"What's the situation with these girls?" Half-lying on the wide lounge chair, Selena Gomez asked Jiang Hai, who was sitting beside her, in a low voice. Jiang Hai was also lounging, watching several girls splashing by the water in the distance, including Pra Walton, who seemed to be enjoying herself. He took a sip of beer and spoke slowly.
"These girls come from poor backgrounds. They used to be deaf and mute, misled by bad influences and went down the wrong path. Fortunately, I found them and hired them to help me grow grapes." Jiang Hai didn't delve into the details.
They only needed to know the girls' troubled past; there was no need to broadcast it. That was not his style.
"So that's what it is. I was wondering why they weren't talking or laughing. I didn't realize there was such a backstory. I didn't know you were such a good person," Selena Gomez said with a laugh. She propped herself up, picked up a bottle of guarana drink next to her, and opened it.
She looked at Jiang Hai with an amused expression, and Jiang Hai shrugged helplessly.
"A 'good person' isn't exactly a compliment in China, at least not the way you might think," Jiang Hai replied.
"Why?" Selena Gomez asked, confused. A 'good person'—wasn't that a compliment?
"Well, think about it. When you reject a suitor, what do you usually say?" Jiang Hai asked, guiding her to understand the nuance of the term "good person."
"Let me think... If it were a few years ago, I'd say I'm too young and not ready for a relationship. A few years ago, I might have said I had a boyfriend. Recently, I might say I want to focus on my career. Yeah, something like that..." Selena Gomez pondered, then answered thoughtfully.
Jiang Hai was taken aback by her answer.
"Well, that's okay... I thought you'd say, 'Sorry, you're a good person, but we're not right for each other.'" Shrugging, he gave her an exasperated look. That phrase is the real meaning of 'good person.'
"Hahaha, that's a line for women in their thirties or forties. We wouldn't say that," Selena laughed. "Wow, your guarana drink is really strong. It makes me want to exercise. Want to go out and have some fun?" she asked.
But Jiang Hai usually heads down the mountain every day, and today, he didn't feel like going into the water. If he did, the large "fool" in the water would likely find him. When a shark swims close to the shore, these women probably wouldn't dare to play anymore. For their sake, Jiang Hai shook his head and declined.
"No, thank you," he said.
"Okay." Seeing Jiang Hai wasn't interested in swimming, Selena Gomez didn't mind. She stood up from the lounge chair, pulling off the slightly thick sweatshirt she was wearing.
Since they were at the beach, though they weren't sure whether they would go in the water, the girls had already prepared.
At that moment, each lounge chair was piled with clothes. These girls had changed into bikinis, not wearing tops underneath.
Selena Gomez was no different. As she removed her sweatshirt, her bikini top, almost identical to the one she had on earlier, was revealed. It had two American flags printed on it.
Jiang Hai didn't know whether to call it patriotism or something else—it was hard to tell.
But Selena was a public figure, used to being stared at, so she wasn't embarrassed. After removing her top, she pulled off her tight jeans, revealing a two-piece bikini bottom made of fabric and straps. Jiang Hai had never seen anything like it before.
"Are you really not going swimming?" Selena Gomez asked with a smile, noticing Jiang Hai's wide-eyed gaze. Although this was only their third meeting, the open culture in the United States made her unbothered by his stare.
Of course, she didn't think their relationship would develop further, but she didn't mind his admiration. In fact, she saw it as a compliment to her charm.
"Oh, no," Jiang Hai replied. Despite the opportunity, he chose not to take advantage.
Selena raised an eyebrow, then smiled and walked toward the beach, joining Aphra and the others who were still playing by the water. As for Pra Walton, she too was joining in the fun, no longer carrying the aura of the ice-cold, domineering female CEO that Jiang Hai had first seen.
Jiang Hai couldn't help but wonder if she had a bit of a split personality. Why was she so different at times, making it hard to anticipate her behavior?
"But these clothes are pretty nice..." Jiang Hai picked up his beer and took a sip, feeling satisfied. It was clear that these girls had come prepared for a day at the beach. It wasn't unusual for American women to wear bikinis, and Jiang Hai couldn't help but appreciate the quality of the swimsuits.
Most of the women had conservative choices—solid colors or stripes, and even the bikinis were thicker and more modest than expected. Mrs. Philemon and others had helped them pick these out, as they didn't want to play too wildly.
Among the swimsuits, Pra Walton's black bikini stood out. The top had two black pieces of cloth, and the bottom was similarly minimal, covering only the front and back with black fabric. The rest of her body was adorned with metal rings, exposing large swathes of skin. It was obvious that Pra Walton took care of herself—her skin was fair, her figure amazing, and she radiated the confidence of a well-maintained woman.
Jiang Hai couldn't help but watch the women play and frolic by the water, enjoying the view. As for Selena Gomez, who had been a little down earlier, she now smiled, clearly having fun.
In a place where no one recognized her—or didn't care if they did—Selena was truly happy. The stress from work and her previous emotional missteps seemed to melt away.
Seeing Selena so happy, Pra Walton felt similarly satisfied. It seemed like inviting her along had been a good decision after all.
While everyone laughed and played, a taxi pulled up at the gate of Jiang Hai's manor. As the doorbell rang, Darlene and Marianne, who were the only ones at the house, hesitated to answer. They forwarded the call to Mrs. Philemon.
"Hello?" Mrs. Philemon's face appeared on the screen at the door. In front of her were two Asian women.
"Hello, is this Jiang Hai's house?" The two women, seemingly caught off guard by Mrs. Philemon's presence, recovered quickly. The woman with the stronger presence spoke in perfect English.
"Jiang Hai? The boss? He's not here right now. What do you need to see him for?" Mrs. Philemon responded promptly.
"Not here? Can you tell me where he is? I tried calling him but got no answer, so I came here directly. I'm a good friend of his from China," the woman explained, frowning slightly.
"Oh, he's at the beach with some guests. The signal there is a little weak. I'll let them know to send you to him," Mrs. Philemon replied without suspicion. She knew this was their manor, and no one would dare harm Jiang Hai. Besides, the two women didn't seem threatening. She wasn't worried, despite their unfamiliarity.
After hanging up, Mrs. Philemon called Philemon, who was out herding cattle at the time. The only person available to help was O'Connor Murphy. He reluctantly interrupted his tasks and drove a large motorcycle to the gate.
From a distance, he saw two women standing by the entrance, each holding a box.