Yu Yan was currently leaning back against the chair, wearily closing her eyes. A distinct red mark circled her wrist, throbbing with a dull ache.
“Madam,” Driver Chen spoke up cautiously, “your hand…”
“It’s nothing.” Yu Yan opened her eyes.
Driver Chen hesitated for a moment before speaking again, “Just now, did the young master give you a hard time? Should I inform the master about it?”
Yu Yan’s expression stiffened.
Tell He Chiyan? He was so busy every day. If she bothered him over such a trivial matter, he would probably be annoyed.
In this marriage where she seemingly had the upper hand, she actually held no cards at all. He Chiyan had married her because she was suitable, and she had to be sensible.
“No need. It was just a minor dispute, already resolved. There’s no need to disturb the master’s work.”
Driver Chen understood and nodded. “Yes, Madam.”
When they arrived at Hengtian Gongguan, Yu Yan got out of the car. Driver Chen parked the vehicle in the garage and dialed a number.
“Speak.”
Lowering his voice, Driver Chen reported in full detail what he had witnessed outside the Lingyu building earlier.
“She was hurt?”
“Her wrist is a bit red. Madam said it’s nothing serious and asked me not to tell you.”
“Understood.” He Chiyan said calmly. “From now on, follow her closely whenever she goes to and from work. If He Fan shows up again, stop him directly. Don’t worry about his status.”
“Yes, sir.”
After a long day, when Yu Yan returned home, she hesitated between the master bedroom—where she had slept with He Chiyan last night—and her own room.
If He Chiyan wanted her to sleep with him, he wouldn’t have prepared a separate room for her.
So He Chiyan probably hoped that, apart from sleeping together when fulfilling marital obligations, they would stay in separate rooms at other times.
Having figured out the client’s requirements, Yu Yan pushed open the door to her own room.
One day later.
The flight from Gangcheng arrived in Lingcheng in the middle of the night.
Chen Lu hadn’t accompanied He Chiyan on this business trip. After He Chiyan got into the car, Chen Lu hesitated for a moment before bringing up the matter of the ring.
“The day before yesterday, at the company, it seems the Madam was talked about by her colleagues because of the ring.”
He Chiyan looked up. “Go on.”
Chen Lu’s girlfriend was an employee at Lingyu Design, in the same department as Yu Yan. She was well-informed and loved sharing gossip with her boyfriend.
“It seems that Miss Su, the fiancée of Young Master He Fan, learned that the Madam was married but had no ring. In the cafeteria, in front of many colleagues, she insinuated that the Madam had married… not very well.”
The marriage had been rushed, and he had immediately gone on a business trip afterward. In He Chiyan’s mind, the most important thing had been marrying Yu Yan, and he had overlooked the proper ceremonies.
No wedding, no ring.
He realized belatedly that he had let her suffer injustice.
“Clear my schedule for tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, sir.”
At ten o’clock the next morning, since it was Saturday, Yu Yan woke up a little later than usual.
When she came downstairs, He Chiyan was sitting in the dining room having breakfast.
Having not seen him for several days, Yu Yan felt she had grown more distant from He Chiyan again. She greeted him dryly, “Good morning, Mr. He.”
“Good morning.” He Chiyan looked up at her.
Yu Yan sat down across from him.
“How’s your hand?” He Chiyan asked.
The moment he said this, Yu Yan knew that Driver Chen had indeed told He Chiyan about He Fan coming to find her. “It’s fine now.”
He Chiyan extended his hand. Yu Yan hesitated for a moment, then placed her hand in his.
He Chiyan held her wrist, examined it briefly, then let go.
“The old lady dotes on He Fan quite a bit. He Fan has always done whatever he pleases since childhood. Next time he touches you, just have Driver Chen handle it. Before his transfer, Driver Chen was my bodyguard. Feel free to use him.”
The protective intent in his words was too obvious, making Yu Yan feel a little uncomfortable and also somewhat puzzled.
The “father-son relationship” between He Chiyan and He Fan seemed to be quite bad?
