The wound on Li Wenshui’s arm tore open again, causing immense pain. His face turned pale as he clutched his chest and coughed violently. He was just two steps away from finishing the three laps. He didn’t want to give up at the last moment. He forced his body forward, but dizziness overtook him.

Liang Jin stopped in front of him. “With such poor physical condition, you didn’t need to push yourself this hard from the beginning,” he said.

Li Wenshui half-knelt on the ground, gasping for breath, too weak to lift his head. “If I gave up, you wouldn’t listen to me.”

Liang Jin squatted down and lifted Li Wenshui’s chin. Li Wenshui’s eyes were glistening with tears, and his pale lips parted slightly.

“But since you didn’t finish, I still won’t listen.” Liang Jin grabbed Li Wenshui’s arm and helped him up.

Li Wenshui’s legs were weak, threatening to collapse again, so Liang Jin had no choice but to sit him on a bench. Li Wenshui’s breath was rapid, his knees numb, and every part of his body ached. When he decided to find Liang Jin, he hadn’t expected such intense running, so he had worn a pair of ill-fitting canvas shoes. After the fall, his knees and elbows were scraped, and they were now oozing blood.

Liang Jin’s gaze moved from Li Wenshui’s arm to the pocket of his shorts, where there was a bottle of mineral water. The bottle had become misshapen due to the running and the fall. Why would Li Wenshui bring something so cumbersome while running? What was he thinking?

Liang Jin reached out and took the water bottle. Li Wenshui didn’t stop him; after all, the water had been bought for Liang Jin. When the cold water was poured over his knee wound, Li Wenshui flinched in pain. The pain from the wound was nothing compared to how much he regretted the cost of the water.

Li Wenshui snatched the bottle away. “Don’t waste it if you’re not going to drink it. It’s two yuan a bottle!”

Liang Jin crossed his arms, feeling that Li Wenshui was a bit unreasonable. Li Wenshui saw that Liang Jin seemed to want to clean the dirt out of his wound and explained, “I’ll take care of it when I get home. These small injuries are nothing.”

He was used to bruises and scrapes, and a little medicine would heal them over time. He wasn’t spoiled.

“Fine, I’m leaving.” Liang Jin had nothing more to say and turned to walk away, but suddenly, Li Wenshui grabbed the sleeve of his jacket.

Li Wenshui wanted to try again, but as he opened his mouth, Liang Jin brushed his hand aside and bent down to look at him. His smiling eyes were filled with rejection. “I know what you’re going to say. If you keep insisting, next time, I might not be so pleasant.”

Li Wenshui’s hand froze in mid-air as he stared blankly at Liang Jin leaving. Once again, he had hit a wall with Liang Jin.

In fact, Li Wenshui often encountered setbacks and had long since become accustomed to them. But with Liang Jin… after the kissing, after the touching, and after being played with, now to give up felt too suffocating. He felt frustrated and unwilling to accept it.

The next day, Li Wenshui attended many campus recruitment fairs, but no matter how many resumes he submitted, the results were always the same—nothing.

In the evening, he still had to go and help Luo Jianan with his thesis. Luo Jianan’s thesis was a complete mess, and Li Wenshui frowned and sighed repeatedly as he read through it. Luo Jianan, afraid that Li Wenshui would scold him, hid in his room and didn’t dare to come out. Finally, when it was all done, Li Wenshui let out a long breath, thinking that Li Wenqing’s assignments had never caused him this much trouble. He walked to the door and knocked twice: “Stop hiding, I’ve fixed everything for you. Remember to show it to your advisor, and let me know if anything’s wrong.”

The bedroom door opened quickly, and Luo Jianan hugged Li Wenshui tightly, resting his chin on his shoulder and inhaling the scent of his hair. “Thank you so much, Wenshui! If it weren’t for you, I definitely wouldn’t be able to graduate!”

Li Wenshui let him hold on for a while. “Stop being so mushy. I need to go back.”

Luo Jianan reluctantly let go. “How about you stay here tonight?”

“I have a night shift.” Li Wenshui pushed Luo Jianan away and walked toward the entrance. Luo Jianan followed behind, asking questions: “Are you still working at the hotpot restaurant? Haven’t you found a proper job yet?”

Li Wenshui lowered his eyes. “No.”

“That shouldn’t be the case. You’re so talented,” Luo Jianan said thoughtfully, then quickly typed something on his phone. “Wait a minute, I’ll ask around for you.”

Li Wenshui was confused—what could be asked about not finding a job? He had no experience in high society and didn’t know how far their networks extended. After a while, Luo Jianan looked up with a worried expression. “Wenshui, you’ve been blacklisted by several companies. Someone has made sure you can’t find a job. I couldn’t find out who did it, but think carefully if you’ve offended anyone with a high position.”

“I can’t think of anyone,” Li Wenshui said, his face darkening. He hadn’t offended anyone in a high position, and whenever he encountered such powerful figures, he either spoke politely or avoided them altogether.

“Wenshui, don’t worry too much. I’ll keep asking. If no company hires you, you can come work at my family’s company.”

“Thank you.” Li Wenshui didn’t take Luo Jianan’s offer seriously. Luo Jianan’s mother wouldn’t allow him to go, and he didn’t want to cause trouble for Luo Jianan.

Luo Jianan put his arm around Li Wenshui’s shoulder, pulling him back to reality. “Relax, don’t look so serious. I’ll figure something out for you. By the way, there’s a business banquet tomorrow. Can you go for me? You don’t need to do anything, just write my name on the guest list at the entrance. There’ll be delicious cake for you to eat.”

“Why aren’t you going?”

“My stomach pain is acting up again. I’m going for an examination tomorrow.”

“Is it serious? Do you need me to go with you?”

