Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Lin Qian brought Li Zhicheng to a Western restaurant.

It was past 9:00 pm and there were not many people inside. The lights from the window shined silently into the snowy night, making the entire place feel exceptionally quiet.

The waiter came forward to take their orders. Li Zhicheng accepted the menu but placed it onto the table.

“My English is not good. You decide.”

Lin Qian could empathize. Many Chinese citizens were unwilling to speak up when they ventured overseas. Li Zhicheng also used to be a soldier and hadn’t ever left the country before. It would have been unbelievable if he could speak fluent English.

Lin Qian didn’t beat around the bush. She looked over the menu and named several dishes to the waiter in English without delay. After stealing a glance at Li Zhicheng, who was seated opposite her, she spoke even faster, instructing the waiter, “He doesn’t eat tomato sauce, so don’t add it to any of the dishes. He prefers his beef in large pieces. Also, don’t add onions, he doesn’t like them. Do you serve tea? Yes, it’s fine as long as there is tea, and British black tea is fine… No, he absolutely does not drink milk tea…”

As she was explaining the other dietary preferences he had, she suddenly became aware of his piercing eyes on her face.

However, upon lifting her head, she saw Li Zhicheng’s eyes were slightly lowered. He had picked up the glass cup in front of him to slowly drink some water. Everything seemed normal.

Lin Qian’s face started to heat up.

He didn’t… understand all that, right? If he could understand that, then his English comprehension for the college entrance examination must have been at least full marks—he’d have no problem listening to something like the BBC on a usual basis.

Impossible. A soldier wouldn’t normally have to use English.

When she thought of it that way, she began to calm down again.

Lin Qian quickly realized that she wasn’t feeling extremely anxious or nervous—the night wasn’t as unbearable as she had feared it would be.

While waiting for their food to be served, she tried to decide what conversation topic would be most casual and natural for them. Opposite her, Li Zhicheng had removed his jacket to show off a dark grey outdoor fleece. His hands rested lightly on the table. Lin Qian’s gaze fell on his clothes. Hmm… His style is very practical—water resistant and warm. He looks nice as well. His figure seems firm and proportionate. He’s rather knowledgeable about fashion products, and… actually has rather good taste in fashion.

Just then, Li Zhicheng asked in an even voice, “Do you dine in this restaurant often?”

Lin Qian immediately responded, “Not very often. I’ve never stayed in America for a very long—only a few weeks at a time back in university during winter and summer breaks. My brother brought me here a couple of times and I thought it was alright.”

Li Zhicheng looked at her with a dark intensity and nodded.

Lin Qian started talking about the food, chefs, and the surrounding attractions of the restaurant. Li Zhicheng had always been a man of few words. Even though he sometimes said things that made her heart pound and her face flush, they were always short and concise things. However, Lin Qian noticed today that if he had the desire to engage in a deep conversation with someone, he could take the lead and do so.

She was speaking the most right now. However, with just the occasional sentence or two he could lead the conversation from the restaurant to her university life, and then from there to her hobbies and interests. By the time Lin Qian noticed this, she had basically revealed every major life event, family relationship, good and bad habit—he seemed to immediately commit everything she said to memory.

Quietly inching towards its prey was the specialty of the wolf.

However, she had to admit that the conversation was still casual and enjoyable.

Li Zhicheng maintained the same attitude from the beginning of the night and did not stress her out much during the meal. It was only whenever she got too engrossed in talking that he’d stare at her with those dark eyes. His unwavering gaze seemed to carry a hidden meaning. He stared at her for so long sometimes that her heartbeat became unsteady. But she did not hate the feeling. In fact, subtle, dangerous traces of a warm and sweet feeling washed over her.

As they were almost done with the meal, Lin Qian, having been led in the conversation so far, decided to take the lead herself.

Her pulse was slightly unsteady as she stared at Li Zhicheng’s handsome smile under the light. The zip of his jacket was pulled all the way up to his neck, making his collar stand upright. He looked like a very cool, young college kid—neither the cold-hearted man who wore suits in the office, nor the experienced veteran who could prepare sophisticated battle plans. This was an intriguing feeling. It was almost as if he was slowly revealing another side of himself in her presence.

The side of him that was a harmless, average man.

Noticing her stare, Li Zhicheng set his cutlery down and waited for her to speak.

Lin Qian asked, “President Li, can I ask you three questions?”

Li Zhicheng maintained eye contact with her. “Yes,” he said in a low voice.

