That evening, Xie Lisheng finished his three-kilometer freestyle swim. He pushed off the edge of the pool and leaped out of the water—
Splash—water poured down his body in sheets, splattering with a series of pleasing sounds. The lingering droplets clung greedily to his chest and abdominal muscles, which had swelled from forty minutes of high-speed swimming.
His pecs and abs rose and fell in deep ridges and valleys. The beads of water slid agonizingly slowly across them. By the time they finally trickled down below his lower abs, poised to venture into more private territory that proclaimed his natural superiority—they were ruthlessly wiped away by the towel he snatched up.
The fitness area at Willow Shore No. 1 Courtyard was exclusive to VIP homeowners. No one else came to swim at this hour, leaving the entire pool as his private domain.
A three-kilometer pace in forty minutes was faster than his usual. Normally, he swam for relaxation and didn’t chase speed.
But today, a nameless irritation simmered in his gut—not quite anger, but enough to make him forget to pace himself. The final five hundred meters had left him more winded than usual.
Xie Lisheng gripped the handrail and caught his breath for a few moments. He draped the towel over his head, grabbed his phone, and headed toward the Water Bar rest area.
Right on cue, the group chat was buzzing like a swarm of flies, thanks to Zhao Yangcheng and his endless free time.
【Zhao Yangcheng: @X How’s it going, big boss? Blind date go smooth? When can we crash the wedding for some joy?】
【Zhao Yangcheng: (smug grin.jpg)】
【Chen Kuang: @X Heard the blind date called you ugly and shot you down?】
【Zhao Yangcheng: Yup, yup, haha! Lisheng, spill it for Kuangzi! I’m starting a group call!】
The other guy in the group, Wei Yuan—who was working in the States—hadn’t chimed in. He was probably still asleep.
Zhao Yangcheng, ever the instigator who loved drama, fired up the group call and dragged Xie Lisheng in. Xie glanced at it, originally planning to ignore the nonsense, but he tapped to join anyway.
Zhao’s voice exploded through the speaker like a duck in heat: “Well, well, if it isn’t President Xie himself! Thought for sure you’d hit me with a curse word and block my ass. You actually picked up?!”
Xie Lisheng held the towel to his hair as he dried it, switching to speakerphone. “You got it right. I’m about to block you—just hopped on to call you a dumbass first.”
“Hear that? Big dumbass.”
Zhao Yangcheng: “…”
Chen Kuang chuckled, his voice light and relaxed, like he was lounging around playing a game again.
“Can’t a brother show some concern? Besides, we’ve never seen you screw up before. Finally, some prime comedy gold. My body’s wrecked, my heart’s wrecked—let the bros have a laugh. It’ll earn you some good karma.” Zhao whined shamelessly. “A few days ago, you hit us up saying you were suddenly desperate to get hitched. So, how’d it pan out?”
“What the hell happened? You that desperate to tie the knot?”
Chen Kuang sounded genuinely surprised. “You? In a rush to get married?”
A guy as self-centered as Xie Lisheng didn’t seem like the type with the patience to build a family with someone else.
“The old man’s on his last legs. Gotta figure out how to clean up the family mess.” Xie Lisheng didn’t elaborate, knowing they wouldn’t pry.
Zhao Yangcheng steered the conversation back to his favorite topic. “Kuangzi, get this—the girl who shot him down? She went to the same college as the four of us. Total junior sister vibes.”
“Wish Wei Yuan was here. He was in the Student Council back then. Might even know the junior sister.”
Xie Lisheng kept drying his hair and stayed silent at Zhao’s words.
“Say something, Lisheng. I’ve been monologuing this whole time, and I’m not the one who went on the blind date with the junior sister.” Zhao prodded.
He let out a cold laugh. “It should’ve been you.”
Zhao Yangcheng went awkwardly quiet. “…”
Chen Kuang, sharp as ever, pieced it together instantly. “You shoved your blind date onto Xie Lisheng to deal with? That’s low, even for you.”
“I’ve been a scumbag for more than a day or two! Good thing I skipped it! The girl looks all slim and petite, soft-spoken too. Who knew she had sky-high standards and a razor-sharp tongue?” Zhao put on a fragile tone. “I’m not as full of myself as Xie Lisheng. If she’d called me ugly, I’d actually be devastated. Might’ve jumped off a building.”
The conversation kept circling back to Jiang Zao. Xie Lisheng listened to their banter while staring at the rippling pool surface. He tilted his head back and chugged some water. Images of her flooded his mind.
Dull-witted, timid on the surface—prim and proper, pride bigger than the sky. She’d sooner die than speak up. But flip her temper, and out came that razor wit. Tease her, and she’d leap three meters high. Get her fighting, and she threw caution to the wind, consequences be damned.
Jiang Zao was the strangest person he’d ever met—a walking bundle of bizarre contradictions.
