Back in those youthful days, I never knew how to yield in matters of the heart. After these years of navigating the complexities of officialdom, I’ve learned not to deliberately shatter certain illusions.
He leaned close to her neck, his voice slightly husky: “When have I ever lied to you? Haven’t I given you plenty of exceptions, Xiao Shu?” As he spoke, his warm breath brushed against her neck, sending a faint, ticklish sensation.
Jiang Shu, dazed and unsure if she had heard him clearly, leaned in and nibbled at the corner of his clothes.
Heh, calling her a little fox—she really seemed to have gained a spirit of her own, even learning to bite. Though, with that gentle pressure, she was probably still just a milk-fed cub…
The next morning, when Jiang Shu woke up, Cheng Xiyu was, as usual, nowhere to be seen.
She slipped out of bed and into her slippers, her legs still slightly weak, her entire body feeling as though it had been taken apart and clumsily reassembled.
After spending twenty minutes freshening up, she prepared a simple breakfast.
In the past, Cheng Xiyu would visit once every ten days or half a month, staying for two or three days before leaving. That frequency had suited Jiang Shu just fine. But now, with his visits becoming more frequent and his intention to move in, she found it somewhat troublesome—it was starting to interfere with her work and her livestreams.
He didn’t know about her side job as a streamer, and she had no intention of telling him.
She could only inform her followers that due to personal matters, she wouldn’t be streaming for the next few days.
Surely Cheng Xiyu wouldn’t be staying with her for too long, right?
But what if he really planned to stick around for a while? After all, Wang Ye had already moved his work materials over.
She couldn’t help but pinch the hem of her clothes and let out a soft sigh.
After breakfast, she took a few cold pills and began packing her clothes, preparing the materials she would need for her business trip.
Her phone, left on the sofa, buzzed with an incoming message.
【Senior Brother Bai】: Junior Sister, I’ve arrived in Hong Kong ahead of schedule. The hotel is booked—I’ll send you the address in a bit. When you arrive, just give your name at the front desk. Oh, and I’ve booked your flight ticket for 2 p.m. today. I’ll be waiting for you here (smile).
【Junior Sister】: Okay. Thank you for taking care of it, Senior Brother Bai.
【Senior Brother Bai】: No need to be so formal with me. Besides, even if you weren’t my junior sister, the company wouldn’t make you cover the expenses for a business trip. And anyway, you’re my only junior sister.
So that was how it was. It was a relief to know it wasn’t a special arrangement made just for her.
Jiang Shu felt a little less burdened.
She disliked owing favors—it meant having to repay them eventually. No one was obligated to be kind to anyone else.
She feared that growing accustomed to others’ kindness would make her soft and overly sensitive.
And once it was gone, the fall would be into an abyss.
【Junior Sister】: Is there anything I need to prepare in advance for what comes next?
【Senior Brother Bai】: No need, I’ll handle the preparations. You just need to be my—
He paused before sending the next message:
【Senior Brother Bai】: Keen eye.
A faint unease flickered in Jiang Shu’s heart. She must be overthinking it. Senior Brother Bai’s care for her was purely that of a fellow disciple—it couldn’t be… flirtation…
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong.
“He’s here too?” Bai Shuxi’s expression visibly darkened as he looked through the bidding records for Blue Luster over the years, which his assistant had brought him, upon hearing the assistant’s report.
“Um, yes. Mr. Smith personally invited Mr. Cheng to this Blue Luster event. We weren’t aware of it beforehand,” the assistant explained cautiously, watching his expression and subtly defending himself.What is Cheng Xiyu doing here? Although the shape and luster of this Blue Luster are quite rare, it’s still just a sapphire. Would his company’s jewelry stores really lack something like this?
Cheng Xiyu had no idea what he was thinking about. At that moment, he was catching up with Mr. Smith at his villa.
“Xiyu, so glad you could come,” Mr. Smith said in somewhat broken Cantonese.
He was Russian. A few years ago, while traveling in Hong Kong, he met a woman he really liked, who later became his wife. He followed her to Hong Kong and settled there.
Two years ago, during the major economic crisis, his and his wife’s company suffered heavy losses. It was Cheng Xiyu, who had just taken over as head of the Cheng family, who took a risk and chose to collaborate with his company, helping him weather that crisis.
Chinese people emphasize reciprocity in relationships. Although Cheng Xiyu was younger than him, his abilities surpassed his own. He was both grateful and admiring of him, so he naturally made sure to invite him to this event.
“How could I refuse when Mr. Smith personally invited me?” Cheng Xiyu replied with a polite smile.
“Hahaha, let me take you to see something rare, Xiyu.”
…………………………………
At 5 p.m., the plane arrived in Hong Kong. By the time Jiang Shu took a taxi to the hotel according to the address, it was already 9 p.m.
The taxi driver was a middle-aged man. Seeing her with a suitcase, he assumed she was visiting Hong Kong for tourism and enthusiastically tried to recommend various places to her. She didn’t understand Cantonese, so she just smiled politely without saying anything, occasionally glancing at the passing scenery outside the window.
The night was enchanting, filled with bustling traffic. The neon lights of the big city overshadowed the gentle glow of the stars and moon, while the fireflies of small towns faded into the distance…
“Miss, how may I assist you?” The front desk staff’s eyes showed a flicker of admiration upon seeing Jiang Shu’s appearance, but her professional training kept her expression from becoming too obvious.
“Jiang Shu. I have a reservation here,” she gave her name to the front desk.
The staff seemed to recall something and made a phone call. “Please wait a moment.”
After a brief conversation, she hung up and said, “Are you here with Mr. Bai? Are you attending Mr. Smith’s appreciation event tomorrow?”
“Yes,” Jiang Shu nodded.
When she came to Hong Kong, she only wore a beige thin sweater with a mid-length mermaid skirt. The Hong Kong night was chilly, and when she took her room key, her fingertips were visibly red from the cold.
Her room was on the third floor, a spacious suite—hardly the usual treatment for an ordinary employee.
After putting her things away, she took a shower. Just as she stepped out in her bathrobe, hotel staff knocked to deliver a meal: “Mr. Bai mentioned you might not have had dinner, so he asked us to bring something up. If you need anything else, feel free to call the front desk. We won’t disturb your meal. Enjoy.”
Since it was late and not advisable to eat too much, they brought fresh white bread, a serving of foie gras, and a piece of red velvet cake.
[Junior Sister]: Thank you, Senior Brother, for the dinner. I’m sorry to trouble you.
[Senior Brother Bai]: It’s just a small matter, yet you’re always so polite with me. It actually makes me a little sad (sighing jpg.).
Jiang Shu was taken aback, feeling somewhat at a loss. She had only genuinely wanted to express gratitude for someone’s kindness toward her, without any ulterior motives. Little did she expect that her words would still manage to upset others.
[Senior Brother Bai]: Alright, just teasing you. Remember to eat~ (smile)
Jiang Shu instinctively typed “Thank you,” then deleted the characters one by one.
[Junior Sister]: Okay, Senior Brother, you should rest early too.
[Senior Brother Bai]: Sure thing. (Good night jpg.)