ORCBRB – Chapter 74
Chapter 74
The end of her exam the next day signaled the official start of Sang Shi'an's winter break. Yanjing University, located in the north, had a relatively long winter break that would last until late February, amounting to a month and a half of vacation.
As Sang Shi'an left the examination hall, she received a second piece of good news: the bid had been successful. With two happy events at once, she made a special call to Wen Yansheng to discreetly ask for Jian Cenyu's flight information, planning to give her a surprise at the airport.
However, Sang Shi'an waited at the wrong exit. When she realized that nearly all the passengers from Jian Cenyu's flight had already left, she hurriedly called Jian Cenyu.
Meanwhile, Jian Cenyu, having just walked through the security exit, met Sang Shiyue. Believing the matter should be addressed sooner rather than later, she had called him before boarding her flight. Sang Shiyue had offered to pick her up from the airport, giving them a perfect opportunity to talk about her relationship with Sang Shi'an.
The airport was bustling with people. Sang Shiyue was the first to bring up the matter of Shanghai. “I haven't congratulated you yet on securing the chamber of commerce's mainland chairmanship. This will give you more say in Jian Corporation, and its future development will be smoother.”
Jian Cenyu replied humbly, “This time, it was thanks to An'an for helping me smooth things over in advance, and also thanks to Shengyu Corporation's cooperation. I haven't had a chance to thank you yet.”
Sang Shiyue said, “You're too kind.”
As they were talking, Jian Cenyu's phone rang.
Without looking at the caller ID, Sang Shiyue guessed, “Sang Shi'an?”
Jian Cenyu hesitated.
Sang Shiyue stuck his left hand in his pocket, looking like he was ready for a good show. “Answer it. Let me hear just how lovesick this girl gets when she's in a relationship.”
Jian Cenyu still took a few steps to the side before answering the call.
“...You're at the airport? Right now.” Jian Cenyu glanced at Sang Shiyue, feeling troubled. “I've already left the airport. Something came up unexpectedly. An'an, can you head home first, okay?”
Just as she said that, a set of footsteps approached her. Sang Shi'an, her long hair flying, rushed over in a flurry and threw her arms around Jian Cenyu's neck. “You call this having left the airport? I saw you from a mile away, and you lied to me! Jian Cenyu, don't tell me you're sneaking off to have an affair behind my back with... huh? Brother!”
Jian Cenyu: ...
Sang Shiyue had spotted Sang Shi'an long before. As she approached, he had leisurely taken two steps toward Jian Cenyu, standing nearly two meters away. Logically, his one-hundred-and-eighty-five-centimeter height should have been quite conspicuous, yet Sang Shi'an had completely overlooked him.
Sang Shi'an, still in shock, quickly removed her hands from Jian Cenyu. She straightened her hair and clothes, then turned to Sang Shiyue, her entire body stiff as she greeted him, “Brother, are you just back from a business trip too? What a coincidence.”
Sang Shiyue let out a cold ‘hehe’ and said, “Not a coincidence at all. I came to the airport specifically to have an affair with Jian Cenyu behind your back.”
Sang Shi'an: ...
Sang Shi'an immediately felt she was doomed. She explained dryly, “That's not what I meant. It's a catchphrase among us college students, you probably don't know it. Whenever someone stands us up, we tease them about sneaking off to have an affair with someone new.”
After speaking, she nudged Jian Cenyu with her elbow, deliberately switching back her form of address. “Right, Cenyu Jiejie?”
Jian Cenyu found herself in a difficult position. If she told Sang Shi'an the truth, she worried Sang Shiyue would give her a hard time later. But if she didn't, she feared Sang Shi'an's explanations would only dig a deeper hole.
She cleared her throat lightly and said, “Passengers from the next flight are coming through. Let's not block the way.”
Sang Shiyue relented. “Let's get going then.”
Sang Shi'an walked between them, so bad at acting that she might as well have had ‘I'm dating Jian Cenyu and I feel so guilty’ written right on her face.
Sang Shiyue could tell at a glance that Sang Shi'an was already scheming up ways to avoid interrogation. He proposed, “Didn't you have a one-sided crush on some guy before? It's been so long, if it's not going anywhere, don't force it. I have a childhood friend returning to the country in a few days. I'll introduce you two then.”
Sang Shi'an shifted half a step closer to Jian Cenyu, shaking her head as she said, “No need for you to introduce anyone, Brother. I can find my own partner. I'm a grown-up now. It's not like I'm the type to jump off a building just because of a rejected crush. Okay?”
Sang Shiyue: ...
If you're not guilty, why are you acting all cute and wheedling?
