Chapter 47: Why Is It Him Again?

In that instant, the aura surrounding him became so forceful it was almost suffocating, the sense of oppression rushing over like a tidal wave. Jiang Yunzhu felt her heart suddenly race, as if a startled fawn was darting madly within her chest. “Yes, I am sober now, but—”

“Jiang Yunzhu.” Shen Tingxiao’s voice was deep, resonant like the strings of a cello, tinged with an authority that brooked no refusal.

The overhead light poured down from above, casting an interplay of shadow and brightness across his face, rendering his expression all the more enigmatic and unfathomable. “Are you truly content to let your uncle and aunt hound you into marriage? Or are you not afraid of meeting another blind date like the one from yesterday?”

The question plunged Jiang Yunzhu into a brief silence.

At present, her work was piled high and she truly had no energy to fend off her parents' relentless matchmaking.

Moreover, her parents were thoroughly pleased with Shen Tingxiao; if she were to reach some sort of agreement with him, it would indeed be a convenient solution.

Yet somewhere deep inside, a trace of unease rose within Jiang Yunzhu.

She simply could not fathom why Shen Tingxiao would volunteer to help her—there seemed to be no apparent benefit for him.

“Mr. Shen.” Jiang Yunzhu slowly raised her gaze, meeting his eyes with steady resolve. “I really appreciate your willingness to help.”

“Are you going to refuse me?” Shen Tingxiao released her chin, his hand moving to rest behind his back.

Jiang Yunzhu hesitated for a moment before replying, “I just want to know, why would you help me? It doesn’t seem to bring you any advantage.”

“How do you know there’s no benefit?” Shen Tingxiao’s words quickened slightly, as if he were striving to conceal some emotion.

His hand, hidden behind him, unconsciously clenched, then slowly relaxed again, leaving a deep mark in his palm.

Jiang Yunzhu was momentarily taken aback. “What do you mean, Mr. Shen?”

“My parents are also pressing me to find a girlfriend,” he said, turning his face aside so as not to look at her. “We help each other.”

Jiang Yunzhu instinctively wanted to refuse. “Mr. Shen, you don’t have to choose me.”

“It’s simply mutual assistance.” Shen Tingxiao picked up the glass of water on the table and took a slow sip.

But Jiang Yunzhu truly did not want to entangle herself in any trouble with Shen Tingxiao. After all, some matters were merely verbal agreements, and what followed afterward was beyond anyone’s control.

Jiang Yunzhu deliberated for a moment, then spoke decisively: “Mr. Shen, I must still decline your kind offer.”

Having said this, she did not wait for any response from him, but turned and left without hesitation.

The expression on Shen Tingxiao’s face gradually faded, and a wry, self-mocking smile touched his lips.

So, she really does dislike me?

...

In the office.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in.” Jiang Yunzhu was at her desk, working.

Shao Shu poked her head in. “Yunzhu, we’re joining the production team tomorrow.”

“That’s wonderful.” Jiang Yunzhu smiled. “The assistant assigned to you has already arrived, so there’ll always be someone to follow up. If you run into any problems over there, you can reach your agent immediately.”

Shao Shu bit her lower lip. “But there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What is it?”

“Did you know… Shen Ruizhang also put Zhou Qingpei in the same production team?” Shao Shu truly dreaded Zhou Qingpei’s oppressive presence.

Her acting skills were solid, but when it came to interpersonal matters, she was no match for Sang Bai.

“Zhou Qingpei?” Jiang Yunzhu was slightly surprised, but quickly understood Shao Shu’s worry. “Don’t be concerned. This time, you’re not in the same group as her. She plays her role, you film yours.”

“Could you… perhaps come with us?” Shao Shu’s reliance was evident. “Just for a day or two.”

Jiang Yunzhu gave a helpless smile. “Shao Shu, I can accompany you this time. But sooner or later, you’ll have to join a production on your own. What will you do then?”

“The shadow Zhou Qingpei left is too great.” Shao Shu admitted somewhat sheepishly.

Jiang Yunzhu glanced at the time. She had previously submitted an application to the director’s program at a certain prestigious university, but had yet to receive any reply.

Time-wise, she could spare a trip.

Jiang Yunzhu nodded. “Alright, but just this once.”

“Great.” Shao Shu immediately beamed, then hesitated before asking with a gossipy gleam, “So, what’s going on between you and President Shen?”

Jiang Yunzhu cleared her throat. “Just a normal relationship.”

That night, Jiang Yunzhu began packing for the trip to the set.

The show this time was an ensemble drama. Director Shang had quite a reputation in Country M, his specialty being ensemble casts. Both Sang Bai and Shao Shu were playing significant roles.

Early the next morning, Jiang Yunzhu left for the airport with her colleagues from the company.

Boarding was smooth and uneventful, and she settled into her seat.

The journey would last nearly three hours. Out of habit, Jiang Yunzhu checked her application status for the director’s program again—still no reply.

She put on her eye mask, intending to catch some sleep during the flight.

As the plane neared takeoff, someone took the seat beside her.

It must have been the last passenger in first class.

Jiang Yunzhu yawned, paid no mind, and leaned her head to the side, quickly falling asleep.

She had a fleeting dream midway through, in which Shen Tingxiao’s face appeared without warning, startling her awake.

To her astonishment, she found herself resting on the shoulder of the person next to her.

Jiang Yunzhu sat bolt upright, the leather seat emitting a faint squeak.

Her eye mask slipped off, and a cool blend of cedar and amber scent drifted to her nose. She hurriedly tugged away the silk that had blocked her view, only to find herself staring at the platinum cufflinks gleaming coldly on Shen Tingxiao’s suit sleeve.

“It seems your sleeping posture,” he said, closing the merger file he’d been reviewing with deliberate leisure, the metallic pen spinning a sharp arc between his fingers, “is in need of a specialized corrective course.”

His arm, wrapped in a subtly patterned shirt, still stretched between their two seats, blocking her escape route like an airtight cage in the cloud-filtered daylight from the porthole.

A faint flush crept up the tips of Jiang Yunzhu’s ears. The deep gray cashmere she had just lain against still held a trace of warmth, and as the man leaned in, the third button of his shirt—left undone—pressed against her collarbone.

His low, husky voice brushed past her burning earlobe, his fingertips suddenly pressing on the pale blue vein at her wrist, measuring her pulse like a predator sizing up its prey.

Why was it him again?

“Mr. Shen, what a coincidence,” Jiang Yunzhu greeted him with an awkward laugh.

Shen Tingxiao’s gaze darkened slightly. “It’s no coincidence. We share the same destination.”

“Huh?” Jiang Yunzhu turned to look at her young assistant behind her.

The assistant nodded.

“This production is also invested in by the Shen Group,” Shen Tingxiao soon clarified her confusion. “I’m going to oversee things.”

Jiang Yunzhu nodded slightly, muttering under her breath, “This is the first I’ve heard that investors do more than just provide funding—they oversee everything, too.”

Shen Tingxiao cast her a sidelong glance, arching his brow. “If you’d prefer, you could take my place.”

“I wouldn’t dare.” Jiang Yunzhu forced a laugh, feeling a little embarrassed.