After I died, they cried in the live studio

Chapter 39 Cold War Confrontation
The night outside the window grew thicker and thicker, like ink that could not be dissolved. Sang Shuwan stayed in Jiang Ci Mu's room, clutching her cell phone, and dialed the familiar number over and over again, but all that came out of the receiver was a cold, mechanical prompt tone: "Hello, the number you dialed is currently unanswered..." Her eyes gradually turned red, and she was anxious, but she had no idea what to do. She could only sit on the edge of the sofa, leaning forward, staring at the door, hoping that Jiang Ci Mu would show up soon.

At the same time, Jiang Cimu stood outside a luxurious KTV box, exuding an aura that kept strangers away. He took a deep breath, calmed down his emotions, raised his hand and pushed the box door open. With a "clang", the door hit the wall heavily.

The lights in the box were dim, and the air was filled with the turbid smell of cigarettes and alcohol. Chu Ling was originally curled up on the sofa, bored, his slender fingers casually shaking the high-heeled glass, the red wine swirling in the glass, and his face was indifferent and lazy. Hearing the movement, he looked up and saw Jiang Cimu with a cold face. He was stunned at first, and then a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. The corners of his mouth slightly raised, outlining a smile of interest, and the joy in his eyes could not be hidden.

Chu Ling put down his wine glass, stood up, patted the empty seat beside him, raised his eyebrows and said jokingly: "Hey, Jiang Ci Mu, a rare guest, what brings you here? I thought you had to stay with that Miss Sang all day and couldn't get away." As he said that, he crossed his arms, tilted his head and looked at Jiang Ci Mu, his eyes full of amusement.

Jiang Ci Mu frowned, walked straight to the opposite side of Chu Ling and sat down, slammed the phone on the table, and said with a cold face: "Stop talking nonsense, Chu Ling, let's get straight to the point. Don't pretend to be ignorant about the matter between you and Sang Shuwan. I can see through your thoughts. I'm here to warn you, stay away from her and don't involve her in our grievances." His tone was firm and every word revealed an unquestionable toughness.

Chu Ling was slightly startled, the smile on his face faded a little, his fingertips tapped the table, making a rhythmic sound, after a moment of silence, he replied with a smile: "Jiang Ci Mu, why are you so nervous? Are you afraid that I will eat her? But, you are really caring about being a flower protector..." Before he finished speaking, Jiang Ci Mu stood up suddenly, supported his hands on the table, leaned forward, and pierced Chu Ling with eyes like sharp blades: "Chu Ling, I'm not kidding you!" The temperature in the box dropped suddenly, and the atmosphere was tense.

Chu Ling looked at Jiang Cimu's cold face and the low pressure around him. He knew it was not appropriate to tease him at this moment. He coughed lightly and raised his hand to snap his fingers casually. In the blink of an eye, a graceful beauty came from the corner of the box, her lotus steps lightly moving, and the scent of perfume on her body wafted, rich but a little sweet.

"Go, entertain Mr. Jiang." Chu Ling raised his chin slightly and ordered casually. The beauty responded obediently, with an extremely charming smile on her face, twisting her slender waist to get close to Jiang Cimu. She leaned forward slightly, deliberately showing her fair shoulders, raised her hand and gently placed it on Jiang Cimu's arm, and said in a delicate voice: "Mr. Jiang, you are finally here, please sit down, the drinks are ready for you, you have to have fun today." The voice was soft and the tail tone was long, full of flattery.

Jiang Cimu frowned even more tightly, as if his reverse scale had been touched, he pulled his arm away calmly, took a small step back, and swept his eyes coldly over the beauty. Although this beauty was born bright and beautiful, with delicate makeup, and a tight skirt that made her figure look curvy, but in his eyes, she was not attractive at all.

He didn't even look at her, he just sat back on the sofa, took out his phone, and swiped the screen quickly, as if he was checking messages, leaving the beauty aside, as if she was an invisible air. The beauty was not willing to give up, she bit her lower lip, came closer, picked up a glass of wine on the table, handed it to Jiang Cimu with both hands, blinked her big watery eyes, and said in a coquettish voice: "Mr. Jiang, please do me a favor and have a drink."

