The Golden Cane and the Wild Rose - Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Jiang Musheng sat in the car without moving. Her bodyguards had already raised their guns, but no one fired.

This was because they all remembered a command Mr. Jiang had given them: “Under no circumstances should you fire first. If you make the first move, the nature of the situation will change, and we will be at a legal disadvantage.”

However, this also depended on the urgency of the situation. It was better to lose a legal battle than to lose one’s life.

“Musheng, when did that kid Jiang Jiaming get back?” Zheng Hangyi asked, his voice filled with frustration.

Jiang Musheng wasn’t surprised. “The group of old foxes in the Jiang family, who are eyeing the position of family head, are too cautious to come out themselves. So they’ve picked Jiang Jiaming, who harbors the deepest resentment towards me, to be the cannon fodder to bring me down. There’s nothing strange about it.”

“What’s in it for Jiang Jiaming? Doesn’t he have a brain? He’s not an impulsive young man in his twenties anymore.”

“He’s been blinded by hatred and incited by a group of people with bad intentions. To kill me, he’s willing to get his hands dirty over and over again. This time is no exception.”

“That lunatic!” Zheng Hangyi cursed.

He was sitting next to Musheng and felt extremely uneasy.

“Don’t worry. This is just the result of him being incited. I don’t believe he’s completely unafraid of death.”

After aiming the gun at Jiang Musheng, Jiang Jiaming didn’t immediately fire. Instead, he strutted towards her car with an arrogant swagger.

Like a street thug, he asked with a sarcastic smile, “Should I call you cousin now, instead of brother?”

Jiang Musheng didn’t answer.

Jiang Jiaming continued, “I’ll give you some good news: I never hit women. I’m very gentle with the ladies. If you admit that you’re a woman, I’ll let you go this time. What do you say?”

Jiang Musheng raised her hand slightly. The bodyguards in front and back immediately got out of their cars and surrounded Jiang Jiaming with their guns in a matter of seconds.

Jiang Jiaming also raised his hand, but no one got out of the cars behind him.

He turned his head in disbelief, but still, no one came out.

He roared, “What did you come here for? Did you forget?”

Jiang Musheng said calmly, “Cousin, don’t you get it? Those people who urged you to come back to the country weren’t thinking of you at all. They just needed someone to be the cannon fodder at the front. The best-case scenario for them is that you shoot me, then go to jail. The Jiang family still won’t have a place for you.”

Jiang Jiaming’s hand, which was holding the gun, trembled. He tried to steady himself.

Jiang Musheng asked, “Cousin, are you really willing to be cannon fodder for no benefit? Without any regrets?”

“You’re the damn cannon fodder!”

He did want to get rid of Jiang Musheng, more than anyone, but when he thought about what Jiang Musheng had just said—that he would go to prison, likely for life, and the rest of the Jiang family would reap the benefits, which wouldn’t even fall to his parents—he couldn’t help but think, Why should I?

He didn’t want to continue being a fool and sacrificing himself for nothing. That would only make his parents sad, and he couldn’t bear that.

Seeing that his expression had softened, Jiang Musheng continued, “Cousin, I hope you can sober up. Since you’re already back, just stay here peacefully. We can live and let live. Go back and take care of Second Uncle and Second Aunt and don’t make them sad.”

Jiang Jiaming hesitated and lowered his gun. He stuck his neck out and said, “It’s not that I’m scared of you, or of death. I just don’t want to die for nothing and let those people benefit from it.”

Jiang Musheng smiled and nodded. Jiang Jiaming looked at her face, which was different from his—handsome and delicate. He then remembered the rumors that Jiang Musheng was a woman and awkwardly looked away.

He thought to himself, It makes sense if Jiang Musheng is a woman. What kind of man looks like this?

Jiang Jiaming got back into his car and was the first to turn around and leave.

The other three cars parked next to him exchanged glances and then drove off one by one.

The road ahead of Jiang Musheng was clear again.

Zheng Hangyi finally patted Jiang Musheng’s shoulder. “Musheng, I think your verbal skills are even better than mine. I’m good at cursing people out, but you’re good at psychological warfare.”

Jiang Musheng was noncommittal.

