Chapter 27
Liang Shi thought she got up very early, but when she was getting ready to go to the brunch place her former colleague in Paris had mentioned, she ran into Li Junqian, who was returning from the gym.
It really does take willpower to maintain a good figure.
"go out?"
Liang Shi wore a beige halter-neck dress with a touch of bohemian style, paired with a Loewe woven bag, exuding a relaxed vibe.
"A former colleague said there's a good brunch place nearby, so I'm planning to try it out."
She returned to Shanghai from Paris in the bleak late autumn, and it was the first time I'd seen her dressed so 'casually'.
"If you don't mind, would you like to come along?"
Liang Shi thought about how to refuse, but after thinking it over, he couldn't come up with a good reason to refuse.
If he comes along, he can be her driver or even her "wallet." Why wouldn't she want that?
Liang Shi's reason for liking Paris is simple: people there believe in enjoying life, clearly distinguish between work hours and off-get off work hours, and sitting on the street drinking coffee and wine seems to be ingrained in their genes.
Sitting here in this alleyway with its red walls and greenery, I feel as if I'm in Paris.
The food quickly piled up on the table, and the man opposite him was drinking coffee, leaning back in a dark green wooden chair and typing.
Judging from his serious expression, it was most likely work-related. Men become incredibly attractive when they're focused on business. Especially since this man's attire was quite tasteful; many women passing by couldn't help but turn to look at him.
Liang Shi felt that her sitting there was practically blocking his chances of finding a girlfriend.
Perhaps the sunlight was too dazzling, because the man opposite him put on sunglasses, which made his facial features look even more angular.
Zhou Yun messaged her, asking if she was going to watch the game soon. Liang Shi checked the time and realized it was still early. Zhou Yun then asked what she was doing, wondering if she was still sleeping in the hotel. Liang Shi opened her camera and took a picture of the food on the table, intentionally including the man opposite her in the photo.
Anyway, if Gu Feng knows about their relationship, then Zhou Yun must know too, so there's no need to hide it.
Zhou Yun: Food is nothing compared to handsome men! Mr. Li seems even more handsome now.
Liang Shi typed with a smile: Frankl would be sad to hear this.
Zhou Yun sent a sighing emoji: You enjoy yourself, I'm still rushing to the company!
Liang Shi: Keep it up, Secretary Zhou! I'll bring you a gift later.
The salmon was alright, but eating too much so early in the morning would upset my stomach. Liang Shi put down his fork and looked at the man opposite him, his long legs crossed, so handsome he was practically glowing.
Recently, there's been a new adjective: "handsome but greasy man." It refers to men who, despite being quite handsome, are self-conscious about their looks and deliberately try to appear cool. For example, after working out at the gym, you can always see selfies of them showing off their muscles on social media. Liang Shi really dislikes this type of man.
The person in front of me is probably another type: handsome but unaware of it, or knowing he's handsome but not using it to attract attention.
Liang Shi took out her phone again, found a good angle, and took a picture of the man opposite her. She quickly sent it to him via WeChat. The man opposite her was probably puzzled by her actions. He took off his sunglasses and raised his eyebrows slightly.
Why are you taking pictures of me?
Liang Shi took a sip of coffee, stretched, and slowly said, "Delicious food and beautiful scenery, how rare! Shouldn't President Li post about this idyllic life on his WeChat Moments to show off?"
"You know, I don't like to expose my private life."
Liang Shi feigned surprise: "Really? I seem to remember you posted that on Chinese New Year's Day..."
Li Junqian smiled, without refuting, and tapped on his phone screen with his head down. After a few seconds, he turned the phone screen towards Liang Shi opposite him: "As you wish?"
On the day of the Spring Festival, Li Junqian only wanted to preserve 'evidence' in his WeChat Moments, fearing that Liang Shi would disregard their agreement.
Liang Shizhen never expected that he would actually post that photo on his WeChat Moments! She just wanted to make things difficult for him!
