There was a flash of surprise and excitement in Ji Mingtian’s eyes.
He nodded vigorously.
“Let’s watch the videos.”
The screen in the media room began playing a short professional profile.
It opened with Ji Mingtian running on a track in athletic wear.
“I used to be a sprinter on the provincial team and took part in…” Several famous competitions appeared in subtitles on the right, followed by the words: “Achieving impressive results.”
The scene shifted.
Ji Mingtian was shown in his studio.
“After retiring, I changed careers and studied sports rehabilitation. Many retired athletes suffer from old injuries, so I wanted not only to heal myself, but also to help many of my good friends.”
“I now run a niche physical therapy studio.”
The short film ended, and everyone burst into applause.
Ji Mingtian was visibly moved, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. “It’s my first time watching myself on television with everyone. I’m actually a little embarrassed.”
Liu Qingye propped her chin on one hand and tilted her head slightly, her dreamy eyes drifting toward him.
In a soft voice, she said, “You’re amazing.”
Ji Mingtian grew even more embarrassed. He covered his head with one hand, trying to hide his smile.
Xu Jinsi quietly took everything in.
Next was Ji Liuyue’s turn.
She joked, “Everyone, take a guess. My brother is an athlete, so I’m pretty impressive too!”
Ji Mingtian laughed. “I’m a provincial-level athlete, so you must be a national-level one.”
“Thank you kindly,” Ji Liuyue replied, clasping her hands in a mock salute.
After a round of joking around, Zhang Weiyi guessed seriously, “Yueyue is so beautiful. She must work in something related to the arts or entertainment, right?”
Wang Aitian quickly agreed. “Yes, yes.”
Liu Qingye watched the cluster of female guests with a fake smile, disdain flickering in her eyes.
She was nothing more than a minor model. And was Ji Liuyue really that beautiful?
She couldn’t hold a candle to her.
Ji Liuyue’s gaze suddenly fell on someone in the distance, toward Xu Jinsi’s side of the room. “Why aren’t you two guessing?”
She had cleverly said “you two.”
That spot was occupied by Cen Yu and Xu Jinsi.
Her wording was vague enough that either of them could answer.
Xu Jinsi understood her almost instantly. His captivating eyes lifted slightly, and his deep gaze met hers in midair before sliding away.
It had lasted no more than a second or two.
Yet in that brief moment, the two of them had already exchanged an imperceptible tug-of-war.
Following Zhang Weiyi and Wang Aitian’s line of reasoning, Cen Yu spoke up. “So, is she an actress?”
Ji Liuyue shook her head.
Xu Jinsi’s voice was deep and pleasant, his answer unhurried. “A model.”
His tone was certain.
Ji Liuyue curved her lips into a radiant smile.
“Xu Jinsi, you got it right.”
Whenever she was interested in a male guest, she addressed him by his full name. The three syllables were not remotely suggestive, yet somehow, when they came from her lips, they carried a different kind of meaning.
Even the usually silent Lu Nanxun raised his head.
He looked at Ji Liuyue.
A wave of bitterness rose in his heart.
The way Ji Liuyue had called out to Xu Jinsi just now was exactly the same as when she had addressed him during their date at the racecourse.
She had smiled like that then too as she said, “Lu Nanxun.”
“There’s nothing special. I just think your name sounds nice.”
So this was simply how Ji Liuyue interacted with all the male guests?
It was nothing unusual. Which meant that the inexplicable feeling he’d had during their date had only been his own imagination.
She hadn’t been sending him any signals.
That should have been a good thing.
After all, Lu Nanxun had always been certain that the person he had liked since the beginning of the show was Liu Qingye.
So why did he now feel… unable to put it into words, as though he couldn’t breathe?
He tilted his head back and watched the footage playing on-screen.
Ji Liuyue appeared in a photography studio, wearing outfits of various styles as she posed with boundless energy and flawless professionalism.
“My name is Ji Liuyue, and I’m currently a model.”
“Of course I like my job. I really enjoy being photographed in front of the camera. To put it somewhat narcissistically, I feel as though I belong in front of the lens.”
The scene changed.
Ji Liuyue was wearing casual loungewear, curled up on a balcony in a rocking chair as she basked in the sunlight.
The sun was warm and bright. With her eyes narrowed, she looked like a lazy little cat.
In a gentle voice, she said:
“Sometimes, I also enjoy spending time alone.”
“People who know me may think I’m energetic, lively, and passionate, but the truth is, I also need a little time to myself.”
“Curling up in my own safe space, doing absolutely nothing, and quietly basking in the sunlight—that’s happiness to me.”
Lu Nanxun’s eyes remained fixed on the screen.
He watched with complete focus.
He did not even blink.
The Ji Liuyue he knew was just like the first half of the short film—bright and uninhibited—and just like the woman he had gone horseback riding with that day.
She was always full of energy, like a little sun.
But in the second half of the video, she lay quietly on the balcony, her eyes narrowed as she basked in the sunlight, her expression gentle and soft.
It was as if that image had struck him directly in the heart.
Especially the things she had said.
Lu Nanxun felt exactly the same way.
He considered himself a person with very little energy, so aside from work, he preferred to spend most of his time alone.
He had never expected that, deep within their souls, the two of them would happen to share such a perfect point of connection.
The professional profile videos continued one after another.
Wang Aitian was a pastry chef. This year, she had also worked hard to start her own business, opening a French dessert shop of her own.
As everyone had expected, Cen Yu had once been a Michelin-starred chef. The restaurant he had opened in Haishi had already been operating for more than five years.
In some ways, Wang Aitian and Cen Yu’s professions suited each other rather well.
That was probably why they had mutually chosen each other for their first date. It could be considered a coincidental understanding between them.
The most surprising of all was Zhang Weiyi.
Her short hair gave her a capable appearance, while her black-rimmed glasses made her look stern.
She was a doctoral student in architecture.
When it was Xu Jinsi’s turn, everyone’s attention fell on him.
Cen Yu guessed, “Do you have a business of your own?”
Xu Jinsi shook his head. “No.”
Wang Aitian said, “You look exactly like a domineering CEO, so are you the second generation of a family business?”
Xu Jinsi shook his head again.
The eyes behind Zhang Weiyi’s lenses were sharp and perceptive. “Is it something related to the financial industry?”
Xu Jinsi replied, “Yes.”
Liu Qingye had been waiting for this opportunity.
As the person the production team was promoting most heavily, she had actually seen all the guests’ professions long ago.
She smiled and lifted the corners of her lips, about to speak.
But Ji Liuyue beat her to it.
“Xu Jinsi, you have such a strong CBD vibe. Are you in private equity?”
She knew the answer, of course, thanks to the advantage of having read the original storyline.
Xu Jinsi’s pupils contracted slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes.
It was as though he could not understand how a naive, simple-minded female guest like Ji Liuyue could have guessed his profession in one try.
His family did own a business, but he had no interest in taking it over.
Once a family had accumulated wealth through three generations, its members were free to pursue whatever they wanted.
“Yes!”
At the same time, the voice from the short film began playing on the screen in the media room.
“My name is Xu Jinsi. I’m twenty-eight years old and a partner at one of the country’s leading private equity funds. I currently manage nearly ten billion yuan in assets…”