From her position, although there were many people protecting her, their lives were their own. If she could solve a problem with her words, she would never let her people use their hands.

After this small interruption, they successfully arrived at the governor’s mansion.

“Musheng, Hangyi, long time no see.” The governor saw them and was as cordial as ever, but they knew that everything was already subtly different.

“Long time no see, Governor.” Zheng Hangyi said with a smile. “Where’s Cecilia?”

The governor’s expression changed for a moment but quickly returned to normal.

“Cecilia went to a friend’s house to play. I trust you didn’t come specifically to see Cecilia, did you?”

“No,” Jiang Musheng said sincerely. “Hangyi and I have another important matter to discuss with you.”

The governor seemed to ignore the words “important matter.” He unhurriedly lit a cigar, took a slow puff, and exhaled a wisp of smoke before asking, “What important matter?”

“I am a businesswoman,” Jiang Musheng said. “I’ve come to discuss business matters with you, of course.”

“I’m not a merchant,” the governor said with a laugh. “Musheng, are you sure you’ve come to the right person?”

“I am. You are the person I need.”

“Oh?” The governor was intrigued and sat up straight on the sofa.

“This person must be you, Governor, and can only be you, because this time, I want to expand and completely open up the overseas market, and I need a prominent figure with your status and power.”

“This is no small matter. Let me think about it.”

Although the governor was tempted, his rationality remained.

“What exactly do you want to do?”

“We want to form an all-female business association. The members will all be women, and you can arrange for Cecilia to join. This would be a good arrangement for her too.”

A parent’s love for their child makes them plan for the distant future. This wasn’t only true for Chinese parents; foreign parents loved their children just as much.

Jiang Musheng knew that the governor doted on his daughter, which was why Cecilia had developed such a spoiled personality.

She also knew that the governor had always been worried about his daughter’s future. As the governor, it wasn’t hard to find her a good job, but the difficult part was finding something that his daughter would be interested in and appreciate.

Because she liked Jiang Musheng, his daughter had even majored in business in university.

If this were before, and Jiang Musheng had come to him, he would have agreed without hesitation. But the situation was different now.

“Musheng, are you really a woman?”

Jiang Musheng nodded. Since she was there to negotiate a partnership, honesty was necessary.

The governor said, “I have no problem with it, but I need to see what Cecilia thinks.”

“Where is Cecilia right now?” Jiang Musheng asked.

The governor sighed. “She’s at home, in her room.”

For the past few days, he hadn’t allowed his daughter to leave the house, wanting her to think carefully about how she should treat Jiang Musheng from now on, and not to do anything rash in a moment of emotional heat.

This was exactly what Jiang Musheng had guessed. She suggested, “Cecilia has had enough time to think. How about you send someone to tell Cecilia that I’m here and ask if she’s willing to see me? If she is, we can talk in detail. If not, I’ll leave immediately.”

The governor ordered a servant to go.

Cecilia was suffocating in her room.

For days, she hadn’t left her room. Even her meals were passed through the window by the servants. Her hunger strike hadn’t worked.

She sat on the carpet, defeated, wondering when she would finally be allowed to go outside.

The door suddenly opened, and the natural light that streamed in was much brighter and harsher than the lamplight.

Cecilia raised a hand to shield her eyes.

“Miss, Mr. Jiang and Mr. Zheng have arrived. The governor wants to know if you’re willing to come and see them,” the servant said.

Cecilia instantly forgot about the harsh light. She lowered her hand and asked, “Mr. Jiang? Are you talking about Musheng?”

The servant nodded, hesitating whether to tell the young lady that Mr. Jiang had already admitted to the governor that she was a woman. After thinking it over, he decided against it, afraid of her anger. He couldn’t handle the young lady’s rage.

Cecilia got up from the carpet, but she didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she said, “Go tell my father that I’ll be there right away.”

It had been a while since she had seen Musheng. She’d been cooped up in her room by her father and hadn’t had the mind to get dressed up. She couldn’t possibly go out looking like this.

She rushed into the bathroom, quickly washed up, and put on a green slip dress before heading out.

Jiang Musheng, Zheng Hangyi, and the governor were sitting in the living room, not just waiting idly.

