Slag Shou Cultivating Manual - Chapter 41

Seeing his disliked sister approaching and interacting with Jiang Jingda in a familiar manner made Meng Lun uncomfortable. He turned to look at He Lang beside him, who seemed unfazed and was leisurely surveying the surroundings as if he were there to enjoy the view. Meng Lun tugged at his companion’s sleeve in frustration.

He Lang finally glanced sideways, realizing that this was Meng Lun’s sister.

Her appearance was elegant and beautiful, often adorned with a smile that made her appear likable. Noticing He Lang scrutinizing her, she instinctively felt a hint of wariness but immediately replaced it with a warm smile and addressed him as “little brother” rather than “young master.”

Meng Xinyue’s address made Jiang Jingda frown. He subtly turned and placed the wine glass down, shaking off her hand from his shoulder.

Her expression changed slightly; she seemed to want to say more, but the elders from the Meng family had arrived, so Meng Lun and she had to move to another area.

“Look where.”

Jiang Jingda blocked He Lang’s view with his body, drawing his attention back and gazing deeply into his eyes. Since earlier, He Lang had been staring at others, and Jiang Jingda was not informed of their presence at such an event.

“Is that woman very attractive? Why was your gaze so peculiar when you looked at her?”

Sensing Jiang Jingda’s disconcerted aura and realizing that his concerns were unfounded, He Lang shook his head and replied, “I don’t like her.”

“Really? You don’t like Xinyue?” Jiang Jingda pulled him to a corner, his body close, his breath tickling He Lang’s neck, causing him to shiver slightly.

He Lang turned his head away. “Yes.”

“Why do you dislike Xinyue?” Jiang Jingda’s tone became more familiar, referring to her as Xinyue.

He Lang glanced at him, noticing the change in his brother’s address, and wondered if Jiang Jingda was close to this woman.

He didn’t answer, merely countered, “Do you like her?”

“She’s okay,” Jiang Jingda raised an eyebrow, giving an ambiguous answer.

He Lang took a sip from his wine glass, rested his elbow against Jiang Jingda’s chest, and wriggled free from his embrace. “Then you can drink with her.”

He tilted his head towards the scene beside Jiang Jingda, where Meng Xinyue was already done dealing with the elders and was now staring at Jiang Jingda with eager eyes, hinting for him to invite her.

As Jiang Jingda turned to look, He Lang immediately turned away but was stopped by Jiang Jingda, who firmly grasped his wrist.

The two locked eyes for a moment. He Lang forcefully wrenched his wrist free and walked directly towards Meng Lun.

Seeing him approach, Meng Lun scratched his head and, noticing the pair of Jiang Jingda and Meng Xinyue walking together, exclaimed, “Oh no, that woman really hooked up with your brother!! You need to keep an eye on him. If she and your brother get together, our parents will definitely listen to her and give the family business to her. My future will be ruined!”

Recently, the Meng family had been facing an economic crisis, and Meng Xinyue wanted to use Jiang Jingda’s cooperation to alleviate the company’s urgent situation. If she succeeded, their parents would definitely favor her, leaving Meng Lun with no good days ahead.

No wonder he was so unwillingly slapping the table.

He Lang comforted him and took another sip of wine. “I can’t keep an eye on him.”

“How could that be! I heard your brother always dotes on you. And look, you’ve been sitting here for how long, and he’s been staring at you for that long. That poor woman is still waiting for your brother to talk to her,” Meng Lun said, his gaze drifting towards the distance with some schadenfreude.

He Lang didn’t like women with ulterior motives approaching Jiang Jingda but decided not to get involved. He raised his glass to clink with Meng Lun’s. “Let’s drink.”

“Drinking sounds good. Come on, let’s have a toast,” Meng Lun said, extending his arm playfully for a toast, their heads coming very close together.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Jingda’s hand wobbled, causing some wine to spill onto his sleeve.

Meng Xinyue gasped and quickly pulled out her handkerchief to help him wipe it off.

Jiang Jingda stepped back, saying he needed to go to the restroom to handle it, but his steps led him directly toward He Lang.

The commotion caused by Meng Lun’s toast had left He Lang with a look of helplessness, but suddenly a dark shadow blocked his view, and a cold “Go home” fell from above.

Perhaps Jiang Jingda’s imposing presence was too overwhelming; Meng Lun, seeing him, immediately cowered, signaling He Lang if he should go home now.

He Lang looked back at him, nodded, and was promptly pulled by Jiang Jingda.

The two had been so close and intimate in his presence; Jiang Jingda’s mood was extremely foul, causing him to be somewhat rough in his actions.

Only after they left the venue did He Lang finally push him away.

“What exactly do you want?”

Jiang Jingda stared at him for a few seconds, then turned to find the car, giving only one command, “You are not allowed to associate with the Meng family.”

“Why?” He Lang leaned against the car, refusing to get in.

Wasn’t Jiang Jingda also close with Meng Xinyue? Why restrict only his interactions with the Meng family? Jiang Jingda had never imposed limitations on him before; why was he becoming increasingly overbearing now? Although not obvious, He Lang could sense that since Jiang Jingda confessed his feelings, he had come to view him as his possession.

