Chapter 10 – Twisted Neck

“Sorry to bother you, President Qi.”

With a mix of complicated feelings, Sheng Xia got into the car. She stole a glance at the man beside her but quickly looked elsewhere, avoiding direct eye contact.

Qi Youbai rolled up the window and coldly instructed the driver Xiao Lü in front: “Drive.”

“Yes, President.”

The car started and soon merged onto the main road along Lakeside Avenue.

Sheng Xia’s shoes were soaked. As soon as she stepped into the car, the carpet was wet through. She herself wasn’t in any better shape—drenched and leaving water marks all over the seat. She tried to tidy herself up, hoping not to appear too disheveled.

Qi Youbai was silently drying himself with a towel. Sheng Xia cast him a glance, then quickly looked away without saying a word.

“Miss Sheng, what’s your home address?” asked Xiao Lü.

After a short pause, Sheng Xia hesitated, “Uh… How about just dropping me off in the city? It’ll be easier to get a taxi from there, and it’s close to my place.”

“That won’t do, Miss Sheng. President Qi specifically instructed me to take you home safely.”

Qi Youbai glanced at her, voice sharp: “So, it seems Curator Sheng enjoys walking in the rain—prefers hailing a cab in this weather over taking the car?”

Sheng Xia turned to him, now dry and composed, and felt a spark of irritation: “That’s right. I love walking in the rain. If I can’t get a taxi, I planned to stroll all the way home while getting soaked.” What business is it of yours?

She bit her lip and swallowed the last sentence.

Qi Youbai nodded as if suddenly enlightened, “Ah, I see. My mistake. No wonder Curator Sheng didn’t use the towel on the seat—it’s because she enjoys being drenched. Such a… unique preference.”

Towel on the seat?

Sheng Xia looked at him suspiciously and reached behind her. Sure enough, she found a plastic-wrapped white towel she hadn’t noticed earlier.

Suddenly guilty, Sheng Xia laughed sheepishly. “Oh, so the towel was for me. In that case…”

“No, no, don’t. I wouldn’t want to ruin your pleasure,” Qi Youbai leaned slightly toward her, reaching out to stop her from unwrapping the towel. The two of them each held a corner, silently struggling for control.

Sheng Xia’s fingers went pale from the force. She gritted her teeth, “It’s fine, even if I do like getting wet, I shouldn’t dirty your car over my personal preferences. I’ll make a sacrifice… for your sake.”

Her strength was nothing to Qi Youbai. He looked at her—drenched face, pale lips, and soggy hair clinging to her cheeks. Something softened in him. He released his grip, letting her win the towel.

Sheng Xia was delighted for a second but quickly masked it with a nonchalant expression—unaware that Qi Youbai had seen her fleeting joy.

She cleared her throat and glanced sideways at him.

Qi Youbai immediately wiped the smile off his face, turned forward, and sat rigidly.

Thinking he hadn’t noticed her, Sheng Xia unwrapped the towel and started drying herself off from head to toe.

Meanwhile, Xiao Lü kept sneaking peeks through the rearview mirror. Though Qi Youbai was normally a cold, silent boss, everyone close to him knew he’d held a torch for someone for years. But seeing him joke around and even act playful like this—it was a first.

Feeling curious, Xiao Lü raised the car’s interior temperature a bit to help Sheng Xia dry off faster.

Qi Youbai noticed but said nothing.

Outside, the rain had eased, and the drumming on the windows faded. A shallow pool of rainwater had collected on a low-lying part of the road. Xiao Lü followed the cars ahead, driving through it, and soon passed an overpass into the city.

“Miss Sheng, we’re in the city now. Where exactly do you live?”

Sheng Xia looked out the window—people hurried past with umbrellas, and soaked delivery drivers zoomed by like drenched rats. Cars sped ahead like rockets, kicking up sparks as they went…

In this weather, taxis would definitely be hard to find.

After hesitating for a second, she reported her full home address.

Beside her, Qi Youbai sat motionless with eyes closed, resting quietly.

“Curator Sheng.”

“Ah?”

Not expecting him to speak, Sheng Xia turned to face him, startled.

“Yes, President Qi?”

She quickly looked away again, switching focus between the windshield and the man beside her—anywhere but his face.

“How’s the Tang Iron exhibition coming along? Everything going smoothly with the Junli design team?”

After a few seconds of thought, Sheng Xia smiled, “It’s going alright. We’ve finalized the exhibit pieces. Next week I’ll visit the front hall with them to select a layout and set up the exhibition zone.”

Qi Youbai nodded. “Then thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s no trouble at all. We should thank you, President Qi, for giving us this opportunity.”

Silence fell again. Qi Youbai crossed his arms and leaned back elegantly, closing his eyes once more.

Sheng Xia, however, sat awkwardly. Does he know the high-end collection was swapped for scrap metal?

She held it in for several minutes before blurting out, “President Qi.”

