176: Chapter 176 Creating a Chance Encounter

The next day, the information Lu Manqi requested was sent back.

It was faster than she had expected, and more... shocking.

The documents sent over weren't thick, but she read every single line over and over again.

Jiang Chen's social circle was so simple it didn't seem like that of someone holding hundreds of millions in assets.

He rarely engaged in public socializing, almost never attended brand events, and for most of the time, he wasn't even at the company, but at school.

Jiangcheng University, Department of Finance, sophomore.

When Lu Manqi saw this line, her fingertip paused on the screen for a full five seconds.

A sophomore.

A student.

She had always thought that Jiang Chen's excessively young face was just because he took good care of it or was naturally youthful-looking.

She had even estimated a relatively conservative age for him in her mind—twenty-five or twenty-six, perhaps a year or two younger than her—but he at least had to be someone who had graduated and been out in the world for a few years.

As it turned out, he hadn't even graduated yet and was still sitting in a university classroom attending lectures.

She continued scrolling down, the string in her heart being plucked louder and louder.

Not a second-generation rich kid, not relying on his family.

The file stated clearly that his first pot of gold came from reselling mobile phones, and after that, there was no stopping him.

In other words, everything this man had now was earned entirely by himself.

This level of substance was on a completely different level compared to those second-generation heirs who lived off their family fortunes.

Lu Manqi placed her phone face down on the table, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

She had seen too many wealthy people, but even among the rich, there were different ranks and classes.

A man in his early twenties, self-made, handling hundreds of millions in turnover, and looking like he stepped off a magazine cover.

This was a unique existence in the entire financial circle of Jiangcheng.

She didn't even need to think it through; based on intuition alone, she could conclude that once Jiang Chen graduated or was willing to step into the spotlight, the entire top-tier social circle of Jiangcheng would scramble to shove resources and connections into his hands.

And she was currently his private bank manager.

It was she who sat in this position.

Lu Manqi's peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly, her fingertips tapping rhythmically on her phone case as the plans in her mind began to update automatically.

She had originally planned to progress steadily over three months, but now it seemed the schedule had to be moved forward.

A gap was quickly found.

The only regular breakthrough point was his private itinerary.

Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 4:30 PM, Jiang Chen would punctually appear at the Yunyue Fitness Club on the top floor of the Jiangcheng Financial Center.

It was invitation-only, with annual fees starting at six figures, and offered extremely high privacy.

Each session lasted an hour and a half, focusing on strength training and swimming; occasionally, he would have a glass of soda water in the executive lounge after working out before leaving alone.

She didn't even hesitate much before directly dialing the membership inquiry number for the Yunyue Fitness Club.

Her tone was still that decent and gentle manner of hers, but less than twenty minutes after hanging up, her name was on the new member review list.

As a private bank manager in the Financial City, she had a decent income, a clean social circle, and the reputation she had built up in high-end client circles over the years was solid enough.

Passing the review met almost no resistance.

After work that day, she went back to her apartment and changed through three outfits, turning in front of the full-length mirror countless times before finally settling on a lotus-pink haute couture yoga set.

She folded the clothes into her gym bag, zipped it all the way up, took half a step back to eye the bag's texture, and then crinkled her eyes in satisfaction.

Thursday, 4:15 PM.

Lu Manqi arrived at Yunyue ahead of time.

The lighting in the locker room was just right; she scrutinized herself in the mirror for several minutes.

The lotus-pink set accentuated her waistline beautifully, her high ponytail revealed her slender neck, and two very fine crystal hairpins were clipped at her temple, shimmering with a subtle glow under the lights.

Her makeup was thirty percent lighter than in the office, her foundation so thin it was almost invisible, and she only wore a layer of transparent lip glaze on her lips.

She looked like an exquisite socialite who had just finished Pilates, with a touch of liveliness within her laziness.

Too exquisite would seem intentional; too casual would be a waste of this face.

She grasped this balance better than anyone.

At 4:26 PM, she walked into the strength training area and chose a cable crossover machine by the window.

Her cable pulldown movements were standard and smooth, her rhythm steady; one could tell at a glance that she had a foundation of long-term training.

But the position she chose was the real key; that angle happened to allow her to see the entire entrance of the strength area through the mirror's reflection.

At exactly 4:30 PM, the glass door was pushed open.

When Jiang Chen walked in, Lu Manqi was on her third set.

The moment he appeared in the mirror, her heart skipped a beat, but the rhythm of her movements didn't even falter.

He wore a dark gray quick-dry T-shirt and black training pants, carrying a sports water bottle in his hand, his pace casual yet steady.

As he stood there, the atmosphere of the entire strength area seemed to drop slightly.

She steadily finished her last set, let the cable return to its position, then released the handle and naturally turned around to grab the towel draped nearby.

The moment she turned, her gaze happened to meet his.

