Chapter 52

Wen Sixue lowered her eyes, seemingly unconcerned by Yun Zhan's words. Instead, she raised her hands again, the bath towel slipping half an inch as she did so, completely exposing her shoulders to the warm light.

"I'm a little sleepy, why don't we go to sleep first?" Yun Zhan didn't dare to look at Wen Sixue anymore, and quickly hid herself under the covers. She lay down on her side and covered her head with the blanket.

I didn't see anything... Don't look at what you shouldn't see...

Wen Sixue's cheeks flushed, feeling shy about her boldness, but even more afraid of missing this rare opportunity.

Without making a sound, she hooked the bra strap, her fingertips loosening it, the thin silk lightly brushing against her skin, making a very soft rustling sound, like a flower secretly blooming in the night.

She quietly moved behind Yun Zhan, wrapped her arms around him, and first lightly placed her fingertips on his waist. Seeing that Yun Zhan did not dodge, she slowly tightened her grip, pressing her whole body against him, her chest gently against his back through the thin fabric of his clothes.

The softness on his chest pressed gently against his back, the comfortable touch making Yun Zhan's back tremble.

We're too close. What is Wen Sixue doing?

If last time it was an accident and I made a mistake, then why this time?

"I...I'm a little scared." Wen Sixue's voice was low and soft, with just the right amount of trembling, her breath brushing against Yun Zhan's ear.

"Yun Zhan, let me hold you while I sleep, okay?"

As she spoke, her leg naturally reached out, her knee lightly touching Yun Zhan's calf, and the place where their bodies touched instantly warmed up.

Wen Sixue buried her face in Yun Zhan's shoulder, her nostrils filled with the faint scent of cedar wood emanating from him. Her heart pounded like a drum, but she pretended to be just a little animal seeking comfort, tightening her arms slightly as if she could encircle the person she loved into her own world.

Wen Sixue bit her lower lip. She had tried her best to seduce him, but Yun Zhan, the old dog, wouldn't take the bait.

"Why..."

A barely perceptible sigh sounded behind her, and Wen Sixue's tense body suddenly relaxed.

We really can't be impatient with Yun Zhan.

Wen Sixue thought for a moment. If Yun Zhan was a man who lusted after beautiful women, then wouldn't Pei Yanxi and Shi Mingyue be even more beautiful and have better figures than her...?

This kind of Yun Zhan wouldn't drive her so crazy or make her so addicted.

Sleepless night

The next day, after finishing his class, Yun Zhan began preparing for the press conference.

She obtained the press pass for the broadcasting room from Pei Yanxi, which allowed her to sneak into the meeting venue openly.

On the day of the press conference, a light drizzle fell outside the Lingchuan Convention and Exhibition Center, but the fully armed security personnel could not stop the surging crowds.

"It's quite lively, but judging from the cars and clothes, the people here aren't from the upper class. There are more private entrepreneurs and young students here." Yun Zhan's gaze swept quickly across the crowd.

It seems that the upper class generally sides with Shi Ke, and at least openly dares not contact Shi Boshan.

Yun Zhan, wearing a "Mindon College Reporter Pass," slipped in through the side door, casually wearing a black trench coat over his hoodie, with a mini microphone clipped to his collar, like a white fox mingling with a school of fish.

The venue was brightly lit, but the light couldn't penetrate the excitement of the assembled entrepreneurs.

There's no glitz and glamour of high society here, only rows of black business laptop bags and suits that aren't tailor-made.

“This group of people dare not take advantage of Shi Ke’s fame, but they want to use Shi Boshan as a stepping stone,” Yun Zhan said in a low voice.

"Many of them will never see Shi Ke in their entire lives. Perhaps, for them, Shi Boshan is a powerful backer they can climb up to."

It must be said that Shi Boshan has a great ability to win people over and has always cultivated a positive and upright image as an entrepreneur.

The sounds of rain, camera shutters, and hushed conversations mingled together, creating a damp, humid atmosphere that swirled beneath the dome.

