“This apple…”

Liang Meng froze, glancing sideways at Lin Qing in a silent plea for rescue.

Lin Qing, nervous, mouthed the answer twice in her direction — but too afraid Wang Zaiwu might notice, she never quite conveyed the information clearly enough.

Liang Meng furrowed her brow.

Wang Zaiwu was still holding the apple with a look of innocent expectation, waiting for her answer.

“Uh… forty!”

Liang Meng had no choice but to just blurt out a number.

Lin Qing buried her face in her hands.

It wasn’t even a premium variety of apple — just the most ordinary, run-of-the-mill apple imaginable.

Forty yuan per pound? Back in Lin Qing’s hometown, that would buy you a whole crate.

“Oh, that’s pretty affordable then.”

Wang Zaiwu set the apple down gently and replied without missing a beat.

Only then did it click for Lin Qing: Wang Zaiwu was a second-generation rich kid too.

He and Liang Meng were cut from the same cloth — neither of them had the faintest clue what everyday produce actually cost.

A blind cat stumbling onto a dead mouse — they’d scraped through by sheer luck.

Lin Qing continued to nudge Liang Meng under the table: “Down-to-earth. Keep it petty.”

Liang Meng caught on and feigned indignation: “Exactly! And apples this affordable — by the time they’re washed, plated up, and served in a fancy restaurant like Xi Tu Lan Ya, you’re paying forty yuan per apple. Not worth it at all! And the fish and seafood here — it’s all just the wet market price with an extra zero tacked on. Think about it, for our first date, we’re not really eating food — we’re practically eating money! An ordinary little noodle joint would be better value.”

Liang Meng’s stream of commentary left Wang Zaiwu even more baffled than before.

It wasn’t as though the Liang family was short of money — and Longquan Group had been around for decades at that. How was it that this eldest daughter of the Liang family sounded like someone haggling at a street market?

“Oh, speaking of which — the prawns!”

Before Wang Zaiwu could process any of this, Liang Meng moved fast and swept the plump prawn right off his plate the moment the dish arrived at the table.

Then she intended to peel it quickly herself — to demonstrate her “domesticity” right in front of Wang Zaiwu.

Unfortunately, this too blew up spectacularly.

Liang Meng had just had her nails done, and at home, prawns had always arrived already peeled and placed in front of her — by Jiang Han.

This particular skill had fallen completely to rust.

Wang Zaiwu watched Liang Meng with intense focus. It was genuinely painful to observe.

She was trying to dig out the vein with a gem-studded fingernail, and she made it look absolutely excruciating for everyone involved.

“Maybe… you should let me do that?”

After watching for an agonizing stretch, Wang Zaiwu simply couldn’t bear it anymore and held out his hand for the prawn.

“No no no — you’re a man, how can you peel prawns? Prawns should always be peeled by women and then fed to you.” Liang Meng still had the nerve to be precious about it.

Wang Zaiwu took the prawn, let out a breath, and as he peeled it he finally couldn’t hold back his commentary: “The way you talk — are you time-traveling from the Qing dynasty? Peeling prawns comes down to gender? If you’re this rigid about it, then I’d say you’re either old-fashioned or you’re playing games with me.”

Wang Zaiwu might obsess over facials, but at his core he was still a straightforward, no-nonsense man. Because of his wealthy background, he was always worried about being taken advantage of by women, and so he tended to stay guarded — which also meant his romantic experience was somewhat limited.

“Games? Old-fashioned? Me?”

Liang Meng felt genuinely stung by that and mouthed a silent protest at Lin Qing.

Lin Qing kept her gaze steady and blinked at her — telling her to hold on a little longer. Wang Zaiwu was showing signs of being slightly put off. If she could just persist a bit more, tonight might very well be the last time she’d ever have to see him.

“Here.”

Prawn peeled, Wang Zaiwu pushed the plate toward Liang Meng, then carefully wiped his fingers with a napkin.

Liang Meng looked down. The prawn wasn’t peeled with quite the same perfection as Jiang Han’s — but this was, in her entire life, the second person who had ever peeled a prawn for her.

For just a moment, Liang Meng felt considerably less irritated by Wang Zaiwu than she had a minute ago.

The scene sank into an awkward standstill.

“Well. Since you peeled a prawn for me, let me pour you something to drink.”

