Chapter 31: There is someone in my heart.
In the end, the four of them agreed to play indoor tennis; Li Hongqiong abandoned her plans to go mountain climbing.
Having just eaten, they left an hour in between to rest, each returning to their own rooms to take a break.
By the time Huo Niansheng arrived at the tennis courts, Chen Wengang and Zheng Baoqiu had already started and were hitting the ball back and forth.
Zheng Baoqiu beat Chen Wengang in a game and wrinkled her nose triumphantly: “I won! Cousin, your turn.”
Chen Wengang good-naturedly conceded defeat and yielded his racket to Huo Niansheng.
Li Hongqiong arrived a bit later.
Cousins Huo Niansheng and Zheng Baoqiu faced off across the net while Chen Wengang sat on the sidelines watching. He grabbed a bottle of mineral water. Just as he twisted off the cap, a waft of perfume drifted by as Li Hongqiong, changed into tennis attire, belatedly arrived and began warming up not far from him.
Chen Wengang smiled at her amicably.
Li Hongqiong returned a bright, dazzling smile. It was easy to tell that she typically had an assertive personality.
Both of their gazes returned to the court. Li Hongqiong loosened her joints and stretched her wrists, in no hurry to jump in.
With a thwack, Zheng Baoqiu served a sharply spinning slice, and Huo Niansheng lost on purpose.
“Let’s switch someone else in,” he asked Zheng Baoqiu with a smile. “No problem going one against three?”
“Underestimating me?” Zheng Baoqiu couldn’t resist a provocation. “That’s a piece of cake.”
So Huo Niansheng sauntered over and made a gesture, inviting Li Hongqiong onto the court.
Li Hongqiong raised an eyebrow. As they brushed past each other, she said, amused, “You’re quite protective. It’s not like I’m going to eat him.”
Huo Niansheng smiled. “That’s hard to say. You wanted an introduction, so I gave you one. Now you ought to mind your boundaries.”
With that, he walked straight toward Chen Wengang, dragged over a folding chair, and sat down beside him.
Li Hongqiong rolled her eyes at him, shook her head, and served the ball.
Zheng Baoqiu played to her heart’s content, working up a hot sweat. Her ponytail bounced up and down, filling the court with youthful energy.
Huo Niansheng suddenly asked, “Why didn’t you use your left hand just now?”
Chen Wengang froze. “What?”
Huo Niansheng reached out and clasped his left wrist. “Last time you played billiards, I remember you held the cue with your left hand. And you used to wear your watch on the right, which also says you’re left-handed. Why did you switch to holding the racket with your right when playing with Baoqiu?”
“Oh, that.” Chen Wengang laughed, holding out his left hand to look at it. “I’m naturally left-handed. When I was in school, the teachers corrected it, and over time I got used to using my right hand. I still write with my right hand now.”
“And in daily life? Is your left hand still more dexterous?”
“It doesn’t make much difference to me. But when playing tennis, the angle of a left-handed serve is quite different from a right-handed one.”
Most people are right-handed. A ball struck from the left has a different spin and trajectory from the norm, making it easy to catch opponents off guard. Zheng Baoqiu had previously complained that his left-handed serves came from tricky, awkward angles.
It wasn’t a big deal, so ever since, whenever it wasn’t a formal match, he played right-handed to keep things casual.
Huo Niansheng merely smiled at the explanation.
After watching for a moment, he said, “Let’s go over there and play a set, just the two of us. This time, use your left hand.”
Chen Wengang was surprised. “There’s no need—”
Huo Niansheng pulled him up. “It’s a good chance for me to see what your left-handed game feels like. My ego is too big; I don’t let people go easy on me.”
The two of them played fairly evenly. After a while, Zheng Baoqiu and Li Hongqiong stepped off the adjacent court to rest.
Their match had closed the distance between them considerably. Having rested enough, they came up with a new idea.
With two men and two women present, Zheng Baoqiu proposed a match: mixed doubles.
When picking teams, without thinking, she instinctively moved toward Chen Wengang.
