We'll Each Go By Our Own Terms

"Who is this?" Zhang Yang put his arm Xiang Xiaotian's waist and looked at the family of three in front of him.

In fact, I probably already guessed it.

It must be Xiang Xiaotian's arranged marriage from childhood. I never expected to run into them at my own hotel.

What a coincidence.

Xiang Xiaotian gently leaned close to Zhang Yang's ear and whispered an explanation.

Zhang Yang listened and nodded, and sure enough, it was just as he had guessed.

Lu Shaokang stared blankly at the man standing Xiang Xiaotian.

His appearance, his demeanor... and every move he made exuded handsomeness... Although he also came from a wealthy family, at this moment, as a fellow man, he inexplicably felt a little ashamed of himself.

"Brother Lu, Uncle and Aunt, we're leaving now." Xiang Xiaotian nodded and said goodbye with a serene expression.

Lu's parents remained silent.

Xiang Xiaotian pretended not to see their expressions, put her arm around Zhang Yang's shoulder, brushed past the family of three, and headed straight for the suite in the distance.

Lu Shaokang stood there, watching the two figures in the distance as they entered the room.

Suddenly, I felt completely lost and disoriented.

This wasn't their first meeting. Although they hadn't seen each other for many years, the name Xiang Xiaotian had been a constant presence in his life from childhood and adolescence until now.

For Xiang Xiaotian has always been synonymous with beauty, equivalent to a childhood sweetheart, and the wife he has chosen.

But now, she actually went into a hotel room with that man right in front of him?

"Stop looking! Thank goodness the marriage didn't happen." Mrs. Lu sneered. "They don't want to see us, but they're so eager to find a man to book a room with!"

Of course I was angry, but I had just made things clear to Xiang Xiaotian in person at the Junlan Hotel.

Now, all I can do is vent my anger.

"Alright, it's not our family that's embarrassed, it's theirs." Mr. Lu said calmly, without saying anything.

Just then, his phone rang.

Upon picking it up, I saw a long, somewhat sincere message on WeChat, sent by Xiang Detao.

The message conveyed apologies and regret for the poor hospitality, and concluded with polite remarks such as "Although the two families did not become related by marriage," hoping to avoid damaging the harmony between them.

"Is this what you meant by 'don't hurt feelings'?" Mr. Lu didn't hold back anymore, directly raising his phone to take a picture. "You just rejected our family, and your Xiao Tian couldn't resist meeting with other boys at a hotel?"

He was relatively tactful, replacing the words "book a room" with "meet up".

··

Inside the Junlan Hotel, Xiang Detao looked at the message he had just received, his face turning ashen with anger.

"Fine, fine, so the Lu family is really going to completely break off relations, isn't that it?"

"What's wrong? What did you say?" Dong Yaru asked curiously from the side.

"Look for yourself!" Xiang Detao slammed his phone on the table in a fit of anger and leaned back in his chair.

Dong Yaru picked up her phone and frowned as she looked at it.

Xiang Detao, standing to the side, said angrily, "That brat Xiang Xiaotian, and that Xiao Zhang, were they doing this on purpose? They were so impatient, not staying at our hotel, but running off to another place, and of course, they bumped into Lao Lu and the others. Do you think they're not angry?"

"Where is this?" Dong Yaru muttered to herself.

"Judging from the style of the corridor, where else could it be? Intercontinental Garden, the one in the photo is the presidential suite." Xiang Detao chimed in without hesitation, "This Xiao Zhang, he's really generous, leaving his own hotel to stay in a hotel that costs 80,000 or 90,000 yuan a day."

"Your tone, judging from your words, makes it sound like you're treating Xiao Zhang like family?" Dong Yaru said with a smile.

Xiang Detao snorted and remained silent, maintaining his airs.

"Won't they run into some kind of conflict? As their good father and future father-in-law, shouldn't you stand up for them?" Dong Yaru reminded her from the side.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Detao immediately stood up.

"Walk!"

"Are you really going?" Dong Yaru asked, blinking with amusement.

"I can't just sit by and watch my precious daughter... cough cough, and that cheap son-in-law, get bullied, can I?" Xiang Detao looked up at the sky.

A moment later, outside the hotel.

Xiang Detao and Dong Yaru, a married couple, called the hotel's Maybach limousine and headed straight for the InterContinental Garden Hotel.

Outside the InterContinental Garden Hotel.

Yu Kaili is seeing an important client off.

No sooner had the hotel's limousine left than she saw a Maybach approaching from afar.

A couple got off the bus; they looked quite familiar.

