Chapter 291 Is this for real? Daughter, you need to pay attention!

"Pfft..." Lin Hong couldn't help but laugh out loud, but immediately remembering the consequences of her defeat, her smile froze on her face. Her expression stiffened, and her eyes became complex and flustered.

Zhou Wanqin also stood up from the floor, smoothing out her disheveled clothes. Her face alternated between red and white, and she sighed inwardly: This is terrible, I'm completely done for. I probably won't be able to escape this guy's clutches...

Jiang Jing watched the two women's faces change constantly—embarrassment, annoyance, resignation... with all sorts of emotions intertwined, he naturally knew what they were thinking.

He smiled nonchalantly and turned to walk out of the Gym: "Let's go, back to the rooms."

"Huh?" The two women were stunned and followed him subconsciously. Lin Hong couldn't help but ask: "You... you haven't said what your request is yet?"

Jiang Jing stopped, turned his head, and chuckled. His gaze swept over their blushing, pretty faces as he said pointedly: "My request... don't you both know it in your hearts? Why ask such a redundant question?"

He paused, deliberately drawing out his tone, pretending to be very easygoing: "Of course, I'm a soft-hearted person. If you find it difficult..."

"No need!" Before he could finish, Zhou Wanqin and Lin Hong interrupted in unison.

The two women straightened their backs. Although their cheeks were flushed, their eyes carried a unique stubbornness.

Lin Hong bit her lower lip and said, trying to remain calm: "We lost, so we lost. I, Lin Hong, keep my word; I will never go back on it!"

Zhou Wanqin also took a deep breath and added: "A bet is a bet!"

Only the slightly trembling tone at the end betrayed her inner unrest.

"Oh? Are you sure?" Jiang Jing raised an eyebrow, his smile becoming more playful.

The two women felt uncomfortable under his gaze and exchanged glances again, as if drawing courage from each other's eyes.

They nodded vigorously: "Of course!"

"Haha, good!" Jiang Jing laughed with satisfaction and instead turned around to continue walking out.

He said in a relaxed tone: "No rush. Let's go back and take a shower and change clothes first. I have an interview this afternoon, so let's talk about this... tonight."

This deliberate attempt to keep them in suspense made Zhou Wanqin and Lin Hong even more anxious.

But as things stood, they could only exchange glances, then silently follow behind Jiang Jing, leaving the Gym that had caused their "beliefs to collapse."

On the way back, the atmosphere was unusually silent; only the sound of their light footsteps echoed in the corridor.

...

Back at the suite, Zhou Wanqin and Lin Hong practically fled into their respective rooms.

Closing their doors and leaning back against the cold door panels, both of them could clearly hear their own intense heartbeats.

The scene of that crushing defeat and Jiang Jing's meaningful smile kept replaying in their minds.

"What should I do..." Lin Hong irritably scratched her neat short hair and paced back and forth in the room.

"That guy... he will definitely... definitely make that kind of request!"

Thinking of the various beautiful women around Jiang Jing, all with different charms.

And then thinking that she might become one of them, she felt her face burn and her mind descend into chaos.

Zhou Wanqin was relatively calmer, but her furrowed brows and slightly pursed lips also betrayed her inner turbulence.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

As a soldier, keeping promises was engraved in her bones.

But this promise... the price seemed to exceed her expectations.

After hesitating again and again, both of them coincidentally picked up their phones and called home.

They needed to confide, and they also needed... perhaps some advice, or just confirmation.

On Zhou Wanqin's end, the call was connected, and her mother's gentle voice came through: "Wanqin? Why are you calling at this hour? Is everything going smoothly?"

"It's okay..." Zhou Wanqin's voice carried a hint of imperceptible hesitation.

"Mom, what do you think... about Jiang Jing?"

"Jiang Jing?" Zhou's mother's voice immediately rose a few octaves, full of admiration.

"Oh my, he is an incredible young talent—no, now he is a national treasure-level scientist."

"An Academician! The youngest Academician in history!"

"It was on the news today, and your father and I watched it. This child is spirited, capable, and knows to hand over all the good things to the country. His character is also good; he's just great no matter how you look at him!"

Hearing her mother's unreserved praise, Zhou Wanqin felt even more conflicted.

She stammered: "Mom... if, I mean if... he might want me to... be his girlfriend... what should I do?"

"Huh? Really?!" Zhou's mother's voice was full of surprise.

"That's a good thing, Wanqin! Didn't the family vaguely have this intention before? Being with a young man like Jiang Jing would be really good!"

Zhou Wanqin gritted her teeth and finally voiced her biggest concern: "What's good about it! He... he is too much of a playboy! It's not like you don't know how many women he has around him!"

There was a silence on the other end of the line, and then Zhou's mother's smiling voice came through, carrying the insight of someone who had been through it all.

"Silly child, men, especially capable men like Jiang Jing, which one doesn't have a few confidantes around them? This is very normal."

"Mom! How can you call this normal?!" Zhou Wanqin was a little anxious.

"Listen to Mom," Zhou's mother explained patiently, "There are two types of men in this world."

"One type is like Jiang Jing, who puts his playfulness out in the open, not hiding it, at least he is straightforward."

"The other type is serious on the surface, but who knows how many sordid things they do behind your back; that kind is even more disgusting."

"At least Jiang Jing has ability, is responsible, has contributed to the country, and surely won't treat the women around him poorly."

"Look at his female companions; aren't they all living quite well? This shows he is a person who values relationships."

Zhou's mother paused, her tone carrying a hint of emotion: "Besides, Wanqin, why do you think the family and your master went to such great lengths to arrange for you to be in this security team? Was it really just to carry out a mission?"

"Who knows how many families are eyeing Jiang Jing, this hot commodity, right now!"

"Those closest to the water get the moonlight first; this is an opportunity that many people would fight tooth and nail for and still not get."

"If it weren't for your master having some face, would a good job like this, which allows you to both protect a national treasure and... ahem... could it have fallen to you?"

Listening to her mother's words, Zhou Wanqin was speechless and looked up at the ceiling, rolling her eyes so hard they almost hit the roof.

...