The Marriage Harbor CH18
Chapter 18: He Truly Had No Experience Coaxing Women
Upon returning home, Jiang Bin organized her purchases and finally took the boxes of condoms into the master bedroom. Placing them on Tang Zhisong’s side felt too much like an explicit invitation, so she tucked them into her own bedside drawer. They were there just in case, as she refused to be the one to initiate such things.
The private butler helped her move some of her plants over. Jiang Bin spent the afternoon balancing her work with gardening, and her mood improved significantly.
That night, Tang Zhisong returned very late. By the time he entered, Jiang Bin was already asleep. He showered in the communal bathroom before quietly slipping into the master bedroom to sleep. Jiang Bin slept soundly on her own side and did not even notice his midnight return.
The next morning, when Jiang Bin finished her routine, Tang Zhisong was already in the study holding a video conference. By the time he emerged, she had already headed out. The two of them missed each other entirely.
Both were unrepentant workaholics. Tang Zhisong’s schedule was perpetually packed. When the West was on Christmas break, he was busy domestically. When China was on holiday, his international interests kept him tethered to his desk. True vacations were non-existent for him.
However, because of Jiang Bin’s recent illness, he had managed to stay in Shanghai for the National Day holiday. By the 6th, his close friends were calling to reel him in.
"You start work again on the 8th. At least join us tonight. Our brother Pei Qing is being hounded into an arranged marriage by his parents and is depressed out of his mind." Cheng Yanjun snickered.
Tang Zhisong agreed. He worked until noon, and once the private chef had prepared lunch, he called Jiang Bin.
"Are you coming back for lunch?"
Jiang Bin was typing away with her phone wedged between her shoulder and ear. She replied, "I'm handling an emergency. You eat, and do not wait for me."
"At the office?" Tang Zhisong asked.
"Mhm."
After hanging up, Tang Zhisong noted that the Jiang Group headquarters was just a stone's throw away and ordered a meal to be sent to her. After finishing his own lunch, he headed out. He sent her a text on his way out stating that he had something tonight and would not be back for dinner.
For Jiang Bin, the final two days of the holiday were anything but a break. Her phone was a sea of notifications from clients, regional heads, and directors. Tang Zhisong’s message was quickly buried under the tide of other information.
A project in the Central China region had suffered an accident. With the delivery deadline looming, the site had been rushing progress during the holiday. This resulted in the death of a worker. The family was protesting at the site, and Jiang Shaoyu wanted to suppress the news.
Jiang Bin immediately dispatched her regional RO manager to assist the family while she investigated the situation. Discovering the cause was poor safety regulation rather than a freak accident, she ordered all projects to halt for three days for an inspection.
Jiang Shaoyu refused to stop work. Jiang Bin tapped a finger on his desk and told him that as the head of real estate, he could sign a liability waiver. If another accident occurred, he would have to resign.
"You..." Jiang Shaoyu’s face turned ashen.
"Do you know how much the company will lose? We can pay compensation, but we cannot stop work!"
"I do not care about the loss," Jiang Bin said coldly.
"I want stability. I want every project manager to realize safety is non-negotiable. Brother, you are the figurehead, and your attitude dictates theirs. If you brush this off, so will they. We will not last long that way."
She added that if he would not sign, she would release a solo statement on Weibo.
Furious and cornered, Jiang Shaoyu finally signed both the compensation and the inspection orders.
By the time Jiang Bin returned to Emerald Heights at 9:00 PM, she saw the dinner the chef had prepared and assumed Tang Zhisong was coming back to eat. A life had been lost today, and her mood was somber. She remembered the iron rule her grandfather had set that safety is as heavy as Mount Tai. Under Jiang Chengxiao, the group had expanded rapidly but had forgotten ethics in favor of profit.
Exhausted, she sat on the sofa. She was too drained to check her phone and drank a few sips of water before drifting off to sleep right there.
* * *
Tang Zhisong had spent the afternoon at a private club with his childhood friends. They were all heirs to various conglomerates and represented a high-level salon of sorts.
Cheng Yanjun watched Tang Zhisong approach the table alone. He leaned back, a curious smirk playing on his lips.
"Where is your 'Little President Jiang'?" Cheng Yanjun asked, glancing toward the empty space at Zhisong’s side.
"It’s a holiday, after all. Why didn't you bring her out to play with the rest of us?"
Tang Zhisong hung his suit jacket over the back of the chair and sat down, his movements fluid and poised.
"She’s busy," he replied, his tone short and dismissive.
No one was surprised by this. Jiang Bin was also a well-known "workaholic" in their circle and since it was a strategic marriage, no one expected them to be inseparable. Despite being married for months, Tang Zhisong’s inner circle had not officially met her.
