A Beijing socialite stole my boyfriend; she went crazy after I got married.

He leaned back, his back against the chair, and his crossed legs shifted to a more relaxed angle, but the commotion under his clothes didn't subside so easily.

The reaction came without warning, yet it was also perfectly natural.

There's only one face.

Her lips were red from the spiciness, fine beads of sweat appeared on the tip of her nose, and her eyes seemed oblivious to her gaze as she looked over.

She had no idea how her little action of sticking out her tongue and then pulling it back looked to him.

Xie Jing picked up the ice water and took another sip, holding the rim of the glass to his lips for two seconds.

The fire burning in his heart was fighting against reason, and he subtly crossed his legs even tighter, the friction of the fabric creating a tense and stuffy feeling.

His abdominal muscles tightened involuntarily, as if trying to suppress the restlessness and all the inappropriate impulses.

Not yet.

He glanced at the watch on his wrist.

Several important transoceanic video conferences are scheduled to follow, and a final decision on the terms of an agreement concerning the acquisition of a lithium mine in a South American country awaits his approval.

But that intense heat was unreasonable.

Their body temperature seemed to have risen by half a degree.

The man lowered his eyes and saw his fingers resting on his knees, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the condensation droplets on the cup wall, the movement slow, as if he was using that coolness to restrain something.

The little girl opposite was completely unaware, picked up another piece of beef with her chopsticks, chewed it with her cheeks bulging, and gently inhaled as she was burned.

Xie Jing shifted his gaze from her lips to the deep night outside the window, his jawline forming a cold, hard curve.

The assistant reappeared silently at the restaurant entrance, holding a thin tablet computer.

Xie Jing looked up.

The assistant quickly stepped forward. "Sir, we just received an urgent internal report. The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology have changed their stance, which may affect our joint venture negotiations. In addition, the Ministry of State Security has also sent word that there are some additional clauses that require your personal review."

Xie Jing took the computer, his deep eyes quickly scanning the dense text and charts on the screen, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"...Notify the negotiation team that the meeting originally scheduled for tomorrow morning will be moved forward by one hour and conducted online. Send this draft opinion along with the National Security's requirements simultaneously. I need to see their risk assessment and countermeasures before the meeting."

"Yes."

Xie Jing's attention was completely focused on the tablet, and his fingers occasionally marked or wrote short instructions on the screen.

The only sounds in the restaurant were the faint rustling of him turning the pages of documents and someone eating as quietly as possible.

While he was focused on reading the documents, Jiang Chu finally dared to raise her eyes slightly and quietly and carefully observe him.

Under the light, the man's profile resembled a meticulously sculpted work of art, with a high nose bridge, deep brow bones, and a clear and sharp jawline.

He lowered his eyes slightly as he read the documents, his thick, long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath his eyes, obscuring his overly sharp black eyes.

He appeared less imposing and more serenely handsome.

His skin was in amazing condition, firm and smooth, with almost no wrinkles, yet it exuded the unique charm of a mature man who had weathered many storms.

Jiang Chu was secretly astonished.

The original novel only mentions that he is Xie Qingyang's father, the head of the most powerful financial group in Beijing, and that he is ruthless, but never describes his age or appearance in detail.

Seeing this with my own eyes now, if I didn't know his identity, I would never have imagined that he could have such a big daughter.

Xie Qingyang studied in high school abroad and even skipped a grade. Although he was in the same grade as Wei Jing, he was three or four years younger than them and should only be eighteen now.

Even so, Xie Jing is at least in his thirties.

Unless he is exceptionally gifted and becomes a father at the age of eleven or twelve, which is theoretically not impossible, the probability is still relatively low.

but--

Judging from their appearances, they do not look very similar, and Xie Qingyang is quite a beauty, while Xie Jing's looks are much better.

Their heights don't seem to match that of father and daughter.

Xie Qingyang was shorter than him, it was hard to say if he was even 1.65 meters tall, which was a bit strange compared to his father who was over 1.9 meters tall.

Of course, as everyone knows, Xie Jing has never been married, and outsiders do not know who Xie Qingyang's biological mother is; perhaps she is not very tall.

Moreover, in reality, there are also cases where both parents are tall, but their children are of average height.

A variety of thoughts flashed through Jiang Chu's mind.

...Is he really their biological child?

As she was lost in thought, Xie Jing had already finished reading the documents, put the tablet aside, picked up his chopsticks again, and asked, "Does your school dormitory have a curfew?"

Jiang Chu paused for a moment, then nodded honestly: "Yes, we close at 11 p.m., right now..."

She glanced at the clock in the corner of the restaurant. "I guess I'm going to be late? But even if I'm late, it's not like I can't get in at all, it'll just be a hassle."

I remember the dormitory building manager was very strict, and we had to go through some procedures.

Xie Jing looked at her furrowed brows and said, "Then stay here for the night, and I'll take you back to school tomorrow morning."

Jiang Chu's heart pounded wildly.

Judging from what has happened so far, this person's impression of her should not be too bad.

Although she wasn't sure if this would be enough to save her life, perhaps it was a good start?

"……thank you."

Jiang Chu said sincerely, "You have really helped me a lot."

Xie Jing looked at the girl's bright, star-like eyes and her slightly childlike, excited demeanor, and gently curled the corners of his mouth.

He didn't say anything, but continued to gaze at her calmly, with a sharp insight into her heart.

The butler walked silently into the side room, carrying a dark velvet tray in both hands.

An earring lay quietly on it. Teardrop-shaped diamonds were set in a rose gold hoop, refracting a delicate shimmer under the warm yellow lights of the restaurant.

For the average college student, this is definitely a valuable piece of jewelry, enough to be worn on important occasions.

But in the eyes of someone like Xie Jing, it's obvious that its materials, craftsmanship, and design are worlds apart from those of truly high-end jewelry.

"Sir," the butler said in a calm and respectful voice, "the maids found it underwater while cleaning the pool area."

Xie Jing's gaze shifted to Jiang Chu across the table.

Jiang Chu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and subconsciously raised her hand to touch her earlobe—sure enough, the left side was empty.

It was probably dropped when it fell into the water.

Xie Jing raised his hand in a gesture.

The butler immediately placed the tray gently near the edge of the table, then bowed and stepped back.

Xie Jing leaned back slightly into the wide chair, his gaze falling on the pair of earrings.

He stretched out his right hand, his long, well-defined fingers gently pinching the delicate, thin earring.

A rose gold ring and a teardrop-shaped diamond pendant sway gently between the man's fingers, their shimmering light flowing and undulating.

His thumb, almost imperceptibly and extremely slowly, rubbed the cool little diamond, then the rose gold ring.

The movement was neither too light nor too heavy, yet it inexplicably carried a certain intimacy.

Jiang Chu sat opposite him, her gaze involuntarily following his long, strong fingers.

Seeing the subtle movements of him kneading the earrings, for some reason, the thin blush on my face suddenly deepened, and the heat spread all the way to the base of my ears.

She felt inexplicably hot.

It was as if it wasn't touching jewelry, but a more private and ambiguous contact.

For a moment, she even felt the warmth of those fingertips rubbing against her sensitive earlobe through the air.