Li Hongqiong cut in first: “I want to team up with Wengang.”
Huo Niansheng glanced at her.
She smiled. “It’s boring to always stick with people you already know. We aren’t well-acquainted yet, so why not use this chance to break the ice?”
Zheng Baoqiu suspected nothing. “Then I’ll team up with my cousin… You won’t drag me down, will you?”
Chen Wengang maintained his polite demeanor.
Li Hongqiong was taking the initiative to approach him; he couldn’t figure out her motive for the moment, but in the end, it was just a game of tennis.
Stepping back onto the court, Chen Wengang was about to shift his racket to his right hand when Li Hongqiong asked, “How’s your game?”
Chen Wengang gave a modest answer: “Average.”
Li Hongqiong raised an eyebrow. “What does ‘average’ mean? In doubles, apart from technique, it’s all about synergy. We’re a team!”
Chen Wengang smiled and quietly switched back to his left hand. “Sorry, my mistake. I’ll give it my all.”
Two strangers thrown together naturally had a clumsy start, clashing over shots several times before Chen Wengang gradually developed a rhythm with Li Hongqiong. She played on the offensive, while he covered the defense. Ultimately, the Li-Chen pair scraped out a narrow victory.
Even though it wasn’t a high-stakes match, a trace of a smile surfaced on Chen Wengang’s lips.
Li Hongqiong high-fived him, then shot Huo Niansheng a smug look from across the court.
Unwilling to accept the loss, Zheng Baoqiu badgered her cousin, demanding that Huo Niansheng run drills with her.
As the two of them returned to the court, Li Hongqiong strolled over.
Chen Wengang waited for her to speak.
Her manner was reasonably courteous. Pondering for a moment, Li Hongqiong cut straight to the point: “Forgive my presumption, but what is your relationship with Old Huo right now? I don’t mean anything by it—if it’s inconvenient, you don’t have to say.”
Chen Wengang gave a slight smile. “If he doesn’t mind the presumption, we can be considered friends.”
Li Hongqiong gave a knowing look. “Regular friends, or the ambiguous kind?”
Chen Wengang remained unruffled, handing her a bottle of sports drink. “Replenish your electrolytes. Don’t drink too fast.”
Seeing him sidestep the topic, Li Hongqiong pressed no further. She uncapped the bottle and took two hearty swigs.
By evening, the four of them grabbed some light bites to recharge before splitting up.
There was another event lined up for the night: Zheng Baoqiu dragged Chen Wengang to a pool party.
As night fell, the infinity pool was lit up in brilliant colors. The DJ and live band hired by Yu Shanding were in full swing, and the flashing lights whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Good-looking men and women mingled in small groups, laughing as they built champagne towers by the water’s edge.
Among these wealthy heirs and heiresses out enjoying themselves, their companions included models, influencers, and low-tier starlets.
Naturally, there were no explicit scenes out in the open. But if two people hit it off, there were rooms upstairs for further engagement, which was nobody’s business to police.
A conservative father worrying about his daughter wasn’t without merit.
Zheng Baoqiu was currently chatting away with a male model. He was fit and knew how to read the room, flattering her until she was thoroughly amused.
Chen Wengang couldn’t help but glance his way a couple of times. The man seemed harmless enough—eager to flatter a rich young lady, but lacking the nerve to get handsy, limiting himself to showering her with compliments.
Naturally, Zheng Baoqiu wasn’t taking it seriously either. A handsome face for a fleeting encounter, purely for fun.
As the financier who had booked the venue, Huo Niansheng was nowhere in sight.
Chen Wengang glanced around several times, but never caught a glimpse of him.
Yu Shanding, however, approached enthusiastically. His form of address had changed again, warmly calling him “Wengang” as he clinked glasses with him.
Chen Wengang was holding non-alcoholic wine. Having dealt with the social butterfly that was Yu Shanding, he slowly sipped his drink alone.
Perhaps swept up by the room’s surplus of hormones, his thoughts began to drift.
