Manipulative Harem God

"Zha—Senior Zhang?" Bai Wenling uttered in a mix of confusion and disbelief.

Zhang Wei, now jogging comfortably alongside her, gave a casual nod, "Who else? But what brings you here?"

Bai Wenling paused, her eyes scanning Zhang Wei from head to toe.

She noticed several changes in him, not least his new hair color.

More perplexingly, why was he running around half-naked in the morning chill?

Despite the oddity, seeing his nonchalant demeanor made her respond with a slight awkwardness, "My hometown is in Xianghui. I've come to visit my parents."

Zhang Wei's face lit up with recognition. "Oh, right!" He remembered her mentioning her hometown when they all first met, a group that included Mo Yunxi, Xiong Mei, and Xie Meirong.

"And you? What's with the... getup?" she asked, her eyes flicking down to his bare chest and back up, puzzled by his unconventional jogging attire.

As Bai Wenling's eyes widened in disbelief, Zhang Wei could only offer a rueful shrug. "I'm running away," he confessed.

"Running away? From whom?" Bai Wenling's voice was laced with surprise and concern.

With a helpless smile, Zhang Wei explained, "The husband of my girlfriend came home early today, so I had to make a quick exit. Lost my shirt in the escape, too."

"..."

Bai Wenling's face darkened as she processed his words.

What was she even hearing!?

The husband of his girlfriend!?

Exhaling deeply, she managed a wry smile while looking at Zhang Wei. "You really are something else, aren't you? First with our little Mei, and now this?"

"How does your wife manage with you?" She suddenly remembered he had told her he was married.

Zhang Wei shrugged, his expression one of innocent confusion. "Why would they need to 'manage' with me? They treat me well, actually."

"They!?" Bai Wenling's surprise caused her to stumble slightly on the pavement.

"!"

Zhang Wei caught her arm, steadying her as they paused.

"Th-Thanks!" spoke Bai Wenling, relieved, as he guided her to sit on a roadside bench. There, she took a moment to compose herself, gulping down water from her neon green bottle.

"Never mind," Zhang Wei casually remarked as he folded his hands behind his head.

He had no intentions of showing off his muscles, yet somehow, he always seemed to be misunderstood when he least intended it.

"!"

Bai Wenling's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of irritation flickering across her face.

She couldn't shake the feeling that his intentions toward her weren't entirely honorable either!

Regarding the past relationship between Xiong Mei and Zhang Wei, it seemed nearly everyone connected to the incident had eventually found out; it was hardly a secret anymore.

Given that history, it was only natural for her to be cautious around him, yet she also found herself oddly amused.

How did this man continually manage to charm so many women?

Suddenly, a realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. "You said 'wives'!?" she blurted out, her voice a mixture of shock and awe.

"Yeah, wives. Is there something wrong with that?" Zhang Wei responded, his shoulders lifting in a nonchalant shrug, completely unfazed by the implication of his words.

"..."

Bai Wenling stared at him, her expression blank, her gaze drifting to the half-filled water bottle in her hand.

Never before had she felt such a strong impulse to smash something at someone.

She leaned forward slightly, her tone a mix of apprehension and intrigue.

"Senior, how many... wives... do you have?" she asked, her eyes locked on his.

Zhang Wei answered plainly, without a hint of boastfulness or shame, "Two, both are pregnant."

"..."

Bai Wenling was left speechless once again. She let out a dry chuckle and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "... You really excel at telling jokes. Now, don't tell me they actually live together."

"Hm? How do you know?" Zhang Wei turned sharply, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at her with a hint of suspicion.

The subjects of their conversation were, of course, Yu Lei and Chen Yulan.

Zhang Wei considered both to be his wives, although he regarded Chen Yulan more as his first concubine and would never openly acknowledge this to her.

He adhered firmly to a cardinal rule in relationships: never fully disclose to any woman how much you appreciate her, not even in moments of drunkenness or emotional vulnerability.

Such disclosures seldom lead to anything but trouble.

"..."

Seeing his probing gaze, Bai Wenling momentarily lost her composure.

Gulp!

Unable to find the right words, she resignedly took another sip of water, hoping it would help steady her thoughts and prevent her mind from spinning out of control.

Observing her flustered reaction, Zhang Wei couldn't help but pose another question to shift the focus, "What does your family do here?"

"Small business," Bai Wenling said, casually wiping her lips with the sleeve of her tracksawhile trying to maintain a nonchalant demeanor.

"Hm? The 'small business' must surely make a fortune as well," Zhang Wei remarked, his voice dripping with skepticism.

Bai Wenling offered a slight smile, "Just a little bit of money, enough to get by."

Zhang Wei nodded, his gaze fixed on her wrist. "Indeed, that watch alone must have cost a couple of million. Your 'little bit of money' seems quite remarkable," he commented, pointing to the exquisite blue Vacheron Constantin on her wrist, its sea wave dial catching the light.

"!"

Caught off guard by his observation, Bai Wenling's eyes flickered nervously. Realizing she had been overly modest about her circumstances, she quickly corrected herself, "We sell yachts," she clarified.

Zhang Wei paused, staring speechlessly as he absorbed this new information, "..."

Realizing she might have downplayed her situation too much, Bai Wenling couldn't help but smile inwardly, a bit proud of the inadvertent impression she had made.

She cleared her throat gently, "If you're free, I could show you around my house," she offered graciously.

Zhang Wei nodded but then shook his head, "That's not possible," he declined promptly.

"Hm?" Bai Wenling was taken aback, not having anticipated a refusal, especially since her offer was made in goodwill.

Zhang Wei elaborated with a slight teasing smirk, "I would go, only if you show me some good yachts."