On a snowy night, Jingzhai Pavilion echoed with the charm of a quadrangle courtyard.
Leh Ying carefully hung a precious men's suit on her bent arm.
Behind the silk partition, Xu Jingxi was dealing with clothes, his upper body clad in a black shirt, smooth and lustrous.
As he raised his arm to grab a damp cloth, the texture of the shirt stretched across his broad back, creating ravishing definitions of his muscles; even touched by a sense of desire, it remained untainted by the slightest speck of dust.
In just a second, Leh Ying hurriedly averted her gaze.
Just five minutes earlier, she had bumped into Xu Jingxi at the door, accidentally squeezing the yogurt she was holding, which wetted his trousers at the waist and crotch, the thick yogurt unable to be fully absorbed by tissues.
It wasn't until the Tea Attendant came in, carrying towels and dry cleaning items to clean him up, that the incident was brought to a close.
Xu Jingxi turned around and calmly took the coat from her bent arm.
As he passed by, his noble figure cast a deep shadow over her, feeling cramped, as if something was tightly grasping her increasingly heavy breath.
"I am truly sorry about earlier. Your phone wasn't damaged, was it?"
After fastening his cufflinks, the man hesitated before responding, "No."
His single word was low and hoarse.
The Tea Attendant quickly pulled out a Taishi Chair, with a courteous gesture inviting him to take a seat.
Leh Ying withdrew her gaze and followed back through the threshold into the main hall.
"All taken care of?"
The question came from Liu Huaiying, the young master who had brought her to this place.
Leh Ying nodded in affirmation.
"This young lady is a private guide from the 798 gallery, on her way to deliver a painting to me. She accidentally offended Brother Jingxi just now, so I am offering an apology in person,"
Liu Huaiying said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and introducing her to the distinguished young masters in front of them.
Tonight's business discussions at Zhongguancun Park were halted due to her unintentional yogurt mishap with the host's trousers.
Around the pearwood tea table infused with the elegance of Forty-Nine City, several accountants stood with iPads discussing business, while those seated were certainly aristocrats.
Her gaze singled out one person in particular, Xu Jingxi, who was being treated as an honored guest.
He remained aloof, not speaking, as he struck a match and lit a Xunyan Incense, focusing intently on burning the incense with a glowing thread.
This man.
The legitimate grandson of the powerful Xu family, his family's area was the only restricted zone in the Forty-Nine City.
In the Forty-Nine City, a gathering place for nobility, the Xu family reigned supreme, their status so lofty it seemed as if his very bloodline was purer and more noble than that of ordinary people.
The scent of the Xunyan Incense was faint and ethereal. Observing Xu Jingxi, she noticed his expensive wristwatch had picked up a bit of the incense powder, which he methodically wiped away with a damp cloth.
She avoided looking too long, for fear that the Tea Attendant might toss her out like a small chicken.
Noticing her still pale complexion, Liu Huaiying pulled her to sit next to him, coaxing her,
"It's all in the past now. Mr. Xu isn't a tiger; he won't eat you."
"Once I'm done here, come and stay over at my place for the night."
"Don't be shy, we're all family here."
Liu Huaiying's intentions were not entirely clear, yet it wasn't the first time she had heard him speak such ambiguous words.
"I can't, I still have things to do," Leh Ying quickly said, moving away to keep her distance, ready to leave.
Liu Huaiying's grip on her wrist tightened, and then he frowned, likely feeling she was ungrateful for the opportunity.
It was then she realized how difficult it was to stand up once seated in that spot.
Originally an ordinary art student, Liu Huaiying was willing to pay a high price for her paintings. She joyfully accepted the recognition without understanding the suggestive implications, naively accepting the payment of 300,000 yuan for her work.
Liu Huaiying's interest was in her, not the paintings.
It was rumored that Liu Huaiying had a girlfriend whom he had loved for three to four years and hadn't broken up with. Leh Ying had no interest in being a homewrecker.
Yet, the less she showed interest, the more Liu Huaiying persisted in using her to alleviate his boredom.
At that moment, she realized she was seated to the right of Xu Jingxi.
