Chapter 141 — Old Buffon's Origins

"What a memory!" Chen Shutang shot Yang Ce a look, then said, "How about this—you guess whether this bottle of green tea has a prize. If you guess right, I won't hold the earlier business against you."

Actually, though Chen Shutang said this, she had no intention of holding anything against Yandu. She was merely looking for a way out. As long as Yang Yanzhou hadn't won, Chen Shutang wouldn't deliberately insist on peeling the label open to see for certain.

"You said it—no going back on your word," Yang Ce said with a smile, glancing at the green tea's label. Guessing games were Yang Ce's forte.

"Mm." Chen Shutang nodded.

"Then let me guess." Yang Ce hesitated a moment. "I guess... it's another 'One More Bottle.'"

"Ah!" Chen Shutang was stunned, furious inside. Yang Ce, oh Yang Ce, how can you be so dense? Can't you tell I'm looking for a way out? What do you mean by this? Just say it didn't win—that would have been enough! Who could be lucky enough to win two bottles in a row?

Fine, since you put it that way, don't blame me for being unkind! Chen Shutang thought resentfully, then said coldly, "Fine. Since you're so sure, I'll open it and see."

How could Yang Ce fail to see that Chen Shutang had been looking for a way out? But the reason Yang Ce was so sure was that he had already seen the "One More Bottle" written on the back of the label.

"Open it, by all means. But Mengyan, you won't go back on what you said, will you?" Yang Ce meant to use this chance to make sure Chen Shutang could never again make an issue of Lin Yanhe and Lan Ling.

"Don't worry, I keep my word," Chen Shutang said, snatching the green tea bottle from Yang Ce's hand and peeling off the label.

Watching the eager Chen Shutang, Yang Ce shook his head and thought: just wait—you'll be speechless in a moment.

Sure enough, after Chen Shutang tore off the label, she had intended to gloat with a dark face at Yang Ce's expense, but instead she saw the four characters "One More Bottle," and was struck dumb.

"Well? Is there a prize?" Yang Ce asked, knowing full well.

"Hmph. I didn't expect your luck to be this good." This time Chen Shutang was stuck. She wanted to curse Yang Ce but had no grounds for it, so she could only hand the green tea back to him with a sullen face and say, with a double meaning, "Count yourself lucky."

"Heh heh." Yang Ce laughed, though he didn't dare get too smug.

"By the way, Yang Ce, I hear Zhou Yanning's mother isn't in Songjiang. If she goes back to Donghai, what will happen to Zhou Yanning? She can't stay in the hospital forever," Chen Shutang said.

"True enough. Then what do you think we should do?" Yang Ce thought it over and found Chen Shutang's words quite reasonable. Zhou's mother couldn't stay at Zhou Yanning's side forever, couldn't just abandon the company's affairs.

"I was thinking we could rent a place near the school and move Zhou Yanning there. Hire a full-time caregiver for her." Here Chen Shutang suddenly blushed. "And when we have free time, we can go visit her too. That way we'd have a little space of our own near the school."

"Ha, so my little Mengyan has been dreaming of living together!" Yang Ce was startled, then immediately caught the implication hidden in Chen Shutang's words.

"What do you mean, 'living together'? That's an ugly way to put it," Chen Shutang said, glaring at Yang Puqi.

"Isn't that what it is?" Yang Ce looked at Chen Shutang with a half-smile.

"Of course not. Most of the time I'll still be staying at school," Chen Shutang said.

"Stay at school on weekdays, but you could go out on weekends, couldn't you?" Yang Ce countered.

"Weekends... I'll still need to go home often to see the family," Chen Shutang said. That had been her plan all along, so she left herself some room and kept it vague; Yang Shuoxuan would understand what she meant.

"All right, I think this can work," Yang Yanzhou said. "In a little while, once Aunt Hua is back, I'll go discuss it with her."

Just as they were talking, Mother Zhou pushed the door open and walked in, several company documents in her hands—clearly someone had just delivered them.

"Aunt Hua, you're this busy? You still have to deal with company paperwork?" Yang Hengye asked.

"What can I do? I've handed most of the affairs over to my vice president, but there are still some important documents I have to review myself," Mother Zhou said helplessly. "They send someone over with them every day, then collect them again in the afternoon."

"Aunt Hua, since that's the case, I have a proposal—what do you think?" Yang Yanzhou then told Mother Zhou about what he and Zhou Yanning had just discussed.

"Oh?" Mother Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then said, "You mean, from now on you'll look after Jiajia?"

"I imagine Aunt Hua is quite clear by now about the situation between Jiajia and me?" Yang Ce asked after a moment's hesitation.

"Yes," Mother Zhou said with a slight nod. She had already heard from Wang Xue about the matter between Yang Ce and Zhou Yanning.

"Since Aunt Hua knows, I won't explain further," Yang Yanzhou said. "According to the doctors, the reason Jiajia hasn't woken up is simply that something is weighing on her heart. I think that if I keep her company often, it should have some effect."

Mother Zhou knew Yang Yanzhou was telling the truth. She had wondered herself whether her daughter's burden might have something to do with the matter of Yang Juehuan. So now that Yang Cenbin had said it, Mother Zhou truly felt a stir of hope.

"But don't you still have to go to school most of the time? Can you take good care of Jiajia?" That was what worried Mother Zhou most.

"What I mean is, we hire a professional caregiver, and when I don't have classes, I can go keep Jiajia company and talk with her," Yang Yanzhou said.

"Yes, that's a good idea," Mother Zhou said with a nod. "Then I'll have to trouble you."

"Trouble? What trouble? Isn't this what I ought to do?" Yang Hengye said. "Aunt Hua, rest easy."

"Good, then it's settled. As for how much money is needed, just say the word," Mother Zhou said. "Finding a place will still need your effort, and as for the medical staff, the hospital can help make the arrangements."

"Ha ha, Aunt Hua, you're being too formal. What money? I've got that much to spare," Yang Hengye said.

Mother Zhou nodded and said nothing more.

Yang Ce and Chen Shutang left the hospital, both of them sighing. Sitting in the sickroom, watching the unconscious Zhou Yanning, had been truly oppressive.

"Yang Ce, so shall we go find a place to rent?" Chen Shutang said to Yang Yanchuan once they were in the car.

"Rent? Just buy one," Yang Xu said matter-of-factly.

"Buy? Your company hasn't even been established yet—where would you get spare money to buy a house?" Chen Shutang said. "Yang Ce, you've got a bit of money on hand now, but you can't just spend it recklessly."

"Don't worry, Mengyan. Your husband's got money to burn—this little bit really is nothing," Yang Hengye said.

"Really?" Chen Shutang looked at Yang Ce doubtfully.

"Mengyan, I don't want to keep things from you either, but if I tell you now, you mustn't tell anyone else." Yang Ce had seen what Chen Shutang said to Zhou Yanning in the sickroom, and his heart was full of feeling. He no longer wanted to hide things from Chen Shutang; he knew that if she could make such a great sacrifice, it meant she had already decided to be with him.

"What on earth is it, to make it so mysterious?" Chen Shutang said, a little puzzled. "Go on, I won't tell anyone."

"The Wang family has fallen. Do you know who the beneficiary of this storm is?" Yang Ce still could not tell Chen Shutang about those hidden gray incomes, but the open, legitimate businesses were another matter.

"Who?" Chen Shutang was startled, then said, "Don't tell me it's you?"

Yang Jiyan smiled and nodded. "That's right. The Wang Group is now in my hands. It's currently under the Mingyang Entertainment Group."