Fly over there and practice swimming in the sea—wouldn't escaping the male lead be a piece of cake?
The coach praised him again. "Handsome, with a body like yours, are you a model?"
That wasn't an exaggeration. Tang Mingxi had a slim waist, long legs, and skin as white as cream; he practically reflected light in the water. At first, the coach had thought he was some celebrity, but couldn't find him online.
Tang Mingxi was so flattered that he got carried away and suggested to the coach that he wanted to try platform diving.
But the moment he stood on the diving board and looked down, his body stiffened, and all his lofty ambition vanished in an instant.
Help! Was that even a height a human could jump from?!
Tang Mingxi went pale with fright and fled the diving platform at light speed. He temporarily gave up on practicing platform diving, obediently hugged a swim ring, and continued soaking in the pool as he swam.
He dejectedly splashed around, thinking about the eight zeros in his bank account and the private island Tang Yun had just bought for him...
Maybe he could try getting closer to the male lead again :)
Clearly, he could not.
Tang Mingxi changed his clothes and left the swimming center. Now that he was debt-free, he no longer had to spend every day reviewing documents and attending business dinners like he had in his previous life. Other than worrying about his own life, he even had a little too much free time!
People really could not get too smug. One second, he was lamenting how idle he was; the next, trouble came looking for him.
Tang Mingxi's phone began vibrating nonstop.
Shen Yuan: [Cousin, did you know that bitch Tang Yu took the Azure Luo Bay development project???]
Shen Yuan: [Wasn't that project assigned to you by Big Cousin? How did it end up in his hands?]
Shen Yuan: [Fuck!! That bastard's going to be unbearable once he gets cocky—he'll definitely rub it in my face qvq I'm so pissed qvq]
Shen Yuan: [Cousin, I'm short on money lately. Can you lend me two million qvq]
Tang Mingxi: [Who are you? Don't know you, thanks :)]
He blocked him directly.
Shen Yuan was the son of his youngest aunt, his biological younger cousin, and another useless prodigal son.
They had not exactly grown up together, but they were birds of a feather. Since they shared Tang Yu as a common enemy, they were fairly close, and Tang Mingxi could not be bothered to stand on ceremony with him.
No loans. Take his life instead.
After Tang Mingxi blocked his noisy cousin, the business Bentley that had come to pick him up stopped steadily in front of him.
To avoid anyone discovering that he had come out of a swimming center, Tang Mingxi had deliberately walked another five hundred meters.
It had practically exhausted him to death :)
Ye Heng got out of the car and opened the door for him.
They had not seen each other for more than half a month. Why did Ye Heng seem like he had grown taller?
Seventeen or eighteen was probably the age for growing. Thinking of his own height, Tang Mingxi felt jealous for a while.
"Shen Yuan called me just now to borrow money." The moment Ye Heng sat down, he began delivering a cold work report.
"Oh. He called me too." Tang Mingxi asked, "How much did he ask you for?"
"Five million."
Damn it, that brat really knew how to pick on the weak and fear the strong?
Tang Mingxi grumbled, then asked, "Did you lend it to him?"
"I have no money." Ye Heng spoke flatly. "I'm still five hundred in debt."
Tang Mingxi: ...
It was just one Western meal. Did you really have to hold such a grudge? It's been half a month already!
*I even raised your allowance, man. Aren't you satisfied with what you've gotten? :)*
Tang Mingxi said, "Don't answer his calls anymore. How did that Azure Luo Bay project end up in Tang Yu's hands? Weren't you in charge of it?"
Ye Heng's eyelashes trembled slightly as he answered calmly, "There was a problem with Mingheng's evaluation materials. We didn't win the bid."
Who are you trying to fool?
Tang Mingxi grumbled inwardly. I read the original novel ahead of time. In another two months, Azure Luo Bay will be completely your territory!
Since Ningcheng had gotten a new top official, it had not only supported local elite enterprises but also pushed external investment harder than ever. With a full thirty billion invested, Azure Luo Bay was a major new-energy coastal development zone, and people both inside and outside Ningcheng were eyeing its development rights greedily.
"Oh." Tang Mingxi responded coldly and offered a few halfhearted words of encouragement. "Don't lose heart. Try harder next time."
