Lian Hai had only run a few steps when he spotted Su Chenzhu also present, immediately slowing his pace, even the lively green strands of his hair seeming to droop.
"Good day, Mr. Su," he said obediently as he approached the two, struggling for a moment before finally settling on: "The weather is lovely today. Are you out for a stroll, Mr. Su?"
Su Chenzhu gave a slight nod.
Chen You glanced at his cousin, then at Lian Yang, who was leisurely making his way over. How had he ended up with the Lian brothers?
"President Su," Lian Yang, who had been admiring the scenery with an air of ease, brightened instantly upon seeing Su Chenzhu and strode forward enthusiastically. "It’s been a while—you’re as distinguished as ever. I arrived too late last night to meet you, but what luck to run into you in the gardens today."
Chao Musheng raised an eyebrow at Lian Yang. The eldest son of the Lian family, heir to Lian’s Oceanic Enterprises, was a well-regarded figure among the younger generation. Today’s "chance encounter" didn’t seem all that coincidental.
"Meeting like this must be fate," Lian Yang continued. "I heard from Second Young Master Chen that there’s a viewing pavilion ahead. Why don’t we all go inside for some tea and scenery?"
Chen You shot Lian Yang a look. The eldest Lian heir was as shameless as ever—was Chen Garden his to extend invitations in?
The fact that these two brothers had been brought here by Chen Fang only soured Chen You’s mood further.
"Very well," Su Chenzhu said after a glance at Chao Musheng, lowering his lashes as he accepted Lian Yang’s invitation.
President Su was truly a man of few words.
Lian Hai trailed behind Chao Musheng, stealing glances at the legendary heavyweight figure. For some reason, though, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Su Chenzhu seemed… unhappy.
The viewing pavilion in Chen Garden was a three-story structure built over water, surrounded by willow trees along the pond’s edge, their reflections mingling with the lotus flowers and rock formations. Shortly after Chao Musheng took his seat, it began to "rain."
"Scenery is all the more beautiful in the rain," Chen You remarked softly, clapping his hands once. Several men and women in ancient-style robes entered, carrying musical instruments, and began playing a gentle, classical melody.
"What’s this?" Lian Hai listened to the sound of raindrops pattering against the roof, curiously peering around.
"The pavilion is equipped with a simulated rainfall system. Water is pumped to the top and sprayed to create the illusion of rain," Chen You explained with scholarly composure, though beneath his calm expression, Chao Musheng detected his unwavering determination to claim Chen Garden for himself.
A young man and woman knelt nearby, performing a traditional tea ceremony for the guests.
While rinsing the tea leaves, the male tea master suddenly fumbled, the teacup slipping from his hands and clattering loudly against the table.
Chen You turned to give him a cool, wordless glance before standing to pour a fresh cup of tea, placing it before Su Chenzhu. "I’ve heard you appreciate fine tea, Mr. Su. This is a new batch my grandfather acquired just days ago. Please, enjoy."
Su Chenzhu curled his index finger slightly, pushing the cup toward Chao Musheng instead.
Lian Yang, seated across from Chao Musheng, observed the scene with widened eyes. Was President Su displeased with Chen You’s neglect and casual dismissal of Chao Musheng?
Chen You quickly caught on, hastily pouring tea for everyone at the table. "My apologies, Mr. Chao. You’re around the same age as my younger sister, so I assumed you’d prefer modern beverages like her."
Idiot.
Lian Yang smirked. That explanation might sound polite, but it was really just a cover—hardly genuine respect for Chao Musheng.
"Chen Garden’s scenery is exquisite. Even if you served me plain water, I’d find it delightful," Chao Musheng said, lifting the cup without even touching it to his lips before setting it down and turning to gaze at the artificial rain outside.
"Wonderful tea—so fragrant!" Lian Hai took a hearty sip. "Next time, skip the tea masters. Young Master Chen’s skills are more than enough."
"The tea is too strong. My assistant prefers it lighter," Su Chenzhu said, rising and stepping toward the tea table. Addressing the two tea masters, he added, "If you’d excuse me."
The tea masters, uncertain what the esteemed guest intended, nervously retreated.
Even Chao Musheng was drawn in by Su Chenzhu’s movements, his full attention captured.
Su Chenzhu glanced up at him with a smile, rolling up his sleeves before beginning to brew tea with effortless grace.
If the tea masters’ performance had been meticulous, Su Chenzhu’s was pure elegance. There were no exaggerated gestures, yet every motion was mesmerizing.
Lian Yang was momentarily dazed. What had he done to deserve witnessing President Su’s tea ceremony?
Chao Musheng stared, transfixed, and couldn’t resist snapping a photo of Su Chenzhu with his phone.