Qi Youbai opened his eyes.

Sheng Xia studied his expression and cautiously asked, “What’s your opinion… on our Tang Iron exhibit?”

“Don’t know. No opinion.”

“…”

That caught her off guard. She regrouped: “Well… the design manager, Ms. Wang, suggested this exhibit. She has a… unique taste. We went with the ‘Scrap Iron Series.’”

Qi Youbai didn’t seem to care. “You’re the curator. You decide.”

“…”

Alright then, she thought. Let’s scare Wang Roujia a little.

Their company had already received President Qi’s support today. With just a few words from him, she would’ve let Wang Roujia off the hook. But if even the boss doesn’t care, then she won’t hold back either.

Xiao Lü’s driving was fast but smooth. Before long, they arrived at Sheng Xia’s neighborhood—Happiness Community, a relatively upscale area in Ping’an District where her family had moved five years ago.

“Miss Sheng, stay seated. I’ll get you an umbrella.”

She was about to decline—since the rain had mostly stopped—but before she could, Xiao Lü had already stepped out with the umbrella.

So she waited as he circled around and opened the door for her, angling the umbrella over her side.

Sheng Xia stepped out and walked a few steps, then noticed Xiao Lü was getting soaked. She felt guilty. “Thank you. You should get back in. My place is just up ahead—I can run the rest of the way.”

Just as Xiao Lü was about to respond, a strange man appeared—wearing an uncle-style T-shirt, black gym shorts, and flip-flops.

He was middle-aged in appearance but had a well-built, muscular body. Holding an umbrella, his sharp, bright eyes fixed on them.

Sheng Xia followed Xiao Lü’s gaze and frowned when she recognized him. She scolded, “Why didn’t you bring an extra umbrella? You couldn’t even bring one for me?”

Sheng Jun “tsk”-ed and said teasingly, “Your boyfriend’s holding the umbrella for you. Why would I need to bring one? Greedy much?”

That “boyfriend” nearly gave Xiao Lü a heart attack. He looked around in panic to make sure the president hadn’t exited the car, then quickly explained, “No, no, sir—you misunderstood. I don’t dare. I’m not worthy of Miss Sheng.”

Sheng Xia was speechless too: “What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Not him?” Sheng Jun leaned back to peek behind her, curiosity flaring. Without hesitation, he strolled toward the black Maybach behind them and bent down to peer through the tinted windows.

Qi Youbai had been observing from inside the car. He saw the two talking, then Sheng Jun enter his line of sight. They’d met several times when he dated Sheng Xia years ago. Sheng Jun, ever the familiar type, had even forced Qi Youbai to call him big brother.

Qi Youbai was debating whether to greet him when Sheng Jun suddenly plastered his face against the car window.

Qi Youbai: “…”

It was the first time they’d seen each other since C City last month.

He rolled the window down and looked Sheng Jun in the eye.

The sudden move startled Sheng Jun, making his whole body jolt.

Qi Youbai gave a polite nod. “Long time no see, big brother.”

Sheng Jun recognized him instantly. Wasn’t this that handsome, rich, generous, and super polite boyfriend Sheng Xia had back in college? He’d even handed them thousands of yuan back in C City! Much more generous than Sheng Xia’s stingy little sister…

“Xiao Qi!” he shouted joyfully, thrilled to see him again. His face lit up like he’d just found a long-lost relative, tears of emotion gleaming in his eyes.

And then, the unexpected happened.

Without warning, Sheng Jun dropped his umbrella and lunged forward, arms outstretched, and hugged Qi Youbai through the car window.

Qi Youbai blinked, confused, mind going blank. All he felt was his neck being yanked out like a radish.

The force was so strong that his forehead banged against the car roof with a loud thud—a sharp pain flared up instantly, and the skin started to swell. Still not satisfied, Sheng Jun tugged harder to bring him in for a tighter hug.

With muscles like steel cables, Sheng Jun’s embrace was suffocating. Qi Youbai felt the air in his lungs thin out dangerously.

To Xiao Lü, the scene was utterly absurd. He stood a few steps away and saw his always noble, elegant, and composed boss smash his head like a watermelon against the car roof. The sound was terrifying.

Then, in a nearly humiliating pose, the president had his body bent low, neck sticking out like a giant white goose, awkwardly squeezed into Sheng Jun’s arms, fingers gripping the window frame for dear life.

Qi Youbai’s wide eyes turned from bewildered to pained, face pale. He weakly slapped Sheng Jun’s back, gasping, “Let… go… let… me go…”

Panic rising, Xiao Lü finally screamed, “No! Let go of our president! He can’t breathe!”

Sheng Xia was completely frozen in place. Everything had happened too fast. She couldn’t stop it. When she saw Qi Youbai about to pass out, she snapped and shouted at Sheng Jun in desperation:

“Let him go! LET HIM GO NOW—!!”