Volume One, Chapter Eight: A Sudden Curiosity

Page (1/3)

Jiang Ming calmly picked up the towel by the poolside and wrapped it around Susan. Seizing the moment when her attention wavered, he quickly asked, "Name."

"Zoe."

Compared to ten years ago, Susan had matured considerably. Although the handsome man before her possessed a captivating charm and their situation bore some similarities, she had never forgotten who she was. Even under sudden interrogation, she only gave her nickname.

"Occupation?"

"Journalist." Facing her lifesaver, Susan maintained a basic level of honesty.

"Paparazzi?"

After their last encounter, Jiang Ming had his suspicions. But this woman in front of him always challenged his assumptions. Nowadays, every industry was competitive—did paparazzi really risk their lives for stories?

"Could you just be a proper sports reporter?" Susan pouted helplessly and shot Jiang Ming a glare.

"Are you sure?" Jiang Ming scrutinized her from head to toe, frowning slightly, clearly skeptical.

Jiang Ming’s expression struck a chord deep within Susan. Facing him, she suddenly felt no urge to put on a facade.

She deliberately removed her leopard-print glasses, wiped her face vigorously with the towel, erasing her smoky eye makeup and false eyelashes, took off her wig pieces, and shook her hair.

In the instant the towel slipped away, the sultry nightclub siren transformed into a fresh-faced beauty, radiant as a water lily. Her innocent, doll-like face was captivating, and her wet clothes clung tightly to her impressive figure.

The stark contrast was visually stunning. Even Jiang Ming, usually indifferent to beauty, was momentarily spellbound, his surprise barely concealed.

After a stunned pause of five seconds, Jiang Ming cleared his throat and pointed to the props Susan had tossed aside, continuing his questioning.

"I wanted to ask last time—Lin Tingyuan has good results and a clean image, and he's always the primary interviewee on the team. Why go to such lengths to get news about him?"

"Who would voluntarily expose their dirt? The truth isn’t that easy to uncover! Do you know what he’s like..." Susan spoke with righteous indignation but suddenly stopped. Tilting her head, she locked eyes with Jiang Ming and asked, "If you suspected him all along, why did you help me?"

Jiang Ming sensed her wariness and intelligence. Knowing further questioning would be futile, he ceased his inquiry.

"So, the person you wanted to interview last time was also him. So, I got slapped for nothing?"

The misunderstanding from before had already left Susan feeling guilty. Now, owing a debt of gratitude for saving her life, things felt all the more tangled. Hearing Jiang Ming’s faint grievance, Susan forced a smile and instinctively stepped back—only to forget there was a pool behind her.

Page (2/3)

Seeing this, Jiang Ming instinctively stretched out his arm, wrapped it around Susan’s waist, and with a bit of force, pulled her into his embrace. His lips brushed against her cheek.

The unexpected collision of softness and firmness made them both shudder, their ears flushing red. Though moments ago there had been kisses, hugs, and touches far more intense, those had been emergency actions, leaving no room for thought. But this intimate contact in a sober state—the most direct perception of the opposite sex’s body—made their hearts race faster.

Susan was stunned by the sudden hug, unable to recover immediately. Jiang Ming, after a brief moment of panic, was the first to regain composure.

He thought to himself, this woman was truly dangerous—or perhaps she had a knack for getting under his skin—given how often they ended up in physical contact. This loss of control unsettled him terribly. He no longer wanted to be curious; he just wanted to send her away quickly.

Jiang Ming released her, taking two large steps back and said coldly, "If you want to get wet, take a shower! Don’t keep diving in—the rescue underwater is more exhausting than swimming."

Upon hearing this, Susan twitched the corner of her mouth. Jiang Ming’s cold expression and his look accusing her of being a scheming woman who played the victim to get close was painful to witness. But he had saved and helped her, an undeniable fact, and all she could feel was gratitude—nothing else.

"Anyway, thank you for saving me. I’ll definitely repay you if I get the chance! Goodbye!"

Susan took a deep breath to calm herself, thanked him sincerely, then gathered her belongings and hurried away.

Watching her retreating figure, Jiang Ming felt an unexpected pang of loss. He picked up the towel on the ground and muttered to himself, "Are we really… going to meet again?"

Years ago, that little girl had also said goodbye—and was never seen again.

...

Because of that incident, Jiang Ming didn’t stay in the dormitory with the team that night but went home instead. He opened his sports bag and thoughtfully took out a recording pen.

Thinking of the rumors circulating in the circle, Lin Tingyuan’s nervousness tonight, Zoe’s desperate pursuit and dissatisfaction, and the woman known as "D" mentioned that night—the woman in Lin Tingyuan’s car…

Jiang Ming suddenly grew curious: what exactly had this woman discovered?

The answer should be inside the pen.

He pressed play. The image was not very clear, but Lin Tingyuan’s voice was distinct—familiar yet strange.

He was on the phone with someone, and judging from the content, it was definitely a woman. The conversation was explosive and explicit. Then Yan Lai appeared, and Lin Tingyuan hurriedly ended the call. The dialogue with Yan Lai was even more sordid—truly the worst kind of scandal. Later came the noise of Zoe being discovered, the long sounds of her running away accompanied by a blurry ground.

Jiang Ming gently massaged his temples, empathizing deeply with Zoe’s disdain and anger when she spoke of Lin Tingyuan. His lips parted slightly.

"Scumbag."

His fingers tapped the table absentmindedly. His face darkened, his eyes shadowed.

Page (3/3)

Soon, he placed the recording pen in a cabinet and dialed a seldom-used number.

On the other end came a concerned, somewhat earnest voice.

"You haven’t called in a long time. Has training been too tiring lately? Director Jiang said if it’s too hard, just come back. The country doesn’t need you to fight for gold, but the Jiang family does."

"Uncle Chen, if your advice worked, would you have been giving it for ten years?"

There was a pause on the line, then a respectful reply.

"What are your orders?"

"Find out about someone named Zoe for me."

"A woman?"

Uncle Chen could hardly contain his excitement. As the Jiang family’s longtime housekeeper, he knew many women had shown interest in Jiang Ming over the past decade—but this was the first time Jiang Ming had shown interest in someone else.

"She might be a journalist? Or maybe a social media figure? In any case, she should be connected to the sports world."

"No matter who she is, I’ll find out tonight."

"Thank you."

Jiang Ming hung up, took off his clothes, and walked straight into the bathroom.

The sound of the shower rushing down seemed to carry him back to the flowing waters of the swimming pool. Scenes from ten years ago and now intertwined in his mind. The longing erupted like a volcano, uncontrollable. Usually calm as still water, Jiang Ming was completely stirred. He even turned on cold water, trying to calm himself, but it was futile.

"World Championships, champion, I’m coming for you."

"Wait for me. This time, I’ll definitely win the championship."

The vow was swallowed by the sound of the water. Jiang Ming swore again, but this time he felt an unprecedented confidence.

Meanwhile, at home, after soaking in a hot bath, Susan was wrapped in a towel, video chatting with Xiao Rui.