Chapter 128 - Asking for Torture
Rebirth of a Fashionista: This Life Is Soo Last Season
When Sheng Jiaoyang walked past, Shen Zhining stopped talking and looked over.
At the same time, the others followed his gaze and also looked over.
Donning sportswear that enhanced her well-proportioned and slender figure, Sheng Jiaoyang was reflected in the onlookers’ eyes. Today, her hair was tied in a half-bun, making her appear extremely youthful.
Sheng Jiaoyang’s lips curled slightly as she walked towards Shen Zhining.
"Who is this young lady…?" the middle-aged man with a young woman next to him asked hesitantly.
"This is my girlfriend, Xu Jiaojiao."
Shen Zhining turned to look at Sheng Jiaoyang and continued, "President Zhao, I heard that you’d be bringing your daughter with you, so in fear that your daughter would be bored by herself, I brought Jiaojiao along to keep her company. You don’t mind, do you?"
"Of course not!" the other two executives promptly replied.
President Zhao’s expression turned awkward for a moment. He felt his daughter pinching him hard on the arm and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"President Shen's girlfriend looks very young. You must be a student, right?" President Zhao asked tentatively.
Shen Zhining nodded and replied, "Yes, Jiaojiao is still studying."
"Haha…Ms. Xu, if I may ask, which family are you from?"
Sheng Jiaoyang tilted her head and answered, "Oh, I’m just the daughter of an ordinary family."
Upon hearing this, President Zhao felt even more awkward. The other two executives hurriedly spoke to break the awkward silence, "The weather is great now, so let’s proceed to the golf course!"
"Alright, let’s go, let’s go." President Zhao nodded repeatedly.
"It’s boring to play like this. Why don't we split into two groups and compete?" Ms Zhao quickly suggested.
"That's a good idea."
Nobody objected, so the six people present were divided into two groups, and the other two executives voluntarily chose a side to join.
"Can you play golf?" Shen Zhining asked as he looked at Sheng Jiaoyang.
Sheng Jiaoyang looked left and right before answering, “No…"
As such, the rest saw the following scene unfold. Shen Zhining swung the club a few times to demonstrate the right posture. Then, seeing that Jiaojiao’s movements weren’t correct, he went to stand behind her and taught her how to swing, hand in hand.
"Dad, why didn't you clarify things beforehand?" Ms Zhao complained. She’d originally come to get to know the so-called talented young man that her father spoke so highly of, and she was indeed pleasantly surprised when she saw him in person. President Shen already had a promising career at such a young age, and the most important part was that his looks were impeccable. Who would’ve thought that he’d bring his girlfriend along? Wasn’t she just asking for torture?!
President Zhao looked over before turning to his daughter and saying, "It's not like he’s married yet. If you like him, you still stand a chance!"
Ms Zhao case a sidelong glance at her father and said, "What opportunity are you talking about? Someone who’s easily swayed is no good. If I can snatch him away, then that means others can also snatch him away from me with ease. I’m not that desperate, and I still have plenty of options to choose from! I have no objections if you want to introduce me to someone, but in the future, you must find out this kind of thing first. Otherwise, you’ll make it seem like I’m someone who no one wants, so I’m desperate to get married. You’ll leave me in an awkward position!"
"Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you," President Zhao answered affectionately.
Hearing the conversation between the father-and-daughter pair, President Shi smiled and said, "Old Zhao, did you get the invitation to the birthday party of the Lin Family’s master?"
"Yes, I did. Why?" President Zhao replied.
"There’ll certainly be a lot of youngsters attending. Your daughter has just returned home from abroad and this party is a perfect place for her to make new friends."
President Zhao's eyes lit up as he nodded. "That’s right!"
Meanwhile, in order to make herself appear like a beginner golfer, Sheng Jiaoyang brought out the acting skills that she’d honed some time ago. When Shen Zhining held her hand from behind and taught her to swing and dribble, she appeared as if she was really at a loss.
"Hold this position with your hand and swing like this." The feeling of his breath tingling on her neck made her ears redden and her heart skip a beat.
Sheng Jiaoyang couldn’t concentrate at all. She only felt numbness travel from her ears all the way to her heart. Before, she’d never felt that Shen Zhining's voice was so pleasant to listen to. His tone was obviously serious, but it unknowingly let her imagination run wild.
"I-I got it already." Sheng Jiaoyang hurriedly stepped aside.
"Hit the ball and show me."
