Chapter 3: Leg Photo

Chapter 3: Leg Photo

Shen Mian furtively finished taking the photos, leaned against the bathroom door to calm his racing heart, and opened his camera roll to check the leg shots he had just taken.

Because the phone camera wasn't great, all the photos came out a little blurry, which actually gave them a soft, dreamy vibe. The fair legs in the photos looked especially delicate under the lighting, easily making you think of a young girl.

He pulled his pants back on, set the leg pic he'd just taken as the profile photo for his burner WeChat account, took another deep breath, and sent the friend request one more time.

In the CEO's office, Jiang Yancheng, who had just finished a cross-border video conference, rubbed his temples and grabbed his phone off the desk when it buzzed with a notification.

Another new friend request.

The fifth time, wasn't it? Jiang Yancheng pressed his lips together, honestly impressed by this person's persistence.

He tapped on it casually, but his eyes couldn't help but get drawn to the profile pic.

The profile pic was no longer a cute kitten, but had been swapped for a pair of snow-white, delicate legs. The photo quality wasn't great, and the lighting where it was taken wasn't good either, but the dim lighting just made those legs look even more luminous and fair, like they were glowing. The calves were smooth and flawless, with a hint of allure mixed with inexperience.

Jiang Yancheng's eyes darkened, his fingertip pausing on the screen. He was literally frozen by that photo for a full two seconds.

He stared at the profile pic for almost half a minute, then his eyes drifted to the username "Sweetheart Softie."

So it really was her.

The avatar had changed, but the name hadn't.

Jiang Yancheng had originally planned to delete the friend request like usual, but his eyes fell back on the profile pic and just couldn't look away.

He did have a bit of a thing for legs, but it was a well-hidden kink—not even his closest family knew. This person... was it a lucky guess, or was she doing this on purpose?

He frowned in thought for two seconds, then, as if possessed, hit the "Accept" button.

...

On the other side, Shen Mian had already braced himself for another silent rejection when the sudden WeChat notification made him jump.

On the glowing screen, a profile pic appeared in his friend list, along with a red dot.

[You and "J" are now friends.]

It worked! Shen Mian stared in disbelief, his heart pounding out of control.

That secretly taken leg pic as his profile photo had actually made Jiang Yancheng accept his friend request?

That tutorial actually worked! These horny playboys really fall for this kind of thing.

Shen Mian was both thrilled and nervous as he opened the tutorial again to find conversation tactics to use with this playboy.

The tutorial said to end sentences with a tilde to sound cute, so Shen Mian did just that.

Sweetheart Softie: "qwq gege, you finally added me~"

A few minutes later, a reply came:

J: "Who are you?"

Sweetheart Softie: "Don't you remember me? I'm the girl who asked for your number on the street a few days ago~"

On the street? Asked for his number? Jiang Yancheng stared at the chat screen for a long moment.

He'd been busy with work these past few days, barely even going home, mostly staying at the office. He rarely went out, so there was no way he'd run into some "beautiful girl" on the street, let alone have anyone ask for his number.

So this person really did add the wrong person?

Jiang Yancheng looked up, his eyes lingering on the other person's profile pic for a moment.

He was about to tell her she had the wrong person when another message came in.

Sweetheart Softie: "gege, my name is Su Tianxin, you can also call me Sweetheart, what's your name? OvO"

Sweetheart? That fit the legs well.

Jiang Yancheng thought for a moment, his fingers tapping lightly on the screen.

J: "You added the wrong person."

On the other side, Shen Mian, who had been waiting anxiously, got that message and was deeply disappointed.

Didn't Jiang Mingye say his brother was a player who accepted everyone? Why was he rejecting someone who came to him willingly?

He had gotten through instantly with the leg pic profile photo just now.

Shen Mian gritted his teeth and kept pestering him relentlessly:

Sweetheart Softie: "Ah~ I added the wrong person? qaq Then maybe I wasn't meant to meet him, but I'm even more fated to meet you, gege."

Sweetheart Softie: "Gege, can you chat with me? I'm so bored alone. I'm from out of town, my family is poor, and I worked hard to get into college here. My roommates are all locals, and they don't include me in anything. I don't even have anyone to talk to. QAQ"

Following the tutorial's script, Shen Mian crafted a persona of a young, beautiful, poor, pitiful college girl.

There was no way this womanizing rich kid wouldn't fall for it.

However, after sending the messages, they sank like stones into the sea, without a single ripple.

The other side never replied.

Shen Mian waited until evening without getting any response, and anxiety started to creep in.

Jiang Mingye had once said his brother preferred proactive, enthusiastic girls. Maybe all rich second-gen heirs were like that. Shen Mian figured he needed to be a bit more proactive himself.

After all, Jiang Yancheng had countless lovers around him, so he needed to show up often to make himself memorable.

So he sent enthusiastic greetings at the prime time of 9 PM:

Sweetheart Softie: "Gege, are you done with work? Got time to chat with me?"

Sweetheart Softie: "The food at the cafeteria today was so bad. I kind of miss going home to eat my mom's cooking~"

Shen Mian racked his brain, making small talk to fill the silence, hoping for a reply.

