We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

Xia Shiqing, who had been chatting idly, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Ye Chen also stopped.

"What's wrong?"

He turned his head to look at her.

A breeze swept past the railing, ruffling Xia Shiqing's skirt.

The sounds of tourists chatting and laughing, camera shutters clicking, and ship horns on the river still echo in my ears.

But she couldn't care less about that anymore.

She could only hear her own heartbeat, faster and faster.

Xia Shiqing took a deep breath and steeled her resolve.

The next second, she reached out her right hand and grabbed Ye Chen's hand.

Palms pressed together.

Ye Chen's palms were warm.

Her fingers were a little stiff, and her palms were even sweaty.

Xia Shiqing neither lowered her head nor dodged.

She simply pursed her lips and stared straight at Ye Chen.

Those beautiful eyes held tension, but also a stubborn refusal to back down.

Ye Chen paused for a moment.

Feeling the soft yet slightly trembling fingertips in his palm, he knew that she must have mustered up a great deal of courage to extend her hand to him.

Having lived two lifetimes, this was the first time he had ever encountered such a scene.

In his previous life, he fawned over Lin Wanqing like a typical simp, wishing he could tear his whole heart out and show it to her.

In this life, it was the girl who took the initiative to reach out to him.

Ye Chen looked down at their clasped hands, then at Xia Shiqing who was trying to appear calm, and suddenly smiled.

He was reborn and worked hard to make money so that he wouldn't be controlled by anyone or live a life of misery.

The girl is being so proactive, what's there for him, a grown man, to be so coy about?

Ye Chen did not withdraw his hand.

Instead, his five fingers spread open, slipping through Xia Shiqing's fingers and tightly gripping her hand.

A simple hand-holding momentarily transformed into an interlocking of fingers.

The two couple's wristbands, one black and one red, were also stuck together under the streetlight.

Xia Shiqing's breath hitched.

The next second, her tense shoulders slowly relaxed.

The initial unease in those beautiful eyes quickly dissipated, leaving only an irrepressible joy.

She took half a step closer to Ye Chen, her shoulder gently resting against his arm.

"Let's go."

Ye Chen held her hand and smiled, "Let me take you to the front to continue enjoying the breeze."

"Um."

Xia Shiqing responded softly.

When she took my hand earlier, she was able to grit her teeth and pretend to be calm.

Now that she had received Ye Chen's response, she dared not look at him anymore. She could only lower her head slightly and let him lead her forward.

The two continued forward along the Bund observation deck.

The two bracelets, one black and one red, were particularly eye-catching.

Several young men walking towards them glanced at Xia Shiqing subconsciously, then turned to look at Ye Chen, their expressions becoming somewhat complicated.

One of the boys looked at it for a couple of seconds longer, and his girlfriend immediately hit him on the arm.

"What are you looking at?"

"I'm looking at the river."

"Jiang is on the right, why are you looking to the left?"

Ye Chen almost couldn't help but laugh.

Xia Shiqing heard it too, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly. She tightened her grip on Ye Chen's fingers even more.

Walking a few hundred meters along the river embankment, you will find a relatively open sunken plaza in front of you.

Xia Shiqing had just composed herself and was about to ask Ye Chen what his plans were for tomorrow when a group of young girls walking towards them, taking photos together.

One of the short-haired girls was holding a DSLR camera. Just as she pressed the shutter, her peripheral vision caught sight of this side of the camera.

She stopped in her tracks.

First, I saw Xia Shiqing's face clearly.

Then, the gaze slowly moved down and landed on the two people's hands clasped together.

Finally, the focus shifted to the two couple's bracelets, one red and one black.

The DSLR camera in the short-haired girl's hand was suspended in mid-air.

She was stunned for a full two seconds before suddenly raising her voice.

"Shiqing?"

Upon hearing this voice, Xia Shiqing subconsciously looked up.

Upon seeing the other person's face, her smile instantly froze.

One second she was still basking in the sweet joy of successfully holding hands with her boyfriend.

The next second, it turned into a massive catching-the-foul scene.

The person standing opposite was none other than himself.

It was Zhou Tong, her best friend who lived in the same shared apartment with her every day and would ask her every morning which client she was going to meet.

At the sunken plaza on the Bund, the river breeze blows through the railings, causing the hems of passersby's clothes to flutter.

Xia Shiqing froze completely.

The heat shot up my neck and quickly turned my ears red.

Just a second ago, she thought holding hands was very sweet.

Now, however, I wish I could disappear into a crack in the ground.

I wanted to let go of his hand immediately.

But then I thought about it again.

This was a step she had taken with great difficulty, one that she had finally mustered the courage to take.

You can't just be scared back to square one by your best friend's yelling, can you?

Xia Shiqing bit her lip, but instead of loosening her grip, she tightened her fingers and held Ye Chen's hand even more firmly.

Sensing the force coming from her palm, Ye Chen turned his head and glanced at her.

Since she wouldn't back down, Ye Chen naturally wouldn't be the first to give up.

He remained expressionless, letting Xia Shiqing hold his hand tightly.

Zhou Tong walked over quickly, her shock turning into barely concealed gossip.

She circled the two of them for a while, then stopped in front of Xia Shiqing, her gaze sweeping over their clasped hands once more.

"You, Xia Shiqing!"

Zhou Tong deliberately dragged out her words: "What did you say to me this morning at home?"

He made a firm promise, saying he was going out to run business.

She raised her chin, stared at their intertwined hands, and smiled mischievously.

"You've really gone deep into this business."

"Are people holding hands in the street now?"

When her lie was exposed on the spot, Xia Shiqing suddenly became stammering.

"I...I'm not..."

"Tongtong, let me explain."

She rarely stuttered, and it took her a long time to string together a complete sentence.

The more he explains, the more it seems like solid evidence.

Seeing Xia Shiqing so embarrassed she wished she could just evaporate on the spot, Ye Chen chuckled.

"Hello, I'm Ye Chen."

The boy's voice was steady, and his tone was casual and natural.

He looked at Zhou Tong, whose face was full of gossip, and slowly took over the conversation.

"They are indeed customers."

"But today isn't about looking at cars; it's more like after-sales service."

Zhou Tong was stunned.

He had prepared a whole host of witty remarks, but they were all shut down by this humorous, joking remark.

Only then did she take a good look at the boy in front of her.

The short-sleeved casual wear has an excellent cut, with no obvious logo, yet it fits the body perfectly.

He was very tall and stood upright. Faced with this sudden "caught in the act," he neither rushed to distance himself nor pretended to be calm. Instead, he quickly took over the conversation in a few words.

Zhou Tong had never seen such a natural ability to control the situation in male college students who had just entered the workforce.

His gaze swept down Ye Chen's hand.

Zhou Tong not only noticed the high-quality watch, but also the red and black woven leather straps on their wrists.

"Wow, that's pretty high-level after-sales service." Zhou Tong laughed and pointed directly at the bracelet. "They even have small couple accessories. I think these hands are practically welded together. No wonder our beautiful Xia didn't even come to work today. Turns out, this after-sales service is a lifetime commitment."