I See Roses

I See Roses – Chapter 11

Liang Xian uttered those words while holding her hand; he was probably unable to focus on two things at once, so his fingers remained wrapped around her wrist.

Both of them almost simultaneously sensed the situation and subconsciously made eye contact. In that moment, Liang Xian noticed Ming Si’s eyelashes, dark as raven feathers, slightly droop and blink rapidly.

He reacted and released her hand.

Yet, his fingertips seemed to retain the sensation from before. On her slender wrist, it felt like there was only a thin layer of skin.

Unexpectedly soft.

The auction was still ongoing, with bidding paddles raised and voices calling out offers. Only here, a brief silence lingered.

For quite some time, neither of them spoke.

Ming Si composed herself and lightly massaged her left wrist with her right hand, glancing at him from the corner of her eye, “Playing a rogue, huh?”

Liang Xian remained silent for a moment before suddenly smiling. He propped his elbow on the table, leaning closer, his voice slightly lowered, “Aren’t you a bit too guarded against me?”

Last time at the West Suburb Club, when Cheng Yu held her arm and prevented her from getting into the car, he didn’t notice her scold him as a rogue.

“Who told you not to behave properly?” She glanced at him.

This man had a flirtatious look no matter who he talked to, even back in middle school. Naturally, she wouldn’t take him seriously.

Liang Xian changed his sitting posture, leaned back against the chair, and stretched out his long legs. He casually said, “How did you come to that conclusion?”

He had a handsome appearance, with slightly peach blossom-shaped eyes that diluted some of his seriousness. It made it seem like he was flirting even if he didn’t mean it.

Moreover, he was a man of few words.

She remained silent but kept her gaze lingering on his face, seemingly preparing her words.

Liang Xian understood and curved his lips, “You can’t find any evidence, so you’re planning to analyze it based on physiognomy?”

Ming Si glared at him and raised the auction catalog in front of her face, ignoring his teasing.

However, Liang Xian reached out and hooked the edge of the catalog, gently pushing it down, preventing her from hiding.

“What are you doing?” Ming Si’s eyes peeked out from behind the catalog. Her eye shape was beautiful, with a slight upward tilt at the corners. Her light brown irises glimmered like glass under the overhead light.

“Remember to leave an address. I’ll have someone send the brooch over in a few days,” he withdrew his hand and leaned back against the chair, his eyelids drooping slightly.

He didn’t say anything else.

Ming Si felt increasingly unsure about his thought process. After hesitating for a moment, she put down the catalog and lightly tapped the table, “Liang Xian.”

He glanced over with a sidelong gaze.

“Don’t you feel like you’ve been acting strangely recently? Maybe you should find a psychologist to check it out,” she sincerely advised.

Liang Xian gave her a sidelong glance and calmly replied, “I’m perfectly normal.”

“Sending me money one moment, bidding on a brooch for me the next, I have reason to suspect…” Ming Si paused, her gaze sweeping over him, and she didn’t hesitate to say, “You’re trying to woo me.”

Having said that, she had prepared herself for a confrontation.

However, Liang Xian inexplicably chuckled.

“Just take it that way. You can enjoy the benefits without fulfilling any obligations. Isn’t it great?” He raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Or should we try the opposite?”

Ming Si wanted to slap the catalog on his face.

Two days later, Ming Si received the flying bird ruby brooch, and along with it, the Indian Falcon Blood Jade Bracelets that Liang Xian had won at the auction that night.

In the eyes of others, it truly seemed like he was trying to woo her. Even the female assistant, who ran errands for her, couldn’t help but show a glimmer of secret gossip in her eyes.

In her bedroom, Ming Si propped her cheek with her hand and absentmindedly tapped the box with her fingers. The black velvet gift box had a diamond in the center, just like the dazzling lights in the hall during the auction.

Suddenly, she remembered the moment when Liang Xian had held her wrist.

