YXJ - 9

Lin Wangshu stood up: “Give it back to me.”

It was the first time he’d seen her care about something other than her family.

Jiang Congxian’s gaze was calm, showing no hint of anything unusual.

Lin Wangshu was too lazy to argue with him, directly snatched it back, and then put it in her bag, fearing he would take it again.

Jiang Congxian looked at her cautious demeanor, a cold sneer on his lips: “So eager to find a wild man to cuckold me?”

“What wild man?” She frowned. “Can’t you speak less offensively?”

“What benefit did he give you that you’re protecting him so much? The business card doesn’t seem to be gold-plated,” he said idly, reaching out to check her clothes. “Or did he slip you something else?”

Lin Wangshu didn’t want to waste any more words with him, slapped his hand away, and picked up the book beside her again.

“You weren’t so cold yesterday when you were begging me.”

The waiting room was quiet, and his voice wasn’t deliberately lowered. Hearing this, the few scattered people around looked up, their gazes shifting over.

“You sleep with someone and then deny knowing them?”

Lin Wangshu was thin-skinned, her ears immediately turning blood-red. To prevent him from continuing to say anything misleading, she impulsively stood up and covered his mouth.

Her hands were soft, and due to years of piano practice, her fingertips had a thin layer of calluses.

Because of her current action, her thigh rested directly on his knee, her face as red as a ripe peach.

She continued to whisper, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

The young woman was well-mannered and couldn’t say anything harsh, her tone soft.

The thin lips covered by her warm palm curved slightly. He leaned back, his long legs, encased in black trousers, casually spread apart.

Without support, Lin Wangshu stumbled forward, falling right into his arms. Her hand, which had been covering his lips, instinctively braced against his chest.

It looked somewhat like she was throwing herself into his embrace.

“So eager to show your loyalty?” Jiang Congxian chuckled low in his throat, then wrapped his arm around her waist, “Okay, I forgive you.”

Lin Wangshu wasn’t as shameless as Jiang Congxian; she was desperately pushing him away, but he only held her tighter.

Fortunately, an acquaintance recognized Jiang Congxian, allowing Lin Wangshu to escape.

Facing the man’s enthusiastic overtures, he subtly reined in the casual smile on his lips.

He returned to his usual gentle and refined demeanor.

“CEO Jiang, what a coincidence. I thought I saw you outside just now, and it really is you.”

Jiang Congxian nodded with a smile, shaking the right hand the man extended: “Is Manager Liu on a business trip to Qing City?”

The man was still a bit flustered in front of him, after all, their status was clear: “Yes, the company is expanding new projects here, so I came to take a look.”

He glanced at Lin Wangshu beside him, directing an inquiring look at Jiang Congxian: “Is this your girlfriend?”

Jiang Congxian lowered his gaze and chuckled softly, neither denying nor admitting it.

The man was about to go over and say hello, but Jiang Congxian stopped him: “The little one is timid, afraid of strangers.”

His tone was full of doting affection.

The man was perceptive, flattering him while joking: “Now those noble ladies must be sad.”

Jiang Congxian wore a faint smile.

His gaze occasionally swept over Lin Wangshu, but never lingered too long.

As if it were just a casual pause.

She was holding the business card, carefully smoothing out the creases made during their struggle, treating it like a rare treasure.

________________________________________

Jiang Congxian seemed to be tied up by the man named Manager Liu. Even from a distance, Lin Wangshu could hear his flattering words.

“CEO Jiang, to reach your current position at such a young age, you won’t find a second one in all of Beicheng.”

“That eldest daughter of the Sun family, I met her a few times at her grandfather’s birthday banquet recently. She’s tall and quite good-looking, but she’s still not worthy of you, CEO Jiang.”

Jiang Congxian occasionally responded indifferently, his attitude modest, showing no signs of impatience.

However, the subtle movement of his left hand resting on his wrist, gently twisting to loosen his joints, silently betrayed his current emotions.