After a long while, there was still no response.

Shen Mian stared at the chat screen dejectedly, feeling helpless.

Was his topic too awkward? So awkward that the other person had no desire to reply at all?

But he had agreed to add him. Could it be...

Could it be that he needed to show his legs again before he'd be willing to chat?

Shen Mian thought about his follow-up plan to extract money, and the hospital's pressing payment notice, he steeled himself, clutched his phone, and slipped back into the bathroom.

According to the tutorial, showing a bit of vulnerability and injury would make men more protective and eager to get close, so Shen Mian deliberately rubbed his calf and ankle joints until they were red, making it look like he'd scraped them in a fall. He had skin that easily marked, so it took almost no effort.

The bathroom lighting was dim. Shen Mian looked down at his calf—his originally fair, delicate skin now bore an uneven patch of light red he'd rubbed in, extending upward from the ankle.

He picked up his phone, angled it slightly for a top-down shot. It captured both the smooth, pretty line of his leg and clearly showed the faint red mark.

Once the photo was taken, he opened Jiang Yancheng's WeChat and sent it over.

Sweetie Softie: "Big bro~ I accidentally fell while running today, it hurts so bad~"

Sweetie Softie: "My leg's all red from the scrape, boohoo... I'm such a klutz~"

After those two messages, he sent a cute crying kitten sticker.

Once the messages went through, Shen Mian let out a quiet breath, grabbed his phone, and stepped out of the bathroom.

Two roommates were gaming in the dorm, and Jiang Mingye was on a video call with his girlfriend in the dorm—no one seemed to notice what he'd been doing in there. Shen Mian steadied his slightly racing heart and quietly got into bed.

The phone screen kept lighting up and going dark, but the WeChat interface still showed no incoming messages. Shen Mian nibbled his lip, even wondering if he hadn't pressed hard enough, if the red mark didn't look real enough, or if the photo just hadn't come out right.

Just as he was about to assume his flirting attempt had failed, his phone finally buzzed.

J: "Go buy some ointment and put it on. It'll be fine by tomorrow."

It was a brief message—no comfort, no asking how he'd fallen—but at least he finally acknowledged him. The disappointment in Shen Mian's eyes instantly vanished, his eyes reignited with a spark of hope.

Sweetie Softie: "Thanks for caring, big bro~ I already put some medicine on just now~"

Sweetie Softie: "It's getting late, big bro, rest early! Goodnight and sweet dreams~"

Hah! So he only responds when he sees leg photos—what a horny dog! Shen Mian silently scoffed, his opinion of these so-called rich, powerful rich kids sinking even lower.

About ten kilometers away, in a lake-view villa, Jiang Yancheng held his phone, his eyes still fixed on the photo Shen Mian had sent him earlier.

In the grainy photo, a faint red mark spread across the pale calf and ankle, like a fresh plum blossom blooming in a field of white snow—delicate and fragile, as if it could snap with the slightest bend, radiating a kind of fragile, broken beauty.

Every inch of it was exactly his type.

Was this "Sweetie Softie" really just some stranger who happened to add him?

Jiang Yancheng furrowed his brow slightly and thought for a moment, then closed the photo.

Shen Mian discovered that ever since he'd sent Jiang Yancheng that photo of his "injured" leg, the man had finally started acknowledging him.

Though his attitude remained cold, sometimes replying with just a few aloof words, at least he responded now instead of treating him like air.

His progress on reeling in his target had finally inched forward. Shen Mian planned to keep at it, hoping to hook this big fish sooner rather than later.

After class one day, he got another call from home.

"Mianmian~ have you asked your teacher when this semester's scholarship money will come through?" Chen Meijuan's urging voice came through the phone, which made Shen Mian's heart sink.

He fidgeted with his fingers and muttered, "It's still early, probably not until next month."

"Didn't I transfer 2000 over last week? Didn't you pay it to the hospital?"

"2000 is nowhere near enough! Sigh~ the hospital bill is piling up too much, and your dad needs dialysis every week—a few sessions and it's gone." Chen Meijuan sighed on the other end. "We're so broke we can barely put food on the table. The day before yesterday, we had to borrow money from your second uncle for your brother's school uniform!"

"Mom..." Shen Mian moved his lips and finally spoke. "I'll think of something! I've been looking at part-time jobs lately—maybe... I'll have money soon."

His mother let out a long sigh on the other end, told him to take care of himself and not overwork, then hung up.

Money—where was he supposed to get money!

Shen Mian clutched his phone with a bitter smile, his head was a complete mess.

He did have a wealthy big shot on WeChat, but... given how coldly that person treated him now, would he even be willing to throw money at him?

Would he see through his lame lies and block him?

Shen Mian shook his head, quickly dismissing the thought: No way! No way! He couldn't let it all fall apart now.

After much deliberation, he decided to first look for part-time work near campus.

As luck would have it, while scrolling through his moments, he spotted a friend's job posting.

"XX Coffee Shop near the university is hiring 2 waitstaff. Must wear maid uniform during shifts, with cat ear headband and collar. Height 165cm+, average build, any gender welcome, attractive candidates preferred. 50/hour, paid daily. DM if interested."