This was the first time the two of them had ever climbed a mountain together, and it was also the first time Calvin truly saw how poor Adriana’s physical abilities were.She was carrying a small hiking bag with water and a few supplies. It wasn’t particularly large, but on her slim back, it looked like a heavy boulder weighing her down.In less than twenty minutes, Adriana was already pressing her waist and panting. “Let’s take a break,” she gasped. “I need to rest.”Calvin looked down at her flushed face from two steps above. “Do you still want to keep going?”Adriana, utterly exhausted, leaned against the guardrail. Even unscrewing the cap of her water bottle seemed beyond her strength. “What’s the rush? The cable car is fast anyway.”Calvin watched her struggle to open the bottle. With a helpless sigh, he stepped down, took the bottle from her hand, clamped it under his arm,
“Surprised?”“Unexpected indeed. I used to watch you fight with Carson and thought it was just basic moves any man would use. But just now, every move he made was clearly from martial arts—and you disassembled them so smoothly. That wasn’t improvised. You’ve learned martial arts systematically, haven’t you?”“Growing up with a private bodyguard, it’s not surprising I picked up a few tricks.”“Don’t try to fool me. You were trained by a master, weren’t you?”Could she really not tell the difference between a bodyguard and a martial arts master? Even if she couldn’t articulate it, the feeling was unmistakable.Calvin looked into her large, black-and-white eyes, so full of curiosity. He flicked his clothes casually and sat down. “When I was three or four, my grandfather found me a master. I trained with him for fifteen years.”Fifteen years of martial arts expertise?Adriana’s mouth fell open in shock, and her eyes instinctively filled with admiration.They say the two greatest challenge
Adversary!”Adriana had barely mentioned Yun Hanwen being in India when Mr. Teng suddenly reacted like an old beast whose reverse scale had been touched. Though the fury of his youth had dulled with age, the majesty he once commanded was still present. The flames burning in his eyes were enough to silence everyone in the room.Sensing his master's anger, the young boy quietly dragged over a chair that seemed far too heavy and large for him. He waited beside it silently, arms hanging down. Clearly, he knew his master’s temperament very well.Mr. Teng slowly sat down. His hand clenched the cane tightly, the veins on the back of it bulging like green snakes threatening to break through the skin.Calvin shot Adriana a sideways glance, half amused. It was fortunate that her nerves were steady—at least she hadn’t been scared stiff.Adriana calmly picked up the teacup on the table and held it out with both hands. “Mr. Teng, please moisten your throat.”He sneered coldly and didn’t take the t
Calvin’s subordinates had received the news long ago and were already waiting at the airport.The man, who was the general manager of the distant M City branch and hadn’t seen his boss in a long time, was overjoyed. “President, please get in the car,” he said eagerly.From Adriana’s perspective, the man looked like a minor magistrate receiving an imperial decree—his emperor was arriving for a private visit. His face flickered with a mix of fear and excitement.Calvin said coldly, “There’s nothing more for you to do.”The man was stunned. Thinking he had been dismissed for poor performance, he responded nervously, “President, I…”Calvin interrupted, “Give the car keys to Miss Clarke and go attend to your own work.”That meant he wouldn’t be accompanying the president on this trip—Miss Clarke would.“Yes, President. Please call me if you need anything. Miss Clarke, thank you for your hard work,” the man said, nodding repeatedly, clearly impressed.It was the first time he’d seen Miss Cl
After replying to the email, Calvin pushed the tablet to one side and picked up his chopsticks. “Listening to you, it sounds like you want to pay for one. Should I contact the manufacturer for you?”“…”Adriana stared at him, trying to figure out how Calvin’s brain worked. “Fine. You contact them, and I’ll compensate you.”Calvin curved the corner of his mouth into a smirk and took a bite of the refreshing side dishes. “You’re so eager to replace a door, but I didn’t see you being this enthusiastic about me, your so-called savior.”“Oh? So you still want pancakes as a thank-you?”Calvin: “…”Seeing him rendered speechless in helpless frustration, Adriana laughed. “Other than pancakes, I don’t have much to repay you with. The best I can offer is, when I go with you to see that old doctor, I’ll make sure he gives you a proper diagnosis so you can recover quickly.”Calvin said, “What day are we going? I’m free today.”“Huh?”Why does this guy take everything so literally?“What? Do you n
“On the head. Insomnia is caused by overthinking, so of course, you need to relax your brain. If you find the right point, a course of acupuncture should help,” Adriana explained.It felt strange that a man like Calvin—whose heart was stronger than the Himalayas—would even overthink. No wonder he scared people out of their sleep.Adriana had gone to the hospital once to ask about treatment options for insomnia. They prescribed medicine that was nearly identical to what Calvin was already taking. So, Western medicine could basically be ruled out.She had once thought about helping him heal, but so much had happened in between that she had forgotten—and hadn’t been in the mood, either.Calvin said, “I’ve had little contact with Chinese medicine. If you know a good doctor, you can recommend one to me. After all, the world of Chinese medicine runs deep. There’s no shortage of scammers.”Adriana did know one—the master of the doctor who had treated her parents. He was in the U.S. but lived