Chapter 26
Liang Shi once thought Connell was a bearded French man in his fifties, but he turned out to be less than forty! He probably exercises regularly and looks very young.
I never expected that Li Junqian would know this person.
He is a well-known figure in the French fashion world, but he doesn't like to show his face and even refuses interviews from several mainstream media outlets. This time, Liang Shi finally got to see Connell in person.
After they finished greeting each other, Li Junqian, who was wearing a dark gray golf cap, introduced her to Connell.
Liang Shi smiled and nodded at the handsome Frenchman, then shook hands, his heart trembling with excitement: "Mr. Connell, I have several of your handmade dresses hanging in my closet. It is an honor to meet you in Melbourne!"
Connell, hands on his golf clubs, laughed heartily: "Beautiful lady, would you like to hear the truth?"
Liang Shi looked at him in confusion, thankfully he was wearing a hat to block out the sun.
"It's rare to see Karsten with a female companion. Since he's become more sensible, I'll secretly tell you one of my business secrets. Every dress has its unique trademark. If the trademark is Thomas, then I'm the one who designed it and put it into the finished product. If it's Connell, then I'm only involved in the design."
Liang Shi was astonished: "You must be joking, right?"
Just then, a man wearing a pink Glow t-shirt got off a golf cart, and under Liang Shi's gaze, he not only kissed Connell on the cheek, but also... on the lips?!
She almost blurted out "Holy crap!" Homosexuality is so common in France, but she really didn't expect Connell to be one of them.
The visitor was Louis, Connell's boyfriend of over ten years. He was also the actual craftsman who made the dresses that marked Connell.
Connell laughed and said, "Don't be surprised, the weather's nice today, perfect for playing. Let's go, everyone."
Liang Shi wasn't unfamiliar with golf; it's just that her skills were terrible. After all, this kind of entertainment for the wealthy wasn't something she usually indulged in.
Compared to the swing, Liang Shi finds putting more difficult. When she swings, she doesn't care where the ball goes; as long as she can hit the ball with proper form, she considers it a success. But with putting, even when the hole is very close, the ball never seems to cooperate.
After playing a few holes with him, we came to a putting hole. All three men made their putts on their first try. When it was Liang's turn, his stroke was pretty standard, but the result was terrible.
She tried again, but only got five centimeters from the hole. What a frustrating experience.
Li Junqian, who was chatting with Connell, walked over, picked up the golf ball, bounced it a couple of times in his hand, squatted down, and placed it on the green grass beside her legs.
"When you're at an hour, stabilize your center of gravity while pressing it downwards, and grip the club firmly."
Liang Shi didn't want to delay their game: "I'm tired, you guys go to the next hole. I'll find a place to rest for a while."
He paused for a moment before speaking: "I'm worried about you."
Liang Shi laughed speechlessly: "Come on, I'm not a child. I was just kidding you this morning. Actually, my English is pretty good. There's a green on that hole over there. I'm going to practice my putting there. You stay with Connell and the others. We'll talk later when we're done."
Perhaps agreeing with his approach, Li Junqian didn't say much, turned around and chatted with Connell and the others, and the three of them got into the golf cart and left.
When Liang Shi walked to the green field, he was no longer practicing. He took out his phone to send a message to a former colleague or friend in Paris. Due to the time difference, the colleague was probably still dreaming.
She sighed and put away her phone. Just as she picked up a golf club to try putting, a man came up beside her and greeted her. Liang Shi glanced at him; he had a big face and a full beard. She didn't like men with a lot of body hair, but out of politeness, Liang Shi smiled back at him.
It's not like I haven't been approached before, but this bearded man was clearly no pushover. They say golf is an elegant sport for the rich, but that's a lie. A scoundrel can still roam freely in this materialistic world disguised as a gentleman or lady.
The man grabbed Liang Shi's wrist, and his alertness kicked in, prompting him to push the man away and keep a distance of two meters.
"do what?"
The man, thinking himself handsome, chuckled and said, "Madam, would you like a personal trainer? Your putting technique is a bit off."
Liang Shi frowned: "No need, could you please find someone else?"