Huo Niansheng’s reserved suite was 707.
That number burned faintly against his chest.
Moments later, Zheng Baoqiu returned, her enthusiasm clearly dampened. She mouthed discreetly, “The annoying one is here.”
She meant Mu Qing.
Mu Qing had arrived alongside two or three other people.
He had his own circle, so it wasn’t surprising who had invited him or whom he arrived with. What was surprising was that Qi Tongzhou was among them.
Chen Wengang faintly grasped why Mu Qing had tried to drive a wedge between him and Qi Tongzhou earlier.
The moment Qi Tongzhou spotted him, he practically bounded over like an excited puppy.
Qi Tongzhou glanced at Zheng Baoqiu, hesitated, and pulled Chen Wengang aside. Once away from the crowd, he launched into a flurry of apologies:
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Wengang. My sister didn’t say anything out of line, did she?”
“Your sister?” Chen Wengang was momentarily bewildered.
“Right, Li Hongqiong—June. I don’t know which name she used with you,” Qi Tongzhou said. “She got here earlier than me today, hanging around with that… Huo-ge. Have you seen her?”
“I did. We played tennis this afternoon.”
“Let me explain. It’s like this: our families are close. Ever since she was little, she took my parents as her godparents, so she treats me like a younger brother of sorts.” Qi Tongzhou grimaced. “So, she just…”
He trailed off, too distressed to finish, terrified that speaking his mind would cause a falling-out.
Qi Tongzhou knew this god-sister of his was formidable, yet prone to reckless whims. When she texted him saying she was heading to the yacht club to check out his crush, his heart had dropped into his stomach.
On the drive over, he had been beside himself with worry, dreading that Li Hongqiong might have already slapped down a five-million-dollar check demanding Chen Wengang stay away from him.
The tacky thought made him shudder. Life wasn’t a soap opera, but Li Hongqiong was entirely capable of pulling off some other bizarre stunt.
Thankfully, Chen Wengang thoughtfully remarked, “No wonder she brought up her brother several times when we were talking. She meant you.”
Reading his expression, Qi Tongzhou let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, that’s me, but just ignore her. She’s loved bossing me around since we were kids.”
Chen Wengang feigned ignorance. “She probably hasn’t gone far. Do you want to go say hello?”
Qi Tongzhou looked around, pretending to scan the area. “I wanted to, but I haven’t seen her since I got here. Forget it.”
At that very moment, his god-sister and Huo Niansheng were up on the second-floor terrace, drinking and chatting.
The terrace extended from the stair landing, sheltered by three or four white canopies and furnished with café tables and chairs. It was an ideal spot to relax, offering a clear view of the floor below, while the angle from underneath kept anyone from seeing up.
Chen Wengang hadn’t spotted them.
Huo Niansheng’s gaze, however, had never left him, his hand slowly twirling a wine glass.
Li Hongqiong sat across from her longtime friend. “So you’re really not considering a political marriage?”
Huo Niansheng swirled the liquid in his glass. “No matter how airtight the prenup is, it’s still putting a noose around your neck. A person like me—conservative and timid—I don’t like taking such high risks. Frankly speaking, I can’t fathom why anyone else does either.”
Li Hongqiong scoffed at his excuse. “Just admit you haven’t had your fill of fooling around.”
Huo Niansheng narrowed his eyes. “Not at all. My heart is already taken.”
Li Hongqiong followed his line of sight. Chen Wengang was easy to spot: slender, refined, and impossible to miss when Qi Tongzhou was practically orbiting around him.
After a beat, she chuckled. “I never expected you and my little godbrother to share the exact same taste.”
Huo Niansheng brushed it off. “Then I hope you’ll advise him to stop wasting his breath.”
Li Hongqiong said, “His foolishness isn’t anything new. His parents can’t handle him, so how could I? Guess what he said when he got home? He claimed that his name is Tongzhou—sharing a boat—and the other guy’s name is Wengang—gentle harbor—and asked if that wasn’t a match made in heaven. My godparents were so bewildered about what kind of remarkable figure he’d fallen for that they asked me to look into it. Why else do you think I showed up today?”
