Chapter 114: Mu Qiang

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An Tong unlocked her phone, and a WeChat message lay on the screen.
From Su Ji.
The message contained only five characters and three exclamation marks: New Year's Day in Zhanjiang!!!
An Tong was momentarily stunned, then bit her lip.
Su Ji was coming to Zhanjiang—there was no need to guess why.
She pondered how to reply, her thoughts so absorbed that she failed to notice the figure gradually approaching from behind.
When a man’s palm landed on her shoulder, An Tong’s body trembled, and she asked drowsily, “Are you free on New Year’s Day?”
“I am. What do you want to do?”
An Tong didn’t hide anything, realizing it was futile to do so, and decided to be straightforward. “Su Ji… is coming on New Year’s Day. If you’re busy, I can tell her to come next time.”
Rong Shen said nothing but mischievously raised an eyebrow.
Damn it, she had just revealed her true feelings.
“Why don’t you decide…” The man lowered his gaze and smiled tenderly, his tone full of affection. “Should I be free, or not?”
An Tong glanced awkwardly at her phone. “Then I guess you’re free.”
This feeling was like meeting the in-laws: you might dodge it on the first day of the lunar month, but not on the fifteenth.
Besides, playing little games in front of Rong Shen was sure to be noticed by him.
An Tong turned to go upstairs to call Su Ji, but just as she began to move, her wrist was grasped. “If you’re not tired, how about having some tea with me?”
“Sure~”
An Tong slipped her phone into her pocket and followed the man to the tea table.
As the water boiled, the rising steam added a comforting warmth to the surroundings.
Rong Shen picked up a purple clay teapot and poured tea while asking, “What are your plans for tomorrow?”
An Tong thought for a moment and shrugged with an embarrassed smile. “Nothing much—maybe go learn pottery, or just stay home and read.”
She had spent several years living such an uneventful life alone.
Having once experienced life’s uncertainties and felt utterly desolate, she no longer minded mediocrity.
Now, with the warmth and companionship Rong Shen gave her increasing, her mood improved, but she found herself inexplicably weary of such monotonous routine.
The man could clearly see the confusion in her expression. Frowning slightly, he spoke slowly to guide her, “Whether you have plans or not, just follow your heart. If you don’t want to learn pottery, you don’t have to. Reading is good for passing time, but it’s not the only option.”
Listening to his counsel, it felt as though time had turned back to those moments when she regularly sought his guidance.
Her gaze grew distant as she looked at Rong Shen, releasing the burdens within her in the softest way, “I don’t even know what other options there are. It feels like I do nothing every day…”

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“If doing nothing makes you happy, then there’s nothing wrong with that.” The man carried an aura of maturity and experience that one could yearn for. With just a few words, he soothed An Tong’s uncertainty. “But it seems you don’t like it.”
An Tong held the delicate teacup with both hands, her fingertips shrinking back from the heat. “Do you have any suggestions?”
“Do you really want to hear my suggestion?” Rong Shen’s gaze was warm and could seep into the soul, evoking a tender kindness and tolerance.
An Tong nodded. “Yes, please. I’ll seriously consider it.”
The man lowered his eyes to sip his tea, then offered four words: “Follow your heart.”
Clearly, this was worlds apart from what An Tong had expected.
Seeing her stunned expression, Rong Shen beckoned her closer.
An Tong set down her cup and came to his side, willingly slipping her hand into his palm.
The two figures, one sitting, one standing, shared a moment as Rong Shen gently kissed the back of her hand and spoke in a particularly gentle voice, “Why burden yourself? An Tong, when you’re with me, you can be freer with your heart. As long as you like it, any way of life—I can provide it.”
He called her by name, and with great sincerity.
An Tong’s withered spirits seemed revived by spring rain, her dull eyes clearing like a sky after the storm.
He knew everything.
The reason she felt she was doing nothing was because of him.
Rong Shen was so outstanding that the stark contrast made her feel ashamed every time she looked at herself.
An Tong had long wished to change.
Women naturally admire strength, especially when it comes to a man as exceptional as Rong Shen.
Her eyes sparkled as she leaned forward two steps. “Then before school starts, I want to find a few part-time jobs. What do you think?”
Rong Shen didn’t answer immediately. Holding her hand with one hand, he raised his teacup to sip.
After a moment, he reclined slightly, raising his head and smiling teasingly, “Wanting to find part-time work—is it to pass time, or to earn money?”
An Tong didn’t overthink it and answered straightforwardly, “Mostly boredom. Making money is secondary.”
She never expected to rely on part-time jobs for income. Even the few jobs she had in Hong Kong served personal purposes.
Hearing this, Rong Shen tightened his grip on her fingers, half-smiling, “Passing time is fine, but as for making money… that’s a man’s job.”
“I was just saying...”
She wasn’t short of money, and earning wasn’t a problem for her.
An Tong playfully gave him a look and tried to pull her hand back, but Rong Shen didn’t let go.
The man’s smile faded as his gaze grew more serious. “If you want to go, then go, just don’t work too hard.”
Having received his approval, An Tong nodded happily. “Okay, got it.”

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After finishing two cups of black tea, An Tong went upstairs first.
Rong Shen focused his thoughts out the window, his sharply defined face quietly darkening with seriousness.
Even the most attentive man sometimes overlooks things.
If they hadn’t discussed her part-time jobs, Rong Shen wouldn’t have considered whether she needed money.
The young woman had always lived under his watchful eye, with someone attending to her every need.
But on reflection, aside from that women’s wristwatch, he had hardly given her anything else.
Rong Shen furrowed his brow, feeling a vague sense of guilt.
Earning money was indeed a man’s duty, but what he had given her was far from enough.
…
Upstairs, An Tong took a moment to handle new work emails from a major tech company.
There was still nothing difficult, but it was hard to spark any enthusiasm within her.
After replying to the emails, on a whim, she logged into a programmer’s live-streaming app.
Since their last falling out, she hadn’t gone back on it.
She had heard the app had fixed its backend vulnerabilities, but wondered if its popularity had been affected.
An Tong opened the app’s desktop backend, entered her account and password, and hit enter.
At that moment, a pop-up appeared:
Sorry, your account has been suspended. Please contact the administrator for details.
An Tong stared expressionless at the pop-up for a long moment, then closed the page and forcibly uninstalled the app.
She wasn’t upset—after all, she had been hacked out of more than seven hundred thousand.
But she had also attacked the app’s backend, causing Shi Ye a direct loss of at least one million.
Good, tit for tat.
Meanwhile, An Tong was still scheming petty revenge to annoy Shi Ye. As the clock’s hands reached eleven, a slightly ajar door was knocked on, and a husky male voice came through instantly, “It’s late. Aren’t you coming to sleep yet?”
An Tong was momentarily puzzled.
Why did he say “aren’t you coming to sleep yet” instead of “aren’t you still awake”?
(The End of this chapter)