The antique girlfriend of a chaebol heir

The next day at noon, five minutes before 11 o'clock.

Following the location sent by Jiang Duo, Shen Ci arrived at an extremely high-end residential area.

The glass curtain wall of the building gleamed coldly in the sunlight. At the entrance of the community, a uniformed security guard scanned her over and respectfully let her through after confirming her visitor information.

She walked a few steps further in and suddenly realized that the neighborhood was only a five-minute walk from Puhua University. In fact, she could even see the spire of the school's iconic building just by looking up.

—So close?

She frowned slightly, but didn't think much of it, and walked straight to the elevator lobby.

The elevator ascended smoothly, the numbers jumped to the eleventh floor, and with a "ding," the doors slid open to both sides.

Shen Ci stepped out of the sedan chair, his steps pausing slightly.

The entire floor was redesigned. The original layout of four units was completely opened up, leaving only one entrance door at the end of the corridor. It was a dark gray armored door with a fingerprint lock and video intercom embedded next to it, exuding an understated yet undeniable luxury.

She rang the doorbell.

A moment later, the door opened.

Jiang Duo stood inside the door, dressed in dark gray pajamas, with two buttons undone at the collar, revealing half of his collarbone.

He looked down at her, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, then stepped aside: "Come in."

Shen Ci lowered her eyes to change her shoes. On the floor was a pair of brand-new women's slippers, light pink, which seemed out of place in the cool-toned space.

Only after she straightened up could she truly see the entire interior of the room.

This is a large, open-plan apartment with a living room that is more spacious than most people can imagine. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer a panoramic view of the city, with rolling mountains in the distance and towering buildings nearby.

The minimalist decor, with its black, white, and gray color scheme, and a few green plants in the corner, adds a touch of life to this otherwise cold and austere space.

"Where is this?" she asked, her voice ringing out clearly in the empty space.

Jiang Duo walked to the central island counter, poured two cups of coffee, and said unhurriedly, "I live alone. Sometimes I'm busy outside and it gets too late to go back to my dorm, so I come here instead."

He spoke casually, as if stating something utterly ordinary.

Shen Ci gazed at the rising steam from the coffee, then at the city skyline outside the window, and suddenly remembered a line from a storybook—

"The male protagonist, Jiang Duo, was born into a prominent family in Beijing, the Jiang family, which is full of military, political and business tycoons. He is also the sole heir of the Jiang family."

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

—This person was born to stand on the clouds.

Even if you're just staying somewhere casually during university, you have to make it this luxurious.

"Sit down." Jiang Duo raised his chin, gesturing for the sofa.

He then gently pushed one of the glasses towards her, saying casually, "You said last time you wanted to try authentic Yirgacheffe, and luckily we have some here. Try it and see how it tastes?"

Just as Shen Ci reached out to take the exquisite bone china cup, before her fingertips even touched the rim, a fragment of the original owner's memory flashed through her mind—

The original owner did talk to Jiang Duo about coffee, but she specifically mentioned the rich and mellow Blue Mountain, not the one in front of her.

Shen Ci's fingers paused almost imperceptibly, causing the coffee in the cup to swirl gently, creating a small ripple.

She suddenly felt a fine chill on her back.

Jiang Duo was actually testing her.

As expected of a male protagonist from a storybook, he is deep and meticulous, laying a trap without making a sound.

Shen Ci suppressed the unease in her heart and firmly gripped the cup handle with her fingertips: "You're mistaken, I said Blue Mountain last time."

She looked up, her gaze calmly meeting his, the corners of her lips curving into a perfectly measured arc, deliberately carrying a touch of the gentle reproach of a lady from the old days: "I've heard from others that Yirgacheffe is too acidic, I can't get used to it."

"Yeah?"

Jiang Duo looked down at her, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment.

"Then I must have misremembered," he said slowly, his voice calm. "Since you don't like this, I'll go get you a bottle of juice."

A moment later, Jiang Duo handed her a bottle of grape juice.

The earlier probing seemed as if it had never happened.

Shen Ci took it and took a sip.

The juice is sweet and has a natural aroma.

She lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath them, obscuring the fleeting seriousness in her gaze.

Jiang Duo is too dangerous.

She had to be more careful and cautious, and not provoke him easily.

"How does it taste?" Jiang Duo sat down beside her, the sofa slightly sinking, the two of them so close that she could smell the faint scent of cedar on him.

The aroma of coffee slowly diffuses into the air.

Shen Ci sat upright with her back straight.

She suppressed the urge to move aside, her fingertips gently gripping the hem of her clothes, but with a bit more force than usual.

—Too close.

His body heat seeped through the thin fabric, like an invisible fire, making the tips of her ears feel slightly hot.

But she couldn't back down.

To back down is to show a guilty conscience.

She lowered her eyes, her posture was calm, her breathing was steady, and even the curve of her lips was just right.

Only her tense shoulders betrayed her inner feelings.

Jiang Duo turned his head, his gaze falling on her taut shoulder line, and the corners of his lips curved almost imperceptibly.

"Nervous?" he suddenly asked, his voice low and tentative, tinged with a lazy languidness.

Shen Ci paused slightly, then slowly raised her eyes, her gaze as calm as a deep pool, and smiled as she said, "You're my boyfriend, but you're just sitting next to me, why would I be nervous?"

"Is that so?" Jiang Duo raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconvinced by her answer.

Shen Ci didn't want to dwell on this topic any longer, so she asked instead, "Why did you ask me to come here today?"

"A boyfriend invites his girlfriend to his place," he said casually, then leaned over and placed his arm on the sofa armrest to her right, casting her into a shadow.

His voice was so close it brushed against the stray hairs at the tip of her ear, "Do I need a reason?"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead.

The touch was soft and fleeting, like a feather falling on the water's surface, yet stirring up a thousand ripples.

Shen Ci's pupils contracted sharply, and she tried to get up as if in shock, but before she could move, he grabbed her shoulders and pressed her back down.

The force wasn't heavy, but it was undeniable.

The distance between the two suddenly shortened, so close that they could see every subtle change in his eyes.

"Are you afraid of me?" He stared at her, his voice low and husky.

Shen Ci shook her head, but her face grew even paler, like a sheet of rice paper soaked in water, and even the color in her lips faded.

"Aren't you afraid?" Jiang Duo chuckled softly, the laughter reverberating from his chest, carrying a hint of ambiguous pleasure.

He leaned in slowly, the two of them so close they could exchange breaths.

"Then kiss me."