Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Finding Romance 【Hello, may I ask if you can help walk a dog... T... Let's meet... Nan Shu replied: 【Okay, then contact me when you're free】 "Who are you chatting with? You look so happy." When Liang Jiayi came out of the bathroom, she saw Nan Shu holding her phone, the corners of her mouth curved upward. Nan Shu guiltily turned off her phone, picked up a strawberry that Liang Jiayi had just washed, and popped it into her mouth. "No one, no one!" Liang Jiayi was half-convinced. She wiped her hands, opened WeChat on her phone, and let out a scoffing laugh. "Two weeks have passed, and our group chat is still talking about the new CEO." After graduating with her master's degree, Liang Jiayi joined Mingyu Group, a conglomerate whose business spans real estate, film and television, finance, artificial intelligence, and many other sectors. It was one of the most prestigious major corporations in Jingjia. "New CEO?" Nan Shu asked curiously. "Yeah! The new CEO is our chairman's grandson, and he's a top student who studied abroad in the UK. I heard that while studying overseas, he helped the group complete cross-border acquisitions of two overseas companies." "He only recently returned to the country, and then he started implementing bold reforms. In short, he cleaned out a batch of troublemakers who were just coasting along." Although Nan Shu knew nothing about corporate management, she could still sense from Liang Jiayi's brief description that this CEO was exceptionally capable. Liang Jiayi continued, "At first, a lot of people refused to accept it, especially some of the original senior executives who thought our CEO was too young. But one by one, they all got properly dealt with, hahahaha." "That impressive?" Nan Shu raised an eyebrow. "That's not all," Liang Jiayi chuckled softly. "More importantly, he's very handsome." "Really?" The mention of handsome immediately got Nan Shu excited. "Do you have a photo?" Her mind began to conjure images of the domineering CEOs often seen in novels—young people who took control of business empires at a young age, where appearance was already the least noteworthy of their merits. Liang Jiayi sighed. "Ah, I haven't had the chance to see him yet. But I just got promoted, so there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. When I do, I'll try to sneak a photo for you." Liang Jiayi had recently been promoted to Team Leader of Department A's Project Group. Her career was flourishing, and she often represented her department at various corporate business gatherings. "Oh, right," Liang Jiayi remembered something and pulled out a deck of cards from her bag. "I brought something good to share with you this time. Our department has been playing with these lately." Nan Shu looked at the beautiful cards with confusion. "Are these playing cards?" "No, they're tarot cards." Liang Jiayi spread the cards out. "Want me to do a reading on whether you'll have romance coming your way? This deck of mine is extremely accurate for love readings." Nan Shu hesitated. Liang Jiayi nudged her shoulder, encouraging, "Give it a try?" "Okay." Nan Shu's hand touched the cards, her movements somewhat hesitant. She was worried that Liang Jiayi might divine that she would remain single for another twenty years. "Just follow your heart," Liang Jiayi reminded her. Nan Shu took a deep breath and, with a look of determination, picked out three cards. After Liang Jiayi examined them, she asked with a serious expression, "Be honest, has anyone been pursuing you lately?" "No." Nan Shu denied it. "But look at this set of cards..." Everything Liang Jiayi said about "Cups" and "upright positions" went over Nan Shu's head. She only remembered the final conclusion. "According to these cards, you'll encounter romance soon, and the other party will be the proactive one—meaning, they'll be pursuing you." The key point came at the end. "More importantly, it's not just one." "Not just one?" Nan Shu, who had been single for twenty-five years, had never experienced such a scenario. Her cheeks immediately flushed red, and she lowered her head, murmuring, "That shouldn't be the case, right?" But Liang Jiayi was very confident. "Two out of three cards are giving this exact message." She winked at Nan Shu. "Honey, your spring is coming." Even before heading home, Liang Jiayi didn't forget to remind Nan Shu, "If you do encounter romance, remember to tell me!" After Liang Jiayi left, Nan Shu played with Huituichang for a while, then grabbed her bath towel and headed to the bathroom. The light in the bathroom had just been replaced by Xie Zeyan yesterday, and it was much brighter than before. She slowly turned on the shower, letting the warm water flow over her shoulders as she thought about