The next day.
The autumn breeze carried a chill, and outside, clusters of overlapping moonflowers bloomed and fell like rain, drifting dreamily through the half-open window into the room.
The lingering scent of intimacy in the room was diluted by the subtle fragrance of golden moonflowers.
Inside, the beauty slept soundly, a silky robe hanging loosely over her slender shoulders, revealing the elegant, proud line of her swan-like neck.
Tranquil, satiated.
As if sensing another fragrance intruding upon the crisp cedar scent that had enveloped her all night, the beauty’s long eyelashes fluttered a few times.
Her half-open fox-like eyes shimmered like water, and she hazily glanced at the clock on the bedside table.
Ten o’clock.
She had never slept so peacefully before.
The beauty tugged at the thin silk robe covering her, concealing the scattered, faint red marks on her waist and thighs.
Sure enough, just like last time, he left after sleeping with her.
Suddenly remembering something, the beauty sat up abruptly in bed, quickly covering her lower abdomen.
Oh no!
Oddly enough, from last night until now, Su Sili hadn’t called her even once.
In the past, whenever there was a filming schedule, Su Sili would bombard her with calls, waking her up early in the morning with a flurry of activity, then hauling her, still yawning, to the makeup room with the assistant.
Su Sili replied to her WeChat message instantly.
“You’re awake, my dear? I asked the crew for half a day off for you. Director Nie happened to be away this morning too, so the assistant director is filming some secondary scenes now. You can sleep a little longer, no rush!”
“Three million has been deposited. Impressive, huh? [smirk]”
Wanqing checked her phone as she walked downstairs. Seeing this message, her delicate brows furrowed.
What had she said to Qi Yan last night?
She vaguely remembered mentioning it briefly when she was nearly overwhelmed by his movements…
As for the exact words, she couldn’t recall and didn’t want to.
Su Sili added, “There’s a night shoot today.”
“The important scenes are in the latter half of the night, so we’ll probably be up all night.”
“Have you informed your Second Master?”
Wanqing’s fair fingers paused on the screen for a few seconds.
Did she need to tell him about this? He didn’t seem to care about such things.
Besides, to put it bluntly, her relationship with Qi Yan was just an ordinary arrangement of patronage. Did she need to report every little detail to him?
Wanqing: “Alright, I’ll let him know.”
She wasn’t the type to hesitate, so she made the decision quickly.
But as soon as she opened her contacts, she realized—
She didn’t have Qi Yan’s contact information!
Great.
How utterly superficial.
The late autumn sky was cloudless, neither glaring nor ostentatious—just the season she loved.
After wandering around the estate, she noticed everyone was busy with their own tasks, and no one paid her any attention.
Unbeknownst to her, the butler downstairs exchanged a glance with the gardener, their subtle expressions hinting at unspoken speculations.
Soon after, a certain family group chat exploded with messages.
[Yan’s Mother]: Breaking news! Uncle An says A-Yan brought a woman home to spend the night!
[Yan’s Eldest Sister]: Huh? Ms. Lan, did you just wake up?
[Yan’s Father]: Isn’t Uncle An getting old and confused? Since when does Second Master do such things?
[Yan’s Mother]: Uncle An is always reliable. He wouldn’t dare say something unless he was sure. I heard she’s a very beautiful actress! I need to go see my future daughter-in-law. Are you coming, dear?
[Yan’s Father]: At the airport, busy.
[Yan’s Mother]: …
[Cousin Yan]: Wow~ Never thought my cousin was a normal man too, I always assumed he could satisfy himself just by looking at his account balance hehe [grinning]
[Yan’s Mom]: Brat, what nonsense are you talking? Your cousin is handsome and full of vigor, what’s not normal about him?
[Third Young Master Yan]: Mom, which actress is it? I’ve dated at least eight or ten actresses myself, let me see who’s so beautiful that she made our second brother, that perennial iron tree, finally bloom?
[Yan’s Mom]: Qi Chen, listen up. If you don’t attend your Uncle Sheng’s family dinner today, get out of this house for good!
[Third Young Master Yan]: Mom, you’re so fierce. Aren’t you afraid Dad will find mistresses abroad? [wronged]
[Yan’s Nephew]: Did you all forget? My little uncle is also in this group chat.
[Old Man Yan]: Hey! Precious grandson! I visited your company headquarters last week and felt like something was missing in your office. What’s missing? Your wedding photos.
[Yan’s Cousin]: [confetti] Congratulations, Cousin Yan! Hail Cousin Yan, the most handsome under heaven and on earth! [spinning]
…
Qi Yan was currently in a meeting with the YunChuang team at ZhuoJue Financial headquarters. He opened the message from Uncle An and slightly furrowed his brow.
[Young Master, Miss Wanqing went to the pharmacy and bought emergency contraceptive pills.]
His hand, holding the paper documents, tightened slightly, startling the director who was speaking into an immediate stop.
“Uh… CEO Qi, is there a problem?”
Qi Yan: “Nothing. Continue.”
The director breathed a sigh of relief, having thought his proposal had issues again.
This was already the third financing plan he had submitted. If it didn’t pass this time, he’d have to pack up and leave.
After the meeting, Secretary Su Qin’s phone rang. He answered with a couple of “hmms,” hesitated for a moment, then handed the phone to Qi Yan.
“CEO Qi, someone is looking for you.”
“Who?”
“An actress.”
Qi Yan didn’t even look up. “Handle it as usual.”
Su Qin received many such calls daily.
These women, unable to find CEO Qi’s contact information, simply tried to reach Qi Yan through him, the secretary.
But the caller this time was quite a surprise.
The actress Wanqing, quite popular too. His wife was a fan of her looks.
Could she also be trying to hook up with CEO Qi? That would really be mind-blowing.
“I’m sorry, CEO Qi is very busy. This is my personal phone. If you have official business with CEO Qi, please make an appointment through the front desk of the president’s office. Thank you for your cooperation. Goodbye.”
But shortly after he hung up, the phone rang again.
Seeing Qi Yan’s expression beginning to show impatience, Su Qin thought he’d finish the call quickly and then block her.
“Miss Wanqing, I’m not lying to you. CEO Qi really is unavailable, he…”
“Hand it over.”
“Huh?” Secretary Su was stunned for a second. “Yes, CEO Qi.”
Qi Yan took the phone expressionlessly and glanced down at the screen.
“What is it?”
A woman’s voice came from the other end: “CEO Qi, trying to reach you proactively is really difficult…”
Her tone carried a soft, lazy quality, like someone just waking up, mixed with a hint of complaint.
Qi Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at Secretary Su.
Secretary Su offered a stiff smile, turned, and left, carefully closing the door behind him.
Thinking to himself, I was just following the boss’s instructions, why isn’t the boss happy?
Qi Yan seemed genuinely busy, holding the phone and asking, “What is it, exactly?”
The other person thought for a few seconds, “Second Master, are you returning to the hillside tonight?”
He glanced at the schedule on the table and uttered two concise words.
“No.”
“Great!”
“Oh? What’s so great about it?”
The man loosened his tie, leaning against the edge of the desk, his voice deeper than before.
Was she really that happy not having to sleep with him?