All the goddesses in the world are lusting after my body.

But so far, she has done so much for herself, and even her reconciliation with An Qianxi was ultimately facilitated thanks to her help.

So if we were to describe Jiang Tang's feelings for An Hongdou, the best word to describe them right now would be "gratitude."

But what he didn't seem to understand was...

What women need is never gratitude.

You might even prefer to hate her rather than feel "grateful".

At the very least, hatred will remain deep in a person's heart.

The moonlight was beautiful tonight, but Jiang Tang didn't even look up to see it.

An Hongdou narrowed her eyes and suddenly asked.

"I recently video chatted with my sister, and she seemed quite happy. Have you been keeping in touch lately?"

"...We're in touch; we chat every day."

Jiang Tang replied truthfully that his relationship with An Qianxi was currently in a state of repair.

Although we haven't been able to return to the close intimacy we once had, the casual conversations we had, while being hesitant and mindful of each other's feelings, were still a kind of unforgettable experience.

"That's great, she'll be back soon, right?" An Hongdou's tone was as usual, even with a hint of anticipation.

It makes one feel that she genuinely likes this younger sister, and indeed she does; the relationship between her and An Qianxi goes without saying.

However, once something is mixed in, things will inevitably change.

For example... Jiang Tang.

"Yes, senior, Qianxi will be back for the Mid-Autumn Festival."

As Jiang Tang spoke truthfully, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

If An Hongdou and Qianxi have a good relationship, why didn't Qianxi tell her sister about getting her things back?

For a moment, Jiang Tang became confused again.

An Hongdou in front of me is so unpredictable that it's impossible to see what she's thinking.

In fact, she was extremely alluring tonight, and Jiang Tang, mindful that she was An Qianxi's older sister, didn't even dare to look up at her more than twice.

An Hongdou seemed to notice this as well, and let out a soft chuckle.

This can easily arouse a man's competitive spirit.

Not to mention she made a blunt joke.

"Jiang Tang, why are you getting more and more shy? Have you forgotten that day when you almost pinned me down on this desk?"

"You don't even dare to look at me. Are you afraid that I'll surpass your image of... Qianxi?"

An Hongdou is very good at using her strengths to crush others, and she has almost no weaknesses.

Compared to An Qianxi, An Hongdou does seem to be more perfect in every way.

Even so, it still couldn't surpass An Qianxi's position in Jiang Tang's heart, could it?

"Qianxi isn't afraid of competition, so please don't tease me like that, senior."

Jiang Tang spoke in a calm tone, raising his head to look at An Hongdou.

This time, An Hongdou saw his eyes clearly.

Clear and deep, without a trace of desire.

Does her perfection mean nothing to him?

An Hongdou suddenly smiled, her eyes sparkling with a faint, starlike light.

"Just kidding," she said casually, then asked again.

"Junior, what kind of person do you think I am?"

"...Perfect, beautiful, capable at work, elegant and poised. If Senior Red Bean simply wanted me to praise you, there was no need for such formalities."

"I'm just parroting what everyone generally agrees on."

"So, aside from all that, what are your true thoughts?"

An Hongdou smiled and squinted her eyes.

Jiang Tang hesitated, unsure whether he should express his thoughts.

What truly moved him and made him speak out was the desolate starlight and moon behind An Hongdou.

"Perhaps... it's loneliness."

An Hongdou's fingertips suddenly dug deep into the flesh of her palm, leaving a faint red mark when she pulled them out.

She opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled at Jiang Tang again.

"So that's how you see me, junior."

"Would you like to hear your senior's true opinion of yourself?"

"..." Jiang Tang neither nodded nor shook his head.

But deep down, he was genuinely curious about how An Hongdou viewed herself.

Before Jiang Tang could even ask, An Hongdou herself revealed the answer to this question.

It's like some inner world that can only be expressed in the deep of night.

"Actually, I'm a woman who lies all the time."

"But even someone like me has had times when I never lied, and times when I never spoke falsehoods."

"Jiang Tang, which sentence would you like?"

She passed the question back to Jiang Tang.

And wasn't she hoping that Jiang Tang would give her... the answer she was expecting?

To keep her from being lonely.

293 Wavering Eyes

Being a habitual liar doesn't sound like a good thing.

Jiang Tang fell silent for a moment, unsure of what to say.

But actually, he vaguely realized... what his senior wanted to say.

But when faced with the radiant gaze that his senior was casting at him, Jiang Tang could neither respond nor was able to.

"Some lies, if told long enough, may become the truth."

"In my heart, my senior is still that radiant senior."

“Radiant with light…” An Hongdou suddenly chuckled.

She lowered her head, not wanting Jiang Tang to see her slightly reddened eyes.

Jiang Tang is very clever, so clever that he can easily misunderstand his own words and steer them onto a path unrelated to himself.

This subtly revealed his true feelings.

If An Hongdou continues to pester them in return...

On the contrary, it made her, the senior student, seem a bit awkward in social situations.

Some of them are...too immature.

But maturity is not always a good thing. Maturity means discarding and saying goodbye. What you used to like, you can no longer like; what you used to be indifferent to, you now have to hold tightly in your hands.

Gradually, they no longer even knew what they wanted, and had become part of a huge system.

Even the most dazzling part still carries a sense of loss and sadness.

Perhaps one day, An Hongdou will also fight for something at all costs.

But it just wasn't today.

She raised one hand and lazily rested her cheek on her palm.

I will no longer visit Jiang Tang.

"Perhaps you're right. Let's leave this topic here and get down to business."

"Have you written the proposal for the closing ceremony of the sports meet?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tang sent An Hongdou a document he had written on his computer in the office, which was stored on his phone.

The president suddenly started talking about work.

Although he was caught off guard, he was well-prepared and there was nothing to be nervous about.

What followed was a question-and-answer session.

Jiang Tang might be the most talented office committee member An Hongdou has met in the past two years.

He can perfectly execute the tasks you assign him, without being bound by convention or rigid rules. He boldly incorporates his own ideas and consults a wide range of materials, which shows how dedicated he is to each task.

It's true that Jiang Tang likes to slack off and is usually lazy, but that doesn't mean he's not serious about his work.

Rather, a genius is someone who, when it's time to be serious, focuses more intently than anyone else.

This results in geniuses being far more skilled than ordinary people even when they're playing or having fun.

"Jiang Tang, you did a great job. This is the most satisfying project I've seen in the past few days, even better than your department head's."

"Sister Wenxue has also helped me a lot. In fact, ever since I came to the office, she has been patiently teaching me and revising my work."

Jiang Tang instinctively spoke up for his minister.

This further proves that Jiang Tang simply dislikes meaningless social interactions; in reality, he has strong interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence.

“That’s definitely her personality, but I know the limits of her abilities better than you do.”

"What is rightfully yours is rightfully yours."

"What kind of reward do you want after the sports meet?"

An Hongdou's words are very straightforward. As a leader, she is excellent, able to recognize people and assign tasks, and is fair in rewarding and punishing.