“The first question…” Lin Qian smiled. “How did you come up with those tactics for the commercial battles and what are your secrets for them?” If it were another person, Lin Qian would not have asked. What was there to really learn? Commercial battles were fought using one’s instincts. Could she, for instance, learn from her brother to be calculative and ruthless? She couldn’t.

But Li Zhicheng was different. His decisions were always interconnected, and parallels could be drawn between his business and warfare tactics, which set him apart from others. It was a nagging question that Lin Qian had harbored for a long time now. Today, she finally asked him because the atmosphere was perfect.

After hearing the question, Li Zhicheng’s eyes became laced with slight traces of amusement.

In his low voice, he asked, “You want to learn?”

Lin Qian’s face burned, but she replied, “Yes. Anyone else they would be interested in learning too.”

Li Zhicheng did not immediately reply. He picked up his teacup and took a casual sip. After that, he lifted his head to look at her. “There is only one principle. The most basic principle that is well-known by all commanders in the army.”

Lin Qian’s heart quivered. He continued, “All of my action plans were set out to achieve one goal: identify all potential obstacles in order to secure the crux behind our win. With that knowledge I could allocate the optimum manpower and harness our advantages to ultimately trap our enemy quickly and effectively.”

Lin Qian was shocked.

So simple? Just that one statement?

She carefully tried to analyze his words.

Identify all obstacles. During the business “battle” they’d had, Li Zhicheng had feinted both an attack and defeat only to actually attack from another direction. He had lured SMQ into the trap of the Ming Sheng project, forcing them to adhere to a series of limiting conditions: production period and price.

When Li Zhicheng had changed his focus to target the mid-range bag market, SMQ couldn’t spare any resources to fight him in the lower-priced market. Was this the method of harnessing advantages to ultimately trap the enemy that he had mentioned? SMQ’s overall ability far surpassed Aida’s. But just as he’d said, all of his action plans were large-scale and complicated; the line between truth and false was blurred. All of it was to rob SMQ of their biggest strengths—their manpower and resources—which was an end-goal he had in mind from the very beginning when he had formulated the plan.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed as easy as he’d claimed.

She felt something stir deep within her heart. Her blood started rushing through her veins—the familiar feeling he’d give her back when Aida had first fallen deep into the dumps.

She lifted her head to look at him, her gaze clear and bright with a hint of a smile on her face. “Thank you, Professor,” she said crisply.

Li Zhicheng sat quiet and unmoving. He committed her smile, the knit of her eyebrows, and the color of her lips to memory. Again, he started in a low voice, “As for the specific plan…” As expected, her eyes lit up once again, and she gazed at him in awe.

Amusement flashed in Li Zhicheng’s eyes. He stared at her and took his time to speak. “It’s understandable to me but difficult to illustrate in words, so I can’t teach it.” He caught disappointment quickly flash over her face. However, he calmly lifted the beautifully-patterned white porcelain pot to pour another cup of tea. He set it in front of her. “But, my next battle will start in about two months.”

Lin Qian’s heart skipped a beat and she mechanically lifted the tea he’d poured to take a small sip. She hadn’t realized how dry her throat and mouth had become after speaking for so long. She gulped another huge mouthful. A thought briefly surfaced in her mind. He’s actually rather thoughtful.

The thought flashed past momentarily. Then, she caught him lifting his gaze to look at her. “The big battle is nearing. If you would like to learn a thing or too, just follow me. We will walk through every step of the way together.”

Lin Qian’s heart started thumping so hard that she could hear it.

She was still unsure about some things.

But she was unable to resist some other things.

She nodded her head resolutely. “Alright. I will definitely put my entire heart into learning.”

Amusement flashed past Li Zhicheng’s eyes once again. In this foreign land and unfamiliar restaurant, his handsome appearance—with the jet-black hair and dark eyes—was as cold and contemplative as ever.

“The second question?” he breathed.

Lin Qian had been a little rash in saying that she had three questions. She lowered her head and poked at her unfinished plate of salad with the silver fork. She asked in a steady voice, “The second question… Do you also use these strategies when pursuing women?”

She didn’t raise her head but could tell that he was staring at her. He appeared to be deep in thought.

“Lin Qian, if I had used my strategies on you…” He paused before continuing, “Even if your heart is not with me, officially, you would have become Mrs. Li by now.”

Lin Qian’s heart violently skipped a beat. She lifted her head to look at him.

But she was only met with his calm eyes.

Her heart rate went out of control once again.

Yes, this was a dangerous atmosphere.

