Watching movies is a common routine for couples on dates.
There is a cinema in the shopping mall near the villa in the northern district. When Tang Zhou and Fu Shen went, it was already 8 pm, and the movie started fifteen minutes later.
They picked a romance movie.
“Do you want to eat popcorn?” Fu Shen asked.
It was his first time going on a movie date with someone, and he only knew that popcorn was a common snack at the movies, so he had to ask.
Tang Zhou was about to decline, but then he thought that sweet popcorn might be to Fu Shen’s liking, so he said, “Then, let’s have a serving.”
Fu Shen smiled and took him to buy a serving of popcorn along with two cups of iced tea.
This seemingly ordinary experience for most people was quite a novelty for the two of them.
As the lights dimmed in the screening room, the movie began.
From the front rows, there were occasional crisp sounds of chewing popcorn. Tang Zhou asked Fu Shen in a low voice, “Aren’t you eating?”
Fu Shen picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. “It’s quite sweet.”
“Let me try.” Tang Zhou’s words had just fallen, and a piece of popcorn was brought to his lips.
In the dim light, Fu Shen’s eyes looked exceptionally bright.
Tang Zhou hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head to nibble the popcorn from his fingertips. The sweetness exploded in his mouth.
So sweet.
Fu Shen pinched his fingertips, the lingering soft touch making his heart itch.
Feeling dry-mouthed and parched, he took a sip of iced tea not long after. With the movie just over halfway through, there was already very little iced tea left.
On the screen, the main characters reunited at a fateful location, their eyes locking in a timeless connection.
Sparks flew as they began a passionate encounter in the elevator.
Entry, shut door, door slam, an embrace, and finally…
The large screen vividly displayed their tangled forms, accompanied by the sound of heavy gasps and sucking sounds, sending shivers down people’s spines and causing their blood to rush.
Tang Zhou’s gaze fell on many couples who had started to taste the sweetness of the popcorn with each other.
“What do you think?” Fu Shen inquired, leaning closer.
Tang Zhou: “What do you mean?”
Fu Shen: “Is the movie good?”
Tang Zhou: “It’s okay.”
Fu Shen: “How about the actors’ performances?”
Tang Zhou: “Pretty good.”
Fu Shen: “What about the male lead’s looks?”
Tang Zhou couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you asking so many questions all of a sudden?”
Fu Shen fell silent in an instant.
—He’s just trying to distract himself.
“Why are you not talking again?”
Fu Shen: “Watching a movie.”
Tang Zhou: That’s weird.
After watching a movie, the two of them didn’t go back to the villa in the north district, but instead returned to their apartment near Jiang University.
Tang Zhou took a bath and lay in bed, hugging the cat doll in his arms. He couldn’t help but kiss it gain and again, and sighed, “Xiao Bai, I can’t sleep alone.”
Xiao Bai stared at him with its big, round eyes, as if mocking him for saying such nonsense.
Tang Zhou pouted, “I used to be able to sleep, but that was when I was the only one. Now it’s different, ah.”
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.
Wljb Djl: ……
Kjcu Itbe rja eq ogbw atf yfv, rajglcu ja atf mibrfv vbbg. “Qtja vb sbe atlcx, rtbeiv P ub olcv Me Vtfc?”
Rfnfg tjnlcu fzqfglfcmfv ktja la kjr ilxf ab yf qjwqfgfv, bcmf sbe offi la, sbe mjc’a yfjg ab ifa la ub.
Ktja’r Kjcu Itbe’r meggfca rajaf bo wlcv.
He likes being pampered and immersed in the care of Fu Shen, unable to extricate himself.
Since Xiao Bai couldn’t answer him, he took it as Xiao Bai’s approval.
So, holding the little cat, he tiptoed as he left the room and came to Fu Shen’s door.
The quality of the houses here is obviously not as good as the villa, and the door wasn’t very soundproof.
As Tang Zhou was about to knock on the door, he heard voices from inside.
“Got it, I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Tang Zhou could tell that Fu Shen’s voice carried a clear hint of deep anger.
Go back? Back to where? What happened?
Tang Zhou thought for a moment, but in the end he didn’t knock on the door to disturb him.
