shang Jinkang, the all-powerful leader, was not someone whose son’s illness would be casually discussed as idle gossip.

Seeing Yan He unwilling to elaborate, Liang Jinshang naturally refrained from pressing further. She was quietly grateful, whether for the issue of the kidney source or the surgery itself—thankfully, Liang Yuanhan had escaped this calamity.

It was only much later that she understood: the suffering fate intends for you does not vanish simply because you manage to evade it for a moment.

…

Upon returning to the hotel, they happened to encounter Le Quan in the restaurant, and Liang Jinshang took the opportunity to part ways with Yan He.

Le Quan watched Yan He leave, then turned to scrutinize Liang Jinshang with a look full of implication.

Liang Jinshang, now adept at deciphering Le Quan’s subtext, took the initiative, “Let me make it clear: I have absolutely nothing going on with Yan He. We just happened to meet and strolled a bit together. He already has a girlfriend.”

“I know he has a girlfriend. Who in our circle doesn’t? Yan He is a perpetual motion machine—never a gap between relationships,” Le Quan clicked her tongue twice. “I just saw Yuan Suo with Mr. Shang, and Yan He once pursued Yuan Suo but failed. Now he’s hanging out with you, and you—you just got bored of Mr. Shang and tossed him aside…”

“Are you all dancing? Change partners!”

Liang Jinshang raised an eyebrow, “So what are you getting at?”

Le Quan shrugged, “I, Le Quan, truly live up to my name—an oasis of purity in this circle.”

Liang Jinshang couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

But her laughter quickly faded.

Across the restaurant, she spotted Shang Yiming and Nan Yi.

For this company retreat, staff could bring family at their own expense, but she hadn’t expected Shang Yiming to bring Nan Yi.

After all that had happened, Nan Yi still hadn’t left him.

Le Quan fetched her food and turned to look for Liang Jinshang, only to find she had already sat down with a man and a woman.

Le Quan was surprised—there weren’t many people in the restaurant at this hour, so why was Jinshang sharing a table with strangers? As she approached, she realized the man was Shang Yiming, the woman was unfamiliar but strikingly pretty, prompting Le Quan to glance at her a few more times.

Le Quan sat opposite Jinshang, kicking her under the table. Why was she staring at Shang Yiming so intently?

Didn’t she notice his girlfriend was right there?

Still, Le Quan wasn’t clueless enough to misunderstand that Jinshang had lingering feelings for Shang Yiming.

Liang Jinshang was surrounded by so many outstanding men, the odds of her fancying Shang Yiming were as slim as winning the lottery.

Shang Yiming acted as though he hadn’t noticed the additional company, slicing a piece of steak and feeding it to Nan Yi. “Sweetheart, you’re too thin—eat a little more.”

Nan Yi accepted the bite and murmured, “You should eat, too.”

Shang Yiming replied, “After dinner, I’ll take you to buy a swimsuit. In a few days, we can go rafting.”

Liang Jinshang knew he was saying it for her benefit. “Nan Yi, are you full? If so, come with me for a moment.”

Nan Yi glanced at her indifferently, replying airily, “Didn’t you hear? My boyfriend and I have plans after this.”

Liang Jinshang didn’t beat around the bush. “I advise you to break up with him.”

Le Quan continued eating quietly. She could tell Jinshang and Shang Yiming’s girlfriend were old acquaintances, and Jinshang was trying to save the girl from disaster.

Nan Yi curled her lips emotionlessly. “I’d advise you not to interfere with us again.”

She turned to Shang Yiming, “I’m done eating. Shall we go?”

Shang Yiming, brimming with satisfaction, said, “Let’s pack a little food and eat in our room.”

After the pair left, Le Quan sighed, “You really are stubborn. Shang Yiming’s a scoundrel, but one man’s poison is another’s honey. What if your friend actually likes his type?”

Liang Jinshang replied, lost in thought, “You don’t understand.”

Ordinary girls might grow from a single heartbreak.

But Nan Yi was different—Jinshang could tell from Nan Yi’s repeated resistance to Shang Yiming that her soul was still trapped in that alleyway from years ago.

If she didn’t find a gentle, steadfast man to support her, Nan Yi would be utterly destroyed.

“All right, I don’t understand,” Le Quan said, spearing a sausage and mimicking, “Sweetheart, you’re too thin—eat a little more.”

…

The next day’s itinerary was a mountain hike.

Qingchi Mountain boasted spectacular scenery; one could camp and cook wild meals atop the peak.

Unfortunately, the weather was gloomy, threatening rain instead of offering crisp autumn air.

Yuan Xi wore a bright orange dress and was the most conspicuous figure in the crowd. But her prominence wasn’t just due to her attire—beside her stood a man whose brilliance could never be concealed.

The mountain hike’s most enticing aspect for Liang Jinshang was the grand prize for first place.

A complete set of miniature models of local Yunxi Fort residences, built with linden wood and mortise-and-tenon joints, with even the interiors faithfully recreated in scale—exquisitely beautiful.

Liang Jinshang had her eye on them from her first day at the souvenir center. She always had a weakness for such models. If not for their five-figure price—nearly six—she might have bought them on the spot.

Upon learning that the prize was that very set, nothing could deter her from winning.

Le Quan accompanied Jinshang for most of the climb but finally gave up. “It’s just a set of models. Can’t I buy them for you?”

“No,” Jinshang replied, leaning on her knees, breathless. “Don’t you understand the value of saving every penny?”

Le Quan showed her mud-caked luxury sports shoes, “Do I look like someone who gets that?”

“…No, you don’t,” Jinshang said, finishing half her water bottle with a sigh. “Never mind, rest here. I’ll go on alone.”

Seeing Jinshang determined to continue, Le Quan grabbed her. “Did you know this valuable first prize was personally sponsored by Shang Yucheng?”

Jinshang shook her head indifferently.

Shang Yucheng hadn’t blacklisted her; she was free to compete.

Le Quan pointed at the orange silhouette ahead. Besides herself and Jinshang, only Yuan Xi and Shang Yucheng remained at the front.

“Guess why so many male colleagues with good stamina aren’t rushing ahead?” Le Quan prompted.

Jinshang’s gaze shifted, fixing on her.

“Got it?” Le Quan said, exasperated. “It’s the classic CEO spoiling his wife. If only you hadn’t gotten bored so quickly and dumped him, this blatant favoritism would have been yours.”

Liang Jinshang had seen many of Yuan Xi’s works, several award-winning, and her design style was both spirited and brilliant.

She must be like Jinshang herself—a true devotee of the design industry.

So, perhaps Shang Yucheng had indeed prepared the models to win Yuan Xi’s favor.

…But Jinshang wanted them desperately, too.