“President, we’ve arrived,” Li Ziqing said from the passenger seat to the man behind him.
“Mm.”
Li Ziqing got out of the car and opened the door for Song Jingting. Although he managed to keep a professional expression—after all, he was a trained assistant—his heart was already in turmoil.
The president, who handled countless matters every day and valued his time more than anything, had actually spent time looking for that woman.
Today had originally been the day the president left for America. Before departing, he would not even visit his own parents, yet today he had said he wanted to see that woman once.
Could it be…?!
Had the president really fallen for her!?
Li Ziqing’s thoughts bounced back and forth between the possibility of a future president’s Madam and the possibility of none. For some reason, he felt a bit excited, and the expression on his face twitched slightly.
Song Jingting glanced sideways at his assistant and said calmly, “If you’re sick, go see a doctor.”
Li Ziqing quickly adjusted his expression, tugged at his tie, and put on a righteous look.
Song Jingting stood at the entrance of the alley, frowning as he looked at the surrounding environment. There was a trace of disgust in his eyes.
It was summer. The blazing sun shone down freely, baking the ground. A sour, rancid smell drifted from somewhere, mixed with other odors, making the air unpleasant to breathe.
Li Ziqing noticed it as well and said to Song Jingting, “President, there are masks in the car. I’ll go get them.”
“No need. Let’s go,” Song Jingting stopped him, his tone the same as before.
His polished and expensive leather shoes stepped into the somewhat dirty alley, looking completely out of place with the surroundings.
Li Ziqing knew that the president had severe cleanliness issues, so he walked ahead. Every so often, he sprayed air freshener into the air so that the unpleasant smell would at least fade a little.
It was the morning rush hour. People walking out of the alley kept their distance while looking curiously at the group.
Wow, what big shot was this? Going out with two bodyguards—so imposing.
Especially the man in the middle. His aura was powerful, his bearing noble. Clearly someone no one dared to provoke.
Although some people did not dare approach them, they still could not resist taking out their phones and snapping pictures.
Li Ziqing warned, “Please do not take photos. Otherwise, you will bear all consequences yourselves.”
Some of the people who had been about to take pictures sensed that he was not joking and reluctantly lowered their phones. But there were still a few reckless ones who secretly tried to photograph the face of the man in the middle.
“President, another 400 meters and we’ll be there,” Li Ziqing said.
“Mm.”
Just as they were about to leave the alley, a woman dressed flamboyantly suddenly came around the corner toward them. She wore a short skirt, with her arms and thighs exposed to the air, and walked in high heels. The inner side of her thighs appeared and disappeared with each step.
When she saw the group approaching, her impatient expression changed the moment she noticed the man in the middle. Her heart stirred, and she boldly threw him a flirtatious glance as she slowly moved closer.
This was an urban village. Usually only people who could not afford houses elsewhere came to live here. In such a mixed and chaotic place, how could such a handsome man appear?
Yin Lingling had worked at high-end clubs for years. The men she served were either fat and greasy or thin and withered—none of them could compare with the man in front of her.
The clothes this man wore were worth at least seven figures. If she could get him, why would she need to keep serving those stinking men?
Yin Lingling curled her bright red lips and walked up to him, pretending to stumble.
“Sorry, sorry. I don’t know why, but I twisted my leg.”
She sat on the ground and brushed the hair from her chest. As the hair moved aside, a large patch of pale skin was revealed.
“Sir, I twisted my leg. Could you help me up?” Her eyes were fixed tightly on Song Jingting.
Having stayed by the president’s side for so many years, Li Ziqing immediately saw through the intention of this woman who had appeared out of nowhere. He waved to the two bodyguards. They understood and mercilessly dragged the woman blocking their way aside.
Song Jingting walked past her expressionlessly and continued forward.
Yin Lingling had never been treated so roughly before. She stood up unwillingly and tried to follow them. One of the bodyguards noticed and stopped, facing her. He pulled a pistol from his jacket and pointed it at her.
Yin Lingling was so frightened that she did not dare move. Her legs trembled as she scrambled away.
The bodyguard watched coldly, then turned and continued after them.
She did not even look at herself in the mirror before leaving the house, yet she dared to try to seduce his young master.
Song Jingting stopped in front of a building. He raised his eyes and fixed his gaze on the balcony at the very top floor. His previously calm eyes finally showed the slightest ripple.
This time, Song Jingting walked in front. Step by step, he steadily climbed the stairs until he finally stopped in front of a door.
Several star-shaped stickers were pasted on the door as decoration. Song Jingting was staring at them.
Li Ziqing saw that the president still had not knocked on the door and was only staring at the stickers. He had no idea what the president was thinking.
