Late afternoon arrived.
Inside the primary study of the Leng Family Estate, a soft, ambient amber radiance permeated the room.
Outside, the setting sun gradually descended, casting long, warm golden rays across the space.
The room was anchored in a profound tranquility, with only the occasional faint chirp of nesting birds and the muted hum of distant city traffic cutting through the silence.
Lying quietly upon a plush, velvet-upholstered daybed, Leng Qingqiu remained perfectly still.
Her silky, pitch-black hair was spread like a dark fan across the cushions, emitting a faint, elegant fragrance.
As the sun dipped lower below the horizon, the ambient light softened further, tracing the flawless, delicate contours of her face.
The corners of Leng Qingqiu’s lips curled up into a rare, gentle smile, as though her mind were drifting through a pleasant dream.
Mmm…
so comfortable…
so warm.
It has been a long time since my body felt this untethered from reality.
I actually managed to dream about Father and Mother…
Wait.
A dream?
Abruptly, Leng Qingqiu’s brow knit together in a tight, sharp line.
Hold on.
This is not right!
What hour is it right now?!
She bolted upright, throwing off the satin sheets and sprang herself off the daybed in a panic.
Clatching her aching forehead, her mind was instantly flooded with a wave of regret.
Damn it!
How could I have possibly succumbed to a deep sleep?
How could I have allowed my guard to drop so completely?
What exactly happened right before I dozed off?
Leng Qingqiu frantically swept her hands along the edge of the furniture, searching for her blind cane while recalling the scene before she fell asleep.
Oh.
Right.
It was Gu Yan.
The man had been giving her a cranial relaxation massage on her temples.
And then, against her hyper-vigilance she had spent years tempering…
his rhythmic movements had lulled her into a deep slumber!
This…
Is unacceptable!
“How could my body have checked out under the hands of that amateur’s massage technique?” Leng Qingqiu muttered through gritted teeth, her cool features twisting into an expression of denial.
Judging by the subtle drop in the ambient room temperature, she had already deduced; the day had already bled into the late afternoon.
How could a world-class genius like her waste so many hours of priceless time on a mere nap?!
Right at that moment— “Tsk, tsk.
Hey now, what’s with all this slander about an ‘amateur’s technique’?
Your devoted future husband’s feelings are severely bruised, you know.” “Besides, Qingqiu, the fact that you slept like a log for four straight hours is the ultimate, undeniable proof of my divine-tier massage technique, isn’t it?” Accompanied by that insufferably smug, teasing voice, the cool metallic grip of her blind cane was smoothly slid directly into Leng Qingqiu’s open palm.
Hearing the scoundrel’s voice out of nowhere, Leng Qingqiu’s expression instantly iced over.
She wrapped her fingers tightly around the cane and stood at her full height.
Whirling her head toward the direction of Gu Yan’s voice, she delivered an icy rebuttal.
“Do not flatter yourself.
My brief lapse in consciousness has nothing do with your primitive massage!” “It was a purely physiological consequence of my recent, high-intensity all-nighters!” “To tell you the truth, your massage skills were terrible!
Unbearable, even!” Even though she knew in heart that Gu Yan’s massage technique was indeed the one that relaxed her nerves and caused her to fall asleep.
she would never admit it to his face!
If she were to give an inch to this man, god only knew what kind of mile he would take next!
Seeing Leng Qingqiu’s stubborn tsundere attitude, Gu Yan found himself holding back a laugh.
After all, his vision was currently being spammed by a relentless, flashing sequence of System prompts: [ Ding!
Pure Love Spouse’s nervous system has achieved optimal comfort levels!
] [ Ding!
Spouse’s emotional variance indicates a high state of subconscious bliss!
] [ Ding!
Spouse was so relaxed by your touch that she temporarily lost consciousness: +50 Points!
] Naturally, Gu Yan wouldn’t act like an insensitive, text-book idiot.
Instead, with a disappointed tone, he let out a heavy sigh.
“Ah…
I see.
What a shame.
And here I thought the massage technique I learned specifically for your sake, Qingqiu, had actually helped you.” Wait…
Was my rejection too aggressive?
Hearing the genuine dejection in Gu Yan’s sigh, a sudden, unfamiliar twinge of guilt pricked at Leng Qingqiu’s heart.
She knew she had explicitly lied out of pure stubbornness.
Furthermore, her grand strategy required her to comfortably exploit the immense political and financial capital of the Gu Family corporate.
Yes, exactly—this is entirely a calculated business play, she reminded herself.
To ensure a long-term use, she couldn’t allow Gu Yan to feel despair and abandon the engagement contract.
Exhaling a slow breath, she slightly adjusted her stance.
“Well…
I suppose it wasn’t completely useless.
It did provide a tiny bit of help.
A tiny bit.” After a pause, Leng Qingqiu leaned slightly toward his position, her tone emphasizing.
“Really: only a tiny bit.
Don’t misinterpret it as it mean something .” Hearing this, Gu Yan seized the opportunity.
He reached out and took her delicate, cool hand into his palm.
“I knew it!
You truly are a gentle soul, Qingqiu-Baby!
