KEIGHTY: Yey, we surpassed our ko-fi goal!🎉 This is all thanks to Banananim‘s lovely support~ \( ˆoˆ)/\(ˆoˆ )/ (Extra Chapter 1/2)
Ling Qiang’s sudden visit was beyond their expectations. Qiao Mudong saw He Yu subconsciously taking a step back, so he grabbed his hand and walked in together.
Ling Qiang actually arrived not long ago. He called Qiao Mudong several times but couldn’t get through, so he came over in person this evening. He knew a little bit about Qiao Mudong and He Yu living together, but he simply turned a blind eye and didn’t say anything. However, when he came over tonight, he saw that no one was home. Ling Qiang originally planned to wait for a while and then leave, but he arrived just as Qiao Mudong came back with He Yu.
Ling Qiang was not angry as Qiao Mudong walked in, holding He Yu’s hand. He just said calmly, “Sit down and let’s talk.”
The house was originally prepared by Ling Qiang for Qiao Mudong. In fact, this was his first time coming here. There were traces of human life everywhere in the whole house. For example, the shirt Qiao Mudong changed out of the night before was still thrown on the sofa, and there were books and laptops scattered on the coffee table. However, the whole house, from the decoration design to the supporting furniture and appliances, was based on Ling Qiang’s order for someone to prepare. Qiao Mudong didn’t even modify the house a little bit according to his own preferences. He didn’t even hang a photo of himself. It felt like he used this place more like a hotel than a house.
Ling Qiang was very persistent towards Qiao Mudong. This persistence might be a little difficult for others to understand. Just like when there was an obedient and capable son-in-law like Fu Chenshan, why would he still insist on letting Qiao Mudong go back? Why would Lingyun—which he had worked so hard to establish—still be handed over with both hands to this rebellious son?
Qiao Mudong was willing to talk to him, but he didn’t let go of He Yu’s hand.
On the contrary, it was Ling Qiang who addressed He Yu politely, “Can you please give us some time alone?”
He Yu said to Qiao Mudong, “I’ll go upstairs.”
Qiao Mudong put his hand around his head and kissed his forehead. “Go ahead.” If He Yu felt uncomfortable facing Ling Qiang, then he had no intention of forcing He Yu to stay here any longer.
He Yu walked up the stairs to the second floor. He didn’t go too far. At the corner of the stairs leading to the corridor, he slowly sat down with his legs crossed. From here, he could still hear the two people’s conversations downstairs.
Ling Qiang didn’t plan to talk to Qiao Mudong about He Yu. The last time he talked to Qiao Mudong about He Yu, the two ended up on bad terms. Now, he thought that the time was not right yet, so he was not planning on bringing it up again. Unlike Ling Zhilu, he did not have obvious malice for He Yu. If he really had any sentiments about him, it was more likely that of despise.
Ling Qiang despised many things in his life. He despised love. Although he had experienced love himself, he did not think it was a necessary emotion in life, so he chose to abandon Qiao Wenxin, the only love he had ever had in his life, and turned around and married Zhou Xuelan, who was helpful to his career at that time; similarly, he also looked down on women, so he never thought that he could really hand over Lingyun to Ling Zhilu. After living with Zhou Xuelan as a husband and wife for many years, he also lost any respect he had for his wife. As for He Yu, firstly, because of He Yu’s misappropriation of public funds in Lingyun, which in his opinion was tantamount to stealing, and secondly, because of He Yu’s relationship with Qiao Mudong, he felt like regarding He Yu the same as those women. If you’re someone who’s attached to another man, then there’s no such thing as self-esteem, and such a person does not need to be respected by him.
Probably because he didn’t really dislike him, Ling Qiang didn’t use force to separate him from Qiao Mudong. He once strongly asked the two of them to separate but failed. Later on, he gradually figured it out. He always felt that Qiao Mudong was indeed his son. It didn’t matter how romantic he was right now, since he was still young. One day, he would be able to see his own path clearly. Once he clearly sees how huge the Lingyun Empire he was facing, he would be the same as he was before. Just like his strong character, he would also come to understand that love and other things were not worth mentioning.
Qiao Mudong and Ling Qiang sat face-to-face. He said nothing, simply waiting for Ling Qiang to start.
Ling Qiang said, “You went too far at the banquet the day before yesterday, and it was very inappropriate.”
Qiao Mudong shrugged indifferently.
Ling Qiang added, “Even if they wronged your friend, you should still show your magnanimity and never forget your identity.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Qiao Mudong suddenly looked at Ling Qiang with a hint of confusion. He could clearly see the clumsy methods of those people. He knew that He Yu was wronged, but he pretended not to know and still stood in the middle with an unshakable look, playing the role of a referee.
