Examining the tea cake in the tray, Mount Taimu mother tree's Fuding Tea, costing hundreds of thousands for just a tael.
Master Capital, who adores white tea.
She pressed the doorbell, and not even two minutes later, the door lock automatically unlocked, Leh Ying took a deep breath and pushed the door to enter the villa.
Traditional Chinese roof beams, white gauze curtains, steam swirling from the private hot spring pool inside the house, and bamboo pressed by accumulated snow seen through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
"Xu…"
Just about to call out, the man in a white bathrobe appeared in the light of the dim night on the spiral staircase.
He was stepping off the last stair, his broad and shouldered silhouette enhancing the bathrobe, with a piece of solid chest exposed slantingly at the collar, and the band loosely hung over his slender waist.
As he moved his long legs with ease, it seemed he wore nothing underneath; Leh Ying felt her lively heart sink and instinctively turned her head away.
Discovering it was her, Xu Jingxi showed no sign of disturbance as if accustomed to such scenes. What an uninhibited person he must be, a girl barges into his home uninvited and he stays unbothered and unfazed, as if he has seen too much to care who it is.
Leh Ying didn't look at him, "I just moved in next door and brought some tea for you on my way here."
Probably just woken up, his voice was overly husky, "Know how to brew the tea?"
As he said this, he sat down in front of the tea table.
"A little."
White tea needs to be steeped in a purple clay pot to enrich its fragrance, Leh Ying selected a delicate purple clay tea set from the cabinet to the right.
She sat down at the white-glazed stone tea table to Xu Jingxi's right.
Because of the proximity, the man's slightly damp black hair looked fine and attractive. There was a laptop placed before him.
He sat upright and noble, slightly lifting his arm to tap on the keys, pulling open the collar of his bathrobe further, revealing the stern lines of his neck.
He seemed completely unfazed, focused on browsing the CryptoTab interface.
She could only see a string of characters "р4vROCGJym3xR7yCVPFHOCN"… An unfamiliar sequence; were they Bitcoin addresses?
Behind a man like this must be resources others don't have, perhaps even controlling the unseen levers of Bitcoin.
Not dwelling on it, Leh Ying bowed her head to boil water and clean the tea, her three fingers skillfully pressing the pot lid.
When the water temperature display showed 89 degrees Celsius, Xu Jingxi turned off the flame—precisely the same temperature used at Jingzhai Club.
She was tempted to ask.
"Must the tea you drink be Fuding white tea, and must it be brewed with water exactly at 89 degrees Celsius?"
He replied softly, "Any hotter and it would burn the leaves, any cooler and the flavor wouldn't come through."
Master Capital is particular.
The cool light from the screen spread across his face, the bridge of his nose proud and handsome, casting a sort of cold beauty.
Pouring the tea, she placed it in front of him.
"You don't mind at all that I barged in here?"
"That's up to you." Xu Jingxi picked up the teacup, so calmly turning his face towards her, "What kind of mischief could you possibly do to me?"
Leh Ying was taken aback, his easy words making her feel that she should be the one worried, and she paused, "I wouldn't dare play any tricks."
He didn't rush to drink the tea in his hand, instead holding it close to Leh Ying's lips.
Her face reddening, Leh Ying dared not accept it, shaking her head. He let out a hint of laughter from his nose, lazily suggesting, "Don't like it?"
How could she be accustomed to such an exquisite white tea, costing hundreds of thousands for a tael? One sip and her palate would become too spoiled, leading to cravings when she couldn't have it again.
Glancing at Xu Jingxi, she saw his eyes twinkling with humor and contentment, an air that choked her breathing nonchalantly, as if he was feeding the drink to her mouth, indicating a dominant stance that should she refuse, he might force her to drink.
Her heart sank; she dared not continue this game.
"You're busy; I'm going to soak in my private spring next door."
Xu Jingxi's gaze left the computer screen to settle on her again, the mist from the tea enveloping his eyes, which felt moist, "I thought they'd given you free rein to come here."
