Xiaochun was ordered to accompany Xiaoxia to the aquarium to retrieve the tropical fish being boarded there and bring them back to the estate. She never expected to run into Shen Qi here.
There was Shen Qi, holding hands with a tall, slender man with exquisite, handsome features. This man was breathtakingly beautiful. Xiaochun thought her own CEO was good-looking enough, but she never imagined there existed someone in this world who could rival him—a stunning anomaly. Her CEO was a walking male pheromone machine, while this man was so beautiful he seemed untouchable, androgynous in allure.
Xiaoxia immediately whipped out her phone and snapped a few photos. "Oh, I have to report this novelty to the CEO," she said. Before Xiaochun could stop her, Xiaoxia had already sent the pictures to He Yining.
In the photo, Shen Qi happened to be looking up and smiling at the man. Xiaochun and Xiaoxia had never seen Shen Qi smile so sweetly. It was a genuine happiness and joy, impossible to fake. The man, with red lips, white teeth, and eyes like a painting, looked down at Shen Qi, then raised a hand to brush away the stray strands of hair by her ear. His gaze, full of doting affection, carried a deep attachment. The visual impact was overwhelming!
The photo was instantly transmitted to He Yining's phone. He Yining initially gave it a casual glance, but after scanning past it, his gaze snapped back and froze. Who is this man? Damn it! Why is this woman smiling so flirtatiously? And they're holding hands? He Yining suddenly found the photo glaringly offensive. No wonder Shen Qi said he was the second most handsome man she'd ever seen. Damn "second"! When had he ever been second? He'd always been first! CEO He was thoroughly displeased, thoroughly annoyed!
Meanwhile, Shen Qi had no idea what was happening outside. She held her brother's hand, teaching him to identify one sea creature after another. To her surprise, Shen Lu's memory was truly extraordinary—anything Shen Qi explained once, he remembered perfectly. Shen Qi happily stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on Shen Lu's cheek. "Brother is amazing! Little Qi loves brother the most!" Encouraged by Shen Qi, Shen Lu beamed and bent down to kiss her forehead. "I love Little Qi the most too."
In the distance, Xiaochun and Xiaoxia, following the CEO's instructions, secretly tailed the pair and recorded every interaction. When this scene was sent to He Yining's phone, he couldn't help raising his phoenix eyes. Truly... infuriating! No wonder she always seemed to be avoiding him—turns out there was someone by her side with looks to rival his own. No way! As the CEO of the He Corporation and heir to the He family, how could he lose to anyone? Even in looks, he wouldn't!
Shen Qi was slowly walking hand in hand with Shen Lu when her phone suddenly rang. She glanced at the number and froze. It was... it was He Yining's number? Didn't he say she could rest today? She'd already promised to spend the whole day with her brother... Maybe she should pretend she didn't hear it? Shen Qi looked around furtively, sneakily put the phone back in her bag, switched it to silent, and acted like she hadn't noticed. She had no idea that her every move was being live-streamed to He Yining by Xiaoxia.
Seeing Shen Qi dare to ignore the call, He Yining felt his authority challenged. Before Shen Qi could put her phone away, a message popped up: "Immediately, right now, Jinghua Estate! Late by one minute, deduct 500,000!" Shen Qi's eyes went wide. How unfair! They had an agreement! She angrily answered the call. "Hello..."
He Yining cleared his throat and pretended to be casual. "Come to Jinghua Estate right now. If you're not here in half an hour, I'll deduct 500,000!" Shen Qi replied helplessly, "CEO He, I'm still out right now. I need to go home to get my things and then take a taxi. Half an hour isn't enough!" "Have Xiaochun pick you up. She should be nearby," He Yining commanded without room for argument. Nearby? How could he be sure Xiaochun was nearby? Shen Qi looked around, startling Xiaochun and Xiaoxia, who were secretly filming, into pressing themselves against the wall, not daring to move. "One hour. I'll be there in one hour," Shen Qi said into the phone, seeing no suspicious figures. "I need to go home first." "Fine," He Yining replied curtly and hung up. How dare she call me the second most handsome? Hmph, just wait—I'll deal with her later!
Shen Qi had no choice but to coax Shen Lu into going home first, then rushed frantically with her bag to Jinghua Estate. As soon as she entered, she called out a greeting, but no one answered. The house was empty, with not a soul in sight. She searched everywhere but found no one. The spots where He Yining usually stayed were vacant. What was the meaning of this? Calling her over in such a hurry, only for the house to be empty? Shen Qi tossed her bag onto the sofa and was about to sit down when a thought struck her, and she inexplicably looked up toward the direction of He Yining's bedroom. Could he be... in the bedroom?
Hesitating, she decided to check. She knocked on the door. "CEO He? Are you in there?" No response. She was about to turn and leave when she suddenly noticed the door wasn't closed. Huh? The door was open? He Yining usually kept it shut when he wasn't in the room... Was he in there or not? A small voice in her heart kept urging her to push the door open and see. After a long internal struggle, she finally gave in to that voice's hypnotic pull and slowly pushed the door open.
As the door swung open, Shen Qi's eyes nearly popped out. There was He Yining, holding a book, half-reclining on a deep purple European-style sofa. His light purple shirt was unbuttoned at three buttons, slightly disheveled, revealing skin with a freshly bathed sheen. His black trousers were perfectly neat, exuding a visually striking, ascetic allure. His short black hair, damp from bathing, clung messily to his enchanting face. His phoenix eyes peered through the half-wet strands, a slight lift of his narrow brows radiating a thousand charms. The corner of his mouth curled into a perfect, ambiguous smile—half-smiling, half-not. His thin lips parted slightly, as if to speak, but he held back.
Shen Qi felt her nose heat up, blood threatening to rush out. This damned seducer, striking this pose—who was he trying to tempt? Pinching her nose, she said, "CEO He, what instructions do you have for calling me here?" As if not sexy or alluring enough, He Yining's voice dropped to a magnetic tone that could slay any female creature. "Nothing much. I was just reading an aesthetics book and wanted to discuss it with you."