Chapter 5

After catching sight of Mo Yiyan, Li Yangchen took two steps toward the entrance and politely greeted him, "Mr. Mo."

Today, she wore a white short-sleeved chiffon blouse paired with high-waisted black cropped trousers. Her small heels accentuated a glimpse of her snow-white ankles. The simplicity of her attire exuded an understated elegance, yet there was an undeniable allure that made Mo Yiyan narrow his eyes slightly, his Adam's apple moving ever so subtly.

"Apologies for keeping you waiting, Miss Li," he said as he strode in, moving toward the floor-to-ceiling windows and casting his gaze down upon her. "The meeting ran longer than expected."

Although Li Yangchen stood at approximately 170 cm, enhanced by her 5 cm heels, Mo Yiyan's towering height made her feel petite; she had to lift her chin to meet his gaze, smiling as she replied, "It's no problem at all."

"Shall we dine first?" Mo Yiyan suggested, turning to signal the butler at the door to enter.

"Mr. Mo, Miss Li, please take your seats," the butler warmly invited them.

Mo Yiyan deftly unfastened his suit jacket, slipping it off fluidly and tossing it to the butler before sitting down. He then released two buttons of his shirt, turning to Li Yangchen and asking, "This restaurant specializes in Cantonese cuisine. Do you have any dietary restrictions, Miss Li?"

Li Yangchen shook her head. Mo Yiyan then instructed the butler to order various dishes, which the butler noted before heading to the kitchen.

"Are you traveling to the United States alone this summer?" he inquired once the butler had left.

"My father works there, so I'm going to visit him," Li Yangchen replied.

A moment later, a graceful woman dressed in a qipao entered, carrying a tray with freshly brewed tea.

Li Yangchen lifted the teacup, inhaling the aroma; it was subtly fragrant, unlike ordinary floral teas.

"How do you find the tea, Miss Li?" Mo Yiyan asked after taking a sip.

"It's delightful, likely infused with several herbal ingredients," she said after tasting it.

Mo Yiyan raised an eyebrow, intrigued, and asked, "Which herbs do you think are included?"

"I suspect there's dried tangerine peel and longan in it," Li Yangchen guessed after another sip.

"You're absolutely correct; our tea indeed includes dried tangerine peel and longan, known for their ability to moisten dryness and stimulate the appetite—perfect for summer," the tea lady said with a smile.

Mo Yiyan gestured for her to leave, and she nodded respectfully as she exited, closing the door behind her.

"You seem knowledgeable about tea," he remarked.

"Not particularly; I often teach and enjoy brewing some tea that helps with throat dryness," Li Yangchen explained before remembering the reason for her visit and asking, "Mr. Mo, has the online education platform you mentioned yesterday gone live?"

"You've heard of You Er Xue Education Group, right?" Mo Yiyan asked, pouring her a cup of tea.

Li Yangchen nodded. She recognized "You Er Xue" as an institution that specializes in after-school tutoring for primary and secondary students. She recalled that some students who struggled with their studies had attended this program for extra help.

"Last week, the company received a financing proposal from them, and I'm quite interested. The marketing department conducted a market survey previously, and with the government now supporting educational investments, the long-term returns appear promising. However, investments carry risks, and I'm still deliberating. Since you're an educator, I'd like to seek your advice," he said, pulling out his phone. "May I send you some information? Would it be alright to add you on WeChat?"

Li Yangchen agreed.

Mo Yiyan opened the WeChat app, and she scanned his QR code, which revealed his profile: an image of the sea with his name as the nickname.

After sending a friend request, which was promptly accepted, she received a PDF file.

Opening it, she quickly skimmed through, noting a substantial section dedicated to the brand introduction of "You Er Xue."

Her attention was drawn to the words "artificial intelligence" when she read about the brand's advantages. The platform claimed to utilize emotion recognition technology to dynamically and accurately capture students' classroom states and emotional data, using advanced technologies like big data and cloud computing to generate personalized learning plans based on their weaker knowledge points.

Having taught online at another tutoring institution during her postgraduate studies, Li Yangchen understood the advantages and disadvantages of online education well; the primary benefit was convenience, while the significant drawback was the inability to gauge students' understanding.

This new emotion recognition technology that "You Er Xue" developed indeed represented a substantial innovation that addressed the shortcomings of online teaching. Since no other tutoring brands had adopted this technology yet, it conferred a considerable competitive edge upon "You Er Xue."

However, since Li Yangchen had yet to experience the technology firsthand, she couldn't definitively judge its efficacy. After perusing the document, she remarked to Mo Yiyan, "The emotion recognition technology is quite intriguing and stands out as a significant innovation compared to traditional online courses."

