“Huh? President Jiang… How could that be? Miss Shen would never be so inconsiderate.” President Zhang, unaware of what was really going on, looked at Shen Zhihui, who seemed “surprised.”
With Jiang Jingnian’s status, what woman wouldn’t throw herself at him?
And Shen Zhihui was just an unknown designer. If President Jiang thought highly of her, shouldn’t she be jumping for joy?
Who had given her the nerve not to welcome President Jiang?
President Zhang wondered if President Jiang had misunderstood.
“But does it look that way to you?” Jiang Jingnian asked, casually and elegantly swirling his wineglass.
His fingers tapped lightly against its rim.
They were handsome fingers, long and well-defined, but when his gaze swept over someone, it carried the oppressive force of a blade of verdant bamboo in the forest.
As Shen Zhihui stared at his unnervingly intense eyes, she nearly toppled backward in shock.
How had she not welcomed him?
She was afraid of him, if anything! Was Jiang Jingnian deliberately picking a fight with her?
Did he think she had no connections and would be easy to bully?
It wasn’t impossible.
Shen Zhihui drew a small, quiet breath and sat still in her chair, biting her rosy lip as she explained softly, “President Jiang, I didn’t.”
“I saw you were about to leave. Is it because you find it unpleasant that I’m sitting here?” Jiang Jingnian asked in a warm, resonant voice.
The fingers holding his wineglass so casually seemed to press, little by little, into Shen Zhihui’s field of vision amid the shifting halos of light.
The pressure was so intense, it felt as though he might devour her whole.
That was why you should never provoke someone powerful.
Shen Zhihui tried hard to steady herself. As far as she could tell, she had no idea why this big shot was “picking a fight” with her. Maybe… to put it more precisely… was he looking for a bit of amusement?
Then… she’d just flatter him.
“No, no, President Jiang, you’re joking… I really don’t find you unpleasant.” Shen Zhihui quickly lowered her head and explained in a cautious, gentle murmur, “Please don’t misunderstand.”
Jiang Jingnian turned his eyes toward her, his gaze landing on her bowed head.
Her thick, jet-black hair…
From this angle, he could see her porcelain-white skin up close. It was as smooth as a peeled egg, inviting all sorts of thoughts. After looking at her for a moment, Jiang Jingnian couldn’t stop the image that flashed through his mind: her struggling in indignation, then having no choice but to yield to him, sobbing pitifully beneath him.
Back then, he hadn’t known it was her.
Every time he thought about it, it made him furious and agitated.
Now he knew it was her.
When he looked at her, he felt an attraction so powerful it seemed to seize his soul and eat into his bones.
So it was fortunate that he had been the man with her that night.
Otherwise, he might have felt tainted.
“Then have a drink with me?” Jiang Jingnian said. President Zhang, quick to catch on, was already hurrying off to get the drinks.
“I…” Shen Zhihui was taken aback. She had already decided she wasn’t going to drink.
She was afraid something like what had happened aboard the cruise ship would happen again.
“You don’t want to drink with me?” Jiang Jingnian asked, looking at her.
He leaned toward her slightly.
His imposing presence bore down on her, pinning her in place like a rabbit.
His handsome face, imbued with the unmistakable air of a wealthy aristocrat, deliberately drew close. His breath was refined yet intensely masculine, enveloping Shen Zhihui.
She caught its scent and instinctively looked up at him, only to meet his deep, alluring black eyes. Her reflection was clear in them.
She looked far too flustered. Shen Zhihui’s heart lurched, and she quickly lowered her gaze, fingers tightening around the hem of her dress. Drawing in a breath, she shook her head. “No.”
Although she didn’t want to provoke him, she wasn’t about to deliberately offend him when she couldn’t avoid dealing with him.
She simply didn’t want to drink.
“Then have a little with me, Miss Shen.” Jiang Jingnian’s lips curled as he watched her tremble like a little rabbit.
A fierce desire to conquer her surged through him.
He really wanted to tie her up and take her home.
But the little rabbit looked afraid of him, so he would take his time.
