Fiery Red
Chapter 2/14
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Yang Chen hadn’t forgotten the original reason he came to Tang Wan in the first place. After getting rid of the foolish Tang Jue, Yang Chen signed a partnership contract with Tang Wan. At last, the Star of Yu Lei was set to be held in the various venues owned by the Maple Group.
In fact, this was an extremely beneficial deal for Tang Wan as well. After all, a superstar like Christen would gather the attention of millions. This meant that the Maple Group was also going to benefit from that publicity.
Ning Guodong and his racer friend Webber left later than them. Where they had gone to was a mystery. Before he left, he bid farewell to Tang Wan and Tang Jue, leaving Yang Chen out. It was obvious that he had a distaste to Yang Chen.
Webber, however, generously shook hands with Yang Chen. To outsiders, regardless of what thoughts he held in mind, he had a much higher decency than Ning Guodong who held a respectable position in the government.
Of course, no one would expect Ning Guodong to behave this way when he was faced with highly ranked government officials. Pettiness was a taboo when it came to working in the government. But personally, he held dislike toward Yang Chen, or even hatred.
Tang Wan also noticed that Ning Guodong seemed to harbour some hatred towards Yang Chen. After she dealt with the partnership, she asked out of concern, “Yang Chen, there seems to be some animosity between you and ing Guodong. This certainly isn’t good news to you.”
“Are you referring to the Ning clan in Beijing?” Yang Chen asked in an indifferent manner.
Tang Wan wasn’t surprised that Yang Chen knew Ning Guodong’s background. They weren’t ordinary people after all. She didn’t feel a need for Yang Chen to pay attention to normal people, but it wasn’t the case for Ning Guodong.
“As you have seen just now, I do indeed know Ning Guodong. I didn’t intentionally hide it from you, I just had no reason to bring it up. Now that you’re not on good terms with him, I might as well tell you about him, to prevent you from underestimating his abilities,” Tang Wan said as she lightly frowned. “In Beijing, our Tang clan is one of the more established major clans. We’re currently ranked top four in terms of influence and authority. The Ning clan which Ning Guodong is from, is in the similar circle that people call ‘The Four Major Clans of Beijing’.
“The Ning clan didn’t become the most established and stable clan just because of Ning Guangyao who managed to become the youngest premier ever. They have been growing in their power as time went by due to the lack of any major obstacles since the country was founded. It is not an overstatement to say they’re the number-one family in China. While Ning Guodong is the only son of Premier Ning Guangyao, it isn’t guaranteed that he’s going to inherit the clan master position. That’s because there are too many competent young people there. Ning Guodong’s position in the government actually isn’t anything impressive.”
After listening to Tang Wan’s description, Yang Chen asked out of curiosity, “Other than the both of you, who are the other two clans?”
Tang Wan could tell that Yang Chen wasn’t afraid of anything judging by his look. She sighed, “One of the other two clans is the Li clan controlled by Vice Premier Li Moshen. He’s around the same age as Ning Guangyao. Although he’s ranked lower than Ning Guangyao, the Li clan has had deep relations with the national spy agents since the era of the Republic of China. When the government had to retreat in defeat some years ago, many hidden, underground powers were taken in by the Li clan. They are the most low-profile clan among the four, but also the most violent.
“Regarding the other clan, it is the Yang clan which had the most disastrous development.”
“The Yang clan?”
Yang Chen was stunned. He expected the Yang clan to be a very strong clan, as Yang Jieyu managed to pull off so many impressive acts. However, he didn’t know the Yang clan was among the four major clans.
Tang Wan failed to notice the change in Yang Chen’s expression. She was far too immersed in her thoughts. She continued, “The Yang clan is the oldest one among the four. They have a history that dates back thousands of years. This is a pride no other clans could rival. They also have the least members, but each and everyone of them hold strong and fervent beliefs towards the clan. As a result, the have risen up stronger with each defeat, they have contributed much to the glories that China can now boast.
“Actually, the Yang clan had significantly declined when the country was first founded. However, their old clan master Marshal Yang Ye, who was the father of the current clan master Yang Gongming, was a genius in the military. He had been a key player during the War of Resistance, Civil War, and the Korean War. Many of the best forces in the country were formed by the old clan master. Thus, the reputation of the Yang clan in the military is unrivalled.
“It could be said that the old clan master had single-handedly kept the Yang clan from being wiped from existence. At the same time, he had trained a son who continued to grow the Yang clan to its glory, Yang Gongming. If the old clan master was the hero of the military who revived the Yang clan, then Chairman Yang will be the hero of the government during the upheavals. Many of his students are now highly ranked officials. He’s the true hero who stabilized the Chinese government and sped up the economy during that period.
“Right now, the Yang clan is an uncontroversial member of the four major clans. Although they have the least influence and wealth on the surface when compared to us Ning, Li and Tang clans, their true power is in the Chinese military and countless people in the core of the country.
“In this world, no matter how strong one believes itself to be, nothing can stand the force of a million beasts.”
Yang Chen fell into silence after he listened to Tang Wan. The clan appears to be filled with pride and glory. Those things… have never been far from my reach all this time, he thought.
“Oh… I think I talked too much,” Tang Wan said with a smile. “Actually, the Yang clan is my favorite among the wealthy clans in Beijing. It is the one filled with the most legends. Oh yeah, you’re surnamed Yang as well. Do you feel your blood heating up after listening to me?”
Yang Chen shook his head. Smiling, he answered, “It’s just like listening to a story. An old one.”
“That’s because you haven’t lived that era before. Only people of my age had a chance to witness Chairman Yang Gongming’s brilliance back then. Look at you, you’re reminding me of how old I am again,” Tang Wan complained.