Pei Qing was currently suffering through a forced breakup with a girl his family deemed unsuitable. He sighed and told Zhisong that out of the three of them, he had it best. Zhisong picked his own partner, his family stayed out of it, and a career-oriented wife did not need coaxing. Plus, Zhisong did not have some "White Moonlight" he could not get over.
Tang Zhisong thought of Jiang Bin’s defensive tone from the other night.
"It is not bad," he replied vaguely.
"Does she ever throw tantrums?" Pei Qing asked. He was used to Cheng Yanjun’s wife making his life a creative struggle.
"About what?" Tang Zhisong countered. It was a foreign concept to him. He felt he did his duty as a husband, and Jiang Bin was not the type to be petty.
Pei Qing leaned back, a trace of genuine envy in his eyes as he looked at Tang Zhisong.
"I have to hand it to you, Zhisong. You’ve really got it all figured out!"
When Tang Zhisong finally got home at 11:00 PM, the lights were still on. His gaze settled on the sofa, where a slender figure lay curled into a small, defensive ball.
He walked over and reached out, his hand hovering for a second before he gently shook her shoulder. "Why are you sleeping out here?"
Jiang Bin’s eyes fluttered open, blinking against the light until his sharp, handsome features came into focus.
"You're back," she murmured, her voice thick with sleep. As he leaned closer, the faint, clean scent of expensive alcohol reached her. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "Did you eat already?"
Tang Zhisong’s gaze drifted toward the kitchen island, where the elaborate, untouched dinner sat in a silent, cold display. He poured a glass of water and walked back to the sofa, handing it to her as she sat up.
"You haven't eaten yet?" he asked, his voice low in the quiet room.
Jiang Bin took a few sips, the water clearing the dryness in her throat.
"Not yet."
He stood there, the realization sinking in that she likely hadn't seen his earlier message. A strange thought crossed his mind. Had she actually been waiting for him, or was this a silent protest because he was late? He wanted to ask, but the words felt too intimate, too clumsy for a man of his standing.
"I’ve already eaten," he said at last, clearing his throat. "Should I heat this up for you?"
Jiang Bin cast a cool, sideways glance toward the cold dinner, her thoughts momentarily lingering on the wasted effort of the private chef. "No need," she said, her voice flat. "I’m not really hungry anymore."
The "tantrum" Tang Zhisong had so confidently claimed would never happen had arrived with lightning speed.
"I sent a message earlier to let you know I wouldn't be back for dinner," he explained, his tone defensive yet carefully measured.
"Oh," Jiang Bin replied with a flicker of indifference. "Sorry, I didn't see it."
She stood up, her movements graceful but heavy with the weight of the day. As she headed toward the bedroom, her silhouette appeared strangely lonely and exhausted in the vast, modern space of the penthouse.
Tang Zhisong watched her retreat, a budding headache beginning to throb behind his temples. He was a man who could navigate the most cutthroat boardrooms in the country, yet he truly had no experience coaxing women.
* * *
The next morning, Tang Zhisong woke up early and asked the chef to prepare steak.
When Jiang Bin emerged thirty minutes later, she sat down for breakfast. Seeing the steak, she reached for the plate. Simultaneously, Tang Zhisong picked up his knife and fork, intending to cut it for her.
His hands met empty air as Jiang Bin moved the plate to her side. Both of them froze.
Jiang Bin was not sure if he wanted the steak for himself or if he was going to cut it for her. He was a proud man, and if she offered it back, he might refuse out of spite. She decided to just tuck the steak into her sandwich and eat. She felt a little guilty for snatching the whole thing, but she refused to lose her momentum.
Tang Zhisong watched her act with such unshakeable calm and was certain she was still angry. The atmosphere was a mix of awkwardness and a strange, lingering intimacy.
After their silent breakfast, Jiang Bin departed for the office to prepare for the upcoming board meeting. Tang Zhisong spent his own morning at Ningsheng Tech, though his thoughts remained unusually unsettled. Recalling her preference for seafood, he decided to bridge the distance between them and called her at noon.
"Do you want to have dinner tonight?" he asked.
"Sure," she replied, her tone light and neutral.
With her agreement, Tang Zhisong immediately contacted the private chef to arrange a seafood feast. He gave specific instructions for the menu, even arranging for an Australian blue lobster to be flown in from a private island.
At three in the afternoon, Jiang Bin’s phone buzzed with a call from her closest friend, Cheng Ying.
"Bingbing, where on earth are you?" Cheng Ying’s voice was bright and demanding.