“Xie Lisheng, why aren’t you talking again? You dare to slack off in a three-way voice call!” Zhao Yangcheng poked at him once more. “Today even Kuangzi’s said more than you. What are you thinking about?!”
Chen Kuang muttered quietly, “You make me sound like some autistic kid.”
“I’m thinking…” Xie Lisheng’s fingers tightened slightly on his mineral water bottle, the plastic crunching under the pressure. “Whether the company’s standards for approving personal leave should be tightened up a bit.”
“Not so easy to approve, and not for so long.”
Chen Kuang: ?
Zhao Yangcheng: ?
Who had pissed him off this time? Damn capitalist.
But the next second, Xie Lisheng switched topics without any warning. “Which of you has ever pursued someone? How do you chase a girl?”
Silence fell over the two people on the line.
What the hell did those two things have to do with each other? Where was the connection?
He had never paid much attention to his friends’ love lives. He only knew that Zhao Yangcheng turned into a tail-wagging, tongue-lolling mutt around any goddess he spotted, while Chen Kuang had dated someone in college—but it had lasted just three months, no different from fooling around. And the girl had been the one chasing him, so it offered zero reference value.
Chen Kuang spoke up first. “You need to ask Zhao Yangcheng about this.”
Xie Lisheng let out a laugh, his sarcasm dripping. “He’s never had many real relationships, but he’s got plenty of experience playing the simp.”
Zhao Yangcheng got flustered. “Hey! Not everyone’s like you two, handsome and oozing charisma—just standing there draws girls in!”
“Besides, I’m happy to treat the girl I like well. That’s not simping; that’s devotion and sacrifice!”
“Wait.” He halted midway through his tirade. “What did you say? You’re chasing someone??!!”
“You’ve really found a marriage prospect??”
Chen Kuang offered his honest assessment. “Dumbass.”
Zhao Yangcheng sounded like he’d been struck by lightning and was now desperate for the gossip. “Who? Who is it? Do I know her? Family introduction? Some rich heiress?”
Xie Lisheng drawled slowly, “Just an ordinary girl. She works at my company.”
“Fuck!” Zhao Yangcheng cursed. “You beast! Workplace power play!”
Xie Lisheng: ?
Do you even know what that phrase means?
“Who is it, exactly?” Zhao Yangcheng pressed, huffing. “Come clean, and your old man here will mercifully teach you a few tricks. Guaranteed to land you the beauty!”
He had patted his body half-dry. With a flick, the white bath towel landed across his broad shoulders. Xie Lisheng picked up his phone and headed toward the shower room, mulling it over before telling them.
“The one who almost made you jump off a building.”
~~~
The next morning at nine-thirty, a sleek black-and-purple Panamera pulled into the public parking lot at Nanchuan Media School.
Two female students in their bachelor gowns were buying water as they passed the lot and caught sight of the man stepping out of the car.
Xie Lisheng wore a dark red V-neck button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled back and basic black trousers below. A designer chain resembling a computer port dangled from the left side of his belt.
He looked sharp yet effortlessly seductive.
He retrieved a bouquet composed entirely of yellow flowers from the passenger seat and cradled it in his arms.
Golden sunflowers, yellow roses, champagne-colored carnations, orange eustomas, and white daisies.
It gathered nearly every color and bloom that evoked hope for the future.
The golden hues made his fair skin glow even more, and the glimpse of his exquisite collarbone at the V-neck sparked all sorts of impure thoughts.
Xie Lisheng shut the door with one hand. As he locked the car, he noticed the stares and turned his head.
The moment they saw his face straight-on, the two girls gasped in admiration. They clapped hands over their mouths and hurried off, holding hands.
The instant Xie Lisheng stepped onto campus, he naturally became the magnetic force drawing every female student’s gaze. The mature aura he’d cultivated since starting his business added even more depth to his allure.
Such looks were nothing new to him. Clutching the flowers, he made his way over and asked the auntie at the school shop how to get to the sports field for the graduation ceremony.
Nanchuan Media School was fairly large. Xie Lisheng walked a good distance into the sunlight before he finally picked up the echoes from the massive event speakers.
Right on cue, Zhao Yangcheng’s call came in.
Xie Lisheng held the flowers in one hand and answered with the other. “What?”
The other end buzzed with excitement. “How’s it going? Quick report!”
“Not yet. Just got here.” Xie Lisheng hesitated, glancing down at the bouquet in his arms. “You’re sure flowers are enough?”
“Of course not! Think about it—how many classmates confessed or even proposed on graduation day? That atmosphere is perfect for sparking feelings! Even if it’s impulsive!”
“First, make sure you outshine every other guy there. Second, hand over the flashiest bouquet. Then drop the most heartfelt line!”
Xie Lisheng listened, his expression unchanging. “That’s it?”
“Saying you want to chase her…
“And just like that, you’ll catch up?”