Chapter 5: If It's Not Good, Why Are You Still Sleeping with Me?

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Shang Hejing showed not a trace of remorse after teasing her repeatedly, as if he was determined today to grind her pounding heart into the ground. Yet she didn’t quite understand what had happened that night in Paris. Even if she had been unfaithful to him, hadn’t he been unfaithful to her as well? Both sides were even; no one really lost out.

With this in mind, Xu Tanxi solemnly concluded in her heart: Shang Hejing was like a dog—he bit her whenever he caught her and never let go.

Xu Tanxi’s nature was not to be attacked without fighting back. Within seconds, she had formulated how to respond to Shang Yuqing’s question. She adjusted her posture slightly, leaned closer to Shang Yuqing, and whispered something in the young girl’s ear. Due to the distance, Shang Hejing didn’t catch what was said.

Shang Yuqing listened carefully; her expression shifted from curiosity to shock, and finally settled on sympathy—sympathy directed at her own brother’s face. She glanced between Shang Hejing and Xu Tanxi with a complicated look. “...Huh? This?”

Shang Hejing cast her a cold glance. Just one look from her brother was enough to convey his meaning, a silent but intense pressure.

Shang Yuqing shook her head vigorously like a rattle drum. “Brother, I’ll pretend I know nothing and won’t tell anyone, trust me.”

Shang Hejing frowned and shot her another icy, questioning look, full of intimidation.

Xu Tanxi leaned forward slightly, blocking his gaze toward Shang Yuqing. “Don’t bully the young lady. Didn’t Yuqing say she’d pretend not to know anything?”

After speaking, she smiled with a hint of triumph, successfully deceiving him. Xu Tanxi’s mood brightened considerably.

Her sly, radiant expression caught Shang Hejing’s eye. He fell silent for a moment, appreciating it, inexplicably finding it somewhat pleasing to the eye.

Seeing he no longer pressed the matter, Xu Tanxi believed he had lost interest and would no longer bite, so she withdrew her gaze contentedly.

The atmosphere between them settled, and the family banquet began.

The Shang family had a rule: no business talk at family banquets. So throughout the evening, everyone dined and chatted freely, creating a relaxed atmosphere that gradually eased Xu Tanxi’s previously tense nerves.

Midway through the meal, Shang Hejing suddenly stood and left his seat, his clothing brushing lightly against Xu Tanxi’s arm as he passed.

It tickled a little, and she instinctively moved her arm away.

She didn’t know where he was going, nor did she care.

Xu Tanxi used her fork to handle a butter-soaked sake scallop, feeding herself a bite and savoring it. Raising her eyes, she saw Shang Hejing standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, talking on the phone.

From this side, his stance revealed only a profile. Xu Tanxi looked away, feeling that even one more second of gazing at that face would shorten her life by half.

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Taking up her spoon again, she sipped the jasmine bamboo fungus soup, silently admiring the culinary skills of the Shang household’s kitchen staff.

Setting down the spoon, almost on a whim, she glanced again toward the window.

Shang Hejing’s expression was indifferent, revealing no emotion. From the shape of his lips moving, Xu Tanxi discerned he was speaking English.

His tall frame—over 1.8 meters—and casual stance gave him a commanding presence wherever he stood. Xu Tanxi attributed her involuntary gazes to this.

It was his presence invading her senses, not her desire to look at him.

Yes, that was it.

That night in Paris, she’d been too preoccupied to observe his face carefully. Now, she noticed many details clearly.

Shang Hejing’s father, Shang Zongnian, was a renowned Confucian merchant in Jing City.

“Confucian” implied not only a refined and gentle demeanor but also appearance—yet Shang Zongnian’s son was the complete opposite in temperament.

Shang Hejing’s face was undeniably handsome, but in a strikingly aggressive way. His brows were high, eye sockets deep, with smooth, elegant lines from his prominent brow ridge to his straight nose. His black eyes were deep and mysterious; his jawline was sharp and strong, with a heavy-boned face.

In today’s internet slang, it was like a 4K ultra-high-definition kind of handsome.

Xu Tanxi admired him for a moment, her gaze drifting downward until it reached a familiar spot she longed for—no, was familiar with.

The man’s broad shoulders and back were so wide that even through his clothes, the outlines of his chest muscles were discernible, stirring memories of that night in Paris when her hands had pressed against them.

At that moment, Shang Hejing suddenly glanced sideways toward her. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second.

Xu Tanxi’s heart jolted, and she quickly looked away, the spoon in her hand clinking against the porcelain plate.

Shang Zhaoshan, hearing the sound, looked over with concern. “Tanxi, what’s wrong?”

Xu Tanxi smiled politely. “Nothing, Grandpa, I just slipped.”

The old man smiled and urged gently, “Eat more.”

“Okay.”

When she looked up again, the man by the window had disappeared. Xu Tanxi frowned slightly. Did this dog of a man have the ability to vanish and reappear like that?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, a low male voice whispered close to her ear—

“Am I handsome?”

Xu Tanxi, never easily startled, felt her heart skip again. The spoon she had just picked up nearly slipped from her fingers.

She turned her head immediately. Shang Hejing’s face, which she had just studied closely, was now inches away; their noses almost touched.

Xu Tanxi frowned, blurting out, “Are you crazy? You scared me.”

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He wasn’t annoyed by her retort, only pressing further: “I’m asking you, Miss Xu. After looking at me so long, am I handsome?”

“Don’t you have some idea yourself whether you’re handsome or not?”

Shang Hejing chuckled lightly and sat down in his chair, speaking nonchalantly, “I’m face blind and never look in the mirror, so I have no idea.”

Xu Tanxi shot him a sidelong glance. “Is that so? Then I’ll tell you—you’re not handsome.”

“If I’m not handsome, why did you sleep with me?”

Xu Tanxi: “...Shang Hejing, are you never going to stop? I slept with you; didn’t you sleep with me?”

“I’m the one at a disadvantage.”

“You’re shameless.”

The two exchanged barbs back and forth, each sentence accompanied by a polite smile.

Shang Zhaoshan watched the younger two with great satisfaction, his face breaking into a wide smile.

“See? Hejing and Tanxi hit it off from the very first meeting. That shows they truly have a connection.”

Others nodded in agreement, especially Ge Huaichiu and Shang Zongnian, who looked extremely gratified.

Xu Tanxi smiled quietly along.

Shang Hejing said with a meaningful tone, “Yeah, we really do have a connection.”

Xu Tanxi ignored him.

But the old man’s curiosity got the better of him. “What were you talking about? Grandpa wants to hear too.”

Xu Tanxi was momentarily stunned, her mouth opening to invent an answer, but Shang Hejing beat her to it.

“We were talking about what gift she wanted for her birthday.”

Xu Tanxi turned toward him in shock, her face clearly saying: What kind of nonsense are you spouting?

Shang Hejing raised his right hand slowly, placing it on the back of her chair with a lazy gesture. Xu Tanxi glanced sideways.

That pose looked like he was enclosing her in his embrace, like a protective barrier.