The young woman's eyes held a trace of grievance, but Xu Jingxi saw no need to explain, indifferently moving the tea froth with the lid.
The weighty celadon tea cup in his fingers, he took a light sip.
Leh Ying didn't blame him for the misunderstanding, forgetting that she was wearing a bathrobe. Although it was tightly wrapped and revealed nothing, she wore a cotton T-shirt and trousers underneath.
She hurriedly tightened the bathrobe, "It's not like that, the waiter just happened to be off duty."
He put down the teacup, responding with a hum.
It was achingly light, not giving away whether he believed her or not.
He seemed like an audience killing time, watching to see what else she could perform.
But she showed no signs of being at a disadvantage, not yielding a bit. As she got up to leave, her fingers deliberately, intentionally touched her waist, miming the action of untying a bathrobe, passing in front of Xu Jingxi.
"If I were to deliberately take a hot spring here, would you throw me out?" she asked.
He laughed, "I would."
That one word felt like stomping on the tip of her heart, her face flushing red as she fled, bowing her head almost enough to burrow into the carpet.
It couldn't be considered bullying her; Xu Jingxi watched her every move, reminded of the kitten his grandmother had recently started raising at home. Every time it saw him, it would panic and tumble down the stairs before scampering away.
The next second, his focus returned to the document received on his computer, his demeanor unflustered.
The doorbell rang, showing his friend's face on the monitor.
Leh Ying took the opportunity to open the door, and to take her leave. The visitor gave her a surprised look, then his gaze shifted to the cool and aloof Xu Jingxi, sizing up the two of them with the air of someone watching an affair. Two seconds later, the visitor resumed his composure and, out of respect, stayed silent and did not inquire.
The door closed with a 'click', leaving his quiet elegance undisturbed.
_
On her way back to her room, she passed by Liu Huaiying's courtyard. The gate was open, and he was in the midst of placating his girlfriend, pressing her against the door, showering her with kisses.
"I'm pampering her, and she hasn't agreed yet. What does she have to do with you? I've given you money, I've given you a house, have I wronged you?"
"Can you not be angry, please?"
This was how Liu Huaiying soothed his partner.
What was said didn't matter to Leh Ying, uninterested in these matters, she took a detour to leave.
They said her name was Chen Ruoqi, pursuing an acting career.
And thus Leh Ying ran into Chen Ruoqi. It happened at the shooting range, but contrary to expectations, Chen Ruoqi didn't come over to accuse her of meddling in a relationship but merely greeted her calmly.
"Give me your Alipay account, I also want to purchase a painting. Just draw Liu Huaiying wanting to have his cake and eat it too."
As for money, Leh Ying wouldn't turn it away; she courteously replied with four words, "You'll be satisfied."
She didn't like Liu Huaiying, nor did she intend to provoke him. There was no need for him to treat her as an enemy.
Leh Ying turned her head and left.
Jingmao Heyuan Villa was located in the suburbs amongst the woods, a private playground for those in Forty-Nine City.
At 2 o'clock in the morning, no one was sleeping, discussing some unknown business deal in the basement.
Them, existing high up in their class, with luxurious networks of personal contacts, holding sinecure positions at major companies, simply sitting and receiving bonuses—never having to worry about working their entire lives with more money than they could ever spend.
They weren't sleeping, and their activities kept Leh Ying from resting peacefully, forcing her to get up in the middle of the night to finish painting. As soon as she turned on the light, Liu Huaiying, who had realized she wasn't sleeping, used his card to open her room door and pulled her to join in the fun.
"Why is it the more well-behaved you are, the more I want to lead you astray?"
"Are you even human, Liu Huaiying."
Her soft, whimpering protests echoed along the corridors and passageways.
Liu Huaiying found it even more amusing, far better than keeping a pet; the one in his hands could actually make sounds, and that was so much livelier.