At 5:55 p.m., Yao Jiayin arrived downstairs at the dormitory building.

“Jiayin—”

The evening glow was slowly being swallowed by dusk. On a Saturday, the dormitory area was far quieter than usual.

Beneath a plane tree stripped bare of its leaves stood a figure impossible to ignore.

The man leaned casually against the trunk, his long legs stretched out at ease.

His black down jacket hung open, revealing a simple gray sweater underneath.

Today, Zhong He wore a thick white scarf, loosely piled beneath his chin. It made his skin appear even fairer, his brows and eyes darker by contrast.

This was the women’s dormitory area, and groups of girls passed by from time to time.

Many of them cast open, curious glances his way, whispering and giggling as they speculated whose boyfriend he was, praising how handsome he looked.

The man paid them no mind. Only occasionally did he glance lazily toward the dorm entrance, a faint, languid smile playing at the corner of his lips.

But the moment he saw Yao Jiayin step outside, the casual indifference in his eyes vanished completely.

In its place bloomed a sudden brilliance—like stars lighting up a winter night.

The twilight wrapped Zhong He in a soft glow. With his already striking features and flawless build, the sight instantly lifted Yao Jiayin’s mood.

Being five years older really was different from being ten years older.

The smile on his lips spread uncontrollably, reaching his eyes.

He straightened and walked toward her.

The girl jogged politely over as well, carrying with her a faint, sweet scent that was uniquely hers.

“Qi He, have you been waiting long?” she asked.

Her voice was soft and sweet, like spring rain in Jiangnan. Zhong He immediately walked at her side, bending slightly to lower his head toward her.

“No, I just got here too. Jiayin, you said you wanted hometown food, but I couldn’t find a Jiangcheng restaurant that did it well—sorry.”

“I did find a Cantonese place, though. A friend said the ingredients are really fresh, and the head chef has won awards…”

His body language was clearly trying—little by little—to close the social distance between them.

Closer.
Just a bit closer.

Yao Jiayin tilted her head up to look at him. The space between them grew smaller, then wider again.

“Really? That sounds great! I’ve never had Cantonese food before—my first time! I’m really looking forward to it~”

She was still wearing her unfashionable black padded coat, the same white scarf loosely wrapped around her neck, making her small face look barely the size of the man’s palm.

At just under 165 centimeters tall, she appeared especially petite beside Zhong He.

As if he could easily gather her into his arms with one reach.

The last rays of evening light happened to fall perfectly over her.

She wasn’t wearing makeup, yet her lips were naturally rosy, like freshly bloomed petals.

Her always-watery eyes were fixed intently on him, long lashes fluttering gently with each blink.

In that moment, Zhong He heard his heartbeat clearly.

Thump. Thump.

It pounded hard against his chest.

He discreetly took a sharp breath, forcing himself to calm down.

His face warmed unconsciously. He straightened, his voice carrying an inexplicable tremor of nerves.

“Besides Cantonese food, fusion dishes from Hong Kong are also good. Oh—and there’s Northwest cuisine, Fujian cuisine… I’ll take you to try them all, one by one.”

Yao Jiayin walked lightly beside him and nodded happily. “Okay!”

His Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily, his gaze once again greedily drifting over her.

He traced her features in silence.

From her smooth forehead to the tip of her pert nose—every part of her fit his preferences perfectly.

The sunset stretched their shadows long behind them, his almost completely enveloping hers.

Zhong He’s right hand was tucked into his jacket pocket, fingers unconsciously curling and loosening.

His other hand hovered less than ten centimeters from her left hand.

He could almost feel the warmth radiating from her.

Several times, as her hand swayed gently with her steps, his fingertips twitched restlessly.

He wanted to take her hand, wrap it fully in his palm—

It must be soft. Small.
Probably fitting perfectly between his fingers.

But when they reached the parking spot, Zhong He only shoved his hand deeper into his pocket.

Not yet, he reminded himself. I haven’t confessed.

Still, he couldn’t help glancing sideways at the girl he liked—her hair lifted by the evening breeze, her profile focused on the road ahead.

Bathed in the fading glow, she looked pure and beautiful, so much so that he nearly stopped breathing.

Tonight. I’ll confess.

Yao Jiayin stopped beside Zhong He’s car—

A highly eye-catching chrome-silver convertible sports car.

Yao Jiayin: “……”

So… so flashy!

She had seen a few sports cars before when she worked in Lian City.

Her coworkers said their owners were rich second-generation heirs who had returned from overseas.

They loved revving engines and racing through the streets. Their fathers were friends with Boss Zhong.

She had thought Qi He wasn’t the flashy, show-off type.

But this car was wilder than any she’d seen before. Even more… extra.

Zhong He had no idea that in the eyes of the girl he liked, his image had shifted from “handsome, humorous older brother” to “rich second-generation peacock.”

He practically wanted to fan his tail open as he stepped forward to open the car door for her.

“I usually ride a motorcycle, but this is my first time asking a girl out. Driving is safer.”

Yao Jiayin touched the car door and said cheerfully, with refreshing bluntness:

“Qi He, are you actually really rich? My classmates say sports cars are super expensive. I’ve never ridden in a nice car before—today I’m so lucky~”

It was the first time Zhong He had met someone who neither hid nor cautiously probed his background.

Instead, she spoke with smiling eyes, saying something naive and adorable.

His gaze dropped to her clothes, and an idea quietly formed in his mind.

“Haha… my family does business. We have a bit of money.”

“But I’m the second son. Aside from working at the family company and earning a salary, my spending money all comes from my older brother.”

Yao Jiayin didn’t ask about his family situation.

Nor was she interested in the “Brother Qi” who was probably in his thirties or forties.

“Then you must have been really good at reincarnation~ You probably bribed the gods when choosing your life. I must’ve offended them—my mouth’s too clumsy.”

“Hahaha… Jiayin, you’re really funny~”

“Hey, Qi He, stop looking at me—watch the road!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Two Hours Later

Yao Jiayin never expected Zhong He to suggest shopping after dinner.

Her, who had already been shopping for three hours today: “……”

When she was brought yet again to the best mall in Beijing, her scalp tingled.

Before long, she somehow had three more pieces of clothing—refusal completely ineffective.

She thought: I should’ve just worn the clothes Mr. Zhong bought me out today.

An hour later, Zhong He led her into a jewelry store.

Was the heating turned up too high?

Why did she suddenly feel like she was breaking out in a sweat?

A tall, elegant, beautiful sales associate stared at Yao Jiayin in surprise—then glanced at the new man beside her.

Yao Jiayin: Haha. Listen. I can explain.

The associate clearly recognized her.

After all, just a few hours earlier, the 30,000-yuan necklace Zhong Xianzhi bought had been signed off by this very woman.

And now—

“Jiayin, this lily-of-the-valley diamond necklace really suits you. Come—try it on?”

Yao Jiayin forced a dry smile, grinding her back teeth.

Why this one again?

First a phone, then a necklace.
How did two completely unrelated men end up with this bizarre sense of synchronicity?

So annoying.

The sales associate, maintaining professional service, glanced at Yao Jiayin with an expression of admiration—barely holding back a smile.

She was very curious to see how this girl, apparently balancing two wealthy men at once, would refuse.

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