Jiang Ci Mu slammed his phone shut, raised his eyes, disgust evident in his eyes, and said coldly: "No need, stay away from me." After that, he turned his head to look at Chu Ling, his eyes becoming colder: "Chu Ling, stop playing these tricks. We haven't finished talking about our business yet, don't try to change the subject with these unconventional ways." The beautiful woman's body stiffened, her face turned red and white, and she stood there awkwardly with the wine in her hand, not knowing whether to move forward or backward.

Seeing this, Chu Ling waved his hand, signaling the beauty to leave. A smile appeared on his face again, but he hid his sharpness. He said slowly: "Jiang Ci Mu, don't be so angry. Since you don't like it, let's get on with the business." The atmosphere in the box became solemn again, with undercurrents surging.

Chu Ling restrained the smile on his face, his expression suddenly became serious, he looked up at the group of beauties waiting in the corner of the box, and said in a cold and unquestionable voice: "Get out." Everyone looked at each other, and for a moment they didn't react. Chu Ling frowned, and shouted again with a heavier tone: "What are you still standing there for, get out!" At this time, the beauties panicked, grabbed their handbags in a hurry, and filed out. The door of the box slowly closed after a flustered sound of footsteps.

At this time, only Chu Ling and Jiang Cimu were left in the huge box. The lights were ambiguously swaying, but the atmosphere was so solemn that it was almost suffocating. Chu Ling leaned back slightly and sank into the soft sofa. He raised his hand and rubbed his temple. After a long silence, he spoke softly: "Jiang Cimu, to be honest, I have seen all kinds of women in these years, but I have never met one that I can catch my eye." As he said this, he smiled bitterly, picked up the wine glass on the table, and drank it all. The spicy wine slid down his throat, but it seemed that it could not dispel the loneliness in his heart.

He put down his wine glass, tapped the table casually with his fingers, and looked straight at Jiang Ci Mu, with a rare hint of melancholy in his eyes: "Until I met Sang Shuwan, isn't it a coincidence? She looks exactly like my ex-girlfriend. When I first saw her, I almost thought she was an old friend returning." Chu Ling narrowed his eyes slightly, as if recalling the scene of their first meeting. The expression on his face became more and more complicated, with reminiscence, surprise, and more of an interest that was difficult to conceal.

Jiang Ci Mu snorted coldly, crossed his arms across his chest, and looked alert: "Chu Ling, what do you want to say? Sang Shuwan is not your plaything, nor is she a substitute. I don't care about your past feelings. If you dare to touch her, I will never let it go." He gritted his teeth for every word, and the anger in his eyes seemed to burn people.

Chu Ling was startled for a moment, then raised his eyebrows, smiling: "Oh, so nervous? But don't worry, I, Chu Ling, am not that mean." He paused, stood up, slowly walked to Jiang Cimu, lowered his head and looked down at him with a deep gaze: "I'm just telling the truth. Sang Shuwan has aroused my interest. What will happen in the future does not depend solely on me." The implication is that there are many variables and the situation is unpredictable.

Jiang Cimu stood up and looked into Chu Ling's eyes, so close that their noses were almost touching. The two of them had a tit-for-tat aura, neither of them giving in. The temperature in the box dropped suddenly, as if a fierce conflict was about to break out in the next second.

Chu Ling put his hands in his trouser pockets casually, walked slowly to Jiang Cimu with steady steps, and his deep and cold eyes now showed a bit of negotiation confidence. He raised his chin slightly and spoke slowly: "Jiang Cimu, let's not beat around the bush. I believe you know everything about the past bumps and bruises as well as I do." He paused and locked his eyes with Jiang Cimu, as if he wanted to see through him. Jiang Cimu frowned, clenched his fists, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged. He did not hide the anger on his face: "Chu Ling, stop beating around the bush and speak directly!"

Chu Ling's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile, and he raised his hand to pat Jiang Cimu's shoulder, but Jiang Cimu shook his hand away as if he had been electrocuted. Chu Ling was not annoyed, and continued: "Look at you, you are still so angry. I just said that I can let bygones be bygones and just turn the page."

