Chapter 28

For most people, this New Year’s Eve was nothing special.

Ning Weikai was still with his wife, having the family reunion dinner back at the old House of Zhu. Holding her by the window at midnight and watching the New Year’s fireworks, he made another lifelong romantic promise to his wife.

As usual, Chen Zheng was on the debaucherous dance floor surrounded by overly-enchanting women. Intoxicated, he smirked at the indulgence around him. Tonight, he just wanted to let himself go and have a great time.

Xue Mingtao was still working at the office. Gu Yanzhi had mysteriously gone overseas. And Gao Lang was on his duty in the security office, the thought of getting his end-of-the-year bonus making him content.

But there was one thought that came to everyone’s mind: Next year, I’d like to…

For example, I’d like to keep New Bori at the top of the industry and eliminate all the possibilities of competition and aggression.

I want revenge on him, and her, vengeance is the only way.

I don’t understand the ‘big picture,’ but I know I’ll follow the commander, do my job well, and save more money so I can send it back to my parents.

Desire was a black hole in everyone’s heart, constant, and complicated.

After a flight that was over ten hours long, dragging her luggage, Lin Qian appeared in front of a quiet and classic apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, fantasizing over her own desires. Next year, I must get stronger and reinforce my senior executive position.

But for now, I need to look after my lonely and aloof brother.

Ding dong!

The doorbell rang but no one answered.

Lin Qian shrugged her shoulders; she would not be surprised if Lin Mochen were working overtime considering it was a weekday. But in order to surprise him, and so he wouldn’t worry, she hadn’t mentioned her trip to him at all.

Without hesitating, she opened the door with her own key.

An hour later she was soaking in the bathtub; she had a bottle of vintage red wine from his collection next to her. The crimson wine inside could be seen through the crystal glass. Gazing out the window at the sky full of stars, she felt relaxed and pleased.

With so many New Year’s messages from her colleagues and friends, her phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. Even her rival Chen Zheng sent her a message wishing her good luck in her future endeavors and hoping that all her wishes would come true. It was signed, “Chen Zheng from SMQ.” Lin Qian figured it was a group message; finding it a bit funny, she didn’t respond.

Since she was overseas, most of the messages were ignored. She only picked a few managers to send a New Year’s message to. When it came to Li Zhicheng, she hesitated.

Not sure why, but the thought of his casual invitation yesterday to an opera show was making her unsettled.

After some consideration, she started typing, ‘President Li, wish all your dreams come true and for greater achievements at Aida in the coming year.’ She also added, ‘Hope you enjoyed the end-of-year party. Have a great night.’

Within a minute, she got a response. ‘I didn’t attend.’

Staring at the simple response, she was a little astounded and also slightly guilty.

The image of his calm and handsome face the other day made her feel a sense of hidden desolation from his impression of coolness and distance.

Meanwhile, some noise was coming from downstairs. Lin Qian pulled herself together, putting the phone away and leaving the bathtub.

…

Downstairs Lin Mochen entered his home; it had been a rough, busy day for him. The thought of celebrating the New Year hadn’t even come across his mind. What for? Should he get drunk alone and drown his sorrow? Or, like other single men in America, look for a fling at some bar? He didn’t have the time or the mood. Plus, he usually found the women in the bars were too unattractive.

He had been working up until this moment. He’d invited a few business partners over to his place without any fuss, and they all headed directly to his balcony. It was classic and elegant, full of plants and bright lights. They sipped tea while discussing an investment project they had been working on lately.

Just 30 minutes into their conversation, a dark-skinned partner of his suddenly paused, asking him, “Jason, did you hear something?”

Accordingly, everyone started to quiet down; they heard the sound of slow and light footsteps coming from upstairs: pat, pat, pat…

Everyone began to stare at each other. Judging from the footsteps, Lin Mochen had already figured out who that could be.

He smiled—a rare, sincere and delighted smile. His deep and clearly sculpted face appeared ridiculously handsome under the lights. The female business partner sitting next to him came to a realization. “Jason, there’s a woman in your home?”

“It’s my younger sister,” he responded. Soon after that, a young lady elegantly walked down the stairs, smiling.

“Brother! Hi guys.”

