Ji Qingtang blinked slowly. She found this whole morning utterly bizarre—Lu Xingye’s arch-nemesis was actually standing in front of her, saying he liked her…
He lowered his head and murmured, “Wasn’t I being obvious enough?” The disappointment in his eyes was plain to see.
A bitterness welled up in Shen Qian’s heart. Her gaze had never once landed on him—not even for a second.
Only things involving Lu Xingye could stir her emotions.
Ji Qingtang hadn’t caught his low murmur; she was still reeling from what Shen Qian had just said.
She’d had countless admirers since she was young, but if anyone claimed someone like Shen Qian liked her, she would never believe it in a million years.
Back in school, she, Shi Qi, and Lu Xingye—including Shen Qian—all attended the same high school.
Her heart was entirely set on Lu Xingye, and at first she didn’t even know such a person existed at their school.
It wasn’t until he became Lu Xingye’s arch-nemesis that she finally noticed him.
Naturally, out of loyalty to Lu Xingye, she had no fondness for someone who constantly made trouble for him.
And she could never have imagined that Shen Qian had feelings for her.
That Shen Qian—who picked on her every time they met and always spoke with a sharp tongue—liked her?
“Master Shen likes me? I’m truly flattered. So then… about our company’s proposal…” Ji Qingtang looked at Shen Qian with a beaming smile.
An adult’s rejection could be hidden behind a smile and a change of subject.
Shen Qian lifted his head and stared at her for a few seconds. Once he saw the emotion in her eyes clearly, he suddenly laughed.
His strikingly handsome eyes tilted upward. “We can collaborate. So will you be with me?”
His tone was casual. The words themselves were humble, yet they somehow sounded proud.
But deep inside, his heart—knowing full well what the answer would be—still pounded uncontrollably.
“No.” Ji Qingtang’s smile faded, her tone serious and solemn.
Shen Qian picked up the eggs and milk from the table. “Then that settles it. I don’t do deals where I lose the lady and the soldiers.”
With that, he walked into the kitchen as if nothing had happened, showing no embarrassment at being rejected, and started cooking breakfast as usual.
Ji Qingtang frowned, unable to read his intentions. Had he actually understood what she said?
“Why are you just standing there? Go wash up.” Shen Qian turned his head, giving the still-frozen Ji Qingtang a look of disdain.
Breakfast passed in silence for both of them. Ji Qingtang kept thinking about what had just happened, while Shen Qian seemed busy, typing away and replying to messages.
After the meal, Shen Qian cleared the table with practiced speed, then headed for the door.
Watching his departing figure, Ji Qingtang hesitated, but still spoke up. “Shen Qian, I’m… not considering romance right now.”
Shen Qian’s steps paused. He turned around. “Then can I pursue you?”
“Huh?”
“You don’t like me now, but I can pursue you until you do.” He turned to face her, his eyes seeming to scatter with stars, sparkling as he looked at her.
“No, you can’t.” All she wanted right now was to focus on her career, not on men!
Shen Qian shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the doorframe. “That’s not your call. It’s my right.”
Ji Qingtang: …Then why did you even ask me?
Shen Qian’s mood suddenly lifted. “I’m heading back now.”
After taking just two steps, he turned back. “But are you really not considering being with me right away? There are lots of perks to being with me, you know. You could even infuriate that scumbag and that shameless woman.”
The only response he got was a door slamming shut.
Shen Qian stared at the closed door and sighed.
He returned to his own room and took a photograph out of his drawer.
The photo’s owner had clearly treasured it—it was perfectly preserved, without a hint of yellowing.
In the photo, Ji Qingtang’s features were radiant, her smile curved like crescent moons, proud and untouchable. She was the haughty girl she’d once been—Ji Qingtang before she’d ever met Lu Xingye.
After a long while, he put the photo back where it belonged.
Ji Qingtang thought over what had just happened and let out a soft sigh.
Once this project was finished, she would be heading back home.
Over the next few days, Ji Qingtang avoided Shen Qian as much as possible, leaving the project coordination to her subordinates. But sometimes the two of them still ran into each other in the elevator lobby—after all, they lived right across from each other.
Whenever they met, Ji Qingtang felt awkward, while Shen Qian showed no emotion at all. He would greet her, but nothing more.
Wasn’t he supposed to be pursuing her?
It had been three days already, and he hadn’t made a single move.
Ji Qingtang pursed her lips and walked back to her apartment.
On the fourth day, the moment Ji Qingtang opened her door, she saw a man leaning against the corridor wall, looking languid—as if he’d been waiting a long time.
“What took you so long to come out?” he said, half aggrieved, half complaining.
“Why are you waiting for me?” Ji Qingtang walked past him and pressed the elevator button, ignoring him.
Shen Qian followed. “You really can sleep, huh. Look at what time it is.”
He held out his hand.
Ji Qingtang stared at the Patek Philippe that was nearly blinding her: “…”
If it weren’t for how serious he looked, she would genuinely suspect he was showing off his wealth on purpose.
“Whether I can sleep or not is none of your business.”
Shen Qian withdrew his hand and said ingratiatingly, “This humble one’s fault.”
Even while acting obsequious, he somehow made obsequiousness look dazzling.
Ji Qingtang looked away.
When they reached the underground parking garage, Ji Qingtang—as if she’d read his little scheme—quickly got in her car and drove off.
Shen Qian, left with a mouthful of exhaust fumes, his hand still frozen in a waving gesture: “…”
He took a deep breath, then turned and got into his own Ferrari.
Watching from her rearview mirror as Shen Qian stood dazed and foolish-looking in the parking lot, Ji Qingtang felt inexplicably good.
Sitting in her office, Ji Qingtang continued revising the proposal. During the earlier meeting, Shen Qian had raised several issues with it—points she hadn’t noticed herself, yet he’d spotted them at a single glance, cutting straight to the heart of each one.
No wonder he was the one who had built Qiantang from the ground up.
Ji Qingtang understood clearly that she still had a great deal to learn.
The phone beside her rang—a friend request.
The username was just a single letter: Q. The profile picture was a dark rose, slightly blurry but bewitchingly alluring.
She frowned slightly, accepted the request, and typed a reply.
“Hello. May I ask who this is?”
She sent the message, but before the other party replied, she frowned and went back to work.
By the time she finished revising the proposal, it was already lunchtime.
Ji Qingtang picked up her phone and glanced at it. That “Q” had replied ten minutes earlier.
“Wait for me. I’ll come pick you up for lunch.”
Ji Qingtang leaned back in her chair and sent a question mark.
The other party replied quickly: “I’m Shen Qian.”
“No need…” Ji Qingtang was still typing when a knock sounded at the door. It was her assistant.
“President Ji, President Shen from Qiantang is waiting for you outside.”