"You actually sent it? You didn't block your mother, did you? Li Junqian, you're crazy!"
Seeing her get up as if her hair had been blown off and try to snatch his phone, Li Junqian saw through her actions and put the phone face down on the table: "Xiaoshi, I've said it before, my mother can't be an obstacle between us."
Liang Shi felt incredibly stupid for her prank! If Zhao Jiaren found out she was with Li Junqian, she was genuinely afraid she wouldn't be able to stay in Shanghai!
She wouldn't listen to him and still tried to snatch his phone: "Li Junqian, delete it right now! Your mother is very suspicious!"
With his hands held tightly and unable to move, Liang Shi half-squatted beside him, his expression almost tearful.
“She goes to the temple to burn incense and pray every year during the Lunar New Year. She won’t touch her phone these days, so don’t worry, she won’t see it. Even if she does see it, I’m already prepared to marry you, and she can’t control me.”
When Liang Shi heard him say he wanted to marry her, her heart skipped a beat. She was momentarily stunned and almost fell to the ground, but thankfully Li Junqian pulled her up. Just then, his phone rang. Liang Shi pursed her lips, told him to answer the phone quickly, and sat back down to continue eating her brunch.
Upon seeing the incoming call, Li Junqian frowned. He had already rejected the call several times last night, but it was coming again now. It was like a persistent nuisance.
"I'm going to answer a phone call."
Liang Shi returned to his seat and saw that he only held the phone to his ear when he reached the alley entrance. If it were a regular work call, he wouldn't be so wary. If it were Zhao Jiaren's call, his earlier words wouldn't have made him walk there to answer it. Besides, if what he said was true, it couldn't possibly be Zhao Jiaren's call.
Scrolling through her WeChat Moments, she saw that Li Junqian's handsome photo of himself sitting on the street eating brunch had indeed received a lot of likes and comments. She exclaimed that this man was really popular.
As the waiter passed by, Liang asked him for directions to the restroom.
Upon hearing Zhou Mengmeng's voice, Li Junqian raised his hand and rubbed his temples.
“I’ve been to that brunch place, Junqian, you’re really being unfair! You should at least have told me you were going to Australia, my old base!”
Li Junqian sneered, "What do you want by calling me?"
"It's not that the domestic economic environment is bad, so I think we should slow down our entrepreneurship. But as you said, people need to be financially independent and have a job."
"so what?"
Zhou Mengmeng chuckled: "Is your company still hiring? Aren't you the vice president? One more person shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Li Junqian never uses connections to get things done; that's his choice, without exception.
"I'm sorry, that's impossible. Besides, our company has no plans to hire anyone recently, Ms. Zhou. If you really need a job, I remember that your Zhou family has many companies."
Zhou Mengmeng raised her voice: "Oh dear, I'm not going to work for my family's companies. I'll lose my freedom. My dad will definitely have someone watching me all the time. Brother Junqian, please have mercy on me! I work with cosmetics every day, it's my 'professional' job!"
"Finding a job is your own business. If you don't even have this much ability, how can you keep talking about being independent? Ms. Zhou, I'm busy. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
Liang Shigang heard his resolute words and that title as soon as he approached.
Who is Miss Zhou?
Afraid that Liang Shi would think he was eavesdropping, he waved the tissue in his hand and said, "The waiter said the restroom is over there. I'll be right back. By the way, you should delete that post on your WeChat Moments if you can. I was being presumptuous just now."
Li Junqian's expression softened slightly upon hearing Liang Shi's voice. Staring at her retreating figure, he thought for a moment and then set the post on his WeChat Moments to be visible only to himself.
He zoomed in and out of the photo, and it turned out pretty good. It would have been even better if it were a group photo of them.
When Liang Shi returned and sat down, he saw the man opposite him pointing his phone at him: "Were you taking pictures of me without my permission?"
The man opposite her smiled, his red lips and white teeth captivating her. Soon, she received the photo on WeChat. Tsk, he didn't even bother to add a filter!
