156: Chapter 156 Just spend one night with me, and the villa is yours.

The moment Jiang Nan stepped out of the changing room, Zhao Yang felt as if the light in the entire room had changed.

She was wearing a lotus-root-colored three-point swimsuit.

Slender straps were tied behind her neck, and the fabric was just minimal enough to perfectly outline every curve of her body.

Sunlight slanted in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, plating a thin golden edge onto her porcelain-white skin.

Zhao Yang's Adam's apple bobbed. His gaze slid from her slender neck down to her slender waist, then landed on her straight, well-proportioned legs, refusing to look away for a long time.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Nan looked down at herself. "Does it look bad?"

"It looks good." Zhao Yang's voice was a bit tight. "It looks too good."

He walked to the window and pulled back a corner of the curtain to look outside.

People were scattered in small groups across the beach; middle-aged men with bare chests were everywhere, their beer bellies wobbling over their swim trunks.

There were also a few older men wearing gold chains, lying on lounge chairs and brazenly sizing up the passing women.

Zhao Yang pulled the curtain shut and turned around with a serious expression.

"No."

Jiang Nan was stunned. "What do you mean, no?"

"You can't go out dressed like that."

Jiang Nan looked down at herself, then at Zhao Yang's dead-serious expression, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Zhao Yang, there are plenty of people wearing bikinis on the beach. What's wrong with this?"

"Others are others, but you can't."

Zhao Yang walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"My wife is so beautiful; if those men get to look at her, it'd be letting them off too easy."

Jiang Nan froze for a moment, then realized what he meant, and her cheeks instantly flushed red.

"You—what kind of nonsense are you talking!"

"I'm serious." Zhao Yang nodded solemnly, his gaze circling her body before he awkwardly looked away. "Change into another one, okay?"

His gaze swept over the open suitcase, and he picked up a one-piece swimsuit from the top, handing it over.

"Wear this."

Jiang Nan looked at the somewhat conservative one-piece swimsuit, her lips twitching slightly.

"Fine, I'll listen to you."

A few minutes later, the changing room door opened.

Zhao Yang looked up, and his Adam's apple bobbed again.

Jiang Nan stood at the door, the lotus-root-colored one-piece swimsuit clinging snugly to her body like a second skin that could breathe.

The high-waisted design made her legs look even more slender and straight, and there were two small curved cutouts on the sides of the swimsuit.

They revealed a glimpse of her fair waistline, a subtle hint of skin that was both alluring and modest.

Damn, the more it covered, the more it sparked the imagination.

The form-fitting fabric outlined every curve, from her shoulder blades to the small of her back, and from her waist to her hip bones; the lines were as smooth as if they were drawn with the softest brushstroke.

Jiang Nan walked up to him and did a spin.

"Satisfied now?"

Zhao Yang's gaze was blank, and he was speechless.

"I'm asking you a question." Jiang Nan waved a hand in front of his eyes.

Zhao Yang snapped out of it and swallowed hard, his expression complicated.

"Forget it, let's just go with this one."

The two of them walked through the hotel garden and stepped onto the wooden boardwalk leading to the beach.

The afternoon sun spread across the sea, shattering into billions of pieces of gold leaf.

The air was filled with the scent of the salty sea breeze, mixed with the aroma of cumin wafting from a distant barbecue stall.

The moment Jiang Nan took off her sandals and stepped barefoot onto the sand, her whole body relaxed.

"So comfortable—" She opened her arms, tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

Zhao Yang stood beside her, watching her hair being blown by the sea breeze, intoxicated by this beautiful moment.

The gazes of several middle-aged men on the beach had already drifted over, lingering on Jiang Nan for a few seconds before guiltily shifting away.

Zhao Yang took a step forward expressionlessly, perfectly blocking those gazes.

Jiang Nan opened her eyes, turned to give him a bright smile, and then dashed toward the sea.

Zhao Yang followed her. The seawater rose past his thighs and then his waist, as warm ocean currents carrying fine sand flowed past his feet.

Jiang Nan dove into the water like a fish, cutting through the waves.

Zhao Yang swam with her for a while but felt a bit out of breath.

Truth be told, it was quite shameful; he had indeed been overworked these past few days.

Cough, cough... anyway, he was severely sleep-deprived.

He managed to swim to Jiang Nan's side and placed a hand on her shoulder, his breathing noticeably heavy.

Jiang Nan noticed something was wrong and looked at him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Zhao Yang insisted stubbornly. "Just a bit... tired."

"Young man, you're exhausted already?" Jiang Nan leaned into his ear, her voice low and teasing. "You need to exercise restraint."

The tips of Zhao Yang's ears instantly burned. "Comrade Jiang Nan, are you provoking me?"

Jiang Nan winked playfully. "Alright, go wait for me on the shore for a bit."

Zhao Yang didn't want to leave alone, so he reached out and picked her up by the waist.

"Ah—" Jiang Nan cried out in surprise, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck. "What are you doing!"

"Carrying my wife back to shore, is that not allowed?"

After a few steps, Zhao Yang's arms began to ache, and he quickly set her down.

Jiang Nan stood in the waist-deep water, her eyes curving into crescents as she laughed at his heavy panting.

"What's wrong, Secretary Zhao? Can't carry me anymore?"

Zhao Yang rested his hands on his knees and took a few breaths. "Jiang Nan, you look quite slender, so why are you so heavy?"

Jiang Nan looked at herself, her lips pouting slightly.

"Hmph! You dare call me fat!"

Zhao Yang laughed and took a step back.

"Where are you fat? If we're talking about being fat, it's only in that one place."

His gaze quickly flickered over a certain area tightly wrapped by the soaked swimsuit, then he guiltily looked away.

Jiang Nan was stunned for a second before she reacted.

"Zhao Yang!" She raised her hand to hit him. "You rogue!"

Zhao Yang laughed and ran toward the shore, with Jiang Nan chasing after him.

The two of them dashed onto the beach through the spray, leaving behind a trail of footprints.

Just then, an abrupt voice rang out:

"Hey beautiful, how about going for a swim with me?"

Zhao Yang and Jiang Nan turned their heads at the same time.

A young man stood nearby in swim trunks, his right hand lazily hooked around the waist of a woman with a hot figure.

The woman was heavily made up, wearing a three-point bikini, leaning slanted against the man.

"Sorry," Jiang Nan said, her smile vanishing and her voice turning cold. "I don't know you."

The man's gaze bypassed Zhao Yang and landed straight on Jiang Nan's face.

"It doesn't matter if we don't know each other; we'll get to know each other after a swim."

The man grinned, his voice dripping with arrogance.

"Swim with me once, and I'll cover all your food and lodging here."

As he spoke, his right hand remained hooked around his female companion's waist, completely disregarding her feelings.

Zhao Yang stepped closer, his eyes unfriendly.

"She said she doesn't know you."

"Beautiful, why act so aloof? There's never been a woman I, Wan Junhao, wanted that I didn't get."

The man treated Zhao Yang as if he were thin air, pointing at the villas next to the hotel.

"See those ocean-view villas? Just spend one night with me, and that villa is yours."

Zhao Yang took a deep breath.

He was already calculating in his head; if this bastard didn't stop now, he would show him the meaning of regret.