Chapter 1

A tall, slender figure stood at the entrance, chin lifted.

Bands of light spilled across Shengjing’s silver logo, dazzlingly bright and impossible to miss.

She was just one step away from successfully joining Shengjing!

Jiang Chao clenched her fist to psych herself up. Her bright eyes were full of longing, and the bridge of her straight nose had gone faintly pink under the sunlight, practically glowing with energy.

A flicker caught her ear, and the noise of people coming and going around her suddenly grew louder. Jiang Chao turned curiously to look.

Shengjing was one of the top companies in the industry, so there was never a shortage of employees passing through. But most of them hurried along with faint, utterly exhausted expressions on their faces.

The people coming and going now were different. They walked quickly, leaned close to whisper to one another, and wore faces full of excitement, agitation, and a hint of fear.

“Here again, here again—come on, let’s see who it is this time!”

“It’s still that ‘slap’ woman from last time. I heard she even brought roses to block her off again.”

The crowd surged forward all at once. Jiang Chao’s curiosity was hooked by their chatter, and she followed with the flow of people.

The lobby was divided into two levels. Jiang Chao worked her way into the inner circle; when she looked up, she saw dense strands of multicolored lines winding tightly all around, gradually cinching the rose-bearing beauty in the center.

Most of the onlookers had come in pairs, and Jiang Chao, alone there, was somehow squeezed all the way to the front, standing right behind the woman being confessed to.

Without thinking much of it, Jiang Chao watched the scene with curiosity.

“This is my tenth confession...”

Tenth confession?!

Jiang Chao’s eyes widened in shock. She didn’t believe it; instinctively, she rose onto her toes for a better look.

The earnest voice continued to ring out through the lobby, and Jiang Chao’s gaze followed it to the champagne roses held against that chest. The blossoms were full and lush, their color a pale pink-white.

At a glance, anyone could tell they were top-grade champagne roses specially cultivated for this purpose. A bouquet like that would cost a fortune.

As people always said, flowers suit beautiful women.

Jiang Chao couldn’t help wondering what kind of lovely face belonged to the person standing with her back to them.

A slim, elegant figure; her face couldn’t be bad either.

“I’m not interested in you.”

Like shattered jade striking porcelain—crisp and detached, as clear as a mountain spring.

Jiang Chao unconsciously lifted a hand and rubbed her ear. The soft flesh she touched was faintly warm; her throat bobbed, and she simply rubbed both ears until they were equally red.

She didn’t even need to see the face anymore. Jiang Chao was already certain this person must be a beauty.

A person’s voice, face, bearing, and temperament all mattered; the woman in front had all four, and in Jiang Chao’s mind, the shape of a beauty had already been fixed.

“It’s fine. I know you don’t lack suitors, but I’ll keep waiting until the day you change your mind and look at me!”

That actually sounded pretty sincere, Jiang Chao thought, nodding to herself.

But then, from the surrounding discussion, came a small, disdainful voice.

“Zhou Xu really has no shame. Yesterday our department’s intern caught her going into a hotel with some female influencer; today she’s here confessing again.”

People could be this shameless?

Hearing that, Jiang Chao’s brows shot up in disbelief, and she tried to lean left and right to make out the person across from her.

But no matter how hard she tried, all she could see was that slender back; at most, she caught a glimpse of a pretty side profile.

No choice. Jiang Chao had to force down the curiosity and indignation nearly spilling over in her heart, while the confession before her continued and she half-listened to the surrounding gossip.

“I heard Zhou Xu’s project lost again this time; the day before yesterday she was still cursing the supervisor right to his face.”

Lose once and start cursing people? What a terrible temper.

“Yeah, and then didn’t she get mocked right back? She nearly flew into a rage and rushed up to grab someone by the collar.”

Grabbing people by the collar at the slightest disagreement; if it were me, I’d kick you home.

...

The gossip went on and on. After listening for a while, Jiang Chao also figured out what kind of person Zhou Xu was.

Promiscuous and willful; arrogant and domineering just because she came from a good family.

She currently served as marketing director at Shengjing’s rival company and, in daily life, was as persistent as she was now.

It was kind of pitiful for the beauty being confessed to.

Jiang Chao’s gaze unconsciously settled on the faintly trembling back in front of her. The white shirt seemed to sway uneasily.

She had been staring at the shoulders the whole time. Only now that the person was no longer standing there in silence did Jiang Chao notice the hem of the shirt was actually stained with coffee.

The coffee stain had spread to a place ordinary people would never have been splashed.

Could this person also be some low-level employee?

Blocked here for so long, and aside from the first sentence of refusal, Jiang Chao hadn’t even heard her say a second.

Was she afraid to speak, or would speaking make no difference?

Glancing around, Jiang Chao suddenly discovered something chilling:

Aside from the curious onlookers and their lofty mockery, no one had thought to step forward and help the person in the middle out.

But being surrounded like this, with three rings inside and three rings outside, wanting to refuse but unable to refuse—just imagining it made Jiang Chao shiver.

The pure white shirt trembled in front of her; the light from the grand hall fell on the thin, defined line of the shoulder and neck, brilliant and indifferent.

Jiang Chao stopped, brows knitting tightly. The hand at her side kept brushing against the fabric as it swayed.

While she hesitated, that tall figure shuddered pitifully once more.

As if receiving some signal, Jiang Chao let go of the burden in her heart and charged at Zhou Xu like a leopard protecting its food.

Meeting Zhou Xu’s shocked, angry gaze, Jiang Chao stepped between them and shielded the person behind her.

“Since it’s a confession, then respect the person you’re confessing to.”

The entire scene fell into complete silence. Only Jiang Chao’s shallow breathing from her sudden rush drifted through the spacious lobby.