He was serious. If he had used his sly and ruthless methods on her, she really had no confidence that she would have been able to escape him.

Even though his unbelievable words seemed oblivious and preposterous, he said them with such a calm and serious demeanor that he left no room for doubt.

Lin Qian looked down and continued using her fork to poke the pile of food on her plate. She poked and poked and poked—and she understood what he meant by his next sentence: “So, you don’t have to be cautious around me.”

Those concise words successfully transformed Lin Qian to a flushed red version of herself.

“I’m not even trying to be cautious,” she stammered. “I’m just casually chatting with you.”

“Alright.” He stared at her red face and softly said, “Very good. Indeed, we should really ‘casually chat’ more often.”

Lin Qian’s face was still burning. “Why?” she asked without a second thought.

“Because, regardless of whether you are my subordinate or my woman, you should really understand more about me.”

His voice was low and insistent. Lin Qian was shocked for a moment and silently sat there with her red face.

“What’s the third question?” he asked.

Lin Qian got a hold of herself.

Lifting her flushed face, she looked him directly in his eyes with her bright gaze.

“What would you do if one day, the woman you love brought you a pain so unbearable it went right to your bones?”

Li Zhicheng calmly stared back at her for a few silent moments.

“If it’s the woman I love,” he said gently, “I could only bear it.”

It was no longer snowing when they walked out of the restaurant.

The night was even more silent than earlier, but the city was still brightly lit. Delicate snowflakes fell from the branches onto the slushy pavement from time to time. The weather was cold but refreshing.

These were the kinds of nights people were more inclined to wander.

Wander through this foreign land on a tranquil New Year’s Eve.

So when Li Zhicheng suggested to “walk around,” Lin Qian nodded her head agreeably.

Perhaps they had spoken too much in the restaurant. It was the first time the two of them had engaged in such deep conversation. While they strolled along the pavement under the snowy trees, neither of them spoke.

They continued walking for a bit until they heard singing coming from somewhere in front of them. It sounded as though many people were singing the Chinese song, “Descendent of the Dragon.”

Lin Qian smiled. “I remember there’s a park up there. Perhaps there’s a choir.”

“Let’s go take a look,” Li Zhicheng said.

The entire park was a giant circular field of grass situated in the heart of the city. Li Zhicheng and Lin Qian stepped onto a white platform. Raising their heads, they could see the gentle green slopes of the hills as well as the meandering of the white stone paths in between. Through the shadows of the trees they could see a stage with its lights shining and its music melodious. Quite a number of people were gathered downstage singing along to the music.

After they had taken a few steps, they saw a few young Chinese people who seemed to be students swiftly walking over. Upon seeing them, they warmly greeted, “Hi, are you guys Chinese? Happy new year!”

Lin Qian smiled. “Happy new year! What’s going on over there?”

“It’s the New Year’s Night Party organized by the International Students’ Association,” someone replied.

Lin Qian turned around and looked at Li Zhicheng with a smile. “Let’s go and take a look at this “New Year’s Night Party” together.”

In the dark of the night, Li Zhicheng’s eyes also flashed the hint of a smile. “Alright.”

Once they got closer it became apparent there weren’t actually many people surrounding the stage: maybe 40 to 50 people. The stage was located on a piece of the park’s open-air structure. Even though it had been snowing before, it seemed as though no one’s cheerful mood had been affected.

One the stage a young girl dressed in a shining gold traditional costume held a fan. She was performing the traditional dance, the “Water Moon Flower.” Even though her movements weren’t professional, she was still greeted with cheers and applause from the audience. Li Zhicheng and Lin Qian stood at the outskirts of the crowd. Li Zhicheng appeared emotionless while Lin Qian had a bright smile plastered across her face.

Humankind was a very weird species.

They had become desensitized to the Chinese New Year while in America, and were largely disinterested in all the beautiful decorations that were hanging around. But now, seeing these international students hosting their own simple night party, the excited audience downstage, and even some people tearing up slightly, Lin Qian felt a surge of feelings well up her chest.

She watched so intently that she couldn’t tear her eyes away, clapping and laughing joyfully with the people around her. For a short moment she even forgot about Li Zhicheng standing beside her. Until she unintentionally turned her head, she didn’t notice that Li Zhicheng had been tilting his head to look at her. His handsome face looked as gentle as a carved sculpture under the lights, his gaze bright and focused. She wasn’t sure how long he’d been staring.

When you stand on the bridge admiring the view, the person who is admiring the view is actually gazing at you.