Men are all about looks, and most of the Wall Street elites there were male. At this moment, regardless of age or skin color, as long as they were male their attention was on Lin Qian.

The Chinese lady in her twenties was in a simple black hoodie and jeans, and on her feet were furry slippers. Her long, damp hair was lying on her shoulders. There was a pop of redness to her pale and youthful cheeks, adding a little dewiness to her skin. Although this was not the most gorgeous face they’d ever seen, with her fresh and pretty facial features, she appeared exotic, pure, and lively.

Lin Mochen’s gaze was on his sister, and then it landed on the rest of the men.

He unconsciously raised his eyebrows.

Standing up, he forced a smile. “Shall we just call it a day? I have a visitor here.”

He quickly dismissed all the guests. Five minutes later, they had all left the premise.

Standing by, Lin Qian walked the last visitor out, grinning. Lin Mochen quickly glanced at her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? What were you gonna do all by yourself?”

Lin Qian chuckled. She grabbed his arm and they walked inside. “I just wanted to surprise you. Brother, were you nervous hearing my slow footsteps on the stairs? Haha!”

Lin Mochen quietly chuckled without commenting.

It had been a while since they’d last seen each other. Lin Qian had meant to get him some presents before the visit, but she hadn’t found the time to go shopping. She had been busy all the way up to the last day she had worked at Aida before vacation. So the present she’d gotten him was just an average male wallet from Aida.

As expected, once Lin Mochen received the wallet, he threw it over the couch after sparing it an impatient glare.

“You can’t just refuse all our domestic brands,” Lin Qian said with a frown. “The quality and craftsmanship are actually pretty good. It’s from the company I’m working for—we’re talking about the time and effort I’ve put in here.”

Lin Mochen replied, “I’ll consider using it once you and your colleagues make it in the global top five.”

Lin Qian didn’t like the sound of it. Just when she was about to argue, the term “colleague” reminded her of Li Zhichen. It reminded her of his passion and persistence when encouraging others to fight for the Ming Sheng project as well as his strategies and determination.

Why was she suddenly feeling so confident in front of her arrogant brother?

Unlike herself, she calmed down and smiled. “Huh… That day will come, you can count on it.”

Just across the road from the apartment was a luxurious five-star hotel. After some flurries of snow had fallen from the sky to cover the trees and all the pedestrians’ hair, the reflection from the lights left everything white, bright and clear.

Sitting at the hotel restaurant, overlooking the beautiful view outside the window, Lin Qian slowly became distracted.

Opposite to her was Lin Mochen, elegantly cutting his steak with a silver knife and fork. He had been quietly observing his sister’s facial expression.

“Are you seeing someone?” he suddenly asked. “Seeing that Li Zhicheng?”

Frozen, Li Qian turned to look at him.

“How did you know—No, I’m not seeing anyone. But why him?”

Lin Mochen chuckled, “Cause you’ve set your bar pretty high.”

Stunned by his sharp observation, after a brief silence she decided to be completely honest. “We’re not dating. He has expressed his feelings for me, but I said no.”

Staring at her, Lin Mochen became quiet.

Even though she calmly rejected the idea, she didn’t realize that she kept stabbing the high-quality steak on the plate with her knife and fork.

With sunken eyes, Lin Mochen responded, “Good—you shouldn’t. I wouldn’t support it either.”

“Why not?” Lin Qian looked startled.

He put down the knife and fork, then picked up the serviette to wipe his mouth. “Because he’s different,” he said calmly. “Lin Qian—when it comes to relationships, for the men who always rack their brains, the more they do it, the more ruthless you need to treat them. You need to do this until there’s nothing left to them but their true hearts.”

Thirty minutes later Lin Qian was dressed in a puffer jacket, a hat, gloves, and a scar, and stood under the porch of the restaurant. A few moments later, she turned her back and looked through the window; seeing Lin Mochen was still on the phone, sitting on the same spot with a calm look, she couldn’t help but judge him.

What a strong-headed brother!

She had only pointed out the truth to him after his previous comment. “Brother,” she had said, “you’re also this type of man—have you ever been treated ruthlessly?”

Lin Mochen had become agitated right away and had started giving her the silent treatment.

