Back in high school, Jiang Zhaohan had been one of the school’s most prominent figures.
Handsome, with excellent grades.
There wasn’t a girl who didn’t like him.
No one at school knew about his connection to Su Qian. Even though the two of them were deskmates, everyone assumed they barely knew each other.
Looking at the familiar photo, Su Qian’s fingers paused, and she ignored the friend request.
……
After eating, Su Qian headed to the company.
During breaks at work, whenever she had a spare moment, she would chat with Jiang Ji on WeChat.
Jiang Ji was a man of few words. The sea of green bubbles in their chat window was almost entirely Su Qian talking to herself.
An ordinary person might have given up.
But Su Qian didn’t.
Su Qian: [Not replying again? Fine, I like you even more.]
Jiang Ji: [Can you give it a rest?]
Su Qian: [Sure. Pay me three thousand in hush money.]
The next second, Jiang Ji transferred her 3,000.
Su Qian froze.
In the chat box, there was still a message she’d typed out but never sent.
[Stay healthy, stay happy, and stay in love with me.]
This was another seduction tactic she’d learned online—supposedly guaranteed to make your crush fall head over heels.
But the tutorial never mentioned—
What to do if your crush actually sent you hush money?!
In the evening, after a day of clear skies, thick dark clouds suddenly gathered overhead, pressing down oppressively over the city.
In the office, coworkers grumbled.
“Why does it always have to rain right when we get off work!”
“You can just imagine how terrifying the subway crowds will be today.”
“Forget the subway—even getting a cab will be impossible.”
As employees of a major company like MediCore Technology, their salaries weren’t low—enough to afford a car for commuting.
But Haicheng’s license plates were notoriously hard to get. Not only did you need three years of social insurance contributions, you also needed a residence permit.
Su Qian’s usual commute was subway plus ride-hailing.
Gazing out the floor-to-ceiling window at the raindrops, big as beans, hammering down, Su Qian asked Xia Jie, “It’s raining. How are you getting home?”
Xia Jie gave a mysterious smile. “Someone’s picking me up. What about you?”
Su Qian smiled bitterly.
She showed Xia Jie her ride-hailing app, which displayed 200 people nearby waiting for cars.
Xia Jie patted her. “That’s what you get for insisting on chasing a younger guy. If you’d found yourself some old-money local, would you be suffering like this?”
At the mention of the younger guy, Su Qian sent Jiang Ji a message.
Su Qian: [Did you bring an umbrella like a good boy?]
Jiang Ji: [No]
Su Qian: [Where are you? I’ll come pick you up.]
Jiang Ji: [Photo]
The photo showed a hand resting on a steering wheel.
Jiang Ji was driving.
Xia Jie leaned over. “A Mercedes G-Wagon? Who would’ve thought—your boy is this rich?”
Su Qian was a little surprised too.
She knew Jiang Ji wasn’t short on money, but she hadn’t known he was still in school and already driving a Mercedes.
Su Qian thought for a moment, then sent: [Then come pick me up. The rain is really heavy. I’ll send you my company’s location.]
Jiang Ji: [I’m busy.]
Su Qian: [Then when will you be free? I’ll wait. You have to come home eventually anyway—we live in the same complex. It’s raining today, I can’t even get a cab!]
To play up her plight, she even sent a screenshot showing “200 people nearby waiting for cars.”
This time, Jiang Ji sent a two-second voice message.
Still just three words: I’m busy.
Su Qian wasn’t disappointed, though.
She was the one pursuing Jiang Ji, not the other way around. A few setbacks were only natural.
Fortunately, Xia Jie was loyal.
“If your boy won’t pick you up, I’ll have my partner drop you off first.”
“Wonderful! Our classmate Xia Jie is as kind as she is beautiful!”
Su Qian never refused kindness.
Especially when she truly needed it.
The rain was really heavy today—whether by subway or taxi, she would have gotten soaked either way.
So without any hesitation, she quickly packed up her things and headed downstairs with Xia Jie.
Half an hour later, Su Qian arrived home, completely dry.
Even though Jiang Ji hadn’t come to pick her up.
Su Qian still made dinner for two.
If the mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain.
Su Qian’s motto: never dwell on things.
As she carried the food containers upstairs, she saw Jiang Ji, just returned, in the elevator.
He was soaked through, his face sickly pale, his white T-shirt drenched and nearly transparent, clinging to his body.
His chest muscles were defined.