Huo Niansheng said bluntly, “Snooping around like this is already bad manners. You’re not one for partying anyway; you’ve seen what you came to see, and there’s nothing else for you here. I think you’d better head back early.”
Li Hongqiong dug her heels in. “Are you throwing me out?”
Huo Niansheng let out a lazy smile. “Stay if you like. But with all the debauchery down here, aren’t you bored?”
Li Hongqiong scoffed, and Huo Niansheng waved a hand. “Stay as long as you want. I’m heading down to find some fun. You don’t mind, do you?”
Leaving his glass on the table, he stood up and headed for the restroom.
While washing his hands, Huo Niansheng paused, catching the rustling sounds coming from one of the stalls.
It didn’t sound like a couple unable to hold back their passions; rather, it was a breathy, weeping gasp—thick with provocation.
The person inside heard the movement and slowly edged out, eyes rimmed with red. It was a young boy, his waist slim as a reed and his cheeks flushed an unnatural shade of crimson. Seeing Huo Niansheng, he reacted as if looking at a savior: “Sir… please help me, I didn’t come here willingly!”
Huo Niansheng raised an eyebrow, looking him up and down. “Where are you from?”
The boy’s eyes were glazed with heat, and he leaned in close, brushing against him. “I… I’m a newcomer signed to a modeling agency. My boss coerced me into coming…”
As he spoke, he draped himself over Huo Niansheng’s arm, trembling as though he might melt into a puddle. “They promised I wouldn’t have to entertain anyone… I didn’t expect…”
Huo Niansheng exhaled and shook the water droplets off his hands.
He reached back to touch the hair at the nape of the boy’s neck, wet fingers closing tight around it. The boy’s almond eyes gazed up at him with dreamy allure—until he was shoved hard under the faucet. The sensor triggered, sending a rush of cold water pouring down.
Startled, the boy spluttered and gasped, struggling to yank his head free.
When he finally looked up, he coughed out a jet of water, looking thoroughly ridiculous.
Water streamed down his face in rivulets. “I… don’t do this… please help me…”
Huo Niansheng gave a mocking half-smile. “How else do you want me to help? Still not awake? Want to go soak in the pool outside?”
The boy froze, realizing this ploy was useless. In the blink of an eye, his demeanor shifted completely, and he pouted: “President Huo, you really don’t know how to treat someone delicate. I heard getting close to you is next to impossible, so I was out of options and had to resort to this.”
Huo Niansheng nodded. “You’re a model? Keeping me company won’t get you anywhere. Go look for Yu Shanding. He loves this sort of thing, and he’s tight with your boss—and plenty of other agency heads.”
The young model narrowed his eyes, acting selective. “With you here tonight, who else could compare? President Huo, be gentle with me.”
He flicked out a nimble tongue, suggestively tracing his lips. “Don’t be so cold. What harm is there in trying me out? I haven’t slept with anyone else yet; I’m completely clean.”
The sardonic gleam in Huo Niansheng’s eyes lingered, but then he caught the faint sound of a commotion outside.
It sounded like someone had had too much to drink and was causing a scene. Even the young model looked toward the noise, distracted.
In that instant, a sudden chill struck Huo Niansheng’s chest. He shoved the boy aside and strode quickly toward the exit.
Staggering back a few steps, the boy felt a mix of frustration and curiosity, trailing behind him from a distance.
Down by the pool, a crowd had gathered, voices rising in chaos.
Li Hongqiong was leaning against the terrace railing, craning her neck to look down.
Seeing Huo Niansheng return, she said, “I don’t know what happened. Everything was fine a second ago, but it looks like Chen—”
Before the name left her lips, Li Hongqiong froze.
Huo Niansheng was gripping the railing, leaning over, his gaze dropping below with lethal coldness.
In all the years she had known him, she had never seen that playful, irreverent face wear an expression like this.
It was chilling enough to devour someone alive.
