Jiang Zao, who had never been in a relationship, was utterly dazed by the sudden intimacy. Her vision darkened, her head burned hot, her lower abdomen grew scorching, and heat radiated from every pore in her body…
Her legs turned to jelly, her fingers trembled, and deep inside her, something boiled in response to the man’s direct, primal teasing and invasion.
She pressed tightly against his upper body, singed by his rapidly rising body temperature.
Xie Lisheng’s heartbeat thundered heavy and fast, a stark contrast to his eternally laid-back expression.
They were kissing.
He was far from calm himself.
Just then, the large hand Xie Lisheng held at her waist slowly stroked upward—a probe, but even more a tease.
When the pad of his thumb pressed into the groove of her spine, Jiang Zao’s vision instantly blurred, as if something uncontrollable had surged forth…
She jolted awake with a sudden shiver, snapping out of the dream.
After her eyes adjusted to the glaring lights, she scanned the bustling office area. Cold sweat of relief beaded on her skin.
Lunch break was over. She wiped her sweat, scrambled to her feet, and folded away the cot.
The dream had felt far too real. As she packed up, Jiang Zao desperately tried to convince herself it hadn’t actually happened.
After all, she’d been pretty delirious with fever last night. What if…
No.
There were no what ifs.
Those things were impossible.
Li Li, who had been secretly bingeing TV dramas while slacking off, noticed her stirring. “Your face looks awful. Should you take the afternoon off and head home?”
“Does it?” Jiang Zao touched her cheek—it felt cool to the touch. “No fever. Don’t worry about it.”
She was just about to boot up her computer when a jolt of electric soreness shot through her lower abdomen. She stared blankly at the screen, her expression shifting from confusion to shock to mortification. Twisting toward Li Li beside her, she asked, “Got any sanitary pads?”
“My period seems to have come early this month.”
~~~
Fortunately amid the misfortune, she didn’t run into Xie Lisheng at the company again over the next week. The odds of her direct superior crossing paths with a lowly staffer like her were slim to begin with, but after that shameful dream she couldn’t bear to recall, she wished they were exactly zero.
With her camouflage skills and his sharp instincts, her guilty conscience wouldn’t last three seconds in front of Xie Lisheng.
…If possible, she hoped they’d never cross paths again in her lifetime.
Thankfully, the ups and downs of office drudgery came with expiration dates. Over the next few days, Jiang Zao was swamped—three heads wouldn’t have been enough. Nursing her lingering, half-hearted cold, she sat through countless meetings, dashed out on endless field trips, and churned out report after report of data.
In the grind, that certain someone’s presence faded from her mind.
Xie Lisheng had her WeChat, but after all these days with no word from him, it was clear he felt nothing about that incident.
Just as she’d suspected, that accidental brush of lips had been a non-issue for everyone but her, who was making a mountain out of a molehill.
That afternoon, Jiang Zao was out on a field assignment, inspecting the event site at an offline store. She snapped photos for her feedback report.
Her manager asked where she was; Jiang Zao gave a quick update and noted that after six, she might treat the event staff to a casual dinner and would need reimbursement.
As five-thirty loomed and it was nearly time to wrap up, a WeChat notification popped up from someone.
【Blind Date Mr. Liu: Miss Jiang, you free? I’m in Qinnan on business again these couple days. Up for catching up?】
Jiang Zao paused, lost in thought for a moment. After mulling it over, she replied.
~~~
At six-thirty that evening, she arrived at the Riverside Restaurant, where she’d arranged to meet Mr. Liu.
The scenic dining area formed a circular zone. Jiang Zao followed Mr. Liu as the server led them deeper inside.
With a casual glance, her eyes locked onto the man seated by the floor-to-ceiling window—
Xie Lisheng lounged lazily on the sofa, swirling his champagne while listening to Zhao Yangcheng hold court across from him.
Neon lights from outside streaked across his high-bridged nose and the fine lashes half-veiled over his eyes, framing a captivating instant.
Xie Lisheng was the protagonist wherever he went—even the light seemed drawn to him.
Her heart stuttered half a beat; for a moment, she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
By some strange synchronicity, Xie Lisheng suddenly looked up, his gaze locking straight onto hers.
Across several meters, their eyes met without warning.
Jiang Zao’s steps slowed.
However, just as she hesitated over whether to raise her hand and wave hello, Xie Lisheng’s gaze lingered on her for a few seconds before withdrawing without the slightest ripple. He continued chatting with Zhao Yangcheng.
“……”
Her fluttering emotions plummeted to the ground without warning. Embarrassment washed over Jiang Zao, and she was glad she hadn’t waved after all.
Of course. They weren’t close enough for that anyway.
Outside the company, he had no reason to interact with her.
