At Jinghua University, in the women’s dormitory.
Li Yang sat cross-legged on a chair, a thick layer of sea-mud facial mask spread across her face as she stared blankly at the PPT displayed on her laptop screen.
The cursor blinked on and off, but her thoughts had already drifted far away.
Two days.
It had already been two days since that absurd night.
She had tried to bury herself in her heavy coursework, but whenever the night grew quiet, she still found herself thinking about him.
She did not even know what he looked like.
She only remembered that his shoulders were broad, that he carried a faint sandalwood scent, and that his voice had been pleasant—deep and husky.
Li Yang buried her face in her palms, nearly smearing the mask onto her clothes.
Forget it.
She would stop thinking about it.
She would just pretend… pretend she had been bitten by a dog.
Although that dog had bitten her rather gently.
Just as she was thinking that, her phone suddenly rang loudly. Lin Qingqing’s name flashed across the screen.
Li Yang pressed the speaker button, and Lin Qingqing’s voice came through.
“Li Xiaoyang, I need emergency help…”
“What is it this time, Young Lady Lin?”
Li Yang responded weakly while randomly typing a few words on the keyboard before deleting them again.
“Our college is holding a talent recruitment event together with Xie Corporation Group. We’re short on volunteers, and you’re the first person I thought of. Are you free tomorrow to help me out, darling?”
Li Yang’s fingers paused.
Xie Corporation Group.
Wanhe Mansion belonged to Xie Corporation.
She shook her head, forcing away that uncomfortable feeling.
“Can’t you ever think of me for something good?”
“How is this not a good thing?”
Lin Qingqing sounded excited.
“Do you know who’s coming? Xie Corporation’s senior executives. Real Capital City elites. If you get acquainted with even one of them, it’ll save us twenty years of hard work.”
“You make it sound like you need to work hard at all.”
Li Yang reached for a mirror and looked at her face covered in black mud. She felt as though she was separated from Capital City’s elite society by an entire galaxy.
“I’m thinking about your future!”
Lin Qingqing said righteously.
“It won’t hurt for you to meet more people. Besides, you’re so pretty. Just standing there makes you the face of the event. If you don’t volunteer, it’ll be a complete waste.”
Li Yang fell silent for a moment.
“What time? Where?”
Lin Qingqing cheered immediately.
“I knew you were the best! Two o’clock tomorrow afternoon, at the university auditorium. You’ll be at the registration desk. Easy work. You’ll even get to see handsome guys up close. I heard all the Xie Corporation executives coming this time are young. Maybe—”
“Alright, alright.”
Li Yang cut off her imagination.
“I’m wearing a face mask. If we keep talking, it’ll dry out.”
After hanging up, Li Yang stared at the computer screen for a while longer.
She shook her head and pushed all those messy thoughts away before returning to her battle with the PPT.
When the mask had completely dried, she stood before the mirror and slowly peeled it off, revealing a fair and radiant face beneath.
The woman in the mirror had gentle features, though faint shadows lingered beneath her eyes.
She sighed and climbed into bed.
Tomorrow’s problems could wait until tomorrow.
The following afternoon, at the university auditorium.
Li Yang wore the standard volunteer outfit—a white blouse paired with a dark blue skirt. Her long hair was loosely pinned behind her head, exposing her smooth forehead and slender neck.
As a core member of the Student Union, Lin Qingqing was so busy that she only had time to flash a thumbs-up before disappearing into the crowd.
The registration desk had been set up to the right of the auditorium entrance. Li Yang and another female student were responsible for guiding guests to sign in and distributing informational materials.
Guests gradually arrived. Most were professors and department directors from various faculties. Occasionally, a few corporate representatives in suits appeared, but all of them were middle-aged.
“When are the Xie Corporation people coming?” the girl beside her whispered. “I heard all of their senior executives are young, successful, and handsome.”
Li Yang lowered her head and organized the registration forms.
She merely smiled at the comment.
Young, successful, and handsome.
When those words were used to describe corporate executives, they were usually enhanced by a generous filter.
At 2:05 PM, a small commotion suddenly arose at the entrance of the auditorium.
Li Yang was checking the guest list when she heard the girl beside her gasp.
“They’re here! They’re here!”
She slowly looked up.
Against the light, a group of people was walking through the corridor outside the auditorium.
The man leading them was surrounded by seven or eight others, yet he showed no sign of discomfort.
He was simply too tall.
At nearly one meter ninety, he stood out conspicuously among the crowd.
His dark gray suit was cut with minimalist precision, without a single unnecessary crease. The collar of his white dress shirt was crisp. He wore no tie, exposing a small patch of skin beneath his Adam’s apple.
He tilted his head slightly while listening to someone beside him speak, occasionally nodding as he walked with steady, powerful strides.
Li Yang’s gaze landed on him, and she froze for a second.
Then the man turned his head slightly, his eyes sweeping across the registration desk.
Li Yang finally saw his face clearly.
His features were sharply defined, with deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, a strong jawline, and thin lips pressed together.
It was the kind of cold, distant face that discouraged casual approaches.
Yet when he looked over, his gaze was not intimidating.
It merely swept past calmly, carrying a restrained nobility and an aloof sense of detachment.
He looked…
Strangely familiar.
The pen in Li Yang’s hand slipped onto the table, rolled twice, and fell to the floor with a sharp clack.
Startled, she bent down to pick it up.
Before her fingers could touch it, a pair of polished black leather shoes appeared within her peripheral vision.
Someone picked up the pen before she could.
“Here.”
A deep voice sounded above her.
Li Yang straightened up.
The man was already standing before her, close enough for her to see the faint patterns woven into the white shirt cuff exposed beneath his suit sleeve.
His eyes lowered as he handed her the pen.
His fingers were long and well-defined, with thin calluses on the pads.
For some reason, the gesture felt familiar.
Two nights ago, in the darkness, there had also been a pair of hands like these.
Hands that had gripped her waist and pulled her into his embrace.
She suddenly came back to her senses.
Heat rushed to her ears as she quickly accepted the pen.
“…Thank you.”
The man said nothing.
His gaze lingered on her face for a brief moment before shifting away.
Someone beside him hurried forward.
“Chairman Xie, this way please. Dean Wang has already been waiting inside.”
Chairman Xie.
Li Yang stared blankly as his figure disappeared through the auditorium entrance.
Something flashed through her mind.
That back…
It felt so familiar.
The girl beside her grabbed her sleeve excitedly.
“Ahhh! Oh my god, he’s so handsome! It’s actually Chairman Xie! Chairman Xie came in person! And he even picked up your pen just now! Oh my god, this feels like a dream.”
“Li Xiaoyang!”
Lin Qingqing appeared from nowhere and leaned close with an excited expression.
“Did you see him? Did you see him? The one in front—Xie Zongxu, the crown prince of Xie Corporation Group! Damn, I thought they’d only send some director. I never expected him to come personally!”
Li Yang’s throat felt dry.
“…Xie Zongxu?”
“That’s right! Twenty-nine years old. Newly appointed chairman of Xie Corporation. He’s Xie Xinhang’s third uncle.”
Lin Qingqing lowered her voice.
“I heard he’s extremely self-disciplined and has never had any scandals. The ultimate diamond bachelor among diamond bachelors!”
Li Yang said nothing.
She lowered her head and stared at the pen in her hand.
A thin layer of sweat had formed in her palm.
Just now, when he had handed her the pen, his fingers had brushed against hers.
She had clearly felt him pause.
The pause had been brief, but it still made her heart pound violently.
It was too similar.
There was something uniquely distinctive about his scent.
It was far too similar to the man from that night.