Jiang Bin paused, her eyes widening slightly behind her desk. "You’re back already?"
"I am at your place, and it's half-empty!" Cheng Ying replied, her tone shifting to one of sheer disbelief.
"I wanted to surprise you, but I’m the one who got the shock. Don't tell me you actually moved in with Tang Zhisong?"
Jiang Bin cleared her throat, a faint, uncharacteristic cough of embarrassment escaping her.
"Yes, I did."
"Congratulations! Now that sounds like a real marriage," Cheng Ying laughed, though her mind was already racing. She wasn't worried about Tang Zhisong's temperament, but rather that a genius in the tech industry might be using a "sham marriage" to hide his true inclinations.
Tang Zhisong didn't see her message until he was already on his way home, the city lights blurring past his window. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose before removing his glasses in the heavy silence of the car.
Back at Emerald Heights, he was met by the sight of a magnificent seafood feast. The private chef had clearly spared no effort, but the table remained a cold, solitary display. Tang Zhisong sat in silence for a long time, staring at the elaborate spread.
A flicker of disappointment stirred within him. He had never been this patient with anyone before, yet his attempt at a "peace offering" had been met with an empty house. Still, he was not a man to shift blame. He knew the fault lay in his own missed notification.
As he finally sat down to eat alone, he pulled out his phone. He opened Jiang Bin’s WeChat profile, his thumb hovering over the screen for a brief second before he pinned her chat to the very top.
Translator's Notes:
Upon returning home, Jiang Bin organized her purchases and finally took the boxes of condoms into the master bedroom. Placing them on Tang Zhisong’s side felt too much like an explicit invitation, so she tucked them into her own bedside drawer. They were there just in case, as she refused to be the one to initiate such things.
The private butler helped her move some of her plants over. Jiang Bin spent the afternoon balancing her work with gardening, and her mood improved significantly.
That night, Tang Zhisong returned very late. By the time he entered, Jiang Bin was already asleep. He showered in the communal bathroom before quietly slipping into the master bedroom to sleep. Jiang Bin slept soundly on her own side and did not even notice his midnight return.
The next morning, when Jiang Bin finished her routine, Tang Zhisong was already in the study holding a video conference. By the time he emerged, she had already headed out. The two of them missed each other entirely.
Both were unrepentant workaholics. Tang Zhisong’s schedule was perpetually packed. When the West was on Christmas break, he was busy domestically. When China was on holiday, his international interests kept him tethered to his desk. True vacations were non-existent for him.
However, because of Jiang Bin’s recent illness, he had managed to stay in Shanghai for the National Day holiday. By the 6th, his close friends were calling to reel him in.
"You start work again on the 8th. At least join us tonight. Our brother Pei Qing is being hounded into an arranged marriage by his parents and is depressed out of his mind." Cheng Yanjun snickered.
Tang Zhisong agreed. He worked until noon, and once the private chef had prepared lunch, he called Jiang Bin.
"Are you coming back for lunch?"
Jiang Bin was typing away with her phone wedged between her shoulder and ear. She replied, "I'm handling an emergency. You eat, and do not wait for me."
"At the office?" Tang Zhisong asked.
"Mhm."
After hanging up, Tang Zhisong noted that the Jiang Group headquarters was just a stone's throw away and ordered a meal to be sent to her. After finishing his own lunch, he headed out. He sent her a text on his way out stating that he had something tonight and would not be back for dinner.
For Jiang Bin, the final two days of the holiday were anything but a break. Her phone was a sea of notifications from clients, regional heads, and directors. Tang Zhisong’s message was quickly buried under the tide of other information.
A project in the Central China region had suffered an accident. With the delivery deadline looming, the site had been rushing progress during the holiday. This resulted in the death of a worker. The family was protesting at the site, and Jiang Shaoyu wanted to suppress the news.
Jiang Bin immediately dispatched her regional RO manager to assist the family while she investigated the situation. Discovering the cause was poor safety regulation rather than a freak accident, she ordered all projects to halt for three days for an inspection.
Jiang Shaoyu refused to stop work. Jiang Bin tapped a finger on his desk and told him that as the head of real estate, he could sign a liability waiver. If another accident occurred, he would have to resign.
"You..." Jiang Shaoyu’s face turned ashen.
"Do you know how much the company will lose? We can pay compensation, but we cannot stop work!"
"I do not care about the loss," Jiang Bin said coldly.
"I want stability. I want every project manager to realize safety is non-negotiable. Brother, you are the figurehead, and your attitude dictates theirs. If you brush this off, so will they. We will not last long that way."
She added that if he would not sign, she would release a solo statement on Weibo.