the results of Liang Jiayi's fortune-telling. Someone pursuing her. Xie Zeyan's face inexplicably flashed through her mind, but she immediately dismissed the thought. Xie Zeyan would never pursue her. After graduation, she never thought she'd run into him again. Reuniting through dog-walking was already an unexpected blessing. She wouldn't hold too much expectation for impossible things. Besides, so many years had passed—many things and people might not be the same as before. Turning off the shower, Nan Shu wrapped herself in a towel, thinking that in a couple of days when she had free time, she'd find a moment to return Xie Zeyan's ring. When she lay back down on the bed, drowsiness slowly crept over Nan Shu, and she suddenly remembered the manga website she hadn't opened all day. There were already 99+ comments in the backend. When she spotted one particular comment, her finger paused, and she tapped to open it. Pure Love Invincible: 【Wow, an extra update! Teacher Pumpkin must have run into her old crush, right? Hahahahaha so much inspiration.】 No way—can netizens read minds now? Nan Shu felt a twinge of guilt and quickly swiped past. Mindful of the lesson from last night's all-nighter, she replied to a few reader comments, then set down her tablet and burrowed back under the covers to sleep. Just before she turned off the light, Liang Jiayi happened to send two more messages. Liang Jiayi: 【Just lying in bed, went through your cards again. I believe, I'm certain, and I'm positive—you're going to meet your true match very soon】 Liang Jiayi: 【So I've decided, tomorrow night I'm taking you somewhere】 Nan Shu yawned: 【Okay~】 • The place Liang Jiayi mentioned was a bar called "Si Ji." The bar had an ancient Greek decor style—understated and luxurious, with several sculptures of Greek mythological figures set into the walls. The overall atmosphere was rich and immersive. When Nan Shu walked in, she saw Liang Jiayi had already arrived and picked a spot tucked in the corner. "The moment you walked in, those people all turned to look at you," Liang Jiayi said, even more excited than Nan Shu. "They must have recognized you." Nan Shu's looks were fairly distinctive in the entertainment industry, leaning toward the sweet-girl style. She had a youthful, oval-shaped face, fair skin with a rosy undertone, and bright, round almond eyes. There was a natural sweetness and charm about her—even when she wasn't speaking, her eyes curved into a smiling gaze. But Nan Shu figured she wasn't that well-known, so she never bothered wearing a mask when going out. Even if someone recognized her on the street, they'd just scratch their head and think for a while before saying, "Hey, aren't you that actress who played so-and-so?" Some even mistook her character's name for her real name. Neither Nan Shu nor Liang Jiayi frequented bars, and neither knew which drinks tasted good, so they just looked at the pictures on the menu and ordered the two prettiest ones. While waiting for the drinks, Nan Shu looked around. The bar was decorated in a vintage, upscale style—very different from the flashy, rowdy bars they usually went to. "So... we came to a bar to... find romance?" It felt a bit unreliable. Liang Jiayi quickly explained, "Hey hey, hear me out. This bar is different. It went viral online a while back—apparently the owner opened it here specifically to pursue a girl he liked." "Did he win her over in the end?" "Mm-hmm!" Liang Jiayi nodded. "So a lot of people have come here hoping for the same luck, and some even met their other half here. Apparently it's especially effective." Nan Shu laughed. "Now bars can grant love wishes too?" Still felt a bit sketchy. A moment later, the bartender brought over the two drinks they'd ordered. "Gotta say, even the bartenders here are all easy on the eyes." Liang Jiayi watched the bartender's retreating figure. Nan Shu nodded, but her mind unconsciously drifted to Xie Zeyan's image. Compared to him, these guys still fell short. She picked up the mojito with lemon slices and mint leaves, taking a gentle sip. The sharp, spicy flavor shot straight from her palate up into her nasal cavity, yet somehow it gave her an inexplicable buzz. The rhythmic beat of drums came from up ahead. Liang Jiayi looked around. "Nannan, looks like there's some event over there. Want to go check it out?" Nan Shu got dizzy just thinking about dancing, so she chose to stay put and drink. "I'll pass. I still haven't recovered from that all-nighter." "Alright, wait for me here then." Liang Jiayi stood up, then thought of something, leaned close to Nan Shu's ear, and whispered, "Or take a walk around—see if you can stumble into love." • "Seriously, everyone says Si Ji is where you find love, so why am I, the co-owner, still single?" Cheng Jingyan scrolled