To ease the awkwardness, Liang Meng stood up to reach for a beverage, unwilling to owe Wang Zaiwu a debt over a single peeled prawn.

As she rose, the A4 sheets she had quietly slipped onto her lap earlier slid right off the edge of the tablecloth and fluttered to the floor.

“You dropped something.”

Wang Zaiwu pointed it out.

But Liang Meng was too deep in her performance to notice her “secret manual” was now fully exposed, and was still busy performing: “Wang — would you prefer orange juice, hawthorn drink, or sugar-free cola?”

“I said you dropped something. Looks like documents.”

With that, Wang Zaiwu casually bent down and picked them up for her.

By the time Liang Meng and Lin Qing realized what had happened, they understood that what Liang Meng had dropped wasn’t just a thing — it was her dignity.

“‘A Showcase of Repulsion Tactics for Blind Dates’?” Wang Zaiwu picked up the stack of A4 sheets and looked at them, then began reading aloud, word for word, with a bewildered expression: “Item one…”

Liang Meng and Lin Qing both dropped their heads simultaneously, desperately wishing the floor would open up and swallow them whole.

Even Wang Zaiwu — as charmingly oblivious as he could be — understood exactly what was going on now.

No wonder Liang Meng had seemed so off to him.

It turned out she’d been scheming and running a whole little operation, deliberately trying to make him want nothing to do with her.

The realization hit Wang Zaiwu — and his competitive streak woke up right alongside it.

Who did he think he was?

The dream of ten thousand girls.

Whether it was second-generation heiresses or the junior staff at his father’s company — his friends’ sisters, his childhood neighbors — any woman with a pulse had regarded him with admiring eyes.

On any given day in a shopping mall, the number of times girls came up asking for his number was more than he had fingers to count.

And this Liang Meng had gone to such extraordinary lengths — all just to make him lose interest in her?!

The sheer audacity. The sheer insult.

Massively insulting.

“Oh, actually — I just remembered, President Liang has a board meeting at nine tonight!”

Lin Qing’s brain kicked into gear: at this point, the only option left was the thirty-sixth strategy — run.

“A meeting?” Liang Meng paused, then: “Oh! Right, right — the shareholder meeting? As CEO I absolutely cannot be absent! Wang — so sorry about this, I’m afraid I may have to excuse myself for tonight…”

With that, the two of them scooped up their coats and made to vanish.

“Stop right there.”

Wang Zaiwu spoke quietly, unhurried.

He fixed Liang Meng with a long, meaningful look, then crooked one finger.

“Come back.”

Liang Meng and Lin Qing exchanged a glance, and Liang Meng pointed at her own nose to confirm — yes, that beckoning finger was aimed at her.

Lin Qing, seeing that the situation had become impossibly awkward, furrowed her brow and hatched a new plan on the spot — the only move left now was to sacrifice a rook to protect the queen.

“You’re Wang Zaiwu, yes? Our President Liang really does have a shareholder meeting tonight. But if you’re worried about wasted food — or if you just want company — why don’t I stay behind? I’m just a small assistant, but I’d be happy to keep you company?” She stepped back, making her best ingratiating face.

“Both of you sit down. Neither of you is leaving.”

Wang Zaiwu’s expression had gradually darkened, the negative energy radiating from his displeasure creating a gravitational field that yanked both Liang Meng and Lin Qing right back into their seats.

“Shareholder meeting, right?”

Wang Zaiwu spoke coolly.

Liang Meng and Lin Qing clung to their last shred of hope, nodding furiously.

Wang Zaiwu, completely expressionless, reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out his phone, offering a cold smile: “I know all of Longquan’s major shareholders. President Li of Nanshan Capital, President Yang of Xiangtan Group, and…”

He hadn’t finished listing them before he was already dialing.

Switching to an entirely different, cheerful tone: “Hey, Uncle Li! It’s me, Zaiwu! Yeah, yeah — nothing much, just checking in on where you are! My dad was talking about you on the golf course today! …Oh, Hawaii! Alright then, never mind! When you’re back, my mom and dad want to invite you for a card game!”

Both Liang Meng and Lin Qing went rigid.

That President Li was indeed a Longquan shareholder.

