Chapter 50

"Zhou Ming, be careful when you go back. Huang Zheng is unreasonable, so don't try to be strong. If it really doesn't work out, I'm still in Hongcheng, and you've already set up a mobile phone for me, so you can contact me anytime."

At the entrance of the Nanhu Port, Lin Muqing was helping Zhou Ming tidy his clothes while speaking to him. As a mature woman, Lin Muqing certainly wouldn't say a lot of sentimental words like a young girl; she knew that doing so would only make her more upset. But even if she pretended well on the surface, her tone and her eyes were telling the story of how much she really didn't want Zhou Ming to leave.

In fact, Zhou Ming also didn't want to leave Lin Muqing. He wanted to continue supporting her in Hongcheng, making the Jinming Fund grow bigger and stronger. However, Zhou Ming also understood that he had to go back. His parents were still unemployed at home, and Su Han was hiding in the countryside waiting for him to rescue her. He also needed to take revenge on Huang Zheng.

Finally, Zhou Ming grabbed Lin Muqing's small hand and said, "Don't worry, I'll resolve these matters quickly."

This time, Lin Muqing didn't show any shy gestures and let Zhou Ming hold her hand. Since that night when she allowed Zhou Ming to kiss her in the car, she had already tacitly accepted their relationship. However, what Zhou Ming regretted was that it happened on the street, and Lin Muqing, being shy, only allowed him to kiss her in the car out of emotional impulse. Once she came to her senses, her rationality would definitely not allow such a thing, so they didn't really get intimate and just ended it there.

As for the Jinming Fund, it was now officially in Lin Muqing's hands. The receptionist, Ah Min, had become Lin Muqing's personal secretary. Zhou Ming had suggested changing the name of the Jinming Fund to Lin Muqing's, but she refused. She said that the name "Jinming Fund" could remind her of him.

Zhou Ming did this not because he didn't trust Wang Yunlong and the others, but because he wanted someone close to him to manage his company to feel more at ease. Besides, Lin Muqing had studied at the University of Hong Kong for a long time and needed a place to showcase her talents. This fund company, which was just starting but had great potential, was undoubtedly a good choice.

Lin Muqing smiled at Zhou Ming, "Alright, go on. Ranran is already there waiting for you. I've already transferred one million to your account, so be careful with your spending."

"Muqing, this is one million, not one thousand. Besides, the mainland isn't like Hongcheng; I don't even have a place to spend it," Zhou Ming said.

Lin Muqing pulled her hand away from Zhou Ming's and took a step back, "Alright, go on."

Zhou Ming nodded. He understood that Lin Muqing wouldn't cry like a young girl, but when he walked across the bridge and looked back, he saw her wiping her tears with a tissue.

...

Zhou Ming walked out of the Nanjiang border station and saw Tang Ran on tiptoe, looking for him in the crowd. She was wearing a green dress, looking very lively and cute.

When she found Zhou Ming, Tang Ran ran over happily, "Brother Ming, I've been waiting for you. Did Sister Muqing not want to let you go?"

Zhou Ming playfully pinched Tang Ran's nose, "You're a little devil, acting like you know everything."

As he spoke, Zhou Ming took a bag from his luggage and gave it to Tang Ran, "This is the clothes Sister Muqing bought for you in Hongcheng."

"Wow! That's great! Thank you, Brother Ming!"

Tang Ran took the bag and was about to open it, but Zhou Ming said helplessly, "How can you open it here? Take it back and look at it. Besides, you should thank Sister Muqing, not me. I just brought it across the bridge."

"You're right," Tang Ran put the bag away, "But shouldn't thanking Brother Ming and thanking Sister Muqing be the same?"

Zhou Ming slapped his forehead, speechless. He realized Tang Ran's innocent nature and decided to skip the topic, "Alright, let's not stand here in the sun. Take me to the hotel to drop off my things first."

Tang Ran said, "Okay," and then took Zhou Ming in a taxi to the hotel. Zhou Ming put his luggage down first, then went to Tang Ran's place. Tang Ran lived in a dormitory with two rooms.

They say girls love beauty. As soon as Tang Ran entered the room, she eagerly opened the bag and took out the clothes Lin Muqing had picked for her. Seeing Tang Ran's happy face, Zhou Ming was also pleased.

"If you like them, try them on," Zhou Ming said.

"Are they expensive?" Tang Ran suddenly thought of this.

Zhou Ming waved his hand, "They're already yours, so don't worry about the price. Besides, Brother Ming has money, so it's no big deal."

Tang Ran nodded and took a sleeveless T-shirt into the bedroom to change. A moment later, she came out and turned around in front of Zhou Ming, asking cautiously, "Do they look good?"

"How could our Ranran not look good?" Zhou Ming said.

