I See Roses

I See Roses – Chapter 5

In the end, the fighter with the red boxing gloves won by using a joint technique to subdue the opponent.

Although Ming Si won the bet, she didn’t feel very happy; instead, she felt like she had lost something. She glanced at the parrot again with a hint of unwillingness.

Manager Zhao and Lin Xijia also returned to the training ground.

Manager Zhao went straight to stand beside Liang Xian and asked for his instructions, “Boss, the match report for last month’s fighters is ready. Do you want to see it now?”

Liang Xian’s voice carried a hint of amusement, as if he was laughing at Ming Si, “En.”

Ming Si felt even more annoyed.

“Hey, you guys didn’t start arguing, did you?” Lin Xijia lightly bumped her with her hand.

Ming Si took a deep breath and calmed down, “No.”

She couldn’t afford to quarrel with him.

“That’s good then,” Lin Xijia let out a sigh of relief and whispered, “Have you noticed that Liang Xian seems to have changed?”

Since she was discussing the future boss behind his back, she lowered her voice, “When we were in school, he used to be so carefree, getting into fights and beating people up. He still has that demeanor now, but there’s something different about him.”

Following Lin Xijia’s words, Ming Si recalled Liang Xian from high school.

He never wore the school uniform properly; sometimes he carried it in his hand, and other times he casually draped it over his shoulders. He always looked very relaxed, with a hint of rebelliousness.

She was the student council president back then, and he was a typical example of someone who disregarded school rules.

Had he changed now?

She looked at him.

Coincidentally, Manager Zhao returned and handed a stack of paper documents to Liang Xian.

Liang Xian took the documents and casually flipped through them. His expression didn’t seem particularly serious, and his brows still carried that relaxed and carefree air, not much different from his younger days.

However, the fact that he was now investing in an MMA club and managing it quite orderly was somewhat unexpected to her.

“Young Master, your family called just now, asking you to come home for dinner tonight,” the assistant reported in a low voice as he approached.

Liang Xian continued to lazily lean against the backrest and didn’t show much reaction to the news. He simply responded with a nonchalant En.

The match on the stage had ended, and the audience had left, leaving the training ground quiet and empty.

Inside the birdcage, He Sui paced around boredly, occasionally making meaningless sounds.

“Boss, do you want to practice today?” Manager Zhao asked.

“Not today,” Liang Xian raised his hand to check his watch, “You do your own thing.”

Manager Zhao acknowledged and understood that Liang Xian didn’t like being surrounded by people all the time, so he left to find the coaches.

He Sui lowered its head and used its beak to groom its feathers. Its beak was short, so its head remained low as it vigorously shook its body left and right, looking quite agile.

However, it got dizzy in less than two seconds, swaying as if it had drunk too much alcohol.

Liang Xian’s gaze fell on the birdcage, and he felt a bit of regret for some reason.

He should have recorded a video of He Sui’s silly and cute antics and sent it to that person just for fun.

Her expression would have been quite amusing.

The thought crossed his mind briefly, but Liang Xian quickly refocused his scattered thoughts. He raised his chin slightly and gestured, “Take it back with you.”

Shi Tai hesitated, “Sir, should I accompany you?”

“No need,” Liang Xian stood up from his chair, adjusted his cuff, and chuckled, “I haven’t reached that stage yet, so I’m relatively safe for now.”

The grand mansion of the Liang family is located by the ancient city’s riverside, surrounded by mountains and water. In a place where land is precious, it enjoys a beautiful view and a private golf course in the south of Pingcheng.

Zhong Wanzhi stood at the entrance, waving to him from a distance, “Liang Xian.”

Beside her stood Liang Jinyu, dressed in a suit, also nodding gently to him, welcoming him.

Both his stepmother and stepbrother put on a strong show of being the masters.

“You arrived earlier than Dad,” Liang Jinyu said with a smile.

His features were handsome, and could be described as an outstanding individual. Every move and gesture exuded an air of elegance.

In fact, the two of them were the same age, with Liang Xian being a few months older. But when they stood together, people would feel that Liang Xian seemed more like the younger brother. The air of freedom and ease around him made it seem as if he had no constraints.

“I was nearby, so I stopped by,” Liang Xian casually replied.

The club was indeed not far from here.

“Come in and let’s talk,” Zhong Wanzhi said with a smiling invitation, gesturing to him.

The main entrance of the mansion was spacious enough, and she was slender enough to allow Liang Xian to pass through whether she moved aside or not.

Originally, Liang Xian thought that tonight would be another boring dinner gathering, and he was just showing face by coming here.

However, he now realized that this mother and son duo’s display of dominance was quite entertaining — a slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

He smiled, leaving Liang Jinyu guessing and feeling uneasy.

When Liang Zhihong returned, the four of them went to the dining room for the meal.

The Liang family didn’t have the rule of maintaining silence during meals. At the dining table, Liang Jinyu timely reported on a development project at hand, fully demonstrating his outstanding abilities. Liang Zhihong, who had always been serious, relaxed his brows slightly and showed a look of approval.

He picked up a napkin to wipe his hands and reminded, “Remember to rest more.”

“Okay, Dad,” Liang Jinyu immediately responded.

In recent years, with Liang Xian’s absence, Liang Jinyu had become more and more valued, rising to the position of a vice president in the company, and his relationship with Liang Zhihong had become much closer.

Sometimes he would wonder if that top position was just one step away.

But, there was still a roadblock in his way.

Thinking of this, Liang Jinyu subconsciously glanced at Liang Xian.

He noticed that from start to finish, Liang Xian had no expression on his face, not even a hint of jealousy. It was as if the people sitting at the table in front of him had nothing to do with him.

