Passion Raga Novel (Completed) - Chapter 80 (Side Story)

Greedy Greedy Darling

The eightieth birthday banquet for Ling Huolong, the master of the Ling family, turned out to be far grander than expected.

Even though he had witnessed countless wealthy families flaunt their extravagance, Jeong Taeui couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed as he gazed up at the red silk ribbons draped from the towering ceiling. He had to take a sip of champagne to calm himself.

If even the ceiling, more than ten meters high, was so elaborately decorated, then the floor didn’t even need to be discussed. Inside the vast hall, large enough to host a football match, luxurious tables laden with delicacies from land and sea were everywhere, creating an unbelievably magnificent scene.

However, what was truly dazzling were the guests occupying those banquet tables. The faces of world-renowned political and economic figures, usually only seen in the media, were gathered here in numbers no different from the uncles and aunts in the neighborhood.

“Wow… if you just throw a bomb in here, the whole world will surely descend into chaos.”

“How about it? Do you enjoy living the life of an internationally wanted man?”

Kyle responded indifferently upon hearing Jeong Taeui’s unconscious exclamation.

Jeong Taeui shrugged, shaking his head:

“It’s just that I didn’t expect these people to gather in one place like this. It feels dangerous, like putting both the president and vice president on the same flight.”

“Throwing a bomb in here isn’t easy. You’ve seen it…”

He had seen it.

From the mercenaries sweeping the garden with brooms to the former special forces agents carrying plates of roasted pig…

Even if one could get past the strict security checks at the Ling family mansion’s gate, in a place where even the servants were warriors, even terrorist organizations would find it difficult to succeed.

“It’s truly terrifying.”

Jeong Taeui involuntarily sighed, witnessing the true power of the Ling family for the first time.

He glanced at Kyle, who was casually playing with his phone as if he were in his own home. As expected of the chairman of a world-leading military corporation, he couldn’t be swayed by such things…

No, more accurately, he didn’t even pay attention to the surrounding atmosphere, because his mind was engrossed in something else.

Seeing Kyle’s fingers eagerly typing messages, it seemed this person was very excited.

“Good! See you tomorrow at two.”

Kyle said, putting away his phone, his voice full of excitement.

Jeong Taeui casually asked:

“Did Mr. Gable contact you?”

“Yeah, he set up a meeting for me at two tomorrow afternoon at his house. I also have the address; it takes about forty minutes from our hotel.”

The Ling family not only possessed immense wealth but was also famous for its priceless collection of cultural treasures. It was said that the scale of this treasure trove was so vast it rivaled any museum in a medium-sized city.

One of the rooms in that treasure trove was filled with ancient texts and books dating back hundreds of years, including a collection of forty-two volumes of poetry from the Ming Dynasty and earlier, a precious book Kyle had long yearned to see.

Not long ago, when Kyle happened to mention this book to a former employee of his company—who was now working at the Ling family—Yuri Gable happened to be standing nearby and overheard.

After discussing with Ling Xinlu, Gable casually said, “If you want to see it, I’ll bring it over.” It seemed Ling Xinlu also added, “Did I just say Gable would bring it if he wanted to see it?” but Kyle didn’t care about those words.

Faced with this rare opportunity, he immediately rushed to thank the other party a hundred times before they could change their minds.

Just then, the invitation to Ling Huolong’s eightieth birthday banquet arrived.

Initially, Kyle intended to decline to attend an important international forum happening at the same time, but as soon as he heard the news, he immediately booked a flight to China. Of course, James was sent to replace him at the international forum. And James’s assistant position was given to Jeong Taeui.

“What? Me? An assistant??”

Jeong Taeui, who was lazily sitting on the sofa, holding a glass of beer, reading an ancient book, suddenly froze as if someone had hit him over the head with a club.

Be Kyle’s assistant?

He had helped James and Kyle with a few errands before, and had some understanding of how the position worked, but he had never done this kind of work.

Moreover, this was the Ling family!

Had they forgotten who caused their youngest son to lose an eye?

Alright, anyway, personal matters and business cooperation were two different things.

T&R and the Ling family were still cooperating normally, and receiving the invitation could be seen as a sign that they had let go of the past.

But…

“Should I go there?”

