"I miss you too... Okay, I won't hold you up. Tomorrow, I'll head to Moses Adams to sort out some company matters—he knows more about this stuff than I do. If I need anything, I'll call you. Alright, let's leave it here for now."
Listening to Qi Li's voice on the phone, Jiang Hai didn't know what else to say. He could only respond with a simple sentence and then quickly ended the call.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Jiang Hai hung up. The moment he did, he let out a long sigh of relief. But as he exhaled, the tension in his waist eased—and at the same time, Qi Jie, who had been stiff beneath him, finally relaxed too.
About a minute later, Qi Jie lifted her head, glanced at Jiang Hai, swallowed, and without a word, bent down to clean up. She headed to the bathroom, brushed her teeth again, and returned to bed.
"Jiang Hai, I miss you!" she whispered, mimicking her sister's voice from the call as she snuggled into his arms.
Hearing this, Jiang Hai couldn't help but swat her backside. This woman was just too wicked.
"Hey, you bad guy," Qi Jie teased, raising her head proudly. "Tell me—who do you like more, me or my sister?"
"I'm not telling you. Go to sleep." Jiang Hai rolled over, pulling her into a loose embrace, and closed his eyes.
Seeing that he refused to answer, Qi Jie pouted and gave a small huff—but then she smiled. Honestly, it was better this way. If Jiang Hai ever actually chose between them, it might just ruin everything...
Curled up in his arms, she soon drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, when Qi Jie woke up, Jiang Hai was still fast asleep. After freshening up, she quietly slipped out of his room.
She hadn't changed into formal clothes, even though there were guests in the villa. On the contrary, her attire seemed intentionally provocative—her sheer red nightgown left little to the imagination. As she descended the stairs, the revealing outfit seemed to broadcast last night's intimacy loud and clear.
Downstairs, Pra Walton and another guest had already risen and were near the warehouse. Upon seeing Qi Jie, they turned and entered the warehouse.
Inside, the hanging beef and the seafood tanks immediately caught the eye. When they heard her footsteps, they turned, saw it was Qi Jie, and then turned back to inspecting the fresh goods without a word.
"To be honest, I really envy you," Pra Walton finally said, her tone tinged with emotion. "Not only can you stay by Jiang Hai's side…"
Qi Jie leaned casually against the warehouse doorway, arms crossed, studying the woman.
"What's there to envy? If I remember correctly, your family is far richer than his. If we're talking about enjoying life, you're way ahead."
"Life isn't just about money," Pra replied. "You get to enjoy things I can't—this seafood and beef, for example. If I want it, I either need the company to deduct it or sneak some privately. You? You can have it whenever you want.
"Then there's the pressure of daily life. I run a major company, always stressed, always rushing. But you—you can just stay home.
"And finally, there's Jiang Hai… His body. Anyone who's felt it knows how addictive it is. But me? Even if I want something with him, I still need your approval—or your time. You don't have to ask anyone."
Pra said it all matter-of-factly, her cultured upbringing allowing her to speak boldly without flinching.
Qi Jie, however, flushed scarlet. Her eyes flickered away, flustered, but she didn't shy away from the reality of the situation.
"If you really want to," she said quietly but sincerely, "you can move into the villa. With your relationship to Jiang Hai, he wouldn't say no."
"That's not possible," Pra Walton shook her head gently. "You're smart—you know Jiang Hai and I can't be together."
She glanced at Qi Jie again, smiling subtly. "But nice try, offering me a retreat in order to advance."
"Well, in that case, all you can do is envy." Qi Jie shrugged with a sly smile and turned to leave, not giving Pra a chance to respond.
Watching her retreating figure, Pra narrowed her eyes slightly.
This girl is clever—very clever. But a moment later, she shook her head. Despite the temptation, out of respect for Jiang Hai, she would never act on it. With a sigh, she turned her attention back to the warehouse.
Not long after, Jiang Hai finally woke up, yawning. Everyone had an awkward breakfast together before Jiang Hai called Moses Adams to confirm his schedule. Moses was in New York attending a legal conference but would be back in Boston before eleven.