Recalling the incident where she had wetted his trousers, the white mark was no longer there, which unsettled her for a moment.
He probably hadn't noticed her presence, as he was speaking to the Tea Attendant with a low and dispassionate voice that Leh Ying couldn't quite make out.
The Tea Attendant bent over and replaced the tea in Xu Jingxi's cup with a fresh brew.
Without touching his tea, Xu Jingxi merely lifted the cap off his fountain pen, signed the "New Park Industrial Consultation Document," and rose to leave.
The doors of the Jingzhai Pavilion creaked open, and the young gentlemen who had been sitting all stood up to see him off, their deference unhidden.
"Mr. Xu, please take care," they said.
The level of respect was such that gazes couldn't help but follow that retreating figure.
The underfloor heating was so strong that Leh Ying, who had dressed too warmly when she came, felt suffocated and inexplicably wanted to leave.
Having obtained the Young Master Xu's signature, Liu Huaiying was busy arranging the documents and didn't have a chance to stop her.
"Where are you going, Leh Ying?"
"Home."
Leh Ying immediately grabbed her purse and hurried off, having only walked a few steps.
She saw the black sedan parked in front of the clubhouse, its engine starting up.
In the bitter winter cold, a girl stood beside the car, her carefully made-up face tilted slightly upwards.
"Mr. Xu, you are here too. Why didn't you tell me?" she said.
From the driver's seat, Xu Jingxi's fingers rested on the paddle shifter above the steering wheel to the right, gently pressing it.
He stopped the car with a modicum of grace.
The half-lowered window allowed a glimpse of the silver-white ambient light within, the interior console's chrome-highlighted glossy black lacquer wood, and white leather seats, in a unique black-and-white scheme, both neat and elegantly understated.
The man, smoking a cigarette, simply sat and listened.
"Why aren't you answering your phone?" the girl asked with a touch of melancholy, quietly observing his actions.
Xu Jingxi removed the cigarette from his lips.
One large hand draped casually over the window ledge, his skin pale, the blue veins and clear-cut bones exuding a well-maintained, expensive quality.
He tapped away some ash with his index finger, focused on the cigarette between his fingertips, seemingly leaving the other party hanging on purpose.
She watched his silent battle with the smoke, but he offered no response to any question.
The girl was anxious, asking nervously, "Did I do something wrong?"
After a moment, Xu Jingxi calmly withdrew his hand and said indifferently, "You're not as good as the one last night."
"Do you like the girl in the camisole from last night?" The girl struggled but received no answer.
He pinched the cigarette between his long fingers, engaged the ignition, looked off to the side, his gaze turning this way. Leh Ying stared intently into his eyes, but it wasn't her he was looking at; it seemed he even flashed a faint smile.
Too indistinct for Leh Ying to discern clearly.
The bright headlights shone ahead as the sleek, lustrous black Mercedes-Benz sedan turned down the slope and half of its body disappeared behind the encircling red walls.
It left a trail of dust behind.
The rear license plate read, "Jing O•A8***."
This number plate was more indicative of status than any multimillion-dollar luxury car in Forty-Nine City, belonging to the only person who could drive up to the clubhouse porch.
Watching the girl's tears fall, Leh Ying handed over a tissue bag and then stepped out the door.
Her attendance at this meeting was equally driven by impure motives.
This night marked the third time she had encountered Xu Jingxi by chance.
Desire is uncontrollable; once she had seen Xu Jingxi, she found it hard to pull back.
She especially wanted to break away from Liu Huaiying's nearly two-month pursuit.
In Forty-Nine City, he bore the Xu name.
Whether it was for his looks or the Xu family name, for his abilities or his physique, not one in Forty-Nine City could be found who surpassed him in any regard.
In all her life until now, she had never felt so intent and cunning about a man so out of reach.
Footsteps approached from behind; it was Liu Huaiying. "You enjoy watching Mr. Xu that much?"
Unflustered, Leh Ying walked on as she replied, "Should I blindfold myself next time I see him?"
Liu Huaiying suddenly asked with a low chuckle from behind.
"Leh Ying, do you want to sleep with him?"