Jeong Taeui nervously glanced at Ilay, who was sitting opposite him. Leaving aside the fact that he was the indirect cause of Ling Xinlu losing an eye, he and Ling Xinlu had not met since the kidnapping incident that year.

If they met again now, would it…

“If you want to go, just go.”

Surprisingly, Ilay said this casually. There was no hint of sarcasm or malice in his tone.

“Ling Huolong’s birthday banquet? I can’t go. I have business in Russia that day. If you see Ling Xinlu, send him my regards.”

He… let him go so easily?

Jeong Taeui narrowed his eyes slightly in suspicion, then quietly took a sip of beer.

Well, that’s true.

Now Ling Xinlu probably no longer wanted to pick a fight with him, and if he did, Jeong Taeui was still capable of defending himself. But it was still strange… that someone who once wanted to steal him away like Ling Xinlu didn’t make Ilay object to him going to meet him?

Hearing him say that, Jeong Taeui suddenly thought that he hadn’t been back to Asia in a long time, so perhaps he should take this opportunity to visit Korea.

“By the way, send my regards to Gable too.”

“Ah, yeah. It’s been a long time since I saw Gable. I heard he’s been working alongside Ling Xinlu for a long time, I didn’t expect him to still be there. I thought he didn’t like staying in one place for too long, so the working conditions must be really good, huh?”

The moment Jeong Taeui said that carelessly, the entire living room fell into an inexplicable silence. Three pairs of eyes from Kyle, James, and Ilay simultaneously focused on him.

“…Huh?”

“News travels this slowly, huh.”

“Huh??”

“Gable has been Ling Xinlu’s lover for a long time. Everyone who needs to know already knows, right?”

“Huh?!?!”

It was a good thing he had just swallowed his beer, otherwise, it would have been a pathetic scene. Seeing Jeong Taeui gaping in bewilderment, Ilay asked, half-smiling, half-not:

“What? Regret it?”

“Regret… how could I regret it! No, it’s not that, it’s just…”

Jeong Taeui stammered, flustered for a moment, then blinked and sighed.

“Completely unexpected. Moreover, it’s hard to imagine Xinlu seriously dating anyone for so long. He’s also a bit… dangerous.”

At the same time, Kyle and James’s silent gazes simultaneously turned towards Jeong Taeui. As soon as he finished that sentence, he suddenly realized he had spoken like a hypocrite, so he quietly avoided their eyes.

James seemed to pity him and smoothly changed the subject.

“The last time they came to Frankfurt, I met them briefly. They looked very intimate. Even excessively so…”

“Excessively?”

“Hmm, Ling Xinlu seems a bit troublesome. He was extremely wary of me even though I only met him by chance for work. Anyway, they must be compatible to be living together.”

James looked at Jeong Taeui and continued:

“That kid isn’t the type to hesitate; he’ll cut off anything he doesn’t like immediately. So Taei, will you go with Kyle? There’s nothing special, just make sure this one doesn’t cause any big trouble.”

The last phrase almost turned into “this guy,” but Jeong Taeui didn’t intend to nitpick. After a moment of consideration, he nodded in agreement. There was no reason to refuse.

Anyway, aside from potentially messing up the schedule, Kyle wasn’t the type to cause trouble. Moreover, a high-society banquet was worth seeing, and he might meet some old acquaintances.

The last time he encountered Ling Xinlu wasn’t under good circumstances, and sometimes that memory still felt like a small thorn, occasionally pricking his heart.

What would it be like to meet again this time? Awkward? Or nothing at all? Or perhaps they would be surprisingly happy to see each other?

Not only Ling Xinlu’s reaction, but Jeong Taeui also couldn’t predict his own emotions. And so, he set off with a mixed heart.

…But.

It was foolish to think that going to the banquet guaranteed he would meet him.

The banquet was fifty times grander than expected. Among countless famous figures from all over, a small assistant like Jeong Taeui could not easily encounter the precious young master of the Ling family.

Jeong Taeui looked towards the large table at the head of the hall, quite a distance from him.

At the center of the Ling family’s main table sat today’s protagonist—Ling Huolong. Beside him were his wife and his most beloved youngest son.