Furious and cornered, Jiang Shaoyu finally signed both the compensation and the inspection orders.
By the time Jiang Bin returned to Emerald Heights at 9:00 PM, she saw the dinner the chef had prepared and assumed Tang Zhisong was coming back to eat. A life had been lost today, and her mood was somber. She remembered the iron rule her grandfather had set that safety is as heavy as Mount Tai. Under Jiang Chengxiao, the group had expanded rapidly but had forgotten ethics in favor of profit.
Exhausted, she sat on the sofa. She was too drained to check her phone and drank a few sips of water before drifting off to sleep right there.
* * *
Tang Zhisong had spent the afternoon at a private club with his childhood friends. They were all heirs to various conglomerates and represented a high-level salon of sorts.
Cheng Yanjun watched Tang Zhisong approach the table alone. He leaned back, a curious smirk playing on his lips.
"Where is your 'Little President Jiang'?" Cheng Yanjun asked, glancing toward the empty space at Zhisong’s side.
"It’s a holiday, after all. Why didn't you bring her out to play with the rest of us?"
Tang Zhisong hung his suit jacket over the back of the chair and sat down, his movements fluid and poised.
"She’s busy," he replied, his tone short and dismissive.
No one was surprised by this. Jiang Bin was also a well-known "workaholic" in their circle and since it was a strategic marriage, no one expected them to be inseparable. Despite being married for months, Tang Zhisong’s inner circle had not officially met her.
Pei Qing was currently suffering through a forced breakup with a girl his family deemed unsuitable. He sighed and told Zhisong that out of the three of them, he had it best. Zhisong picked his own partner, his family stayed out of it, and a career-oriented wife did not need coaxing. Plus, Zhisong did not have some "White Moonlight" he could not get over.
Tang Zhisong thought of Jiang Bin’s defensive tone from the other night.
"It is not bad," he replied vaguely.
"Does she ever throw tantrums?" Pei Qing asked. He was used to Cheng Yanjun’s wife making his life a creative struggle.
"About what?" Tang Zhisong countered. It was a foreign concept to him. He felt he did his duty as a husband, and Jiang Bin was not the type to be petty.
Pei Qing leaned back, a trace of genuine envy in his eyes as he looked at Tang Zhisong.
"I have to hand it to you, Zhisong. You’ve really got it all figured out!"
When Tang Zhisong finally got home at 11:00 PM, the lights were still on. His gaze settled on the sofa, where a slender figure lay curled into a small, defensive ball.
He walked over and reached out, his hand hovering for a second before he gently shook her shoulder. "Why are you sleeping out here?"
Jiang Bin’s eyes fluttered open, blinking against the light until his sharp, handsome features came into focus.
"You're back," she murmured, her voice thick with sleep. As he leaned closer, the faint, clean scent of expensive alcohol reached her. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "Did you eat already?"
Tang Zhisong’s gaze drifted toward the kitchen island, where the elaborate, untouched dinner sat in a silent, cold display. He poured a glass of water and walked back to the sofa, handing it to her as she sat up.
"You haven't eaten yet?" he asked, his voice low in the quiet room.
Jiang Bin took a few sips, the water clearing the dryness in her throat.
"Not yet."
He stood there, the realization sinking in that she likely hadn't seen his earlier message. A strange thought crossed his mind. Had she actually been waiting for him, or was this a silent protest because he was late? He wanted to ask, but the words felt too intimate, too clumsy for a man of his standing.
"I’ve already eaten," he said at last, clearing his throat. "Should I heat this up for you?"
Jiang Bin cast a cool, sideways glance toward the cold dinner, her thoughts momentarily lingering on the wasted effort of the private chef. "No need," she said, her voice flat. "I’m not really hungry anymore."
The "tantrum" Tang Zhisong had so confidently claimed would never happen had arrived with lightning speed.
"I sent a message earlier to let you know I wouldn't be back for dinner," he explained, his tone defensive yet carefully measured.
"Oh," Jiang Bin replied with a flicker of indifference. "Sorry, I didn't see it."
She stood up, her movements graceful but heavy with the weight of the day. As she headed toward the bedroom, her silhouette appeared strangely lonely and exhausted in the vast, modern space of the penthouse.
Tang Zhisong watched her retreat, a budding headache beginning to throb behind his temples. He was a man who could navigate the most cutthroat boardrooms in the country, yet he truly had no experience coaxing women.
* * *
The next morning, Tang Zhisong woke up early and asked the chef to prepare steak.
When Jiang Bin emerged thirty minutes later, she sat down for breakfast. Seeing the steak, she reached for the plate. Simultaneously, Tang Zhisong picked up his knife and fork, intending to cut it for her.