Then —

“Hello? Uncle Yang! It’s Zaiwu! …Oh, you’re not free? Card game going on! Well, I hope you win big tonight! Alright! Bye!”

After those two calls, Liang Meng’s face had gone completely white.

Wang Zaiwu, immensely pleased with himself, held up his phone and looked at her.

“Any more lines?”

Caught in a lie on the spot. She had never been this humiliated in her life.

Liang Meng shot Lin Qing a look that laid the blame squarely at her feet — the blind date had been handled absolutely catastrophically.

Lin Qing felt even more wronged. How was she supposed to know her boss would go and throw away the “trump cards” herself?

But now wasn’t the time for complaints or grievances. Lin Qing thought: encountering all sorts of unexpected situations at work was completely normal — the key was resolving the problem quickly.

Might as well drop the act entirely!

The whole point was to torpedo the blind date, and things had pretty much reached that point anyway. Better to just rip off the bandage and let everyone say what needed to be said.

Some things were inappropriate for Liang Meng to say herself — that was what an expendable assistant was for.

Covering for the boss was the kind of self-awareness every working person should have.

So Lin Qing squared her shoulders and spoke up to Wang Zaiwu with full conviction: “Since Wang Zaiwu has already read the room clearly, then we might as well stop pretending! A blind date, at the end of the day, is about mutual interest and mutual need. Our President Liang currently has no need to find a partner! But rather than give you a blunt refusal and make things awkward for everyone, she was forced into this little strategy. Now that the truth is out — we’re leaving!”

With that, Lin Qing grabbed Liang Meng’s arm again and made a break for the door!

“Don’t you dare!”

Wang Zaiwu was incensed by Lin Qing’s little speech. What did she mean, their “President Liang” had no need for a partner?

So he did, then?!

What a joke!

He was Wang Zaiwu!

The man the universe had clearly sent down to earth in the best possible circumstances.

People lined up to chase after him — nobody had ever dared to look him over and find him wanting, right to his face!

In the heat of the moment, Wang Zaiwu lunged and grabbed Liang Meng’s ostrich-feather cape, intent on pulling her back so they could hash things out further and salvage some of his dignity!

But he’d misjudged his own strength.

With a sharp, tearing rip — not only did Liang Meng’s ostrich-feather cape get torn, but the inner slip strap beneath it was also yanked free.

Liang Meng was forced to reveal a flash of pale skin. The broken strap drooped limply down over her alabaster shoulder, swaying twice.

“You—!”

Liang Meng let out a sharp, cold gasp!

She stared at Wang Zaiwu in wide-eyed shock!

If his grip had been even a fraction stronger, the CEO of Longquan Group might have had a wardrobe malfunction right here tonight for all to see!

“What is going on here?!”

At that exact moment — Jiang Han, who had been making his way over, burst through the doors of Xi Tu Lan Ya and walked straight into this scene!

Wang Zaiwu looked up — before he could even make out who it was — a dark figure charged forward and landed a solid, decisive punch squarely on him!

Stars exploded behind his eyes!

“Jiang Han?”

Liang Meng was startled — and thrilled.

He’d come after all.

Jiang Han — her Jiang Han, the one she’d been longing for — hadn’t given up on her. He’d come.

Jiang Han’s temples glistened with sweat. He pulled Liang Meng behind him, his eyes moving over her with a warm, tender urgency to confirm she was unharmed, then immediately stripped off his own black jacket and draped it around her shoulders.

Wrapped in Jiang Han’s warm coat, Liang Meng felt even her gaze soften.

Jiang Han caught his breath and rounded on Wang Zaiwu: “You — I’ve known you since you were this small! Nobody ever told me you’d turned into someone like this. What’s all this — coming here to make trouble?”

Wang Zaiwu, still shaking the stars out of his eyes, blinked and squinted until he could make out the face in front of him.

“Jiang Han…?”

Wang Zaiwu and Jiang Han knew each other — they moved in the same circles, had always been on nodding terms, each going their own way without much friction between them.

But there was, in fact, a bit of old friction there.

All because Old Wang had a habit of invoking the phrase “a true son rivals his father’s legacy” — and would constantly hold Jiang Han up as an example in front of his own son. This had caused Wang Zaiwu, since childhood, to harbor a quiet resentment toward this “uncle” who was barely older than him.