I See Roses

I See Roses – Chapter 50

“Wow, the boxing champion, huh? I heard that awards of this level used to be dominated by foreign athletes. Either that or it was the Nancheng athletes because they have a lot of well-established clubs, and this time they’re the hosts,” Lin Xijia nudged Ming Si’s shoulder gently, “Your guy, Liang Xian, is quite something. Just casually invests in a club and it’s so impressive.”

While she was speaking, Ming Si had already opened her Weibo app.

The trending topic titled #MMA Champion# hadn’t made it to her main feed yet; she had to click on more to find it; it was currently ranked 11th.

Ming Si clicked into it; it was a news article about a certain fighter winning the MMA competition and getting the championship belt. The article provided a detailed account of the competition, with no hesitation in praising the new boxing champion.

This Weibo post had been shared by the official media of Pingcheng’s Sports Bureau and other influential accounts, contributing to a substantial amount of discussion. In just a few minutes, its ranking had risen by two spots.

“This year’s boxing champion is so handsome. I heard he’s even a college student. He’s too young, isn’t he?” Lin Xijia couldn’t help but sigh.

The article had two pictures—one captured the boxing arena, while the other was a photograph of the new boxing champion. He was quite tall, with handsome features and a well-proportioned physique, exuding a cool and manly charm.

The comment section was filled with numerous fans.

For a Chinese athlete to defeat foreign competitors and claim the intercontinental boxing champion title was already impressive, but when coupled with the boxer’s good looks, the hype nearly doubled.

This also brought the name of the [PARROT] club into the public eye.

“He does look handsome,” after viewing the pictures, Ming Si clicked on a related tag, and found mentions of [PARROT].

「Ah, ah, ah, he’s a fighter from our MMA club! My boyfriend is a huge fan of his!! We even celebrated our three-year anniversary at the club to watch his match.  Unforgettable!」

「Hahaha, that’s kind of pathetic.」

「But the match was so exciting! I got so worked up while watching it that I ended up hitting my boyfriend hard!!」

「I know, I know! [PARROT], right? The matches at that club are super exciting! The atmosphere is also top-notch.」

「I have no idea where that is in the North Bank district. Can someone give me directions?」

「It’s at No. 6 Rui Xi Road, Anping District. It’s called the [PARROT] MMA Club. It has a black signboard, really imposing.」

「I remember that place. Didn’t it close down?」

「No, it didn’t. It changed ownership, but many of the staff are still the same. The manager there is an old acquaintance of mine.」

「The owner must be making a fortune now.」

「Whispering, let me tell you, the owner seems to have just invested for fun. He doesn’t care about a small amount of money like this. And he’s incredibly handsome…」

「Müller.」

「Wanna be the owner’s wife.」

「Add me to the list of those who want to be the owner’s wife.」

“…”

Ming Si: “?”

The owner’s wife is already here!

She took a screenshot and sent it to Liang Xian, waiting to see how he’d react.

Just after sending it, she heard Lin Xijia exclaim, “Oh my!”

Ming Si looked over, “What’s wrong?”

“Why did Feng Shiru… like this Weibo post?” Lin Xijia’s expression was filled with confusion, “Does she also enjoy this kind of competition? Or is she trying to sell that persona of Although I appear gentle, I’m actually very passionate, unlike other female celebrities?”

Before she could finish speaking, her phone was forcibly requisitioned by Ming Si.

Sure enough, a few minutes ago, Feng Shiru had liked the Weibo post.

The comment section was already filled with fans wondering why Feng Shiru liked the post, and some humorous remarks like Rounding up to the nearest whole number, Feng Shiru and I are married now! and Isn’t Feng Shiru from Pingcheng? Am I going to start waiting at PARROT to run into her? and Quietly asking, what exactly is MMA?

Ming Si took the time to scroll through the comments from beginning to end, then she went back to the top. Feng Shiru had already replied to a comment about bumping into her at PARROT with a simple Guess.

Although the Weibo post appeared innocuous, Ming Si felt that it wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

Lin Xijia’s speculation, driven by her extreme malice, was even more pointed, “Tell me! Is she trying to get close to Liang Xian?”

There was no way around it; the impression Feng Shiru had left during high school as a sweet and innocent girl was deeply ingrained. She excelled at playing the victim and acting weak, appearing pure and harmless, but behind that façade was a complex individual who could deceive people and lead them into traps.

“She dares,” Ming Si handed the phone back to Lin Xijia, lifted her arm and looked sideways, her gaze filled with determination, “I’ll make sure there’s nothing left of her.”

“Your Majesty, the Empress, is mighty!” Lin Xijia clasped her hands together.

After that banquet, Ming Si and Feng Shiru hadn’t been in contact or had any interactions for a long time. While Feng Shiru frequently appeared on television and Weibo, Ming Si rarely watched TV these days, and when she did catch sight of something on Weibo, she simply scrolled past it without engaging.

If it weren’t for Feng Shiru liking the post about [PARROT] today, Ming Si might have almost forgotten that Feng Shiru had once secretly admired Liang Xian.

Ultimately, Feng Shiru’s ability to betray her stemmed from this secret crush.

Though Ming Si didn’t particularly like Feng Shiru, she wasn’t trembling at the sight of a like from her. Besides, their falling out had nothing to do with Liang Xian; it was all about Feng Shiru’s character.