She thought the man who kept saying "okay" would leave, but to her surprise, when she celebrated finally making a putt, the bearded man suddenly reappeared from nowhere. His groping hands had done plenty of bad things before; he actually put his arm around her waist and, thinking he was being friendly, said, "Beautiful lady, your golf skills are pretty good!"
What a thick skin! The natural terrain of the golf course meant there were hardly any people around, which probably fueled this man's wicked intentions. Liang Shi was just racking her brains for British swear words when suddenly the man beside her, who had been plotting against her, fell to the ground, almost knocking her down as well.
The reason she didn't fall was because someone caught her.
That familiar scent of perfume... why is he here?
"How about it?"
Hearing the pleasant sound of Mandarin, Liang Shi was surprised that he would intervene: "I'm fine."
The bearded man on the ground seemed to have been provoked, and he immediately got up and threw a punch, which startled Liang Shi.
With Li Junqian, a black belt in judo, there was no way she could have gotten hurt. But this is the result; it's quite troublesome, and the police have even come.
Fortunately, their location was within the surveillance camera's coverage area, and Liang Shi saw it on the video. It would be a lie to say she wasn't moved. Li Junqian had actually driven his own golf cart there, and when the bearded man touched her waist, he quickly got out of the car and punched him without hesitation.
The police first took her statement, but she was so nervous that she could barely speak English, and her mind went blank. Li Junqian seemed to notice her nervousness and took the initiative to help her with the statement.
The words "My fiancee" flowed smoothly from his mouth as if he hadn't thought about them. Liang Shi's mind was filled with these two words until Li Junqian took her away and got into his rented car, at which point she came to her senses.
"Did you forget to say goodbye to Mr. Connell and the others?"
As Liang Shi spoke, the car had already driven off. It was at this moment that she noticed that his right finger joints were bleeding. His once clean and handsome gentlemanly hands were now injured because of her.
Your hand...
The man seemed completely unconcerned about his injured hand, and even used that hand to search for a radio station, where a classic old song caught his ear.
"They had a cocktail party and left first. Don't worry about my hand, it's just a minor injury."
Liang Shi didn't know what to say. In short, he shouldn't have gone out today; his luck was terrible.
While waiting at a red light, Li Junqian glanced at Liang Shina, completely lost in thought.
Don't overthink it.
Liang Shi didn't know why she didn't break free from his outstretched hand. Being harassed by a man in an unfamiliar place, she didn't know what would have happened if he hadn't come.
Even the strongest woman wants someone to protect her, especially in a place where she knows no one.
So he didn't break free from his large hand, letting him hold it until the car arrived at the hotel.
As they swiped their cards to enter their rooms, Liang Shi glanced down at the hand she had been holding the whole way. She turned around, just as Li Junqian opened the door.
As he was about to enter, Liang Shi hesitated. She had been massaging his leg when she had a cramp, and he was injured, so she should at least reciprocate. In the end, she called out to him, "Li Junqian."
He turned to look at her.
Liang Shi pointed to his hand: "I brought a first-aid kit. Your hand... needs to be disinfected at least."
In short, Liang Shi regretted it as soon as Li Junqian followed her into the room. But there was no going back, so Liang Shi told him to wait for her on the sofa.
Liang Shi walked over carrying the first-aid kit. Someone stared at the unopened champagne in the ice bucket on the table, and she felt a chill run down her spine.
"I forgot to drink it this morning, the ice melted, but it should still be cold. Would you like a cup?"
She finished speaking and then saw him laughing. It was really inexplicable, but... I have to say, this man's smile was really charming.
"What are you laughing at?"
"What are we celebrating by drinking champagne?"
Liang Shi didn't know if there was another meaning behind his words, so he placed the first-aid kit next to his legs and took out a can of alcohol swabs from it: "What else can we celebrate? Of course, we're celebrating Djokovic winning the Australian Open men's singles title tomorrow. Your hand might sting a little if you stick it out."
"Are you so sure?"
Liang Shi used clips to hold a piece of white alcohol-soaked cotton ball, which had a pungent smell: "Of course. You think just anyone can become my idol? Does it hurt?"