Yang Chen looked helpless. When Tang Wan wasn’t paying attention, he reached his arm out to pinch her cheek. It was elastic, delicate, and smooth.
“Your cheek is so soft. Little Wan, you’re only eighteen this year, aren’t you?” Yang Chen asked with a smile.
Tang Wan rolled her eyes before looking at the time on her watch. “Now that we’re done with serious stuff, although it’s already one o’clock, we should still have lunch, shouldn’t we? May Director Yang bestow me with the honor of having lunch with me?”
Yang Chen looked at the surroundings. They were still in the rest area of the racing club. “Are you telling me we’re getting a lunchbox here?”
Tang Wan burst into laughter. “You’re the only one who can think of lunchboxes. To be honest, I’ve never tried that thing before. Although I had the urge to try it once, I was too embarrassed to ask someone get it for me.”
“Then shall I buy one for you?” Yang Chen asked.
Tang Wan stared at him angrily. “What makes you think i’m asking for a lunchbox?”
“Then what are we eating?” Yang Chen thought, We wouldn’t be going at it back and forth if you just make clear what you want to eat? he thought gloomily.
Tang Wan winked. She put on a seductive expression on her charming face before saying in a naughty manner, “I’ll eat whatever you like.”
Yang Chen swallowed his saliva audibly. I knew there was something different about this woman. She managed to hook my desire so easily, he thought. He giggled and said, “Then I guess you’ll have to suffer.”
“Why?” Tang Wan was confused.
“Because the thing I love to eat most is right in front of me. I can eat it, but I don’t know if you can,” Yang Chen explained.
“What is it?” Tang Wan looked at the surrounding as she felt puzzled. There’s no food here, is there? she thought.
“Aren’t you something I like? Can you eat yourself, Little Wan?” Yang Chen asked with a wicked smile.
Tang Wan instantly blushed. She used two of her slim fingers to pinch Yang Chen’s arm, but Yang Chen was still smiling as if he wasn’t affected at all. Annoyed, she said, “Can you just act like it’s painful even if it isn’t? It’ll at least make me feel better.”
“I’ll say it if you let me eat you,” Yang Chen said in a serious manner.
Tang Wan’s alluring eyes were fixed on Yang Chen. Her real age right now was anyone’s guess, but if they were to guess, it would be in the twenties.
“I said I allowed you to eat it that night, but you’re the one who chose not to” Tang Wan complained.
Yang Chen swallowed his saliva audibly. Giggling, he said, “Sigh… this woman. What should I say now? I’ll be able to eat you if you don’t allow me to… But now I’m too embarrassed to open my mouth when I have your direct approval.”
What Yang Chen said made Tang Wan laugh so hard that she bent down. Yang Chen’s shy and helpless expression was new to her, and she found it extremely entertaining.
At last, the two had some western food in a restaurant nearby the club. What they were eating didn’t matter. They appeared incredibly in sync when they were talking about embarrassing topics.
Yang Chen noticed he actually had a lot to talk about with Tang Wan, more so than some of his other women.
Tang Wan was an experienced woman. Not only did her age bring her a kind of mature beauty, it also meant that she had a wealth of knowledge. On the other hand, although Yang Chen was young, he was more experienced in many aspects compared to men his age, especially about the cultures overseas. This was largely credited to his perfect memory. He could remember something clearly just by taking a short glance.
The two chatted for a long time with their age gap not affecting their conversation. On the contrary, they seemed to have connected really well. This feeling made Tang Wan feel immensely comforted at heart, Yang Chen found it really pleasant as well.
They chatted from the afternoon as they enjoyed their Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. The sky soon turned dark.
Yang Chen had a look at the time. It was four o’clock already. The people at his company were getting off work immediately, so he decided to head home directly.
“I’ll send you back,” Tang Wan said as she stood up. Although she was reluctant to leave him, she knew that Yang Chen wouldn’t really eat her now.
Yang Chen accepted her offer and sat Tang Wan’s car back to Maple Group before driving his own car back after bidding farewell to her.
Although the two didn’t say much at last, their gazes had become much more intimate. This made Yang Chen feel blessed and yet annoyed. If this continued, he might really fall for the adult woman one day. When that happened, the kid Tang Tang wouldn’t call him ‘Uncle’ anymore, but ‘Father’ instead. He felt a chill up his spine just by the thought of it.
When Yang Chen was heading home, Guo Xuehua suddenly called him. “Yang Chen, Mom and Wang Ma will be getting a facial treatment later. We’re bringing Hui Lin along, since that child has to take part in a competition soon. Female artists need to take care of their skins regularly. You’ll be eating with Ruoxi outside as there’s no one to cook at home.”
Yang Chen was stunned. His mother wanted him to reconcile with Lin Ruoxi so bad that she made such a far-fetched coincidence.
However, he couldn’t do anything about it. She wasn’t willing to let the cold war between him and Lin Ruoxi continue for long. Thus, Yang Chen decided to go with Guo Xuehua’s intention.
Yang Chen made a U-turn and drove to the parking lot of Yu Lei International. It was about time for Lin Ruoxi to get off work. Guo Xuehua had already made a call to her. She wouldn’t decide to stay away from home just to avoid seeing him, would she?
As Yang Chen thought, two silhouettes walked out from the staircase in front. One of the figures was Lin Ruoxi. She was wearing a white European coat and a pair of stylish, tight-fitting, red leggings. Her black hair was let loose, which caused her to much more gentle than usual. It could be seen from her elegant face that she was rather exhausted.
The person beside her, however, caused Yang Chen to have the urge to smash his head into the steering wheel. Isn’t the pussy Ning Guodong?!
Not only did he seek my wife in my absence, he’s also holding a bouquet of fiery red roses?! Yang Chen thought.