This powerfully romantic phrase surfaced in Lin Qian’s mind for a moment. That little bit of dangerous sweetness made an appearance in her heart once again.

However, at this moment, Li Zhicheng opened his mouth to speak. “You get flushed very easily.”

Lin Qian was mildly stunned.

Lin Mochen had said she was too soft-hearted and was overly gullible by giving her genuine self away without wanting anything in return. But she didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. Lin Mochen had taught her that she needed to torment guys, but she would never be able to do that to the guy she loved.

At the very least she could be more cautious and not allow him to easily take advantage of her—especially if he already thought he held her within his grasp.

She did not respond in detail to Li Zhicheng’s assessment. Instead, she vaguely replied, “Yup. I’m currently doing my best to become stable and reliable.”

Unexpectedly, he slowly answered, “There is no need.”

Lin Qian turned her head to look at him once again.

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However, he had already turned away to look at the performance, leaving only his refreshingly handsome profile for her to stare at.

Lin Qian watched him for a moment before turning her head to face forward as well.

He said there was no need.

Did that mean he approved of her personality and felt that she didn’t need to change? Or was it because… she did not need to become stable and reliable because she would have him?

Once again, Lin Qian’s face became hot.

She was a goner. She’d been triggered by him numerous times when he hadn’t even done anything. Now, his words obviously held no flirtatious meaning, but her brain had started to fill in the missing gaps…

The two of them watched for a while longer before leaving the area. They walked along the white stone path over to the other side of the park.

Lin Qian started making some calculations. It was currently just past 10:00 pm. It would be great to hail a cab home by the time they weaved through the park to get back. She would send the big shot, Li Zhicheng, back to his hotel first and she could even perhaps make the last ten minutes of the night to count down into the new year with her brother. She needed to go and placate this other big shot as well.

After walking for a bit they could see a huge, black rock wall standing in the distance before them. It was over 30 feet tall and they could even see the silhouette of inverted figures at the top—there seemed to be some obstacles along the face. They realized that it was a rock-climbing wall.

Under such weather, it was surprising to see a few young people buckled into harnesses and scaling the rock-climbing wall. There were some others on the ground directing them and cheering in English, looking on in excitement.

Lin Qian stopped in her tracks and gave it a second glance.

Then she heard Li Zhicheng casually say, “Do you want to give it a go?”

Eh?

Lin Qian turned to look at him.

She had to admit: staring at Li Zhicheng now, she felt that he was extremely handsome.

His head was tilted slightly downwards and he swiftly removed his jacket, tossing it onto the grass. Then, he rolled up the sleeves of that beautiful outdoor fleece jacket to reveal those long muscular arms of his before removing his watch and storing it in his pocket. He then looked at her and said, “Do you want to make a bet?”

Lin Qian’s interest was piqued. “What bet?”

He smiled slightly. “If you manage to climb to the top first, you can make one request of me and I will agree no matter what. If I manage to climb to the top first…”

Lin Qian’s heart skipped a beat.

It was time.

The time had finally arrived.

She took a deep breath but unexpectedly heard him continue in a steady voice. “Tonight at 12:00 am, you will accompany me in welcoming the New Year.”

Lin Qian’s eyes darted around.

Was that all?

It wasn’t that he wanted her to be his girlfriend?

Phew… She released a sigh of relief.

“Then isn’t the bet not worthwhile for you?” she asked. “What would you do if I won and ask for the ownership of Aida to be transferred to me?”

He didn’t answer; instead, he smirked and, brushing past her shoulders, started to walk toward the rock-climbing wall.

“It’s a gentleman’s promise. If you can win, Li Zhicheng will be yours to destroy.”

Lin Qian grinned. Her competitive spirit was ignited by his calm and confident demeanor. She thought to herself that although he was a soldier, he had spent most of his time commanding troops and honing his shooting skills. He was not some kind of rock-climbing expert. In any case, she was considered to be rather good at this sport and she intended to win.

Thus, with newfound vigor, she removed her jacket, gloves, hat, scarf… all those burdensome items. Then, she coolly threw them onto the snowy grass and made her way toward the rock-climbing wall.

Those who loved the outdoors often had cheerful personalities. Between fellow Chinese citizens abroad, often even without many words, kindness and hospitality were usually exchanged.

After hearing Lin Qian say that they also wanted to give it a try, a young African American immediately gestured to his peers to attach to their harnesses. Then, he even said in unpolished Mandarin, “Happy… New… Year! Go, go, go!”