Zhou Ming wasn't just flattering Tang Ran. Tang Ran was Lin Muqing's cousin and seemed to have inherited the family's beauty. Combined with her innocent nature, she was more charming and likable than the actresses who deliberately act cute in the future.

However, Zhou Ming's expression suddenly changed, and he beckoned to Tang Ran, "Ranran, come here. What's wrong with your arm?"

Tang Ran, who had been bouncing around, stopped in her tracks when she heard this. She turned her body to avoid showing her arm and explained hesitantly, "Nothing, I just bumped it accidentally."

Zhou Ming, who didn't believe her, said, "Ranran, come here and let me see."

Tang Ran didn't want to go over, but she was afraid Zhou Ming would be angry, so she hesitated and slowly moved to Zhou Ming's side.

Zhou Ming pulled Tang Ran's arm, and a bruise on her left arm immediately came into view. Although Zhou Ming wasn't a doctor, he had fought a lot as a child and could tell that this was a bruise from being hit. He hadn't noticed it before because Tang Ran was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, but now that she was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt, it was visible.

Zhou Ming looked up at Tang Ran, "What happened? Who hit you?"

Tang Ran shook her head quickly, "No one hit me, I just bumped it accidentally."

Zhou Ming's face darkened, "Ranran, are you trying to make Brother Ming angry?"

"No, I don't want you to be angry," Tang Ran explained nervously.

"Then tell me who hit you," Zhou Ming said.

Tang Ran lowered her head, biting her lip, looking pitiful. Zhou Ming's heart softened, and he pulled her to sit beside him, speaking gently, "Ranran, before I came back, Sister Muqing asked me to take good care of you. But seeing you like this makes me feel very guilty. Is it your family treating you badly? Why don't you come with Brother Ming to Hongcheng?"

Tang Ran shook her head, "It's not my family, it's Wei Hua..."

Tang Ran quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late. Zhou Ming had already heard the name.

"Wei Hua? Isn't he your boyfriend? What right does he have to hit you? What qualifications does he have to hit you?" Zhou Ming was very angry. Whether in his past life or this one, he hated men who hit women, especially someone as cute as Tang Ran. What kind of person was Wei Hua to dare hit her?

Under Zhou Ming's questioning, Tang Ran finally told the truth: Today, Wei Hua wanted to kiss her, but she refused, saying it had to wait until after they were married. Later, when Lin Muqing called her to pick up Zhou Ming, Wei Hua thought she had fallen in love with someone else and hit her in anger. The bruise on her arm was from the struggle with Wei Hua.

If Zhou Ming was just angry before, now he was furious: How could Wei Hua not cherish such a good girlfriend? Just because of some baseless jealousy, he hit her? The bruise on Tang Ran's arm showed how hard he had hit her.

Zhou Ming stood up angrily, "Ranran, take me to find him. I want to see what gives him the right to be so arrogant!"

Tang Ran held Zhou Ming back, "Brother Ming, don't go. This... this is also my fault. We are dating, so I shouldn't have acted like that..."

"Bullshit!" Zhou Ming blurted out, but then, remembering he was in front of Tang Ran, he calmed down and said, "Ranran, I think you did the right thing. Girls should think about themselves. Otherwise, you'll always be the one who loses. If Wei Hua really likes you and wants to be with you, he should respect your wishes!"

"But I..."

Tang Ran wanted to say more, but her pager suddenly rang. She opened it and saw it was from her parents.

Tang Ran's dormitory didn't have a phone, so she had to go to the reception room downstairs to call.

Zhou Ming didn't listen to Tang Ran's conversation with her parents, but when she finished, he saw her face full of委屈 (grievance). He asked in surprise, "Ranran, what's wrong?"

Faced with Zhou Ming's question, Tang Ran seemed to have reached her limit and burst into tears, throwing herself into Zhou Ming's arms.

Zhou Ming didn't have time to care about the odd looks from the receptionist, and he awkwardly patted Tang Ran's back while gently comforting her, "Ranran, don't cry. Brother Ming is here. Brother Ming is now very capable, even more so than Superman. You can tell Brother Ming anything, and he will do everything to help you, even if you want the stars and the moon from the sky..."

But Tang Ran just shook her head and didn't say anything.

This situation made Zhou Ming feel helpless. In his past life, he hadn't interacted much with girls and didn't know how to comfort them, so he was completely at a loss.

However, after crying for a while, Tang Ran lifted her head, tears streaming down her face, and said to Zhou Ming, "I'm sorry, Brother Ming, I got your clothes wet."

"It's okay, Brother Ming's clothes are for you to use as a rag," Zhou Ming said, wiping Tang Ran's tears with his sleeve and asking gently, "What's really wrong?"

Tang Ran gave Zhou Ming an answer that made him furious: "My mother wants me to apologize to Wei Hua."

...