Chapter 494 - 493: What-If: Did the Big Shot Compete for Favor Today? 62

Chapter 494: Chapter 493: What-If: Did the Big Shot Compete for Favor Today? 62

Someone managed to photograph the moment He Hanshi lingered.

The gentleness in his eyes vanished, replaced by an icy stare at the person as he rolled up the car window.

"Let’s go."

Assistant Chen snapped out of his thoughts. "Mr. He," he said, "He Mi just messaged. Someone took pictures of you yesterday. Should we take care of it?"

"What kind of pictures?"

"A photo of you talking with Miss Shi Lan. You’re both in the shot."

"Send it to me."

Assistant Chen pulled the car over for a moment and sent the photo.

He Hanshi’s gaze lingered on the photo. His brow smoothed as he looked at the girl smiling gently at him in the picture. Finally, he said, "Leave it. But take care of any subsequent discussions about my identity."

He didn’t want his identity to disrupt the peaceful life Shi Lan now had.

He didn’t say anything, however. That evening, when Shi Lan saw that someone had posted the photo of He Hanshi in his car under her video again, she froze for a moment before starting to reply to the comments.

First, she thanked everyone for their support. Second, she asked them not to speculate too much about He Hanshi’s identity or their relationship, explaining he was just a regular customer.

Regardless of what He Hanshi was thinking, Shi Lan had no desire to get involved with a wealthy family.

He Hanshi didn’t really browse video-sharing platforms, but he couldn’t stop the overly considerate Assistant Chen from forwarding the video directly to him.

At first, seeing everyone in the comments praising how well-matched they looked brought him a strange sense of joy. But after seeing Shi Lan’s response, the smile vanished completely from his eyes. Perhaps understanding her intentions, he didn’t bother her for the next few days.

When Shi Lan saw that no new photos had appeared on the video platform, she breathed a secret sigh of relief.

Still, thanks to him, her shop had become an internet-famous hotspot. It was packed with customers every day, and business was booming. At first, she wasn’t used to being so busy and struggled to cope, but she gradually grew more and more adept.

A little over a month later, once she was sure her employees were completely familiar with their jobs, Shi Lan stopped going to the shop to personally supervise and help out as much. Things hadn’t turned out as she had imagined; she had assumed her flower tea shop would mostly attract female customers, but it turned out there were quite a few men, as well as some internet celebrities, who were always trying to strike up conversations with her.

If a customer hadn’t taken her picture, Shi Lan would never have even thought of appearing in a video. She didn’t like being in the spotlight. Her original intention for opening the shop was simply to follow her passion, but its sudden popularity made it less relaxing than she’d imagined.

So, she decided to step back for a while and stay at home to peacefully play with her cat.

—

Jiang Xia moved into the apartment his cousin had mentioned. His university was actually very liberal, allowing students to apply for off-campus housing, though they were responsible for their own safety.

Jiang Xia didn’t care about any of that. At least his new place was much more comfortable.

He had always complained that the beds at school were small and narrow. The dorm supervisors would come knocking if they made even a little noise at night. And in their four-person dorm room, you had to queue up just to take a shower.

Now, all those annoyances were finally gone.

At first, Jiang Xia was worried his cousin might stay the night, but he’d only run into him once, and he didn’t stay over. Seeing this, he felt much more at ease.

Bored one night, Jiang Xia started practicing basketball in his room. He and Mu Tangfeng were on the same page about this. Last time, Mu Tangfeng had injured his leg and lost the basketball game against their coach. There was another match in a month, and he was determined to win back his pride, no matter what.

Shi Lan, who had been taking it easy at home recently, noticed a lot more noise coming from upstairs. The soundproofing in her apartment was actually quite good, but it was no match for Jiang Xia jumping and bouncing around. He was still playing with a ball in his room after ten at night, which was usually when she went to bed.

She had no other choice but to go directly upstairs and knock on his door.

Jiang Xia was busy working up a sweat. He had specially hired someone to install a basketball hoop in his bedroom. A basketball game was playing on the TV nearby for him to study. Even though he was playing alone, he was completely fired up, his face dripping with sweat.

It wasn’t until a KNOCK KNOCK came from the door that his heart skipped a beat. Thinking He Hanshi was back, he quickly changed out of his jersey, wiped off his sweat, and rushed to open the door as fast as he could.

"Cousin, you’re here?"

He gave an eager smile, then suddenly realized there was no one in front of him. He glanced down and saw Shi Lan, her head tilted up, looking at him with a serious expression and her lips pressed into a thin line.

A flash of wonder crossed Jiang Xia’s eyes. Maybe his brain was deprived of oxygen from playing basketball, but looking at Shi Lan, he felt his heart start to race.

For some reason, he felt an instant attraction to her. She was a bit like the goddess from his dreams.

Jiang Xia was a little different from Mu Tangfeng. He wasn’t interested in the girls at school, purely because ever since he became an adult, he would often dream of a girl. He could never see her face clearly, but in the dreams, they had a wonderful relationship, and he could feel how much he liked her. As a result, he had absolutely no interest in any other girls in real life.

But this woman before him seemed to be the first person in a long time who could make his heart skip a beat at first sight.

’Is this... a crush?’

His face flushed slightly, and he just stood there, dazed. He was so stunned that he didn’t even notice the look of uncontainable surprise on Shi Lan’s face when she got a clear look at him.

Shi Lan had originally been inexplicably annoyed by the loud noise from her neighbor, but after recognizing Jiang Xia, most of that anger dissipated.

The more she thought about it, however, the more shocked she became.

’When Jiang Xia opened the door just now, he said, "Cousin." Could he be He Hanshi’s cousin?’

’Good heavens, what a small world.’

Shi Lan’s mind was also in a jumble, but after a moment, she quickly calmed herself. Pretending not to know him, she said, "Hello, I’m the resident from downstairs. Could I trouble you to not make any noise that disturbs sleep after ten p.m.? I need to get some rest."

Jiang Xia was still in a daze, his mind elsewhere. Shi Lan had always found it hard to truly dislike him and Mu Tangfeng. They could be sharp-tongued at times, but they were good-natured at heart. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been willing to come back and take her in when she was a scruffy stray cat, or find all sorts of excuses to help out Wang Xiaotao, knowing his family was poor.

Most importantly, she was 28 years old, while Jiang Xia and the others had probably just barely become adults. She couldn’t help but see them as little brothers, which made her a bit more tolerant.

Shi Lan repeated herself.

This time, Jiang Xia finally heard her. He snapped back to his senses, and upon understanding her meaning, he nodded his head repeatedly in shame. "I’m sorry, I was just playing basketball. I’ll be careful next time."

"You live right below me?"

After apologizing, he still remembered to ask where she lived.

Shi Lan hummed in affirmation. Seeing his polite attitude, the last bit of her anger vanished.

"Alright then, I’m heading back. It’s my bedtime."

"Mm-hmm, okay." ℯ𝓵.

Jiang Xia nodded obediently again, his eyes watching her retreating back with a fervent gaze. Seeing her take the stairs, he grew worried and silently watched her from the stairwell door. He only returned to his room, relieved, after hearing the sound of her door closing downstairs.

Not long after Shi Lan left, a sound came from Jiang Xia’s door again. Thinking Shi Lan had returned, he walked over, full of pleasant surprise, only to find his cousin at the door, punching in the passcode.