"President Xiang? What brings you here?" Yu Kaili greeted him with a smile.

They were all from the Hangzhou hotel circle, so how could she not know this general manager and shareholder of Junlan Hotel?

"Mr. Yu? Perfect timing." Xiang Detao glanced at Yu Kaili, who was approaching. "I have something I'd like to ask you for help with."

"Is there anything else I can do to help?" Upon hearing this, Yu Kaili was a little surprised. "President Xiang, please just say so. I'll definitely help if I can."

"I'm looking for someone, the guest who stayed in your hotel's presidential suite," Xiang Detao said briefly. "See if you can get in touch with them."

"Huh?" Yu Kaili remained unmoved, only surprised.

"Oh... right, your hotel has its own rules, so it's not convenient to disturb you, right?" Xiang Detao nodded. "In that case, why don't you just take me there?"

"No, are you sure? Are you looking for the guest staying in our presidential suite?" Yu Kaili repeated.

"I know that the people staying in your presidential suites are all big clients, and to be honest, my daughter is probably with him..." Xiang Detao looked away, his face slightly flushed, "I really have something to discuss with them."

As the CEO of Junlan Hotel, it's no honorable for his own daughter to have an affair with a guy at another hotel.

"But... but..." Yu Kaili stammered, even more confused. "The person staying in our presidential suite is our boss."

She wasn't doubting the truth of the matter. With her boss being so handsome, it wasn't surprising at all that he had run off with President Junlan's daughter.

She just felt that delaying the BOSS's work was a huge offense.

"Your boss?" Xiang Detao muttered to himself, "Looks like I've got the wrong room."

Yu Kaili, observing the situation, asked a perfunctory question.

"The person you're looking for, is surnamed Zhang?"

"Yes, it's Xiao Zhang." Xiang Detao nodded casually. "How did you know?"

"Xiao Zhang?" Yu Kaili didn't dare to say it out loud, after all, this was like confusing the two kings. "President Xiang, I think you might not be mistaken..."

"Ah?!

"What!""

Xiang Detao and his wife were both taken aback for a moment, then looked at each other and saw the disbelief in each other's eyes.

··

Inside the presidential suite, Xiang Xiaotian was completely opened up to Xintiandi.

The huge, high-ceilinged reception room offers a panoramic view of the Qiantang River, a sight completely different from the West Lake view from the Junlan Hotel.

She was completely absorbed in it.

"What a huge suite... Wow, you've been staying here all by yourself without telling me." Xiang Xiaotian tiptoed and hugged Zhang Yang, then whispered sweetly, "I want to stay here too."

With such a vibrant young girl rubbing against him, Zhang Yang was simply unable to resist her charms.

"Live with me? Your parents don't mind?" Zhang Yang wrapped his arms Xiang Xiaotian's waist and gave her pert bottom a playful smack. "Stop rubbing against me, I can't hold you down."

Xiang Xiaotian suddenly felt a small sense of accomplishment.

Seeing Zhang Yang sitting on the sofa, she sat on his lap, wrapped Zhang Yang arms around his neck, and leaned closer.

"Then don't press down on your good brother."

Zhang Yang's ears were tickled by Xiang Xiaotian's breath, and he deeply felt how terrifying a man could remain composed in a critical moment.

He thought he probably wasn't that kind of person.

Thinking about it this way, the anger that I had been trying so hard to suppress suddenly flared up completely.

Without a second thought, Zhang Yang cupped the face beside him and kissed it.

As their breaths mingled, a sweet fragrance filled the air.

Just as things were about to escalate to the point of conflict, the phone rang at a very inopportune moment.

"Who is it?" Zhang Yang looked up, a little annoyed, and glanced at his phone.

My phone rang, and Yu Kaili's name was clearly displayed.

Unless something important happens, Yu Kaili usually doesn't dare to disturb herself at this time, since it's lunch break.

"Wake up." Zhang Yang looked at Xiang Xiaotian, who was looking up with her eyes closed and her cheeks flushed, and gently patted her.

Xiang Xiaotian opened her eyes with a slight tremor in her eyelashes, her gaze still somewhat confused and unfocused.

"Hello?" Zhang Yang answered the phone.

"Mr. Zhang, someone's downstairs looking for you. It's General Manager Xiang from Junlan Hotel," Yu Kaili said cautiously.

"Mr. Xiang, I understand. You can bring your people in now," Zhang Yang replied and hung up the phone.

Xiang Xiaotian had been resting her head on Zhang Yang's lap with her ears perked up, suddenly sat up and became fully awake.

