Chapter 31: Mutual Flattery in Business

Pei Jinyang lay motionless. “I didn’t see it.”

Sheng Qiaoxi pouted. “Forget it, there’s nothing to talk about with a guy like you.”

Her words were dismissive, but the subtle curve of her lips betrayed her true feelings.

Pei Jinyang casually scrolled through his phone while lying on the lounge chair before suddenly getting up and heading toward the hotel.

Sheng Qiaoxi quickly caught up with him. “Where are you going?”

“Bored. Going back to sleep,” Pei Jinyang waved without turning his head.

“Aren’t you going to watch the sunset?”

It was around sunset time, and many people had come to the beach.

Seeing Pei Jinyang walk farther away, Sheng Qiaoxi gritted her teeth and chased after him. “How can you just leave me here by myself? You’re not being very loyal.”

Pei Jinyang replied, “Didn’t you come with your sister-in-law? Why don’t you find her?”

“She’s with my nephew, and it’s too noisy. That’s why I came to find you.”

When she found out that Pei Jinyang was coming to Sanya for a vacation, she had begged her parents to bring her along as well.

Back when they were in school, they didn’t get along, but now that it was vacation time, she had to take advantage of the opportunity to spend time with him. She wanted to see Pei Jinyang.

Sheng Qiaoxi quickly caught up to the boy and walked alongside him. “Are you going abroad for college?”

Pei Jinyang looked at her in confusion. “Why are you asking that?”

“I just think…”

As they walked, their conversation gradually faded into the distance, and the sun began to dip lower toward the horizon, almost painting half the sky red.

Jiang Mingzhi sat on the soft beach, capturing the moment with her phone and sharing it with her friends.

Parents walked by, holding hands with their children, couples strolled together, and small groups of friends stopped near her to take pictures.

It was all so peaceful and beautiful.

Jiang Mingzhi didn’t want to do anything, just sat there quietly, watching the last rays of the sun disappear into the horizon.

The next morning, around 10 AM, she sat in the hotel restaurant having brunch when she received a WeChat message.

It was from Guan Jingxu.

He had already checked into the hotel next door. His mom, aunt, and grandparents were all with him.

In the message, the young man wrote: “Just carrying my grandma’s luggage is enough to build my biceps!”

Jiang Mingzhi found it amusing. “Guess that’s a bonus for you.”

Since they were both there with their families and hadn’t planned to meet up, Jiang Mingzhi recommended some local food spots to him.

By noon, the sun was blazing hot outside, with temperatures over 30°C. On the beach, only children were running around, while most people were hiding in the shade.

Jiang Mingzhi stayed in her hotel room listening to online classes, and even when Qiu Tang asked her to go for a spa, she declined.

Facing the sea brought a sense of peace, and she felt that studying in such an environment was twice as effective.

Two hours later, her phone rang.

It was her mom calling, and when she answered, Qiu Tang’s gentle voice came through.

“Sweetheart, get ready and come downstairs. Let’s go have afternoon tea together.”

“Mom…”

Jiang Mingzhi was about to reply but was interrupted.

“You’re here on vacation and still hiding in your room to study? Don’t become a bookworm.”

“…”

Jiang Mingzhi sighed helplessly, then shut her laptop and changed clothes.

It wasn’t that she loved studying; looking at those exam papers gave her a headache too. But she had to study for her own future.

She pulled out a casual outfit from her suitcase—a light green knitted spaghetti-strap dress, paired with a white skirt. Cool, but not revealing.

She added a light milk tea-colored lip gloss and headed out with her phone in hand.

Now, she could rely on her youthful, natural beauty. Her old habit of always wearing makeup before going out had disappeared.

Sometimes, when she looked at her bare face in the mirror, she couldn’t help but feel, “Youth is really great.”

In the past, she had stayed up too many nights with Pei Jinyang, drank too much, and smoked a fair amount, which had caused her skin to age faster. She’d often needed cosmetic treatments to keep up her appearance.

While waiting for the elevator, Jiang Mingzhi saw a new friend request on WeChat. She clicked on it and saw that it was from Pei Jinyang.

The profile picture was of a black anime character, and the request message simply read: Pei Jinyang.

She ignored it and messaged Qiu Tang to ask which floor she was on.

This hotel had complete facilities, with everything in one building. She just wasn’t sure which hall the afternoon tea was being served in.

Qiu Tang replied with a three-second voice message: “Come downstairs, Mom will take you to Xinli.”

Xinli?

Wasn’t that the hotel where Guan Jingxu was staying?

As Jiang Mingzhi walked, she started to understand why.

Qiu Tang had met Xu Hong twice, and recently, the hotel section Qiu Tang was in charge of was opening a new branch in the area Xu Hong managed.

She wanted to build a good relationship with the district manager, so they had arranged to meet under the pretext of their kids being in the same class.

Jiang Mingzhi didn’t mind being used as a middleman; she understood that in the business world, connections were made like this.

The adults met and shook hands amicably.

Jiang Mingzhi winked at Guan Jingxu.

After reaching the island, even the usually well-dressed and domineering businessman would take off the suit that felt welded to his body.

Not to mention someone like Guan Jingxu, a young man who was already youthful and sunny. When he put on a casual T-shirt and beach shorts, the air of youth was overwhelming.