Sheng Jiaoyang took a deep breath to calm her mind. She then posed and swung, hitting the ball a fair distance away.
She turned to look at Shen Zhining. Seeing him slightly nodding at her, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. At last, he didn’t need to teach her anymore.
After both groups had practised a few rounds, the formal competition began. Today, it was very sunny and there was little wind, so the impact of external factors on dribbling was minimised to the lowest degree.
Ms Zhao played quite well, but how could she compare with Shen Zhining and Sheng Jiaoyang working together? In the past, Sheng Jiaoyang was unable to do any strenuous exercise because of her health. If she wanted to exercise, she could only play sports like golf that didn’t require strenuous exercise and didn’t stimulate the heart too much. Only a handful of people knew about her health condition back then. Those who didn’t know would often laugh at her timidity since she didn’t participate in any extreme sports.
Though, at this moment, the others were surprised to see that Sheng Jiaoyang could play so well even though she was a ‘first-time’ player. Even Ms Zhao saw her in a different light.
"We lost,” Ms Zhao directly admitted defeat.
"You're very good at it!" Sheng Jiaoyang gave a thumbs-up to Ms Zhao and acknowledged this beautiful woman’s skills.
"Thank you! Is this really your first time playing golf?" If a first timer could score a goal and play so well, how could others who remained average, no matter how much they practiced, still live in this world?
Sheng Jiaoyang had already lost count of the number of lies she’d told by now. So, she remained indifferent as she said, "This is the first time that I, Xu Jiaojiao, have ever touched a golf club."
Sheng Jiaoyang kept some room for negotiation in her mind and didn’t directly say ‘my first time’. She’d also added an emphasis on ‘Xu Jiaojiao’ in the middle because this was indeed the first time that Xu Jiaojiao had ever touched a golf club in her life.
"In that case, you’re truly an amazing learner!" Ms Zhao was convinced. "Since I lost today, let me have the honour of treating you to dinner. I hope you can grant me this chance."
"Your treat, but I’m the one paying in the end," President Zhao muttered.
"That's a given." Ms Zhao cast a sidelong glance at her father.
President Zhao hurriedly replied, "Of course, of course, you’re my precious daughter after all!"
Everyone laughed at the scene.
Sheng Jiaoyang lowered her gaze to conceal the trace of envy that flashed across her eyes. What could she do even if she was envious? She was doomed to be a person without a father-and-daughter fate.
Four cars drove off and parked in the parking lot of a restaurant.
As soon as they were seated in a deluxe private room, Sheng Jiaoyang received a call from her manager.
"Excuse me, I’m going out to answer a call." Sheng Jiaoyang bobbed her head and walked out of the room with her cell phone in hand.
Sheng Jiaoyang stood in the hallway near a window and answered the call.
"Sis Ping, what’s the matter?"
"Yesterday, someone took a picture of you and Mr Shen when you two went to watch a movie, and now many netizens want to verify your relationship with Mr Shen. Only half a day has passed and, suddenly, a lot of Internet Water Armies have come forth to claim that you’re being kept as a mistress by a rich man. These claims were said in an orderly manner and this isn’t good for your image. If you can, you’d better talk it over with Mr Shen and see if you can make your relationship public."
Make our relationship public? Sheng Jiaoyang laughed. "Let’s put this aside for now, or you can go find President Li. He’s already very experienced in handling my scandals."
"…" Xu Ping.
"Let’s leave it at that. I'm about to have dinner, so I'll hang up first." Sheng Jiaoyang hung up and walked back to the room.
"Hey, we meet again!" A pair of hands embraced her from behind.
Smelling the lingering smell of cigarettes, Sheng Jiaoyang frowned and forcefully slammed her elbow backwards. The man behind her retreated two steps in pain.
"Dang girl, do you have to be so violent each time we meet?!" Yuan Neng rubbed the pit of his stomach and bared his teeth as he complained.
Sheng Jiaoyang raised an eyebrow and said, "Sorry, we’re at odds with each other. You better stay away from me in the future. I can't guarantee which part I’ll knock against the next time," as she said that last part, her cold gaze moved downwards.
Yuan Neng subconsciously crossed his legs and felt a chill run down his spine.
Sheng Jiaoyang sneered and walked away.
Yuan Neng’s expression turned complicated as he thought: This young lady sure is fierce!
The raging flames in his heart surged with violence as he licked his lips. He wouldn’t give up so soon. After all, the harder it was to attain something, the more he wanted to possess it.