Falling into the Capital's Radiance - Chapter 4

As the head of the Song Family, Song Yanting had always been meticulous in his actions.

He was a year older than Zhao Zonglan, thirty-three this year.

In the eyes of outsiders, this eldest young master of the Song Family was gentle and refined, with a calm and pleasant demeanor. He was considered to have some warmth and humanity, and could be counted as a ‘good man’ among capitalists.

But what good men are there among capitalists?

Only those who truly knew him understood that Song Yanting was nothing more than a cunning, smiling tiger, adept at disguise. Behind the lenses of his glasses, his eyes held no kindness, only interests.

Xie Chengsui arrived late, as if he had just come out of the shower. The red shirt under his suit jacket was half unbuttoned and worn loosely, with droplets of water still clinging to the ends of his hair.

A cigarette dangled from his lips as he smiled with a roguish air. “Sorry, brothers, I’m late.”

As the host, showing up at this time was indeed inappropriate.

Song Yanting glanced at his watch and kindly reminded him, “You’re eleven minutes late. You’ll have to drink a few more glasses later.”

“Alright.” Xie Chengsui sprawled carelessly into the chair beside them and explained, “I took in a new beauty last night-her voice is so sweet and melodious that I couldn’t help myself and went for a couple more rounds. Didn’t get any sleep until dawn.”

As he spoke, he took a drag of his cigarette, as if still savoring the memory.

Xie Chengsui was the third in his family, respectfully addressed by outsiders as Third Master Xie.

He was Zhao Zonglan’s cousin.

The Xie Family was also a prominent clan, with many descendants and vast wealth. However, Xie Chengsui’s two elder brothers were both unwilling to take over as head of the family, so in the end, the responsibility fell to him.

Managing such a large family business made life both busy and dull, so Xie Chengsui never bothered to hide his desires.

Call it debauchery or lust, but after all, food and sex are basic human nature.

If he wanted to play, he played.

But he never forced anyone. Once he set his sights on someone, he had plenty of ways to make them come to him willingly.

Zhao Zonglan lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, his voice cool: “I’ll have someone send you some supplements another day. Take care of your health.”

Xie Chengsui touched the tip of his nose.

He could easily hear the sarcasm in those words, but he never dared argue with this cousin who was two years his senior.

After all, he couldn’t afford to provoke this tyrant.

On the stage at the center of the lake pavilion, young and beautiful classical dancers moved gracefully to the music, their figures elegant and supple.

Xie Chengsui tapped his fingers on the table, lightly keeping time, while Song Yanting and Zhao Zonglan chatted about the stock market.

Song Yanting said, “The U.S. stock market was quite turbulent recently, but it seems you made a killing.”

Zhao Zonglan stubbed out his cigarette, took the freshly poured tea from Chang An, sipped it, and raised an elegant eyebrow, his tone arrogant: “You call a few thousand a killing?”

This was just the beginning.

Xie Chengsui quickly chimed in, half-joking, “That’s not bad-enough to buy a hundred Fenghua Palaces.”

As the three chatted, Xie Chengsui’s assistant Guang Lin hurried over to report, “The Rong Family called. Young Master Rong is ill and can’t make it today. He sent Ming Zhao in his place.”

Young Master Rong referred to Rong Heng, the only precious son of the Rong Family. He had five older sisters and was the only male among the younger generation.

Therefore, Old Madam Rong doted on this grandson, giving him anything he wanted.

Ming Zhao was Rong Heng’s personal assistant.

All these scions of prominent families had their own private assistants.

Unlike secretaries at work, these private assistants managed daily life, social affairs, and so on. Of course, assistants and secretaries interacted daily, mainly to coordinate schedules and arrange appointments.

Ming Zhao strode over, nodded to the group, and apologized sincerely, “My young master is unwell, and Old Madam Rong is keeping a close eye on him, not allowing him to go out. I’m here to apologize to you all on his behalf.”

As he spoke, he signaled for the person behind him to bring over the apology gift.

It was a bottle of wine.

A 1969 Château Lafite Rothschild.

