With a soft thwack, the frisbee landed on the dry sand. The women engaged in their watermelon-splitting game hadn't heard the voices from the northern stretch of beach, so no one noticed the intruder.

It was an ordinary beach frisbee, not one of those specialized toys for teasing dogs. It dropped not far from Wang Zhuo. An Qi heard the sound, turned her head, and saw the uninvited guest.

"It must belong to the neighbors. I'll toss it back for them."

An Qi stood up casually and walked toward the frisbee.

Just then, two women emerged from the other side of the dense shrubbery dividing the two private beaches. The taller one had long, brown hair and wore sunglasses that hid half her face. The shorter woman had her black hair pinned up atop her head, revealing a lovely, understated Asian face. The moment Wang Zhuo looked over, his pupils visibly dilated; his gaze locked onto the Asian girl, completely dismissing the striking brunette beside her, who exuded sheer presence!

"Hi! Could you please throw that back for us? Thank you!"

The girl called out in clear Mandarin. Wang Zhuo’s look of surprise was instantly overlaid with an invisible smile.

Overseas, common Chinese is usually divided into Mainland Pǔtōnghuà and Taiwanese Guóyǔ. Guóyǔ refers to the distinct enunciation style often heard on Taiwanese television programs; many mainland celebrities and hosts deliberately imitate this tone, finding it charming and cute.

The girl was speaking in precise, standard Guóyǔ, Taiwan's official language. Wang Zhuo’s amusement stemmed from the fact that this girl, impersonating a Taiwanese compatriot so convincingly, was actually a native from the mainland. Could the world truly be this small? To run into his first love from so many years ago in the Western Hemisphere, separated by eleven time zones?!

This familiar yet slightly foreign greeting instantly interrupted the melon-splitting contest. Gan Shuang and the others stopped playing, turning their heads toward the sound. Upon seeing that familiar face wearing a polite smile, Gan Shuang also froze momentarily.

Ji Qiong? How could she be here? The world really was tiny!

An Qi didn't recognize anyone named Ji Qiong; she hadn't even heard the name. Hearing Ji Qiong’s fluent Mandarin, she smiled in reply, picked up the frisbee, tested its feel with a few practice swings toward the other beach, and, to avoid injuring anyone accidentally, flicked her wrist, sending it high up into the air behind the two neighboring women.

The frisbee spun and floated over. The brunette snapped her fingers, said something that sounded like "Aml," and quickly turned to run off. Ji Qiong offered a sweet "Thank you" and was about to leave when she spotted a familiar, masculine silhouette appear next to the beauty who had retrieved the frisbee for her…

This silhouette had appeared countless times in her dreams. Even when busy work consumed her thoughts during the day, whenever she saw couples being sweet and intimate, she would inevitably recall the most vibrant, dazzling chapter of her own life.

And now, as if guided by fate, the man who had filled her heart and soul—the one for whom she could accept no other—was standing right in front of her!

"Tell them to take a short break. I’m going to say hello to our neighbors."

Patting An Qi’s shoulder, Wang Zhuo moved past her, his feet sinking into the warm, dry sand, hands tucked into the pockets of his loose beach shorts, and walked toward Ji Qiong.

...Could this guy have suddenly become interested in that brunette with the sunglasses? An Qi muttered to herself, surprised to see that Wang Zhuo’s target wasn't the foreigner but the petite girl still standing near the artificial shrubbery.

"Hello. Long time no see."

Standing just two meters from Ji Qiong at the edge of the artificial greenery, Wang Zhuo smiled and greeted her. "What a coincidence, how are you here?"

"Uh…" Ji Qiong’s excited cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke reservedly. "The lady from earlier is my boss. I am her private language instructor, and I also do some translation work."

"Oh?" Wang Zhuo finally glanced back toward the beach behind Ji Qiong. Seven or eight young men and women were playing games over there; some were playing beach volleyball, and two girls were building a sandcastle. The brunette from before was sitting on the sand under a beach umbrella, the frisbee resting beside her.

It seemed Ji Qiong and the woman had been playing catch, and perhaps due to an overzealous throw or the wind, the colorful frisbee had acted as a matchmaker, triggering this beautiful reunion in a foreign land.

"Your boss…" Wang Zhuo suddenly felt the woman looked familiar. He paused mid-sentence, then effortlessly used his X-ray vision through her sunglasses and said with surprise, "Is that Hepburn?"

"You recognized her?" Ji Qiong nodded. "I've been working for her for eight months now. She treats me very well."

"It really is her." Wang Zhuo had already confirmed the woman's identity with his enhanced vision but feigned realization. "No wonder she wears those huge shades even while relaxing on a private beach."

"Aren't you the same?" Ji Qiong nudged the glasses clipped onto Wang Zhuo's collar, her gaze sweeping over the beach on his side, waving slightly at Gan Shuang, who was approaching, her expression a touch unnatural.