Guan Jingxu’s eyes flashed with admiration. Jiang Mingzhi looked especially beautiful today. The light green color of her clothes made her skin look smooth and milky, like a shell washed countless times by the sea, clear and smooth.

The girl had just stepped out of the sunlight, her cheeks flushed with a hint of pink. She winked at him, and he felt like a weak current had run through his whole body.

Xu Hong, with a smile in her eyes, looked at Jiang Mingzhi. “This is your daughter, Jiang Mingzhi, right?”

“Yes, the two children are in the same class, it’s fate,” she said, signaling Jiang Mingzhi to greet her. “This is Aunt Xu.”

The adults exchanged pleasantries, and Jiang Mingzhi politely nodded at Guan Jingxu’s mother. “Hello, Aunt Xu.”

Xu Hong smiled and nodded. “Hello, I’ve heard about you. When you skipped a grade, Guan Jingxu studied until midnight.”

Jiang Mingzhi felt embarrassed. She never imagined that a small beginner like her could make such a big shot feel a sense of urgency. In fact, the test for skipping a grade wasn’t that difficult. She had only focused on reviewing the basic material for a winter break, so it was enough to handle the exam.

Qiu Tang looked at Guan Jingxu. “I’ve heard from Mingzhi that your son helped her a lot at school. He’s really good at math.”

There were compliments and modesty, and finally, everyone sat down.

The two adults didn’t talk about work; they just discussed their children, which made Jiang Mingzhi and Guan Jingxu feel uncomfortable.

The two kept glancing at each other, then looked down to drink their beverages.

It was mostly mutual flattery in business terms, and with the people involved present, it felt a little awkward.

Soon, Guan Jingxu’s aunt and grandmother arrived.

Xu Hong finally noticed the two children. “Would it be boring for you two to listen to us talk? How about you go play outside together?”

The temperature had dropped a little, and people began to be more active on the beach.

Qiu Tang also said, “Yes, if you’re bored, you can go find some friends to play with.”

She looked at Xu Hong and explained, “My husband’s children also came, along with another older person. They should have more fun together.”

Xu Hong smiled kindly, “Okay, go ahead, go ahead.”

She had a somewhat stern face, but now, with wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes as she smiled, she seemed very sincere.

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The water sports in front of Xinli were quite a few, and not long after, Pei Jinyang and his son arrived, with Sheng Qiaoxi by their side.

Pei Zhaohua waved his hand. “You young people go have fun together.”

Jiang Mingzhi saw the unwillingness in Sheng Qiaoxi’s eyes. It was obvious that she wanted to be alone with Pei Jinyang.

What should she do?

Of course, she would help her.

Jiang Mingzhi reached out and grabbed Guan Jingxu’s wrist, pointing to the sea. “There’s a jet ski, let’s go play together.”

Without waiting for anyone to speak, she pulled him along, leaving Pei Jinyang and Sheng Qiaoxi standing there.

Guan Jingxu looked down at her hand on his wrist. The place where she held him began to feel warm, and the blood flowed through it, as if being dyed with heat, spreading throughout his body, making him feel like he was boiling.

The sound of the waves crashing on the beach grew clearer, and the color of the sand darkened after being washed by the water. Jiang Mingzhi glanced back and saw that the two hadn’t caught up, so she finally let go of Guan Jingxu’s wrist.

Guan Jingxu held the place where their skin had touched. Jiang Mingzhi tilted her head in surprise. “Why are your face and ears so red? Is it too hot?”

“Huh?”

The boy hurriedly touched his face. “It is a little hot.”

Jiang Mingzhi said, “Then let me give you my sunglasses. I have a hat.”

She took off the sunglasses from her nose and gestured for Guan Jingxu to wear them.

Guan Jingxu hesitated for a moment before taking the sunglasses.

Jiang Mingzhi stepped back and looked him over, nodding with satisfaction. “Not bad, you look quite handsome.”

Her sunglasses were unisex, and when they were on Guan Jingxu’s handsome face, they didn’t look out of place at all.

Guan Jingxu felt his ears getting even hotter.

Although he knew that Jiang Mingzhi’s actions and words were natural and sincere, and she wasn’t intentionally flirting with him, the little deer in his heart didn’t understand that. It was crashing against the walls, making him dizzy, unsure of what to say.

It wasn’t until he sat in the back seat of the jet ski, with Jiang Mingzhi in front of him holding the handlebars, that his rationality slowly returned.

“Hold tight.”

Jiang Mingzhi shouted, twisted the throttle, and the jet ski roared to life.

Then she felt her waist tighten as Guan Jingxu’s arms wrapped around her waist.

She heard Guan Jingxu, who never swore, mutter, “Damn!”

Jiang Mingzhi: “…”

She really didn’t mean it. She accidentally gave it too much throttle.

Three minutes ago, by the sea, she had asked Guan Jingxu if he could drive a jet ski, and he had shaken his head.

So, she had to do it herself. After all, she had experience from her previous life and had tried almost all water activities, so there was nothing she couldn’t do.

The salty sea water hit her exposed skin, and Jiang Mingzhi didn’t even dare to shout, afraid of getting wind in her mouth.

She slowed down a bit, and by now, they were about two to three hundred meters from the shore.

Only then did she have the time to turn her head slightly and ask Guan Jingxu, “Is it exciting?”

Guan Jingxu: “… Exciting.”

This was the first time Jiang Mingzhi had seen him like this.