The governor asked them for many details. Although he still had some doubts about their plan, he believed they could pull it off.

Zheng Hangyi said, “My dear Governor, don’t you believe in Musheng yet? Besides, once we get your approval, the rest won’t be as difficult.”

The governor said, “You still have to see if you can convince Cecilia. After all, I’m not a woman.”

Jiang Musheng said, “I will.”

Cecilia couldn’t contain her excitement. She jogged into the living room, her days of gloominess completely gone. She never would have imagined that Musheng would come to her house to see her.

It was the first time Musheng had ever done something like this.

No matter the reason, she was happy.

“Father, Musheng.” Cecilia ran to them, greeting her father first, but her eyes couldn’t help but fall on Musheng.

“Ahem,” Zheng Hangyi coughed. “Cecilia, there’s someone else here, you know.”

Cecilia turned her head and glanced at him. She was in a good mood and didn’t bother with him. She said kindly, “Mr. Zheng, you’re here too?”

Zheng Hangyi smiled playfully. To be honest, he was looking forward to seeing Cecilia’s reaction when she found out Musheng was a woman.

“Why are you smiling so strangely?” Cecilia asked.

“Am I?” Zheng Hangyi deflected.

The governor stood up and said, “I’ll leave you all. Musheng, you and Zheng Hangyi can talk to Cecilia alone.”

“Father, why are you leaving?” Cecilia felt a little shy for some reason.

“Do you not want me to go?”

Cecilia fell silent again. The governor smiled and walked away with large strides.

“Musheng, what did you want to talk to me about?” Cecilia sat on the sofa, looking at Jiang Musheng with anticipation.

Jiang Musheng said, “Cecilia, I’d like to invite you to join me in establishing a women’s business association.”

“Okay,” Cecilia said, agreeing without even asking why. “But I don’t have any experience with that.”

“That’s fine,” Jiang Musheng said. “I’ll oversee everything. All you need to do is trust me.”

“I trust you!” Cecilia said.

Zheng Hangyi sat on the side, shaking his head silently. To this day, Cecilia still acted like a loyal devotee of Musheng.

He had a sense of unspoken dread.

Extreme love often leads to extreme hatred.

The key was whether love would turn into hatred after the bomb was detonated.

“Cecilia, I have to be honest with you about something,” Jiang Musheng said.

“What is it?” Cecilia was still full of anticipation.

Jiang Musheng said, “I am a woman.”

“…What?”

“I’m a woman.”

“Musheng, you’re not joking with me, are you?” Cecilia stood up, then slowly sat back down, the smile on her face fading to a dull gray.

Although she had been cooped up in the house for days, she had read some of the newspaper reports about Musheng being a woman. She only thought those reporters were dishonest and just writing nonsense.

She had been planning to find those reporters and give them a piece of her mind for spreading lies about the person she loved.

But now, she was finally out and had seen Musheng, and Musheng was telling her herself that she was a woman, and that it wasn’t a joke.

“Zheng Hangyi, you and Musheng conspired to lie to me, didn’t you?” Cecilia said, calling out Zheng Hangyi’s full name in her panic.

Zheng Hangyi said, “Musheng is telling you the truth, Cecilia.”

Cecilia looked at Jiang Musheng.

Jiang Musheng said, “Before, you agreed to co-found the business association with me when you didn’t know the truth, so that doesn’t count. Now that you know, I’ll ask you again…”

Cecelia didn’t wait for her to finish her question. She turned and ran away.

Zheng Hangyi couldn’t help but sigh. “Sigh. It looks like Cecilia’s love for you was conditional after all.”

Jiang Musheng didn’t sigh. Instead, she felt a weight off her shoulders. She patted Zheng Hangyi’s shoulder. “Hangyi, let’s go.”

“Since the talk didn’t work out, we have to go.”

The two of them stood up together and walked out of the governor’s house. Zheng Hangyi couldn’t help but ask, “Musheng, why don’t you seem to feel any regret? Cecilia liked you so much. Don’t you feel a little disappointed or upset?”

“Not really. With Cecilia acting this way, I actually feel relieved. It’s like my spirit has finally been unchained.”

