The neon lights outside the car window dragged long streaks of light across the glass. Inside, low jazz flowed from the Berlin Audio system, and the scent of cedarwood floated in the confined space.
Sitting in the back seat, Shen Meng unconsciously rubbed the new Cartier Ballon Bleu on her wrist. The Roman numerals on the watch face glowed a faint blue in the darkness, just like the fleeting, turbulent emotion in his eyes when he had fastened the strap for her moments ago.
The sudden kiss from the restaurant still burned on her lips. The scent of whiskey, mixed with the faint fragrance of agarwood from his shirt collar, now seemed to drift back to her on the air-conditioned breeze. She pressed her lips together. The AC was on, but she still felt the car was too warm.
Since they had both been drinking, Yang Hui had called for a designated driver. It was a pity that in such a perfect atmosphere, he couldn’t take things a step further with her.
At the entrance to Shunyuan District, Yang Hui got out from the other side of the car and held out his arms. "A hug?"
This time, Shen Meng didn’t hesitate, letting him pull her into his embrace. She gave him a light, fleeting goodnight kiss. "Get some rest."
After he got back in the car, the driver said, "Sir, your girlfriend is gorgeous. Prettier than a movie star."
"Haha, she’s alright. I’m face-blind, you know!"
Shen Meng had just pushed open her front door when she heard her cousin Wu Min’s deliberately loud voice from the living room. "Oh, this watch strap is a little tight~" Wu Min was lounging on the sofa, her wrist held high. The rose gold case of her Longines watch glinted ostentatiously under the chandelier.
Her fingertips toyed with the crown of the watch, but her eyes were slanted toward Shen Meng at the door. "President Wang insisted on giving it to me. He said a great sword is for a hero, and a fine watch is for a fair lady."
Shen Meng lowered her head to change her shoes, her hair falling to cover half her face. The mirror in the entryway reflected her lovely eyes and brows, revealing her excellent mood.
"My, President Wang is so thoughtful. He knew I needed a watch. By the way, Shen Meng, who did you have dinner with tonight, and where?"
Shen Meng went to her room to get her pajamas. She glanced at Wu Min, who was still admiring her own wrist, and replied coolly, "I ate with Yang Hui."
Wu Min shook her head and sighed. "Shen Meng, let your big cousin tell you from experience: handsome doesn’t pay the bills. The most important thing about a man is that he can make money, and that he’s willing to spend it on you. The second part is more important than the first."
Shen Meng just smiled. ’If I go by my cousin’s logic,’ she thought, ’then Yang Hui is actually a perfect match.’
The steam in the bathroom hadn’t yet dissipated, and the mirror was covered in a thin layer of fog. Shen Meng raised her hand and wiped it clean, instantly revealing her exquisite, shapely figure—a slender waist above full hips, the curves of her chest appearing even more ample under the glistening, undried water droplets.
She turned halfway, catching a glimpse in the mirror of her large, perky bottom, and recalled Yang Hui’s fixed stare when he accidentally walked into the dressing room that day.
She angled her body slightly. The line of her shoulder and neck was as graceful as a swan’s, her skin glowing with a lustrous sheen under the warm light.
Even after changing into her loungewear, it was hard to hide her hourglass figure. Wu Min clucked her tongue twice. "Shen Meng, you’re so beautiful. It’s a shame your taste in men isn’t very good."
Shen Meng was about to go back to her room, but at these words, she stopped and turned back. "Who says? I think my taste is great right now."
She had been so happy with Yang Hui tonight, feeling a thrill she’d never experienced before. ’Maybe this is what it feels like to have your heart skip a beat,’ she mused.
Wu Min never got any satisfaction from showing off in front of Shen Meng. Her beautiful younger cousin just wouldn’t "play along"; she didn’t seem interested in any of it.
Designer clothes, brand-name bags—Wu Min would show them off for ages and ask what she thought, only to always get the same reply: "They’re nice."
At first, she thought Shen Meng’s perfunctory responses were a sign of envy and jealousy. But over time, she realized her cousin genuinely didn’t care about these things, which left Wu Min with no sense of accomplishment at all.
And that was precisely why she felt an even greater need to show off in front of Shen Meng. She wanted to see if there was anything at all that her cousin *did* care about.
Receiving this Longines watch today was the most expensive gift she had ever gotten, and she loved it. A few times when she was out shopping with Wang Hua, she had mentioned this model, intentionally or not. He had been thoughtful enough to remember and chose to give it to her today for her birthday.
After Shen Meng’s reply, she went into her room. Wu Min felt like her show-off session had ended before it even began. This wouldn’t do. She had finally gotten such a valuable gift.
’Tomorrow is the weekend. Why is she going to bed so early? She’s not even trying to nurture our sisterly bond. We should chat a little longer.’
Shen Meng leaned against her velvet headboard, the warm yellow light of the wall sconce making the dial of her Cartier Ballon Bleu watch shimmer with a radiant luster. She turned her wrist gently. The Roman numeral hour markers glowed with a faint blue halo, and the subtle ticking of the second hand was exceptionally clear in the quiet bedroom—like the rhythm of Yang Hui’s breath brushing past her ear as he fastened the strap for her today.
Her fingertips traced the fluted crown, and the coolness of the sapphire reminded her of the phantom-like touch of his fingertips.
The moon phase complication showed a full moon tonight, just like the reflection of her own flustered, upturned face he had seen in his eyes in the private dining room.
She took the Cartier warranty card out of her bag. Just as she was about to put it in a drawer, there was a KNOCK KNOCK at her door.
"Shen Meng, I made you a cup of rose tea~"
Forgetting about the drawer, she placed the warranty card on the nightstand and got out of bed to open the door for Wu Min.
"Sis, why are you drinking rose tea so late?"
Wu Min held up the tea with her right hand. "Tomorrow’s the weekend, why go to sleep so early? Let’s chat. Look how pretty this tea is!"
’Shen Meng rolled her eyes. The angle Wu Min was holding it at had nothing to do with showing her the pretty tea; she was clearly still showing off her rose gold Longines watch.’
The bedroom was small. Shen Meng sat on the bed, and Wu Min came over to sit on the edge, placing the rose tea on the nightstand.
"Sis, it’s almost 10 o’clock. What do you want to talk about?"
"Men, of course." Wu Min said it brazenly, like a seasoned veteran of love, completely ignoring the fact that Shen Meng blushed every time the topic came up.
"Shen Meng, when you two had dinner tonight, you didn’t pay again, did you? I don’t know, that Yang Hui just seems like a pretty boy who sponges off women."
"Sis, what are you talking about? He paid tonight."
She quickly defended him, very much bothered that her cousin was maligning Yang Hui.
"Well, there’s hope for him yet. Hey, what did he get you for your birthday? Don’t tell me it was just a birthday cake."
Shen Meng looked at her, hesitating, wanting to speak but stopping herself. Wu Min assumed she’d guessed correctly and that Shen Meng was too embarrassed to say.
She sighed. "So he really is a cheapskate."
"Sis, being together isn’t about material things. I don’t think you can measure affection by the value of a gift. What matters is doing what you can within your means and having the thought behind it. After all, everyone’s financial situation is different."
Wu Min thought Shen Meng was making excuses for Yang Hui, but she didn’t realize that Shen Meng was actually trying to console *her*.
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