The lifeguard performed emergency CPR on Ning Xiaoruan. Fortunately, he hadn’t been underwater for too long, so he soon coughed up water and woke up.

“He’s awake!”

Sheng Jiaoyang was finally relieved. She gently caressed Xiong Zi’s head to conceal her nervousness.

After waking up, Ning Xiaoruan saw himself surrounded by so many people, and he suddenly felt uncomfortable. He was a gentleman, so how could he expose his most embarrassing appearance to so many people. This was losing too much of his image!

“Where’s that damnable girl, Xu Jiaojiao?” Most importantly he couldn’t see that wicked girl who’d caused him to fall into the water. Shouldn’t that bad girl be on his side to keep watch over him?

Everyone immediately stepped aside and opened a path, revealing a person behind them who was calmly hugging a dog.

At this time, she still had the free time to play with a dog? So, he wasn’t as good as a dog…putooie! Ning Xiaoruan was furious.

“Hey, look!” someone shouted as they saw a luxury yacht approaching.

The yacht entered a range of 50 meters. No one on the boat was blind, so they naturally saw it too.

Ning Xiaoruan, who was stewing in anger, abruptly started quivering all over once he saw the yacht. How could he bother himself with getting angry? Currently, he only wished to find a place to hide. He’d caused such an embarrassing situation! If it was merely seen by his cousin, it wasn’t too bad. However, since his cousin had seen it, it meant that his parents would find out. If that happened, they would definitely ask his cousin to be stricter with him…

He could already foresee how pitiful his future would be.

It was all that stinky girl’s fault!

Ning Xiaoruan turned to look at her with hate-filled eyes, but at that instant, he was struck dumb. Where was she? Where had the girl who’d moments earlier been calmly hugging Xiong Zi go?

“Ning Xiaoruan.” A devil-like voice reached his ears.

Ning Xiaoruan immediately stood up, purposely ignoring the expressions of the people around him. What he most wanted now was to return to Italy quickly. There, he was known as a handsome gentleman called Peter Ning, not a damned Ning Xiaoruan!

“Have you finished writing down your plan?” Shen Zhining was relaxing on a chair as he looked over at the sorry figure of his cousin.

Ning Xiaoruan shook his head. He subconsciously wanted to push the frame of his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose, only to find that his glasses had disappeared. He didn’t need to think about it to know that they must’ve been lost in the ocean.

“So, why are you here?” Shen Zhining’s brows rose ever slightly. “Are you here to greet me?”

Ning Xiaoruan turned to look at Jing Weinan, who was standing beside his cousin, and tried to use his eyes to plead for help. He just needed Jing Weinan to say something good, anything good, but he was ignored.

In regards to such a spineless cousin, Shen Zhining’s patience had been exhausted. He lifted his hand towards the german shepherd that was wagging its tail. “Xiong Zi, come here.”

Upon hearing the command, Xiong Zi instantly jumped across the gap between the two yachts and excitedly rushed to its master’s side. The gap was nearly one meter wide!

Shen Zhining leaned forward and rubbed Xiong Zi’s head. It was better to raise a dog than a cousin.

“Tell me, how come you fell into the water?” No matter how rotten his cousin was, he was still one of his people. Moreover, Ning Xiaoruan could barely swim, so he wouldn’t just jump into the water himself. Those who dared to bully him would have to see if he agreed or not!

Zhuo Yiyan shivered, speaking to himself inwardly: Here it comes!

“Hello, this is the recording site of the National Supermodel competition. Because of our momentary negligence, Mr. Ning fell into the water. We deeply apologise!” Zhuo Yiyan said respectfully.

“Why was there momentary negligence?” Shen Zhining asked indifferently.

Zhuo Yiyan’s expression revealed his conflicting emotions.

Just as Ning Xiaoruan was about to open his mouth, he was stopped by Shen Zhining’s cold glare.

“It was obviously Xu Jiaojiao who pushed him! Why on earth did Teacher Zhuo apologise?!” a contestant quietly said.

Zhuo Yiyan slightly frowned as the truth of the matter hadn’t yet been investigated. Moreover, he wasn’t the kind of person who pushed the blame onto others when they ran into trouble.

“It was me.” Sheng Jiaoyang, who’d changed clothes, walked forward.

Shen Zhining stared at Sheng Jiaoyang for a few seconds before he suddenly laughed. However, no one understood the meaning of his laugh.

Sheng Jiaoyang felt her scalp go numb. “However, I didn’t push him, I just flung his hand away. Who was to know that at that moment, we would encounter large waves, causing him to fall.”