His fingers were slender and distinct, and the sensation of him gripping her wrist felt strange. Ming Si unintentionally met his gaze, and in that instant, a fleeting thought flashed through her mind—

The person in front of her was not just her childhood friend or her enemy; he was a man.

Realizing this, even the most familiar person can become a stranger.

Her heartstrings seemed to be lightly plucked. Ming Si felt momentarily unsure of what to do.

Then, Liang Xian admitted that he wanted to woo her. However, his words and actions lacked genuine sincerity.

Ming Si furrowed her eyebrows, feeling increasingly puzzled about what he was up to.

He clearly had no romantic interest in her, yet he would come to pick her up, buy her jade bangles and brooches… Let alone being a model husband, this young master was becoming more and more incomprehensible.

“… We have verified it. Liang Xian indeed attended Mr. Yu’s private auction event together with Miss Ming from the Ming family.”

At the headquarters of Jinghong Group, in the vice president’s office, Liang Jinyu looked at the three photos spread out on his desk, his brow furrowed.

On the other side of the desk, a slim man continued reporting, “It appears that Miss Ming was his companion.”

Mr. Yu would only invite those he liked to his private auction; Liang Jinyu had no complaints about that. His gaze fell on one of the photos, and he pointed at the side profile of the man in the picture, “I heard a rumor recently about the possibility of a marriage alliance between the Liang family and the Ming family. Considering these rumors, what do you think it means for both of them to attend the event together?”

It was obviously a question that demanded a certain answer, and the slim man dared not voice it out.

He swallowed nervously and carefully replied, “Liang Xian and Miss Ming have been childhood friends. Perhaps they simply have a good relationship and happened to go together.”

As the evening approached, the setting sun cast a warm glow through the large floor-to-ceiling windows of the office, gently climbing up the gray carpet and slowly enveloping the office desk.

Liang Jinyu stood in a position where the light and shadows were divided. Behind him was the warm, orange sunset, but his eyes were clouded with gloom.

After a moment, he raised the corner of his lips and smiled, “I hope that’s the case. Otherwise, I’ll be in a difficult situation.”

“Mr. Liang, here is today’s schedule. In the morning, there’s an investment meeting to determine the next investment projects. In the afternoon, there’s a project meeting for Chang’an Night Talks, mainly to discuss script adaptations.”

Liang Xian took the tablet handed to him by Assistant Chen; his eyes quickly scanned the contents.

“Got it,” After a moment, he handed the tablet back.

Assistant Chen received it with both hands. “Alright, Mr. Liang, we can head to the conference room now.”

With one hand resting on the armrest of the chair, Liang Xian stood up and adjusted his clothing slightly. Today, he wore a grey suit, his tie perfectly done. As he stood there, with his broad shoulders and long legs, he looked very eye-catching.

Assistant Chen gathered the materials and followed behind him, occasionally glancing at his figure.

Having worked together for a little while, Mr. Liang appeared to him like a pampered young master that can be passed off as a top-tier male model, or a handsome and dashing celebrity, but not like a decisive President.

Although he was currently cosplaying as the director.

In short, the impression he gave was that he wasn’t too serious about work.

As the elevator descended to the floor of the meeting room, Liang Xian stepped out with long strides.

Several female employees of the company came from the opposite direction. Assistant Chen noticed the admiration in their eyes as they couldn’t take their gaze off Liang Xian.

And this young master demonstrated his good manners of a refined gentleman. He stopped and let them pass first, a gentle smile curved on his peach blossom eyes as he he nodded slightly at them.

The female employees were visibly taken aback.

Assistant Chen began to seriously ponder whether the company had hired a CEO or a harbinger of trouble.

“Liang Xian!” At the entrance of the conference room, the vice director greeted him warmly.

Liang Xian nodded indifferently and entered the room first.

Today was Liang Xian’s first important meeting since taking up the position of director at Jinghong Films. Although the position of Director of Film and Television was not particularly high, it all depended on who occupied it.

And the person occupying that position was Young Master Liang. Some of the executives, who had more power than a mere director, dared not act recklessly in his presence.

