In Haishi, the temperature had shot straight up to thirty degrees by April.
Tangcheng was just entering the season of warm breezes and blooming flowers, but Haishi had already taken the lead in stepping into the passionate heat of summer.
Jiang Zongyan stepped into the room.
He had only taken a few steps when he suddenly stopped.
His clear, icy gaze swept toward the large bed beside him.
Masses of roses, in shades of deep and pale red, spread all the way from the entrance to the head of the bed.
On the coffee table sat a pair of silver candlesticks with ivory-colored candles that had yet to be lit. The candles were long and slender, and beside them rested an unopened bottle of red wine.
On the spacious two-meter-wide bed, rose petals had been arranged into a heart.
Jiang Zongyan froze for a moment before his brows furrowed in disgust.
Had the event organizers lost their minds?
He was a grown man. What was the meaning of all this?
The corners of his lips pulled downward. It was both an eyesore and ridiculous.
He paid it no further attention and walked straight to the bar. He had just poured himself a glass of water when—
A loud splash of running water came from behind him.
Jiang Zongyan set down his glass, and the warmth in his eyes abruptly dropped away.
He slowly raised his eyelids, his sharp gaze sweeping toward the direction of the sound.
Had someone actually tried to sneak a woman into his room?
He had seen plenty of such underhanded tricks.
Another fool who didn’t value their life!
A dark shadow rose in Jiang Zongyan’s eyes.
Suppressing his anger, he silently took two steps forward. He was just about to open the door and call someone over when—
A soft laugh came from inside the bathroom.
It carried a sweet, babyish tone, innocent and endearing.
Though faint, he heard it with exceptional clarity.
Immediately afterward, singing drifted out from within.
“La la, la-la-la…”
The tune was hopelessly off-key through the door.
A single line of lyrics twisted and turned three or four times, not one note landing where it should.
And yet the person singing was completely absorbed, humming with immense enthusiasm. The ends of the notes rose cheerfully, filled with a happiness she was utterly unaware of.
Zhou Suisui?!
Jiang Zongyan’s eyes suddenly darkened.
Why was she in his room? And why was she happily taking a bath in the bathroom?
He stood where he was, his expression shifting several times.
The coldness and hostility in his eyes quietly faded away.
He looked up at the half-closed lattice door in front of him.
Only then did he notice that the layout of this room was different from that of an ordinary suite.
There was actually another room connected to the bathroom, with only a sliding wooden lattice door separating the two spaces.
Its pattern blended into the color of the walls, making it nearly impossible to notice without looking closely.
The door was not fully shut, leaving a gap barely the width of a finger.
Warm yellow light spilled through it, falling onto the carpet at his feet.
This was actually a connecting room.
Jiang Zongyan was deeply shocked. The fingers hanging at his side tightened, curling into an angry fist.
Was this what Lin Zhou had meant by “everything has already been arranged”?
This was how he had handled things?
He had put Jiang Zongyan and Zhou Suisui in adjoining rooms?!
Was he some kind of pervert?
If word of this got out, how was Suisui supposed to face anyone?
The singing from the bathroom continued.
It came in broken snatches, as though the singer was splashing water over herself.
At that moment, Zhou Suisui was leaning back against the edge of the bathtub, her entire body immersed in warm water as she comfortably narrowed her eyes.
She hummed a melody without the slightest idea which lyrics it belonged to, while her toes lazily stirred the water from time to time.
Just as she finished a high note, she suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
Someone was outside.
The feeling of being watched was far too strong. Even with a door between them, it made her scalp prickle.
“Who is it?”
The girl’s lively singing came to an abrupt halt, instantly turning wary.
The only response was the silence of the air.
“Who’s outside the door?”
Zhou Suisui called out again, her voice suddenly rising, a distinct tremor at the end.
In a flurry, she ducked lower into the water until only her head remained above the surface. Both hands gripped the edge of the bathtub tightly, and even her face had gone pale.
She had been careless just now, assuming there was no one in the room.
She had brought neither clothes nor her phone.
What would she do if it was a criminal?
The hot water covered her shoulders, then her collarbones.
Her heart pounded furiously, so fast it felt as if it might leap out of her throat.
She held her breath and forced herself to stay calm.
Her panicked eyes darted around the bathroom, searching for something she could use as a weapon.
But around the tip of her nose lingered a faint, familiar scent—with a hint of deadly danger.
The scent of cold cedar.
Zhou Suisui froze. That smell…
Jiang Zongyan’s entire body stiffened, a trace of embarrassment washing over him at being caught spying.
He turned around and was just about to leave when a nervous voice came from behind him.
“Jiang Zongyan?”
Zhou Suisui had called out instinctively, but the moment the words left her mouth, she felt foolish.
Why would he be here?
And in her room, of all places?!
She clearly remembered hearing him speak with Assistant Lin in the car yesterday. He had said he would not be attending tomorrow’s summit.
“It’s me.”
The man’s low, husky voice drifted over, carrying a trace of careful reassurance.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Jiang Zongyan stared at the half-closed lattice door before him.
After hesitating for several seconds, he gently pushed it open.
Sigh.
If Zhou Sui'an found out about this, he would probably try to kill him.
Peeping at a woman while she bathed was not something a gentleman did.
He knew perfectly well that he should not be standing there.
But he could not bring himself to leave without making sure she was safe. What if someone else came in?
“Brother Yan?”
Zhou Suisui instantly went on high alert.
Although she had no idea why he had appeared there, the moment she learned who was outside the door, she inexplicably relaxed. For some reason, as long as he was there, she felt that she had nothing to fear.
“Why are you in my room?”
“I didn’t do it on purpose. There may have been some misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding?”
“…”
It seemed impossible to explain.
When she heard no response from him, Zhou Suisui said helplessly, “Brother Yan, if your mother finds out you were peeking at me while I was bathing, do you think she’ll break your legs?”
Jiang Zongyan’s expression darkened.
“I didn’t do it on purpose. Besides… when did I ever see you bathing?”