In that case, how about I give you a massage every day from now on?” Suddenly finding her delicate hand firmly clasped in his tight, warm grip, coupled with his abrupt change in tone, Leng Qingqiu became flustered and annoyed.
“You!
Let go of me!” she gasped, her cheeks flushing furiously as she tried to wrench her hand back.
“Who gave you permission to touch me?!” “And change that sickeningly sweet way of addressing me!
It is disturbing to my ears!” Leng Qingqiu was truly losing her composure.
This formost heir of the Gu family—also known throughout the city as Shen Wan’er’s most pathetic, brainless lapdog—was genuinely a thousand times more annoying than the rumors implied!
“Yes, yes, absolutely, my dear Qingqiu.
I’ll call you whatever your heart desires,” Gu Yan nodded repeatedly, his tone dripping with the placating warmth of a doting husband.
“After all, we’re practically family already!” “Pah!
Who’s family with you?!” “But didn’t you personally accept my formal marriage proposal?” “That!
That was a childhood betrothal agreed upon by our elders!” “Exactly!
And technically speaking, a childhood betrothal means we have been a old married couple since were kids, right?” “You…!” If Leng Qingqiu’s wasn’t blind, she wouldn’t have been able to resist abandoning her elegant upbringing and physically assaulting him with her cane.
The guy’s mouth was full of nonsense; not even a single serious word came out.
If it weren’t for her need to use the Gu family corporate, she wouldn’t bother dealing with him!
It’s so infuriating!
For the sake of her revenge plan, it seems she’ll have to endure for a while longer.
Taking a deep breath, she leveled a flat, deadpan stare in his direction.
“Fine.
Waste your breath however you want.
So, can you go home now?
It’s already so late.” Just as she finished speaking— A loud clattering echoed from downstairs, followed by the aggressive thumping of footsteps rushing up the stairs.
Leng Ling’er’s furious, complaints rang out.
“Sis!
I am so angry!
The math test results from last time came back!
I failed again!
Is that teacher targeting me or what?!” “Furthermore, Big Sis!
Didn’t Auntie Ya take a leave of absence starting today?
Who cooked for us?
I can smell premium high-end food wafting up from the kitchen!” Her voice grew closer and closer until she threw open the doors of the study.
“Sister…” Ling’er blurted out, her words dying instantly in her throat.
Gu Yan casually raised a hand, offering a lazy, welcoming wave.
“Welcome back from school, little sister-in-law.” “Yeah, I’m back…
Wait, no!” Ling’er reflexively answered before shaking her head.
She thrust a finger directly at his face, her dyed yellow hair shaking with indignation.
“You!
You!
You!
Why are you here?!” “Didn’t you promise me yesterday that you would never be in a room with my older sister again?!” Hearing her, Gu Yan merely tilted his head, his face morphing into a mask of bewilderment.
“What law makes it strange for a man to visit his own fiancée inside her own residence?” Shifting his posture, he declared with absolute, unshakeable righteousness, “Furthermore, That condition of yours was absurd to begin with!
Show me a single penal code that dictates a husband is legally barred from spending private time with his own wife!” ‘?’ Standing adjacent to the duo, a massive, imaginary question mark manifested over Leng Qingqiu’s head.
She faced Gu Yan’s with a deadpan face.
This man…
his shamelessness has truly achieved a legendary breakthrough.
“Vi…
visit his wife…?!” Ling’er face instantly turned a deep, vivid shade of crimson.
She looked at Gu Yan’s unbothered expression, then shifted her gaze downward to look at the undeniable fact that Gu Yan was still firmly holding her older sister’s hand.
She immediately began to stammer: “Well…
I guess that makes sense…” Even so, She still felt conflicted, tugging at her backpack straps.
“But…
but it’s still not okay.
Big Sis is my family, you’re my sister’s husband, so I’m your sister-in-law, which means we’re all family now.” Ling’er’s thoughts became so tangled she began pulling at her hair.
“Ah, ah, ah!
This is so annoying!” She decided to stop thinking about it and pointed at Gu Yan, showing her cute canine teeth as she threatened: “Anyway, you better leave!
Otherwise…
you’ll taste the power of this young lady’s 10th-degree black belt in Taekwondo!” A secret smile tugged at Leng Qingqiu’s lips.
As expected of my sweet Ling’er.
When the chips are down, she will always take her sister’s side.
Gu Yan, however, merely shrugged with indifference, a amused glint dancing in his eyes.
“Are you certain you want me to leave, little sister-in-law?
I have zero issues walking out that gate right now.” “But can you two cook?
I’ve only finished half of the meal preparations, you know.” ‘?’ ‘?’ Cooking?
Leng Qingqiu’s Leng Qingqiu frowned.
“What ridiculous nonsense are you spouting now?
What cooking?” As she spoke, she paused.
Oh right, Auntie Ya had mumbled something last night about needing to take some time off.
So it would just be her and Ling’er at home for quite a long time to come.
Leng Ling’er’s aggressive posture froze instantly.
“Hold on…
so that scent of cooking down there your doing?” She stared at Gu Yan with a mixture of suspicion and intense curiosity.
“You…
a pampered young master…
actually know how to cook?!” —