The driver didn't dare ask questions. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and he pressed the accelerator cautiously.
Bang. The front of the car slammed into the left rear side of the black Audi ahead.
The impact wasn't violent, but it was enough to jolt the Audi's body, shatter the taillight, and dent the bumper inward.
Inside the Audi, Han Zheng was thrown forward by the inertia.
"Shit!" He slammed the brakes, his face turning ashen in an instant, and shoved the door open to storm out.
Xu Youqing was startled too. Worried that Han Zheng might get into a conflict, she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and followed him out.
The offending car was a black Maybach. The rear door slowly pushed open, and Jin Zongmin stepped out with unhurried composure. He didn't glance at the furious Han Zheng, nor did he check the damage to his own car. Instead, his gaze landed directly on Xu Youqing.
Why him? Xu Youqing froze.
Jin Zongmin slipped both hands into his trousers pockets and stood by the car, making no move to approach.
He was the one who had rear-ended them, yet there wasn't a trace of apology on his face. Instead, his jaw was set tight, as if he were the one who'd been hit.
He just stared at her like that, as if she were the only person there.
Xu Youqing shot him a glance but said nothing.
The air grew thick and stagnant.
Jin Zongmin could tell she clearly recognized him. He remained silent, his posture making it obvious he was waiting—waiting for Xu Youqing to speak first.
Meanwhile, Han Zheng had finished inspecting the damage. He turned around, fury burning in his chest, ready to lash out—only to notice where Jin Zongmin's gaze was fixed.
Han Zheng sidestepped, instinctively shielding Xu Youqing, and frowned. "You two know each other?"
The question broke the stalemate.
Xu Youqing's eyes swept briefly over Jin Zongmin. "This is Mr. Jin. That porcelain bowl of mine—I sold it to Mr. Jin at Boss Zheng's place."
Hearing this, Han Zheng also caught sight of a staff member nearby who had noticed the commotion and was hurrying over, only to be intercepted by Jin Zongmin's driver. The staff member immediately stopped and adopted a deferential posture.
Combining the clues—"Boss Zheng" and "Mr. Jin"—and taking in the man's imposing bearing and the scale of his entourage, Han Zheng pieced together seven or eight parts of the picture. This man was likely the reason for the road controls ahead.
Han Zheng's rage was doused like a bucket of cold water. He had no choice but to swallow it down.
Seeing that Xu Youqing had spoken first, Jin Zongmin finally deigned to open his mouth.
"For any follow-up repairs or other issues, you can coordinate with him." Jin Zongmin tilted his head, indicating the driver not far away. "Handle it however it should be handled."
He couldn't even be bothered to say "sorry."
Han Zheng seethed inwardly but couldn't help asking, "At the very least, I should know who the owner of the car is, right?"
Jin Zongmin turned his head—but deliberately looked at Xu Youqing.
"Jin Zongmin."
He said it while looking at her, as if the name were meant primarily for her ears.
That gaze was too invasive, like an invisible net. Xu Youqing turned away, avoiding it, and looked elsewhere.
Having clawed his way through the business world, Han Zheng had already cooled down from his anger and begun weighing the pros and cons.
Hearing that name—the "Zong" generation—it was indeed that Jin family.
Han Zheng's expression had already shifted. He even forced a smile and offered a way out. "Just a minor scrape, no big deal. I was planning to trade in the car anyway. I'm the one who's sorry for taking up your time."
As he spoke, he pulled out a business card and handed it over with both hands. "I heard recently that you were planning to visit our winery, but unfortunately it didn't work out. Next time you have a moment, please do us the honor."
Jin Zongmin gave the card held out before him a faint glance, said nothing, and reached up to take it.
His gaze shifted once more to the silent Xu Youqing beside him.
She was avoiding him. Not just avoiding his eyes—she seemed to have no desire to exchange even one more word with him.
Han Zheng tugged at Xu Youqing's arm and said in a low voice, "Let's get back in the car."
Xu Youqing gave Jin Zongmin a slight nod by way of greeting, then turned and followed Han Zheng into the car.
Jin Zongmin stood where he was. The restlessness in his chest hadn't subsided in the least—if anything, it had only grown stronger.
He glanced at the business card in his hand. His fingertips loosened, and the card drifted lightly to the ground like a worthless fallen leaf.
The driver had already opened the door. Jin Zongmin bent down and got into the car.
…
In the car, Xu Youqing was still a little worried. "Is it okay to drive while he's still there?"
"It's fine."
Han Zheng seemed somewhat distracted. "Jin Zongmin isn't the kind of person you want to cross. Best not to provoke him." He continued, "In that circle, he's at the very top. People like them—they toy with others like they're playing with dogs."
