Provoking Him

Yang Tingxiao rarely saw Zhou Qishen at a loss. Suddenly, he had the feeling of catching him off guard, laughing without restraint, “Mr. Zhou’s career is going smoothly, so why is his love life so bad?”

Yang Tingxiao and Zhou Qishen had known each other since they were in the womb, growing up together from childhood. Every holiday season, they would visit each other’s homes, their brotherhood ironclad. Despite Zhou Qishen appearing aloof on the surface, deep down he was a bit of a recluse with a sharp tongue. Otherwise, the two wouldn’t have been such close friends.

However, their personalities were slightly different. Yang Tingxiao was naturally outgoing, enjoying socializing everywhere, with friends scattered across the world. In his youth, he was reckless and clueless, cycling through girlfriends until he met his current wife during his studies in M country, prompting him to settle down.

Zhou Qishen was entirely different. He was undoubtedly among the top male friends Yang knew, but he didn’t leverage that, nor did he care about making friends. Of course, he also had no interest in women, single-mindedly devoted to making money and building his career.

During university, he pursued dual degrees in computer science and finance while starting his own company. Within less than ten years of founding Xunli, his internet company was listed among the top 100 enterprises nationwide, with nearly a trillion in annual revenue. Not to mention, in recent years, he had risen to the position of executive director at Zhou Group, his net worth skyrocketing beyond estimation.

With such an impressive best friend, Yang naturally basked in his glow. Just investing in Xunli’s shares in the early years was enough for him to live comfortably for the rest of his life without relying on his family for sustenance.

Yang Tingxiao couldn’t help but think that Zhou Qishen had achieved high status and wealth at such a young age. He had always thought that Zhou Qishen would never fall in love, but unexpectedly, he had descended from his pedestal and started dating.

Recalling Zhou Qishen’s girlfriend for a moment, Yang Tingxiao couldn’t help but comment, “Hey, how old is your girlfriend? She looks quite young, is she even of legal age?”

“Too much nonsense.” Zhou Qishen impatiently uttered a few words and promptly hung up the phone.

Listening to the beep on the other end of the line, Yang Tingxiao sighed and absentmindedly rubbed his nose, then started the car and drove out of the garage. He pondered over where he had seen Zhou Qishen’s girlfriend before…

At a traffic light, he glanced at a luxury brand advertisement on a distant high-rise screen.

*

After seeing off Zhou Qishen’s friends, Jiang Xiao began plotting her strategy to gain more exposure, preparing for her work the next day.

According to what the system had said before, if popularity was the measure, then could she ignore the “but” in the system’s statement by gaining more popularity and leaving Zhou Qishen’s side?

But how could she increase her popularity?

Jiang Xiao was deep in thought but still empty-headed by the time Zhou Qishen returned from work. She had no useful clues or ideas until she absentmindedly glanced at the signal strength indicator above her phone, suddenly struck by inspiration.

The principle of WiFi was that the closer one was, the better the effect. So, if she stayed closer to Zhou Qishen, would her “popularity” be more effective?

With this thought in mind, Jiang Xiao discreetly shifted her gaze to a nearby single sofa. Zhou Qishen was sitting upright, tapping away on his computer with a serious expression. His neatly pressed white shirt was unbuttoned at the top, the tie loosely hanging, subtly revealing his collarbones, adding a touch of allure to his serious demeanor.

Spontaneous action, straight to the point.

Clearing her throat to disguise her nervousness, Jiang Xiao deliberately found a prop for herself, holding a glass of water and pretending to stroll casually in the living room. She nonchalantly passed by Zhou Qishen’s vicinity time and again.

Such blatant behavior naturally caught Zhou Qishen’s attention, and he frowned and glanced over at her.

Caught in the act, Jiang Xiao felt even more guilty. She muttered to herself in a low voice, “I feel so bloated, I should walk around a bit.”

It would have been better not to explain. But explaining might make her intentions seem more suspicious. Talk about being caught red-handed.

Jiang Xiao waited for a while, noticing that his gaze returned to the computer screen without any signs of anger. She breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, feeling a bit bolder. Stealthily, she tiptoed around the other side of the sofa and slowly sat down on the carpet beside him.

But sitting down wasn’t enough. She went even further, quietly reaching out her little paw to make some physical contact.

Unaware of her intentions, Zhou Qishen endured it silently.

But his repeated tolerance only encouraged her to push the boundaries. Feeling a ticklish sensation on his calf again, without any actual contact, she teasingly tapped him once, then moved away, back and forth, testing his limits.

Veins bulging on his forehead, Zhou Qishen’s voice deepened as he asked, “Are you bored?”

“No, not at all.” Jiang Xiao swiftly withdrew her hand, looking up at the ceiling as if avoiding eye contact, pretending she hadn’t done anything.

But not long after, her magical hand stealthily reached out toward someone’s calf again.

Unable to bear it any longer, Zhou Qishen suddenly stood up.