"My dad... why is my dad here?"

"What's the panic? Your clothes are all fine, you don't need to wear them." Zhang Yang blinked and stepped forward to help Xiang Xiaotian pull her skirt down a bit. "Go, get some fresh air, and clear your head."

As if waking from Xiang Xiaotian touched her burning face and ran to the side to enjoy the river breeze.

A moment later, the person arrived.

Zhang Yang stood up and greeted Xiang Detao and his wife with a smile.

"Mr. Zhang, I'll go first then," Yu Kaili said cautiously as she stood to the side.

She was actually a little apprehensive, afraid of disturbing her boss's good time.

However, the boss's breathing was even and strong on the phone, and now that I'm actually here, his expression is normal. Only that figure in the distance... that must be Mr. Xiang's daughter, right?

"Okay, go ahead and get busy, close the door behind you." Zhang Yang nodded.

Yu Kaili immediately relaxed and carefully withdrew.

In the blink of an eye, besides Zhang Yang, there was only Xiang Detao and his wife... oh no, the family of three left in this huge suite, and no one else.

"Hello, Uncle and Aunt, please make yourselves at home," Zhang Yang greeted them, then called out to Xiang Xiaotian from afar.

"Xiao Tian, your parents are here."

"I understand!" Xiang Xiaotian's voice came from afar.

From Zhang Yang's angle, all that could be seen was her motionless back; she was probably still a little embarrassed to meet her parents at this time and in this situation.

"Xiao Zhang... Should I call you General Manager Zhang?" Xiang Detao's eyes were complicated, still showing signs of shock.

Just now, when he heard this news, God knows how shocked he was.

It's a tingling, numb sensation all over.

The person who fully acquired the InterContinental Garden Hotel... is actually the one standing right in front of me.

Although Junlan Hotel is similar in size to InterContinental Garden Hotel, it is not even the largest shareholder, so how can it be compared with the sole owner of InterContinental Garden Hotel?

"Let's stick to our own way of addressing each other. I'll still call you Uncle, but you can call me whatever you like," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

He owns the InterContinental Garden Hotel, so of course he doesn't want to be called "Little Zhang" all the time.

Xiang Xiaotian walked over from not far away.

He looked perfectly normal, but the river wind must have been quite strong.

"Mom and Dad, what brings you here?" Xiang Xiaotian obediently stepped forward and hugged her mother's arm.

"You... you and General Manager Zhang came out, but your parents can't know?" Xiang Detao was holding back his temper, not daring to let it out.

The situation is different now.

In the past, no matter how rich Xiao Zhang was, his status Xiang Xiaotian's father was what it was. He could simply discipline his daughter, put on airs, and show off his authority. Why would he need to worry about what others thought?

But now, the Xiao Zhang he thought he knew is now, in terms of status, the sole owner of the InterContinental Garden Hotel.

His status in Hangzhou's hotel industry is far higher than his.

He naturally couldn't shake anymore.

"You even have to control what I do when I'm out having fun," Xiang Xiaotian muttered.

"Play?" Upon hearing this word, Xiang Detao wanted to jump up and down, but when he saw Zhang Yang's ambiguous smile, he immediately lost all his temper.

"Going out to play? Of course you can. I know you've run into those guys surnamed Lu, and I'm just worried you might have a conflict."

He was kind and gentle, speaking in a tone just like a loving father.

Xiang Xiaotian was stunned, feeling that her father seemed a little unfamiliar today.

"Yes, we ran into them. I just nodded and said hello, such a small thing, and they actually questioned you?" Xiang Xiaotian frowned slightly, displeased. "Oh? By the way, the one surnamed Lu? Dad, are you planning to completely break ties with their family by calling them that?"

"Not turning against them won't work either. There's no turning back now." Xiang Detao glanced at Zhang Yang again. "I didn't expect their family to be so narrow-minded."

"Dad, let's not talk about their family anymore. By the way, is there anything else?" Xiang Xiaotian blinked.

"Ahem." Xiang Detao cleared his throat. "Um... Mom and Dad want to talk to you about something. Are you busy? If not."

"Of course..." Xiang Xiaotian blurted out, wanting to say that she was very busy.

"Xiao Tian," Zhang Yang suddenly interrupted, "You should go back with your parents."

The unexpected visit interrupted my enthusiasm, and it was a bit difficult to get back into the swing of things. Just then, I noticed that Xiang Xiaotian's parents seemed to have something to say to their daughter.

That's perfect, let the three of them go back and have a private chat.