However, now that her relationship with Liang Xian was different, she decided to ask him a few questions.

So that evening, when Liang Xian returned home, he saw Ming Si sitting upright on the living room couch, one leg crossed over the other, with her hands resting on the armrests.

Shi Tai stood not far behind her, standing straight as if he were preparing to preside over a court session.

“Is your stomach not hurting anymore?” He walked over, but just as he reached the couch, Ming Si lifted a foot and pushed it against his knee, saying, “Don’t come any closer.”

Her expression and body language clearly said: I’m really angry.

Liang Xian halted in his tracks. Ming Si gestured to the spot beside her, her tone very serious, “Sit over there. I have a few questions to ask.”

Quite strict, indeed.

Liang Xian took a step back and followed her instructions, sitting on the couch. His long legs stretched out naturally, and he leaned toward her side, smiling, “What’s the matter, dear ancestor? Who has upset you?”

“Have you been in touch with Feng Shiru recently?” Ming Si propped her elbow on her knee, leaning toward him. Her other hand pointed at the tip of his nose, “Honest answer, no lying, no nonsense.”

Liang Xian’s smile faded, “No.”

“Does she often visit your club?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Did you like her during high school?”

Liang Xian gave her a sidelong glance. Ming Si stared back unyieldingly, putting on a serious face.

He curved his lips, “No.”

Ming Si was openly consuming this jar of vinegar1. She reclined back onto the couch, lifted one foot, and rested it on Liang Xian. She hummed, “Well, she liked your Weibo post that was discussing your club. How does that make you feel?”

Liang Xian had been busy in back-to-back meetings all day and hadn’t even touched his phone.

He grasped Ming Si’s lower leg and tugged her pant leg down, covering her exposed ankle, “What Weibo post?”

“Here you go, everyone’s saying she’s going to run into her fans at your club!” Ming Si pulled her leg back, sat up straight on the couch, and handed her phone to him, “Look!”

Liang Xian seized the opportunity to hug her waist, seating her on his lap. His chin rested on her shoulder, “It’s like this.”

His voice was low and slightly husky, his breath brushing past her ear, teasing lightly. Ming Si wasn’t genuinely angry to begin with, and now, that hint of elegance and coldness almost wavered.

“The club has already changed ownership to Manager Zhao. The procedures will be completed in a couple of days. Currently, I’m just an investor and rarely go there,” Liang Xian placed the phone aside.

“Even if you go there, you’re not allowed to meet her. She’s my archenemy, do you understand? The kind of person I really hate. You must be on the same side as me,” Ming Si emphasized.

“En,” Liang Xian chuckled softly, “Is it because of this that you’ve been giving me this cold shoulder since I got home?”

“I didn’t give you a cold shoulder,” Ming Si said, trying to climb off him. However, Liang Xian exerted a bit more strength, holding onto her waist. She couldn’t move, and after struggling a bit, she gave up.

After a moment, she turned around, propped one foot on the edge of the sofa, and lay on her side in his embrace. She poked at his Adam’s apple with one hand, her tone turning fierce again, “I almost forgot. You locked me in this house this morning and I haven’t held you accountable for it.”

“I signed the contract for you,” Liang Xian held onto her wrist, “Consider it a way to make amends?”

After a pause of two seconds, Ming Si finally understood.

“What?” She couldn’t suppress the upward curve of her lips, her fingers restlessly slipping out of his grip, trailing down his shoulder line, “Are you planning to financially support me? I need to tell you first, I’m not easy to maintain.”

She only dared to do this because she was on her period.

Liang Xian’s lips curved, his gaze scanning her from top to bottom, “Financial support means doing whatever needs to be done. Are you sure you’re willing?”

Ming Si retracted her hand very quickly, looking as if she feared he might do something.

Liang Xian chuckled softly, then kissed her cheek, “Is your stomach no longer hurting?”

“It’s not hurting.”

“You didn’t sneak any ice cream from the fridge?”

“No, I didn’t.”

Liang Xian said in a soft voice, “I’ll check later.”

“Hmph, suit yourself.”

Ming Si bantered with him, word for word, but couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.

Liang Xian wasn’t naturally meticulous, but when he was with her, he would occasionally become quite fussy.

She surprisingly kind of liked it.

Two days later, the contract was delivered. In Lin Xijia’s words, this marked the moment when Ming Si gained possession of a small two-story shop spanning over two hundred square meters in the precious commercial district of Pingcheng. In a true sense, she now owned personal real estate.

It sounded quite impressive, but in reality, she had just bought a shop.

Accompanying the contract were several thick stacks of documents. After placing down the contract for the shop, Ming Si casually flipped through the papers and asked, “What’s this?”

“All the industries under my name,” Liang Xian placed a cup of hot water in front of her and leaned his hand against the back of her chair. His shadow cast onto the desk, forming a faint circle that enveloped her.

These documents covered a wide range of industries, including the MMA club, car dealerships, overseas racing clubs, emerging energy technology companies, and even an investment company that had gained prominence in the capital market recently, in which Liang Xian held a fifty percent stake.

Ming Si went through each document, then lifted her gaze to look at him, “What’s this, showing off your wealth?”

Liang Xian ruffled her hair and chuckled, “Just showcasing the strength that supports you?”

Before Ming Si could respond, she saw him unfold a page of the document at the corner of the table. His slender fingers tapped the signature page and said, “Also, I’m inviting you to be the owner.”