In any case, he had no intention of getting involved in company affairs, a reaction Ye Heng had expected.
It was not that Tang Mingxi did not want to manage things. In his past life, he had drunk himself to sudden death while entertaining clients. The result of working himself to the bone was a one-click reincarnation. Now that he had finally escaped work, who would want to be a corporate slave again? :)
"Your elder cousin has arranged a celebration banquet tonight. You have two hours to prepare."
"A celebration banquet?"
Oh, right. Tang Yu had finally pried such a major project away from under him. Tang Youwei had gained face, so of course he would flaunt it extravagantly.
Ye Heng said, "You don't have to go."
Ye Heng paused when he said that.
Tang Yu had snatched this project from Tang Mingxi. He would definitely make trouble for him tonight.
But that did not seem to have anything to do with him. Ye Heng somewhat regretted speaking so quickly and mentioning it.
"Go. Why wouldn't I?" Tang Mingxi's eyes lit up.
If he did not go, how could he watch Tang Yu make a fool of himself? As a loyal reader deeply familiar with the original novel, he never got tired of this classic scene where the male lead slapped the cannon fodder's face.
Tang Yu had not received the Azure Luo Bay cooperation contract at all. The person in charge of Azure Luo Bay had merely sent someone to notify the Tang Family that they would sign a contract with them in seven days, but had not specified whether it would be Tang Yu or Tang Mingxi.
However, Tang Yu was passionately involved with Wang Min, the daughter of the person in charge of Azure Luo Bay. The moment the call reached the Tang Family, Tang Yu immediately assumed that he was the one who had reached a deal with Azure Luo Bay.
Of course not. Tang Mingxi knew perfectly well that the one who would secure the Azure Luo Bay contract was definitely Ye Heng.
In the original novel, Ningcheng's top political figure had already learned that Ye Heng was the eldest young master of the Ye Family and directly offered him a favor.
Everyone in political circles knew about the Yunjing Ye family's background. It was only natural for Ningcheng's top official to want to make an impression on Ye Heng. If he wanted to rise through the ranks in the future, he would need Ye Heng to put in a few good words for him.
He just had not expected Tang Yu, that shameless bastard, to falsely claim the favor.
Although Tang Mingxi really wanted to complain that the land and resources department's bid evaluation and supervision team could not possibly all be decorations, this wealthy-family business son-in-law novel had never had much logic to begin with.
So he made peace with it.
Thinking of the banquet that night, Tang Mingxi suddenly remembered the eight zeros he had nowhere to spend.
Ever since he got that money, he had not even been able to find anyone suitable to show off his wealth to.
Now, didn't an opportunity just arrive? :)
After the New Year, they had moved back from the old residence in the suburbs to downtown Ningcheng.
Before the Bentley headed to the hotel Tang Yu had chosen, Tang Mingxi swept Ye Heng back to Mingxi No. 1 in a whirlwind.
Mingxi No. 1 Mansion was located on the land-scarce, gold-priced Nanyang Road. Quiet amid the bustle and surrounded by water on all sides, it had been a coming-of-age gift from the old master when Tang Mingxi turned eighteen. The Ning City Daily had ranked it first among the ten greatest luxury residences.
After getting engaged to Ye Heng, the two of them had lived there ever since.
Ye Heng was somewhat baffled by Tang Mingxi's sudden burst of energy.
Until they got out of the car, Tang Mingxi did not wait for him to open the door. Breaking from his usual behavior, he grabbed Ye Heng's wrist and eagerly led him toward Mingxi No. 1.
He looked a little impatient.
Ye Heng's gaze fell on the hand gripping his wrist. The back of Tang Mingxi's hand was fair, but his palm was scorching hot.
He said nothing. His face remained indifferent, while his raven-feather lashes hid the young man's profound gaze.
Only when they reached the entrance did Tang Mingxi realize that he had gotten too excited and had not noticed he was grabbing the big-demon male lead!
I'm getting carried away.
Sure enough, having money really makes people swell with arrogance.
Tang Mingxi cleared his throat and let go of Ye Heng as naturally as possible, pretending nothing had happened.
He clapped his hands twice. With two sharp slaps, more than a dozen members of a styling team carrying bags and boxes suddenly appeared at the entrance of Mingxi No. 1.
The one at the front was precisely