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But the fight that Qiao Mudong had with those people, after all, not only ruined the banquet but also planted an obstacle that could have a big or small impact on his future career.
These were things Ling Qiang did not want to see.
At this time, when he heard Qiao Mudong’s question, Ling Qiang actually smiled. “We are father and son, and I don’t want our relationship to be broken just because of an outsider. But there’s something I want to tell you now—do you really think the two of you will last forever? That’s not the case at all. It’s an impossible joke.”
He Yu was still upstairs. Hearing his words, he couldn’t help but raise his head.
Qiao Mudong didn’t believe him. He chuckled. “How can you say that?”
Ling Qiang said, “I have lived for decades and have seen a lot of life. When you truly become Lingyun’s master and stand on the highest peak of this city, you will lower your head and see that everyone else will be equally insignificant, so small that you can’t even see them clearly. That man upstairs is just one of the people standing underground looking up at you, and because of the things he has committed before, he will never be qualified to stand by your side. You’re both men, you will not have children, and you will not be tied by blood. When that time comes, you will understand what I’m saying to you today.”
He Yu held his head with both hands and stared blankly at the large shadow in front of him in the darkness.
Qiao Mudong listened quietly to Ling Qiang’s words. In the end, he just laughed and said, “I’m not you.”
Ling Qiang smiled and replied, “You’re still young.”
Because he’s still young, he still believes in love; because he’s still young, he cannot yet appreciate the taste of money and power.
When He Yu heard that Qiao Mudong had been silent, he suddenly felt his heart tightening. He felt that what Ling Qiang said was not unreasonable. There might be eternal and immortal love in this world, but it was something rare. The time he and Qiao Mudong spent together was neither long nor short, and no one knew what direction the future would take. If Qiao Mudong takes a step back, he still has his biological father and Lingyun. But as for himself, the moment he chose to go to jail for Fu Chenshan, there was no route of retreat for him.
After a moment of silence downstairs, Qiao Mudong asked aloud, “Is there anything else?” He believed that Ling Qiang came here just to teach him a few words.
Ling Qiang answered, “I heard from Guanghua that Hong Xiangjun came to you several times, but you still refused to see him?”
Qiao Mudong nodded and responded, “Yes.”
Ling Qiang said, “Yesterday, Hong Xiangjun wanted to bypass you and came to see me directly instead, but I refused.”
Qiao Mudong looked at him. He understood what Ling Qiang’s intentions were. Ling Qiang wanted to help him establish his prestige. He told him to do whatever he asked him to do. At least in front of outsiders, he would not show that he wanted to interfere with him.
“It’s better not to go too far,” Ling Qiang advised. “Dihong is a big company with a good reputation. At the beginning, we also made a preliminary verbal agreement with Hong Minhang so that he would invest heavily in the Xiaoxianlin area. Now, if we go back on our words and say no, it wouldn’t sound good.”
Qiao Mudong said, “It’s not like we’re going back on our word. It was a verbal agreement with Hong Minhang, not with Hong Xiangjun.”
Just like Wen Guanghua, Ling Qiang also thought that Qiao Mudong was deliberately lowering the price, so he said, “The new Lingyun must be built first. Just re-selecting the site and buying the land will cost a lot of manpower and material resources. If the conditions are right, we will sign with Dihong. Everything needs to stop before going too far, and going too far is just as bad as not going far enough.”
Qiao Mudong said to Ling Qiang, “The current Dihong seems to be unstable.”
Ling Qiang looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
Qiao Mudong said, “Hong Minhang is not dead yet. It’s hard to say whether Hong Xiangjun and Hong Xiangguo can secure their positions. Anyway, I know that someone is trying to make a move behind the scenes. I don’t think this is a good time for us to sign a contract with Dihong.”
Ling Qiang knew a little bit about Dihong’s gang-related background, but he didn’t know as much as Qiao Mudong does. It was even less clear what Hong Minhang’s situation was. If Hong Minhang returns to Dihong one day, and although the current contract with Dihong would not be valid, there was still no guarantee that Hong Minhang would have a grudge when the time comes. If it affects the construction of New Lingyun, then he might even cause trouble for them for no reason.
Ling Qiang then said, “Then you can figure it out yourself. It’s best to get a feel for Dihong’s situation before we finally talk about it.”
Qiao Mudong replied, “I know.”
Ling Qiang stood up, preparing to leave. He stood in the living room and looked towards the second floor, but he didn’t say anything in the end.