Xie Chengsui raised his eyebrows and said with a laugh, “I knew that kid Rong Liu was hiding something good.”

A bottle of red wine worth over two million dollars-impossible to buy even a decade ago.
Ming Zhao said, “This was taken by our old master in Hong Kong years ago, and has been treasured in the winery ever since.”

After speaking, he looked at Zhao Zonglan and bowed deeply, “Mr. Zhao, regarding the matter at Wangjing Tower… the young master asked me to apologize to you once again. The apology gift will be sent to Zijing Sandalwood Court tomorrow.”

Zhao Zonglan was not so easily placated.

Capitalists always find ways to maximize their interests.

Leaning back in his chair, his expression indifferent, he said, “When Rong Heng has recovered, have him come in person.”

With this, Ming Zhao could only agree, “Yes.”

–

Shen Jingni rested at home for a few days. Her illness was mostly gone, though she still had a bit of a cough.

After much inquiry, and with Song Yu’s help, she finally obtained Zhao Zonglan’s address.

Zijing Sandalwood Court.

It was said to be a private estate built in the western suburbs of Beijing, with a courtyard spanning over ten thousand square meters-a top-tier mansion fit for nobility.

Shen Jingni freshened up briefly, put on a pale blue down jacket, and called Chu You. The two prepared to head out.

Chu You was the same age as Shen Jingni, hired by Shen Jingni’s father specifically as her assistant, and was also an intern designer.

“Boss, if we just run off like this and President Shen finds out, he’ll fire me for sure.”

Chu You had a baby face, was petite-almost 1.6 meters tall-and even more timid.

“What are you afraid of him for? I’m your boss.” Shen Jingni wrapped a white fluffy scarf around her neck and urged, “Go start the car, my brother will be back soon.”

Chu You was nervous and reminded her again, “Boss, take your cold medicine. It’s cold outside.”

In this winter weather, if her boss’s illness relapsed, she’d be in big trouble.

To reassure Chu You, Shen Jingni poured a cup of warm water and swallowed a few cold pills right in front of her.

Zijing Sandalwood Court was quite far from the Shen Family home-almost a two-hour drive.

By the time they arrived, it was nearly noon.

Getting out of the car, Shen Jingni yawned. The cold medicine made her a bit drowsy.

As the chill hit, she instinctively tightened the scarf around her neck.

“Well, isn’t this Miss Shen? Are you here to see Mr. Zhao too?”

The speaker was Yu Xin, the eldest son of the Yu Family, whom Shen Jingni had met once before.

The Yu Family was in real estate, but with the market downturn in recent years, Yu Xin was looking to pivot to the internet.

But he had no money and couldn’t attract investment.

After much frustration and some advice from his elders, he realized that the Yu Family was distantly related to the Zhao Family, so not all hope was lost.

So, he tracked down the address and came over.

“Yes,” Shen Jingni replied frankly, “I’m here to apologize to Mr. Zhao.”

Yu Xin had been deeply impressed by Shen Jingni since their first meeting.

This Miss Shen was stunningly beautiful, and now, standing right in front of him, it was hard not to be tempted.

He moved closer, lowered his voice, and said, “I’m related to Mr. Zhao, so I should be able to get a word in. It’s cold out here, Miss Shen. Why not wait in my car?”

His words were deeply unpleasant.

Shen Jingni stepped aside, expressionless, and refused, “No need.”

His sleazy intentions were written all over his face-did he think she was stupid?

Rejected so bluntly, Yu Xin’s face darkened and he muttered obscenities, “Playing high and mighty, huh? Sooner or later you’ll be begging me on your knees.”

At that moment, the gates of Sandalwood Court slowly opened.

Chang An, dressed in a light gray suit, walked out.

His expression was gentle as he nodded slightly to Shen Jingni, “Miss Shen, our master invites you in.”

But Shen Jingni didn’t follow Chang An immediately. Instead, she strode over to Yu Xin, lifted her foot, and stomped hard on his instep.

Yu Xin cried out in pain, nearly jumping up, looking utterly ridiculous.

She snorted coldly, “Watch your mouth around me.”

“It stinks like a chamber pot.”