Chapter 454: Chapter 454

At this time, on the other side, Bai Long furrowed his brows deeply.

He had spent considerable effort and traveled far and wide on matters concerning the plot of land recently. After all, Chicheng was Leng Lingxiao’s territory, and there was no room for oversight.

Though the processing of the paperwork hadn’t faced significant obstacles, it was fraught with continuous setbacks.

He suspected that Leng Lingxiao was stirring things up behind the scenes.

"Sorry, everyone, for the neglect!" Bai Long bellowed with a laugh, returning to the dining table. He punished himself with a drink as an apology, not wanting to dampen everyone’s spirits.

Those seated were not easy to fool.

Now that the paperwork was completed, who knew if there might be a need for these people’s help in the future. Bai Long knew better than anyone the principle that even a mighty dragon cannot suppress a local snake; otherwise, the project’s progress could not be guaranteed to proceed smoothly.

Li Zishen’s orders had to be followed, but the matters at the dining table also needed to be addressed. He had to take care of both.

"Manager Bai, when the hotel is built..."

Not waiting for the other person to finish speaking, Bai Long quickly clinked glasses with him, answering with determination, "Membership, definitely high-tier membership, hahaha."

With that laugh, everyone else laughed along.

"That’s too formal, there’s no need for that."

"It’s only right; we’re all friends here, come on, come on, try this while it’s hot."

The room was filled with harmony. Bai Long gestured for his subordinates to pour drinks for everyone, then continued discussing serious matters to prepare for an early departure.

In the gym, the sound of striking echoed continuously.

The relief brought on by sweating was fleeting; unsolved problems remained troublesome.

Tormented emotions interwove within Li Zishen’s heart. No matter what, he could not escape the heart-shattering trending headlines or the image of Leng Lingxiao happily holding Tang Xiaowan’s hand.

Indeed, a handsome man matched with a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven!

The stinging and loss brought about by the online blessings tormented him, preventing him from fully letting go.

Suddenly, the double doors were pushed open.

Twenty minutes ago, as soon as Chen Xin received a call from Nanny Chen, he immediately drove back to Li Garden. He didn’t dare stop along the way and rushed into the gym. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by noveⅼfire.net

However, when he saw Li Zishen bare-chested and wearing only casual pants, furiously pummeling the punching bag, he was utterly stunned.

Li Zishen’s eyes shone with coldness and madness. He was completely immersed in his punches, each filled with the anger of losing his beloved. His fists, like lightning, struck the bag harshly, producing a series of dull thuds.

His muscles were tense, sweat continuously dripping, making him look like a desperate underground boxer.

Chen Xin’s eyes changed, a pang of heartache striking him.

He knew that Li Zishen was suffering from unprecedented pain, finding an outlet for his repressed negative emotions through boxing.

His usual sophistication, elegance, and composure had all disappeared at this moment.

The last time he went crazy was when Lady Tang suddenly lost contact. This time, however, it was the news that was too shocking—all because of that damned trending search.

No more, no less, exactly two hundred million, the exact ransom Wang Junchen had demanded last time.

It was an act that cut to the heart!

When Leng Lingxiao transferred the Chihai Hotel worth over a hundred billion and Hai Sheng Equipment, two highly competitive enterprises, to Tang Xiaowan, Li Zishen had never been so furious. Only the two hundred million of pocket money caused him to lose his footing and become uncontrollably emotional in an instant.

Now, Chen Xin knew that nothing he could say would help, so he quickly took off his suit.

He yanked his tie hard and threw it on the ground.

After Chen Xin put on the boxing gloves, the two started to spar. Li Zishen hit very hard, showing no mercy, and with each punch, he asked Chen Xin a question about Leng Lingxiao.

"Does he overtrain every day?"

"Yes, they say come rain or shine, he can do two hundred push-ups in one breath, very disciplined."

"He’s witty and has a great sense of humor?"

"Yes, he’s very good at making Lady Tang happy. He even climbed the roof with her and picked fruit from the trees together."

"Does he have more money than me?"

"Not sure, but he definitely isn’t short of money."

Chen Xin didn’t want to lie; he told the truth.

Time passed amidst Li Zishen’s questions and punches, his breathing becoming more and more rapid.

Eventually, the strength in his raised fists gradually weakened, and his energy was nearly depleted. After the last hit on Chen Xin, he finally collapsed powerlessly onto the floor, slowly lying down.

