“W-Why did they leave like that? Old He, they haven’t eaten yet, and we haven’t even discussed the children’s matter. There must be some misunderstanding.”
Shang Mother hurried after them, looking anxious and flustered—a side of her He Chan had never seen before.
She let out a self-mocking laugh. She had been too pathetic before, throwing herself at them and allowing them to act superior.
Now, even the slightest hint that father and He Ting might reject them had thrown The Shang Family into disarray.
For years, The Shang Family had never taken the initiative to discuss the marriage between her and Shang Xu. Shang Mother had only kept making promises, saying that Shang Xu would be moved by her one day.
It seemed that what could move The Shang Family was not sincerity, but only profit.
“A misunderstanding? I think Shang Xu looks anxious.” He Ting folded her arms. “What, aren’t you going after them?”
Shang Xu’s face was cold as ice. “I already said that Lin Ranran and I have no relationship. She is an ordinary employee of Shang Corporation. He Chan is talking nonsense.”
“That’s right. He Chan is jealous. Tingting, you mustn’t fall for her tricks. She couldn’t have the person she loved, so she became twisted and wanted to sabotage things.” Shang Mother approached and tried to grab He Ting’s hand, but He Zheng brushed her away with one hand.
“Chanchan is still surnamed He! I never said I would sever my father-daughter relationship with her.”
He Zheng’s face darkened, his eyes burning like fire. He knew it was a ruse, but he had never expected The Shang Family to be this hypocritical and shameless.
“Before I brought Tingting back, you weren’t acting like this.”
He Chan’s nose stung as she listened. Father had not abandoned her. Father believed her.
How foolish she had been. Because she liked a rotten man like Shang Xu, she had repeatedly made father sacrifice and put him in difficult situations.
In only a few days, she had recognized all the snakes, ghosts, oxen, and spirits around her and learned who truly cared about her.
✦✦✦
Although they had never confessed their feelings or truly been together, hearing Shang Xu say they had nothing to do with each other still caused Lin Ranran unbearable pain.
Tears blurred her vision. When she saw a familiar figure, she wanted to seize hold of him and escape this place.
“Young Master Ji, could you take me away?”
Ji Yan looked speechless. “Miss Lin, I don’t think we’re familiar with each other.”
She had not expected him to be so cold and heartless, and Lin Ranran felt ashamed. Afraid that someone might come after her and humiliate her further, she pleaded in a low voice, “I only want to leave.”
It had to be said that even when crying helplessly, she was still very beautiful, and it was easy to arouse pity in people’s hearts. If it had been another man, he would probably have softened immediately.
Unfortunately, Ji Yan was not like other men.
He found the Plot ridiculous. Though he, the male supporting character, had tried to avoid the Female Protagonist, Lin Ranran had still managed to find him and ask for help.
He had hidden in the parking lot instead of going upstairs. What more could she want from him?
“If you want to leave, you can call a ride-hailing car outside.”
“Can’t you help me?” Lin Ranran looked up in astonishment, her tear-filled eyes resembling those of a wet little puppy.
“Is someone chasing you? I can help you call the police.”
Ji Yan looked behind her. However, despite the two of them having been arguing until now, no one had come after her. There was only the sound of a security guard driving a vehicle into the lot.
No one was chasing her, yet she had grabbed someone and insisted on asking for help. Lin Ranran felt intensely awkward.
“What’s wrong?”
Su Xiang had planned to follow He Chan upstairs, but she turned back halfway. When she returned, she saw Lin Ranran crying in front of Ji Yan, and an alarm went off in her mind.
She did not suspect Ji Yan; she instinctively disliked Lin Ranran.
Lin Ranran failed to get help, then his girlfriend caught her red-handed. She became even more flustered.
“N-No, it’s nothing. I happened to run into Young Master Ji, so I came over to say hello.”
“Oh.” Su Xiang said no more. She stood beside Ji Yan and stared at Lin Ranran.
Lin Ranran rubbed the corner of her clothes, feeling as though someone had caught her hitting on a man. She had not meant anything by it. She was only afraid that Shang Xu…
Shang Xu had not come after her. Was she truly nothing more than an insignificant ordinary employee in his eyes?
“I’m leaving now. Goodbye, Young Master Ji and Miss Su.”
Su Xiang said, “Do you need me to call a car for you?”
“No, thank you. I can call a ride-hailing car myself.”
After saying this, she felt even more ashamed. It made her earlier request for Young Master Ji’s help seem deliberate.
Su Xiang watched her leave and frowned. “There’s something strange about her.”
Ji Yan said, “If she feels strange, then have less contact with her.”
“Not necessarily. If Shang Xu truly likes her, he’ll take her to all kinds of events in the future, so they’ll have plenty of chances to meet.”
“If Shang Xu wants to be with her, he should settle things with his parents first. Things upstairs are probably already a mess.”
“Judging by Chanchan’s indignant look when she went upstairs, at least all our acting these past few days wasn’t for nothing. You really know how to come up with ideas.”
Su Xiang looked at Ji Yan with bright, sparkling eyes, filled with joy and admiration.
Ji Yan’s throat bobbed. Unable to restrain himself, he bent down and kissed her.
The sensation of their lips and teeth meeting was unfamiliar to both of them, but they learned quickly. Before long, they found their rhythm.
Su Xiang felt weak all over. It was as though an electric current were flowing through her body, leaving her tingling and numb. She craved the man’s presence and wanted more.
Ji Yan remained restrained. His broad hands only held the woman lightly by the back, and he ended the kiss after a brief taste. The parking lot was no place for passion; he could not bear to let outsiders or surveillance cameras see this side of Su Xiang.
After the car pulled out, Ji Yan was silent for a while before saying, “The renovation of the new house is progressing a little slowly.”
After a while, Su Xiang let out a quiet laugh. She had never imagined that he, usually gentle and reserved, would become like this when impatient.
She loved the way he had been. She had once liked Ji Yan’s gentle and refined public persona, but now she loved even more the lively, human side he showed only to her.
It was as though he lowered his guard only in front of her.
“Mm. Then I’ll go urge them tomorrow.”
“Has the wedding dress been finished? Have you chosen a Honeymoon destination?”
“They’ve revised the design twice. They said they’ll fly over tomorrow so I can try it on. As for the Honeymoon, we’re short on time. Should we skip it?”
Ji Yan held the steering wheel with one hand and rubbed her fingers with the other. “Work is always busy. There’s no need to cancel a trip for work. Enjoying life is more important. Relaxing once in a while won’t make the company lose money.”
He had agreed to the System so he could experience a colorful world and life, not work like a beast of burden.
He liked seeing Su Xiang happy and was willing to travel wherever she wanted to go.
Su Xiang curved her lips into a smile. “Then I’ll go back and do some research. Is there anywhere you want to go?”
“You decide. Anywhere is fine with me.”
He had plenty of time in this life, and many opportunities to travel would come in the future. There was no need to decide where to go first. He would leave it to Su Xiang.
As the car headed home, Su Xiang’s heart filled with sweetness. She had truly found happiness.
And her best friend, He Chan, had also given up on Shang Xu. How wonderful life was!
✦✦✦