He spent a sleepless night worrying, and the next morning, after Tang Zhou had just finished breakfast, Fu Shen said, “There’s something going on in my hometown, I have to go back.”
“What’s it? Can I help?”
Tang Zhou even wanted to go back with him, but reality didn’t allow it. Huayue was at a critical moment now, he couldn’t just leave. He had to keep a close eye on things at all times.
Fu Shen smiled, “It’s nothing, don’t worry. It might just delay work for a few days.”
Tang Zhou glared at him, “Are you still afraid that I won’t give you a leave of absence?”
“No.”
Fu Shen smiled and lowered his head to eat, his eyelashes hiding the cold light in his eyes.
After dinner, Tang Zhou took him to the station. Only after he got on the train did he contact his network.
Fu Shen’s hometown was a mountain village in Longcheng, and the economic conditions there aren’t very good. Most of the villagers worked outside, and those who stayed in the village were mostly the elderly and children.
Tang Zhou couldn’t imagine what could have happened there that would force Fu Shen to return.
He had some connections in Longcheng. After contacting the other party, the other party agreed to help him inquire.
Not long after, he received a message and his face instantly went cold.
It’s said that there is a real estate development tycoon in Longcheng who has set his eyes on that peaceful and auspicious piece of land, intending to purchase it to build a holiday resort.
The village is poor, but the views are really good.
But for development to take place, the people in the village will inevitably have to relocate, which means demolition.
Chinese people emphasize the importance of stability and attachment to their land. How can one simply move away from the land they’ve lived on for a lifetime?
However, in the face of huge compensation, many people have compromised.
Fu Shen went back this time because of this matter.
In his dream, Tang Zhou didn’t pay too much attention to Fu Shen before Deep Blue’s rise, so he didn’t know if there was an issue just like this one.
He didn’t know Fu Shen’s thoughts, but judging from his tone last night, Fu Shen would never want the place where his last memories lay to be destroyed.
If it was just an accident, Tang Zhou would’ve tried to help solve the problem, and he wouldn’t have been this angry.
However, what angers him was that the so-called real estate developer is none other than Tang Zhen’s “brother-in-law”, who’s also Tang Tianyang’s uncle.
In the dream, the hole that Tang Zhen dug was also closely related to this brother-in-law.
The old man didn’t know about these things yet, and Tang Zhen had also kept them hidden from the company’s shareholders.
Investing in real estate requires a considerable amount of capital, especially for long-term investments.
Moreover, this so-called “brother-in-law” is simply not cut out for business. Over time, the losses will only increase.
Perhaps in Tang Zhen’s original plan, he could make more money through real estate and then fill the hole himself so that no one would notice.
But he didn’t have that luck.
If he could really do business, why would the old master skip him and train Tang Zhou instead?
Regardless of whether this matter was coincidental or man-made, Tang Zhou counted it on Tang Tianyang’s head.
He had told the old master that he only had three strikes or he’s out. He could ignore the first two times, but this time, they made Fu Shen sad.
He had to thank himself for having that dream. After Tang Zhen’s affairs were exposed, in order to save the Tang family, Tang Zhen had to confess everything he had done. Tang Zhou knew quite a few secrets.
He originally intended to let the Tang family fend for themselves, but now he must change his plan.
The hot summer didn’t affect Tang Zhihua in the manor.
He was sitting in the study listening to reports, with the cool breeze of the air conditioner blowing away the summer heat, making the atmosphere cool and comfortable.
Tang Zhihua nodded slightly, “Not bad, there’s improvement compared to last quarter.”
He had grown older and retreated behind the scenes, and except for significant company affairs that requiered him to interviene, he didn’t bother much with minor matters, not necessarily because he believed in Tang Zhen’s abilities but because he had confidence in the operational mechanisms he had established.
As long as this mechanism operated smoothly, the company wouldn’t encounter major issues.
Upon seeing him finish dealing with his affairs, Uncle Fang took the opportunity to say, took the opportunity to suggest, “In a few days, it’ll be Young Master Tianyang’s engagement banquet. Do you think we should inform Young Master Zhou?”