"fine."
But Liang Shi still noticed him furrow his brow slightly, for just a second. For a man, feeling pain from such a minor injury is simply unmanly.
She laughed and said, "If it hurts, I'll be gentle."
As soon as Liang Shi finished speaking, his ears turned red instantly. His words were incredibly ambiguous! He used to ask her this question while kissing her shoulder when they were intimate.
Damn it, does he think I'm seducing him?!
"Xiao Shi, why are you blushing?"
Sure enough! Li Junqian is such a pretentious man! He clearly understood the implication, but he insisted on asking the question he already knew the answer to!
"The air conditioning isn't working well, it's too hot. Okay, you can go back to your room now. By the way, don't get your hands wet for the next couple of days."
To everyone's surprise, the man gave an irrelevant answer: "Want to grab something to eat together? Or would you like to go out to eat or..."
Liang Shi was too lazy to go out. She drew back the curtains, and the view from the balcony was beautiful: "My legs are still a little uncomfortable. I'll just order a hotel meal later."
"Little Shi, the view from your balcony is better than mine. If you don't mind, I'd like to order some food here. It would be a waste not to drink this wine."
Wasteful? The young master wouldn't even know what waste is?
Liang Shi glanced at his phone; it was lunchtime. He had eaten lunch in his room, so it didn't seem wrong to have dinner at her place.
She pointed to the landline: "Sure, I'll pour the drinks. And would you please order something, Mr. Li?"
Despite the heat, the breeze on the balcony was quite pleasant. Liang Shi held up a champagne glass to the setting sun, which made St. Patrick's Cathedral appear even more sacred under the afterglow. Just as Li Junqian stepped onto the balcony, she was taking pictures with her phone.
I sent the photo to a former colleague who was having lunch in Paris. After thinking about it, I decided not to gossip about Connell.
Li Junqian sat on the other side of the small round table. Liang Shi didn't look at him, but he still caught a glimpse of him picking up a wine glass.
"cheers?"
Upon hearing this, Liang Shi reached out to clink glasses with him. As the glass clattered, an unidentified white bird landed on the balcony railing. Just as she was about to take a picture, the bird, quite unceremoniously, flapped its wings and flew into the sky.
"I just checked my WeChat Moments and it's snowing in Shanghai, but here I still have to slather on sunscreen. This world is truly amazing," she exclaimed.
The box of memories always needs a switch or a key. Li Junqian thought back to many years ago, when he had just entered university. Once, he stayed in the laboratory for too long and didn't get back to his rented house until midnight.
He knew the time difference between Paris and Shanghai by heart. That night, just as he was about to fall asleep, he received a multimedia message from China. It was probably taken on his way to school; after a night's sleep, the bushes along the roadside were covered in snow. But he was too tired to pay much attention and went to sleep.
"When you were little, do you remember when you were in your second year of high school, you sent me a picture of snow?"
How could Liang Shi not remember? It was the first time she had taken the initiative to share something wonderful with him, but unfortunately, he didn't even respond.
Liang Shi found it amusing that he had been so easily brought up; it turned out that the man had seen it.
Liang pretended to be confused: "Really? I don't remember. The doorbell rang, it's probably our dinner that's arrived."
The dinner was quite good, lasting from the orange sunset to the twinkling stars. Occasionally, a street musician would pass by downstairs, and a few melodies would echo through the streets, making it truly poetic.
She took the last sip of champagne and looked up at the Melbourne night sky: "It's getting late."
Five words, an unspoken order to leave.
Clever as he is, he said, "I'll go call room service before I leave."
Looking at the leftovers, Liang Shi smiled and thought, "Tonight was really peaceful. Nothing happened, and we didn't talk about anything. But the atmosphere was romantic enough."
His phone rang on the table. Liang Shi glanced at it; there was no contact name, but the 11 digits indicated a domestic call. He persisted, calling three times, which ruled out it as a spam call.
But it has nothing to do with her.
Finally, Liang Shi saw him to the door, and couldn't help but emphasize again: "Don't get the wound wet."
Okay. Good night.
"good evening."
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