Wen Yan had just placed the washed dishes into the drying rack when the crisp sound of the doorbell echoed through the spacious, silent villa, sounding particularly abrupt.
She wiped her hands and hurried to the entrance, where she saw Su Wan’s face, brimming with excitement and curiosity, through the video doorbell screen.
As soon as the door opened, Su Wan swept in like a gust of wind.
“Oh my god!” Su Wan exclaimed as soon as she stepped inside, her eyes wide as she took in the high-ceilinged, spacious living room. Its minimalist decor exuded an expensive quality at every turn. “Yanbao! Your place is huge! This living room alone is bigger than my entire rented apartment! Is this what it means to be part of a wealthy family? I’m so jealous! I hereby declare that, from today onward, my dream is to marry into a wealthy family!”
She gushed dramatically while changing into slippers, eagerly stepping further inside and looking around like an inquisitive child.
“This sofa… is it genuine leather? This lamp… must be a designer piece, right? This carpet… it feels like stepping on clouds! Tsk tsk, President Li truly lives up to his reputation!”
Wen Yan couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s antics, and the complicated emotions stirred by the note earlier were momentarily swept away.
“Alright, enough of that. It’s not like you’ve never seen luxury before.”
“But it’s different! This is my best friend’s home! Rounding it up, it’s practically mine too!” Su Wan giggled, linking arms with her.
“Oh, Yanbao!” Su Wan suddenly grabbed Wen Yan’s arm, her voice trembling with excitement. “Have you checked Weibo? Oh my god! Something huge happened! No, wait—something amazing happened!”
Wen Yan was jostled and felt a bit dazed, completely confused. “What about Weibo? I just woke up not long ago and haven’t had time to check my phone.”
“You haven’t seen it?!” Su Wan’s eyes widened even more as she quickly pulled out her phone from her bag, her fingers frantically tapping the screen. “Look, look! You and your President Li are dominating the trending searches!”
She shoved the phone screen right in front of Wen Yan.
On the screen, hashtags like #LiYanzhou’sNewWife, #LiYanzhouProtectsHisWife, #LiCorporationTerminatesCooperationWithLiFamily, and #FinancialAnchorWenYan, all marked with “hot” or “explosive” labels, occupied nearly half of the top ten spots on the trending list.
Wen Yan’s heart skipped a beat as she took the phone, her fingertips feeling slightly cold. She tapped on the top hashtag, #LiYanzhou’sNewWife.
Pinned at the top was a post from the financial media outlet “Kan Finance,” published in the early hours of the morning.
The headline was strikingly bold: “Li Yanzhou, President of Li Corporation, Publicly Acknowledges Marriage for the First Time; New Wife is Financial Anchor Wen Yan from Xijing Television.”
The article was detailed, featuring clear photos from last night’s banquet where Li Yanzhou held Wen Yan close as he introduced her to Mr. Zhang and others. It also briefly outlined Wen Yan’s professional background and specifically mentioned the incident at the banquet where Li Mo provoked her, prompting Li Yanzhou to defend her on the spot and announce the termination of all cooperation with the Li family.
The wording of the article was measured, but between the lines, it couldn’t hide the shock over this “whirlwind marriage” and “swift action.”
The comments section below had exploded.
[Damn! Li Yanzhou is really married?! I thought he’d stay single forever!]
[The bride is a financial anchor? That’s impressive—not one of those trophy socialites.]
[Wen Yan? I know her! She’s so poised when delivering the news, and her professional skills are top-notch!]
【I caught up on last night’s drama! That arrogant heiress Li Mo totally deserved it! The way President Li protected his wife was so hot!】
【Terminating all cooperation?! President Li is truly raging for his beauty! So manly!】
【Is this even a marriage of convenience? This is true love, right? A workaholic like Li Yanzhou would go this far for a woman.】
【Am I the only one who noticed the possessive look in President Li’s eyes when he looks at his wife?】
【Did Wen Yan save the galaxy in her past life?】
【Seems like they’re not exactly from matching social circles, but who cares when President Li is into her.】
【Director Li must be kicking himself now, regretting how he raised his daughter and offending the big boss.】
Comments refreshed rapidly, with astonishing numbers of likes and shares.