Jian Cenyu couldn't bear it any longer. Risking Sang Shiyue adding another charge to her name, she said coolly, “You're so much older than An'an. Why don't you find a partner for yourself? As for An'an, she already has—”
Sang Shiyue turned his head.
Sang Shi'an guessed what Jian Cenyu was about to say and frantically moved to cover her mouth, her eyes screaming: No, no, you can't!
Jian Cenyu caught Sang Shi'an's hand, gave it a squeeze right in front of Sang Shiyue, and then let go. “An'an, your brother already knows.”
Sang Shi'an froze. “Huh?”
Jian Cenyu stated it plainly, “He already knows about our relationship. I arranged to meet him tonight specifically to talk about this.”
Sang Shi'an: ...
In the back seat of the Cullinan, Sang Shi'an stared at the streetlights flashing past the window. She replayed the look on Sang Shiyue's face after Jian Cenyu's confession, and her eyes grew moist with anxiety.
It was over. She and Jian Cenyu had been found out so soon. They had planned to come out to their families after she graduated, never expecting this day to arrive so quickly.
She especially remembered that her brother seemed to have recently acquired shares in Jian Corporation. Recalling Jian Cenyu's evasive look at the time, Sang Shi'an realized she had been deceived by her.
Jian Cenyu herself had only learned about the shares after Jian Zhenyang reminded her.
Furthermore, the other three percent of Jian Corporation shares her family held were in her mother's name. If her brother went home and made up some business-related excuse, it was highly likely he could get her mother to let him hold them in proxy.
Sang Shi'an slumped in the back seat, her head wedged in the gap between the headrest and the window, sighing deeply.
Maybe she should take the initiative and surrender—pretend to break up with Jian Cenyu? It would just be one winter break without seeing each other. Once school started, she could stick to Jian Cenyu every day.
She could at least stick to her for another two and a half years.
When she had no classes during the day, she could go sit in on Jian Cenyu's. At night, she could go home with her. Getting a room somewhere would be fine too. There were no five-star hotels around the university, but she could make do.
She could endure hardship for love.
The moment she thought about it, Sang Shi'an felt an immense aversion to the winter break she had previously been looking forward to.
No, she couldn't wait for school to start.
After settling on a plan, Sang Shi'an slowly sat up straight. While Sang Shiyue was waiting at a red light, she called out softly, “Brother?”
Sang Shiyue glanced into the rearview mirror, his eyes fierce and his expression icy.
Sang Shi'an immediately shrank back into her seat, not daring to say another word.
“If you're thinking of telling me you're going to break up, don't bother. I won't believe you.” Sang Shiyue tapped his fingers on the steering wheel twice.
Tap, tap.
The sound was actually very light, but to Sang Shi'an's ears, it was like a death knell, announcing her doom with every tap.
The tips of Sang Shi'an's ears burned fiercely, her little scheme having been seen through. She quietly covered her face with her hands, not daring to let her eyes wander.
So embarrassing. He figured it out so quickly.
Sang Shiyue added, “I've already locked the doors. If you break them, you'll pay for the repairs, and you'll have to wire me the depreciation cost as well.”
Hearing this, Sang Shi'an pressed her lips together, a little displeased.
She couldn't say they were breaking up, and she couldn't jump out of the car. Was he trying to frustrate her to death?
Could it be that her brother had become one of those bitter old men who, unable to find true love at his age, resents all couples?
“Come on, talk,” Sang Shiyue began. “When did your sexual orientation change? Was it her influence?”
“What do you mean, my sexual orientation changed? Before this, I looked down on all men and women equally, okay?” Sang Shi'an retorted righteously. Though her words were bold, her eyes remained vigilant, constantly watching Sang Shiyue's hands on the steering wheel, as if ready to grab Jian Cenyu and flee at any moment.
Sang Shiyue's expression darkened. He turned to the other person. “Miss Jian, why don't you tell me?”
Jian Cenyu had been watching the siblings, not wanting to interject rashly in such a situation. Seeing Sang Shiyue direct the question to her, she answered concisely, “I pursued An'an.”
The moment Sang Shi'an heard that, she was sure her brother was about to start yelling. She stared at Jian Cenyu, trying to signal her with her eyes.
Jian Cenyu, hurry up and pick the lock.
If you can get it open, I'll elope with you right now.
But Sang Shiyue was unusually calm, as if he had expected this answer. He said lightly, “No need to be so nervous. Isn't it a good thing that you two are together? A marriage alliance that was originally impossible can now happen. In the future, our two companies can help each other, advance together, and create a legend. How wonderful. Right, An'an?”