Luo Jianan’s stomach condition had been severe once, causing him to faint in the school dormitory. At that time, it was close to dorm closing hours, and Li Wenshui had carried him to the hospital. It was after that incident that their deep friendship had been established.

“It’s fine, my mom is coming to stay with me tomorrow.”

“That’s great.” Li Wenshui envied Luo Jianan. Although Luo Jianan often complained that his mother was strict, whenever he wasn’t feeling well, his mother would always come to take care of him. Li Wenshui had never met Luo Jianan’s mother, but he imagined she must be a kind and loving woman.

“By the way, my cousin will also be there tomorrow. He left something at my place yesterday, can you take it to him?” Luo Jianan picked up a handbag from the entryway cabinet. Li Wenshui glanced inside and saw an old-looking watch and a multi-function flashlight.

“The watch looks very old. Why not buy a new one? And what’s with the flashlight?”

“The watch was given to my cousin by his mother. As for the flashlight, he’ll need it tomorrow night. Since you’re going anyway, you can take it to him,” Luo Jianan said with a smile. “Don’t be fooled by how wealthy my cousin is. He’s actually quite sentimental and doesn’t like to change things he’s used to.”

Liang Jin is sentimental? If he’s sentimental, how come he changes lovers faster than clothes? Li Wenshui didn’t understand rich people.

At 3 PM, with light rain falling, the banquet hall was alive with the clinking of glasses and lively chatter.

The day after the intense run, Li Wenshui’s legs ached even more, a result of the muscle strain from the strenuous exercise. From his feet to his thighs, he felt sore, numb, and swollen—every step was a struggle. But he still pushed through the pain and made it to the venue, each step carefully controlled to prevent his trembling legs from giving him away.

Today, Li Wenshui wore a light trench coat, looking tall and striking—he didn’t seem like someone who was only 1.77 meters. He rarely wore black, preferring bright colors, but he chose this one for the business banquet. The black made his skin look even paler, with the red mole at the corner of his eye adding a cold, elegant air to his appearance.

At that moment, Liang Jin had just arrived at the venue. He sat in a quiet corner with few people around, casually sipping his wine. Someone sat beside him, but he couldn’t be bothered to look. The suit he wore, though still on the young Liang Jin who was technically still a student, added an air of maturity and elegance.

A handbag was pushed toward him. Liang Jin glanced at the person and a playful gleam appeared in his eyes.

“Jianan couldn’t make it today, so he asked me to bring this,” Li Wenshui pointed at the handbag and smiled charmingly. “I heard Jianan say you weren’t feeling well, so I bought you some lozenge and a bottle of pear syrup.”

Liang Jin took the watch and flashlight from the bag. Slowly, he put the watch on and glanced sideways at Li Wenshui. Li Wenshui propped his arm on the table, his body bent slightly forward, eyes flickering as he looked back.

Liang Jin smirked and raised an eyebrow, “Are all high achievers this patient?”

Li Wenshui thought he was being complimented. “I’m just patient. I believe persistence pays off.”

In Li Wenshui’s life philosophy, as long as you persist and invest the time, there will eventually be results. If he hadn’t persisted, he would still be living with Wenqing, enduring scorn. If he hadn’t persisted, he wouldn’t have received the admission letter from a top university.

Liang Jin pushed the bag back to Li Wenshui. “Not all persistence is rewarded. For example, your persistence with me won’t only not be rewarded, it could leave you with nothing.”

He paused and took a sip of his wine. “I don’t like people who expect something in return, so from the beginning, this relationship was never going to work.”

“What if I don’t want anything in return?” Li Wenshui asked in return.

Liang Jin smirked, finding Li Wenshui’s words amusing. “Then what are you after? Shouldn’t a high achiever’s time be precious? It can’t really be true love, can it?”

Li Wenshui’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the handbag. Before he could respond, someone suddenly came over with a laugh, “Vice President, you’re here too?”

Li Wenshui looked up to see Manager Li and Suge standing before them. They, too, saw Li Wenshui. After a brief exchange of glances, all three of them had something on their minds.

Manager Li thought to himself that Li Wenshui had really latched onto the Vice President. Would the things he had done to harass Li Wenshui in the past reach the Vice President’s ears? If the Vice President made things difficult for him, his job might be at risk. Suge sighed with relief, at least he had returned the money for the clothes to Wenshui. It seemed he would have to curry favor with Wenshui from now on; perhaps he could reel in the big fish, Liang Jin, too.

Li Wenshui felt a bit anxious, worried that the true nature of his relationship with Liang Jin might be exposed. He deliberately moved a bit closer to Liang Jin, wearing a polite smile. Perhaps to take credit or to ingratiate himself, Manager Li started talking to Liang Jin about work matters, and Liang Jin listened with a smile. As they chatted, others eager to get closer also gathered around, including some attractive men and women. Liang Jin remained calm, always smiling and adept at managing the situation—he neither agreed nor rejected their advances.

Some handsome men and beautiful women, upon noticing Li Wenshui standing with his arms crossed and his posture straight, decided to back off. Li Wenshui stood out too much, with a beautiful face and stunning presence. They didn’t think they could compete with him.

After finishing the conversation about work, Manager Li thought that Li Wenshui really must be special to the Vice President, as so many people had been driven away just by a look from him. Just as Manager Li was about to leave with Suge, someone came striding over to Liang Jin and casually threw an arm around his shoulder.

Liang Jin’s childhood friend, Zhou Qi, noticed Li Wen Shui and asked with a laugh, “Got a new one? Tsk, they’re all more beautiful than the last.”

Li Wenshui’s heart inexplicably skipped a beat. Liang Jin replied, “Not familiar, he’s my cousin’s classmate.” His voice wasn’t loud, but Manager Li and Suge heard it clearly.