His abs were defined too.
Even his pants were rain-soaked, showing off quite a shape.
But Su Qian had no time to admire the view.
She asked in surprise, “Didn’t you drive home? How did you get soaked?”
Jiang Ji said nothing, his narrow eyes lowered as he glanced at the food containers in her hands.
He thought she wouldn’t come.
The school had no underground parking lot.
The umbrella stall at the supermarket had a long line.
Sure, some people had offered to share their umbrellas with him, but Jiang Ji always hated contact with others, so he ran to his car instead.
The rain was too heavy—he still got drenched.
“Beep—”
The elevator arrived.
The moment the electronic lock opened, Su Qian took charge, pushing him into the bathroom.
“Take a shower first. I’ll make you some ginger tea.”
Jiang Ji didn’t move.
He stared at her with pitch-black eyes, his voice laced with coldness: “Su Qian, do you have no self-respect?”
Su Qian froze.
Then she heard Jiang Ji say coldly, “I didn’t come pick you up from work, yet not only are you not angry, you even came to bring me food. Do you have no temper at all?”
“Oh, that.”
Su Qian relaxed and said gently, “We barely know each other, so it’s only natural you wouldn’t come pick me up. Besides, I understand now—you didn’t come because you were afraid I’d see you in such a sorry state, right?”
“Absolutely not.”
Su Qian smiled, rose up on her tiptoes, and leaned in close to look at him.
“A-Ji, just admit it. The moment you start caring about how you look in front of me, it means you’ve already fallen for me~”
“Nonsense!”
Jiang Ji turned expressionlessly and walked into the shower, but the tips of his ears were bright red.
Su Qian noticed.
She also noticed that Jiang Ji’s home wasn’t so empty anymore—he’d bought a new sofa and coffee table.
It looked a bit more lived-in now.
While making the ginger tea, Su Qian received a message from her father, Su Minghua.
He said he wanted to introduce her to a third-generation red family scion and wanted her to go on a blind date with him.
He also said her younger sister Su Luoluo and her boyfriend were about to get engaged, so as the older sister, she should get married first.
Su Qian didn’t reply.
Her gaze drifted toward the bathroom.
Su Luoluo’s boyfriend had been with her these past few days—who exactly was Su Luoluo getting engaged to?
Su Qian’s lips curled.
Clearly, Su Luoluo liked Jiang Ji.
And Su Luoluo’s stepmother quite approved of him as a son-in-law too.
So what could hurt that mother-daughter pair more than stealing Jiang Ji away?
Before long, the bathroom door opened.
Jiang Ji walked out in a dark blue bathrobe, his hair not yet dried, dripping slightly, hanging over his forehead like a soggy little puppy.
Su Qian pulled her gaze away from his chest and walked over with the ginger tea.
“It’ll warm you up. Drink it while it’s hot.”
The smell of ginger was pungent, carrying heat with it, sharp and spicy.
Jiang Ji frowned. “No.”
“Come on, drink it.” Su Qian thought for a moment. “If you drink it, I’ll grant you one request.”
“Including you leaving me alone?”
“That one’s not on the table.”
“Then I’m not drinking.”
“How about this.” Su Qian thought it over. “If you haven’t agreed to let me pursue you by midnight on the 21st, I’ll stop bothering you completely. I’ll even avoid you whenever I see you. Deal?”
Jiang Ji agreed. “Deal.”
The ginger tea was just the right temperature, warm going down.
Wherever it flowed felt warm. His body warmed up a little, and color returned to his face.
Su Qian asked, “Where’s the hair dryer? Let’s dry your hair first.”
“No.”
“You’ll catch a cold.”
“Too lazy.”
“Then I’ll do it for you.” Su Qian found the hair dryer. “Sit here, I’ll dry it for you.”
“No.”
“Then I’ll just have to kiss you.”
“You—”
Jiang Ji was furious. Apparently afraid Su Qian would actually follow through, he sat down in front of her, looking thoroughly reluctant.
The hair dryer hummed.
Su Qian deliberately used the second setting with hot air, wanting his hair to dry slowly—that way there’d be more physical contact, making it easier to build up feelings.
Jiang Ji’s hair was black and thick, a bit shorter on the sides, the stubble so coarse it was almost prickly to the touch.
They say people with coarse hair have strong libidos.
No idea if there’s any scientific basis for that.
Su Qian’s lashes fluttered, and she asked softly, “A-Ji, are you really… not able to?”