“What do you mean by that?” Zheng Hangyi asked, confused.

“Before, Cecilia’s love for me was based on her belief that I was a man. Even though I didn’t love her, I couldn’t help but enjoy some of the benefits of her love for me, which gave me a sense of guilt for having unwillingly stolen this British girl’s youth.”

“No way,” Zheng Hangyi said, his jaw dropping. “You didn’t force her to like you, and you didn’t lead her on. You rejected her many times. You don’t need to feel so guilty.”

“But if she had known I was a woman from the beginning, she never would have fallen for me, and she wouldn’t have wasted so much time.”

“So you’re saying you would have traded your own safety and Xueyu’s safety for that? Every person for themselves. Musheng, think about how you had to prioritize yourself before you established your position in the Jiang family.”

Jiang Musheng said, “The nature of the situation is different.”

Zheng Hangyi interrupted her. “There’s no difference. Musheng, you can’t be too ethical, especially in your position. There are so many people you can’t possibly think of. Let’s talk about Cecilia. What benefits did you take from her? It’s your own strength that made the governor think so highly of you, and it’s your own charisma that made Cecilia like you.”

“But…”

“Don’t ‘but’ me. Miss Yun also didn’t know you were a woman before. I admit that I used to have a big problem with her, but the incident with her falling in the water made me realize that Miss Yun genuinely loves you. She still loves you even after she found out you’re a woman. If you feel bad about Cecilia, then you should feel even worse about Miss Yun.”

“I do feel bad about Ah Ran.”

“Sigh, no, I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I want you to know that who you like and who you love are your own choices. Especially Cecilia. With her status, no one can influence her. I don’t think you did anything to wrong her. I just think that her feelings for you were only so-so.”

“Cecilia also has no obligation to help me.”

“Sigh…”

There was no point in saying more. They got into the car and went home.

When they arrived and got out of the car, Jiang Musheng saw a familiar face.

“Mr. Jiang, Mr. Zheng,” Alan greeted them.

“Alan, why did you come back early?” Jiang Musheng asked.

“My vacation had only two days left, and there’s no one I miss in my hometown. I thought it would be more meaningful to come back early to protect Miss and Mr. Jiang.”

“That’s loyalty,” Zheng Hangyi said, giving Alan a thumbs-up. He then turned to Musheng and said, “Musheng, you have to give Alan a raise, right?”

“I will.”

“Mr. Jiang, it’s not necessary. You already pay me enough.”

“It’s not enough for what you’ve done. Don’t worry, it’s not just you. Ah Biao and the others will also get a raise. Everyone will.”

“Thank you, Mr. Jiang.”

Alan bowed in gratitude. “By the way, Mr. Jiang, two very special guests have arrived. I’ve asked them to sit inside and wait for you.”

“Who are they?”

“Ms. Qin Yu and Mrs. Ling.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely, Mr. Jiang.”

“That’s great!”

The talk with Cecilia hadn’t gone well, but now Mrs. Ling and Ms. Qin had come to see her. This was a good sign.

But why had they come? And both of them? Jiang Musheng remembered that she and Hangyi had only discussed a plan to persuade Mrs. Ling. They hadn’t considered Ms. Qin.

“Hangyi, did you do something secretly?”

“It wasn’t me. I’m not that capable. As far as I know, these two are somewhat hostile towards men. I was even wondering if I should stay back and let you meet them alone.”

“If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”

“Who else? Think about it carefully.” Zheng Hangyi said with a smile.

“I can’t think of it.”

“Sigh, you’re so silly. Cecilia wasn’t willing to help you, but your Miss Yun didn’t forget to work for you even while she was on the mainland.”

“It was Ah Ran?”

Zheng Hangyi nodded with a smile. “That’s right. Remember to thank her properly later.”

“Let’s go in,” Jiang Musheng said, pulling Zheng Hangyi along.

As he followed her, Zheng Hangyi said, “Are you serious? Is that your only reaction? I thought only us men had that bad habit of not cherishing what we have once we get it. I didn’t think you women had it too.”

Jiang Musheng’s heart felt warm. She laughed and said, “If I tell Ah Ran what you just said, she’ll be very happy.”

