Inside an enormous traditional Chinese courtyard mansion in the heart of A City, a gentle stream flowed through the grounds while bamboo leaves swayed softly in the breeze.
Su Muyao sat quietly by the window, draped in a snowy-white gauze dress, painting a branch of plum blossoms amid the lingering scent of sandalwood incense.
She secretly glanced over her shoulder.
Ji Yuhan sat nearby, a Buddhist scripture in one hand and a string of emerald jade prayer beads in the other, softly chanting.
The scene was one of perfect tranquility.
Turning back, Su Muyao leisurely added a few more strokes to her painting.
For the past few days, she had been taking care of Ji Yuhan at the hospital. Now that she had finished today’s work schedule, coming to his home afterward felt completely natural.
Ji Yuhan hadn’t refused her, after all. Not long ago, he had publicly announced their relationship himself on Weibo.
But simply making the relationship public wasn’t enough.
The old master of the Ji family was the hardest obstacle. Even if Ji Yuhan had already decided to marry her, that stubborn old man would never agree.
So she only had two options now:
Either ruin Su Qian’s reputation…
Or make things irreversible by sleeping with Ji Yuhan.
Destroying Su Qian’s image wasn’t difficult. Even though her plan to drive Su Qian out of the Su family had failed yesterday…
Su Qian herself had already done a great job of ruining her own reputation.
The ridiculous stunts she’d pulled over the past few days had become the laughingstock of every wealthy family in the city. Even Old Master Ji had been angered into the hospital by her antics. There was no way he would ever accept that crazy woman as his granddaughter-in-law.
But that still wasn’t enough.
Su Muyao wanted absolute certainty.
Right now, she still held the title of the Su family’s adopted daughter, but sooner or later she would have to marry. Among the three great business empires of A City, aside from the Su family itself, only the Lu family and the Ji family remained.
The Lu family was out of the question.
Their only son was a fat, ugly wastrel who had spent years fooling around outside and had caught all sorts of diseases. Just looking at him made Su Muyao feel disgusted.
That left only Ji Yuhan.
As long as she secured Ji Yuhan, she would forever remain one of society’s most prestigious noblewomen.
…
Adding the final stroke to the plum blossom painting, Su Muyao turned around with an innocent, sweet smile.
“Phew! Finally finished! Ah Han, this was so difficult!”
She deliberately showed him the prettier side of her face. Her smile was pure and adorable, and as she stood up, her flowing white dress fluttered lightly around her, making her seem almost ethereal.
Ji Yuhan looked up from his scripture.
The moment he saw her, the coldness in his expression softened considerably.
Setting down the scripture, he walked over to the table by the window and examined the painting.
Su Muyao’s artistic skills were actually fairly average.
But she understood him perfectly.
That was enough.
Sure enough, Ji Yuhan chuckled softly. Reaching out, he lightly tapped her forehead.
“How come you still haven’t improved? You little fool.”
As he spoke, he pulled her gently into his arms, took hold of her hand, and patiently guided her brushstroke by brushstroke.
Su Muyao naturally leaned against his chest, a smug glint flashing through her eyes.
Her life had always been this easy.
The adoptive brothers in her family doted on her endlessly, and even the usually detached and ascetic Ji Yuhan had broken his own principles for her.
As long as Su Qian wasn’t around, there wasn’t a single man she couldn’t wrap around her finger.
No…
As long as Su Qian didn’t suddenly lose her mind and embarrass herself in front of everyone, her plans would never go wrong.
“Brother Han, something’s happened!”
Just then, a frantic knock came from behind them.
Ji Yuhan lost his concentration.
One of the plum blossoms was ruined.
Su Muyao froze as Ji Yuhan turned around with visible irritation and scolded the manager who had barged in.
“What is it?”
The newcomer was Ji Yuhan’s manager.
Holding up his phone, he rushed over.
“Brother Han, look! Su Qian posted on Weibo again! Miss Muyao can’t make the announcement now!”
…
When had Su Qian gotten this dating show opportunity?
Wasn’t she just an ordinary civilian? She’d never even entered the entertainment industry. How had she managed to land a variety show from Orange TV in the few short days he’d been hospitalized?
“Who gave her this opportunity? Why didn’t I know about it?” Ji Yuhan frowned, snatching the phone away.
“We asked around… The production team said they approached her themselves…”
Ji Yuhan let out a cold laugh and slammed the phone onto the table.
“Impossible.”
The production team had contacted her voluntarily?
No one had cared about her during all the years she’d been back with the Su family. How could a few public outbursts suddenly make directors chase after her?
Ji Yuhan didn’t even need to think about it.
Su Qian must have spent a fortune pulling strings just to stay close to him.
Wasn’t the whole point simply to interact with him more on the show and win back his heart?
“The lengths she’s going to this time…” Ji Yuhan sneered.
“She’s really willing to do anything just to marry me.”
Beside him, Su Muyao immediately put on a wronged expression and spoke softly,
“It’s okay, Ah Han. If Qianqian wants to be on the show, then let her have it…”
Ji Yuhan frowned.
“How could that be?”
He had originally planned to officially announce his relationship with Su Muyao through this program. Their announcement had been moved up because of Su Qian’s public meltdown, but there was no way they would simply abandon the show.
Seeing Su Muyao looking both pitiful and understanding, he pulled her into his embrace and promised gently,
“Don’t worry. I won’t let her affect you.”
The manager was practically having a breakdown.
“But Su Qian announced it first. How is Miss Muyao supposed to go public now? People will definitely—”
“Announce it anyway.”
Ji Yuhan spoke calmly, every bit the overbearing CEO.
The manager hesitated.
“But Miss Muyao’s public image…”
Nestled in Ji Yuhan’s arms, Su Muyao whispered,
“I’m fine, Ah Han. As long as I can be with you, I don’t care what other people say about me.”
A sharp look flashed through Ji Yuhan’s eyes.
“Have Ji Media’s entire public relations team stand by. The moment Muyao’s announcement goes out, they’ll immediately clean up the online discussions.”
Tears shimmered in Su Muyao’s eyes.
“Ah Han… you don’t have to do so much for me…”
Ji Yuhan placed a finger against her lips, stopping her from saying anything more.
“I’ll handle everything,” he said. “You don’t need to worry about any of it. Just focus on appearing on the show with me.”
Moved to tears, Su Muyao hugged him tightly.
“Thank you, Ah Han.”
She lowered her eyes.
“Qianqian must have been in a bad mood lately… She must be blaming me. If it weren’t for you, I really wouldn’t know what to do.”
“Has she been giving you trouble again lately?” Ji Yuhan asked with a frown.
Su Muyao looked hesitant.
“Don’t be afraid. Tell me.”
“It’s nothing, really…” she said softly. “A couple of days ago, she tried to frame me in front of Father. She claimed that I pushed her down the stairs…”
Ji Yuhan’s expression darkened.
Picking up his phone, he thought:
That woman is becoming more and more unruly.
It was time for him to step in.
He needed to warn her and ask whether she’d caused enough trouble yet.
But as soon as he dialed, he remembered—
Su Qian had already blocked his number.
His face turned black.
Grabbing his manager’s phone instead, he called Su Qian.
The phone rang for nearly thirty seconds before someone finally answered.
Before Ji Yuhan could even speak, deafening dance music blasted through the receiver, nearly bursting his eardrums.
“Su Qian? It’s this late at night—where are you?” he asked sternly.
Then Su Qian’s loud voice rang out from the other end:
“You ordered four guys in one night? Fine, fine, you think I can’t beat that? Get me six! …Huh? Who’s calling?”