She didn't hesitate. "Jiang Yue."
The name hit him like a quiet punch to the chest.
He leaned back a little, folding his arms. "Jiang... as in Jiang Group? Your family runs Jiang Conglomerate, right? Real estate, tech, fashion—the whole empire?"
A flicker of a smile curved her lips, more like acknowledgment than pride. "I see you read the news."
"I don't," he replied. "But it's hard not to know the name when it's plastered all over buildings and billboards."
A pause stretched between them. Then he narrowed his eyes slightly. "So, what does someone like you want with someone like me?"
Jiang Yue exhaled slowly, crossing one leg over the other. Her tone remained calm and clipped. "I'm not here for me. I'm here because of my sister. Jiang Mian."
He blinked, surprised. "Mian Mian?"
The name clicked. Mian Mian? The wide-eyed girl who once stared at him like he was some kind of anime hero?
"She's quite... fond of you," Jiang Yue said, her tone somewhere between amused and annoyed. "She says she wants you to teach her. English. And basketball."
Li Wei frowned. "Wait—what? Both?"
"Yes."
He raised an eyebrow. "That's a weird combination."
"She's a weird girl," Jiang Yue said with a shrug, her voice softening slightly. "But she's my sister. And she's stubborn."
Li Wei shook his head with a soft sigh. "I can't."
Jiang Yue raised an eyebrow, as if already expecting resistance. "It's not for free, if that's what you're thinking."
He chuckled lightly, the sound dry and slightly amused. "I figured. Rich people rarely ask for anything without offering money."
She didn't react.
Li Wei scratched the back of his neck. "As much as I'd love to... I just didn't exactly plan to be anyone's teacher. Especially not in basketball or English. Not my thing."
A beat passed before a playful glint flashed in his eye.
"Well... unless you want me to teach you," he said with a crooked grin.
Jiang Yue didn't smile.
The silence that followed felt like the inside of a sealed box. The atmosphere turned heavy. He blinked and looked away, clearing his throat awkwardly.
Okay... that joke flopped harder than my math scores in junior high.
Just as he was mentally slapping himself, her voice came again—calm, unbothered.
"Okay."
He blinked. "What?"
"I said, okay. I'll learn basketball from you," Jiang Yue repeated, her eyes locked onto his like a silent challenge. "Will you teach my sister now?"
Li Wei stared at her, genuinely baffled. "Wait—what? You were serious?"
She gave a single nod.
What the hell is wrong with this woman? he thought, dazed. Is this really happening? This woman—this cold, expressionless CEO I saw in that weird dream—is now saying she wants to learn basketball? And why did I even see her in a dream to begin with?
His gaze flickered uneasily between her and her bodyguard in the front seat. Wait... is this a trap? Does she want to eat me like in that dream? Or maybe... maybe she's interested in my body?
Reflexively, he folded his arms over his chest like a protective shield.
The bodyguard—a tall woman with sharp cheekbones, coal-black hair tied in a sleek ponytail, and eyes that could slice metal—turned her head slowly to glance back at him.
The look she gave him could've turned oxygen to ice.
Li Wei nearly choked on his own tongue.
Oh great. Now she wants to kill me.
Jiang Yue tilted her head slightly, clearly reading his ridiculous thoughts but choosing to ignore them.
The bodyguard, however, didn't.
"What the hell do you think you are?" she muttered under her breath, loud enough for him to hear. Her tone dripped with venom. "You think the Miss would be interested in someone like you?"
Li Wei blinked rapidly and looked away, pretending to admire the luxury car ceiling.
This is turning into a fever dream.
Jiang Yue let out a quiet sigh. With a single flick of her fingers, she signaled to her bodyguard to stand down.
The bodyguard clenched her jaw but said nothing, leaning back in her seat
Jiang Yue turned to Li Wei, her expression composed, the air around her cool and commanding.
"Mr. Li Wei," she said, her voice steady, "as much as you have a... good figure—" she paused, eyes drifting, perhaps unintentionally, over his frame. "Others might fall for that alone. But I'm not one of them."
But as she brought her gaze back up to his face, something shifted. She remembered what happened that night,Her eyes hesitated for half a second—barely noticeable—then widened slightly. A flush of pink dusted her cheeks. Not bold. Barely there. But it was real.
She quickly turned her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and adjusting her posture, slipping right back into her cold CEO demeanor like it had never faltered.
Li Wei stared, unsure if what he just saw was real or a product of his overactive imagination.
Did she just blush?
He squinted, half in disbelief.
Or maybe he was imagining things. It wouldn't be the first time today he thought he was losing his grip on reality.
He cleared his throat awkwardly. "I... I was joking," he said, chuckling nervously.
No one laughed.
The car felt ten degrees colder.
He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding the bodyguard's death glare. "Anyway, uh... just give me some time to think about it. Alright?"
Jiang Yue gave a small nod, her expression unreadable again.
Li Wei stepped out of the car, the door clicking shut behind him with a solid thud. He sighed and adjusted his hoodie, hoping to walk off quickly before anyone saw—
"Yooo! Li Wei!"
Too late.
Tao was standing at the corner, holding a convenience store bag, his eyes wide as saucers the moment he caught sight of Li Wei stepping out of that car.
He didn't even try to hide his shock. His mouth dropped open like a cartoon character's, then he turned slowly, dramatically, toward the car's tinted windows.
"Was that... a girl in there?" Tao blinked, then staggered a few steps back. "A beautiful one? With a luxury car?"
Li Wei froze mid-step. Nope. Nope, nope, not today.
Tao grinned like he'd just uncovered a scandal. "Bro... when did you sell your body?"
Li Wei's eyes widened in horror.
"Is that why you've been ignoring all those confessions at school? You—" Tao cupped his hands around his mouth dramatically and yelled, "My friend has become a sugar baby!!!"
"Shut up!" Li Wei hissed, lunging forward to clamp a hand over Tao's mouth. "Do you have a death wish?!"
"Mmph! Mmphhh—" Tao struggled for a moment before Li Wei finally let go.
"I swear," Li Wei muttered, shooting a quick glance behind him to make sure the car had pulled away. "One more word and I'll use you as a basketball."
Tao wiped his mouth like he'd just been attacked. "You definitely owe me an explanation," he said, grinning wickedly. "What's going on, rich lady's boytoy?"
Li Wei rolled his eyes, trying to calm his racing heart. "Let's go to your place. I'll tell you everything while we play."
"You're buying snacks," Tao said immediately.
"Fine."
"And drinks."
"Whatever."
"And you're not allowed to lie."
"I never do."
"You lie about your feelings every day."
"Shut up and walk."
They both started down the street, Tao still smirking and Li Wei already regretting everything.