The antique girlfriend of a chaebol heir

The woman who had just asked the question froze with a smile, exchanging a surprised glance with her companion—

They've accompanied the rich young man here more than once or twice.

"Female companion"—they've heard this word far too often.

When people at the card table introduce them, they either give a vague smile, casually call them "friends," or even ignore them, as if they were just a coat draped over the back of a chair, existing but not worthy of being named.

They had long been accustomed to this disdain. They had even learned to find pleasure in it, regarding clinging as a pastime and dependence as a skill.

But the person in front of me...

Who is Jiang Duo?

The only son of the Jiang family, he is known in the industry for being cold and aloof, and has never had a female companion.

But at this moment, he openly admitted it in front of everyone.

Not "female companion", but "girlfriend".

The woman quietly sat up straight, no longer leaning against her boyfriend like she had no bones.

She stole a glance at Shen Ci in the corner, her gaze sweeping from the plain white bath towel to his straight back, and then to his lowered eyelashes—

That aura was too cold.

It's not a pretentious affectation, but a genuine, deep-seated detachment.

It was as if the extravagance of the room, the gambling at the card table, and even Jiang Duo's words about "girlfriend" had nothing to do with her.

She was like a piece of celadon porcelain mistakenly placed in a brothel—lustery, cool, and chilling to the touch.

"Which wealthy family raised him..." the woman whispered to her companion.

The woman opposite him shook her head slightly, a complex look of envy flashing in her eyes.

Across the card table, Xie Shuheng twirled a chip between his fingers, his meaningful gaze sweeping between Jiang Duo and the corner before he suddenly smiled.

That smile held a hint of mischief and a touch of probing, like a fox that had caught the scent of blood.

"It must be so boring for your sister-in-law to sit there all by herself," he drawled, the chip slamming back onto the table. "Why don't we let her come over and play a couple of rounds? You can give us some advice from the side, and we can see for ourselves—" He paused, his eyes narrowing upwards, "and we'll be of one mind."

Jiang Duo did not respond to Xie Shuheng's words.

He turned his head to the side, his gaze passing over the card table and landing on Shen Ci.

The light poured down from above her head, casting a small shadow on her eyelids. She maintained that upright posture, like a porcelain statue forgotten in a corner.

"Want to come over and play?" he asked.

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly cut through the noise in the room.

Shen Ci looked up.

She noticed several pairs of eyes on her at the card table, some probing, some ambiguous, like an invisible net.

Then I saw that indescribable look in Jiang Duo's eyes—

The memories remaining in this body told her that the former "Shen Ci" would happily rush over and use the excuse of playing cards to lean against him.

But she is not the Shen Ci of the past.

"Gentlemen," she stood up, her towel slipping half an inch from her shoulder before she quickly gathered it back up. She nodded slightly toward the card table in a standard, well-mannered farewell gesture. "It's getting late; I need to go home and rest."

It's not a discussion, it's an announcement.

Xie Shuheng raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Yin Kuo, who had been silent on the right, suddenly smiled, a smile tinged with intimacy, his gaze shifting between Jiang Duo and Shen Ci.

"The rooms are all ready. There's a suite upstairs; you can rest here tonight—" He paused deliberately, looked at Jiang Duo, and raised his voice ambiguously at the end, "Boss, what do you say?"

Before Jiang Duo could speak, Shen Ci immediately shook his head.

"Thank you for your kindness," she said calmly, like a deep pool without ripples, "but I have to go home."

Yes, it is necessary.

There is no reason for an unmarried woman to stay overnight outside.

This is a matter of principle.

Her gaze swept over the crowd with a clear, unwavering intensity, without the slightest hint of feigned reluctance or coyness.

Jiang Duo looked at her.

He suddenly noticed that Shen Ci's eyes were very bright.

It's not the kind of deliberate, ingratiating moisture, but a kind of light that burns from the depths, almost stubbornly.

She stood straight, her shoulders beneath the towel thin yet upright, like a bamboo stalk that would rather break than bend.

This girl was completely different from the one in my memory who would always be by his side and had only him in her eyes.

"Okay." He suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, like a star flashing across a winter night, gone in an instant. "I'll have the driver take you."

Shen Ci nodded.

"Thank you," she said.

The tone was polite, distant, and just right.

Jiang Duo's eyes darkened slightly, but he didn't say anything.

He made a phone call and whispered a few instructions.

The moment the door closed, Shen Ci seemed to hear a soft laugh from inside, tinged with amusement and curiosity, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, quickly fading into silence.

She didn't turn around.

After changing back into the clothes the original owner had worn, Shen Ci stood under the eaves, the night wind carrying the sweet, pungent scent of grass and trees.

A low hum of an engine came from afar, and a black sedan silently glided up to us. The driver got out and respectfully opened the car door.

The car rolled over the gravel road and disappeared into the night.

……

The silence in the card room lasted for a full three seconds.

Xie Shuheng suddenly chuckled, the chips spinning rapidly between his fingers: "Brother Duo, your girlfriend—" he drawled, a hint of amusement in his eyes, "is quite interesting."

"It's more than just interesting," Yin Kuo continued, leaning back slightly, the intimacy in his smile fading somewhat, replaced by a serious, inquisitive expression. "What I just said would usually make a woman shyly and hesitantly agree. But her? 'I have to go home—'"

He mimicked Shen Ci's tone, then suddenly shook his head, "It's been so long since I've seen such a proper girl, she's like an antique."

Jiang Duo recalled Shen Ci's last look—calm, distant, like looking at a stranger.

But it was precisely this unfamiliarity that stirred something deep within him.

But it was only for a fleeting moment.

When he looked up again, his lips were pressed into a straight line, his expression as cold and aloof as ever, as if the man who had sent a car to pick someone up and whose eyes were smiling was just a figment of everyone's imagination.

"Deal the cards," he said calmly.

Two words, not grand, yet like a pebble thrown into a still lake, ripples spread, shattering the subtle atmosphere of the room.

Xie Shuheng and Yin Kuo exchanged a glance, both seeing the understanding in each other's eyes.

This is the Jiang Duo they know—cold and aloof, with a chilling coldness in his bones; no matter how special a woman is, she can't arouse his interest.

"Alright," Yin Kuo shrugged, the chip spinning gracefully between his fingers before landing back on the table. "Let's keep going, I'm going to win back my losses this time."

The card table is running again.

……

The car drove through the night.

Shen Ci gazed at the neon lights rushing past the window, their bizarre colors reflected in her eyes like an unreal dream.

Come back home.

She silently repeated those two words in her mind, as if chanting some kind of incantation.

No matter what world this is, no matter what body this is, she must first find a place where she can sleep peacefully, close the door, and shut everything out.

Then, think slowly, learn slowly, and live slowly.