"This is called reciprocity."
"What a nice exchange," Liang Shi said, taking a sip of his coffee and glancing at the time. "It's about time. Shall we head to the court?"
………
The sporting event was indeed exciting. Liang Shi felt the atmosphere and took a few photos, which he sent to Zhou Yun. The latter replied with a picture of a stack of office materials.
Liang Shi stuffed his phone into his bag, looked at the tennis court in front of him, and smiled, "The result of this match should be a foregone conclusion."
Li Junqian unscrewed the mineral water bottle and handed it over: "So sure?"
Liang Shi hummed in agreement: "Of course. Want to make a bet?"
"What are we betting on?"
Although Liang Shi made this suggestion on a whim, he said, "I haven't thought it through yet, we'll see when the time comes."
When Djokovic won two matches in a row, Liang Shi touched the man's muscular thigh with a half-empty bottle of mineral water: "You're going to lose."
The man raised an eyebrow: "This isn't the final result yet. Keep watching, it's going to be exciting."
It was truly spectacular, lasting over five hours, definitely worth the ticket price. Especially the last two matches, which were neck and neck, but the veteran is still the veteran, winning three consecutive matches to take the Australian Open men's singles title this year, prompting Liang Shi to applaud and cheer.
As the bustling crowd dispersed, Liang Shi patted him on the shoulder: "You lost."
Li Junqian smiled, seemingly not feeling like he had been taken advantage of: "A bet is a bet."
Liang Shi was genuinely happy, so much so that when they arrived at the hotel, she checked on him. As she opened the room key, she pointed to his hands and said, "You need to disinfect your hands with alcohol again. You can also order some food from my room."
Li Junqian didn't refuse and followed her inside. Liang Shi was incredibly embarrassed to see so many clothes on the sofa and told him to sit at the foot of the bed.
The bed was rather soft, and when she sat down with the alcohol swabs, it sank even further.
"Give me your hand."
She said so, and he did as she said. They had a perfect understanding.
Such beautiful hands, but a scar makes them flawed.
"Don't get it wet. It will itch when the wound scabs over, so you have to resist the urge to scratch it."
She applied the ointment as she spoke, and after finishing, she blew on the wound and said, "It's healed."
The two sat very close. Today she was sipping Darjeeling tea, which, after a day of aging, had changed from its original crispness to a warm one. A faint fragrance lingered around him, and emotion triumphed over reason.
He stared at her; her face was small, and the wispy strands of hair on either side, combined with the warm lighting in the room, made her appear incredibly gentle. Thinking back to how she'd been acting like a little hedgehog these past few days, he couldn't tell which one was the real her.
"Are you hungry? Why don't you call and order some food? Or go to a restaurant?"
She looked up and met his deep black eyes. His gaze was so direct and alluring that Liang Shi felt something was wrong!
"Um, what would you like to eat? I'll call and order..."
Suddenly, he grabbed her hand as she was tidying up the medicine box: "Xiaoshi, may I kiss you?"
Sure enough, his intense gaze was too direct! Liang Shi really couldn't handle it!
Li Junqian did not want to hide his feelings, especially towards Liang Shi, whom he silently concealed.
Of course, despite how he felt at the moment, he wouldn't make things difficult for her.
"Xiaoshi, relax, I'll go order food."
Liang Shi knew he wouldn't force him, but why did he feel so uncomfortable when he suddenly got up to leave?
Li Junqian lowered his head, his clothes were gently tugged, and the answer was obvious.
Liang Shi sat on his lap in his arms, her heart pounding. In the end, she gave in to her heart.
Now it's probably too late to run away.
Such tender intimacy had never happened before; most of the time, the two of them were more intense, with Liang Shi wrapping his arms around his neck and following his rhythm.
It was so agonizing; the slow, leisurely pace was stimulating her nerves, and she was the one craving it like a lustful woman.