Mo Yiyan nodded and replied, "Indeed, the platform is currently in internal testing, but for broader application, more funding is needed. You Er Xue aims to raise this through financing. My assistant will be bringing a laptop soon, and you can experience it yourself."

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

"Let's eat first," Mo Yiyan suggested, responding to the knock.

The butler and a server entered, wheeling in a cart laden with dishes, which they carefully placed on the table. After the butler finished arranging the meal, he intended to remain, but Mo Yiyan signaled for him to leave and personally ladled a bowl of soup for Li Yangchen. As she accepted it, her fingertips brushed against his long, cool fingers, which were distinctly defined.

During their previous conversation before the meal, their eyes inevitably met. Indeed, as Wu Jiaxin had mentioned, he seemed to harbor ulterior motives. Despite her efforts to remain unaffected, the noble aura and commanding presence he exuded made her feel tense, and she found it difficult to linger on his features for long. She began to regret accepting this invitation, especially since they were meeting in such an intimate setting.

"Is the soup to your liking?" Mo Yiyan asked, noticing her take a sip but then pause, spoon hovering in mid-air.

"It's good; it's just a bit hot," Li Yangchen said, regaining her composure.

Throughout the meal, Mo Yiyan was the epitome of a gentleman, encouraging her to eat while maintaining a low-key conversation.

As they neared the end of their meal, a knock sounded at the door, and the butler opened it to admit a man carrying a laptop.

Upon entering, he respectfully addressed Mo Yiyan before nodding to Li Yangchen.

"Open the computer, I'll be using it shortly," Mo Yiyan instructed his assistant.

After the assistant set up the laptop, he exited the room.

"Is this the online teaching platform we discussed earlier?" Li Yangchen asked, now full and wiping her hands with a damp towel as she approached the table where the laptop sat.

"Exactly," Mo Yiyan replied, rising from his seat as she moved away.

He stepped behind her, bending slightly to activate the internal testing system.

His warm chest pressed against her back, sending a wave of warmth through her body; the brief contact caused a gentle friction, making her heart race.

As he stood behind her, attentively studying the screen, his finger would occasionally point to different areas, posing questions.

With their proximity so close, Li Yangchen did her best to lean against the table, creating distance from him.

She reminded herself to relax and not overly focus on his presence, attempting to converse with him casually. However, his broad form looming behind her, and his breath brushing against her neck as he spoke felt akin to a man's soft kiss upon a woman, leaving her feeling restless.

He stood behind her for several minutes, and Li Yangchen felt increasingly enveloped in warmth. Just as she was on the verge of seeking an excuse to step away, the door swung open, accompanied by several footsteps and an exuberant voice.

The two turned to the entrance to see three tall men walk in.

"I knew I wasn't mistaken; that's my brother's car," the red-haired man at the front remarked, but his expression shifted to surprise at the sight of the pair in such an intimate position. However, he quickly composed himself and smiled at Mo Yiyan, "Brother, are you here with your girlfriend for dinner?" With the assistant absent, he tested the waters regarding their relationship.

Mo Yiyan straightened up, giving him a glare. "Didn't you think to knock?" Then, turning to Li Yangchen, he noticed the embarrassment on her face and gently said, "I'll arrange for the driver to take you home."

Li Yangchen nodded, feeling a small sigh of relief as she picked up her handbag, preparing to leave.

"Oh, what a coincidence! We arrive, and big brother and sister-in-law are leaving!" the red-haired man exclaimed, immediately realizing that their abrupt arrival might have interrupted Mo Yiyan's plans.

Li Yangchen glanced at the man, about to clarify, "Sorry, you..."

Before she could finish with "misunderstood," Mo Yiyan interjected, "Don't mind them; let's head down."

As they stepped out, the two other men who had remained silent politely said to her, "Sister-in-law, goodbye."

Li Yangchen was taken aback by their straightforwardness. Did every woman appearing alongside Mo Yiyan get labeled as "sister-in-law"? Or perhaps he was too casual, allowing his friends to tease without concern, and relishing such ambiguous titles?

Realizing what was happening, she considered explaining that she wasn't their sister-in-law, but the door had already closed behind them.

With no choice but to leave, she furrowed her brows as she descended the stairs.

"Don't mind them; they've had a few drinks and are just joking around," Mo Yiyan's voice came from behind.

Walking ahead, Li Yangchen didn't see his expression at that moment. Was that an explanation? Why not clarify in front of those three? She felt a bubble of irritation rising within her. She thought businesspeople were alike, probably enjoying such seemingly harmless jokes during social engagements, but it struck her as rather frivolous.

Yet when it came time to respond, she simply said, "I don't mind."

She didn't want to express her discomfort, wishing to avoid any entanglements.