Having been abruptly interrupted mid-confession, Zhou Xu clearly hadn’t expected this to happen.

After a brief pause, Zhou Xu suddenly realized the girl in front of her was implying that her confession ignored the other person’s feelings. Furious, she dropped the roses she had been holding against her chest.

“Who are you? Why are you butting in and ruining my confession?”

Jiang Chao parted her lips, about to speak.

“Baby.”

The sudden, intimate address made Zhou Xu’s face turn green; Jiang Chao’s cheeks flushed red.

A cold wrist quietly wrapped around her waist from the side, slowly locking into place; the chill made her tremble. Then a warm, soft female body pressed fully against her, clingy and close.

The thin fabric couldn’t block the woman’s fingers sliding lightly at Jiang Chao’s waist; it also couldn’t hide the pressure of full, soft curves resting against her shoulder blade.

Sharp nails idly prodded at her waist, and Jiang Chao froze in place.

The intimacy between the two of them was glaring. Sheng Huaixi’s words from earlier had only made Zhou Xu even angrier; she snapped, “What do you mean? Who are you?”

“I...”

Jiang Chao was about to explain, but her chin was pinched from behind with irresistible force; knuckles caught under her jaw and tipped it gently upward.

Her slightly parted lips were forced closed.

Jiang Chao no longer had a chance to speak.

There was a faint movement behind her. Jiang Chao held herself rigid, not daring to move even a little.

The soft weight pressed more firmly against her; warm breath brushed lightly past her ear. A few strands of the hair Jiang Chao had tucked there to hide her face lifted and curled against her neck.

Jiang Chao flinched unconsciously, then was thrown off balance again by the low, accusing, sweet voice by her ear.

“Baby, why did you only show up so late to help me?”

The clear voice that had been as crisp and cool as a spring just moments ago now held no trace of coldness; what remained was pure lover-like coyness, soft and spoiled.

Jiang Chao stood rooted to the spot, as if pinned there by some invisible force.

The chin that had been held in place was somehow released. Her lips were slightly parted in shock.

Her gaze slowly shifted across to the opposite side, and Jiang Chao saw a face twisted by shock and anger, the muscles seeming to convulse as if hearing those words.

Before the redness on that face could deepen into a more vivid flush, Jiang Chao looked at Zhou Xu’s stunned expression and finally found a reasonable excuse for the woman who had taken the initiative to lean against her from behind.

She was using her to get out of this humiliating confession.

Phew—

Jiang Chao finally found her breathing again. Her taut shoulders relaxed, and the stiff look on her face softened as well.

“Sorry...”

A finger rose to press against her lips; it was not at all polite.

Jiang Chao had just been about to continue when she felt the pressure of the woman’s knuckles, and her newly relaxed body tensed again.

The weight against her back pressed down more firmly; the wrist circling her waist tightened little by little, and the woman’s rich perfume drifted into Jiang Chao’s nose.

A distinctive, mature red-tea scent filled her senses. Jiang Chao unconsciously wrinkled her nose to inhale more, and found a trace of sweetness within it.

A faint laugh vibrated behind her chest. Warm breath brushed Jiang Chao’s ear, the words affectionate and wrapped in ambiguous indulgence.

“Mhm. I’ll accept that.”

The two of them spoke one after another, their movements intimate.

Watching them, Zhou Xu’s face darkened so much it looked as though water could be wrung from it. The rustle of the rose wrapping paper grated unpleasantly, and she stood right there, unable to take another step.

Today’s confession was obviously no longer possible. Zhou Xu’s gaze fixed on Sheng Huaixi’s red lips moving as she spoke with her head lowered, and greed flashed in her eyes.

“Tonight, at Yulanzhuang; let’s see if you’ll still have the leisure to say that.”

Zhou Xu threw out those words and turned to leave. Seeing that, Jiang Chao finally let out a long breath.

At last she was gone.

The surrounding crowd no longer had any excitement to watch and began to leave in twos and threes. Now and then, a few of them met Jiang Chao’s eyes with expressions of both regret and admiration.

Jiang Chao didn’t understand it, but the force binding her body was much more worth her attention than those empty stares.

She patted the hand around her waist; smooth-skinned, with clearly defined knuckles. “Zhou Xu’s gone already,” she reminded her.

As the words fell, a very soft sigh brushed past her ear.

It was light and airy; Jiang Chao even thought the woman was going to say something else. But in the next instant, the wrist resting at her waist moved.

“Thank you,” Sheng Huaixi said softly.

Jiang Chao pursed her lips into a smile, dimples blooming pleasantly, and said, “It’s nothing!”

Her dark tea-colored hair fluttered loose as she shook her head. Her fair, slender neck came fully into Sheng Huaixi’s view, harmless and white.

The scent of coffee seeped through. Sheng Huaixi lowered her gaze to the shirt that had been stained, and a flash of irritation, along with faint regret, crossed her eyes.

Her wrist brushed over that narrow, slender, supple waist; every point of contact was restrained and patient. Sheng Huaixi lifted her eyelids slightly, her gaze settling on the back of Jiang Chao’s neck.

Jiang Chao suddenly realized that she might have just walked herself straight into a wolf’s den.

The woman behind her was tall; their figures overlapped. Her heartbeat thudded softly against her shoulder blade, and Jiang Chao seemed able to feel everything about the woman.

That gaze on her neck was greedy and reluctant to leave. Sheng Huaixi lowered her head and lightly bit the tip of her tongue.

“You weren’t late. It’s enough that you came.”

Before the arm around her waist fully withdrew, Jiang Chao heard those words.

Looking at the departing back, Jiang Chao touched her reddened ear and murmured, “I still didn’t ask her name...”