Chapter 16

She locked the perfume and the card in a drawer; things had changed, and she wanted to move on.

However, the meeting was still chaired by Gu Feng, and the big boss even emphasized that Li Junqian would not be back for a while. Only Liang Shi remained silent.

Li Junqian made a special trip back to China just so she could name the perfume? She took out her phone and checked the flights; there happened to be a flight back to Singapore at this time.

They've probably already headed back.

Liang Shi couldn't figure out whether Li Junqian was avoiding her or what he wanted to do.

Liang Shi left a little earlier today and went to IKEA specifically to buy some small items for the house. However, he bumped into someone in the IKEA restaurant and got his clothes dirty before he even bought anything. To make matters worse, the food he had just bought got stained.

If the person she was faking an accident with hadn't been a well-dressed man, Liang Shi might have really lost her temper on the spot. Luckily, her Chanel was unharmed; otherwise, no matter how handsome the man was, she would have cursed him out.

"Madam, I'm sorry, I didn't see you just now. Your clothes are dirty, I'll pay for them."

The man had a nice voice, but his Mandarin wasn't very standard; he was probably from the Guangdong area.

Liang Shi waved his hand and chuckled, "My clothes are quite expensive, but I'm not the kind of person who takes advantage of others' misfortunes. Just pay me the dry cleaning fee. I can tell your coat isn't cheap either, and you probably know the dry cleaning rates, so just give me whatever you think is fair."

As Liang Shi spoke, she opened the WeChat payment QR code, and the man readily transferred 1,000 yuan to her.

"Sir, is the dry cleaner you went to a shady place?"

Which dry cleaner charges this much to clean a single garment?

The man put away his phone and gestured for her to step aside so they could talk, because the restaurant cleaner had arrived.

Liang Shi took off his soiled coat and said, "It's not much. This money also includes your dinner and the time you wasted. I'm really sorry. If you trust me, I'd like to apologize in person."

That's probably how mature men handle problems; they're really thorough in every aspect.

"Didn't you lose money?"

The man smiled and took out a business card from the inside pocket of his coat. Liang Shi took it; it read: Supervisor and Vice President of Industrial Planning, Lingzhi Automotive Technology Co., Ltd.

She recently visited the Autohome website and learned that this brand is a popular new energy vehicle brand.

No wonder this man has such an extraordinary presence; he's definitely destined for great things.

"The money was to quickly ease the tension. As for my apology, it's very cold outside today, and I was worried that the lady might catch a cold without a coat. If you'd like, I'd like to express my gratitude by giving her a coat, and we can also have dinner together."

Liang Shi put the business card in his bag and handed over his own. It's true what they say about Shanghai being full of opportunities. Meeting a big shot because of a coat is a rare occurrence.

But when a man is being so attentive, Liang Shi knows that besides genuinely apologizing, there's also the attraction between men and women.

Liang Shi laughed and said, "Mr. Wei, your way of striking up a conversation is quite straightforward."

Wei Yanhang was indeed attracted to the woman in front of him. She had a beautiful face and was dressed exquisitely, yet she was approachable. He had been dealing in the business world for many years and had met many women, most of whom were strong women. He could tell that this woman was probably also a capable person. Sure enough, the business card confirmed his guess.

No man dislikes a beautiful and intelligent woman.

"Ms. Liang, my car is parked in the underground parking lot. If you also have a car, how about we meet somewhere and drive there together?"

Since breaking up with Li Junqian, Liang Shi returned the car to him. The car was parked in the company parking lot, and she secretly put the car keys in his desk drawer.

"I didn't drive today, let's go together."

As Liang Shi sat in the McLaren 570, he couldn't help but wonder: "As a senior executive of a new energy vehicle company, why don't you drive your own car?"

Wei Yanhang turned up the car's interior temperature and smiled, "I just didn't drive it today, and you caught me. The nearest one is the IAPM mall, is that okay?"

Liang Shi didn't care: "Either way is fine."

This was her first time at the IPAM shopping mall. There were quite a few luxury brands there. Wei Yanhang asked her what brand of coat she wanted to buy. Liang Shi really didn't intend to let him pay for it, otherwise he would really think she was after his money and then use this trick to trap her.

She was really short on down jackets, so she picked out a short white one from Canada Goose. When it came time to pay, Liang Shi lost out to the physical strength of the man and woman; Wei Yanhang held down her hand holding the card, and in the end, he handed his black card to the cashier.