Tang Zhihua sighed, “Given his temperament, he definitely won’t come back. Forget it.”
He didn’t want to make things difficult either.
During this time he had spent guiding Tang Tianyang, although this child couldn’t compare to Tang Zhou, he was obedient enough. With some further cultivation, things might work out.
As for Tang Zhou, letting him explore outside on his own wasn’t a bad thing.
The sharp ring of the telephone rang abruptly, like a sudden death knell.
Tang Zhihua’s heart inexplicably skipped a beat. Before he could react, he heard a panicked voice from the other end of the phone, “Chairman, the company has been reported, and General Manager Tang has been summoned by the police for questioning.”
Tang Zhihua forced himself to stay calm.
“Who reported it? What’s the report about?”
“Don’t know, I know nothing right now.”
Tang Zhihua hung up the phone directly and said to Uncle Fang, “Send someone to find out what exactly happened.”
The news quickly arrived, and Tang Zhihua, after hearing it, found it unbelievable, “Embezzlement of funds? Tang Zhen’s short of money to spend?”
He didn’t believe this explanation at all.
Uncle Fang also found it was hard to explain, “It might be a malicious report.”
Tang Zhihua frowned, “Then it’s still his problem! After the questioning ends, I need to find out what’s really going on.”
No one believed that Tang Zhen would actually embezzle funds, so no one was worried about Tang Zhen.
Unfortunately, things were far beyond their expectations.
If it weren’t for possessing substantial evidence, the Economic Investigation Team wouldn’t arbitrarily arrest and interrogate people.
Tang Zhen’s not a strong-willed individual. He has lived under the protection of Tang Zhihua from childhood to adulthood, so sheltered that has never experienced the hardships of life. Regardless of what mistakes he made, his old man was always there to help cover it up. It could be said that Tang Zhen’s mentality didn’t match his age.
The police were skilled in interrogation techniques, and Tang Zhen couldn’t compare to them. In the end, he couldn’t withstand the pressure and confessed that he had indeed misappropriated funds. However, he insisted it was just lending money to relatives, and he didn’t know what the relatives were going to do with it.
Although he didn’t feel like he did anything wrong.
He used the company’s money, but most of it belonged to the Tang family! Besides, couldn’t he just make money from real estate and pay it back later?
When Tang Zhihua heard the news, he almost fainted from anger.
He held his breath and instructed Uncle Fang, “Contact other shareholders for a meeting!”
This matter’s neither big nor small.
Whether misappropriation of funds constitutes a crime depends on several factors, including time, purpose, amount, and whether the funds are returned – all criteria that determines the nature of the incident.
Of course, Tang Zhihua didn’t want to go through legal proceedings. Handling it internally was preferable to having a criminal record.
Without knowing the specific details of the situation, Tang Zhihua thought Tang Zhen might have acted impulsively, misappropriating some funds to buy luxury goods or the like. So, as long as he repaid within the stipulated time and the company didn’t pursue the matter, he believed it could be easily resolved.
However, he never expected Tang Zhen to be a thousand times bolder than he thought!!
He actually had secretly misappropriated huge sums of money for real estate investment!
Just last month, he was attempting to invest in some nonsense resort!
Tang Zhihua was so furious he could barely articulate his words, his hand trembling as he pointed at Tang Zhen.
“Have you forgotten all the company rules and regulations?! That vixen just whispered sweet little things in your ear and you rushed to give her brother money?! You’re really trying to make me furious, aren’t you!”
Tang Zhen still felt aggrieved, “I’ll pay it back when I make money.”
“Where is the money?! Where is the money you earned?! Take it out and show it to me!”
If someone hadn’t intervened, Tang Zhihua would’ve already gone over to give Tang Zhen a few resounding slaps.
Tang Zhen argued, “Real estate is inherently profitable, much better than our family business.”
He thought the old man’s mindset was too old-fashioned. Why not switch to real estate investment earlier?
Tang Zhihua: “……”
He wished he didn’t have this son!
Due to the timely discovery of the situation, which didn’t pose any threat to the company, Tang Zhihua promptly repaid the substantial funds and used various connections to get Tang Zhen exempted from criminal punishment.
