Twenty minutes later, the car stopped outside Taikoo Li.
Sang Ning thanked He Siyu sincerely, "Thank you for driving me here personally, Mr. He."
"You're welcome," He Siyu replied dismissively.
Sang Ning didn’t mind—his temper had always been peculiar.
"I’ll head off now," she said, pushing the car door open to leave.
"Sang Ning," he suddenly called out.
She paused and turned to look at him. His voice was calm. "Grandmother likes you a lot. Come visit her more often when you have time."
Sang Ning blinked. Quite the filial grandson, huh?
"I like Grandma He too. I’ll visit often."
After saying this, she glanced at him again, expecting a farewell.
But he hesitated.
Just as she was losing patience and about to politely excuse herself, He Siyu spoke again.
"You play the pipa quite well," he remarked casually.
"Huh?"
Sang Ning froze, wondering if she’d misheard. Had this arrogant, sharp-tongued heir just… complimented her?
And it didn’t even sound sarcastic?
He Siyu turned to glance at her. "Don’t want to leave?"
"..."
Without hesitation, Sang Ning stepped out of the car and coolly tossed back, "Goodbye, Mr. He."
Then she slammed the door shut with a bang and strode off.
He Siyu watched the door she’d just slammed, the corner of his lips quirking up. Still, she was oddly polite.
"Sang Ning!"
Ji Yan sat by the floor-to-ceiling window of a café, waving excitedly the moment she spotted Sang Ning.
Sang Ning saw her and pushed open the café’s glass door to enter.
"Finally! I was about to call you," Ji Yan said.
"Sorry, something came up," Sang Ning replied, taking a seat.
"Here, your coffee," Ji Yan slid a cup toward her.
Sang Ning took a sip and frowned—too bitter. She’d never liked bitter things.
She’d never liked suffering in general.
"The concert starts at seven tonight. Let’s shop around first. Oh, by the way, my dad loved the jade ruyi I brought home yesterday. Said I finally did something worthwhile and rewarded me for it."
Ji Yan waved a card with a grin. "Today’s shopping spree is on me!"
Sang Ning’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. "How much is on it?"
"Three million."
Sang Ning’s eyes widened. This tiny card was worth three million?
She wanted one too!
Ji Yan tugged Sang Ning up. "Come on, let’s go shopping!"
They spent the entire afternoon at Taikoo Li, blowing through all three million. Ji Yan bought herself a dress and a bracelet, then gifted Sang Ning two dresses and a bracelet.
"These Cartier diamond bracelets are a matching pair—a token of love. One for each of us."
Sang Ning shook the sparkling bracelet on her wrist, a small smile curling her lips. She loved it.
"When I get my money, I’ll buy you something too."
"What money?"
Sang Ning smiled. "I’ll have it soon."
Now that she was back with the Nan family, staying out of the fray wasn’t an option.
They grabbed dinner at a nearby restaurant before heading to the concert venue by seven.
The area outside was already packed with people. The moment Sang Ning stepped out of the car, she was stunned.
"This many people?"
She knew it was a performance, but she hadn’t expected such a massive crowd.
"Of course! Shi Mu is this year’s hottest superstar, and this is his first solo concert. Tickets were impossible to get—some fans couldn’t even buy them and are just here to listen from outside." Ji Yan pulled her toward a side entrance.
A staff member was already waiting there. After Ji Yan showed their VVIP tickets, they were ushered through a special passage.
Ji Yan was practically vibrating with excitement, nudging Sang Ning. "Don’t worry, we’ve got front-row seats. You’re in for a treat."
Sang Ning was puzzled. What kind of "treat" was there at a concert?
But once the show started, she understood.
As the speakers blasted a countdown, the entire crowd erupted in cheers.
Then a spotlight illuminated the stage, revealing a strikingly handsome man in a white shirt, holding a guitar and singing a sweet love song in a tender voice.
The audience screamed in waves.
Ji Yan clutched Sang Ning’s hand, squealing. "Oh my god, seeing Shi Mu perform live for the first time—he’s even hotter than in videos!"
Sang Ning blinked, staring at the man bathed in stage lights. So this was what a male celebrity looked like.
So dazzling. So glorious.
When the song ended, the stage darkened, plunging the crowd into silence, as if waiting for something.
Ji Yan clenched her fists, eyes glued to the shadowy stage.
Suddenly, all the spotlights flared back on. The blinding light made Sang Ning shut her eyes briefly—until a deafening shriek pierced her ears.
She opened her eyes to see the same gentle, handsome celebrity now ripping open his white shirt right in front of her.
Her pupils shrank.
The crowd exploded. The male star revealed his toned physique, then grabbed a bottle of water and poured it over his abs before twisting the cap off.
With a flick of his wrist, he sprayed the water into the air.
Ji Yan went wild, reaching out to catch it.
Sang Ning: "..."
Sang Ning had grown up strictly adhering to traditional virtues, barely speaking to men outside her family. She’d never witnessed such a bold display—let alone with tens of thousands of others.
And their seats were dead center in the front row, barely a meter from the stage. The half-naked, muscular man was right in front of her, shattering eighteen years of carefully upheld modesty into pieces.
The celebrity casually untied a silk scarf from his belt. "For my first concert, I’ll give away a little gift."
The crowd went berserk again.
He tossed the scarf into the air.
Ji Yan leaped up and caught it, waving it triumphantly. "Ahhh! I got it! Sang Ning, look!"
Sang Ning stared at the scarf in Ji Yan’s hand, her mind buzzing. In the Zhou Dynasty, this would’ve been considered scandalous debauchery…
Then she looked up and saw the sweaty, shirtless celebrity on stage smiling warmly at her.
This era… was truly something else.
"Damn, who’s that crazy girl? Is that Ji Yan?"
Gu Xingchen sat in the second row, watching Ji Yan scramble for the scarf. He’d brought his new girlfriend to the concert, and the wild scene was a bit much for him.
Seeing Ji Yan bouncing around like an overexcited fan, Gu Xingchen rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone to record a video, sending it to their group chat.
[Ji Yan’s lost it. Why do I run into her everywhere?]
Meanwhile, at the top floor of Huiyao’s corporate headquarters…
He Siyu had just finished signing documents and lazily picked up his phone, leaning back in his executive chair. He absentmindedly clicked on Gu Xingchen’s video.
The sudden burst of screaming made his brow furrow—he was about to close the noisy clip when his gaze caught on the bottom corner of the screen.
There she was: the same demure girl in a white dress who’d played the pipa at his home that morning.
Now, her eyes were glued to the half-naked man gyrating on stage, her ears tinged pink.