At this point the night sky was very dark, but the music that was playing in the night party not far away could be distinctly heard, warming the hearts of those listening on. The sky above the park emitted a gentle light that bounced off the clouds, shining so that light and darkness appeared to be converging around the rock wall.

Lin Qian and Li Zhicheng only had a few feet separating them and stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the base of the rock-climbing wall. She turned her head a little and gazed at him provocatively. “Can we start already?”

Li Zhicheng lifted his head to look toward the top of the rock wall and his lips curled into a smirk. “Begin!”

Lin Qian gave it her all and climbed up step by step while pressed against the rock wall like a cat. Not knowing how far she had climbed, she suddenly felt like something wasn’t right. Stopping, she turned around only to see Li Zhicheng still standing in the same position, his handsome face calm. He hadn’t moved an inch.

“Why aren’t you moving?” Lin Qian asked.

He calmly met her confused eyes, and his voice as cool as water said, “I’m giving you a five-minute head start.”

If earlier his confidence had incited the competitive spirit within her, then at this point her entire being was irritated by it.

Giving her a head start of five minutes?

This wasn’t considered a very tall rock wall—he was going to give her an extra five minutes? Five minutes was enough time for her to cover a large portion of the wall.

Lin Qian would never reject an unconditional benefit she could take advantage of. Right now, it was obvious that Li Zhicheng belittled her ability, but she would not feel shame or anything of the sort. If he wanted her to win, could she stop him? She would gladly allow him to let her win.

With this thought in mind, Lin Qian focused and continued making her way up once again.

Meanwhile on the ground, there were several Chinese people amongst the group of youths. Upon hearing their conversation, they cheered loudly, at the same time explaining the situation to their peers of different nationalities. After climbing up a bit more, she heard encouraging cheers from the ground directed at Li Zhicheng.

“Nicely done, buddy!”

Li Zhicheng simply tilted his head slightly toward them and nodded in acknowledgment. Then, with his hands in his pockets, he continued to look up at the woman who was so set on winning as she seized every moment and continued advancing upwards.

His lips curled into another smile.

Lin Qian had already climbed 70 feet. The segment of the highest difficulty was not far away from her. Just as she started to give it her all, she heard someone below shout, “Five minutes is up!”

Her heart tremored.

Although Lin Qian was “easily flushed” as Li Zhicheng had mentioned, when she really got down to doing things her psychological attitude was very calm and she became extremely focused on her task. At this point, she told herself not to look down and not to care whether or not he was catching up. All she had to focus on was her own pace.

However, at this moment, she heard a clear voice from below: “Lin Qian, I’m going to start chasing you now.”

Lin Qian had just stepped on a little groove in the rock wall. She didn’t know why, but when she heard his calm, powerful voice, her heart skipped a beat and her foot slipped, almost causing her to lose her footing.

She inhaled deeply.

She didn’t know if it was a deliberate effort to disrupt her focus. She could not help but curse that was a close call in her heart before lowering her head and continuing her climb upwards.

Before long, she arrived right beneath the toughest segment of the rock wall.

Even as Lin Qian kept telling herself not to care about him, the continuous stream of exclamations and cheers from the ground was too telling. She could not imagine just how fast and beautiful his movements were.

The “finishing line” was just before her eyes. She finally couldn’t stand it anymore and tilted her gaze downwards.

She got a huge fright seeing that Li Zhicheng had already climbed all the way to just beneath her feet! There was only a body’s length gap between them now.

Just what kind of unbelievable speed was he going at? Had he been part of the special forces?

In that short moment, she could see his healthy physique and nimble movements. His long legs stepped onto the rock wall with immense strength, his hair was slightly tousled by the blowing wind, and his handsome face was displaying calm determination and focus. In an instant, he pulled himself incredibly far upwards and his arms were at the level of her calves.

Lin Qian hurriedly turned back and climbed upwards with all her might.

Even though it was a rock wall placed in the park, the final inverted hook-like obstacle was at a 120-degree angle and was extremely difficult. In addition to the fact that the rock wall was exceptionally slippery, Lin Qian was unable to climb up it even after several attempts.

By then, she no longer had to look back at Li Zhicheng. Within a moment, he had already climbed to the same level as her. His black silhouette looked like an agile panther in the darkness of night, crouching relentlessly not even a foot away from her.

And he temporarily took a rest. Instead of climbing further, he turned his head to look at her. His voice was laced with slight amusement. “Are you finally willing to admit defeat?”