He Lang pursed his lips, his resistance causing him to step back repeatedly.

“……” Jiang Jingda’s brows furrowed with a hint of hurt. After a while, he picked He Lang up and put him into the car.

Despite He Lang maintaining a resistant or silent stance in their complex emotional dynamic, Jiang Jingda still felt that he might not fully understand his own feelings yet, or he might not realize that He Lang was his only belonging.

He did not believe that his Lang Lang was entirely indifferent to him. Otherwise, why would he, with his aloof nature, care so much about him?

Since Jiang Jingda formally took over the company, He Lang, who rarely appeared at the company before, began showing up frequently, even becoming well-acquainted with the company’s affairs and major cases. Jiang Jingda kept a close eye on his work status.

In fact, He Lang was afraid of further issues arising with the company, while Jiang Jingda naturally interpreted this as concern for himself.

When Jiang Jingda asked He Lang, there was an unspoken smile in his eyes.

And He Lang responded affirmatively, “Of course I care.”

This answer pleased Jiang Jingda but also left him slightly frustrated. If he cared, why was he always so guarded? Should he try a different approach to make him take the initiative?

The ringing of a phone interrupted their conversation. Jiang Jingda glanced at He Lang and then answered the call.

“Is it Meng Xinyue?”

He Lang couldn’t help but glance sideways.

Jiang Jingda hung up after speaking with her and observed He Lang’s expression, asking, “The lady from the last wine party has invited me. Do you think I should go out?”

He Lang gave him a sidelong glance, nonchalantly turning his head, sensing his brother’s probing intent. He couldn’t help but purse his lips. Why ask him about this? It was naturally Jiang Jingda’s decision.

At the same time, He Lang was somewhat annoyed. Jiang Jingda was usually so astute—how could he be so foolish now? Didn’t he realize that the woman had ulterior motives in befriending him? What was he thinking about this dangerous person?

All his emotions instantly transformed into a faint smile, with no hint of awkwardness. He Lang nodded, “You and Miss Meng seem well-matched. Since it’s an invitation from a lady, it would be a mistake to miss it.”

After saying this, he walked away, not offering any further comments.

Subsequently, Jiang Jingda seemed to indeed have more interactions with her, with frequent contact over the phone.

Despite this, He Lang could still sense that Jiang Jingda didn’t seem overly invested in the woman.

Even though Meng Xinyue might publicly claim that Jiang Jingda was pursuing her, He Lang felt that Jiang Jingda was still punctual about coming home to bother him after work.

Jiang Jingda’s intentions were somewhat deliberate, which He Lang was not entirely unaware of, but he was unwilling to fall into the trap because he was never prey and didn’t need to be so manipulated.

If Jiang Jingda wanted to act, then he could continue to do so.

Jiang Jingda likely intended to use Meng Xinyue to provoke He Lang, hoping he would understand his feelings, but it ended up having the opposite effect.

Initially, Jiang Jingda might have tried this approach because he noticed He Lang’s subtle aversion to Meng Xinyue, thinking that He Lang was finally showing jealousy. He might have thought that this was why he was acting in a way that wasn’t typical of him.

But now, when He Lang could smile warmly and bless them, Jiang Jingda began to regret his rashness and hasty actions.

This outcome was far from what Jiang Jingda wanted. How could his Lang Lang push his brother away like this?

……

During the period Meng Xinyue was getting along with Jiang Jingda, she enjoyed a lot of attention and tasted success.

She presented herself as gentle and humble in front of Jiang Jingda, but was actually always arrogant, meticulous, and selfish, showing no kindness to anyone who hindered her interests, including her own brother. This made many people wait for the Meng family to fall, eager to see her fail.

However, after she allied herself with the Jiang family, those who initially wanted to take advantage of her downfall quickly changed their attitudes, flattering her once they saw she had a backing.

Although Jiang Jingda had just taken over the company, Jiang’s enterprise was already a publicly listed company with significant influence.

Moreover, Jiang Jingda soon obtained absolute control over the company. Not only did the department heads, but even the board of directors had no objections. His reputation as a business prodigy from a young age was well-deserved. Even though He Lang was often anxious about the company’s affairs, he hadn’t found any flaws, proving that Jiang Jingda’s management was impeccable and respected by his peers.

Meng Xinyue’s subtle hints that Jiang Jingda was pursuing her naturally went smoothly.

She initially thought she could advance her relationship with Jiang Jingda further, but after doing one business deal with Jiang’s family, they lost contact, and she no longer had a legitimate reason to make invitations.

Reluctant to give up, she secretly sent someone to investigate his schedule, hoping to gain some information to engineer a chance meeting.

If they had more interactions, they could maintain their relationship for a while longer. Meng Xinyue’s plan was moving swiftly.

But she was taken aback to discover something unsettling during her investigation.

Author’s Note: Today’s writing brings future benefits—blushing and heart-pounding.