Jiang Zao gripped her backpack strap tightly, masking her feelings.
What on earth had she been doing these past few days, getting all worked up over nothing?
After they sat down, the server brought the menu.
By coincidence, neither of them was very hungry, so they skipped the main courses and ordered two cups of tea along with some fruit.
Mr. Liu was pleased by her straightforwardness. “It looks like Miss Jiang had a favorable impression of our last conversation?”
“I’ve just been swamped with work in Nancheng; otherwise, I would’ve arranged to meet sooner.” He shook his head and flashed what he clearly thought was a handsome smile. “Long-distance relationships are so inconvenient. If Miss Jiang is planning to return to Nancheng for work, I can recommend you to some companies.”
“Of course, I still think the best is for you to stay home and rest after marriage—no need to go out and work so hard.”
They chatted idly about this and that for a while longer.
Jiang Zao smiled and nodded along, but she was growing more and more restless.
For some reason, ever since earlier, the back of her neck had felt chilly.
Was the restaurant’s air conditioning cranked too low?
“Oh, right—I haven’t even asked. Which company are you working at now, Miss Jiang?”
She lifted her teacup and took a sip, eyes lowered. “Yunsheng. I do planning there.”
Mr. Liu nodded in understanding, though the look in his eyes was ambiguous. “I’m in finance myself, but even I have some awareness of these up-and-coming tech companies.”
“If you’re not in a core technical role at one of those tech firms, the pay is pretty average. And you still have to deal with the grueling workload of a big corporation. It might be better to switch to a more laid-back foreign enterprise.”
“What do you think, Miss Jiang?”
Just as Jiang Zao opened her mouth to reply, a familiar voice drifted in from behind—drawing steadily closer.
“In this economy, a cushy foreign enterprise gig with good pay and light duties? Handing that off to someone would be scarier than a ghost sighting.”
She nearly spat her tea across the table. Coughing, she looked up to see Xie Lisheng pulling out the chair beside her and dropping into it.
He crossed one leg over the other with casual ease, his long legs drawing the eye as his gaze swept over her and Mr. Liu.
Jiang Zao was utterly thunderstruck, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head.
Xie Lisheng folded his arms and addressed the man across from them. “From what I know, Yunsheng has solid prospects. No matter how tough the work, it’s got more hope than scraping by at some half-dead foreign firm.”
“As for the pay.” He tilted his head toward Jiang Zao, a faint smile playing in his eyes. “What do you think?”
Jiang Zao: “……”
How could she possibly answer? How could she critique the company’s compensation right in front of the CEO?
Mr. Liu was clearly displeased but kept up a natural front. “Miss Jiang, is this a friend of yours?”
“Did you invite him to join us for dinner?”
Jiang Zao managed an awkward smile, still scrambling for a polite way to explain.
Xie Lisheng stayed utterly nonchalant, answering with feigned sincerity. “The one queued up after you for her blind date.”
Jiang Zao: ?
Mr. Liu: ?
He smiled and added, “I got here early.”
Jiang Zao: ……
Someone, anyone—come kill him.
Seeing Jiang Zao’s ambiguous non-denial, Mr. Liu realized he wasn’t her only option. His enthusiasm waned a bit. Still, he couldn’t quite let go of such an attractive blind date prospect, so he picked up his briefcase with good grace and said politely, “Since Miss Jiang has another appointment lined up, we’ll catch up next time. I’ll head out first.”
Jiang Zao murmured a few apologetic words and watched him leave.
She had no real interest in this Mr. Liu, it was true—but still…
She twisted around, glaring at the man who was now leisurely munching on fruit. Through gritted teeth, she demanded, “What the hell are you doing?”
“What right do you have to crash my blind date?”
“The first thing I did coming back from my business trip was look for you,” he said, chewing on a piece of watermelon. His cheeks bulged in a way that was inexplicably sexy as he slowly scolded her. “You told the company it was a client dinner, but you ditched your boss to go on a blind date instead?”
Xie Lisheng shot her a glance. “Caught you in the act.”
Jiang Zao flushed and shot back emphatically, “Get this straight—I’m off the clock.”
“What exactly is your problem?”
“My problem?” He echoed her words with a scoff, setting down his fork.
Xie Lisheng draped his left arm over the back of her chair, leaning his upper body toward her.
Jiang Zao instinctively leaned back to put some distance between them, her heart pounding faster the closer he got.
His voice remained steady and low throughout, betraying no hint of petulance. “You kissed me just a few days ago, and now you’re turning around to go on a blind date with someone else?”
Xie Lisheng fixed her with an intense stare, though the arch of his brow betrayed a flicker of his irritation.
“Miss Jiang, what exactly do you mean by this?”