Somehow, he felt it would be a regret not to preserve this moment.
"A cup of light tea, to wish Chao Chao a pleasant mood," Su Chenzhu said softly, presenting the freshly brewed tea with both hands.
His fingers were already slender, but against the white porcelain, they looked even more refined.
Chao Musheng accepted the cup, steam curling upward. He could feel his ears warming under its heat.
Su Chenzhu hadn’t rolled his sleeves back down. His bare wrist, adorned only with a watch, was strikingly defined, and even the way he offered the tea exuded nobility. "How does it taste?"
Chao Musheng took a sip, unable to resist stealing another glance at Su Chenzhu’s forearm and hands. "Perfect."
Mr. Su’s wrist and hands were so pleasing to look at.
No—it was the tea brewed by those hands that was truly exquisite.
Su Chenzhu rotated his wrist slightly, the lines of his forearm shifting with the motion. "Then I’m relieved."
Chen You’s smile had nearly frozen. Earlier, the butler had told him that Mr. Xuan’s divination suggested Chao Musheng’s fortunes were waning—hardly a threat. But since when did employees with "waning fortunes" get their boss to personally brew tea for them?
Forget bosses—even his own grandfather wouldn’t serve him tea in front of guests!
Did his grandfather value him less than Su Chenzhu valued Chao Musheng?
Unfortunately for Chen You, the rest of the table was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle—especially Chen Fang, who looked ready to burst into laughter.
No one was inclined to smooth things over for him. Instead, they took turns praising Chao Musheng and Su Chenzhu in roundabout ways.
"President Su is a master strategist, and Brother Chao is brilliantly talented," Lian Hai chimed in, caught up in the mood. "The two of you are a match made in heaven!"
Lian Yang stiffened. So busy relishing Chen You’s embarrassment, he’d forgotten his own brother’s lack of tact.
…
Was "match made in heaven" really the right phrase here?
"My apologies, Mr. Su," he said awkwardly. "My brother studied abroad from a young age, so his Mandarin—"
"It’s fine," Su Chenzhu replied, his expression softening, a faint smile playing at his lips. "With Assistant Chao, Kunlun has indeed gained wings."
Chao Musheng shot Lian Yang a look. Lian Hai had been in high school domestically—since when had he "studied abroad from a young age"?
Lian Hai offered Chao Musheng an embarrassed grin. Just a little white lie from my brother—hope you’ll overlook it.
"What the hell..."
Brother Hu, having called for an ambulance earlier, slipped back into the rear courtyard amid the crowd and began weeding the flowerbeds. Before long, rain began to fall from the sky.
What was even more infuriating was that aside from the area near the viewing pavilion, it wasn’t raining anywhere else. He wrung out his soaked clothes and looked up for a long moment before realizing—this wasn’t actual rain. Instead, there were countless sprinklers installed at higher points, creating the illusion of rainfall.
Rich people really knew how to play.
He kicked at the grass underfoot, ready to find another spot to slack off and kill time.
“Wait.” A servant approached, holding an oil-paper umbrella, and handed him one. “Come with me. I’ll take you to change into dry clothes.”
Even the umbrellas were oil-paper ones—Chen Manor truly paid attention to detail.
“Thanks, bro.” Brother Hu opened the umbrella, grinning widely. “But… will the clean clothes be deducted from my pay?”
The servant gave him a complicated look. “No.”
He had no idea what kind of luck this clueless, burly guy had stumbled into—a distinguished guest had personally requested he be brought in to take shelter from the rain.
“Thanks, bro.” Relieved, Brother Hu followed the servant, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. He didn’t spot anyone, so he lifted the umbrella slightly and glanced up at the viewing pavilion.
Yesterday afternoon, when guests had visited the pavilion, he hadn’t seen any artificial rainfall setup.
The guest upstairs now must be someone important—otherwise, the Chen family wouldn’t go to such lengths.
Beneath the viewing pavilion was a small storage room. Brother Hu changed into dry clothes there before following the servant upstairs. Before even reaching the top, he could already hear the sound of a pipa drifting down.
When he finally ascended and peered through the window by the railing, he understood why the Chen family had activated the rain simulation.
The soft patter of rain draped the pavilions and terraces in a hazy veil, making the scene look like something out of a fairy tale.
How much money had this cost?
The master of the house spent money like water, while the steward even skimmed profits from the staff uniforms—what a disgrace!
“Go on in.” The servant glanced behind the folding screen and whispered a kind reminder, “Once inside, don’t speak out of turn.”
The master and young master wouldn’t tolerate any embarrassment in front of their esteemed guest.