Seeing that they had settled things, President Zhang went off to get the drinks with a beaming smile. Shen Zhihui sat on pins and needles, while Guoguo, beside her, had been too surprised to know what to do the whole time.
She didn’t dare say a word.
President Jiang had such a strong presence.
She was afraid that if she spoke out of turn, he’d “cut her down” with a look.
Across from them, Chen Jingyi stared furiously at Shen Zhihui’s bowed head, her face as green as if it had been painted.
She had no idea this unknown designer had such a seductive knack—that she could attract Jiang Jingnian so completely.
She’d really wasted her time turning down so many engagements to come to this dinner.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
Chen Jingyi was nearly ready to march over and tear that “vixen” Shen Zhihui apart with her bare hands.
“President Jiang, I brought the drinks: red wine and champagne.” President Zhang came up behind them, carrying the two bottles as if presenting a treasure.
Jiang Jingnian didn’t even turn around, but his voice was clearly displeased. “Did I tell you to get drinks?”
“Huh?” President Zhang was baffled. If he wasn’t supposed to bring drinks, what were they meant to have?
Hadn’t President Jiang said he wanted the beauty to drink with him?
“Girls shouldn’t drink. Go get her some juice,” Jiang Jingnian said.
President Zhang looked startled, but hurried off to fetch juice all the same.
Shen Zhihui breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this “Hades” hadn’t made her drink. “Thank you, President Jiang.”
“It’s nothing. I don’t force women,” Jiang Jingnian said mildly, with a faintly amused smile.
Shen Zhihui: ???
He didn’t force women? Then why had he forced her to drink with him?
She had clearly been about to leave.
Forget it. In the end, the rich and powerful always got their way.
“President Jiang, you can really hold your liquor.” Shen Zhihui struggled to come up with something and managed a smile as she flattered him.
“You know I can hold my liquor?” Jiang Jingnian’s lips tugged upward. He turned his eyes to her and asked deliberately, “Miss Shen, have you been looking into me?”
Shen Zhihui froze, nearly choking on her breath. !!!
She hadn’t. She swore.
She would never be so infatuated as to investigate him.
“No, no.” Shen Zhihui bit her lip and quickly denied it.
“Oh? I thought you might have a crush on me, like other women,” Jiang Jingnian said in a low voice, teasing her on purpose.
A… crush on him???
Shen Zhihui’s heart jolted. She nearly died of fright.
She really didn’t!
Was Jiang Jingnian really that conceited?
She’d heard he was rather… aloof?
How could he joke around like this?
“President Jiang, you do like to joke,” Shen Zhihui said quietly.
Jiang Jingnian gave a low laugh. “Depends on the person.”
There were women he wouldn’t deign to glance at, and others he wanted to coax and tease.
Like the woman in front of him.
Shen Zhihui frowned, not catching the meaning behind his words. Just as she was wondering what she should talk about next, President Zhang returned with the juice.
Shen Zhihui immediately breathed another sigh of relief. She seemed to have been left with a shadow by what had happened that night. Whenever she looked at his face, she had no idea what to say.
At this point, she just wanted to kill the conversation altogether.
President Zhang warmly poured Shen Zhihui half a glass of juice. She quickly picked up her glass and raised it to Jiang Jingnian. “President Jiang, I’ll toast you with juice.”
Jiang Jingnian nodded and clinked glasses with her. “Thank you, Miss Shen.”
We’ll meet again.
Jiang Jingnian didn’t say it aloud, but when his black eyes fixed on Shen Zhihui, his gaze was openly possessive and predatory.
His look made Shen Zhihui’s face grow warm. She quickly took a couple of sips of juice to calm herself.
After she finished, Shen Zhihui felt so uncomfortable sitting there that she set down her glass. “President Jiang, I’m not feeling well. May I leave?”
Jiang Jingnian turned to look at her. “Where don’t you feel well?”
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing. It’s just… you know, a woman’s…” Shen Zhihui blushed and touched her abdomen, hinting that she was on her period.
Jiang Jingnian nodded. “All right.”
At last, the Hades was letting her go. Shen Zhihui quickly took Guoguo’s hand and fled the private room as if escaping for her life.
What kind of day was this?
Why had she run into Hades?