Liang Shi sighed, "Mr. Wei, I'm not short of money."

Wei Yanhang helped her carry the bag containing her dirty coat: "I should have paid for it anyway. Are you hungry? Want to eat something together?"

Liang Shi had only eaten a sandwich for lunch and was starving by now. When choosing a restaurant, she asked, "Mr. Wei, judging from your accent, you're from Guangdong?"

“My home is in Chaoshan, and I’ve always worked in Shenzhen. I speak Cantonese most of the time, but my Mandarin isn’t very good. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

"You're being modest. Your Mandarin is quite standard. You said you're from Chaoshan, which is a food capital. You should decide what to eat!"

We ended up choosing a Japanese restaurant. The two of us hit it off and chatted for quite a while. We even added each other on WeChat before we left.

In the end, Liang Shi declined Wei Yanhang's offer to take her home. Although she didn't think he was a bad person, anyone could pretend to be a good person, and she had to be wary.

Gu Feng rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, then decisively took out his phone, opened the camera app, and zoomed in.

Taking advantage of a few rounds of drinks to get some fresh air, he actually managed to film a TV series. When it comes to connections in Shanghai, he still can't compare to his good brother Li Junqian.

Li Junqian took a red-eye flight early this morning. As soon as he got off the plane, he took a taxi to the company. While no one was around, he put his things on Liang Shi's desk. Unable to resist his sleepiness, he went home and took a nap. Actually, he woke up in the afternoon, but he still hadn't received a reply from Liang Shi.

I've never been this crazy before, all because of that song Liang Shi played on repeat.

Li Junqian felt that Liang Shi was singing about him and her, which is why he impulsively booked a ticket back to China. But he was afraid of misunderstanding, so he was waiting for her reply.

Instead of receiving a reply from Liang Shi, they were met with a bolt from the blue.

Gu Feng's voice message: Bro, look what I photographed! Liang Shi is actually chatting and laughing with a guy. Could they have gotten back together? This guy is good-looking and looks pretty rich. Tsk, I don't really know him. Do you?

The video was blurry, but Li Junqian was certain that the person was Liang Shi. As for the man, Li Junqian gripped the phone tighter and tighter.

Li Junqian called Gu Feng, who asked him if he knew who the man was.

“I don’t know her. By the way, send me Suzie’s new address. I’ll go to the market tomorrow and send her some housewarming gifts.”

Gu Feng had no doubts and quickly sent over the address. Li Junqian looked at the message and chuckled. He never thought that one day he would have to ask about her in such a secretive way.

Liang Shi walked out of the elevator carrying a bag, looking down to find his keys in his bag, thinking that he would replace the fingerprint lock in a while. Unexpectedly, he saw a pair of black leather shoes, and then heard a voice say "Xiao Shi".

He did indeed return.

Liang Shi still softened and couldn't help but look up at him. Damn it, this man was as handsome as ever.

"Mr. Li, what brings you to a female subordinate so late at night? Could you please move aside? I need to go home."

On the day they broke up, she and he made it clear that from now on they would only have a superior-subordinate relationship.

Who is that man?

God knows how angry, even jealous, Li Junqian was when he saw that video.

Liang Shi frowned immediately. Did she have a spy of his by her side? How did he know so much about her affairs?

"You were following me?"

Li Junqian told the truth: "Gu Feng saw it. I came to verify. When I was little, that man..."

Liang Shi sneered: "Both of us are single, and we're a perfect match. What, is it strange that I have a suitor? Li Junqian, we've already broken up. Stop looking at me from a boyfriend's perspective. To be honest, that guy is handsome, rich, and highly educated. Maybe I'll agree to be with him soon. Mr. Li, you're quite a handsome man yourself. You don't need to cling to an ex-girlfriend, do you? Can you please step aside?"

Li Junqian stepped aside, and Liang Shi walked over to insert the key and open the door. She probably hadn't opened it many times, and with her ex-boyfriend beside her making her nervous, tsk, was this door deliberately messing with her today?

"Xiaoshi, I've been thinking about marriage for a long time in Singapore. I've never considered it before, and I even felt that I didn't need it, but being separated from you has made me very sad, and I admit that I really like you. If it were you, I would really look forward to getting married. Xiaoshi, let's get back together."

Liang Shi's hands trembled, especially when she heard the word "reconciliation," but she dared not. If Zhao Jiaren found out, she would definitely not let her off the hook.