Li Qian really had no idea what his romantic history looked like. But she had also figured something out, so she didn’t keep asking. While he’d been caught in the phone call, she’d come out for some fresh air.

The hotel was decorated in a European style. Under some shade from the big trees between the buildings, there was a small garden covered in snow that was illuminated under the soft dim light. Some red Chinese lanterns were hanging on the glass wall nearby, red and bright and very impressive. Some notes were also stuck on them; written in Chinese, they appeared to be the traditional Chinese lantern riddles. Surrounding the lanterns were some people looking around.

Lin Qian was also coming along for the ride.

She picked up a piece of a riddle. Hmm, interesting. It read, “The world for men.” Lin Qian was trying to solve the riddle when she heard the petite, fresh-looking girl next to her. She seemed to be Japanese and spoke to her friend in English. “We can stop now. Someone just guessed all the riddles.”

Her friend said, “He must be getting first prize.”

Intrigued, Lin Qian turned around, hearing the Caucasian waitress answer, “That’s right, by a very handsome guy. Gosh, he just returned with the prize.”

Accordingly, they looked over, and so did Lin Qian. She saw a man coming out of the corner in the front hallway with one hand in his pocket, the other one carrying the lantern.

The lighting was quite dark; she could roughly see him in a black jacket, tall and slender, with heavy footsteps. Under the light, his vague but long silhouette portrayed a distinctive impression; cold, stern, calm and handsome.

Lin Qian found him… somehow familiar.

But it couldn’t be possible.

The Japanese girl next to her said to her friend, “Is he Korean?” They soon stepped up, trying to find out what he looked like.

But Lin Qian happened to be blocking them.

Unwilling to lag behind, she also moved ahead, walking around them and taking a good spot at the front trying to get a closer look.

The man was approaching.

The shape of his figure was becoming more and more familiar, and she was becoming more and more amazed.

He looked up, completely ignoring bypassers’ discussions and attention, staring straight at her.

Instead of a suit, he was wearing a normal black jacket and casual pants, appearing younger and eye-catching. Under his long black eyebrows, there was a hint of a smile from his dark eyes as they reflected some light.

“Happy New Year, Lin Qian.”

Li Qian’s response was to first rub her eyes.

“President Li, why are you here?” Why are you carrying a lantern?

Surprised, the waitress next to her asked, “Hmm, sir, why didn’t you get the iPhone for first prize? The lantern belongs to the third prize winner.”

Lin Qian glanced at his hand. In it was a very delicate octagonal lantern, the rice paper thin and soft with some jet-black spikes. A Chinese portrait of ancient ladies was printed on the canvas’s soft and gentle lining, feminine and realistic.

The Japanese girls nearby were still quietly watching and commenting while Lin Qian still stood stunned. Li Zhicheng looked at her softly. “Give me your hands. Both of them.”

Confused, Lin Qian stared at him, holding up both of her hands. Her heart was pounding from his sudden appearance.

Surrounded by the dim light, his face looked both soft and hard, like a relief sculpture. Gazing at her with his pitch black eyes, he put the lantern into her left palm.

In a low, gentle voice: “Take it.”

“Umm, okay.” Holding it tightly, Lin Qian thought, Is this because he’s shy after being caught with a lantern, so he’s handing it to me? Hmm, and why both hands?

Her right hand had suddenly become warm.

He was holding it.

His dry and cool hands grabbed hers, closing all her fingers.

Lin Qian quickly looked up at him.

He was also staring at her quietly. His eyes were dark as night; he held her hand tightly and didn’t seem to plan on letting it go.

In a low voice, the girl next to her gasped, “Woah…”

Thump, Thump, Thump. Lin Qian’s heart wouldn’t stop.

He had just arrived in front of her out of nowhere, greeting her with, “Give me your hands.” With one of her hands holding the lantern, and the other one held by him, this was all too …

Gazing at each other for a split second longer, he then pulled her hand, leading her outside without saying anything.

Lin Qian carried the lantern, walking fast to keep up with him. The hand tightly held by him was hot as an iron. She ignored the stares from others and the noise all around them. The two quietly walked past the crowd and the hotel to the busy streets covered with falling with snow.