Ning Xiaoruan thought that he should bravely step forward. As a gentleman, how could he let a girl face Boss Shen alone? He then coughed and gave Sheng Jiaoyang a comforting look. “It really has nothing to do with her, everything was just a coincidence.”

Shen Zhining nodded, and just as Ning Xiaoruan breathed a sigh of relief, he asked, “I presume it isn’t a coincidence that you’re here now?”

“…” Ning Xiaoruan was left speechless.

“Aren’t you going to come over here?” Shen Zhining calmly asked as he leaned back in his chair.

Ning Xiaoruan was shocked as he realised what that meant, and he went to the railing to judge the distance. Between the two yachts there was a gap almost one meter wide, and the cabin doors weren’t aligned.

“I can’t make it.”

“I’ll give you one minute. If you’re not here by then, I’ll send you to Qin Industries tomorrow,” Shen Zhining said without mercy.

You’re too cruel, heartless, and unreasonable!!

Ning Xiaoruan complained in his heart, but it didn’t show on his expression. With such a strong threat pressuring him, he put forth 200 percent of his explosive powers. He climbed the railing and jumped over the gap, falling to the deck on the other side.

“Ahhh!!” Upon witnessing Ning Xiaoruan’s powerful jump, all of the contestants shrieked.

Although Ning Xiaoruan was in pain from the fall, when he heard the exclamations behind him, he couldn’t help but be proud of himself as if he’d done something awesome.

“Set sail,” Shen Zhining commanded indifferently.

Jing Weinan picked up the walkie-talkie and repeated Shen Zhining’s order.

Seeing that the yacht was beginning to move, Ning Xiaoruan quickly got up and grabbed the railing behind him as support. He then shouted to the opposite boat, “Xu Jiaojiao, you still owe me a meal. Remember that!”

Upon hearing that, Sheng Jiaoyang, who was staring aggrievedly at Xiong Zi nestling at someone’s feet, felt the corners of her lips raised into a sneer. If time could go backwards, she would personally push that fool into the water!

“Ning Xiaoruan.” A devil-like voice reached his ears yet again.

Ning Xiaoruan broke into a cold sweat and turned to face the cruel reality.

“Since when did you two have such a good relationship? Hmm?” Shen Zhining was resting his right arm on the armrest to prop up his chin, while his left hand occasionally caressed Xiong Zi’s head. His gaze was expressionless as he stared at Ning Xiaoruan.

“What I’m doing is breaking into the enemy’s base to quickly get acquainted with her and make her relax her guard around me. This’ll increase my chances to learn about her secrets,” Ning Xiaoruan said stiffly before smiling sheepishly.

“Then, do you know any now?”

Ning Xiaoruan was dumbfounded.

Jing Weinan turned his gaze away as he couldn’t bear to look at that foolish person any longer. Without glasses, that guy’s stupidity couldn’t be concealed.

“Tomorrow, I want to see your plan on my desk. If I don’t see it by then…heh! You’ll know the consequences,” Shen Zhining’s tone was exceptionally gentle when he said this.

“Go change your clothes.”

As if he’d received an imperial edict, Ning Xiaoruan’s feet moved like the wind as he hurriedly went downstairs to find spare clothes.

“Boss, Xu Jiaojiao…” Jing Weinan said in a voice filled with uncertainty.

“Let her be, let’s see what she’s got up her sleeve first. When I’m bored, I’ll play with her again.” The corner of Shen Zhining’s mouth curled upwards, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Jiaoyang’s fan? An excuse like that could only deceive Ning Xiaoruan!

Meanwhile, on the other yacht, Sheng Jiaoyang was surrounded by several contestants.

“Jiaojiao, isn’t Mr Ning just a butler that helps to watch the house?”

“What’s the real relationship between the two of you?”

“The person sitting on the chair, was that the Boss Shen you previously mentioned?”

Everyone crowded Sheng Jiaoyang and asked her simultaneously.

Sheng Jiaoyang only chose one question to answer. “Yes, he’s Boss Shen.”

“Whoa! He’s so young!”

“He also looks so handsome! By merely sitting there while exuding a dominant aura he’s super sexy!”

“He’s so young, yet so rich. I’m sure that he’s from a wealthy family. He’s too low-key! If he were to become renowned as a national bachelor, then there’d be no such thing as too much money.”

“Jiaojiao, do you know if Boss Shen has a girlfriend?”

“Where’s his home? What’s his business?”

…

Sheng Jiaoyang was thoroughly defeated.