“Happy about what?”

“Happy that your prejudice against her is gone.”

“Want to know another happy thing?”

“What?” Jiang Musheng turned her face and asked with her eyes.

Zheng Hangyi said, “Your Miss Yun’s prejudice against me is also gone. She said she was very grateful that I was willing to stand by your side and help you, and that she would be nicer to me from now on.”

Jiang Musheng smiled without saying a word.

Zheng Hangyi said, “Just be happy on the inside. Look how lucky you are—a double harvest of love and friendship, and your career is going great too.”

“I’ll say that after I’ve made it through this ordeal.”

When they reached the living room, their friendly conversation ended, and they put on a serious front to face the two highly respected women in the business world.

The meeting with the two women went very smoothly. As it turned out, they had also been thinking about starting a women’s business association for a while. However, they didn’t have enough power. Now, with Jiang Musheng joining and Zheng Hangyi helping, their power had grown significantly.

When Ms. Qin and Mrs. Ling left, Jiang Musheng and Zheng Hangyi escorted them to the door. Unconcerned about their safety, they sent a car full of bodyguards to protect them.

After they were gone, Jiang Musheng said, “Hangyi, you must be tired today. Go get some rest.”

Zheng Hangyi smiled and said, “I’m not tired, and neither are you. You just want to get back to your room quickly so you can call your Miss Yun, don’t you?”

Jiang Musheng maintained a serious expression. “Hangyi, how did you get in touch with Ah Ran privately?”

“Did you forget? I asked you for Miss Yun’s phone number before, to help Chen Dan. After they finished talking, Chen Dan came downstairs and told me that Miss Yun wanted to say a few words to me. I was surprised. What could she possibly have to say to me?”

“What did Ah Ran say to you?”

“I already told you the first part. She thanked me and asked if she could help. She said to tell her about the problems we were facing, and she would help us find a solution. So I told her. She was going to worry anyway, even if I didn’t.”

“So that’s how it was.”

“Yes, that’s how it was. And I have to say, Miss Yun really does have a way. She actually got the people we needed to visit to come right to us. Now go back to your room and make that phone call. Don’t forget to tell her I’m impressed and grateful.”

After saying that, Zheng Hangyi slipped back into the guest room.

Jiang Musheng smiled and shook her head, then returned to her own room.

She dialed the number, and it took a moment for the other side to pick up.

“Is that Musheng?”

“Yes.”

“I was in the shower, so I was a little late to answer.”

“I see.”

“Did something happen?” Yun Ran asked worriedly, noticing that Jiang Musheng was only giving one-word answers.

“Nothing happened. Ah Ran, thank you. Hangyi also wanted me to pass on his thanks and respect.”

“What for?” Yun Ran was a little confused.

“Ms. Qin Yu and Mrs. Ling came to my house today. We had a great talk and have basically reached a partnership agreement.”

“Really? That’s great!” Yun Ran said happily. “But it’s not just my credit. I didn’t do much. It was Xueyu. She knew Ms. Qin and had corresponded with her before. We put our heads together and wrote a letter. We thought a letter wouldn’t be fast enough, so we also figured out a way to get Mr. Lu to help us send a telegram. I can’t believe it actually worked! I’m just happy we could help you.”

“Ah Ran, thank you.”

“You already thanked me verbally.”

“Is there anything else you want?”

“I want to go back to Hong Kong,” Yun Ran said bluntly. “Things with the business association are pretty clear now, and I haven’t heard of any other storms on the horizon.”

“Musheng, it’s not just me; Xueyu also wants to go back.”

Jiang Musheng said, “Ah Ran, give me some more time to think.”

“Okay, take your time. Xueyu and I won’t cause any trouble. We’ll listen to your arrangements.”

“You’re not causing any trouble. You’ve helped me a lot.”

“Then how are you going to thank us?”

“Besides letting you go back to Hong Kong now, what else do you want?”

“I want…”

“Hmm?”

“I want you to be well, to be safe and sound. Nothing else matters.”

“Okay.”

“And… oh, wait, there is something important.”

Jiang Musheng couldn’t help but laugh. “Ah Ran, tell me.”

“Can we get married after this is all over?”