Following the warning, Brother Hu kept his head down as he stepped around the screen and greeted obediently, “Young Master, greetings. Esteemed guests, greetings.”
The room was filled with the faint fragrance of tea, but the atmosphere was tense. Brother Hu guessed the conversation between the Chen family’s young master and the guest wasn’t going smoothly.
“Xiao Hu.”
Hearing the familiar voice, Brother Hu’s nerves instantly settled. He lifted his head slightly. “Chao-ge?”
“Mr. Chao, you know him?” Chen You’s heart leaped—finally, a chance to please Chao Musheng.
“He’s my friend.” Chao Musheng noticed that although Brother Hu had changed clothes, his hair was still damp. “We’ve already enjoyed the rain scene. Since you’re busy, Young Master Chen, we should take our leave.”
Chen You didn’t dare dismiss Chao Musheng’s attitude any longer. Hearing this, he quickly stood. “The floor is slippery—let me escort you out.”
“No need.” Chao Musheng smiled politely. “Xiao Hu can accompany us.”
Without waiting for Chen You to respond, Brother Hu swiftly moved to Chao Musheng’s side—so smoothly that one might wonder if he was actually Chao Musheng’s lackey rather than a Chen family servant.
The Chen and Lian brothers escorted Su Chenzhu and Chao Musheng all the way to the edge of the viewing garden before reluctantly stopping.
If Su Chenzhu hadn’t minded, they would’ve gladly accompanied him all the way to the building entrance.
“Brother,” Lian Hai whispered to Lian Yang, “did you see that? Chao-ge could even make decisions for Su-zong.”
Lian Yang countered, “How do you know?”
“When Chao-ge said they were leaving, Su-zong hadn’t even spoken yet.” Lian Hai shook his head. “Think about it—if I don’t speak, my underlings wouldn’t dare say a word.”
“With a brain like yours, running an entertainment company is about all you can manage.” Lian Yang watched Su Chenzhu’s retreating figure. “If not for Dad’s sake, Su-zong wouldn’t have even bothered drinking tea. You think Chao Musheng was acting on his own, but in reality, he was playing the bad cop for Su Chenzhu.”
“Huh?” Lian Hai was stunned—he hadn’t noticed at all. “So Su-zong never wanted to drink tea in the first place.”
“He was already doing us a favor by humoring us for Dad’s sake, but Chen You, that idiot, had to offend Chao Musheng too.” Lian Yang ruffled his younger brother’s green-haired head. “You might not have a business brain, but at least you called Chao Musheng ‘Chao-ge.’ That alone puts you miles ahead of Chen You.”
Old Man Chen spent his days seeking divine fortune-telling, yet it was his younger brother who had the luck to run into Mr. Chao on the Moonview cruise.
Such was fate.
“Su-xiansheng, look.” Once they left the viewing garden, Chao Musheng handed his phone to Su Chenzhu, showing a side-profile photo of him brewing tea.
Chao Musheng was quite pleased with his handiwork. “Doesn’t it look great?”
The boss’s beauty was the employee’s pride.
“Mn.” Su Chenzhu glanced at Chao Musheng’s face, now close to his, before slowly shifting his gaze to the phone.
“I’ll send it to you.” Chao Musheng opened the messaging app, pulled up his contacts, and sent the photo. “Did you get it?”
Su Chenzhu paused. “No.”
“Wait—I think I sent it to the wrong person!” Chao Musheng realized he’d sent it to a contact named “Su” instead of “Su-zong.” He quickly recalled the message. “This contact’s name shares your surname—I must’ve misread it.”
He resent the photo to Su Chenzhu, but when the other man remained silent, he prompted, “Su-xiansheng?”
“I was looking at the photo.” Su Chenzhu zoomed in, saved it, then replaced his default system avatar with the image. “It’s my fault for having such an unnoticeable profile picture. Now you won’t mix them up again.”
Brother Hu, trailing behind them, was deeply moved.
Instead of scolding his employee for sending the photo to the wrong person, the boss blamed his own unremarkable avatar. Such a good boss could only exist in another world.
Unlike his own dog of a boss, who’d blame his employees even if he tripped over his own feet—Brother Hu just wanted to tie him up and hang him from a lamppost.
Within three minutes of Su Chenzhu changing his avatar, the entire executive office knew about it.
Secretaries and assistants all clicked on the boss’s new profile picture, scrutinizing it from every possible angle.
In the photo, the boss was holding a teacup, his silver spectacle chain dangling. Behind the lenses, his gaze was tender, as if he were looking at a lover through the cup.
The photographer must have been standing very close—possibly even at an angle that suggested admiration.
Good heavens, which brave soul had dared to capture the boss looking so gentle and affectionate?