After finishing breakfast, He Chiyan stood up. “Go change your clothes. Come out with me this morning.”
“Where to?”
“To pick a ring.”
An hour later, the car stopped in front of the most prestigious luxury jewelry store in Lingcheng.
The staff ushered the two into the VIP lounge on the top floor.
“Please have a seat, both of you. As Mr. He instructed, we have everything prepared.”
Several staff members walked in carrying trays covered in black velvet.
Each diamond ring was a work of art, with unique designs. The smallest main stone was at least five carats, and the largest—an oval pink diamond—was at least ten carats.
“Is there one you like?” He Chiyan asked.
“These are all too expensive.” Yu Yan said in a low voice. “Actually, there’s no need…”
He Chiyan refused her seriously. “There is a need. You are now Mrs. He.”
Yu Yan understood what he meant—it was Mrs. He who needed it, not Yu Yan herself.
He Chiyan was choosing a ring for the identity of Mrs. He. In a sense, he wasn’t really choosing a ring for her.
Yu Yan stopped being coy. Her gaze swept over the rings and finally settled on one with a relatively simple design.
A princess-cut diamond, four-prong setting, with a plain band and no extra embellishments.
“This one.” She pointed at it.
He Chiyan followed her finger, looked at it, and nodded. “Try it on.”
The shop assistant took out the ring. Yu Yan extended her hand, and the cool metal band slipped onto her ring finger. The diamond refracted delicate sparks of brilliance—it was indeed beautiful, but also indeed too conspicuous.
“Mr. He, I really like this ring, but wearing it to work might not be very convenient.” Yu Yan said softly.
She had only recently started working officially, and wearing such an expensive ring would easily attract unwanted attention.
He Chiyan looked at her lowered profile. She was always so considerate—considerate in her weighing of things, considerate in her choices.
This kind of thoughtfulness made his heart ache.
“Then pick another one for everyday wear.”
The shop assistant quickly brought out several more trays. This time, the rings on them were much more delicate—some with a single diamond, some with bands of pavé stones, and some plain bands with small diamonds set in them.
This time, Yu Yan didn’t hesitate much. She chose a ring with a simple design and a smaller diamond. “This one is fine.”
He Chiyan didn’t object. He said to the shop assistant, “We’ll take both.”
“Certainly, Mr. He. Would you like us to engrave your and your wife’s name initials?”
“Yes, please.”
While waiting for the engraving, the shop assistant brought over tea and refreshments.
The two of them were momentarily silent. Yu Yan sipped her tea, her mind drifting.
He Chiyan asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Yu Yan answered casually, “Nothing much. Just thinking this is too much of an expense.”
“It’s not too much. In the future, if there’s anything you need, don’t hold back. Tell me directly.”
Yu Yan looked up at him. “Thank you.”
The protection casually bestowed by someone in a position of power was enough to make one feel dazed.
On the third floor of the mall, He Fan was accompanying Su Wanqing as she browsed the shops.
She was holding his arm, looking excitedly at the handbags in the display window: “A-Fan, does this color look good? Would it match the white dress I bought yesterday?”
“Yeah, it looks good.” He Fan responded.
“A-Fan, you’re not even looking!” Su Wanqing shook his arm in dissatisfaction.
He Fan smiled and patted the top of Su Wanqing’s head. “I don’t need to look. If you like it, buy it.”
Su Wanqing’s displeasure turned to delight, and she asked the shop assistant to take the bag out for her to try on. He Fan walked over to the railing outside the shop to take a phone call.
From this angle, he could just see the atrium on the first floor.
Two figures walked out from one side. The woman was wearing a cream-colored knit dress with a light camel trench coat over it. After six years of dating, He Fan recognized Yu Yan at a glance.
And beside her stood a man.
The distance was a bit far, and with the greenery in the mall’s atrium blocking the view, He Fan couldn’t see the man’s face clearly—only a distinguished silhouette.
He Fan’s fingers tightened. Without a second thought, he rushed toward the escalator.