Shi Boshan stood in the center of the circular stage, his dark gray suit sharply tailored, and his brooch a tiny blue diamond, like a knife hidden in politeness.

A large screen displayed a dazzling animation of "Boshan Technology's Spring Chip Products," while he held only a minimalist laser pointer.

Each press produced a beam of light like lightning piercing through the grass and ceiling, eliciting a chorus of suppressed gasps.

Yun Zhan crouched low as he walked through the corridor, his press pass dangling in front of his chest.

She had a clear goal: the empty seat in the center of the first row, directly in front of Shi Boshan. Her steps were light, and the hem of her trench coat swept across the carpet without making a sound.

The lights suddenly dimmed by one degree, the product demonstration ended, and a Q&A session began.

Shi Boshan raised his eyes and scanned the entire audience, his gaze sweeping across the sea of ​​people like a searchlight, but suddenly stopped when he passed the first row.

—Yun Zhan?

"How interesting, I actually saw him in person..." Shi Boshan's pupils contracted slightly, and a barely perceptible cold light flashed in his eyes, like a hunter catching the scent of an unexpected prey in a thick fog.

He still wore the standard orator's smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes;

Instead, a look of intrigue surfaced deep within his eyes, and the laser pointer's beam unconsciously flickered at Yun Zhan's feet, like a probing snake.

Yun Zhan did not back down. Instead, he slightly raised his chin and met Yun Zhan's gaze directly—clear against deep, cold white against dark blue. The air froze into thin ice between their eyes.

“Shi Boshan knows me.” Yun Zhan said with a sullen face, coming to a conclusion that surprised even herself.

"Huh?! How...how does he know you?" 21 was stunned.

These two people haven't had any contact at all, okay?

"I can investigate him, and of course he can investigate me too. Looks like I've met a master this time..."

Shi Boshan made the first move.

He nodded slightly, the gesture so small it was almost imperceptible, yet enough for Yun Zhan to understand the meaning behind it—hello.

That interest wasn't appreciation; it was more like a chess player looking at a strange piece that had suddenly entered the game, with assessment, consideration, and a hint of barely perceptible wariness.

Yun Zhan tapped his fingertips three times on the notebook, as if setting a rhythm for his heartbeat.

Yun Zhan silently curved the corners of his lips, polite yet distant, his gaze calmly sliding towards the side of the stage, as if he had only made eye contact with him unintentionally for a second.

The lights came back on, and Shi Boshan turned around to answer the next question. His back was straight and tall, yet it sent a chill down Yun Zhan's spine.

As the press conference ended, the crystal chandeliers were turned off one by one, leaving only the wall lamps in the side corridor casting swaying silhouettes of the crowd.

Shi Boshan was surrounded by people in the center, chatting and laughing.

Yun Zhan was squeezed at the back and had no chance to get close to Shi Boshan.

"This time, it's very likely I won't be able to speak to him." Just as Yun Zhan was about to slip away through the side door, a tall figure blocked her way.

Yun Zhan turned his gaze and saw a man who looked to be about twenty years old.

The man wore a dark gray peak lapel suit, his tie clip gleaming with a subtle, cold light. A wine glass swayed gently between his fingers, the liquid reflecting the corners of his lips in a gentle smile, but his eyes held a sliver of ice.

"Hello, my name is Shi Shaoxuan, and I am Mr. Shi Boshan's son. I see you are a reporter from Mington School. I can accept your interview on his behalf." Shi Shaoxuan's voice was not loud, but it was enough to penetrate the noise.

"What a coincidence, my sister is also at this school."

Yun Zhan's back tightened, and his fingertips silently tightened around the edge of the notebook.

"Her name is Shi Mingyue." Shi Shaoxuan took a sip of his wine, his smile deepening. "A celebrity at school, isn't she?"

That "celebrity" was like a dull knife scraping against glass, a chill creeping into my blood vessels through my eardrums.

Yun Zhan looked up and saw her face reflected in the other person's pupils.

Shi Shaoxuan elegantly put down his wine glass, reached into his suit pocket with his fingertips, and pulled out a gold-embossed business card.

