A divine presence in the world of finance.

Walking back home along the river, I found several neighbors visiting in the courtyard. Such is the way of the Lunar New Year—a constant stream of coming and going among the village folk. Everyone sat huddled around the fire, roasting peanuts and tangerines on the rack. It was a lively scene.

Ye Mian greeted the elders with a smile. The biting wind had already seeped through her cotton-padded jacket, and at Grandma Ye’s urging, she hurried inside to take a bath. This winter night felt cold enough to strike like a magical curse. Fortunately, Grandma Ye’s house was equipped with an electric water heater, sparing her from having to boil water manually. However, the lack of a bathroom heater made things difficult. The entire bathroom was lined with pale tiles, making it three degrees colder inside than it was outdoors when the wind died down. Before the shower, it took courage to strip off one’s clothes. After stepping out of the hot water, it took even more courage to put them back on.

Once she finally finished washing, Ye Mian pulled on her blue fuzzy pajamas and dashed back into her room, braving the cold draft. She kicked off her slippers, lifted the navy-blue quilt, and dove inside, wrapping herself tight. Only after warming up for a good while did she poke her little head out to catch some air.

It had been a while since the news broadcast ended, but Jiang Chen’s message still hadn't arrived. Not knowing if he was still busy and afraid that a sudden call might disturb him, she sent him a voice message instead. She cleared her throat, mimicking the crisp, professional tone of a TV anchor.

"Excuse me, Mr. Jiang Chen, have you finished your work?"

After sending the message, Ye Mian couldn't help but play it back to judge her own performance, then laughed out loud. While waiting for a reply, Jiang Yuan sent her a few links on Weibo, telling her to check out the latest gossip. It was all dramatic nonsense, so after a quick glance, Ye Mian started scrolling through the trending topics. The top spots were filled with celebrity scandals—nothing significant, yet they were gaining high engagement. Usually, such topics were just filled with fan-circle chatter, which she found boring.

Ye Mian lazily swiped through. Suddenly, one headline caught her eye: 【The God-like Looks of the Financial World】.

This entry was ranked eleventh, with a small "explosive" tag next to it in a bright orange font that was particularly eye-catching. It immediately commanded all of Ye Mian's attention. She had a hunch that clicking it would be a pleasant surprise. Recalling Jiang Chen’s news broadcast earlier that day, she suppressed her growing suspicion and clicked the link.

Sure enough, her hunch was correct. The first video in the entry was the very interview Jiang Chen had given today. Someone had screen-recorded the moments of the man’s gestures, added a filter, and edited them into a video. He was dressed in a black suit, adjusting his glasses, taking a sip of water, or tilting his head to listen to the host’s questions—every movement was elegant and full of tension. Set to a sultry, seductive backing track, it was truly intoxicating. Ye Mian couldn't help but watch it twice.

The caption above the video read: 【I was watching TV with my dad today and saw a super-duper top-tier handsome guy in finance. I’m not just saying this—are all finance bigwigs this handsome now?? My DNA is moving! I won’t say anything more!】

The likes, reposts, and comments under the video had already reached over two hundred thousand, proving the impact of the handsome man. Curious, Ye Mian opened the comment section to see what the netizens were saying, and once she started, she couldn't stop.

【@AutumnMaple: Is he in the finance circle? Can I hire him for a transaction? I’ll pay him to attend my wedding. He doesn’t even have to do anything, just exchange rings and say 'I do'!】
【@MiAMiao: He’s handsome, rich, and has such an aura. I refuse to believe a man like this exists, mostly because he isn't mine.】
【@DesireWindFairy: Ha! Wen City is good at using the beauty trap!】
【@BoBoBoss: I have some business to attend to—heading to Wen City right now!!】
【@Love185Abs: From now on, the ‘CEO’ trope finally has a real face!!】
【@PullingTails: I’m a detective; I started investigating him last year. The case remains unsolved, but my heart has already surrendered.】

More and more netizens were tagging their friends to come and watch. Beneath the soft, warm light of the bulb tucked into the silk lampshade—a glow that felt like the morning sun in winter—the cheesy pickup lines from netizens kept pouring in. Ye Mian laughed so hard she slapped the quilt. She even copied and pasted them into her notes, word for word, planning to use them to tease Jiang Chen every now and then.

"Ding-dong—"

A crisp notification sound rang out. A pop-up with Jiang Chen’s profile picture appeared, and Ye Mian hurriedly tapped it.

【Jiang Chen: Just about finished, little Ye Mian.】

Ye Mian rolled over in her quilt, lying on her stomach with a faint smile on her lips, and sent another voice message.

"Oh, then may I ask, Mr. Jiang Chen, do you have any thoughts on today’s work? Please share your opinions and insights with me."

—

Late at night.

The Wen City Business Forum Center was filled with black-clad bodyguards. One after another, priceless luxury cars pulled away from the exit, merging into the vast river of city traffic. Inside a black Rolls-Royce, Jiang Chen took off his glasses and rubbed his brow, hearing the notification sound from his phone. He put his glasses back on and tapped the voice message.

Ye Mian’s mock-anchor voice, flavored with a touch of playfulness, played through the speakers.

Jiang Chen lowered his eyes, a smile touching his lips, and he immediately dialed a voice call. In the thick of the night, the rustling wind was shut out beyond the car windows. He tilted his chin up, and the streetlights flickered into the cabin, refracting off his lenses in a soft glow.

When Ye Mian saw the incoming call screen, her hand trembled slightly. She didn't answer immediately; instead, she crept out of bed to carefully lock the windows and bolt the door before diving back under the covers to press the green button.

The phone vibrated once. From deep within the dark quilt, she whispered, "Hello?" Her voice was muffled and warm.

Jiang Chen’s voice came through the line. Having spoken so much today, his usually cold, clear tone now sounded slightly raspy.

"You saw it?"

Ye Mian squinted, smiling, her entire body relaxing. She tapped aimlessly on the quilt cover with her fingers, pretending to be oblivious. "Huh? Saw what? What could I have seen?"

The man on the other end chuckled, then asked softly, "Did you watch TV today?"

Ye Mian dropped the act, though her voice carried a hint of feigned reproach. "Yes, I saw it, I saw it. It was just a coincidence, but why didn't you tell me you were going to be on the news today? What if I had missed it? What if I hadn't seen it?"

After a three-second pause, Jiang Chen finally spoke, his calm voice delivering the most incongruous words.

"I was afraid... it would be too embarrassing to say."

Ye Mian burst into a giggle. She couldn't imagine a look of embarrassment on Jiang Chen’s aloof face.

She laughed again. "Do you know how much I suffered just to watch your interview!? Can you tell me directly next time? So I can be prepared."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen looked up at the girl’s profile picture, his tone turning slightly serious.

"What suffering?"