“Then be careful,” Guoguo whispered considerately.
Shen Zhihui helplessly rubbed the delicate ridge of her brow, ready to change the subject. She didn’t want to talk about Jiang Jingnian, and she had no idea who had such a big mouth.
The news that someone had brought her breakfast had reached her older cousin, Shen Qianqian.
Shen Qianqian worked at the same design company as her.
Shen Zhihui was in the Qipao Design Department, while Shen Qianqian was in the couture department.
Ever since Shen Zhuli had cheated, the cousins hadn’t spoken for a month. And that day, Shen Zhihui had even sent Shen Qianqian a message implying that she’d picked up a man who was nothing but trash.
Her older cousin held a grudge.
Now that she’d heard someone was bringing Shen Zhihui breakfast, she came striding over in high heels, all swagger and bluster, ready to sneer at her.
“Little cousin, you really are something, aren’t you? It’s only been a month since Zhuli dumped you, and already some man’s bringing you breakfast? Which young master is it?” Shen Qianqian folded her arms. Her face, full of hyaluronic acid, was awash with sourness and envy.
Even Guoguo looked disgusted by her haughty, aggressive manner.
“Are you really that concerned about me, Older Cousin?” Shen Zhihui couldn’t be bothered with her and answered coldly.
Shen Qianqian gave a humorless laugh. “Of course. You’re my cousin. As your older sister, naturally I should show some concern.” In truth, even if her family had taken everything from Shen Zhihui, it still couldn’t change the fact that Shen Zhihui was prettier and more talented at design than she was.
For Shen Qianqian, who had grown up hearing people say she fell short of her younger cousin, the one thing she couldn’t stand was Shen Zhihui being happy.
Anything that belonged to Shen Zhihui—whether a man or a job—Shen Qianqian wanted to take.
“Then perhaps you should be more concerned about your future brother-in-law. You don’t need to worry about me.” Shen Zhihui was already starting to feel sick.
What she hated most was Shen Qianqian using their supposed sisterly bond as an excuse.
There was no family affection left between them. Not with things as they were now.
Shen Qianqian gave a disdainful scoff. “Zhuli and I are very much in love now. You don’t need to remind me of anything. You should worry about yourself. Why are you putting on an act? What right do you think you have to date other men and accept their breakfasts?”
“Don’t forget, Grandfather has already sold you off to that good-for-nothing from the Gu family. And since I’m here today, I’ll do you the kindness of giving you a heads-up: Young Master Gu has some perverted tastes. Plenty of the women he’s played with have ended up crippled, if not dead. Little cousin, enjoy yourself.” With that, Shen Qianqian gave a smug little laugh, raised her brows, and turned away, her every word dripping with ugly spite as she flounced off.
Shen Zhihui watched her sway away, her expression cold.
Her pale fingers suddenly clenched around the design draft on the table.
Then she squeezed it hard, crumpling the draft into a ball.
She would never marry Gu Mingyu.
She would decide her own future.
“Huihui, what did she mean just now? Are you getting married?” As soon as Shen Qianqian was gone, Guoguo hurried over to Shen Zhihui and asked curiously.
Shen Zhihui didn’t want to talk about it. She loosened her fingers, already bruised and purplish from gripping so tightly, and said calmly, “Why listen to her nonsense?”
“Who I marry is up to me.”
Guoguo gave a soft “Oh.” She wasn’t the sort to insist on prying, and the next second she was already comforting Shen Zhihui. “Huihui, don’t let her get to you. I think she’s just jealous of you.”
Guoguo knew a little about what had gone on between Shen Zhihui and Shen Qianqian.
At work, Shen Qianqian would keep putting Huihui down.
And when it came to relationships, she’d stolen Huihui’s boyfriend.
Guoguo really hated rich young ladies like Shen Qianqian, who threw their weight around.
Shen Zhihui was used to it. Shen Qianqian’s verbal “humiliation and mockery” didn’t bother her at all. She twirled her design pencil and said in a mild, even voice, “I’m fine. She isn’t worth getting angry over.”
“Go get on with your work. This afternoon I have to deal with King Jiang.”
At the mention of King Jiang, Guoguo immediately put a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture and obediently went back to her own work.
Before long, it was half past one in the afternoon.
Jiang Jingnian was the kind of big shot in investment circles who usually made other people wait. But for Shen Zhihui, he arrived at her design company around one, well ahead of time.
Once he reached the building, he didn’t go into the designers’ office.