Her expression management reached its peak at this moment; first, she looked startled, then a perfectly timed smile of surprise blossomed between her brows, as if she had completely unexpected to run into him here.

She didn't rush forward enthusiastically, nor did she pretend not to see him; she simply nodded to him with a light and restrained smile, as if saying: "What a coincidence, you're here too."

Jiang Chen recognized her and gave a slight nod in response, his expression remaining as calm and indifferent as ever.

His gaze rested on her for less than a second before moving away, heading straight toward the squat rack.

Lu Manqi wasn't surprised by this reaction at all, let alone discouraged.

She knew all too well that in his perception, she was still just "that private manager from the bank."

To break this label, she couldn't rely on a single chance encounter, but on the accumulation of one "coincidence" after another.

She didn't approach him to strike up a conversation and continued with her training plan.

Occasionally, when changing equipment, she would pass near him, only politely stepping aside to give way or brushing past him while picking up dumbbells, her movements as natural as any ordinary member of the club.

But every time she passed, she left something in his peripheral vision: a serious training posture, a clean arc of movement, or the profile of her face as she softly exhaled after the last rep of a set.

She didn't intentionally show off, but every detail silently conveyed a fact: her presence was pleasing to the eye.

Whether Jiang Chen noticed or not, she wasn't sure.

But at least, he didn't avoid her.

An hour later, Lu Manqi finished her training for the day, walked to the lounge area with her water bottle, sat by the window, and wiped the fine sweat from her temples with a towel.

The river view outside shimmered under the autumn sun; she gazed out the window with a relaxed and natural posture, looking like someone who had come purely to exercise and then enjoy a moment of solitude.

A few minutes later, Jiang Chen walked out of the training area.

He had already showered and changed into a white shirt and dark trousers; his hair was slightly damp, giving him a more refined and scholarly air than before.

He walked to the executive lounge, sat at the bar, and ordered a glass of soda water.

There were about ten meters between them.

Not close, but enough for both to clearly see each other's presence.

Lu Manqi didn't go over.

She took her phone out of her bag, scrolled through it, and then, as if remembering something, slightly tilted her head, her gaze meeting his from a distance once again for a brief moment.

This time, her smile held a bit more natural intimacy than before; it was no longer the surprise of a chance meeting, but the natural familiarity that comes after having met once.

She didn't speak; she just crinkled her eyes and then withdrew her gaze, continuing to look at her phone.

The whole process took no more than three seconds.

Three seconds were enough.

What was hidden in those three seconds was more than what could be said in ten minutes of sitting next to him.

Jiang Chen took a sip of his soda water, his gaze lingering on her profile for a moment before shifting to the window.

The sunset over the river was at its peak, orange-red light filling half the sky and reflecting onto Lu Manqi's lotus-pink figure, gilding her silhouette with a gentle, warm edge.

She was quiet, restrained, and unobtrusive, yet like a flower quietly blooming in the twilight.

After about ten minutes, Lu Manqi stood up to pack her things.

She folded her towel and put it in her bag, picked up her water bottle, and walked toward the exit with a light step.

Passing the bar, her pace slowed slightly, and as if on a whim, she turned her head and gave Jiang Chen a small smile.

"Mr. Jiang, what a coincidence. I didn't expect you to work out here too."

She had weighed these words over and over again in her mind.

She didn't call him "President Jiang," as that was a formality for business settings and would sound stiff in a gym; she didn't say "we meet again," which would be too intentional.

Just a simple "what a coincidence," paired with the casualness of "work out here," gently shifted their relationship from bank manager and client to acquaintances who worked out at the same club.

Jiang Chen set down his glass, glanced at her, and said in a neutral tone, "Mm, I come here a few fixed times a week."

This was the longest sentence he had spoken to her today.

It wasn't a business-like "Okay, I see," but a response containing information, even voluntarily revealing his own frequency.

Lu Manqi's heart instantly lit up, but her face remained that of a calm and elegant smile. "That's great. I just got my membership too. The equipment here is comprehensive and there are fewer people; it's much more comfortable than those commercial gyms outside."

She paused, not chatting further, and ended naturally, "Then I'll head out first. I won't disturb your rest."

Jiang Chen nodded.

Lu Manqi turned and walked toward the elevator bay, her high heels making crisp, even sounds on the marble floor.

Only when the elevator doors closed behind her did she lean against the wall, let out a long breath, and look down at her slightly trembling fingertips, unable to stop herself from reaching up to cover her burning earlobes.

The first step.

She had reappeared in his field of vision with a brand-new image—no longer the suit-clad private bank manager in an office, but a beautiful woman with a life and taste.

He wasn't so cold as to ignore her; he had even taken the initiative to say a sentence.

This was even better than the best result she had rehearsed in her mind.

Stepping out of the building, the autumn wind blew against her face, slightly cooling the heat on her cheeks.