Standing at the door, he said to Qiao Mudong for the last time, “When the day comes that you finally made up your mind to separate from him, you will also come to understand every word that I said today. It’s okay to be stupid for a moment, but don’t be stupid for the rest of your life.”
Qiao Mudong responded calmly, “I know whether I’m stupid or not.”
The door closed. Qiao Mudong put his hands in his pants pockets and stood there for a while before he proceeded to walk upstairs.
He Yu was still sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall.
Qiao Mudong saw him as soon as he reached the second floor.
He Yu raised his head.
Qiao Mudong bowed, touched his head with his hand, and squatted down. He put one arm around his back, and another arm passed under his knees, actually hugging him sideways.
He Yu was startled as he put his arms around Qiao Mudong’s shoulders to maintain his balance.
“Let’s go,” Qiao Mudong said. “Let’s go to bed.”
Ling Qiang, on the other hand, took the elevator to the underground parking lot. His driver had been waiting for him in the car and never left.
Ling Qiang got into the car and said to the driver, “Let’s go home.” Then he took out his mobile phone and made a call. After a while, the call was connected. Ling Qiang didn’t waste any time and said directly, “You can make some arrangements now. If you can’t look for a young and beautiful girl, then a boy is also okay. Find an opportunity to get them on Qiao Mudong’s side.”
The person on the other end of the phone responded, “Okay, but wouldn’t this be bad for Mr. Qiao?”
“Let him play,” Ling Qiang said. “The more he wants to play off-road, the more he will feel unsatisfied. Once everything is taken away from him, he will then realize what it tastes like. I want him to come back and beg me by himself when the time comes.”
After hanging up the phone, Ling Qiang leaned back on his seat. Today’s words were not only meant for Qiao Mudong but also for He Yu. It would be best to make that young man feel that Qiao Mudong was unreliable. Once there was a crack, it would definitely be hard to patch up.
The author has something to say: …I will continue to work hard =3=, and today I will send you an extra:
Hong Minhang’s cat did not die, although it was already dying at that time. It was sent to the pet clinic for two injections and some medicine, and it gradually improved.
As such, Hong Minhang went to Li Tang’s place much more frequently.
Li Tang was a gentle person. As long as Hong Minhang came, he would take the time to accompany him, even if it was just two of them sitting on the sofa together watching TV. He would also personally go to the kitchen and expertly cook dishes for Hong Minhang to eat.
One time, Li Tang was still working outside and did not come home for two days. On the afternoon of his return, he saw Hong Minhang sitting on the stairs, curled up and asleep, hugging his knees. From that day on, Hong Minhang had the key to Li Tang’s home.
Hong Minhang would go there if he had nothing to do, and sometimes he would spend the night at Li Tang’s house.
However, as Hong Xiangfeng’s business grew bigger and bigger, Li Tang had more and more things to do. Every time Hong Minhang went there, he would always find an empty room. Li Tang was nowhere to be found.
Gradually, Li Tang’s time with Hong Minhang became less and less. When Hong Minhang reached high school, Hong Xiangfeng sent him to the most famous foreign language school in the city. It was a boarding school. Even on weekends, Hong Xiangfeng made him stay at the school and refused to send anyone to pick him up to come home.
On the first weekend he spent at school, Hong Minhang felt very uncomfortable. Seeing that most of his classmates had left school on Friday afternoon and that he was still left alone, he felt extremely lonely.
One Saturday afternoon, Hong Minhang slipped out and took a bus to Li Tang’s home. He wasn’t even sure if Li Tang was at home, but he just wanted to take a look.
Arriving at the door of Li Tang’s house, before Hong Minhang could even take out the key and open the door, the door was suddenly opened from inside.
Hong Minhang was stunned for a moment when he found out that the person who opened the door was not Li Tang, but a woman wearing a red skirt. The woman was about to leave when she saw Hong Minhang standing at the door. She turned around and said to the person inside the house, “There’s a handsome young man looking for you.” After saying that, she passed by Hong Minhang, her high heels making a clicking sound as she went downstairs.
Li Tang walked to the door. He seemed to have just taken a shower. He wiped his hair with a towel, looking a little surprised. “Minhang, why are you here?”
Hong Minhang suddenly panicked. He vaguely guessed something, but he felt that it shouldn’t be like that. He took a few steps back. Li Tang was afraid that he would fall, so he quickly reached out and grabbed him to prevent him from moving back any further.
Hong Minhang shook his hand away hard, turned around, and ran downstairs.
Thank you for the chapter!
Begging the face slapping to be hot and delicious 🙏