Wang Sheng was a bit embarrassed by his words and hurriedly raised his large, fan-like hand to roughly wipe his eyes.
Stiffening his neck, he retorted in a voice heavy with nasal congestion yet struggling to maintain the dignity of a tough guy: "Young Master Jiang, what... what do you know! This is called 'iron-blooded tenderness'! In the underworld, it's all about 'loyalty'! You've been good to me, so my life belongs to you, Wang Sheng! When my heart is burning hot, shouldn't some steam come out of my eyes?"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became. He suddenly snapped to attention, puffing out his chest, trying to regain his usual cold Bodyguard demeanor.
He made his most powerful vow once again: "Young Master Jiang, I solemnly declare here! From now on, if you tell me to drive, I'll never put it in reverse; if you tell me to charge forward, I'll be the first to shield you from the wind! If you want to go to heaven, I'll go find a ladder for you right away!"
Looking at his honest and loyal appearance, Jiang Cheng's smile widened. He patted his firm shoulder: "Alright, alright, even going to heaven? Keep the ladder for yourself. Now get lost, stop being an eyesore here."
"Yes, Young Master Jiang!" Wang Sheng snapped a standard about-face.
However, due to his emotional state, his feet got tangled, and he almost tripped himself on flat ground.
He steadied himself, his face flushed with shame. Keeping his head down, he rushed inside, planning to wash up before heading out.
Just as he reached the Festoon Gate, he almost collided head-on with Xia Li, who was about to enter.
Xia Li reacted quickly, stepping aside to avoid him, her cold gaze landing on Wang Sheng's face.
His red-rimmed eyes and the uncleansed wet marks caused her pupils to tremble.
"Captain?" Her cold voice carried a rare tension: "What happened? Did something happen to Young Master Jiang? No, didn't you just say Young Master Jiang is back?"
Caught by Xia Li, Wang Sheng awkwardly averted his gaze: "No! Young Master Jiang is fine!"
Just as he finished speaking, Jiang Cheng walked in through the door.
The moment she saw Jiang Cheng, Xia Li instantly breathed a sigh of relief, her tensed shoulders relaxing.
But in an instant, her brow furrowed even tighter.
She looked Wang Sheng up and down as if he were an alien: "Then... why are you crying?"
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Wang Sheng snapped his head up. Realizing his subordinate had seen him like this, his face flushed from his neck to his ears. He hurriedly raised his muscular arm and wiped his face haphazardly with the sleeve of his camouflage uniform, covering up gruffly, his voice an octave higher than usual:
"Who... who's crying! Who's crying! It's the wind! This damn weather is too dusty! It got in my eyes! Do you understand?!"
His attempt to cover things up, paired with his raspy voice and red-rimmed eyes, made him look like a brown bear that had been wronged but was desperately trying to maintain its dignity.
After speaking, Wang Sheng didn't look at Jiang Cheng and hurried forward.
Watching his vigorous departing figure, Jiang Cheng shook his head with a smile.
As the saying goes, the security around him was 120% loyal, and Jiang Cheng would never be stingy when he could be good to them.
Xia Li watched his almost fleeing figure, then looked back at Jiang Cheng, who had a faint smile on his lips. A rare look of near "speechlessness" appeared on her cold face.
Walking up to Jiang Cheng, she maintained a safe distance of about one step, lowered her head slightly, and reported in her characteristic, calm, and emotionless tone.
"Boss, Miss Yang is already in the pool area. The necessary items and security arrangements have been handled."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng withdrew his gaze from where Wang Sheng had left and looked at Xia Li.
His gaze lingered on her cold face for a moment.
Xia Li felt a bit uneasy under his gaze and subconsciously avoided his eyes, her thick, curled eyelashes trembling slightly.
Seeing her forced composure, the smile on Jiang Cheng's lips deepened.
"Alright, I understand. There's nothing else here; you should go rest as well."
The word "rest" was like a specific code that instantly struck Xia Li.
She naturally understood what that meant.
She had experienced this kind of scene far too many times.
A sour feeling quickly spread, almost breaking through her cold exterior.
Her hand hanging at her side unconsciously tightened, her nails pressing lightly into her palm. The faint sting helped her barely maintain her outward calm.
Without looking up at Jiang Cheng, she fixed her gaze on the second button of his shirt. Her voice was lower and more indifferent than before, as if devoid of any emotion: "Yes."