Just as he hesitated about whether he should knock on the door for him, the door of the opposite apartment opened, and an old lady walked out.
The old lady had lived here her entire life. Seeing these tall men who did not look like people who would normally appear in such a place, she looked at them with some caution.
“Are you here to look for Little Fu?”
When he heard the name “Little Fu,” Song Jingting moved slightly and turned to look at the old lady.
Li Ziqing immediately understood. He quickly walked over and tried his best to appear friendly.
“Yes. Do you know if Miss Wen is at home now?”
Since when did Little Fu know people like these?
Although the old lady hesitated, she still replied, “The Little Fu you’re looking for has gone to work.”
This…
Li Ziqing looked toward the president, waiting for his instructions.
The private jet was already waiting at the airport. If the president planned to wait for Miss Wen to return, then the affairs in America would have to be rearranged.
Song Jingting was rational. When he heard she was not home, he turned and left.
“Let’s go. To the airport.”
Li Ziqing silently followed behind him. For some reason, he felt that the atmosphere around the president had become just a little colder.
After getting into the car, Song Jingting said to his assistant, “Prepare a set of clothes.”
Li Ziqing knew that the president’s cleanliness obsession had been triggered again, so he immediately arranged for someone to deliver a clean set of clothes to the airport.
Wen Fufu had no idea that someone had come looking for her.
Today was her first day at work. No matter what, she wanted to leave a good impression on the studio, so she had left her rented apartment early in the morning and gone straight to the studio.
The studio’s first season of jewelry was about to be released. Early in the morning, Wen Fufu received an assignment—to complete the jewelry design draft within one week.
She worked with her head down, focusing intensely. Li Tiantian, who was responsible for publicity, would only get busy once the jewelry was finished. So at the moment, she was drinking coffee and scrolling through her phone.
When she suddenly came across a video, her eyes widened and she blurted out, “Holy crap!”
Her voice was so loud that the two people who were working were startled.
“Li Tiantian, what are you doing?” Zhou Lei asked.
Ignoring Zhou Lei, Li Tiantian rolled her chair over beside Wen Fufu and said excitedly, “Fufu, don’t you live near the Old City District?”
Wen Fufu was confused. “Yeah. What’s wrong?”
“Look at this. Song Jingting actually appeared where you live!”
Wen Fufu leaned closer to the phone. The first thing she saw was the title:
“Shocking! The mysterious president of Haike Group suddenly appears in Old City District. Is this land about to be developed?”
The video had already been watched by millions shortly after it was posted.
Wen Fufu looked at the familiar face in the video. He still appeared as calm and composed as ever.
Why had the male lead gone there? Could it really be like the title suggested—was he planning to develop that land?
Then Wen Fufu secretly felt relieved. Fortunately, she had left early that morning. The small alley the male lead had walked through was the route she always took. If she had left at her usual time, she would definitely have run into him.
When Zhou Lei heard the name Song Jingting, he also leaned over to watch.
“Damn, my idol! Is he still there? I’m going to ask the boss for leave to see my idol.”
“Zhou Lei, didn’t you read the comments? They all say your idol already left,” Li Tiantian told him.
Seeing both of them watching the video so excitedly, Wen Fufu could not help asking curiously, “Why do you all like him so much?”
Li Tiantian answered without hesitation, “How could we not like him? He’s the prince charming in our hearts—handsome, rich, and kind.”
“Kind?” Wen Fufu thought of those cold eyes and felt that description was a bit forced.
Zhou Lei explained, “Little Fu, don’t underestimate Song Jingting. He’s donated a lot of money to help our country develop infrastructure—building roads and such. He’s also helped a lot in recovering precious cultural relics that were lost overseas. And the technology products his company researches—even when foreign countries try to suppress them, they still contribute them to the country unconditionally. A man like that—I truly admire him.”
Wen Fufu fell silent. None of that had been written in the character description in the book.
“Damn it! The video’s gone! That was too fast,” Li Tiantian wailed, regretting that she had not watched it a few more times.
“What happened?” Wen Fufu asked.
Looking at her innocent eyes, Li Tiantian explained carefully, “That video from earlier was deleted. Now you can’t find it anywhere on the internet. Anytime a video or photo related to Song Jingting himself appears online, it disappears from the platform within a few minutes. You can’t save it or download it. That’s why he’s so mysterious—it’s really hard to find even one photo of him on the internet.”
Li Tiantian and Zhou Lei stared regretfully at their phones.
With her back to them, Wen Fufu stared at the design draft on the desk, deep in thought.
Why was the storyline becoming more and more different?