This was his action to express annoyance.

It seemed his current emotions had completely reached their breaking point.

Sure enough, just as the man was about to open his mouth for another round of flattery, he chuckled softly and interrupted: “Manager Liu, your flight seems to be taking off soon.”

The man smiled and nodded: “You see me, once I start chatting, I forget the time. Thanks for reminding me, CEO Jiang. Shall we grab a drink sometime?”

“Mm,” Jiang Congxian replied unhurriedly, “If I have time.”

Not until the man left did Jiang Congxian’s mask of pretense gradually tear away.

The already scarce smile on his face completely vanished. He tilted his neck slightly and loosened his tie.

Lin Wangshu was still holding and reading the red-covered book.

Jiang Congxian sneered: “Why aren’t you still looking at that gold-plated business card?”

Lin Wangshu ignored his teasing, simply closed the book, and put it back in its place.

A flight attendant came over to announce boarding. Lin Wangshu stood up first, wanting to distance herself from Jiang Congxian.

The latter gripped her arm and pulled her back: “Ashamed of me, don’t want to walk with me?”

Lin Wangshu ignored him, merely smoothing out the sleeve he had wrinkled.

It was as if her action directly admitted it.

Seeing her behavior, Jiang Congxian scoffed and strode away.

He didn’t say another word to Lin Wangshu, falling asleep after boarding the plane.

The first-class cabin was quiet. The flight attendant delivered meals and blankets, handling them gently.

Seemingly afraid of waking him, she hesitated and looked at Lin Wangshu.

The latter put down her book and said softly, “Give it to me.”

Jiang Congxian had a bad temper when woken up. If his entire life was a pretense, then the few minutes of being woken up could be considered the most genuine moments of his humanity.

Cold-blooded, ruthless, completely exposed.

He was like an Asura from hell, capable of instilling fear even with a smile on his face.

Lin Wangshu’s good upbringing since childhood prevented her from letting an innocent flight attendant disturb this sleeping lion.

After taking the blanket, she hesitated for a moment, then, thinking of the cold air, gently raised her lowered arm.

She gently draped the blanket over him, tucking in the edges. Her long hair fell due to her movements.

After all this, she looked up, her gaze meeting the man’s deep eyes.

She didn’t know when he had woken up, or how long he had been watching her.

Lin Wangshu hadn’t actually looked at him too closely before. She only knew he possessed an ascetic, scholarly facade.

Convenient for his disguises.

Even if he didn’t speak, just standing there seemed gentle and refined enough.

This was her first time seeing him so close up.

No longer through a hazy, ambiguous light, nor in a state where her eyes were clouded by desire.

His eyelashes were slender, not particularly curly. Due to just waking up, his eyes were half-closed and blurry, and the shadows cast by his eyelashes covered his lower eyelids.

He just quietly watched her.

Without a word.

Lin Wangshu didn’t expect such a small movement to wake him.

It seemed his sleep disorder was getting more severe.

She tried her best to suppress her fear, showing an equal measure of calmness, and continued to tuck in the blanket: “You’ll catch a cold.”

Even if she appeared calm, her hands, trembling slightly from fear, still betrayed her inner state.

In front of him, her clumsy acting was still too poor.

He could see right through it.

It was impossible not to be afraid. Lin Wangshu had personally witnessed the scene where an assistant, who had forgotten to knock and entered Jiang Congxian’s study, woke him from his light sleep and was beaten until he knelt and begged for mercy.

At that time, the ruthlessness around him was poles apart from his usual gentle demeanor.

It was from that day on that Lin Wangshu began to feel fear towards him.

Prepared to endure his anger, Jiang Congxian said nothing, adjusted his seat, and sat upright.

The blanket on him slid off with his movement, resting around his waist.

He ran a hand through the scattered hair on his forehead, his voice deeper from just waking up: “What time is it?”