through the online reviews of Si Ji, then turned to the two men on the black leather booth sofa. Seeing no one respond, he nudged Zong Yi with his leg. "Brother Zong, say something." Zong Yi had just come back from the racetrack that afternoon and hadn't even changed out of his racing suit. He raised an eyebrow, as sharp-tongued as ever: "Need me to spell it out? Go to the bathroom and look in the mirror." "Shouldn't have asked." Cheng Jingyan shot him a glare, then thought about asking Xie Zeyan. Watching Xie Zeyan lounging lazily against the sofa, he remembered that this guy—despite his cold, aloof demeanor and rarely speaking—would only be even more cutting than Zong Yi once he opened his mouth. He decided not to invite the humiliation. Putting away his phone, he pivoted the conversation back to Xie Zeyan. "Yan-ge, you've only been back in the country for half a month, but you've already done something newsworthy. No wonder you couldn't be dragged out for a hangout the other day." Zong Yi had been busy with the racing team these past two days and hadn't heard about it. "What newsworthy thing?" Cheng Jingyan gestured. "Ask him yourself." Xie Zeyan lifted his eyes, skipping past Cheng Jingyan's dramatic expression. "How would I know?" Cheng Jingyan brought up what he'd heard: "Isn't it said that you, the esteemed CEO of Mingyu Group, walk in and out of the office every day with a dog on a leash?" Zong Yi couldn't stop laughing. "No way? For real?" Cheng Jingyan added, "I also heard that Yan-ge's handmade Persian rug—the one he dropped three million on—the dog peed on it and it went straight to the trash. Hahahahahaha." Zong Yi nudged Xie Zeyan. "This dog's got you this whipped, Yan-ge?" Faced with their teasing, Xie Zeyan didn't take the bait. His fingers tapped idly against the sofa. "I walk a dog for a few days, and you two are making this big a deal?" Zong Yi asked with a sly grin, "What kind of dog needs President Xie to walk it personally?" Cheng Jingyan delivered the finishing blow. "Yi-ge, you should be asking whose dog it is." Zong Yi played along. "Yeah, whose dog is it?" Xie Zeyan couldn't be bothered to respond, but his mind drifted back to the day he'd received that message. He had just returned to the country to take over the group. The old foxes on the board were all stirring restlessly, and it had taken considerable effort to clean house completely. That day, as he stepped out of his office, exhausted in both body and mind, a message popped up on his phone. Nannan: [Hi, would you be available to walk a dog? TvT] He replied: [Sure.] Nannan: [Thank you so much qwq~ How do you charge?] ... Xie Zeyan lowered his gaze, letting his eyes drift casually into the distance. A familiar figure suddenly caught his attention. There was a man beside her. • Nan Shu remained skeptical about the idea of meeting the right person at a bar. That said, the drinks at Siji really were quite good. Just as her mojito was nearly finished, a male voice suddenly sounded from behind her. "Miss, are you here alone?" Nan Shu turned around and saw a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, holding a glass of whiskey. The practiced pickup line and oily tone marked him as a seasoned player. Wary, Nan Shu furrowed her brows and said coldly, "No. I'm here with my boyfriend." "Is that so?" The glasses-wearing man narrowed his long, narrow eyes, his gaze openly raking over her. He couldn't help but swallow. "How could your boyfriend bear to leave such a beautiful girlfriend all alone here?" "How about considering a change of boyfriend?" His greasy words sent a chill of disgust down Nan Shu's spine. Quietly, she opened her voice recorder and pressed "110" on the dial screen, then turned the screen off and picked up her glass, ready to leave the booth. Her tone was stiff. "No thanks. Excuse me." "What's the rush?" He grabbed her arm. The moment his clammy palm touched her, Nan Shu shook him off in disgust and warned, "Don't touch me, or I'll call the police." The man pushed up his glasses and curled a meaningful smile. "Don't go calling the police over every little thing. That's no fun. Since your boyfriend won't know anyway, why not have a drink with me?" With that, he reached out again to grab Nan Shu's arm. Suddenly, a loud bang rang out. A glass flew over from not far away, hitting the glasses-wearing man's outstretched hand dead-on. After the loud crash, the glass shattered in the opposite direction from Nan Shu. Crackling, it burst into pieces. Sharp pain shot through him, and the man yelped in agony. He whirled around furiously, cursing, "Fuck! Which blind bastard dared to hit me?!" "Stay away from her." The familiar voice echoed in her ears. Nan Shu froze for a moment, then turned to meet a pair of cold, dark, and commanding eyes.