It really was just kissing, but although it was exhausting, she became more and more addicted. His hands were placed properly on her waist. When Liang Shi came to his senses, he realized that the two of them had been kissing for a long time.
He meant what he said. Liang Shi, fearing he might not be able to resist pouncing on him, opened his eyes, bit his lip, and got off him.
She looked away: "You can go now. Just now... I was out of my mind. Just pretend nothing happened."
When she said "okay," Li Junqian knew that she still had feelings for him. He took her hand and said, "Xiaoshi, you can fool yourself, but you can't fool your heart."
Following the direction he pointed, Liang Shi saw a clear puddle of water on his pants and blushed instantly!
She shook off his hand: "It's just a normal physiological phenomenon. I don't believe you don't have it down there... cough cough, let's not talk about this kind of topic since we're alone together."
“We’re not little kids anymore. We should do what we love to be happy. I’ll face what you’re worried about with you. Shall we start over?”
Liang Shi knew this trip to Melbourne would definitely lead to this, but she had just let her lust lead her astray, and things were getting complicated.
"We just made a bet."
Li Junqian frowned slightly: "Xiao Shi, does it have to be like this?"
Clever as he is, he should have guessed what she wanted to say. If it weren't for the burning intensity in his eyes, she would have definitely increased the stakes until he was heartbroken. It's better to hurt him a thousand times than hurt herself eight hundred times; she wasn't so cruel as to tell him never to mention getting back together again.
“I just returned to China and haven’t really settled down in Fanning yet. To be honest, dating you is quite comfortable, but your mother’s interference has made me realize that a woman, especially one who has nothing, still needs a career to make a living. That’s the most important thing. Li Junqian, I admit that I still have some feelings for you, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to sacrifice my future. I want to fight for the rest of my life in Shanghai.”
What Li Junqian admired most about her from the beginning was her stubbornness and independent womanly charm; he knew she had made up her mind.
"So, what's the stake?"
Liang Shi was in a state of confusion. She couldn't predict what would happen in the future, but she definitely couldn't have anything to do with him in the near future. It wasn't that she was afraid of Zhao Jiaren; after all, if she agreed to get back together with Li Junqian, he could protect her.
But the shelf life of love between men and women is unpredictable. Once Li Junqian abandons her, it will be too late for her to regret it.
A promise is just a promise. In this world, there are plenty of scumbags. Who knows if the handsome Li Junqian will turn into a scumbag over time? She dared not gamble.
"For the next six months, our relationship will be solely that of superior and subordinate. Don't try to win me back. Li Junqian, if you can do that, I will consider our relationship again after six months."
Liang hesitated for a long time. He originally wanted to say one year, but when he blurted it out...
She was 50% off. She was afraid—a year was too long, and Li Junqian might really give up on her.
Actually, she was also very scared for half a year, after all, Gu Feng said that his family was introducing him to potential blind dates.
Seeing that he didn't speak, I guessed that he was thinking at the moment.
"Have you thought it through, Mr. Li? There's no need to think about it, is there? Didn't you say you were willing to accept the consequences of your bet? You can't just go back on your word like that."
Li Junqian took off his watch and handed it to her: "Keep this watch. I'll ask you for it back in six months."
He slipped this Chopard watch into Liang Shi's hand; it was worth over ten thousand yuan. This man was quite trusting in entrusting it to her.
Instead of giving a direct answer, he used a watch to ensnare her.
His confident and composed demeanor seemed to say: I will marry her in six months.
Liang Shi quickly stopped his own imagination: "I placed the bet, why did you raise it? This watch is so expensive, aren't you afraid I'll lose it? I can't afford to pay for it if I lose it."
Li Junqian chuckled: "Then repay me with something of equal value."
Tsk, good heavens, what a cunning capitalist. Liang Shi pretended not to understand and went to get the landline. At this moment, dealing with this man was making him so hungry he felt like he was floating.
"I'm ordering food. What would you like to eat?"
"random."
Liang Shi rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "You old man."
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