Lin Qian, immersed in a competitive mindset, completely forgot that this person was her boss for a moment. She also forgot that he always strived to be the strongest and most powerful version of himself. She didn’t even lift her head before confidently saying, “Screw you!” Then, she garnered all her strength and tried to flip herself past the obstacle once again!

She unexpectedly stepped on a protruding rock that was wet and slippery like the rest but also slightly loose. The support beneath her foot wobbled and her heart braked to a stop!

Her body suddenly lost its balance and she was off the rock wall in an instant—falling.

A wave of shocked exclamations and sorrowful gasps came from the ground. Lin Qian’s body was like a kite, randomly oscillating along with the harness attached. She felt her stomach fly into her throat. The rock wall, Li Zhicheng, the trees and the stage lights in the distance were all swirling before her eyes. She instinctively grasped at air and tried grabbing something to stabilize herself whenever her body made contact with the rock wall. She suddenly felt something tighten around her right arm. Someone had caught onto the harness and was securely holding on to her. She felt a strong tug and her body was pulled over by this strength in an instant.

In her faint-like state, she could only focus on Li Zhicheng’s dark and cold pair of eyes. Then she felt something tighten around her waist. She was wrapped tightly in his hug, her entire body pressed against his chest. With a twist, he secured her against the rock wall, preventing her from losing balance and swinging off again.

“Are you alright?” the people on the ground asked.

“My God! How did he do that?!”

Lin Qian swallowed giant gulps of air. Although her body was attached to the safety harness, the sudden plunge from such a height and her suspension in the air left a lingering fear in her heart. She lifted her head to look at Li Zhicheng, who was very close, and said in a hoarse voice, “I’m alright.”

Li Zhicheng only lowered his head to stare at her and did not say a word.

The light from high above was subtly etched on the top of his head. They did not realize from when but a light snow had started again and were falling by their bodies. Since Lin Qian was nervous, her heart still beat extremely quickly. His hand was still tightly planted onto her waist, locking her in the space between him and the rock wall. His body was warm and heavy. Lin Qian could even feel his heartbeat because his chest was closely pressing into her. Thump, thump, thump. She was surprised to discover that it beat just as fast as hers did.

Was he… worried about her?

“I’m alright, it’s no big deal,” she said softly.

“Alright.” His answer was also soft and gentle, but the hands locked around her waist tightened even more. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Lin Qian gazed at his dark eyes and couldn’t help but smile. At that moment, the thick sound of a bell traveled to them from an unknown, faraway location.

Ding ding ding. Coupled with that sound was the international students’ countdown in unison not far away. “Ten, nine, eight, seven…”

It was nearing midnight.

Li Zhicheng and Lin Qian, as well as all the youths on the ground, all gazed in the direction where the sound came from.

“Four, three, two, one!”

Nearby, an enthusiastic round of cheers broke out. Even other nationalities and races among the youths on the ground mixed some broken Mandarin with English, and shouted, “Happy New Year!””Happy New Year!””Horse… Year… Happy!”

Lin Qian cautiously turned her head to look at Li Zhicheng.

He was also looking at her.

The two of them simultaneously broke into a smile.

“Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year.”

Lin Qian’s shock had worn off. She was infected by the mood around her and regained her vitality. She smiled and lifted her head, saying, “I’ve already fulfilled my promise from the bet I lost.”

The smile on Li Zhicheng’s lips hadn’t worn off—even after a few minutes. “Yup.”

Lin Qian looked into his eyes and truthfully said, “My New Year’s wish is for Aida Group to be filled with vitality and return to its glory days.”

Li Zhicheng stared at her without saying anything.

At this moment, the people on the ground had started to holler at one another and tugged on the harness attached to Lin Qian’s body. They wanted to gently lower her to the ground. But this tug couldn’t get her moving.

Lin Qian felt their pull. As Li Zhicheng’s arms looped around her waist with such strength, she didn’t move in the slightest.

He suddenly tilted his head downwards.

Lin Qian’s heart skipped a beat. Did he want to kiss her?

But he passed her face, and she could only feel his breath brush her cheek before he lightly buried his face into her shoulder.

It was not a kiss. It was a hug.

A hug as they hovered in mid-air.

Lin Qian’s face pressed against his chest, and she took in the refreshing scent of his body. Then, she heard him say softly into her ear, “My New Year’s wish is…”

Lin Qian’s pulse spiked.

For her to be his girlfriend?

For her to marry him?

She did not expect his answer. With a gentle, throaty voice that she’d never heard from him before, he said, “For Assistant Lin and I to always share days like this—every year and across lifetimes.”