Jiang Cimu snorted coldly, his face full of disdain: "Humph, are you so kind? Chu Ling, don't think I don't know what you are planning. You are just thinking about Sang Shuwan."

Chu Ling stopped smiling and looked serious. He looked directly into Jiang Cimu's eyes and said solemnly, "Yes, I have fallen in love with Sang Shuwan. She has a special meaning to me. I don't want to end up in a fight with you, so as long as you give me a chance to contact her, we will keep our distance from each other in the future."

Jiang Cimu's eyes widened, as if they could spit fire. He took a step forward, almost sticking to Chu Ling's face, and gritted his teeth and said, "Don't even think about it! Letting you get close to her is undoubtedly sending a sheep into the tiger's mouth. I will never agree to it!"

The warmth on Chu Ling's face faded away instantly, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. He took a step back, distanced himself from Jiang Cimu, and said in a bone-chillingly cold voice: "Jiang Cimu, this is not up to you. If you insist on stopping me, don't blame me for taking action against the Jiang Group. I have plenty of means to destroy your Jiang family's reputation in the business world overnight. I can take away all those partners and big customers in the blink of an eye. You should think carefully about this."

Jiang Cimu's body froze, his face showing a hint of panic amidst the anger. He bit his lower lip tightly, his hands trembling slightly, and he struggled fiercely inside. After a long silence, he squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "Chu Ling, you are despicable!"

Chu Ling crossed his arms across his chest, his expression regained some of its leisure, and shrugged, saying, "Whether it's despicable or not is not important. What's important is that you give me an answer as soon as possible. I don't have much patience." The atmosphere in the box was tense and ready to explode, like the dead silence before a storm.

Chu Ling narrowed his eyes slightly, with a faint light flickering in his eyes. His tongue touched his cheek, and after a slight pause, he dropped a bombshell word by word: "Jiang Ci Mu, I have always been puzzled. Sang Shuwan is similar to my ex-girlfriend in more than just appearance." He crossed his arms and took a step forward. His aura was cold and intimidating. He stared at Jiang Ci Mu, not missing any change in the other's expression.

Jiang Cimu's heart skipped a beat, his brows knitted into a knot, his alertness evident in his eyes, but he pretended to be calm and snorted coldly: "Chu Ling, what nonsense are you talking about again!"

Chu Ling raised his lips to sneer, his face full of confidence, and raised his voice and said, "Don't play dumb! Sang Shuwan's personality is gentle but stubborn, kind and courageous, just like my ex-girlfriend." As he spoke, his eyes drifted away, as if he was lost in memories. The coldness on his face faded a little, and he muttered to himself, "When we first met, the way she looked at me, the little subconscious movements, everything was very similar to her back then."

Coming back to his senses, Chu Ling's gaze pierced Jiang Ci Mu again like a sharp blade: "I've been looking for so many years and finally met someone who looks so similar. Do you dare to say that this is just a coincidence? Maybe the person you are carrying with you is actually mine!" His tone became more and more fierce, filled with questioning and unwillingness.

Jiang Ci Mu's eyes widened, anger surged to his forehead, veins popped out on his forehead, he retorted angrily: "Chu Ling, stop slandering me! Sang Shuwan is my beloved girl, she has nothing to do with you. What do you mean by yours? It's ridiculous!" After that, he clenched his fists, took a step forward, and was ready to take action.

Chu Ling, however, did not move at all, his expression was still stern. He raised his hand and brushed the corner of his clothes, as if to brush away Jiang Cimu's anger, and said nonchalantly: "Ridiculous? I don't think so. Just based on this resemblance, I have every right to compete with you for her. Jiang Cimu, a man of insight is a hero. If you insist on stopping us, we can each rely on our own abilities. However, if we make a big fuss, it will not only hurt our feelings, but also the foundation of your Jiang family's industry."

Jiang Ci Mu was so angry that his chest heaved violently. He gasped for breath and said through gritted teeth: "Chu Ling, forget it! I will never give Shu Wan to you even if I die. As long as I am here, don't even think about touching a hair on her!" The temperature in the box dropped suddenly, and the atmosphere was tense. The two men confronted each other, and neither of them was willing to give in, as if a huge storm was about to break out in the next second.

(End of this chapter)