The door opened, and Liang Shi quickly slipped inside, but he couldn't close it; the door was jammed shut with his hand.

"Mr. Li, your hands are very precious, please don't hurt them."

Li Junqian always felt that something was wrong with her. She inexplicably proposed breaking up, and her attitude was completely different from before. There must be some hidden reason behind this.

"Xiaoshi, may I come in and sit down? Let's talk."

Liang Shi braced his hand against the doorknob, applying just the right amount of pressure, afraid of actually hurting the young master's hand: "This place is too small, you'd better not come in. Besides, we don't have anything to talk about."

The lights were off inside, and he couldn't see her expression clearly using the emergency light outside the door: "Xiaoshi, do we really have to be like this?"

Liang Shi thought to herself, "This man flew all the way back from Singapore and even came to block the door. He's probably back for her. If she doesn't hurt him today, this door probably won't be able to close."

Thinking of this, she didn't bother to guard against it anymore. She let go of the doorknob, opened the door, and threw the bag she was carrying in her other hand onto the ground.

"We don't have men's slippers, please come in. We haven't boiled any water or offered any, please bear with us."

Li Junqian pushed open the door, hesitated for a moment, and then went in, casually placing the bag on the sofa for her. The house was neither too big nor too small, more than enough for one person to live in.

Shanghai natives seem to have an innate sensitivity to location and property prices. He stared at the woman watering the flowers on the balcony and said, "Xiao Shi, why did you suddenly want to buy a house?"

Liang Shi put down the showerhead and snorted, "If you want to buy it, you buy it. Why make so many excuses? Li Junqian, it's already ten o'clock. We've looked at the house, we've broken up. I really don't want to hear what you want to say anymore. Can you leave?"

Seeing her pale face, Li Junqian realized she was probably truly exhausted: "Little Shi..."

Every time he called her Xiaoshi, Liang Shi felt a pang of heartache and pain. She grabbed a cushion and threw it at him, saying, "Li Junqian, you wouldn't be thinking of having a breakup sex with me, would you? If you really have that kind of wicked intention, I'll definitely sue you in court!"

Li Junqian caught the soft cushion steadily, leaned over and placed it on the sofa. Seeing her shrink back, he frowned and wondered if he had put so much pressure on her.

"I'll still be in Shanghai tomorrow. If you have any ideas about the name of that perfume, feel free to contact me via WeChat or phone. Get some rest, I'm leaving now."

After Li Junqian left, Liang Shi quickly took the pillow and hugged it to his chest; it seemed to still carry some of his scent.

He's probably the only man in the world who doesn't mind her wearing perfume.

It was even this fragrance that had lured her to like him for so many years.

The next day, just before leaving get off work, Liang Shi inexplicably took out the bottle of perfume and sprayed it into the air twice.

She didn't know much about perfumes, only distinguishing between pleasant and unpleasant smells. The French love perfumes, but even though Liang Shi had been in France for so long, she hadn't developed the habit of wearing perfume every day.

Li Junqian prefers woody scents, but this one is clearly not. It has a light citrus scent, but when you smell it carefully, you can't actually smell the citrus scent anymore. What remains is a long-lasting floral fragrance.

The fragrance opens with citrus notes, full of the breath of spring, then transitions into a rose-themed moment, romantic and fresh, as if one could see a garden adorned with clusters of pink roses, and finally ends with the clean and gentle fragrance of musk.

Liang Shi thought of a word: reminiscence.

Her mind was filled with memories of her and Li Junqian wearing school uniforms, and then it jumped to images of the two of them dating.

These things are all just memories now.

But she did not send any messages to Li Junqian.

Marry came in to ask if the previously agreed-upon foundation advertising plan would be approved, and suddenly she smelled a refreshing fragrance.

"Director Liang, what perfume are you wearing? It smells wonderful! What brand is it? I'll have my boyfriend buy me a bottle for Valentine's Day!"

Liang Shi handed her a document: "Let General Manager Li sign this."

Marry reminded him, "Director Liang, have you forgotten? Mr. Li is currently in Singapore, and Mr. Gu is signing on his behalf. I'll go upstairs and ask him to sign in a bit."

How could Liang Shi forget? She just asked the question on purpose. So this man really came back for her? He didn't go back to the company, nor did he tell Gu Feng that he was back?

She smiled and said, "I was so busy I forgot. Oh, right, I only have a sample of this perfume; I can't buy it now."

Marry looked disappointed.