The Verks Six-Star Hotel in Port City
Inside the sumptuously decorated banquet hall, soft saxophone music filled the air, accompanied by the clinking of glasses and lively chatter.
On the terrace leading to the back garden, a woman in a red evening gown exclaimed, "Did you notice Mr. Shang's hand holding the wine glass just now? Oh my goodness, it was divine! I wish I could snatch him away to my company right this instant to be a hand model!"
The woman in the green gown rolled her eyes. "Be a hand model for you? That's Mr. Shang, what are you thinking!"
"Yes, but I must say, don't you think Mr. Shang and the Qin family's eldest daughter look quite compatible?"
Her words made the woman in the green gown widen her eyes. "Sister, they are known to despise each other. Don't you know that?"
"No, I just returned from abroad."
Alright, ignorance is bliss.
At this moment, the male protagonist they were discussing, dressed in a dark, custom-tailored suit, was lowering his head, staring at the tips of his shoes.
On the brand-new leather tips, there was a patch of dust... no, to be precise, it was a footprint.
It had been stepped on by the female protagonist they were discussing just a minute ago.
Shang Sheng slowly raised his head, gazing at the red-clad girl not far away who was laughing and chatting with friends, her expressions shifting from a radiant smile to a flared-up temper.
His eyes were deep and cold, his gaze, laced with a hidden fire, seemed intent on burning her.
Upon noticing the stained leather shoes, the secretary immediately took out a handkerchief from her bag. Disregarding the onlookers' gazes, she knelt on the floor and began to wipe away the dust from his shoes.
Various exquisite desserts were laid out on the long table. Qin Yige picked up a piece of tiramisu and took a bite.
As she ate, she listened with great interest to Tang Anruo recounting her interactions with Shang Sheng.
Tang Anruo brushed her shoulder-length hair back behind her shoulders, her demeanor alluring. "Shang Sheng hinted at wanting to take me to a hotel, but I refused. Although I like him a lot, I still need to respect myself, right?"
Qin Yige wholeheartedly agreed with her last statement, nodding vigorously.
Tang Anruo continued, "Even though he's rich and handsome, so what? I need to carefully consider whether to give him this opportunity."
Coincidentally, Qin Yige felt the same way. Shang Sheng was rich, yes, but what of it? It couldn't hide his cold-bloodedness and detestable nature.
She quickly finished the tiramisu. She hadn't eaten before coming tonight and was starving.
"If I were you, I'd secretly get pregnant with his child and then stun the world," Qin Yige said, reaching for the blueberry pudding on the table.
A figure approached them, and they remained unaware.
Tang Anruo looked at her suspiciously. "Why would you think that? Do you also like Shang Sheng?"
Qin Yige scoffed. "Me, like him? Hah, I wouldn't even spare him a glance if he were carrying my shoes!"
She tried to pick up the pudding, but for some reason, she couldn't.
Without turning around, she applied a little more force, but the pudding remained unmoving.
Qin Yige turned around in confusion to see that two of a man's fingers were now resting on the pudding's wrapper.
Following the fingers upwards, she saw the male protagonist they were discussing gazing at her with a dark intensity.
He was wearing a custom-made, purely handmade dark suit, holding a glass of red wine, exuding an aura of noble arrogance.
Startled by his gaze, Qin Yige, remembering what she had just said, immediately changed the subject with a guilty conscience. "I just stepped on you once, and I apologized. Do you really need to chase after me like this?"
Earlier, when she saw Shang Sheng on the phone, she had 'accidentally' stepped on his shoe tip as she passed by.
Retracting his hand, Shang Sheng ignored her question and asked calmly, "I heard you wanted to have my child?"
Qin Yige: "???"
Her, have his child? Was this obnoxious persimmon worthy of her?
Moreover, he, a president of a multinational conglomerate, was twisting facts and distorting the truth. Was he not afraid of the Shang Corporation being ruined by someone like him?
Ignoring the girl's bewildered expression, Shang Sheng swirled the red wine in his glass and continued with a half-smile, "Everyone is amazing for having dreams, but it's not good to be wishful thinking."
His tone was filled with unconcealed contempt and mockery.
His words ignited Qin Yige's competitive spirit. She gritted her teeth and said, "Wishful thinking? Shang Sheng, do you believe I can give you eight sons and divide your assets?"
Qin Yige's clothes were suddenly tugged. Tang Anruo whispered in her ear, "Yige, find another man."
Find another man? How could another man enrage Shang Sheng?
Marry Shang Sheng's father and become his stepmother? No, Uncle Shang and Aunt Shang have a very good relationship; she couldn't ruin that!
Unaware of her inner turmoil, Shang Sheng's lips curved into a smile, his mockery growing more pronounced. "Qin Yige, I stand by my words: everyone is amazing for having dreams!"
With that, he turned and left gracefully, disregarding the girl whose cheeks had puffed out in anger.
"Shang Sheng, you stop right there!" Qin Yige was about to explode with anger. He intended to just walk away? No way!
However, the man paid no heed to her command, his footsteps unwavering.
Qin Yige bit her lip tightly. Ignoring Tang Anruo's plea, she lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands and chased after him.
Everyone in the banquet hall saw Qin Yige angrily pursuing Shang Sheng all the way to the hotel's back garden.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Has the Qin family's eldest daughter and Mr. Shang clashed again?"
"It's normal, isn't it? They often quarrel; we're all used to it."
"Normal? It's not normal at all! Would you dare to quarrel with Mr. Shang?"
"...No."
The garden was dimly lit. Shang Sheng disappeared around a corner.
Qin Yige scanned her surroundings but couldn't find him. She cursed herself inwardly as a fool for losing track of a living person.
She gritted her teeth. "Stupid persimmon, I'll let you off this time. But next time I see you, this lady will not spare you!"
With that, she prepared to return to the banquet hall.
However, as soon as she turned, a dark shadow flashed out from the side, suddenly appearing before her eyes.
"Ah—"
Qin Yige screamed.
Seeing her face turn pale with fright and her voice change its pitch, the man's lips curved imperceptibly. "Qin Yige, were you looking for me?"
Seeing it was him—no, more accurately, seeing a person—Qin Yige clutched her chest, calming her pounding heart, and gasped for breath.
"Shang Sheng, I'll fight you!" Qin Yige was almost driven mad by him.
She raised her hand to strike.
But just before her hand could swing, Shang Sheng firmly grasped her wrist.
"Let go of me!"
"Let go of you?"
Instead of releasing her, Shang Sheng applied a slight force, and the girl stumbled into his arms.
Wearing high heels, Qin Yige instinctively hugged his waist to avoid falling.
The faint scent of mint from the man's body wafted over her. Qin Yige was a little dazed. Why did it smell so good...
A low, indifferent voice from above interrupted her thoughts.
"Qin Yige, throwing yourself into my arms?"