After the incident was resolved, the first thing the board of directors did was to remove Tang Zhen from the position of general manager.
The impact of this decision also extended to the “brother-in-law” in Longcheng.
Tang Zhihua thundered to recover the funds, leaving the other party without the substantial capital needed for the vacation resort investment.
Fu Shen, who was actively seeking solutions to the issue, was puzzled upon hearing the village chief’s explanation.
“Not going forward with it?”
The village chief smiled, “Yes, they suddenly decided not to proceed, causing you to make a trip for nothing.”
“Well, it wasn’t entirely for nothing.”
Returning home, Fu Shen reopened the information that Mi Shu had helped him find.
The real estate developer was Tang Tianyang’s uncle, and as long as Tang Zhen supported him from behind, there’d be no sudden change of mind.
After contemplating for a while, he called Mi Shu.
“Anything new happening in Jiangcheng these days?”
Mi Shu understood his implication, “Tang Zhen embezzled funds and has been removed from his position.”
He paused, “Someone reported him.”
Fu Shen was momentarily stunned by the news, then suddenly burst into laughter, a hint of delight in the corners of his eyes.
Meanwhile, Tang Zhou, who was in a meeting at Hua Yue, received a message.
Fu Shen: 【I miss you.】
Tang Zhou quietly raised the corners of his lips.
He missed Fu Shen too.
The translator has something to say:
Y’all!! If I don’t finish ch 40. for today, I still wanna wish u all a Happy new year’s eve!! I love u all sm 
Eeven if I’ve only been here for such a short time, I wanted to thank you all for reading and commenting me from the bottom of my heart. I hope the novel and my noob translation’s been of your liking and are enojying these cuties as much as I am
I wish you all a new year full of good things, of you wishes and goals to come true. I hope this mass update I tried to make was of your liking (and if there’s any mistake please lmk hehe). This’s kind of a late christmas+new year’s eve gift lmao
I promise this year will be full of much more cool stuff from my part, so I hope you’re by my side lolol! There’re lots of proyects I want to make, so much I want to to try, to improve, and to be better as a person.
Sorry if this was kind of messy haha I got a little excited.
Bye bye! Love you all <3
I will miss both of you too.
THANK YOU SO MUCH LIRU-SAN FOR THE MASS UPDATE!! HAPPY NEW YEAR 🥳
Thank you so much for all the chapters, we appreciate the work that you do!! Looking forward to your future translations too🥺💗
HELPPP WHY DID I REPLG IM SO SORRY
Thank you for the kind message! 😭💓 If you have any recommendation, wether it’s chinese or korean, I’m all ears!!
Thank you for the mass translations.
Dad needs to learn more about life, he still thinks that what was done was no problem.
Thank you for the massive update! I still have many chapters to read through, lol.
Happy New year!
I didn’t expect to enjoy this story as much as I do, and it is in great part due to the translation quality.
Tong Zhou and Fu Shen are very sweet, and it’s good that their misunderstandings don’t last long. Happy new year and thank you for the chapter ^_^
+1 aaand +1, we seem to be reading the same novels and your comments usually say what I think too 🥰 Happy new year, fellow reader!
Thanks for the mass updates. These two are a bit silly from time to time but so sweet!
Thank you Liru-san for the mass updates😆 hope ur enjoying ur holidays💖💖💖
Finally caught up to this story! Than you for the translation!
happy new year and tysm for your translations! wishing you the best for 2024 🎊🎉
Thank you for the mass updates.
Happy New Year!!! 🎊
Why they are so cute?! o(≧∇≦o)
Thank You for the new chapter (⋈◍＞◡＜◍)。✧♡ Late wishing You all the best in 2024! ❤
AAA too sweet and badass, tang zhou supremacy
❤️❤️❤️
Ok, so I love thos couple duo! Its so cute and warms my heart so much!!! But I have to admit, the writing could use more work. Idk if it’s the translation but I feel like Tang accepting his feelings for Fu was so ooc I wish there was at least a sentence or two explaining how he came to the conclusion of how he realized his feelings other then he saw a white knitted bunny, it just took me by surprise and I wanna see a but more of the “Villain”.