The moment it was handed over, the wallet's inner compartment opened unintentionally, revealing a profile photo of Shi Mingyue lying quietly inside the transparent compartment.

The edges of the photo are slightly worn, indicating that it has been repeatedly taken out and put back in.

"A woman of unparalleled beauty, gentle and dignified, a lady of high birth... As the ancients said: 'Once you meet a beautiful woman, you will never forget her, and you will be driven mad with longing.' Miss reporter, do you also think Shi Mingyue has this kind of charm?"

When he mentioned the phrase "unforgettable upon seeing," Shi Shaoxuan's eyelashes fluttered.

Blood rushed to his eardrums instantly, and Yun Zhan's back was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

She calmed down, steadily took the business card with her fingertips, but her gaze subtly swept over the edge of the photo.

"I can see her, and I can see you."

Shi Shaoxuan put his wallet back, his smile unchanged, and his voice was so low that only the two of them could hear him:

"Miss reporter, please take good care of my sister."

His tone was gentle, yet it was like a snake's tongue lightly brushing against the skin, leaving an invisible but chilling mark.

Shi Shaoxuan left, leaving Yun Zhan alone in the same spot.

Just as Yun Zhan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a shadow suddenly appeared beside him.

Yun Zhan recognized the person who had arrived as Pei Yanxi.

Pei Yanxi wore a dark blue trench coat with the collar slightly open. Her long hair shone like cold satin in the afterglow of the venue, like a moon shadow stepping directly out of the night.

"Senior? What are you doing here?" Yun Zhan asked in a low voice, the last syllable still carrying the tension from before.

“It was a last-minute family notice,” Pei Yanxi glanced at the crowd, her eyes indifferent, “saying that we need to see the grandeur of the Shi family’s ‘branch’. I’ve never attended a tech company’s press conference like this before.”

Pei Yanxi's tone was calm, but it subtly revealed her impatience, as if she were being forced to attend a banquet that had nothing to do with her.

"Since you're here, I took the opportunity to come find you under the pretext of attending the conference. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to a place like this."

Pei Yanxi was still proud at heart, and she looked down on people like Shi Boshan.

Everyone in high society knows that Shi Boshan and Shi Ke are at odds. Shi Ke is upright and self-disciplined, while Shi Boshan is the opposite, hypocritical and two-faced.

Before she could finish speaking, a gust of cold wind blew in from the side door of the convention center, lifting the corner of Yun Zhan's thin clothes.

"Ouch, it's so cold..."

Yun Zhan subconsciously shrank his shoulders, a chill creeping up his collarbone and down his spine.

Pei Yanxi barely hesitated before raising her hand to unbutton her trench coat, the metal buckles clicking softly between her fingers.

The trench coat, carrying her body heat and the scent of roses, instantly draped over Yun Zhan's shoulders, the hem brushing past his calves, the warmth and faint rose fragrance enveloping him.

Yun Zhan froze, his fingertips unconsciously clenching the collar of his trench coat. His body heat seeped through the fabric to the back of his hand, like holding a newly lit fire.

Yun Zhan was about to speak when Pei Yanxi gently pressed his shoulder down: "It's windy, don't catch a cold."

Her voice was low and soft, yet carried an undeniable certainty.

Yun Zhan remained silent without refusing, and Pei Yanxi's heart softened. She took Yun Zhan's hand and said, "I'm sorry, I've been a bit busy lately and haven't been able to spend much time with you."

They were very close, and from a distance, their figures almost overlapped. Pei Yanxi felt a little restless; she wanted to kiss Yun Zhan, but her red lips barely parted before she was restrained by reason.

Let's just bear with it, this is a press conference.

Neither of them noticed that a red light had quietly appeared in the shadows of the corner.

The phone camera was pointed at them, the shutter clicked silently, freezing the moment when Pei Yanxi leaned down to kiss Yun Zhan:

One looked down with concern, the other looked up slightly in surprise; their clothes overlapped, and their breaths mingled.

The night wind blew the photograph into the shadows, like a handle or a fuse, silently burying it in the impending storm.