Chapter 67

He Lele was just about to turn and leave when Shen Tu Mo, who had been staring at the computer screen, suddenly spoke a line without shifting his gaze.

Hearing this, He Lele lowered her eyes, nodded to the others, then silently went into the kitchen to prepare Shen Tu Mo's eight o'clock meal.

"I've heard... that Producer Shentu eats at two, five, eight, and eleven every morning and evening—is that true?" Watching Rong Qingya's voice was light, crisp but not the kind of shrillness that would grate on the ears if raised even slightly.

"..." Shen Tu Mo continued looking at the screen.

Ji Jie smiled and nudged Shen Tu Mo's foot with her own.

"... Yes."

"But why?"

"... Because if I don't eat, I'll get hungry."

"Why don't you eat—"

"Qingya," Ji Jie quickly cut in at the sight, "didn't you just say you wanted to go to the Muse tomorrow? Is there anywhere else you want to visit?"

"Yes, yes! I've written it all down, I'll go get it!" Watching Rong Qingya, hearing this topic, looked very excited and jogged off to the guest room arranged for her.

"Sorry for the embarrassment, please don't laugh at her. My little sister is naturally lively, but our mother threw her into a women's college in England, and after being cooped up for a year she's a bit restless." Rong Qingfeng explained.

"I see, your mother's intentions were good, but I personally think Qingya's innocent and lively personality is very precious—changing it would be a pity." Ji Jie took a sip of coffee and said with a smile.

Rong Qingfeng's gaze slowly swept up and down Ji Jie's body twice, a hint of approval in her eyes. "Qingya will be very happy to hear those words from you."

In fact, she was also very satisfied. The Ji Jie before her had inherited his mother's striking looks, and combined with his own dashing, elegant bearing, he only appeared all the more charming and suave, without making his features seem overly delicate. At the moment, he was wearing a mandarin-collar shirt in a pale blue gradient, the same-color gradient embroidery on the fabric only revealing its fine pattern from certain angles—clearly showing the designer's distinctive care and the wearer's unique taste. The off-white cropped casual dress pants looked very fitted on him, elegant yet stylish.

Most importantly, in her sharp-eyed view, despite this man looking somewhat thin in his clothes, once stripped, his body's lines would absolutely be sexy without being bony—and the same went for—Shen Tu Mo, who had been treating the sisters as if they didn't exist!

From the moment she saw him at the airport at noon, he had been this cold-faced, but to the questions and requests they raised, he would basically always respond, though his speech and manner were very businesslike, giving off the air of a career-minded ascetic. However... he also radiated a strong male hormone appeal to women at every moment.

These two men are both decent in quality... but she doesn't like men who are unclear with the people around them—servants, subordinates. If a man needs to satisfy his physical needs, wants to play around or chase women, that's all fine; a smart man should be able to distinguish the value of women inside and outside marriage. As long as he doesn't naively and stupidly talk about "love" with women outside, she can accept a man playing with women outside however he wants—even playing with men—because she isn't exactly a faithful, virtuous woman herself.

She had seen it in the files before—that Shen Tu Mo wasn't picky about women, and for convenience often took the women around him to bed... She hadn't expected to see it verified with her own eyes today. The reason Shen Tu Mo was late picking them up this morning was probably because he had a good roll in the sheets on the way with this apartment manager called He Lele. Although there was no lingering scent in the car, the girl's flushed cheeks and misty eyes couldn't be faked.

If Shen Tu Mo could break this habit... she would have no objections whatsoever to the marriage with him.

Author's note:

Sorry girls~~late again~~because I hit the word count but not the chapter break point~~so... posting one chapter first~~the next chapter will have acknowledgments so it'll be a bit slower~~

☆, Chapter 71: Reject, Reject

Rong Qingfeng also picked up her coffee and took a sip; she didn't like adding sugar.

The elders of both families had actually had the idea of an alliance marriage the year before last, but she had just taken over the family business at the time and didn't want to be distracted, so she shelved it temporarily. Still, whenever she had time, she would look over the investigation files on Shen Tu Mo. To this day, she was confident she understood him better than any woman by his side. Coming here this time, she wanted to see him in person, to make contact with the man herself. After all, with marriage, although the most important thing is the union of interests, and as long as both sides have enough sense of responsibility it can be maintained, if there was also some basic appreciation between them, it would be even more perfect.

And Shen Tu Mo... she had to admit, this man was indeed devastating to women, and to a woman like her who liked to conquer, even more tempting.

Should she play with him first and then marry, or marry first and then slowly play with him?

"Got it! Brother Ji, look, I've planned it all out! After going to the Muse tomorrow, I also want to..." Watching Rong Qingya opened a thick notebook and spread it on the coffee table in front of Ji Jie, happily flipping through page by page and explaining as she went.

Rong Qingfeng fondly looked at her sister's pure, lovely smile, then shifted her gaze to Ji Jie. Her second purpose in coming was for her sister Qingya—as it happened, she remembered her sister had loved listening to Qin Zhi's songs in high school, and she also knew Qin Zhi and Shen Tu Mo lived in the same apartment, so she casually asked Qingya if she wanted to take advantage of summer break to get up close to her idol. The result was her sister's eyes lighting up as she said—

"Yes! I was originally planning to wait until after college, but... what if some other woman snatches him away in the next few years? That would be terrible, so I have to strike first!"

"You want to... chase Qin Zhi?" She didn't recall Qingya being this kind of crazy fangirl.

"Qin Zhi! How could that be! Idols belong to everyone! And I don't have the confidence to match up to him—the person I want to chase is someone else!"

"Who?"

"Ji Jie!"

"... Spring, summer, autumn, and winter aren't people."

"Ah! It's a person! It's the Ji of surname Ji! The jie of seasons! Ji Jie!"

"Oh... isn't that still spring, summer, autumn, and winter?"

"No! It's... Sis! You're messing with me!"

"Haha..."

Night, 7:55 p. m., fifth floor of the apartment.

"Come here." Shen Tu Mo glanced at He Lele carrying the tray and called out in a low voice.

He Lele set the tray on the dining table, walked around the sofa to the coffee table, and looked at the documents under his hand.

Shen Tu Mo tapped the spot for the signature with his finger.