Instead, he deliberately chose Twilight Café, a stylish place on the ground floor.
He ordered a black coffee and lounged back on the sofa to wait for Shen Zhihui.
But a man like him, raised from childhood among the upper echelons of high society, stood apart from the ordinary urban professionals who came to Twilight for coffee—not only in how he dressed, but in his bearing.
From a distance, he looked like an untouchable young master from a wealthy family.
And the more untouchable he seemed, the more he drew people’s attention.
The young women who came in for coffee could barely take their eyes off him.
One by one, they were like mice spotting exquisite desserts: their eyes glued to him, their bodies rooted to the spot as they stood by the counter watching him and whispering among themselves.
“That man really looks like a young master from some powerful family. He’s so handsome—and so rich.”
“How can you tell he’s rich?”
“Of course he’s rich. Look at his watch—it’s a custom-made Patek Philippe, worth two million worldwide. I saw it in a magazine once.”
“Forget the watch. Even his shirt is Armani!”
“That man is obviously from a powerful family. Girls, I’m going to go talk to him.” The women whispered about Jiang Jingnian, and one bold, glamorous woman was getting ready to make her move.
Shen Zhihui hurried in through the café door, carrying a blue briefcase.
She glanced around near the entrance and finally spotted the most dazzling, aristocratic-looking man in the crowd—the “King of Hell.”
Watching him lounge there, lazily admiring the view outside the window, made her heart clench. She was genuinely afraid he’d uncover what had happened that night.
Would he strangle her to death then?
For the whole month, Shen Zhihui had imagined countless ways he might kill her.
Not one of them was “perfect.”
So at that moment, she had no desire to approach a man as distinguished as he was, unlike all the other women. Instead, she felt like a mouse facing a cat.
She paced anxiously by the entrance for a few seconds, pressed the web of skin between her thumb and forefinger, and forced herself to calm down. Then she took a deep breath and started toward him with long strides.
When she reached him, she forced a very professional smile. “President Jiang, hello. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
At the sound of her voice, Jiang Jingnian lazily drew his gaze back and turned to face her. His eyes settled precisely on her beautiful, harmless-looking ones. His thin lips curved faintly. “It’s all right. I haven’t been waiting long. Please, Miss Shen, have a seat.”
“Thank you. That’s very considerate of you, President Jiang.” Shen Zhihui sat down with a stiff smile.
Jiang Jingnian kept looking at her, the curve of his lips unconsciously widening. “Miss Shen, you seem… less than sincere about meeting me.”
He paused, then elegantly unfastened the top button of his collar with his long fingers.
His gaze fixed on Shen Zhihui, bare and wolfish. He smiled warmly. “Am I scary?”
Shen Zhihui: …
At least he knew it himself!
There was no one in the entire Imperial Capital more frightening than him.
“No, no. Why would you say that, President Jiang? I’m delighted you chose me to design for you. How could I not be sincere about meeting you?” Shen Zhihui kept working the smile muscles that were about to cramp and explained gently.
“That’s good… I was rather worried you wouldn’t want to be my designer.” Jiang Jingnian’s lips curved. “Miss Shen, what kind of coffee would you like?”
“No, thank you. I don’t drink coffee.” As she spoke, Shen Zhihui opened her briefcase and took out a notebook and pencil.
She planned to get straight to business and leave as soon as possible.
Jiang Jingnian seemed to have expected her to be “impervious to persuasion.” He turned the coffee cup on the table with a finger and said, “In that case, shall we get straight to the point?”
Shen Zhihui was of the same mind. She kept up her professional—fake—smile. “Certainly, President Jiang. What kind of design would you like?”
Jiang Jingnian lowered his gaze, touched the tip of his tongue to the back of his teeth, and spoke in a warm, mellow voice, unhurriedly. He pointed to his chest. “Here.”
Here? His chest?
Shen Zhihui froze, her beautiful eyes widening. She didn’t understand what he meant. Biting her lip, she asked tentatively and quietly, “President Jiang? What do you want designed?”
“Here, Miss Shen. Do you understand?” Jiang Jingnian found himself rather taken with this feeling of subtly teasing Shen Zhihui.
His thin lips curved in a faint, mischievous smile as he pointed to his chest again.
Shen Zhihui frowned, still unable to understand. She was about to open her mouth and ask, when Jiang Jingnian suddenly leaned toward her and beckoned with a finger. “If you don’t understand, come closer, Miss Shen. I’ll tell you.”
