"You aren’t picturing what I’d look like in this kind of underwear, are you?"
Hmm?
Lin Jiang looked at Liang Shuhuo.
’You can hear other people’s thoughts, too?’
"Good guess. I think you should give it a try."
"I don’t mind giving it a try, but are you sure about this kind of preview? I wouldn’t have thought you’d be interested."
"After getting used to rich, heavy meals, sometimes you need a light dish."
"Please don’t make this difficult for me. I really can’t do this."
’I think the last time I wore this style was in high school. I stopped once I got to college.’
’It’s been so many years. I wonder what it would feel like to wear them again.’
’Then again, that light yellow pair... they actually look pretty nice.’
’But they look a little small. With a butt as big as mine, I’m not sure they’d even fit.’
"I have a few more noodle shops and barbecue joints launching in different locations. If you’re too busy, I can give the projects to someone else. Oh, right, I also have a clubhouse that needs renovating. The budget is at least eight to ten million. I wonder who could take on that job."
"Boss..."
Liang Shuhuo linked her arm with Lin Jiang’s. Amidst the bustling crowd, their intimacy made them look like a couple.
"What is it?"
"You’re definitely going to give the new projects to me, right?"
"Not necessarily. That other director we met before... Miao Xin, was it? I thought she was pretty good."
"You’re just being mischievous. You want to see me act out of character for you."
"You have to understand, the economy isn’t great right now. Money isn’t that easy to make."
"Fine. You can go pick out a pair."
"What? Pick out ten pairs? Sure, that works. If you have a few, you can rotate them."
"Hey..."
For once, Liang Shuhuo was actually flustered by his teasing.
"I said *one* pair, not *ten*."
"One pair only gets you one project."
"Boss~~" Liang Shuhuo whined, putting on a cutesy voice.
"To be honest, all these styles are pretty lame. They’re only good for the novelty of acting out of character. They don’t have any feminine charm when you wear them. We should check out Victoria’s Secret sometime. Now *their* styles are interesting. You can pick out anything you like."
"Director Liang, I see great things in your future. I believe you’re destined to become a world-class designer."
"Thank you for the compliment, Boss," Liang Shuhuo whispered, clinging to Lin Jiang’s arm.
"So for today, let’s just pick one. We can pick out others some other time."
"I don’t really care which one you pick, but I expect a buyer’s review tonight. I can’t just be throwing my money away."
"Boss, these panties are twenty a pair. They’re so cheap, and you still want a buyer’s review? I’d be taking a huge loss."
"With all the projects you’ve done for me, are you sure you’re the one losing out?"
"Hey, those are two completely different things! I delivered quality work on time, you know. However..." Liang Shuhuo said.
"No matter what, you’re the client, so of course you get special privileges. But I can’t just hand them over that easily."
"And why is that?"
"You go pick one. If the pair you choose is the same one I have in mind, then you’ll get your buyer’s review tonight."
"And what if I pick it and you just deny it? It’s your word against mine; I’d lose no matter what."
’He’s too smart. I can’t even trick him with this.’
’He can see me in the other styles, but absolutely not a plain cotton one.’
’I’m supposed to be a sophisticated, aloof professional. If I wear something like that, how could I ever show my face again? It’s just too humiliating.’
"I wouldn’t! Why would I ever do something like that?"
"How about this? Type the name of the one you like into your phone. We’ll check it after I’ve made my choice. That way, you can’t back out."
"No problem. It’s not like I have anything to be afraid of."
From the look on Liang Shuhuo’s face, you could tell she really wasn’t scared.
’There are dozens of styles on this rack. It’ll be a miracle if he actually picks the right one.’
"Okay, let’s start."
Liang Shuhuo took out her phone, typed a description of the light yellow pair she liked into her notes, and got ready to compare it with Lin Jiang’s choice.
Lin Jiang walked up to the stall, picked up the light yellow pair, and decisively paid the 20 yuan.
Liang Shuhuo froze, staring at Lin Jiang with a strained expression.
"S-so, you like things in this color, huh..."
"It’s not that I like it. I just had a feeling you would."
Lin Jiang gave Liang Shuhuo a knowing look. "Let me see which one you chose."
Looking completely defeated, Liang Shuhuo turned her phone screen toward Lin Jiang.
"How did you pick the exact one?"
"Maybe it was fate."
Lin Jiang slipped the panties into Liang Shuhuo’s bag.
"A bet’s a bet. I’ll be waiting for that buyer’s review tonight."
"I know, I know."
After their purchase, the two began to wander through the night market.
Though Liang Shuhuo wasn’t overweight, she had a decent appetite. She bought a lot of snacks along the way, taking home whatever she couldn’t finish.
"I’m going to head out now. Don’t want to hold you up from your date tonight."
"Mm."
Liang Shuhuo drove off, but Lin Jiang didn’t go back for his own car.
Huayan Building wasn’t far. He could see the restaurant’s sign just by looking up; it was only a short walk away.
「At the same time.」
At the entrance to Huayan Building stood six people: four men and two women.
They were all well-dressed, and from their confident demeanors, it was clear they were all doing well for themselves professionally.
These were all Lin Jiang’s old college classmates. After graduation, some had used family connections to start small businesses.
Others had their families arrange respectable jobs for them in state-owned enterprises like the tobacco or power bureaus.
This group got together every now and then, forming their own little clique.
They generally avoided the larger, official class reunions.
To them, those gatherings were meaningless—just "socializing downward," offering no benefit to their careers.
So it was always just this group at their gatherings, keeping their circle exclusive. If anyone needed a favor, they just had to ask.
"You all saw Jiajia’s message in the group chat yesterday, right? She said we can’t let Lin Jiang know about the get-together today. What’s that all about? Does anyone know?"
The speaker was a slightly heavyset woman named Zhang Qianfang, who had been their class president back in college.
"I don’t know either. I asked her in the chat, but she wouldn’t say. She just insisted that Lin Jiang absolutely could not find out, and that if he did, she wouldn’t come."
The one who spoke was a short-haired man named Song Yajie. He was quite short, not even five-foot-seven.
With his family’s help, he’d started a building materials business over the past few years and was doing quite well for himself. He’d even recently bought a new Aito M9, making him one of the more successful people from their class.
"The thing is, we’ve never invited Lin Jiang to our gatherings anyway, so her worrying about it is totally pointless."
Zhang Qianfang looked toward a man standing nearby.
"Zhou Fan, you and her have been going out alone a lot recently. You two must be closer than the rest of us. You must know something about it, right?"
The man she addressed as Zhou Fan was the most handsome of the group.
His father was a corporate executive, and his mother ran her own business.
He’d used his parents’ connections to open a landscaping company, and his annual income was well into the six figures. Among everyone here, his overall standing was the best.
His relationship with Wang Jia was also quite ambiguous; they were just waiting for the right moment to make things official.
"Jiajia saw Lin Jiang on campus yesterday," Zhou Fan explained. "She exchanged a few words with him and left, not thinking anything of it. But then, right as she was about to leave work, he showed up looking for her again. It really got on her nerves."
"I heard Lin Jiang got divorced and hasn’t found a girlfriend since. Don’t tell me he’s got his eyes on Jiajia now?" Song Yajie said.
"Isn’t it obvious? That has to be it." Zhou Fan scoffed.
"Jiajia works at Jiaoda and comes from a good family. He’s obviously got some crooked ideas, thinking he can chase after her and save himself years of hard work. He can keep dreaming."
"In that case, Lin Jiang is the one out of line. We’ve all been out of college for years; things aren’t the same. There’s a huge gap in our statuses now. He has no business trying to pursue her."

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