Sang Shi'an's mind had been a complete mess since getting in the car, her usual alertness gone. Lured in by that ‘An'an,’ she took the bait. “Right, right, right!”
The light turned green. Sang Shiyue started the car and said meaningfully, “Then let's go home right now and tell Mom and Dad. We can plan your wedding immediately. How about a banquet with ten thousand tables? We can invite everyone in Yancheng who's ever heard your names.”
Jian Cenyu couldn't listen anymore and pressed Sang Shi'an's hand.
Sang Shi'an finally snapped out of it. “No, no, no! Stop trying to fool me. It doesn't really matter for me, but if people find out Jian Cenyu has a girlfriend, she'll definitely lose her position as the heir to Jian Corporation.”
“So you do understand the gravity of the situation?” Sang Shiyue's smile finally vanished, his voice growing heavy. “Hugging like that in the airport... I thought you two were truly ready to disregard everything.”
The car fell silent.
Sang Shi'an didn't dare to refute him in the slightest.
Across all of China, let alone for companies at their trillion-dollar level, even for those worth tens or hundreds of millions, there wasn't a single person in power whose sexual orientation was homosexual.
No matter how many lovers or illegitimate children they had in private, on the surface, they had to appear to be in a loving relationship with an opposite-sex partner, with a harmonious family.
So many years of old-fashioned thinking were still in place. It didn't matter that the younger generation could accept and even embrace new, progressive ideas. As long as you went public and admitted it, then sorry, you would become an outcast.
Everyone, from business partners to the general public buying Jian Corporation's products, would start a boycott. Even if Jian Cenyu herself did nothing wrong, as long as someone maliciously manipulated public opinion, the great tower of Jian Corporation could collapse.
Especially since Jian Corporation was a pharmaceutical company, it needed an heir who was rigorous, low-key, and responsible.
She could even be mediocre, but she could not be unconventional.
“It doesn't really matter for you. In the end, I'm the one running the company. I can just issue a statement disowning you, and you can still lie back and enjoy the company's money.” Sang Shiyue sighed. In all the years since he joined the company and consolidated his power, he had rarely faced such a thorny situation.
“As for you, Jian Cenyu, don't give me any of that ‘it was my choice, I don't care’ nonsense. Haven't you always cared deeply about your research? Given the current climate, and I'm not just trying to scare you, your research could become worthless because of your sexual orientation.”
Sang Shiyue couldn't hold back and suddenly swore. “Sang Shi'an, even if you like women, couldn't you have found someone with a more ordinary background?”
Sang Shi'an understood that sentence. Even while being scolded, she managed a smile. “Brother, so you're worried we'll affect the company's interests, not that you're against us being together?”
Sang Shiyue: ...
Sang Shiyue parked the car in front of the Shengyu Corporation building and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Let's go to my office to talk. With this matter, I don't feel safe anywhere else. The walls have ears.”
While Sang Shiyue was parking, Sang Shi'an and Jian Cenyu got out of the car first. Sang Shi'an's head was hanging low, looking dejected.
Jian Cenyu softened her voice to coax her, “I've thought about your brother's concerns before. That's why I've been accelerating the clinical trials for my research. As long as it's truly effective against cancer cells, do you think those people battling death will decide the drug I developed is poison, or will they choose to wait for death?”
Sang Shi'an: ...
Sang Shi'an tried to hold it in, but couldn't. She looked at her gloomily. “Jian Cenyu, I'm not a child. Don't talk to me in that tone.”
Jian Cenyu chuckled softly. She glanced at Sang Shiyue's extinguished car lights, then turned back to Sang Shi'an. “I originally planned to come and take the scolding alone. I didn't expect you to take it for me. My heart aches for you, so can't I try to comfort you?”
Aside from his connection through Sang Shi'an, Sang Shiyue and Jian Cenyu were business partners. How could he possibly scold Jian Cenyu the way he would his own sister?
Sang Shi'an knew Jian Cenyu was just trying to make her feel better, so she didn't argue, only mumbled, “Fine, I guess.”
As they went upstairs with Sang Shiyue, given the crises he had just laid out in the car, Sang Shi'an began to see Jian Cenyu in a new light.
Jian Cenyu's face was so beautiful.
Jian Cenyu's body felt so good to touch.
Jian Cenyu's skills in bed were so pleasurable.
So what did it matter if she took a little more scolding for Jian Cenyu's sake?
When the elevator doors opened again, Sang Shi'an steeled herself.
No matter what threats or bribes her brother used later, she would not break up. Absolutely not.
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