So, is this what it feels like to be a lesbian?
Ten or so minutes later, Zhao Yihan withdrew her hand with a sigh of relief.
Chloe followed suit, mimicking her movements.
Even though it wasn't her own sweat, it still felt strange when she was cleaning up.
Jiang Cheng chuckled. "Don't worry about that. Someone will come to clean it up later."
"This sofa looks like genuine leather; it's better to give it a wipe..."
"Wipe what? Why waste time on that? Come over here, it's your turn... We'll go for late-night snacks after we're done," Jiang Cheng said bluntly.
Is this really something a normal human can achieve?
"Come, lie down."
Chloe was stunned for a moment.
"Don't you want to practice? Lie down."
Chloe nodded with a blush. "I've... practiced this occasionally..."
"Lift your legs."
...
The next day, when Jiang Cheng woke up, the bed was already empty.
Picking up his phone, he found several unread messages.
As per his routine, he quickly exchanged morning greetings with several girls before heading into the bathroom.
In no time at all, Jiang Cheng finished washing up.
He casually wrapped a bath towel around his waist just as his phone on the table began to ring.
Jiang Cheng picked up the phone while pulling open the bedroom door and walking out.
His voice carried the unique slight huskiness of someone who had just woken up: "Hello."
Chen Xueer's voice came from the other end, professional as always, but with a bit more excitement than usual: "President Jiang, is it convenient to talk?"
"Go ahead."
"On Daheng's side, the net has been cast." Chen Xueer got straight to the point, her tone carrying a hint of pride as if seeking credit. "Young Master Wang and Young Master Qin are both in position. We're just waiting for a word from you, the commander-in-chief."
The corner of Jiang Cheng's mouth curled into an arc: "Progress?"
"The first round of the judicial auction for the Financial City Twin Towers is next Wednesday," Chen Xueer reported. "Daheng's cash flow won't last until the second round. I've checked the financial strength of several interested local developers—they're not enough to be a threat. The only ones who can truly put up the money are us."
She paused and added, "Guess what? Daheng's financing head for the Southwest Region took the initiative to invite Young Master Qin to dinner last night. He immediately said, 'Brother, the terms are negotiable.' Following your instructions, Young Master Qin put on airs and only said he'd go back and look into it."
Jiang Cheng could tell from her tone that she was feeling a bit of schadenfreude when she mentioned "putting on airs."
"What about the shell companies?"
"Three BVI companies, all with professional managers as legal representatives. It won't lead back to us," Chen Xueer replied. "Young Master Wang's domestic entities are ready to enter the market at any time. I've been watching them finish the process these past few days; my eyes are almost turning cross-eyed from staring."
She said this in a light tone, as if complaining, but also with a hint of "look how capable I am."
Jiang Cheng couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you for your hard work."
The other end of the phone paused for a second.
"...Is that sincere or just a formality?" Chen Xueer's voice held a trace of suspicion. "Usually when I report to you, you just reply with an OK emoji. To actually say 'thank you for your hard work' today—I'm a bit unaccustomed to it."
Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Should I take it back then?"
"No, no, no," Chen Xueer laughed softly. "It wasn't easy to get a word like that out of you. Keep it there; I'll take a screenshot and save it as a family heirloom."
Just as Jiang Cheng was about to say something, the bedroom door swung fully open, and the scene in the living room burst into view—
Three women were squeezed onto the sofa, wearing identical white bathrobes. Six legs were intertwined, a dazzling display of white.
Chen Jiaxue sat on the far left, her bathrobe tied loosely, the collar wide open, revealing glimpses below her collarbone.
She had one leg bent on the sofa and the other stretched out, completely exposed from beneath the hem of the robe.
From the thigh down to the ankle, it was long and straight, shimmering with a delicate glow under the sunlight.
She was holding her phone up, the camera pointed at herself, shouting, "Wait, wait, wait, I haven't finished taking this one yet—"
In the middle was Zhao Yihan. Her bathrobe was tied a bit more properly, but only slightly.
The belt was knotted at her side, which instead accentuated her waistline, making it look small enough to be held in one hand.
Her legs were pressed together and tilted to the side, calves overlapping, ankles slender, and toenails painted a pale pink.
She was tilting her head to look at Chen Jiaxue's screen, her brow slightly furrowed. "Your angle is wrong; it makes my legs look short—"
Chloe was curled up in the corner of the sofa, wearing her bathrobe the most "obediently," with the collar closed and the belt tied tight.
But she happened to stretch her legs out straight, resting them on the coffee table. Her legs extended from the hem of the robe, long and straight, with perfectly defined calf muscles and naturally arched feet; her toenails were a nude color.
Sunlight streamed in from the side, enveloping her in a soft halo, her skin appearing almost transparently white.
The lines of her profile looked as if they were carved, and her eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyes.
She just looked at the phone screen lazily, unscrupulously displaying the Creator's favoritism.
"Wait, wait, wait—this angle is good, don't move, don't move—"
Chen Jiaxue's voice came clearly through the microphone.
Chen Xueer, on the other end of the line, went silent for a second.
Then she spoke, her tone faint and eerie:
"President Jiang, where exactly are you?"
Jiang Cheng withdrew his gaze, a smirk on his lips. "The living room."
"Oh—the living room." Chen Xueer dragged the word out, twisting it through seven or eight turns. "It sounds quite lively. Is there some kind of performance going on in the living room so early in the morning?"
Jiang Cheng didn't respond, waiting for her to continue.
Sure enough, Chen Xueer continued in her eerie tone:
"I've been pulling all-nighters for three days here. My eyes are nearly blind, my hair is falling out in clumps, and I'm drinking black coffee while gnawing on cold sandwiches, diligently monitoring a ten-billion-level project for you. Yet here you are, strategizing from within and winning from thousands of miles away, hiding in a den of beauty, listening to girls discuss their legs looking short in photos."
She paused and sighed again. "Life is unbearable now."
Jiang Cheng chuckled. "A den of beauty is also part of the strategic deployment. Without this den of beauty, how could I be in such a good state to harvest the leeks?"
A soft snort came from the other end of the phone.
"I've been with you for so long; when have I ever seen you need a'state'? You just simply want to enjoy life while harvesting leeks on the side."
Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow. "See through it but don't say it, Manager Chen."
"That won't do," Chen Xueer's voice returned to its lazy tone. "My biggest flaw is being too honest. If you don't like hearing it, I'll hold it in next time—until I can't hold it in anymore."
Just as Jiang Cheng was about to reply, Chen Jiaxue's voice drifted over again:
"Chloe, stretch your legs out a bit more. Yes, yes—just like that—perfect, perfect—"
Chen Xueer went silent for another second on the other end.
"Fine then," she spoke, her tone carrying a hint of resignation. "I won't disturb you while you're guiding the girls on their poses. I'll report any progress here in Chengdu to you at any time."
She paused and added:
"By the way, if you ever get tired of staying in that den of beauty and want to come out for some fresh air, call me anytime. I'll take you to see the Financial City Twin Towers—though there are no long legs, there's steel and concrete, which is also quite spectacular."
Jiang Cheng laughed out loud. "Manager Chen, are you jealous?"
"Me?" Chen Xueer's pitch went up a notch. "Why would I be jealous? I'm your subordinate. How could a subordinate be qualified to be jealous? I'm simply reporting my work to you and, while I'm at it, expressing my envy for my boss's happy life."