He had asked all there was to ask, appropriate or not. Who wouldn’t like a man like that?

Xiao Wan, you love him, right?

Leng Lingxiao had watched Tang Xiaowan grow up; he knew her too well, so familiar that he could guess she was thinking of her mother simply from the way she looked up at the stars.

Such an emotion was irreplaceable by anyone, no matter how outstanding they might be.

"Brother Shen, are you... okay?"

"Do you think Xiao Wan has ever...," Li Zishen paused and smiled, "fallen for me?"

Their panting intertwined, yet the question was difficult to answer. Chen Xin slowly got up, sitting up and after glancing at the worried eyes of Li Zishen, his heart couldn’t help but ache.

The sweat on his forehead ran down his cheeks, and he didn’t know whether it mixed with tears.

There should have been... feelings, right?

Even if not, there would at least not be dislike; there was always endearment, or gratitude.

"There were, definitely were, it’s just..."

"It’s just before we could progress any further... before she fell for me, Leng Lingxiao appeared, and it just so happened that she remembered him at that time."

"Lady Tang was quite kindhearted, actually. When she was here recovering from her injury, saying she was causing trouble..."

"Chen Xin, it’s okay, I’m fine now."

"Oh, drink some water. I’ll go get it for you, it’ll be quick, I’ll be back soon."

Li Zishen nodded: "Okay."

He knew that when his emotions reached an uncontrollable peak, Chen Xin had always been there to silently take the brutal hits that came with the heavy punches.

Fortunately, Chen Xin was a trained fighter. If it had been someone else, their body would have been ruined long ago.

But even so, he still had a bruise on the corner of his mouth, enduring the intense pain as if his bones were being disassembled and reassembled, as he quickly walked towards the door.

Lukewarm water, too cold for comfort.

After sweating so much, Brother Shen had a weak stomach.

Who knew, just as he had closed the door to the gym and was straightening the wrinkles on his grey shirt, he saw Nanny Chen coming with a thermos and a medical kit.

"You two... got hurt?"

"Brother Shen is fine, he’s okay."

Nanny Chen thought it would have been Li Zishen who was injured, especially after hearing the sounds of shattering earlier.

It turned out she had worried too much; inside, Chen Xin merely seemed like a sparring partner, but it would be more accurate to call him a living punching bag.

"Ah, come here, spray some of this medicine, you’re all bruised." Nanny Chen said with eyes full of concern, quickly pulling out the spray.

Chen Xin gave a goofy smile, shaking his head: "It’s okay, it’s nothing serious. Just hand me the thermos, Brother Shen is... a bit indisposed right now."

Bare upper body, is it unseemly?

She was his nanny, he was the child she had raised from infancy, what’s wrong with going shirtless?

But now, things were indeed different!

He was the helmsman of the Leng Family, the Chairman of the Yishen Group, he had become a man who could stand his ground.

Nanny Chen nodded thoughtfully and softly instructed, "Young Master has a weak stomach, his body is still hot, remind him not to drink too hastily."

"Alright, don’t worry, I won’t."

Chen Xin, of course, knew this and because he knew, he hadn’t rushed to take the mineral water from the gym, intentionally letting Li Zishen have a moment to cool down.

At this moment, Li Zihan arrived quickly.

He had classes that afternoon at school, but even the most important lecture wasn’t as important as his own brother! He had been unable to get through on the phone, which could drive a person mad with worry.

He walked straight up to them, glancing at the corner of Chen Xin’s mouth and the spray in Nanny Chen’s hand.

Was it that serious? Both were injured?

Damn those tabloid journalists, for the sake of money, they dare to publish all sorts of messy news.

"Is my brother okay, is he doing all right?"

He needed to understand the situation, to see just how bad it was, so he could do more with less effort.

At this instant, Li Zishen, still waiting for the water, stood up with a complex expression. His sweat had already soaked the area where he had just been sitting.

Fortunately, his mood had become much calmer, only his throat felt like it was roasted by fire, tinged with a slight sting.

He walked slowly to the rest area, frowning as he opened the fridge, filled with all sorts of beverages. After a good drink, his throat felt immediately more refreshed.

"Where did that guy Chen Xin go?"

After saying that, he remembered his phone.

Unfortunately, the high-end business model, limited worldwide edition, had already been smashed to pieces by him with a dumbbell.