After dinner, Liang Jinyu had originally planned to accompany Liang Zhihong in playing a few rounds of chess, as he had done in the past.

But unexpectedly, Liang Zhihong wasn’t interested, so he had to take his leave.

Liang Zhihong sat in the main seat on the sofa and nodded, instructing, “Let the driver take it slow.”

Liang Jinyu responded, “Thank you, Dad.”

As he took a few steps towards the exit, he heard Liang Zhihong’s voice from behind, along with the slight rustle of clothing as he stood up, “Liang Xian, come to my study.”

Liang Jinyu’s footsteps paused as he secretly clenched his fist.

As father and son entered the study, Zhong Wanzhi used the excuse of serving tea to eavesdrop, but she was stopped by the butler outside.

Liang Xian casually sat down on the sofa, leaning back with one hand resting on the backrest, “Do you need something?”

Seeing his relaxed attitude, Liang Zhihong’s forehead couldn’t help but throb, and he scolded, “Look at you, do you look like a married man at all?”

Indeed, he didn’t look like one. The marriage was in name only, and most of the time, Liang Xian himself could hardly keep it in his mind that he was married.

So, he didn’t bother to defend himself.

Liang Zhihong understood his son well. He had been rebellious since he was a child. Back then, he could be disciplined through scolding and punishment, but now that he had grown up, no one could control him.

Sighing, Liang Zhihong sat down and tried to calm his emotions before speaking slowly, “Your engagement ceremony with Ming Si will take place in October.”

The marriage between the Liang and Ming families meant the restructuring of the former three-pillar stronghold in Pingcheng, which was bound to cause quite a stir.

They intended to release the news of their joint development of the coastal project to attract investment. Announcing it at the wedding would be too much of a spectacle, so they thought it would be more appropriate to arrange an engagement banquet in advance.

Liang Xian responded with an indifferent tone, “Do I have to attend?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Who else can go if you don’t?” Liang Zhihong glared at him.

Since there was still an important matter to discuss, he reluctantly suppressed his anger, “Next month, you will go to Jinghong Films for half a year, and after the New Year, you’ll go to the headquarters and start as a vice president. Even if you’re reluctant, you should learn to manage the group.”

“At the headquarters, there’s already a Vice President Liang. If I go, he probably won’t be pleased,” Liang Xian recalled Liang Jinyu’s ugly face when he left.

Liang Zhihong avoided that topic and said, “Jinyu is very capable; he will become your right-hand man in the future.”

Liang Xian chuckled, “You can try to deceive a three-year-old with those words.”

Anyone could see that Liang Jinyu was ambitious and had business acumen. The only fatal flaw was his bloodline—he was the son brought over by Zhong Wanzhi.

However, no matter how much Liang Zhihong admired and valued Liang Jinyu, he would not go against his principles and hand over the massive family business empire to an outsider.

“I will talk to him,” Liang Zhihong paused and looked at him, “Don’t forget to report to Jinghong Films next month. Let me see your abilities, not just a pretty resume.”

Liang Xian responded nonchalantly, “Sure.”

Seeing his indifferent attitude, which was far from that of a successor, Liang Zhihong’s pent-up anger finally erupted, “Liang Xian, I really don’t know who you take after!”

Hearing that, Liang Xian actually smiled.

“I am the child of you and another woman,” his voice was slow and cold, his gaze as frosty as ice, “If I don’t take after you, of course, I must take after her.”

When he arrived home, He Sui was flying around aimlessly.

Liang Xian reached out, and it fluttered over, perching on his finger.

“Sir, you seem upset,” Shi Tai stood there respectfully.

Generally, even if Liang Xian had something on his mind, he appeared carefree and nonchalant to outsiders, easily masking his true emotions.

Having been by his side for a while, Shi Tai had come to understand him a little.

It was rare to see him return with such a serious expression today.

Indeed, Liang Xian was feeling somewhat uncomfortable. The last words he had spoken had hurt not only Liang Zhihong but also himself.

However, he didn’t say anything and went upstairs with He Sui on his finger.

Shi Tai understood that Liang Xian wanted to be left alone, so he continued to clean the birdcage.

He Sui noticed that its owner tonight was particularly difficult to please. He Sui would try to say something, but its owner wouldn’t respond; He Sui would act cute, but its owner wouldn’t smile; finally, He Sui said, Gong Xi Fa Cai, and the owner finally glanced at He Sui, “Can’t you say something else?”

He Sui tilted its head, but it couldn’t come up with a single word to say.

Being stuck with such a difficult-to-please young master really made it difficult to be a bird.

Liang Xian sized up He Sui and suddenly curved his lips.

He found another birdcage and put He Sui inside, letting it stand on the perch. Then, holding his phone, he turned on the video recording mode and calmly sat next to it.

He Sui didn’t know what this difficult-to-please young master was up to. After walking around inside the cage for a few laps, it gave up thinking and habitually lowered its head to groom its feathers.

Liang Xian was waiting for this moment.

He now looked particularly like an immature little boy; when he felt frustrated, he wanted to bully others.

So he sent the video to Ming Si:「Do you like it?」

Ming Si replied with a question mark.

Liang Xian chuckled and teased a little, feeling like he was looking for trouble:「It’s for you to watch.」

After waiting for a few minutes, Ming Si still didn’t reply.

Liang Xian’s smile didn’t fade. He sat up slightly and asked:「Are you angry?」

After typing these words and clicking send, a red exclamation mark appeared.

Liang Xian stared at it for a few seconds and let out a soft tut—

He had been blocked.