Jing Rui had realized long ago that he had a certain special appeal to women. Perhaps he should thank his neglectful parents for giving him a handsome face and for maintaining his fit physique through sports. Whenever he chose to exert a bit of charm, women were easily drawn to him. It didn’t matter if they were delicate flowers or sophisticated ladies, shy or proud; as long as he caught their eye, he was confident he could win their hearts.

Hu Liying was no exception.

From the way she focused on him with her gaze, he knew she was already smitten.

“…No, I really don’t understand Picasso. To me, his paintings are just meaningless abstract symbols.”

To cater to her interests, he talked with her about art and painting, delving into her favorite topics. Sure enough, she opened up and spoke excitedly. “Actually, many people say they don’t understand, but it’s okay if you don’t. What matters is that you feel something while looking at it.” She smiled at him.

“What do you feel when you look at his paintings?”

“Me? I’m quite unrefined; I only think of children’s doodles.”

“You mean they have a sense of childlike wonder?”

“I once thought, I could paint that myself. You probably won’t believe me, but back in elementary school, when we had watercolor classes, our art teacher praised me as the future Picasso.”

“Really?”

“Really.” He smiled humorously. “Just painting some incomprehensible scribbles.”

“Ha.” She covered her mouth, laughing elegantly, exuding the grace of a wealthy young lady.

They chatted happily, and she seemed to be half-drunk, her cheeks tinted a lovely rose color. When the venue erupted in bursts of fireworks, she looked even more beautiful than the flowers.

Any man witnessing this scene would likely feel his heart flutter. But while he smiled warmly on the surface, his heart remained cold, like an endless winter snowfield, showing no signs of melting.

He sipped his drink, subtly scanning the surroundings when, suddenly, he saw Jiang Yuyan fall to the ground, seemingly having twisted her ankle, and there wasn’t a single person around to help her.

What was happening? How could she be so careless? A faint crack appeared in his heart’s snowfield. Almost instinctively, he took a step in her direction, but a warning flashed in his mind, telling him not to act impulsively. If he helped her now, he would have to reveal his identity, and Hu Liying would then know he was the general manager of “Tai Rui.” She had said before that it wasn’t the right time to disclose his position.

“Are you okay, Mr. Jing?” Hu Liying noticed his distraction.

He tightened his grip on his glass.

“Mr. Jing?” she called again.

He ignored her, watching Jiang Yuyan suffer alone in the corner. She seemed to have hurt herself badly, continually massaging her ankle.

Damn! Why was no one helping her?

He furrowed his brow, disregarding the alarm bells ringing in his head, and started toward Jiang Yuyan. Just two steps away, another man reached out to her first.

“Can I help you?” The man appeared very masculine, but his tone was gentle and polite.

He stood still, watching as she struggled to rise with the help of the unfamiliar man. The man wrapped Jiang Yuyan’s hand around his shoulder for stability, while his other arm gently wrapped around her slim waist. He narrowed his eyes, feeling inexplicably annoyed.

“Miss Jiang, are you alright?” Hu Liying approached and, upon seeing the scene, asked with concern. Jiang Yuyan turned her head in a panic, only then noticing the two of them, her eyes flickering to meet his. Neither spoke, but he saw in her eyes that she wanted him to leave quickly.

Jing Rui’s expression darkened. Why should he leave? So that she could play intimate scenes with a stranger in public?

He refused to walk away; she would have to exit instead.

Jiang Yuyan helplessly looked up at her savior. “Sir, I twisted my ankle. Could you please help me to that sofa over there?”

“Of course!” the man immediately agreed.

She thought this would allow her to escape the awkward situation, but to her surprise, Jing Rui followed them, and so did Hu Liying.

“I’ll take you to the hospital,” he said softly.

She gasped, annoyed as she glared at him. Didn’t this mean he was publicly admitting they knew each other?

“So you know Miss Jiang?” Hu Liying asked curiously.

“She’s my secretary.” Jing Rui decided to take the plunge.

“What?” Hu Liying was taken aback. “So you’re the general manager of ‘Tai Rui’?”

“Yes.” Game Over!

Seeing Hu Liying frown in displeasure, Jiang Yuyan secretly sighed—why was Jing Rui so restless tonight?

“Do you all know each other?” Another unrelated man, completely out of the loop, introduced himself with a smile.

“My last name is Deng, Deng Yuanhong.”

“Hello, Mr. Deng, I’m Jiang Yuyan.”

“Jiang Yuyan, like the little swallow in the drizzle? What a poetic name.” Deng Yuanhong admired her, his smiling eyes fixed on Jiang Yuyan, clearly appreciating her beauty.

Jing Rui disliked that gaze and coldly huffed. “Yuyan, I’ll take you to the hospital.”

“No need, I’ll be fine after resting a bit.” Jiang Yuyan refused. “It’s late; you should take Miss Hu home!”

He was supposed to take Hu Liying home? What about her?

“I’ll take a taxi back,” she smiled lightly.

He frowned, unable to say anything before Hu Liying’s clear voice rang out. “Miss Jiang has hurt her foot; it’s better to let your boss drive you home. I can go back by myself.” After saying that, she cast a complex glance at Jing Rui and elegantly turned away.

“Why aren’t you chasing after her?” Jiang Yuyan sighed as she noticed that the usually quick-witted man was still standing there in a daze. “If you don’t take her home now, your impression points tonight will definitely fail, and everything will be for nothing!”

He remained silent and stern.

“What are you still standing here for? Go!” she urged anxiously. “Do you want the plan to fail?”

The plan.

Jing Rui pondered deeply over these two words. For him, plans were very important. Over the years, he had executed one plan after another, steadily climbing to the peak of his career and returning to high society.

Since the death of his parents, his life had become a carefully arranged chess game, with every move carrying deep significance and every useful piece not to be overlooked.

He couldn’t, and shouldn’t, let anyone affect his steps…

Feeling a chill in his heart, he resolutely took a step forward and left without looking back.

“I’m a photographer. I used to work in the U.S., but I recently had some time to come back to Taiwan,” Deng Yuanhong said while driving, not forgetting to introduce himself. “Both my parents are teachers; my dad is a university professor, and my mom teaches at a middle school. They’re so caught up with their students that they forget about their son. I had a tough childhood, only a camera to keep me company.”

Jiang Yuyan quietly observed his profile. When he smiled, his whole mouth opened wide, like sunlight breaking through the clouds, generously spilling onto the earth.

He seemed like a very cheerful and straightforward man.