Chapter 730 Two Is Better Than One
Upon entering the elevator, Ouyang Qi suddenly hugged Tang Jing. “Thank you for being so respectful to my mom. Thank you so much.” The man sounded rather emotional.
Smiling, Tang Jing returned the hug. “Mrs. Ouyang is an elder. It’s only right for me to respect her. Most importantly, she’s your mother, as well as Ouyang Qing’s. Of course, I have to respect her.”
While they hugged each other, the elevator came to a stop and opened its doors to let an elderly woman in. The duo did not part until the woman rolled her eyes at them.
Nevertheless, Ouyang Qi still reached out and wrapped an arm around Tang Jing’s waist. After failing to peel his hands away several times, she had no choice but to let him hug her.
Soon, they arrived at a bar in the neighborhood and sat across from each other. Tang Jing was beginning to realize Ouyang Qi was looking at her differently. There was unmistakable affection in his gaze.
“Tang Jing, thank you so much. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” Ouyang Qi thanked her again. In response, she smacked him gently. “There you go again. How many times are you going to thank me? If you’re truly thankful, do something more practical.”
“How about I devote myself to you?” he suggested with a smile. “I don’t want that.” Tang Jing shook her head. “Why? Am I not good enough?”
“That’s not it. It’s just that you’re well-known for fooling around. I heard you’ve messed around with countless women, and your relationships never last for more than three months. I don’t want to be dumped after dating you for three months,” she explained, pretending to be angry.
“That’s because I never found my true love back then. Things are different now. If I have to put a time limit to our relationship, I want it to be thirty thousand years.”
Sure enough, Ouyang Qi immediately reverted to his playboy self the moment he started flirting with her.
“You’ve said this to at least a hundred girls, right?” Tang Jing eyed him suspiciously. Ouyang Qi smiled. “No. I used to say ten thousand years. This time, I added another twenty thousand to prove my sincerity.”
Rolling her eyes at him, she remarked, “I knew it. You’re not a good person.”
A sigh escaped his lips. “You’re right. I’m not a good person. At least, I was rarely serious in the past. It’s only normal for you to have a prejudice against me.”
“Actually, I’m not a good person, either,” said Tang Jing all of a sudden.
“Huh?”
“I treat you well because I have a motive. I’m sure you’re well aware of it,” she admitted and took a sip of her drink.
Of course, Ouyang Qi knew about it. It was illogical for Tang Jing to treat him so well unconditionally when he was not a good person. There was no way she would fall for a man with a bad reputation and whose family was in decline in such a short amount of time.
Tang Jing continued, “I treat you well because I don’t hate you. Although you have a bad reputation, you’re sincere. Besides, you have potential. I see you as an investment. I hope you’ll win in life one day, and I’ll benefit from it.”
Ouyang Qi nodded in understanding. “That’s why you gave me all your hard-earned money and let me spend it. It was an investment.”
“Exactly. Do you still think I’m a good person? Do you really think you should be grateful to me?” Tang Jing asked, looking him in the eye.
“Of course, I’m still grateful to you. There’s nothing wrong with a woman expecting materialistic returns from a man. Men and women come together for economic purposes, anyway. Besides, people get married to support each other in terms of finance. As the saying goes, two is better than one. Most importantly, we’re not even married, yet you’re willing to invest your limited resources in me. This alone shows that you’re a woman with guts and wisdom.”
With that, they looked at each other for quite some time until they broke into a grin.
Tang Jing laughed. “You’re truly different, Mr. Ouyang. I never thought you’d praise me as someone wise. I’d call myself a scheming woman if I were you. People like me would usually be given a terrible scolding.”
“Well, I’ll only do the opposite. I’ll love you with all my heart. Neither of us is a good person, but we don’t pretend to be one. Isn’t that great?” Ouyang Qi said, grinning.
“But I always pretend to be one because I want to earn other people’s trust.”
“Yet, in reality, you’ve never actually harmed a person. You’re just an ambitious utilitarian. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”
His remark evoked a chuckle from her. “The fact that you keep praising me is interesting.”
“Well, it’s true that people see their lovers through rose-colored glasses. So, it’s only normal that I find whatever you’re doing now is right.” Ouyang Qi, too, laughed.
Elated, Tang Jing felt as though her gamble had paid off.
“Let’s talk business now. I met Nan Chen at the airport today. Apparently, he went to the set and carried Ning Ran away. I’m not sure why he did that, as I wasn’t at the scene. I was arranged to film an outdoor scene with another team when he came. Regardless, I’ve asked around, and I’m sure it’s because something happened,” she said.
Ouyang Qi nodded. “And? What are you trying to imply?”
“I think someone wants to harm Ning Ran, and that person might be your sister, Ouyang Li.”
“And?”
“Surely you know how important Ning Ran is to Nan Chen? What do you think Nan Chen will do if your sister kills Ning Ran?” Tang Jing asked.
“Nan Chen will definitely use all his resources to take revenge on Sunshine Corporation and the Ouyang family. My family has tried to harm Nan Chen once. If it happens again, Nan Chen won’t go easy on us. He’ll definitely destroy my family.” A look of worry appeared on Ouyang Qi’s face.
Swirling her glass, Tang Jing said, “That’s why you have to stop your sister from harming Ning Ran. If she actually kills Ning Ran, the Ouyang family and Sunshine Corporation will be doomed. I’m sure you know how terrifying Nan Chen can be when he goes all out.”
“You’re right. I’ve never agreed with my family’s intentions of harming Ning Ran. In fact, Li kicked me out because of this matter. She thinks her plan failed because I leaked information to the Nan family.”
Tang Jing stared at Ouyang Qi. “Have you really helped Ning Ran before?”
The man was taken aback by the sudden question.
Even so, he chose to answer truthfully. “Yes.”
Tang Jing nodded. “I’m glad that you told me the truth.”
“But I don’t know what my sister has done this time. I really don’t. That’s why I never told anyone anything,” Ouyang Qi stated.
“You can do something to let Nan Chen teach your sister a lesson. Something that’ll make the Sunshine Corporation’s higher-ups question her extreme ways so that she’ll be at risk of losing her position. That way, she’ll learn the importance of a family.” Tang Jing finally uttered the words she wanted to say the most.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Infuriate Nan Chen and let the Nan family teach Ouyang Li a lesson. Someone needs to let her know she shouldn’t be so arrogant and that she has to put a stop to her plan of harming Ning Ran. She needs to understand that she’ll be dead meat if she kills Ning Ran. In fact, the Ouyang family will be dragged into the mess as well.”
After pondering for a moment, Ouyang Qi asked, “But how am I supposed to do that?”
Tang Jing beckoned him to get closer, then whispered something into his ear.