After responding, she turned away without hesitation.
Jiang Cheng watched the direction she disappeared in. He did nothing, only moving forward, walking unhurriedly toward the Heated Pool.
Some relationships cannot be rushed.
If the timing isn't right, forcing it would only make it tasteless.
Soon, Jiang Cheng's steps brought him to the door of the Heated Pool room.
Moonlight streamed down through the open window in the roof of the Heated Pool room.
Casting a warm glow.
Jiang Cheng pushed open the door, and a wave of warm, moist air hit him, mixed with a faint scent of chlorine and a much stronger fragrance of women's perfume.
The water in the pool rippled, and a slender figure was paddling leisurely with her back to him.
Hearing the door open, the figure turned around.
Upon seeing Jiang Cheng, a bright smile—a mix of pride and provocation—immediately bloomed on her face.
She was currently wearing an extremely provocative black lace-trimmed swimsuit.
Her wet hair clung to her cheeks and neck,
Water droplets slid down her exquisite collarbones and smooth skin, disappearing into her alluring cleavage.
"Oh, is Young Master Jiang finally willing to return to the palace? You've kept this poor, lonely little woman waiting."
Her voice carried its usual hint of coquettishness, but she deliberately dragged out the end of her words, as if she were acting spoiled or complaining.
Jiang Cheng didn't respond; he simply walked over to a lounge chair by the pool.
He leisurely took off his jacket.
Loosening his collar, his eyes always held a playful smile as they rested on the scenery in the water.
Big Secret, seeing him just watching without speaking, became even more proactive.
Like a lithe mermaid, she did a graceful turn in the water, her arms stroking the waves, deliberately letting her body reveal its most moving curves amidst the shimmering light.
After swimming a lap to ensure Jiang Cheng had seen every inch of her body, she finally swam to the edge of the pool.
She rested her crossed arms on the pool wall.
Looking up at Jiang Cheng, her eyes were wet.
With blatant seduction, she said: "What? Are you dazed? Weren't you quite the talker on WeChat just now? Saying you'd pick two—you have quite an appetite."
Jiang Cheng chuckled, walked to the edge of the pool, and crouched down to be at eye level with her.
The light from the pool reflected in his eyes, dancing with mysterious glints.
"Am I not waiting to see how you plan to make things 'look good' for me? Besides, two would be easy."
"I heard Baba swam here last time. Do you think I look better, or does she??"
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng's gaze didn't waver at all.
He continued to look Big Secret up and down with a direct, appreciative gaze.
As he crouched by the pool, he said: "That... I've actually forgotten a bit. How about you call Baba over, and I'll take a look at both of you together?"
Hearing this, Big Secret immediately rolled her eyes at Jiang Cheng.
"Pah, you wish."
After her coquettish huff, a hint of cunning flashed in Big Secret's eyes.
Instead of backing away, she pressed her hands against the pool wall and suddenly stood up from the water.
With a splash, a large amount of water sprayed up with her movement, much of it landing on the cuffs of Jiang Cheng's trousers and his shoes.
She stood there before Jiang Cheng without warning, with immense visual impact, almost face-to-face with him.
The soaked swimsuit tightly hugged her hot figure, and water droplets constantly rolled off her body.
Having just come out of the water, her skin had a healthy flush, her breathing was slightly rapid, and her chest rose and fell with her breaths, possessing a wild and direct beauty.
This action instantly reminded Jiang Cheng of that legendary pool photo saved by countless otaku online.
Holy crap.
The impact was too great.
The name Big Secret was clearly very fitting.
Seeing Jiang Cheng's pupils dilate slightly, the corners of Big Secret's mouth couldn't help but curl up.
Tilting her head slightly, her water-beaded fingertips almost touched Jiang Cheng's chin.
Her breath was like orchids, her voice carrying a hint of raspy temptation: "Now... can you see clearly? Does Young Master Jiang still think that I... can't handle you alone?"
The misty vapor surrounded her. Under the lights, she was like a rose in full bloom, covered in dew—vibrant, bold, and full of aggression.
Jiang Cheng looked at the "scenery" right in front of him, feeling the waves of heat and fragrance. His gaze deepened.
He didn't pull away; instead, he reached out and gently brushed away a strand of wet hair clinging to her cheek, his fingertips grazing her hot skin as if by accident.