His hands met empty air as Jiang Bin moved the plate to her side. Both of them froze.
Jiang Bin was not sure if he wanted the steak for himself or if he was going to cut it for her. He was a proud man, and if she offered it back, he might refuse out of spite. She decided to just tuck the steak into her sandwich and eat. She felt a little guilty for snatching the whole thing, but she refused to lose her momentum.
Tang Zhisong watched her act with such unshakeable calm and was certain she was still angry. The atmosphere was a mix of awkwardness and a strange, lingering intimacy.
After their silent breakfast, Jiang Bin departed for the office to prepare for the upcoming board meeting. Tang Zhisong spent his own morning at Ningsheng Tech, though his thoughts remained unusually unsettled. Recalling her preference for seafood, he decided to bridge the distance between them and called her at noon.
"Do you want to have dinner tonight?" he asked.
"Sure," she replied, her tone light and neutral.
With her agreement, Tang Zhisong immediately contacted the private chef to arrange a seafood feast. He gave specific instructions for the menu, even arranging for an Australian blue lobster to be flown in from a private island.
At three in the afternoon, Jiang Bin’s phone buzzed with a call from her closest friend, Cheng Ying.
"Bingbing, where on earth are you?" Cheng Ying’s voice was bright and demanding.
Jiang Bin paused, her eyes widening slightly behind her desk. "You’re back already?"
"I am at your place, and it's half-empty!" Cheng Ying replied, her tone shifting to one of sheer disbelief.
"I wanted to surprise you, but I’m the one who got the shock. Don't tell me you actually moved in with Tang Zhisong?"
Jiang Bin cleared her throat, a faint, uncharacteristic cough of embarrassment escaping her.
"Yes, I did."
"Congratulations! Now that sounds like a real marriage," Cheng Ying laughed, though her mind was already racing. She wasn't worried about Tang Zhisong's temperament, but rather that a genius in the tech industry might be using a "sham marriage" to hide his true inclinations.
"So, tell me the truth. Is everything...functioning properly?"
"Everything is fine," Jiang Bin replied, her voice steady despite the flicker of guilt. She couldn't allow anyone, even her closest friend, to speculate about the private state of her marriage.
"Then we’re getting the girls together tonight," Cheng Ying declared, her tone leaving no room for argument. "We need to celebrate your official departure from the market and my long-awaited return!"
Since Cheng Ying had been abroad for months, Jiang Bin found it impossible to refuse. In her world, a loyal friendship often carried more weight than a newly minted husband, making the decision a simple one.
She attempted to call Tang Zhisong, but he was deep in a meeting with his phone silenced. Rather than waiting, she sent a brief text to let him know she had a prior engagement and would not be returning for dinner.
"Everything is fine," Jiang Bin replied, her voice steady despite the flicker of guilt. She couldn't allow anyone, even her closest friend, to speculate about the private state of her marriage.
"Then we’re getting the girls together tonight," Cheng Ying declared, her tone leaving no room for argument. "We need to celebrate your official departure from the market and my long-awaited return!"
Since Cheng Ying had been abroad for months, Jiang Bin found it impossible to refuse. In her world, a loyal friendship often carried more weight than a newly minted husband, making the decision a simple one.
She attempted to call Tang Zhisong, but he was deep in a meeting with his phone silenced. Rather than waiting, she sent a brief text to let him know she had a prior engagement and would not be returning for dinner.
Tang Zhisong didn't see her message until he was already on his way home, the city lights blurring past his window. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose before removing his glasses in the heavy silence of the car.
Back at Emerald Heights, he was met by the sight of a magnificent seafood feast. The private chef had clearly spared no effort, but the table remained a cold, solitary display. Tang Zhisong sat in silence for a long time, staring at the elaborate spread.
A flicker of disappointment stirred within him. He had never been this patient with anyone before, yet his attempt at a "peace offering" had been met with an empty house. Still, he was not a man to shift blame. He knew the fault lay in his own missed notification.
As he finally sat down to eat alone, he pulled out his phone. He opened Jiang Bin’s WeChat profile, his thumb hovering over the screen for a brief second before he pinned her chat to the very top.
Translator's Notes:
- RO Manager: Residential Operations Manager. They act as the high-level bridge between a construction site and a finished luxury home, overseeing the final "fit-out" phase where raw structures are transformed into high-end living spaces.
- White Moonlight (白月光): An idiom for an idealized, pure, and unforgettable first love that remains out of reach.
- Mount Tai (泰山): Often used in idioms to signify something of great weight, importance, or stability.
(Since I have nothing else to do today, I'll drop a few more chapters.)
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