What to do if I've locked myself in a book! - Chapter 30

At this moment, Cheng Ye had just gotten off the plane. After leaving Ling Qianqian’s place yesterday at dawn, he had only slept for two hours before rushing to the airport for a business trip and meeting. He wasn’t the kind of idle president who had a large group of followers behind him all day to show off. He always came and went alone, liked to do things himself, and was a highly proactive and decisive person.

He wouldn’t stare at the surveillance footage all the time, nor did he have the leisure to do so. Of course, he didn’t see the intimate drama that Ling Qianqian and Bai Yiyan had prepared for him tonight.

At this late hour, he had only managed to doze off for a while on the return flight, finally getting a little rest. Now, he had to find a way to deal with some troublesome matters.

Cheng Ye hurried towards the BLUE bar, his cold, arrogant, and powerful aura clashing with the surrounding world of revelry. As he passed through the dance floor, many women who saw such a handsome man and wanted to strike up a conversation were forced back by his chilling coldness before they could even get close.

He strode up to the second floor and walked to the office at the end of the corridor, opening the door without hesitation and walking in.

The noisy dance music poured into the room surrounded by classical music, as if suddenly breaking through a barrier, making Cheng Zhan, who was engrossed in his phone, feel quite disappointed.

Cheng Ye strode in, and the door closed automatically. He walked unceremoniously to Cheng Zhan, who was leaning lazily on the sofa, and without saying a word, snatched the whiskey glass from his hand, raised his head, and drank it all in one gulp. Then, he slammed the glass heavily on the glass side table.

However, this series of movements didn’t manage to make Cheng Zhan look up from his phone.

Before the ice cubes that had been shaken up in the crystal glass had settled, Cheng Ye spoke first, “You should put in some effort regarding the marriage alliance with the Su family.”

“Sure, but if I were your best man, I might steal your thunder.”

Cheng Zhan’s magnetic, languid voice revealed a hint of nonchalance. He was used to it, and while focusing on his phone, he casually responded to his older brother.

He knew that Cheng Ye wasn’t expressing that sentiment, and Cheng Ye also knew that Cheng Zhan already knew his intentions. The brothers had a strange understanding since childhood, speaking on different frequencies, yet being able to understand each other’s intentions.

“You go marry her,” Cheng Ye said coldly, walking to the stereo and turning off the classical music.

The room suddenly fell silent, and the air became solemn due to Cheng Ye.

“The Su family’s daughter has taken a liking to you. I can’t afford to climb that high.”

As he said this, Cheng Zhan’s gaze was still fixed on the phone screen. In the video, Ling Qianqian seemed to be tired from masturbating, clutching the blanket and turning to her side to sleep. Her white, bare, and shapely buttocks were facing the camera, and a corner of the blanket drooped down, revealing a glimpse of her pink opening. The action of hugging the blanket was playful and cute, making him curl his lips and smile.

“Cheng Zhan, stop scrolling on your phone. I’m talking to you about something serious.”

Seeing that there was no other activity in the villa, Cheng Zhan calmly turned off his phone, put it aside, and finally shifted his gaze to his older brother, who had a cold expression.

“You’ve seen it too. I do nothing all day, living with this small bar. How could the Su family’s young lady possibly take a liking to me?”

As if feeling that the lack of background music would make this boring topic even more dull, Cheng Zhan flicked his long fingers, sending another blueberry into his mouth. He got up and walked to the side cabinet, turning on the stereo again.

Elegant music once again filled the entire space. He leaned against the cabinet, following the rhythm of the music and gesturing in the air as if conducting, appearing completely immersed in the music.

Cheng Ye knew that it was just a facade. Among the three brothers, Cheng Zhan had the best business acumen and was the most intelligent. He had been excellent in academics and had high emotional intelligence since childhood. It was just a pity that he wasn’t the old man’s biological son, so he had always been unwilling to give him power.

Cheng Zhan was the child of his mother’s brother. Because his parents had died early, he was taken in as an adopted son at Cheng’s mother’s insistence.

Therefore, although Cheng Ye and Cheng Zhan were brothers, they didn’t look alike.

Cheng Ye wanted Cheng Zhan to help at the company, but Cheng’s father strongly opposed it, fearing that Cheng Zhan would take control of the Cheng family’s business.

Cheng Ye didn’t think so. He lacked capable and practical people under his command, especially in a family business like theirs. The group of parasites under him, relying on their seniority and eating away at the company’s resources, were busy fighting among themselves and constantly engaging in internal friction. If Cheng Zhan was willing to help, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.

He sighed silently, his tone darkening with his gaze, “Do me a favor. As long as you’re willing, I’ll figure out the rest.”

“Big brother, I just don’t understand. Miss Su is beautiful, kind, and from a wealthy family. Why don’t you want to marry her?”

Cheng Zhan suddenly became interested and wanted to get him to talk. He was particularly interested in Ling Qianqian now.

Stopping his hand from waving, he turned around and took two more crystal glasses from the cup rack, putting ice in them and pouring whiskey. He handed one glass to Cheng Ye and sat down opposite him.

“I’m too busy with so many things at the company. I don’t have time to get married.”

“Is it that you don’t have time, or that you already have someone you love?”

“…Don’t guess.”

Noticing the awkwardness on Cheng Ye’s face, Cheng Zhan seized the opportunity to press him, “Is it that great writer’s girlfriend? Do you like her?”

“Cough…”

The wine that had just reached his mouth almost sprayed out. This obvious reaction made Cheng Zhan completely understand Cheng Ye’s motivation.

He liked Ling Qianqian.

“Stop saying useless things. Are you going to help or not?” Cheng Ye’s tone became a bit louder, as if deliberately trying to cover up his reaction when Ling Qianqian was mentioned earlier.

“To tell you the truth, Su Zhixin isn’t my type. You know me. It’s useless to force it on me.” Cheng Zhan’s slender fingers intentionally or unintentionally tapped the darkened phone screen. He showed little interest in this topic.

“Then what should we do? The third brother is only nineteen years old. We can’t send him, can we? Is there any other way?”

Cheng Ye’s anxiety was etched on his face. He had originally thought that it would be fine to reject Su Zhixin, but when Cheng’s father explained the stakes to him, this matter became a heavy burden. The marriage alliance was no longer a personal matter; it was related to the rise and fall of the family business.

When he had no ideas, he always came to Cheng Zhan for advice, including matters related to the company. He had secretly helped him resolve several crises.

Cheng Zhan took a sip of whiskey, leaning back into the sofa in a deliberately profound manner, his fingertips lightly tapping on the rim of the glass. “It’s not like there aren’t any solutions.”

“Then tell me quickly.”

Cheng Ye was so anxious that he stood up, wishing that this annoying problem could be solved in an instant, turning him into a free man.

“This old-fashioned method of marriage alliance isn’t applicable to modern society. The original intention was to find a suitable contract lock to tightly bind the assets of the two families. We can completely change our thinking and achieve the goal. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a marriage alliance.”

“Continue.”

—

Cheng Zhan, a character who was only mentioned once in the original novel, with almost no ink devoted to him, was perhaps subverting the development of the entire story.