Chapter 12

The new golf course opened by the Lei family was in the suburbs. It was said to have the best turf in the Beijing outskirts, and entry required an invitation from a member. The membership fee alone was over a million, with an additional annual management fee of twenty thousand.

Today was the soft opening, attended only by those familiar with the Lei family—no online reservations necessary.

They arrived half an hour early. Outside the low, vintage-style white stone wall, a set of gold-embossed English letters spelled out the name of the golf course.

Wei Jinfeng asked, “Qianming will manage to wake up by the afternoon, right?”

“Who knows! Lei Qianming was fooling around until two in the morning yesterday,” Zhuang Xinhua said, straightening the car tires and unbuckling his seatbelt. “Anyway, his sister’s in charge. What’s the point of him being here?”

A waiter led them inside. The caddies suggested they practice chipping and putting first, informing them of the wind speed and green conditions for the day.

Qiehui wasn’t much of a golfer. She had only learned some basic moves and was still quite rusty.

People arrived one after another, but no one started playing yet—they were all watching Zhuang Xinhua.

Wearing white gloves, he held a 7-iron that the caddie had picked for him. A coach stood beside him, adjusting his posture.

Standing at the edge of the crowd, Qiehui asked Youyuan, “Since when did he practice golf?”

“I’ve never seen him play before,” Youyuan snorted, taking the juice handed to her by a server. “He’s basically setting himself up for embarrassment this time.”

The coach guided him step by step. “Keep your wrists firm during the backswing. Maintain a stable center. Don’t let the shaft go past parallel. Alright, now push down with your feet and rotate around your left knee. Swing and strike.”

At 1.85 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a slim waist, Zhuang Xinhua naturally looked good doing the moves.

However, at the exact moment he confidently swung his club, the small white golf ball didn’t budge at all—while a massive chunk of turf went flying.

The clumps of grass and dirt shot up in the air, and those nearby reflexively turned their backs to avoid the mess.

Wei Jinfeng, who was standing closest to the disaster, spat out some dirt. “Tui! Young Master Zhuang, with skills like yours, back in my hometown, you’d be plowing three acres of land in a single day.”

This was followed by a sharp and prolonged burst of laughter.

Youyuan was the most dramatic—she spit out a mouthful of juice all over Wei Jinfeng’s back, laughing so hard she bent over.

Even Qiehui had to turn away, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably as she struggled to hold back.

Zhuang Xinhua spat twice himself. “When I was a kid, my uncle always dragged me to play golf, and I hated it. If he’d just told me this sport was for showing off, I would’ve learned ages ago!”

Meanwhile, Lei Qianming, who had reluctantly dragged himself out to host his guests, yawned.

He leaned against Qiehui, resting a hand on her shoulder as he pointed ahead. “Our dear Zhuang is trying his best to edge into high society, but somehow…”

The sunlight on the course was glaring. Dressed in a tight-fitting golf outfit, Qiehui’s waist looked even more slender, and her legs long and lean.

She crossed her arms, squinting slightly. “Somehow, he looks like someone who just received a hefty relocation compensation and hasn’t fully adjusted yet.”

Lei Qianming laughed so hard he slapped his thigh. Behind them, someone also let out a snicker.

Qiehui turned around and saw Shen Tangyin standing there, holding a cup of guava juice. She smiled slightly at Qiehui.

Shen Tangyin nodded in greeting. “I never knew you were so sharp-tongued.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Qiehui explained, “I wouldn’t say that to just anyone. Zhuang Xinhua and I are too familiar with each other—we always joke around.”

“Tang’er, that just means you don’t know Qiehui well enough,” Lei Qianming chimed in. “She used to live next door to me when we were kids. I know her best—she’s always been gentle yet lively.”

Shen Tangyin never argued with people.

She simply agreed, “That’s true. Someone training to be a lawyer needs to be eloquent and articulate.”

Qiehui turned her gaze to the distance, where rolling spring mountains stretched endlessly. The wind was soft and gentle, yet inside her, emotions surged—feelings she rarely let surface.

People always praised her for being gentle. Perhaps, in the past, she had indeed been more vibrant. But years of restraint and burdens had pushed that part of her deep inside a box, only emerging every now and then for a breath of air.

On the long, dusty road of life, liveliness had no place to flourish.

Seeing Shen Tangyin’s slightly guilty expression, Qiehui knew she must have fallen into the same kind of worldly thinking—assuming that Zhong Qiehui wasn’t worth associating with.

But in reality, despite her setbacks, Qiehui was still an interesting and lovable person.

Relationships between people didn’t always have to be about status or benefits. They could be about something else entirely.

“Is no one actually playing? Qianming, aren’t you going up?”

A deep, magnetic voice interrupted from behind them.

Everyone turned their heads to see Tang Nayan walking over with a smile, alongside a casually dressed Shen Zongliang.

Qiehui’s gaze briefly met Shen Zongliang’s. He gave her a gentlemanly nod, and she returned a polite smile.

She had no idea how late he had worked the night before, but he still looked composed and refreshed—probably just good at hiding his exhaustion.

Behind them, Yang Yumeng and Zhuangqi had also arrived, likely together.

As soon as they entered, they whisked Shen Tangyin away to sit under a blue-and-white striped umbrella, whispering among themselves.

Lei Qianming released Qiehui and apologized, “I should go entertain Tangyin’s little uncle.”

Since he was the host today, that was only natural. Qiehui smiled and nodded. “Go ahead.”

After Lei Qianming left, she remained standing there. Youyuan called out to her, “Get yourself something to drink. I’m going to practice for a bit.”

Knowing she wasn’t into this kind of thing, he had already offered earlier and didn’t push her further.

Qiehui nodded and said, “Alright, don’t mind me.”

She ended up sitting there idly for half an hour, as if she were an outsider at a gathering that had nothing to do with her. Laughter and conversation buzzed around her, but she couldn’t insert herself into any of it.

Fortunately, she was used to being on her own. She put on her headphones, propped her chin on her hand, and started listening to IELTS practice recordings—not to answer questions, just to absorb the language.

Her gaze drifted toward the distant woods. She wasn’t studying, just listening aimlessly, purely to build a sense of the language.

Before long, her vision was blocked by a figure in a white shirt. Qiehui looked up and met a pair of dark, thick brows.

She removed her headphones and tilted her head back. “President Shen.”

Shen Zongliang sat down across from her without hesitation. He took off his gloves and tossed them onto the table. “Why aren’t you playing?”

Qiehui smiled. “I’d rather not. I’m not athletic. Just sitting here and enjoying the scenery is nice.”

“It’s chaotic everywhere. What scenery is there to see?” Shen Zongliang glanced around and then pointed to the distance. “If you really want to enjoy the view, why not take a walk over there?”

Sitting for too long had made her back ache, and Youyuan wasn’t coming back anytime soon. Qiehui nodded. “Alright.”

She put her Bluetooth earbuds into their case and twisted around to tuck them into her small backpack.

Her legs had gone numb from sitting cross-legged too long. Worried about making him wait, she stood up too quickly and stumbled.

Shen Zongliang caught her just in time. “Be careful.”

Her slender, pale wrist was wrapped in his firm grip, the warmth seeping into her skin like a hot spring.

She straightened up and hurriedly pulled away, her face flushing as she mumbled a quiet thank you.

Shen Zongliang remained indifferent. He simply said, “Let’s go.”