The other children circulated, chatting with guests, but Ling Xinlu alone remained by Ling Huolong’s side, greeting those who came to pay their respects.

One could say he was kept as a decoration because he was the youngest and most handsome, but in truth, over the past few years, he had proven himself a genius, making any project he touched explode with success. Because of this, it was rumored that Ling Huolong cherished him even more.

Perhaps because he was so busy, even while entertaining guests, Ling Xinlu constantly took out his phone to check it. Even when he was next to the main figure of the banquet, he was so concerned about messages, it must have been something extremely important and urgent.

“At this rate, I wouldn’t dare go say hello.”

Jeong Taeui muttered, looking towards the banquet table. Kyle heard him and casually replied:

“Ling Xinlu? We’re meeting tomorrow, we already set a time for two at his house.”

“Ah. Do Gable and Xinlu live together?”

No matter how close they were, their personalities seemed to be the type that respected personal space. Yet they lived together so harmoniously?

Jeong Taeui nodded in surprise, while Kyle spoke softly with a hint of impatience:

“If only I could meet him sooner… I wonder if I’ll have enough time to read all the books…”

“Read all of them? Weren’t you just going to glance through that book? I heard there are forty-two volumes, you might not even finish it if you stay up for several nights. Not to mention it’s written in Chinese, and ancient text at that!?”

“That’s why I need to take pictures of every page and hire someone to translate it.”

“…Take… take pictures of every page…? All forty-two volumes…?”

Jeong Taeui stammered, momentarily speechless, but Kyle nodded vigorously as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“So what! The book is copyrighted, someone sold it already, no, maybe it’s too late to talk about copyright now. But infringing on the owner’s rights is fine, right?”

“Only I’m going to look at it!”

Faced with Kyle’s confident assertion, Jeong Taeui was utterly speechless. Neither logic nor morality could sway him. It was a good thing James wasn’t here to witness this… Jeong Taeui quickly gave up arguing and moved on to a more practical matter.

“Forty-two volumes, how long do you plan to photograph all of them?”

“That’s why I’m saying there’s not enough time. I wish I could meet him sooner, but Yuri can’t come any earlier. It seems there’s something going on with Ling Xinlu.”

Looking at the impatient Kyle, Jeong Taeui casually replied, “Too bad,” then looked towards the distant table again. Ling Xinlu sat beside his father like a statue, continuously greeting guests who approached. Occasionally, when a conversation between his father and someone lasted a long time, he would sit bored, then take out his phone from his pocket to check it.

He had been checking his phone constantly, wondering if he was receiving many work messages. Given Ling Xinlu’s position, it should be rare for him to personally receive communications, yet he checked it every ten minutes or so.

No, occasionally, that expressionless face would brighten considerably, intently typing something, so it probably wasn’t just work messages.

Then, whenever someone came to talk to him, that face immediately returned to its original expressionless state. Jeong Taeui watched the scene from afar and took a sip of champagne.

The banquet had started early and had now lasted more than five or six hours.

It should have ended by now, but because it was a rare opportunity for important figures to meet and exchange, the atmosphere showed no signs of calming down. Even sitting in the most secluded corner of the hall, anyone here, once outside, would be a prominent figure, so no one wanted to miss the opportunity to expand their connections.

Looking beside him, Kyle had begun a serious conversation with a man who appeared to be a high-ranking official from the U.S. Department of Defense. At this moment, he didn’t look like a madman intending to secretly photograph forty-two volumes of books in a few hours; indeed, one couldn’t judge a person by their appearance alone.

He wanted to go back to the hotel to rest, but as an escort, he certainly couldn’t leave on his own beforehand.

…Well, he’d go outside for some fresh air.

Jeong Taeui stood up and left the banquet hall to shake off his drowsiness and clear his mind.

He recalled that it took quite a while to drive from the main gate to the main building earlier, which gave him an idea of how vast the mansion grounds were. But he didn’t expect that as soon as he stepped out the back door of the hall, an endless lake appeared before him.

“……”

No matter how he looked at it, it was an artificial lake, but to dig one this large, just how rich were they… Jeong Taeui silently marveled, then sat down on a bench. Escaping the bustle inside, sitting quietly in this garden felt a little easier to breathe.

A quiet moonlit night.