Xu Youqing looked at him with wide-eyed innocence. "How do you know all that?"
Han Zheng glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was still in school, more or less sheltered, with no real idea of how vile people could be. Since he'd started the winery and come into contact with people higher up, he'd heard plenty of stories about that crowd—including about Jin Zongmin.
Seeing that Xu Youqing was curious, Han Zheng went on. "I heard that some young heir once offended Jin Zongmin. The guy's father was a fairly high-ranking official, too—but then he suddenly fell from power. Guess what happened to the son?"
Her curiosity piqued, Xu Youqing widened her eyes. "What happened?"
"That guy's still out at an estate on the southern outskirts, keeping birds for Jin Zongmin. And he doesn't even have a choice about it."
It was blatant humiliation. Xu Youqing recalled the cold look on Jin Zongmin's face earlier—there was indeed something unsettling about him.
She asked again, "Then why do you still try to curry favor with him? Shouldn't you stay as far away from someone like that as possible?"
Han Zheng laughed. "You think I'm currying favor with him?"
"Aren't you?"
"Money has to be made off people like them," Han Zheng said, turning the wheel. "They like being fawned over. Everyone gets what they need—as long as I get paid, I'm happy to play along."
Han Zheng had entered the working world young. He'd seen too much of human fickleness. Nothing was reliable; only money gave a person security and dignity. And as for so-called connections—when you got right down to it, they were all held together by money.
But Xu Youqing didn't need to understand any of that, and he didn't want her to.
…
The Maybach followed the convoy of Hongqi sedans, cruising smoothly off the mountain road.
Jin Zongmin leaned back in the rear seat, his fingertip tapping lightly against his phone screen in an idle rhythm. The screen lit up again—a string of numbers his secretary had just sent.
He lowered his eyes and pulled a cigarette case from the inner pocket of his suit jacket. It was a flat silver case with no markings of any kind.
A tongue of deep blue flame leapt up, briefly illuminating the cold, sharp line of his jaw. Jin Zongmin tilted his head slightly, bringing the cigarette to the flame.
He took a deep drag. After a few seconds, he slowly exhaled the smoke. A nameless anger crept up inside him—this feeling of something slipping beyond his control was deeply displeasing to Jin Zongmin.
Without much hesitation, he dialed the number.
The ringtone echoed inside the Audi.
Xu Youqing glanced at the unfamiliar number on the screen and answered, "Hello, who is this?"
A deep male voice came through the receiver:
"We just met."
Xu Youqing recognized the voice—it was Jin Zongmin.
She and Han Zheng had just been talking about this man, and their assessment hadn't been favorable. Yet now, the man himself was calling her.
"Is there… something you need?" She felt a bit uneasy—was it about the porcelain bowl? That was the only connection she could think of.
"Are you going back to Jingda today?" Jin Zongmin's question came out of nowhere.
Xu Youqing gripped her phone, not understanding why he was asking.
When Xu Youqing didn't respond, Jin Zongmin repeated himself, "Going back to Jingda?"
Not knowing what Jin Zongmin meant, Xu Youqing could only answer along, "…No."
"Where are you going?"
Jin Zongmin was blunt, direct, even carrying a hint of… interrogation.
Xu Youqing had only met Jin Zongmin that once—they weren't exactly acquainted—and his words carried an oppressive sense of overstepping boundaries. But remembering Han Zheng's advice not to provoke this man, Xu Youqing suppressed the discomfort she felt. "I'm going home."
The next second, Jin Zongmin circled back to his original question, "When are you going back to Jingda?"
Cornered with no room to retreat, Xu Youqing had no choice but to answer, "Tomorrow afternoon."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, then his voice came through: "I'll send a car to pick you up at Jingda."
Jin Zongmin's tone was one of notification—he wasn't giving her any room to negotiate.
"Pick me up?" Xu Youqing was completely baffled. Her peripheral vision nervously darted toward Han Zheng, who was driving, and she instinctively lowered her voice, "…Pick me up for what?"
"To discuss something," Jin Zongmin said succinctly, "About the porcelain bowl."
So it really was still about that bowl.
Xu Youqing asked, "Is there something wrong with it? If it's a repair or condition issue, I can—"
"It needs to be discussed in person."
Xu Youqing suddenly regretted selling him the bowl. But the money was already spent—there was no returning it now.
"Okay." She could only agree.
After hanging up, Xu Youqing still held her phone, slightly dazed.
"Who was that? What's wrong?" Han Zheng asked.
Better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Xu Youqing smiled. "Nothing. Just a… client I did restoration work for before."
The next day, Han Zheng drove Xu Youqing back to school.