His sudden movement startled Jiang Xiao, and she couldn’t retract her hand in time, brushing against his calf with her palm.

Now she couldn’t pretend that nothing had happened.

Jiang Xiao awkwardly met his gaze, and after a few seconds of silence between them, she forced a pleasing smile. “Your trousers are really nice, so smooth and comfortable.”

“…,” Zhou Qishen replied in silence.

Um, it seemed even more awkward now.

Jiang Xiao’s face was almost stiff from smiling, so she pursed her lips and tried bravely, “Haha, these slippers are nice too…”

“…”

Oh no, she couldn’t make up anything else.

She always seemed to be like this, talking nonsense when nervous. When she talked nonsense, she felt embarrassed. When she felt embarrassed, she became even more nervous, a vicious cycle like a bottomless pit, impossible to change…

Fortunately, Zhou Qishen didn’t say anything or scold her, just furrowed his brows tightly and looked at her with a complex expression.

After a while, he closed his computer without even glancing at her sideways, and walked towards the study without looking back. “I’m going to the study, do as you please.”

“The study is indeed quieter,” Jiang Xiao echoed twice.

But watching his departing figure, she still felt unconvinced. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she stood up quickly and followed with small steps, searching for a plausible reason to say, “Can I go to your study and find a book to read?”

Zhou Qishen narrowed his eyes, his gaze suddenly sharp, silently emitting a dangerous aura. “Be honest, what do you want to do?”

Jiang Xiao’s hand clenched at her side, her voice slightly tense, “I don’t want to do anything, I just want to cultivate my mind.”

Silence hovered between them, although Zhou Qishen didn’t speak, the look in his eyes clearly said: Do you think I believe you?

In the end, Zhou Qishen couldn’t resist her persistence, and sighed, “I hope so.”

Jiang Xiao’s face lit up with joy, following him into the study. The evening light was soft, tinted with a peachy-pink hue, casting a warm glow.

Although she could see everything clearly, considering the approaching darkness, Zhou Qishen still turned on the room’s lights.

Jiang Xiao’s gaze followed him all the way, watching as he turned on the lights and walked around the desk, absentmindedly pulling down his already loose tie, then tossing it onto the nearby chair.

The entire process flowed smoothly, with an inexplicable tension building.

Perhaps it was because his fingers were slender and handsome, when he exerted force, the tendons on the back of his hand slightly protruded, the collar sliding down, revealing more skin, the collarbone becoming more prominent, yet he remained unaware. As he bent over, his inviting chest…

Jiang Xiao stared straight at him, but the next moment, she saw him raise his hand to cover his chest, protecting his imminent loss of dignity.

“Hmm, where are you looking?” Zhou Qishen leaned on the edge of the desk, slightly leaning forward to meet her gaze with a smile tinged with interest.

He knew she couldn’t sit still for a moment. No wonder she hadn’t said a word or made a move since entering—she was clearly sneaking a peek.

Caught in the act, Jiang Xiao cleared her throat and stammered, “Sorry, sorry, it’s my eyes’ fault. They always manage to find beautiful scenery.”

There’s a saying: People laugh when they’re extremely speechless.

Zhou Qishen deeply understood the meaning of this saying. He glanced meaningfully towards where she had been looking, chuckling, “Like something? Go find it yourself.”

Jiang Xiao turned her head to look behind her, where there was a whole wall of bookshelves and a ladder beside it for reaching the higher books.

She didn’t come to the study to read, but to avoid giving Zhou Qishen any more ammunition to criticize her, she pretended to carefully choose a book for a while.

Then she randomly picked up a book that looked fancy and well-packaged, and sat down near where Zhou Qishen was, pretending to read attentively. However, her eyes didn’t stay on the book for a moment; instead, they glanced at the desk from time to time.

On the other side, Zhou Qishen seemed to notice something. His fingers paused on the keyboard, occasionally looking at the little head peeking out from behind the book pages. His heart inexplicably stirred, and after a moment, his Adam’s apple bobbed slowly up and down. “Are you here to read, or to watch me?”

Jiang Xiao blinked her eyes, suddenly realizing something. If he was really focused on working, how could he catch her gaze so accurately?

With this realization, Jiang Xiao gained confidence. She no longer had the timid and guilty look from earlier, but boldly retorted, “If you don’t want to pay attention to me, just ignore me. If your concentration isn’t strong enough, don’t blame it on me…”

Zhou Qishen stared at her blankly, momentarily speechless.

“In the end, it’s because you care too much about my presence. Even if you hide to the ends of the earth, you can’t concentrate.”

Seeing Zhou Qishen silenced by her retorts, Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but feel victorious for a moment. She started criticizing him with the self-satisfaction of someone who had gained the upper hand.

But as she laughed, she soon found herself unable to continue. The man who had been sitting in the chair suddenly stood up and was now standing right in front of her, using his long legs to his advantage.

**

Check out Ayalee’s other translation projects:

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The Villain Who Dotes on His Daughter [1980s]

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