At this moment, Liang Xian was looking at the investment proposal handed to him by Assistant Chen, and the quiet conference room was filled only with the sound of papers being flipped.

A few executives exchanged discreet glances, feeling somewhat uneasy for some unknown reason.

Seemingly, this young master was not difficult to get along with. He seemed to have no objections to his exile, didn’t interfere with anyone’s work, and rarely got involved in the daily operations of Jinghong Films.

These days, he had been serving as a mascot in the director’s office, exuding a carefree attitude from head to toe.

So, feeling uneasy… it must be just a misconception.

Just as the executives were trying to calm themselves, they saw Liang Xian put down the planning book in his hand, “I believe none of these projects require any investment.”

His calm voice resonated in the spacious conference room, yet it sounded like a thunderbolt on a clear day.

“How can that be!” someone exclaimed in surprise.

All four projects were vetoed?

Other executives also became anxious. The vice director spoke first, “Mr. Liang, won’t you reconsider? The film Fei Tian has the legendary director Yue Zhi at helm and an extraordinary cast of actors…”

“Fei Tian has the biggest problem among the projects presented here,” Liang Xian leaned on his elbow, tilting his head slightly, and lightly tapped the cover of the investment proposal with his finger, “Taking the risk of using such actors, if any scandals break out before the film is released, wouldn’t Jinghong’s investment go down the drain?”

As he uttered the word such actors, Assistant Chen’s heart suddenly sank.

Fei Tian was indeed a big-budget movie, and not to mention anything else, the name Yue Zhi alone guaranteed a box office hit. However, this movie also had a fatal risk – the two lead actors and one supporting actor were not exactly clean.

If their scandals were to be exposed before the films releases, their acting careers would be ruined, and the investors would naturally lose all their money.

The problem was that only a few people were aware of this matter; the news had been suppressed by Vice President Liang at the headquarters, only to be released after the film had finished shooting.

How did Liang Xian know about it now?

By not investing in it, wouldn’t he be avoiding this trap?

The conference room became filled with tension; Assistant Chen felt sweat breaking out on his forehead.

“What’s wrong with the lead actors?” another vice director asked, confused.

He looked around and found several others wearing the same confused expressions, while a few executives remained silent, their expressions appearing more akin to… embarrassment.

Liang Xian noticed this and smiled slightly.

He picked up the investment proposal and threw it forward, displaying the arrogance of a decision-maker, “There are also financial issues with other projects; I won’t bother discussing them. Jinghong is here to make investments, not to do charity. If a movie is obviously going to lose money, why should I invest in it?”

The investment proposal landed on the conference table with a resounding slap, resembling a sharp slap across the face.

The faces of many executives began to turn red.

On the other hand, Liang Xian remained nonchalant and relaxed.

He leaned his elbow on the table and glanced at everyone present, his eyes filled with amusement, “I’ll give you all one day to resubmit the investment proposal. I hope you’ll think carefully so that you won’t have to resign and end up without even your retirement pay.”

After delivering these words, the young master no longer spared a glance at the executives and gracefully left the room.

He was wearing a gray suit today, a color that should have represented seriousness and stability, but due to his demeanor, it gave off a sense of casual nonconformity.

However, from now on, no one would see him as a rich second-generation carefree playboy anymore.

This was a fake dandy.

After the meeting adjourned, a vice director who had previously switched to Liang Junyu’s camp found Assistant Chen in private, “Didn’t they say he knows nothing? What should we do now? Should we proceed with the afternoon briefing as planned?”

He had joined Liang Junyu’s side early on, trying to show loyalty by being at the forefront of everything. Now he regretted it deeply – who knew that Young Master Liang wasn’t someone to be underestimated?

Assistant Chen, with a document folder in hand, forced a wry smile, “Proceed with the original plan? He has seen through everything.”

If they continued to be unreasonable, the outcome would be them packing up and leaving.

The young master had made it clear today that even if he was demoted to the mud, he had more than enough capability to handle them.