Xu Youqing pushed open the door to her dorm, and Lin Xiao walked over from the window, smiling. "You know what, Han Zheng really is handsome. No wonder the girls in the next dorm were asking me about him."
"Asking about what?" Xu Youqing set down her bag and began tidying up her desk.
"Asking if he's single."
Xu Youqing didn't say anything and went to the bathroom to wash her hands.
Lin Xiao leaned in. "You're not jealous?"
The water ran down Xu Youqing's hands, and she paused for a moment. She had never been in a relationship, had never even had a crush on anyone—she honestly didn't know what it felt like to like someone.
But Han Zheng wasn't without weight in her heart. Yet whether that weight came from friendship or something else, she hadn't figured it out herself.
She knew Han Zheng liked her. But she didn't want to get together with him just because he liked her, treated her well, and she felt grateful.
Xu Youqing looked up. "What does it feel like to like someone?"
Lin Xiao had never had a boyfriend either, but she'd had a crush in high school.
She thought for a moment, then said, "It's that kind of… you always want to be near him, your eyes only see him, and every move he makes tugs at your emotions. If he laughs and chats with another girl, your heart feels sour, like it's been kicked, a dull, stuffy ache."
Xu Youqing compared herself against that description. She didn't seem to fit most of it, but that last part…
"What if none of the earlier parts apply, but for the last one—it's not exactly a dull, stuffy ache, but more of an indescribable feeling, like something feels off inside. Does that count?"
Xu Youqing looked completely serious.
Lin Xiao's eyes darted around. "Close enough," she said, nudging Xu Youqing's arm. "Looks like someone's about to have a lightbulb moment."
Just as the two were chatting and laughing, Xu Youqing's phone rang.
She hurried over in a few quick steps and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Miss Xu, Mr. Jin sent me to pick you up. I'm already at the gate of your school."
Only then did Xu Youqing remember the matter with Jin Zongmin.
"Please wait a moment, I'll be right out."
At the school gate, Xu Youqing spotted a black Bentley parked on the right side of the street—the license plate matched what was mentioned on the phone.
When the driver saw Xu Youqing approaching, he got out and opened the door for her.
After getting in, Xu Youqing asked, "Where are we going?"
"To a place in the east for a meal. Mr. Jin has some business he hasn't been able to step away from yet, so he asked me to bring you there first."
About half an hour later, the car turned onto a street that was tranquil despite being in the middle of the city. At the vermilion-painted gate stood a pair of white marble drum-shaped doorstones.
Xu Youqing had just stepped out of the car when she saw a black Mercedes approaching from the opposite direction. The Mercedes driver got out and opened the door, and a pair of long legs stepped out from the car.
Jin Zongmin bent forward as he emerged, one hand in his suit pants pocket, his gaze landing on Xu Youqing. "You're here?"
"Mm." Xu Youqing nodded and stood to the side, waiting for Jin Zongmin.
The weather was lovely today. Xu Youqing wore a pale green sweater, and under the sunlight, it shimmered with a fine, soft glow, making her look as if she were wrapped in warm mist. Her skin was already fair, and the light made it appear even more translucent.
Jin Zongmin's gaze unconsciously drifted downward, settling on her slightly pressed lips. They were a natural pink, soft and full in shape—just looking at them made it seem as though he could feel that gentle warmth.
Xu Youqing felt a little uneasy under his stare and spoke up. "Should we go inside?"
Jin Zongmin snapped back to attention and tilted his chin. "Let's go in."
The moment the two stepped through the gate, a beautiful woman in a dark uniform came over to greet them.
"Mr. Jin, the private room is ready. President Duan isn't here today. Should I call—"
"No need. I'm not here for him." Jin Zongmin cut her off.
"Then I'll arrange the dishes." The woman's gaze lingered briefly on Xu Youqing, suppressing the surprise in her eyes.
Jin Zongmin never brought outsiders here, let alone women. She had no idea who the young girl beside him was, that she'd actually earned a second glance from Jin Zongmin.
Xu Youqing looked around. The place felt more like the residence of some ancient prince, with its classical, antique ambiance.
The threshold of the private room's dark brown wooden door was a good half-foot high. Her eyes were fixed on her surroundings, and she didn't watch her step—her foot caught on the bluestone-edged threshold, and her body lurched forward.
A powerful hand firmly caught her wrist, and a warm sensation traveled through her.
Xu Youqing looked up and met Jin Zongmin's eyes. His were a deep brown, bright and clear.
He had appeared behind her at some unknown moment, his other hand hovering loosely around her waist. The two stood extremely close, and she could catch the cold, sharp scent of him, mingled with pine, enveloping her breath.
Jin Zongmin's palm still rested on her wrist, not letting go. His Adam's apple shifted as he asked, "Steady on your feet?"