His handsome face loomed so close, his masculine aura magnified until it enveloped Shen Zhihui. Her heart jolted in alarm, and she nearly stopped breathing: !!!
“President Jiang… You can just tell me like that. I can hear you,” Shen Zhihui said, forcing down the strange flutter in her chest as she quickly looked away.
“Miss Shen, the customer is king. I don’t want anyone else to hear my design requirements. Besides… doesn’t your design company put ‘the customer comes first’ at the heart of its philosophy? This is only a small request. And you still don’t understand what I have in mind.” Jiang Jingnian was shamelessly playing along with her.
He insisted, with an entirely straight face, that she had to come closer.
Shen Zhihui really wanted to beat this King of Hell to death. Wasn’t he supposed to be terrifying?
Women who got close to him supposedly never met a good end.
Why did he seem so unserious?
Or was it… because he thought she was easy to bully?
Was he playing cat and mouse with her?
“President Jiang… Just a moment.” Shen Zhihui knew she was no match for a man like him. She could only suppress the urge to hit him, unwillingly put on a gentle smile, clutch her design notebook, and obediently stand up. She walked around the table and went to his side, then bent down and asked respectfully, “President Jiang, can you tell me your design concept and ideas now?”
“Whatever you ask for, I’ll do my best to design it to your satisfaction.”
“Mm. I believe in your design ability. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have chosen you, Miss Shen.” Jiang Jingnian turned his face toward her. His handsome features carried an innate air of aristocratic elegance and domineering authority that made women willing to throw themselves at him.
As she bent over, Shen Zhihui nearly fell for his “two or three flattering lies.”
“Thank you for the compliment, President Jiang. You can tell me now,” Shen Zhihui said, biting her lip and trying to stay calm. She couldn’t let this King of Hell charm her.
Otherwise, she’d end up in a terrible state.
“Sit down first. We’ll talk slowly.” In no hurry, Jiang Jingnian patted the empty space beside him, inviting her to sit by his side.
Shen Zhihui froze. Her pretty little face immediately scrunched up, and she looked alarmed. “President Jiang, there’s no need. I can stand and listen.”
“Miss Shen, I told you to sit, so sit.” Jiang Jingnian raised his thin eyelids and looked at her with an air of pressure.
Shen Zhihui suddenly felt caught between a rock and a hard place.
She couldn’t sit, but she couldn’t refuse either.
After hesitating for a moment under his intense gaze, she was forced by his overbearing presence to sit obediently beside him.
“President Jiang, can you tell me now?” Once seated, Shen Zhihui adopted a businesslike manner and asked.
Jiang Jingnian was in no hurry. His lips curved. “What’s the rush? Why don’t we talk about something else?”
Talk about something else?
That was the last straw. Shen Zhihui was getting ready to snap.
So he’d been teasing her this whole time?
She was furious.
But she didn’t dare show it in front of him. Biting her lip, she gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “President Jiang, are you… messing with me?”
“Didn’t you say you’d tell me what you wanted designed once I sat here? Why do we have to talk about something else?”
“President Jiang, I’m not an escort.”
Jiang Jingnian lifted the coffee cup from the table and took a small sip. He glanced sideways at Shen Zhihui, bristling but holding herself back, and said in a warm, resonant voice, “Miss Shen, you seem to have quite a temper.”
“I don’t,” Shen Zhihui said, biting her lip.
“Unhappy?” Jiang Jingnian pressed.
Shen Zhihui: …
She was unhappy.
But she didn’t dare say so.
“No.”
“Are you sure?” Jiang Jingnian smiled faintly. Suddenly, he reached out and unexpectedly pinched Shen Zhihui’s right cheek with his slender fingers. In a warm, intimate voice, as if they were lovers, he said, “You say you’re not, but your lips are practically pouting. Am I really so unwelcome to you, Miss Shen?”
Shen Zhihui had never imagined he would pinch her cheek.
She froze in fright, not daring to move. Fortunately, Jiang Jingnian didn’t keep pinching her.
He released her cheek and said, “It doesn’t seem convenient to discuss the design here. Tomorrow, Miss Shen, come to Yunjingtai Residence and take my measurements for some custom-made clothes.”
With that, he stood up briskly. He didn’t give Shen Zhihui a chance to refuse; he simply left.
Shen Zhihui was left alone, still in shock, watching his tall figure disappear from the café.
She felt as if she’d just survived a calamity, sitting there dazed and utterly unable to react.
Had she completely gotten herself entangled with this Living Hades?