At the entrance of the villa, the driver noticed two people exiting and quickly moved to open the car door. Li Yangchen paused at the car door, turning to look at Mo Yiyan, her eyes catching a glimpse of several people standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor. Calmly, she said, "Mr. Mo, you go ahead. I'll organize today's thoughts and send them over to you later."

Mo Yiyan nodded gently, his expression warm. "Let's stay in touch."

Li Yangchen stepped into the car, unaware of the faint smile lingering on Mo Yiyan's lips. After the car departed, Mo Yiyan turned and glanced at the second-floor window, his dark eyes unfathomable, like the depths of a bottomless lake. He stood at the villa's entrance for a moment before heading back to the private room on the second floor.

The red-haired man saw him enter and remained expressionless, his thoughts inscrutable. Tapping his chin, he asked inquisitively, "Boss, did we interrupt something important?"

Mo Yiyan took out a cigarette, and the red-haired man, ever perceptive, quickly lit it for him. Exhaling a puff of smoke, Mo Yiyan's cold gaze swept over the three of them without saying a word, his icy presence sending shivers down their spines.

Two other men standing by the table caught sight of an open notebook, its contents visible on the screen. One pointed and joked, "Boss, don't tell me she's just PR from that company!"

Mo Yiyan's brows furrowed, and he snapped, "Nonsense!"

His sharp tone silenced the others immediately.

"We've just been wondering why you haven't had a woman by your side for over a year! We're concerned about your personal life," the red-haired man said, awkwardly smoothing things over.

Mo Yiyan narrowed his eyes at him, saying, "Seems like you have too much time on your hands. I'll tell your father to assign you some projects to practice on."

These men were second-generation heirs from Peng City's business circle, whose families had business ties with Mo Yiyan's company. Known for his sharp and decisive business tactics, Mo Yiyan's words carried weight, not just with these young heirs but with their elders as well. They were typical trust-fund kids, more interested in indulgence than in developing their careers.

One of the men, sensing the shift, quickly suggested, "It's been a while since we played cards with you, boss. How about we chat while playing a game?"

With that, he called for the butler to bring out the mahjong set.

...

When Li Yangchen got home, she edited her reflections from the day and sent them to Mo Yiyan via WeChat. She didn't believe her insights held much value for his investment strategies, but after some thought, she decided it was better to share them.

After sending the message, she shut off her phone without waiting for a reply, plugged it in to charge, and went to wash up.

She wasn't oblivious. After spending time with him today, she had a faint suspicion about his intentions. In their circles, many things didn't even require a hint—just a slight lapse in her guard, and matters could easily head in a different direction.

She'd heard of such things happening to others but had always kept her distance, choosing not to comment. But if something like this were to happen to her, it would undoubtedly stir a different kind of feeling.

Influenced by her parents from a young age, Li Yangchen held a conservative view toward relationships. She was slow to warm to people and didn't believe in love at first sight. Instead, she preferred relationships that developed naturally and steadily over time. She could never fall for someone instantly; it would only happen gradually, after deepening interactions.

At 26, she had watched her female friends cycle through boyfriends with endless enthusiasm, flitting from one relationship to the next. But such a fast-paced approach to love wasn't something she could accept.

...

Friday morning.

Bright sunlight streamed through the southern balcony, casting a warm glow on the light wooden floor. The thin white curtains swayed gently in the air-conditioned breeze, and a faint scent of jasmine wafted through the room.

Li Yangchen sat at the dining table, talking on the phone with Yan Zhaoling.

"He invited you to a private, high-end club—sounds like he was trying to flirt, but in the end, you made a quick escape!" Yan Zhaoling summarized after hearing about her dinner with Mo Yiyan the previous night.

"Not exactly," Li Yangchen sighed, feeling uncomfortable with the idea of flirting.

"Has he contacted you since?"

"He called later, but I had already turned off my phone. This morning, I saw a missed call, but I don't plan on calling him back."

"Are you giving him the cold shoulder? I've never met him in person, but he seems like a strong-willed type. If he's interested in you, he won't give up easily. You know that saying: 'The one you can't have is always stirring, while the favored one acts with impunity.' If he reaches out again, how do you plan to respond?" Yan Zhaoling mused, suggesting that men like him thrived on the thrill of the chase.

"If he makes it clear, I'll reject him," Li Yangchen replied after some thought. Though she had met him a few times, her instincts told her that despite his charm, he was a man of integrity. Even if he had a playful side, he likely wouldn't push boundaries.

Just then, the call was interrupted by another line. She glanced at the screen and saw it was the head of her department calling. She quickly told Yan, "I have to go. The school's calling, probably about a meeting."

That afternoon, after the meeting at school, Li Yangchen had some free time and decided to visit her friend Wu Jiaxin's yoga studio for a workout.