Touched Hands

Cheng Juan did not speak.

He looked towards the milk tea store, eyes clear and slightly narrowed. It wasn't clear what he was thinking.

Lu Zhaoying repeated himself, thinking that he wasn't listening.

Only then did Cheng Juan turn towards him, brows furrowed. "Who's he?"

Lu Zhaoying was speechless. He missed the point!

Cheng Juan hung his head lower with the cigarette in his mouth. "The huge murder case three years back, Boss Xu was around."

Lu Zhaoying was stunned and confused. "What have you found?"

"Speculation." Cheng Juan puffed a ball of smoke as his eyes deepened. "Boss Xu isn't that sympathetic. Something's been off since he arrived at Ninghai Village."

"So, regarding the successor…" Lu Zhaoying looked up all of a sudden.

Cheng Juan smiled. "Two possibilities. One, it's a smokescreen. Given Boss Xu's status and background, even if he does have a successor in mind, it's not likely that he'd pass it on to an outsider at the expense of the Xu family's interests.

"Two, there actually is a successor that he's willing to give up huge interests for. He made the move to look for us and even mentioned it. He's probably asking for my help. If this is the case, the capital city might undergo reshuffling, and by then this 'successor' might not even make it out of it."

"It indeed is much easier to keep someone alive in the Cheng family than in the Xu family." Lu Zhaoying hadn't thought of this point; he'd never been good at deducing such complex issues. He smiled. "Then, something's wrong with this. Qin Ran should be that lucky survivor. Boss Xu couldn't possibly have his eyes on someone like her, right?"

Cheng Juan did not respond. There was still a key point he couldn't figure out.

What role did Qin Ran play exactly in all of this?

It was very odd that someone like Boss Xu would personally give a student a recommendation letter.

He puffed some more smoke and looked towards the milk tea store. "If he really has his eye on someone as a successor, things are going to change drastically."

Considering Boss Xu's status, Lu Zhaoying only just realized how important this matter was.

He looked up as if wanting to say something more, but saw that Cheng Juan had already entered the store.

It was the weekend, but the store wasn't especially crowded. Qin Ran had Wei Ziheng wait by the side.

She placed a cup of milk tea on the table and smelt a familiar refreshing scent with hints of peppermint.

She looked up and saw Cheng Juan with one hand on the bar counter. He was tall and often had to look down at people. Even with his default expression, his gaze carried an air of oppression.

He looked at the long list of menu items and furrowed his brows. It was evident that he hadn't drunk from such stores before. "Give me a cup of something nice."

He took his card out to swipe for payment.

Qin Ran looked at it and guessed that Master Cheng had probably never lived like a normal human being. Everyone either paid with cash or by digital payment, who would use a limited edition card for such a small amount?

She pressed his hand down. "It's on me."

Cheng Juan did not respond to that. He simply looked down at his hand and her fair, slender fingers. She had a beautiful hand, except that her fingers were not much cared for.

Her fingertips were cool, but somehow it felt warm against his skin.

He looked up politely and saw that Qin Ran had her eyes on the cups and toppings to prepare his drink.

She looked so focused, with one hand holding the cup and the other busy with getting the toppings. She stirred the fruit tea with a spoon, but without touching the walls of the cup.

The cup was clear and had a logo printed on it. The fruit tea filled about two-thirds of the cup and was then carefully topped with freshly whipped cream. Finally, some cocoa powder was sifted over it.

Qin Ran was always serious and conscientious when she did something she deemed important. She usually appeared cold and unapproachable, but whenever she was engrossed in an activity, the armor that she usually donned instant fell apart.

Even her lashes were pointing downwards at a perfect angle.

"Thank you," he said as he received the two cups of tea.

As he walked to the side, his subconsciously tightened his grip on the cup.

**

The Feng household.

"Mingyue, you should eat more. How's school, are you getting used to staying on campus yet?" Feng Loucheng scooped a lot of food into Pan Mingyue's bowl.

"Thank you, Uncle Feng," Pan Mingyue quietly said. "My classmates are all really nice."

"Your Brother Feng is home too. In that case, don't return to school this weekend. Stay home and have Aunt whip up more delicacies for you." Feng Loucheng smiled.

He was usually quiet and shrewd, a man of few words. It seemed like he had given all his kindness and patience to this girl here.

Madam Feng tossed her chopsticks on the table. "I'm done eating."

She then stormed upstairs in her heels.

Feng Ci furrowed his brows.

Pan Mingyue tightened her grip on her chopsticks and smiled at Feng Loucheng. "Uncle Feng, I'll be having my exam soon. I should get back to school to do my revision."

"Your aunt is just like that." Feng Loucheng looked at Pan Mingyue and sighed. "Mingyue, you…"

"Uncle, I'm done eating too. I'll go get my clothes." Pan Mingyue finished the food that Feng Loucheng had scooped for her and headed upstairs too.

Her room was pretty nicely decorated. As she opened the wardrobe, there weren't many clothes inside.

The clothes were mostly from when she was younger. Feng Loucheng was a man, after all, he didn't quite know how to take care of her in all aspects. However, he'd transfer money into her account every month, though she wouldn't touch a cent of it.

But she did not mind.

She took the clothes that were there and went downstairs.

From a corner, she could hear Feng Ci talking to Feng Loucheng.

Feng Ci had put his chopsticks down too and was wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Dad, it's not just Mom who wants to know, I want to know too. Who exactly is Mingyue? Why did you just bring her home all of a sudden and treat her so well? Is she your bastard child from outside, or the daughter or your first love?"

"Why are you just like your mom?!" Feng Loucheng hurled the chopsticks. He looked at Feng Ci sternly and said, "Feng Ci, don't you ever speak like this before Mingyue."

"She'd better not be your daughter. But I want to know, even if her parents are both deceased, she should have relatives who would take care of her. Why are you taking this upon yourself?" Feng Ci lit a cigarette.

In the corner, Pan Mingyue held her head low.

She went downstairs to say goodbye to Feng Loucheng. Madam Feng had never liked her, but she'd never abused her either. Moreover, Feng Loucheng was really treating her like she was his own.

"Be careful on your way." Feng Loucheng cooled down immediately and spoke to her nicely.

Feng Ci watched as Pan Mingyue left. "That's exactly it. You're way too nice to Mingyue, this isn't how you usually are. If you want Mom to treat Mingyue better, then you'd better explain things to her."

**

The weekend passed very quickly.

Monday's last period was a class meeting. Gao Yang spoke confidently about life lessons before taking a sip of tea. "Is anyone volunteering to do up the minutes for today's meeting?"

Nobody raised their hands. In Year 3, nobody really wanted to take on extra responsibilities.

Gao Yang casually appointed someone. "Lin Siran, you write pretty well. You'll be in charge this time."

Qin Ran was half-leaning against the wall, still recovering from her flu. Her deskmate quietly agreed.

She felt that her deskmate was simply too nice.

After they were done with the miscellaneous discussions, there was only 10 minutes of class time left. Gao Yang got them to do their revision.

Qin Ran unwrapped a lollipop and put it in her mouth.

She sucked on it as she read her materials.

Out of nowhere, the loud clicking of high heels could be heard arriving at the front door of the Ninth Class. Then came a shrill lady's voice. "Gao Yang, what's with Qin Ran from your class? What does she think she's doing in First Middle School? Creating trouble? If she affects my class's studies, will she be able to compensate for disrupting their future?"