From afar, seeing Shen Hongmei's perfect silhouette, Li Zhiyan couldn't help but recall that night.
It was truly a memory he would never forget for the rest of his life.
Deep down, he had genuine feelings for Shen Hongmei.
After all, Shen Hongmei had taught him so much, guiding him from a novice to a level of mastery.
Now he was practically capable of everything.
"I should probably steer clear of Aunt Shen for now…"
Li Zhiyan avoided Shen Hongmei and wandered around elsewhere, planning to head to the location from the intel a little later.
...
Shen Hongmei felt incredibly frustrated, especially tormented by her period.
On top of that, some issues had recently arisen in her business.
Being someone naturally fiery and bold, Shen Hongmei was feeling rather glum.
So as she drove past the Hundred Herbs Garden today, she impulsively decided to stop by and take a stroll.
After all, the scenery in the garden was quite pleasant, with trees and a lake—perhaps it could help ease her mood.
Stepping inside, seeing the massive garden sparsely populated with tourists, her mood lifted slightly—it offered a chance for a little quiet.
As she walked deeper, Shen Hongmei felt as though she'd entered a paradise, and once again, the image of Li Zhiyan holding her foot from that day emerged in her mind.
Her cold foot pressed against his stomach, and soon she felt warmth spreading, the pain even subsiding significantly.
"That kid…"
Murmuring about Li Zhiyan under her breath, a call from an unknown number suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
It wasn't unusual for Shen Hongmei to get calls from strangers.
Due to business needs, she had no choice but to tolerate these calls.
"Hello, Ms. Shen Hongmei, your daughter has been in a car accident. I'm her friend…"
"Bullshit! I'm her mother, you idiot!"
Shen Hongmei cursed and immediately hung up, blocking the number.
Scam calls like this came to her almost daily.
According to these scammers, her daughter had been in countless accidents, and the fact that they even knew her name added to her annoyance.
Meanwhile, Li Zhiyan stood separated from Shen Hongmei by a wall of bushes, listening to her cursing.
It only made him like her more.
He knew this was her natural personality—fiercely bold—but toward him, she was always gentler by comparison.
Zhao Shumin, on the other hand, was purely a shrew through and through. Li Zhiyan could never forget the scene of Zhao Shumin clinging to his back, choking him tightly, and ripping his T-shirt apart.
That was her signature move, an emotional attack on her opponents.
Like the last time when she tore an old aunt's skin and left her bleeding.
But for him, it didn't matter at all.
That T-shirt was now reduced to nothing but a few shreds, and he swore to get his revenge one day!
Using someone's own tactics against them is the best way to fight back.
...
As Shen Hongmei kept walking, a young man, likely in his thirties, appeared on the path.
At first, Shen Hongmei thought nothing of it. After all, it wasn't surprising to see other tourists here.
But after several twists and turns, the man was still behind her.
This made Shen Hongmei uneasy.
There were plenty of blind spots without surveillance in the Hundred Herbs Garden. On such a sweltering summer day, there truly weren't many people coming out to enjoy the park.
If he had ill intentions…
Even with high heels making her height a solid 190cm, the strength difference between men and women was significant.
No matter what, Shen Hongmei knew she wouldn't be a match for the man behind her.
She quickened her pace, her heart growing more and more anxious.
The man also increased his pace.
Just as Shen Hongmei was starting to panic, Li Zhiyan appeared around the corner.
"Aunt Shen!"
Li Zhiyan pretended to be genuinely surprised.
The surprise was fake, but the happiness came from deep within.
In that moment, Shen Hongmei felt her entire body relax. With Li Zhiyan here, the man wouldn't dare try anything.
As the young man walked past Shen Hongmei, she finally felt at ease.
Maybe she was just overthinking things…
"Li Zhiyan, what are you doing here?"
Looking at the young Li Zhiyan in front of her, Shen Hongmei's eyes sparkled with surprise and uncontrollable delight.
"Aunt Shen, yesterday Aunt Lai helped me start a position in Changlong International's supply sales department."
"Today's my first day on the job."
"Since the work schedule is pretty flexible, I stopped by here while passing through, and I didn't expect to run into you, Aunt Shen."
"What a coincidence!"
"Hmm…"
Shen Hongmei felt a ripple in her heart. Why did she keep bumping into this boy?
And in such a random place, no less.
This outing of hers had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, so the only explanation had to be coincidence…
But such an incredible coincidence?
"Let's go sit on that bench over there."
After the two sat down on a park bench, Shen Hongmei took a bottle of unfamiliar and clearly expensive mineral water from her LV bag and handed it to Li Zhiyan.
"Xiao Yan, how did the first day of work feel?"
"It was great, Aunt Shen. This is my first official job, but I really have to thank you for recommending it to me."
Even though Aunt Lai had helped him secure the role, it was ultimately due to Shen Hongmei cashing in a favor.
"That's good to hear. Aunt was worried you might not adjust well."
"Aunt Shen, don't you think this is fate?"
This time, Shen Hongmei fell silent.
How could this not be considered fate? If it weren't for Li Zhiyan, she would have been scared out of her mind.
"It's fate. Today, this truly was pure chance. This place is more than ten kilometers from where I live, yet we still ran into each other."
Li Zhiyan thought about trying to confess his feelings to Shen Hongmei.
But how could Shen Hongmei not see through Li Zhiyan's intentions?
"Xiao Yan, the relationship we have is really more like a mother and son kind of bond."
"Aunt wants to be your godmother. What do you think?"
Shen Hongmei understood that Li Zhiyan harbored feelings for her, so she wanted to put an end to his thoughts. He was just a young boy; if they were truly to be together, it would be irresponsible to his future.
Being the rational person she always was, Shen Hongmei simply couldn't bring herself to do something like that.
Unless Li Zhiyan matured significantly, and they had real potential to build a long-term future together.
But she believed that when Li Zhiyan reached that level of maturity, he would no longer like her. Maturity would take at least three to five years—by then, she'd be 45 years old and far from her current allure.
In Shen Hongmei's view, Li Zhiyan's feelings for her were mostly driven by hormones. What he liked most was her face, her figure, her body.
And those things were not solid foundations. Being together required more than just appearance—true compatibility in values and daily life was essential for a relationship to succeed.
No matter what, there was no way for her and Li Zhiyan to be together.
As she spoke, Shen Hongmei pinched Li Zhiyan's cheek like he was a three-year-old child.
Looking at Shen Hongmei's deep cleavage, Li Zhiyan felt his blood rush uncontrollably.
"Aunt Shen, why would you think like that…"
"What's wrong? If Aunt becomes your godmother, wouldn't that be nice? You'd have someone to rely on in Shanghai."
"If you become my godmother, can I hold your hand?"
"Of course."
"Can I warm your feet?"
After a moment of silence, Shen Hongmei replied, "Sure, that's filial piety."
"Then can I kiss you…?"