"What are you staring at me for?"
Despite not showing any sign of discomfort on the surface, Jiang Chen felt somewhat uneasy being gazed at so intensely by this woman.
"Can I ask you a question?"
Miss Shi continued to size him up without averting her eyes.
"Why are you so nice to me?"
Jiang Chen was silent.
"In this world, no man has ever been so kind to me, except for my dad, and now, you."
Miss Shi was no longer the naive young girl inexperienced in the ways of the world.
To judge a man, you shouldn’t look at what he says, but at what he does.
Although this guy seemed indifferent to her, whenever she truly needed help, he was always ready to lend a hand.
Like the time she was almost drugged at the bar.
Like at the charity gala.
He seemed to expect nothing in return, even returning the million her mother contemptuously gave him.
Is there such a thing as gratuitous kindness in this world?
Shi Qianxi certainly didn’t believe so.
Yet she couldn’t fathom what his motives were.
Was he lusting after her beauty?
She had thrown herself at him countless times.
Perhaps it was because she had encountered an inscrutable man for the first time, that she couldn’t resist him.
But what could Jiang Chen say?
Initially, he had kept his distance from this young lady, but later he realized that if he wanted to win over Pei Yunxi, Miss Shi of the Shi Family could be a good intermediary.
If not for Shi Qianxi, he wouldn’t have been able to disrupt Shi Zhenhua’s plans at the charity dinner, let alone gain entrance to the event.
The same logic applied this time.
To sign Pei Yunxi, this young lady was the perfect excuse to make the deal seem both sensible and fitting, ensuring that no one would notice him.
Of course, he couldn’t reveal any of this to Shi Qianxi.
As Jiang Chen was thinking of excuses, Shi Qianxi’s phone rang, diverting her attention.
She took out her phone and answered, as if no one else was present.
"Miss, is the party over?"
Shi Qianxi’s voice was neutral.
"It’s nothing much, just that last time, Miss, you mentioned liking the Hermès scarf. They’re going to release it after the New Year, and I’ve contacted a friend abroad who has connections and can help get it..."
"I’m with a friend right now. Let’s talk about it when I’m back at the office."
Chen Zhou was taken aback, then said somewhat stiffly, "Oh, okay."
Shi Qianxi put down her phone.
Getting a call so late... Although he couldn’t hear the specifics, it was clear it was a man, and judging by Shi Qianxi’s tone, it likely wasn’t Sun Xiyu.
"My dad’s secretary."
Shi Qianxi gave a casual explanation.
"You might not believe it, but I spent this Christmas Eve at the office."
"Sun didn’t ask you out?"
Shi Qianxi glared at him, clearly annoyed.
"Mention him again and see if I don’t stay right here tonight?"
Jiang Chen immediately raised his hands in surrender.
Seeing this, Shi Qianxi burst into an angry laugh.
She might not be a nation-toppling beauty, but surely she was better than his ex-girlfriend, whose thoughts were always a mystery, right?
So why did he seem to show absolutely no interest in her?
However, she was already accustomed to it.
"Shall I take you home?"
"No need, I’ll stay a bit longer; you go ahead."
"Then don’t stay too long; be careful not to catch a cold."
Miss Shi didn’t cling on this time and quickly left the octagonal pavilion, pulled open the car door, and got in.
The Aston Martin turned and drove away.
Jiang Chen was a bit surprised by her easygoing attitude tonight; he watched the taillights of the Aston Martin blur into the distance and smiled wryly.
It seemed that the period of "arduous training" and "oppression" had brought about more than just a superficial change to the madam, and finally, she had matured somewhat.
Not long after Shi Qianxi left, Li Shuru called.
"Their dance was spectacular; tell them not to be discouraged."
Seeing Li Shuru enter the octagonal pavilion, Jiang Chen said with a smile.
"Shouldn’t you be comforting me?" said Li Shuru, the choreographer, in a soft voice.
"You’re not someone to hold such petty grudges."
"I don’t mind losing to others, but it was to Ai Senior."
Li Shuru chanted, "Pray to the Father to be a good man for ten minutes, grant me his kiss, as if in mercy toward a sinner... she sang really well."
Jiang Chen smiled wryly, grasping her soft and tender hand, "She just sang a song, can you stop overthinking? Besides, maybe she was singing to Liang Zhenlun, right?"
Li Shuru finally couldn’t keep it in, and smiled wryly.
"If I were Ai Senior, I would have to scold you after hearing what you said."
Jiang Chen, of course, understood she wasn’t really angry and held her hand tighter.
"Did you buy the tickets?"
"Yeah, tomorrow morning."
"If you don’t want to go, don’t force yourself; the tickets are..."
Li Shuru glared at him before she could finish her sentence, her straight nose suddenly twitching.
"Who was here just now?"
Li Shuru asked incongruously.
"Of course, it’s true."
"Then why do I smell perfume?"
Jiang Chen’s heart skipped a beat.
Are girls’ sense of smell really that sensitive?
Jiang Chen quickly denied.
Seeing that he couldn’t bluff his way out, Jiang Chen could only explain, "A friend."
"Then why didn’t you admit it just now?"
Li Shuru’s gaze was intense, displaying strong logical thinking.
"Because... you know that person."
"I know them? Someone from our school?"
Jiang Chen shook his head, admitting honestly, "It was Shi Qianxi."
Lest Li Shuru forgot the name, he continued to explain, "It’s the rich young lady who smashed the blood diamond at your last birthday."
Li Shuru was momentarily taken aback.
"So it really was her..."
Jiang Chen’s eyes showed confusion.
"During the ceremony, I thought I heard the principal introducing her name; I thought I heard wrong..."
Li Shuru snapped back to reality, frowning, "She’s not here to cause you trouble, is she? I’ll call Sun Xiyu..."
The rich girl’s tenacity and arrogance were still vividly etched in her mind.
Jiang Chen hurriedly stopped her.
"No, she wasn’t causing trouble, we just bumped into each other and had a chat."
"Chat? What do you two have to talk about?"
"You heard the principal say it too; she’s the vice president of Jin Hai Industrial, there are some business matters she could help with."
"Aren’t we on bad terms with her?"
Jiang Chen knew what she was going to say and explained with a smile, "For businessmen, there are only eternal interests, whether there is a grudge or not doesn’t really matter."