Other entertainment gossip accounts and financial news outlets also reposted the story, adding their own spin and interpreting it from various angles, pushing what was originally a limited scandal within elite circles into a full-blown public spectacle.
Wen Yan scrolled through each post, feeling blood rush to her head, her cheeks burning, and her heart pounding wildly.
She hadn’t expected things to blow up this much, nor had she anticipated that Li Yanzhou’s statement about “terminating all cooperation” would be reported in such detail and imbued with such a heavy romantic narrative of “raging for his beauty.”
“And this! Look at this!” Su Wan excitedly switched pages, opening a video clip posted by another influential entertainment blogger. Though somewhat blurry, it clearly showed Li Yanzhou holding her, speaking coldly to Li Mo, and then leading her away. The caption read: “Live on the scene! President Li’s iconic wife-protecting moment! His gaze kills me! Miss Li was scared stiff on the spot!”
The comments under the video were overwhelmingly filled with words like “domineering,” “so handsome,” “jealous,” and “this is what a real man is like.”
“Yanbao!!” Su Wan grabbed Wen Yan’s shoulders, shaking her vigorously, her excitement practically overflowing. “Li Yanzhou actually made such a high-profile move! Announcing you publicly at that kind of event! And for you, he openly turned against the Li family on the spot! Oh my god, that move was just too cool!”
Her eyes sparkled as she lowered her voice, voicing an unbelievable speculation: “Yanbao, do you think… Li Yanzhou might actually be interested in you? Love at first sight? Otherwise, why would he go this far?”
Wen Yan felt dizzy from Su Wan’s shaking and overwhelmed by the explosive information and exaggerated comments on her phone screen.
Li Yanzhou making a high-profile announcement? Domineeringly protecting his wife? Terminating cooperation because of her?
No, that’s not it. A voice inside her insisted.
He had explained last night that terminating cooperation was a business decision due to the Li family’s misconduct.
Perhaps he did all this simply to seize the opportunity and prevent future trouble.
But… looking at those clear photos, seeing the decisive way he held her, and witnessing the icy, intimidating glare he gave Li Mo… her heart uncontrollably skipped a few beats.
Could it be… as Su Wan said, there was a little bit… something different?
As soon as this thought surfaced, she forcefully pushed it down.
Wen Yan, don’t be silly. That’s Li Yanzhou we’re talking about.
Every move he makes is calculated, with a purpose.
Don’t be fooled by these superficial things.
“Wanwan, stop guessing,” Wen Yan said, trying to keep her voice calm as she shoved the phone back into Su Wan’s hands. “It was probably just a coincidence. The Li family had their own issues, and he simply used it to his advantage.”
“Making a big deal out of nothing?” Su Wan wore an expression that clearly said, “Who do you think you’re fooling?”
“Does someone like Li Yanzhou need to make a big deal out of something like this? If he didn’t want people to know, would it even make it to the hot searches? Look at these photos—the angle, the clarity, and the way the captions are timed… Yanbao, just admit it, President Li definitely sees you as someone special!”
Su Wan grew more and more excited as she spoke, as if she could already see her friend’s happy future: “Who knows, maybe this is one of those ‘marriage first, love later’ stories, straight out of a novel! Ahhh, it’s so thrilling! Yanbao, you have to seize this opportunity. While he still feels protective of you, hurry up and win him over! Then, no matter if it’s Gu Weiwei or Li Mo, they’ll all have to step aside! You’ll be the genuine, untouchable Mrs. Li!”
Wen Yan’s face flushed red from her words. She lowered her head, staring at the dazzling ring on her ring finger, her thoughts tangled and confused.
Li Yanzhou… what exactly are you thinking?