Her unease was understandable. Wang Zhuo and Gan Shuang had been a couple, yet she and Wang Zhuo had shared a night of indiscretion—a rather shady affair. If it had been just once, it might be excusable, but later, it happened a second time...

Although Wang Zhuo’s reputation for womanizing had been widespread for the last two years, Ji Qiong still knew Gan Shuang; they had been classmates sharing the same classroom. Honestly, she felt a knot of apprehension facing Gan Shuang.

However, such anxiety was unnecessary. Gan Shuang, having been by Wang Zhuo’s side all these years, had developed immense capacity for acceptance. Humans are highly adaptable creatures. Although indoctrinated from childhood with the concept of monogamy, with richer life experience, one understands that it is merely a method used by the ruling class to maintain social stability. While this method suits the general populace, how could it possibly apply to an anomaly like Wang Zhuo?

Thus, Gan Shuang had long since reconciled: "What matters is that the affection remains; there's no need to cling to exclusivity. A woman can have many children in her lifetime, each pregnancy lasting ten months." But how many children can a man father? At least, if Wang Zhuo let loose, producing a hundred or eighty wouldn't be out of the question!

If Ji Qiong had appeared like this three years ago, Gan Shuang would certainly have felt a sense of crisis. But now? Heh, pí cī pí cī!

Indeed, Gan Shuang's friendly and enthusiastic demeanor quickly eased the tension in Ji Qiong’s heart. When Wang Zhuo informed Gan Shuang that the big woman with the sunglasses was the legendary Hepburn, Gan Shuang showed a brief moment of surprise.

Speaking of this Hepburn, her real surname wasn't Hepburn; she earned that nickname because her aura strongly resembled Audrey Hepburn of old. However, her physical features leaned closer to another famous historical Oscar winner. She had brown hair and violet-colored irises, perfectly mirroring Elizabeth Taylor of the past. After appearing on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine dressed as the Egyptian Queen, she instantly shot to fame, gaining the epithet of Cleopatra reborn.

Regrettably, this beauty, embodying the best traits of both Hepburn and Taylor, had never won an Oscar. Her filmography was sparse; she was far more active in endorsing advertisements and constantly attending various functions, seeming rather detached from a serious acting career.

"Xiao Bai seems to be a fan of hers," Gan Shuang said uncertainly.

Wang Zhuo asked Ji Qiong, "You just arrived today, right? How long will you be staying here?"

Ji Qiong thought for a moment. "About a week. The day after tomorrow, there's a fashion show event; my boss is an invited guest."

Gan Shuang smiled. "That’s wonderful. Let’s exchange contact information. You’re welcome to visit us anytime."

An assistant truly is an assistant; Ji Qiong managed to pull a notepad and a small pen from her youthful-style sundress, quickly scribbled down a string of numbers, and handed it to Gan Shuang.

This action was subtly significant. After they temporarily bid farewell, Gan Shuang held the note up, turning it over with an ambiguous expression. Wang Zhuo chuckled silently, having already glanced at and memorized the number on it.

"Why do you think she gave this note to me, and not to you?" Gan Shuang teased.

"Do I need to guess such a simple question?" Wang Zhuo grinned and held out his right hand to her.

Gan Shuang gently placed the note into his palm. "She's a good girl; don't you dare bully her."

Shrugging, Wang Zhuo turned back contentedly, leaving Gan Shuang behind to stick her tongue out at him in a playful grimace.

That afternoon, while the women enjoyed a lazy nap, Wang Zhuo received a call from Fei Long, bringing news that Americans wanted to meet him regarding the Swaziland peace issue. Events were indeed unfolding as anticipated. However, Wang Zhuo's focus had shifted. Upon seeing Ji Qiong again, a fierce desire to protect and possess surged within him, uncontrollable. Rationality, it seemed, had not conquered emotion; his feelings for her were still very much alive.

The memo pad with a few faint creases lay on the table. He had already memorized the number, but Wang Zhuo toyed with his phone, ultimately deciding against calling and sending a text instead.

"I want to talk to you alone. Meet me on the beach at eleven tonight, how about that?"

After waiting for about ten minutes, just as Wang Zhuo began to feel disappointed, Ji Qiong’s reply finally arrived.

"I have plans tonight. Can we meet now? I’ll wait for you on the beach." His X-ray vision instantly engaged at full power, piercing through his villa, past the wooden fence separating two properties, and over the thick ivy climbing it. Wang Zhuo saw Ji Qiong walking alone down a path shaded by green trees, the blue ocean and golden sand just ahead.

Si Yuan was immersed in an online game, and An Qi was intently watching a Korean drama. Aside from these two young women, everyone else was enjoying a deep nap. After checking on his side, Wang Zhuo set his phone to silent mode and tossed it onto the sofa, then quietly slipped out of the room and hurried toward the beach.