So Jiang Hai set off in his Tesla sports car toward the city.
Since buying it, he'd hardly used its autonomous features. He'd only driven it once—to Winthrop—which had stunned Mayor Wallis. But today was a long-distance trip. After confirming the battery level, he hit the road and let the car handle the highway driving.
The autopilot was impressive. With the car handling the wheel, Jiang Hai browsed his phone, reviewing information on the Texas National Beef Competition and the Boston Fishery Expo.
These two events would be his major public debuts, and he took them seriously.
While Jiang Hai's beef had become well known in the northeastern U.S.—even being sold in Sam's Club—few knew the source. But if he could dominate the Texas competition the way he did in New York, his name would ring out across the nation—and perhaps even into Europe and China.
If he'd done this last year, it might've attracted unwanted attention. But things were different now.
Now, he had leverage. He wasn't a pushover anymore—he was a hedgehog. Anyone who tried to catch him would end up with bleeding hands.
As he contemplated all this, Jiang Hai arrived at Moses Adams' law firm.
But when he got there, he was stunned.
He'd visited Moses' office before—a 27-story office building downtown, where each floor was leased to various businesses. Back then, Moses only occupied about a third of the 15th floor.
But now, he saw that both the 15th and 16th floors bore the name Adams Law Firm.
"He's really... doing well," Jiang Hai muttered with a chuckle. Moses was clearly rising fast—though Jiang Hai knew his own investments played a big part in that success.
"Enough sighing, let's go," he said aloud to himself, brushing off his thoughts. He entered the building and took the elevator to the 15th floor.
The moment the doors opened, he spotted the front desk. A man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses was signing something as the receptionists watched him with infatuated eyes.
Jiang Hai frowned. He didn't know the guy, but based on his perfectly groomed appearance and haughty air, Jiang Hai instinctively disliked him.
Still, he didn't say anything. He simply stepped around the man and addressed the front desk.
"Hello, sir, how can I help you?" one of the receptionists asked, caught off guard by Jiang Hai's sudden appearance but quickly recovering with a professional smile.
The man with glasses turned to glance at Jiang Hai but didn't say anything.
"Oh, I'm here to see—" Jiang Hai began, half-expecting some cliché line from the man like, "Can't you see I'm first?" or "Get in line."
But when nothing happened, he felt oddly disappointed. He hated feeling off-script, but he quickly composed himself and turned back to the receptionist.
Just then, a cold, clear voice interrupted.
"Why are you here?"
Everyone turned to see a tall woman in a white office outfit. She looked sharp and distant. Her gaze landed on Jiang Hai, brows furrowed in confusion.
"Miss Dahler!" the receptionists immediately stood and bowed respectfully.
Jiang Hai smirked. "What if I said I came to see you?"
The woman was Penelope Dahler—daughter of Burke Dahler, Jiang Hai's ranch foreman. They'd met several times, even spent time alone together, but their relationship was… complicated.
Penelope's frown deepened. The man with glasses beside Jiang Hai raised an eyebrow.
"Please don't joke, Mr. Jiang," she said flatly, clearly irritated.
Technically, Jiang Hai was not only her father's boss but also her own superior in some sense. But that didn't make this interaction any less awkward.
"Penelope, do you need any help?" the man with glasses chimed in, flashing what he probably thought was a charming smile.
"Call me Miss Dahler, please—and no, I don't need your help," she replied coolly, not even sparing him a second glance.
The man shrugged, clearly used to rejection.
"Mr. Jiang Hai," Penelope said, turning back to him. "You haven't told us your purpose for being here... But never mind. Come with me."
She gave up halfway through the sentence, clearly not expecting a straight answer. She knew Jiang Hai too well.
Jiang Hai wasn't dangerous—just a bit mischievous. So she led him into her office.
As they walked in, Jiang Hai could almost hear the sound of hearts breaking and imaginary glasses shattering behind him.